US08918909B2
An output control method for controlling copy operation for a digital broadcast program permitted to be recorded for one generation (copy one generation) with an improved operating convenience. A digital content and a plurality of types of copy control information for controlling the copies of the digital content are received, and in accordance with the copy control information, the digital content is output to a plurality of recording media connected through a network. If first information contained in the copy control information received indicates copy generation information to permit copies for one generation and second information contained in the copy control information indicates “limited number of copies permitted” mode permitting a predetermined number of copies, then the digital content is output to only one of the recording media in a state permitting copying up to the predetermined number.
US08918907B2
Techniques for determining whether firmware should trust an application sufficiently so as to provide a service to the application. Firmware, executing on a device, receives an indication that an application, also executing on the device, is requesting a service provided by the firmware. The firmware obtains (a) an operating system signature associated with the application and (b) a firmware signature associated with the application. The operating system signature is a signature that is used by the operating system, executing on the device, to authenticate the application, while the firmware signature is a signature that is used by the firmware to authenticate the application. If the firmware determines that the operating system signature matches the firmware signature, then the firmware storing trust data that permits the application to access the service provided by the firmware. The firmware need not calculate a signature based on the in-memory image of the application.
US08918906B2
A communication service system includes a SNS server 1 that manages contents, and client terminals 10 to 30 that can make access to the SNS server 1 via a network 40. Each of the client terminals 10 to 30 includes a portion with which the client terminal can obtain an object. The SNS server 1 manages objects input by the client terminals 10 to 30, and allows a plurality of client terminals that are connected to the network 40 and browse the same content to share objects.
US08918901B2
A system and method for restricting access to requested data based on user location are disclosed. The method comprises receiving a data request and determining origin location information of the data request from a source providing information having accuracy to a predetermined standard. The method further comprises retrieving one or more policies associated with the requested data, comparing the origin location information with the policies, and dynamically adjusting access restrictions to the requested data based on the comparison.
US08918900B2
A smart card authenticates a cardholder. The smart card includes a substrate, a sensor module, a wireless transceiver module, and a power circuit. The sensor module includes (a) a biometric sensor adapted to detect biometric information from a person's body, (b) a processor unit adapted to authenticate the person in response to the detected biometric information and generate an authentication signal representing an authentication result, and (c) a memory adapted to store biometric information of a specific individual associated with the smart card. The wireless transceiver module transmits signals received from the processor unit and receives a wirelessly-transmitted power signal. The power circuit generates at least one supply voltage from the received power signal and provides the supply voltage to the sensor module. An electronic passport is embedded with the smart card, and a terminal module is used for wirelessly transmitting power to and receiving signals from the electronic passport.
US08918897B2
A method begins with a processing module issuing a retrieval request, receiving secret shares of a set of secret shares to produce received secret shares, and receiving encoded data slices of a set of encoded data slices. The method continues with the processing module decoding the received secret shares to recapture a message authentication key when a threshold number of the secret shares is received. The method continues with the processing module identifying a received encoded data slice of the received encoded data slices having an authentication code associated therewith when a threshold number of the encoded data slices is received. The method continues with the processing module verifying the authentication code based on the message authentication key and the received encoded data slice. The method continues with the processing module decoding the received encoded data slices to recapture a data segment when the authentication code is verified.
US08918896B2
One embodiment provides a system that facilitates secure communication between a sending device and a receiving device. During operation, the system first transmits an encrypted message to a secure message server, wherein the encrypted message is addressed to the receiving device. The system then generates a cover message which indicates that the encrypted message is available for the receiving device. The system then transmits a digest of the cover message to a cover message server and makes the cover message available for the receiving device, thereby allowing the receiving device to confirm with the cover message server whether the cover message indicates availability of the encrypted message for the receiving device, and allowing the receiving device to obtain the encrypted message from the secure message server.
US08918891B2
The present invention provides, in at least one embodiment, a device, system, and method for resolving the identity of at least one person and listing their identity information attributes. The system detects intentional and improper falsifications of the person's personal identity information. The system calculates a manipulation score that indicates the likelihood that the person intentionally and improperly attempted to manipulate their identity information. The manipulation score can be based on the number, type, and systematic nature of the person's variations in their identity information. The system also calculates a collection of identity manipulation attributes that describe explicitly the manner of the improper manipulation, such as the number of Social Security numbers used.
US08918890B2
A URL, to launch a license contract registration process, in software which requires license registration is informed to a license contract information input server which executes a process of inputting information necessary for license registration. After input of the necessary information, the license contract information input server transfers a request for license registration to the informed URL. The information necessary for license registration is inputted in accordance with a format arbitrarily created by the license contract information input server. A Web browser used by a user to operate a license contract registration process and license management target software can run on different hosts. After distribution of the target software for a license contract, information to be input by the user at the time of license contract can be changed.
US08918888B2
A method for implementing a security agent on behalf of a device, the method comprising: obtaining a list of applications installed on the device from a remote repository; for each respective application on the list, comparing reputation attributes obtained from a reputation database against attributes of the application installed on the device; and for any of the respective applications for which it is determined from the comparing that the application installed on the device is malicious, taking action to limit malicious activity by the respective application installed on the device.
US08918879B1
During a bootstrapping process, path names of necessary bootstrap modules are collected and stored into a file. When an infected bootstrap component is detected, the method initiates emulation of the bootstrapping process within a virtual machine rather than directly cleaning malware from the infected bootstrap component. A settings file is copied into the virtual machine indicating the necessary bootstrap components in the host computer (including the infected component). Alternatively, the actual components are copied into the virtual machine. A clean version of the infected bootstrap component is made available to the virtual machine. The virtual machine is launched using the bootstrap components (including the clean version of the infected bootstrap component) and it emulates the bootstrapping process of the operating system. A successful bootstrap indicates the infected bootstrap component may be cleaned on the host computer. An unsuccessful bootstrap indicates the infected bootstrap component should not be cleaned of malware.
US08918866B2
Mechanisms are provided for handling client computing device requests with adaptive rule loading and session control. The mechanisms partition a set of rules, into a plurality of filter sets with each filter set having a different subset of the set of rules and being directed to identifying a different type of attack on a backend application or service. A subset of filter sets is selected to be used to validate client computing device requests received from client computing devices. The selected filter sets are applied to requests and/or responses to requests. The mechanisms dynamically modify which filter sets are included in the subset of filter sets based on an adaptive reinforcement learning operation on results of applying the selected filter sets to the requests and/or responses to requests.
US08918860B1
A computer-implemented method for establishing secure mobile communications is described. A virtual private network (VPN) between a mobile device and a server is established. A transmission of at least a portion of data between a first application and the server is blocked. It is determined whether the first application on the mobile device is a trusted application. Upon determining the first application is an untrusted application, a transmission of at least a portion of data between the untrusted application and the server continues to be blocked.
US08918850B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for obtaining a limited ID cookie for ad targeting are disclosed. A client requests a limited ID cookie from a cookie making module (CMM), which sends a personal cookie to a verification module for verification. After verification, verification module sends a user ID with user information to CMM. CMM creates the limited ID cookie, and the limited ID cookie is sent to the client. The limited ID cookie is sent to an ads server which utilizes the limited ID cookie to target ads towards the user.
US08918840B2
Systems and methods are disclosed that provide for control of online communication services, including social networks and video games. In some embodiments, parents of children engaging in activities using online communication services can control who their child can engage in communications with, while using online communication services. In some embodiments, parents can monitor potentially problematic communications between their child and other subscribers of an online communication service. Thus, subscribers of online communication services can be prevented from misrepresenting themselves or concealing important information, including age and gender.
US08918813B2
According to an aspect, there is provided a digital television (DTV) data stream including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of the DTV data stream, the PSIP data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT), the EIT comprising: a source identification field identifying a source of an associated event in a DTV data stream; an event identification field indicating an identification of the event; a start time field indicating a star time of the event; a title field indicating a title of the event; and a descriptor comprising: a descriptor tag identifying the descriptor as a genre descriptor, a descriptor length indicating a total length of the descriptor; and at least one category code for an associated event in a DTV data stream, each category code specifying genre, program type, or category information of the associated event, wherein the at least one category code specifies at least one of a set of basic categories.
US08918809B2
A television schedule system and method for displaying television schedule information on a television screen includes a program guide having a schedule information area that depicts the programs that are being presented on each channel at each time during the day. An input device allows the viewer to browse through the schedule information area and/or obtain more information about programs of particular interest. In one aspect, the viewer may watch a program on the currently-tuned channel, while browsing through the other channels on a portion of the television screen. In another aspect, the viewer may watch programs currently being shown on the television, while he or she browses through the program guide. In yet another aspect, the system includes a database, a processor and associated software for automatically customizing the television schedule guide to an individual viewer or a group of viewers, e.g., a family, to facilitate use of the television schedule.
US08918803B2
An Internet Protocol television system includes a user profile agent, a keyword detection agent, and an information search agent. The user profile agent is in communication with a multimedia device, and generates a user profile based on information received from the multimedia device. The keyword detection agent is in communication with the user profile agent, and searches text associated with a multimedia video stream transmitted to the multimedia device for keywords associated with the user profile. The information search agent is in communication with the keyword detection agent, and connects to an information source associated with the keywords detected by the keyword detection agent, and provides additional information associated with the keywords to the multimedia device.
US08918798B2
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for a shared object lock under state machine control. An operating system or virtual machine environment can host a set of multiple executing threads, and provide those threads with mutual access to one or more objects such as storage objects, memory objects, or others. The threads can independently request that the object be locked or unlocked, and the locked or unlocked state can be shared between the threads. Rather than communicate with the object(s) directly, in embodiments the threads communicate with a state machine that in turn controls the state of the object(s). When a request to change the state of the object(s) is received, the state machine can permit the object(s) to change between locked, unlocked, or other states based on the current state of the machine and the received message. Contention between threads can be reduced or eliminated.
US08918796B2
A computer implemented method and apparatus is provided for generating and using constraints that are associated with software programs or other software entities intended for use in a specified data processing system or environment. One embodiment is directed to a method that includes the step of extracting metadata pertaining to the one or more software programs from at least one database. The extracted metadata is selectively processed to generate a set of constraints that affect the use of the one or more programs in a specified environment, wherein such processing includes transforming the extracted metadata to provide the set of constraints in a prespecified constraint language. The method further comprises detecting a proposed action of a user that is associated with the one or more software programs, and determining whether the proposed action violates any constraint in the set.
US08918795B2
Techniques are described for managing states of an object using a finite-state machine. The states may be used to indicate whether an object has been added, removed, requested or updated. Embodiments of the invention generally include dividing a process into at least two threads where a first thread changes the state of the object while the second thread performs the processing of the data found in the object. While the second thread is processing the data, the first thread may receive additional updates and change the states of the objects to inform the second thread that it should process the additional updates when the second thread becomes idle.
US08918786B2
A multiprocessing system executes a plurality of processes concurrently. A process execution circuit (10) issues requests to access a shared resource (16) from the processes. A shared access circuit (14) sequences conflicting ones of the requests. A simulating access circuit (12) generates signals to stall at least one of the processes at simulated stall time points selected as a predetermined function of requests from only the at least one of the processes and/or the timing of the requests from only the at least one of the processes, irrespective of whether said stalling is made necessary by sequencing of conflicting ones of the requests. Thus, part from predetermined maximum response times, predetermined average timing can be guaranteed, independent of the combination of processes that is executed.
US08918785B1
Systems, methods, and interfaces for the management of virtual machine instances and other programmatically controlled networks are provided. The hosted virtual networks are configured in a manner such that a virtual machine manager of the virtual network may monitor activity such as user requests, network traffic, and the status and execution of various virtual machine instances to determine possible security assessments. Aspects of the virtual network may be assessed for vulnerabilities at varying levels of granularity and sophistication when a suspicious event or triggering activity is detected. Illustrative embodiments of the systems and methods may be implemented on a virtual network overlaid on one or more intermediate physical networks that are used as a substrate network.
US08918783B2
Embodiments are disclosed for managing a plurality of virtual computers in a virtual environment. According to one embodiment, a method includes creating a virtual group. The virtual group includes a plurality of virtual computers having a relevant characteristic. An action to perform on the virtual group is received, and the action is performed on each of the virtual computers in the virtual group.
US08918782B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to image distribution. In aspects, portions of an installation image of an operating system may be distributed to one or more repositories. In conjunction with determining a distribution of the installation image, one or more factors may be received. Based on the factor(s), a distribution manager may determine one or more repositories over which the data of the installation image is to be distributed. An indication of this distribution may be persisted for use in obtaining the data from the one or more repositories for installing, configuring, and/or re-configuring the operating system.
US08918778B2
An aspect relates to fail safe flashing techniques for a management device of a computer system. A non-volatile memory of the management device stores a current firmware, an actual critical information and a backup critical information, which is rewritable in a booting mode and read-only in a flash mode. A flasher module is launched to operate the management device in the flash mode. The actual critical information is copied to a volatile memory and erased in the non-volatile memory. A replacement firmware is used to upgrade the current firmware. The actual critical information is mixed and matched with a new critical information. A user input is requested to write the mixed and matched critical information back to the non-volatile memory as the actual critical information. When the user input is not received after a first predetermined time period, the mixed and matched critical information is automatically written back.
US08918772B1
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that uses static analysis to determine program correctness for a program written in a dynamic programming language. During operation, the system receives executable code for a program written in the dynamic programming language. The system identifies a program method called in the executable code, and determines if the program method is implemented for the executable code. If not, the system signals that the program method is not implemented for the executable code.
US08918770B2
A system and method for compiling includes, for a parallelizable code portion of an application stored on a computer readable storage medium, determining one or more variables that are to be transferred to and/or from a coprocessor if the parallelizable code portion were to be offloaded. A start location and an end location are determined for at least one of the one or more variables as a size in memory. The parallelizable code portion is transformed by inserting an offload construct around the parallelizable code portion and passing the one or more variables and the size as arguments of the offload construct such that the parallelizable code portion is offloaded to a coprocessor at runtime.
US08918769B2
The present invention provides a method and system for optimization of an intermediate representation in a graphical modeling environment. A first intermediate representation is provided. At least one optimization technique is applied to the first intermediate representation. A second intermediate representation is generated responsive to the application of the at least one optimization technique to the first intermediate representation.
US08918765B2
Methods and systems for providing a monitoring center with sensors that are inserted at one or more locations within an operating framework software engine. The sensors monitor the interpretive framework engine's process of loading commands, combining variables with coded commands, and executing commands with event processing, variable values, and user interactions. The sensors watch and gather information that has been deemed relevant by the monitoring center's configuration and pass that information to the center so that storage functions can route the information to the appropriate data storage locations. Alternatively, each sensor can be self-contained providing monitoring, gathering, processing, data transmission, and storage within the sensor.
US08918751B1
Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufactures for implementing physical design decomposition with custom conductivity by identifying custom, incomplete conductivity for an electronic design, partitioning a physical design space multiple non-overlapping cells, and iteratively moving at least some of the nodes of these multiple cells to generate a floorplan or a placement layout until one or more convergence criteria are satisfied while maintaining the custom, incomplete conductivity. The floorplan or a placement layout generated resembles the final floorplan obtained through a floorplanner or the final placement layout through a placement tool without requiring that complete conductivity information be provided to the floorplanner or placement tool.
US08918732B2
A user-interface program includes a space that defines adoptable properties as a function of position in said logical space. Chameleon program objects adopt those properties as a function of their positions in the space. The chameleon objects on a display have appearances that correspond to their adopted properties.
US08918730B2
Disclosed is a method, system, and program for providing access to spatial data. A request for data is received. Enterprise and third party data are integrated. The integrated data is processed. Spatially referenced results are generated using the processed data. The spatially referenced results are returned in response to the request.
US08918725B2
A user interface on a mobile device includes an integrated communication region positioned within a viewable area of an application on the mobile device. The integrated communication region is configured to display a preview of content of a first message of a plurality of messages sent by a plurality of users. The first message is a most recent message of the plurality of messages. Visibility of the preview is persistent across a plurality of screens of the application. Across the plurality of screens of the application, (i) a position of the preview within the integrated communication region and (ii) the visibility of the preview remain unchanged until displaced by a second message. The second message is more recent than the first message.
US08918724B2
A system and methodology for communication and collaboration among a plurality of computing appliances associated as team members. The system is comprised of: at least one local communication means for use by at least one local team member, and conveying data (preferably media data and collaboration data); at least one other communication means for use by at least one other team member, and conveying data. Gateway means conveys data between each of the communication means. Network means links said at least one local communication means, and, said at least one other communication means, and enables the conveyance of the data. Display means provides a display presentation of a display image of display image data, for viewing by respective users at each of said at least one local communication means and said at least one other communication means. Input means provides annotation data representative of a respective user providing an input of annotations made relative to viewing the display of the common base image at a respective display apparatus at each of said at both the communication means (local and other). Storage means stores the annotation data as associated with the respective user at each of said local and said other communication means. Selection means permits selection as to which of the annotation data is selected annotation data. A display apparatus provides a combined display presentation responsive to the display image data and to the selected annotation data.
US08918723B2
A system and methodology for collaboration, comprising a plurality of computing appliances, and control logic for logically structuring the plurality of computing appliances as a main team. At least two of the computing appliances have input apparatus and display apparatus. The main team is comprised of a plurality of sub-teams, wherein each of the sub-teams is comprised of at least one of the plurality of computing appliances. Communications logic provides at least two levels of data communication and display presentation, a first level as between all of the plurality of computing appliances on the team, and a second set of a plurality of second levels as between those said computing appliances on each same said sub-team. Each of the computing appliances is associated with a respective one of said second set of levels. Display presentation apparatus provides a first display presentation to each of the computing appliances on the same said team, comprising a display presentation responsive to the respective first level, and provides a second display presentation to each of the computing appliances on a same sub-team, for a respective one of the second set of levels that is associated with the respective computing appliances. Communications apparatus provides audio communications among all the computing appliances that are associated with the same respective said level. In an alternate embodiment, a separate communications channel is associated with each said level and provides a separate level of audio communications among the respective computing appliances associated with a respective one of said levels.
US08918717B2
A system for providing collaborative tag sets to assist in the navigation and use of a folksonomy. The collaborative tag sets are social in nature. As more users group two tags together into tag sets, the disclosed system causes the association between those two tags to grow stronger, as exposed in the bookmark system user interface when alternative tags are suggested for browsing the bookmarks in a folksonomy. Tags that are grouped together by a user into a tag set have the strongest possible weight for that user, and accordingly the disclosed system automatically applies all tags in a set when that user is retrieving bookmarks if the user selects at least one of tags in the set. Tags not in the user's tag sets, but included in the public tag set(s) of another user(s) are displayed in the user interface as tag suggestions.
US08918712B2
Methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, are described for dynamically generating a mobile application. A server receives a request from a mobile device to launch an application on the mobile device. The server generates a configuration file based on the launched application. The server transmits the configuration file to the mobile device for generation of a user interface of the launched application using the configuration file. The user interface includes a first display area using browser functionality of the mobile device to display one or more web page elements formatted by the server to appear as native to the mobile device. The user interface further includes a second display area having one or more interface elements that are native to an operating system of the mobile device.
US08918711B2
An electronic book reader has an electronic book loaded in memory. The electronic book includes text, as well as markup tags around certain text portions. The markup tags indicate the availability of and link to supplemental content. A touch screen display allows a user to select a category of supplemental content or linked text. The display will show links for the category of content selected by the user, or will show categories of content for the linked text selected by the user.
US08918709B2
An object template system is described herein that allows an administrator of an IT management application to define templates that provide a streamlined mechanism for pre-populating IT objects with common values based on business logic and processes. The object template system addresses manipulation of objects both as part of a user interactive session as well as in programmatic workflows, while also allowing for referencing of existing objects to assume integrity of data. A metadata-driven schema allows for portable definitions of simple and complex extensible objects. The system validates these definitions against the extensible types that define the objects to ensure structural integrity. Users can then apply these definitions at runtime to both create and/or update simple and complex management objects. Thus, the object template system allows an administrator to define controlled processes for creating and modifying management objects within a flexible IT management application.
US08918703B2
A memory system includes a link having at least one signal line and a controller. The controller includes at least one transmitter coupled to the link to transmit first data, and a first error protection generator coupled to the transmitter. The first error protection generator dynamically adds an error detection code to at least a portion of the first data. At least one receiver is coupled to the link to receive second data. A first error detection logic determines if the second data received by the controller contains at least one error and, if an error is detected, asserts a first error condition. The system includes a memory device having at least one memory device transmitter coupled to the link to transmit the second data. A second error protection generator coupled to the memory device transmitter dynamically adds an error detection code to at least a portion of the second data.
US08918699B2
According to one embodiment, a non-volatile semiconductor storage apparatus is configured to decide determination periods respectively corresponding to each of management blocks based on rewrite count information items and a temperature, and to perform a determination processing for each of management blocks for each determination period. The determination processing includes determining whether first data read from a block in the blocks is normal based on the number of errors that are occurred in the first data. The apparatus is configured to perform a rewrite processing of rewriting the first data to second data which is error-corrected when it is determined that the first data is not normal.
US08918690B2
Aspects of the invention provide for decreasing the power supply demand during built-in self test (BIST) initializations. In one embodiment, a BIST architecture for reducing the power supply demand during BIST initializations, includes: a chain of slow BIST I/O interfaces; a chain of fast BIST I/O interfaces, each fast BIST I/O interface connected to a slow BIST I/O interface; and a BIST engine including a burst staggering latch for controlling a multiplexor within each of the slow BIST I/O interfaces, wherein the burst staggering latch, for a first burst signal, staggers the first burst signal to each of the slow BIST I/O interfaces, such that, during a first clock cycle, only a first slow BIST I/O interface receives the first burst signal.
US08918689B2
An integrated circuit is configured to receive a test clock input and includes circuitry configured to generate test clocks from the test clock input, and test circuitry configured to use the test clocks in a test mode.
US08918681B2
Provided is a test module generation apparatus that generates a test module executed on a test apparatus for testing a device under test. The apparatus includes a condition file generating section in which a test condition is input and that generates a condition file specifying the input test condition, a test method storing section that stores a test method, a test method selecting section that receives, from a user, a selection instruction of the test method adapted to the test module to be generated, a condition file selecting section that receives, from a user, a selection instruction of the condition file corresponding to a parameter which the selected test method requires, and a test module generating section that generates the test module in which a test according to the selected test method is executed with a parameter specified by the condition file.
US08918679B2
An apparatus for checking an error detection functionality of a data processing circuit, comprising an arithmetic logic unit, which provides an output datum based on an input datum, and an error detection circuit that executes the error detection functionality and detects an error based on the output datum during correct execution of the error detection functionality, and generates an error signal, if an error is present, which comprises a control circuit that passes the error signal through to an error signal output in a normal operating mode, and blocks the error signal in a checking mode, does not let the error signal pass to the error signal output, influences the arithmetic logic unit, the error detection circuit or the input datum such that the error detection circuit detects an error during correct execution of the error detection functionality, and, if no error signal is received in response to influencing, outputs an alarm signal indicating an incorrect execution of the error detection functionality.
US08918673B1
A computer-implemented method for proactively evaluating failover nodes prior to the occurrence of failover events may include (1) identifying at least one primary node that services at least one application, (2) identifying at least one failover node designated to service the application if the primary node were to fail, (3) prior to detecting failure of the primary node, proactively evaluating the failover node's ability to service the application if the primary node were to fail, and then (4) in response to determining that the failover node would be unable to adequately service the application if the primary node were to fail, proactively performing at least one corrective action that would cause the application to be adequately serviced if the primary node were to fail. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08918670B2
Systems and methods for active link verification for failover operations in a storage network are disclosed. An exemplary method includes issuing a command from a first port of a storage device to a local network device in the storage network. The method also includes receiving a response to the command at the first port of the storage device from the local network device in the storage network. The storage device fails over to a second port of the storage device if no response is received at the first port of the storage device.
US08918664B2
An integrated circuit provided with a processor includes a loop detection unit that detects execution of a loop in the processor, a loop-carried dependence analysis unit that analyzes the loop in order to detect loop-carried dependence, and a power control unit that performs power saving control when no loop-carried dependence is detected. By detecting whether a loop has loop-carried dependence, loops for calculation or the like can be excluded from power saving control. As a result, a larger variety of busy-waits can be detected, and the amount of power wasted by a busy-wait can be reduced.
US08918663B2
A method for active power management in a Serial ATA interface for data transfer between a host and a device, the method starts with the determining of an optimal data transfer rate for transferring data between the host and the device. Then switching the Serial ATA interface into an active power saving mode based on the optimal data transfer rate is performed.
US08918648B2
A method is disclosed for performing key agreement to establish a shared key between correspondents and for generating a digital signature. The method comprises performing one of key agreement or signature generation, and using information generated in said one of key agreement or signature generation in the other of said key agreement or said signature generation. By doing this, computations and/or bandwidth can be saved.
US08918646B2
In the configuration performing a data processing by a hardware processing circuit (accelerator), to provide a technology capable of improving a poorness of processing efficiency by multiple accesses to the data, the following solving means are provided. A network data processing accelerator of the present network data processing apparatus comprises processing units corresponding to each processing of an encryption/decryption, a message authentication, and a checksum, and in the data processing including a combination of each processing, accesses for the same data of the memory and the like through a bus I/F unit and the like is collected together into one time, and a pipeline processing is performed using the least common multiple of the data processing unit of each processing.
US08918638B2
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving access data from an application on a mobile device of a particular user. The access data includes authentication data associated with a shared device and a digital credential associated with the mobile device. The shared device is configured for use by at least a number users. The method also includes authenticating the access data based on a comparison of the access data with verification data stored by the verification authority; and transmitting to the shared device a digital certificate signed by the verification authority in response to the authentication. The signed digital certificate provides the particular user access to the shared device.
US08918635B2
An apparatus for generating a key for access control of content in a distributed environment network is provided. The apparatus includes a first key distributor configured to generate first encrypted keys by encrypting a first key corresponding to a key for write authorization using each public key of members having write authorization among members included in an access control list including information of at least one user and distribute the access control list and information about access authorization and the first encrypted keys to the members having write authorization, and a second key distributor configured to generate second encrypted keys by encrypting a second key corresponding to a key for read authorization using the first key using each public key of members having read authorization among members included in the access control list and distribute the access control list and second encrypted keys to the members having read authorization.
US08918621B1
The performance and efficiency of file systems for data allocation access in random-access storage media is enhanced by isolating block addresses from other metadata and the actual data itself in a separate address space. Block addresses are stored in memory and file system structures that are separate from those structures that store other metadata and the actual data. This affords faster address lookup and access to data storage locations, and more efficient storage allocation and accessing algorithms. The block address isolation may be implemented in separate logic, in a hardware controller for a storage drive, or in software in a storage hierarchy.
US08918618B2
An adaptive memory system is provided for improving the performance of an external computing device. The adaptive memory system includes a single controller, a first memory type (e.g., Static Random Access Memory or SRAM), a second memory type (e.g., Dynamic Random Access Memory or DRAM), a third memory type (e.g., Flash), an internal bus system, and an external bus interface. The single controller is configured to: (i) communicate with all three memory types using the internal bus system; (ii) communicate with the external computing device using the external bus interface; and (iii) allocate cache-data storage assignment to a storage space within the first memory type, and after the storage space within the first memory type is determined to be full, allocate cache-data storage assignment to a storage space within the second memory type.
US08918613B2
Provided are a storage apparatus and data management method with which the usage ratio of each of the storage tiers is determined beforehand for each virtual volume and data can be managed by being migrated between storage tiers within a range of predetermined usage ratios.A storage apparatus 5, comprising storage devices 30 of a plurality of types of varying performance; and a controller 31 which manages each of storage areas provided by the storage devices 30 of a plurality of types by means of storage tiers ST of a plurality of different types respectively, and which assigns the storage areas in page units to virtual volumes VVOL from any storage tier among the storage tiers ST of a plurality of types, the controller 31 managing usage ratios of the storage tiers ST of a plurality of types and assigning the storage areas in page units to the virtual volumes VVOL based on the usage ratio managed.
US08918610B2
A chip including a processor for performing a predetermined operation, a provider for providing a clock signal, with which the processor is clocked, a counter for decrementing or incrementing a count based on the clock signal, a monitor for signaling the predetermined operation to be prevented, depending on the count, and a non-volatile storage for non-volatily storing the count.
US08918609B2
A storage apparatus for which a hierarchical data management system is adopted is designed so that when receiving a read request for a first logical area to which a first storage area of a first storage device in a virtual volume is allocated, whether or not to migrate data in a first storage area of the first storage device, to a storage area of a second storage device is decided according to an access frequency to the first logical area in synchronization with the read request. When it is decided that the data stored in the first storage area of the first storage device should be migrated to the storage area of the second storage device, the data is migrated to a second storage area of the second storage device and the second storage area thereof is allocated to the first logical area in the virtual volume.
US08918595B2
A memory controller receives memory access requests from a host terminal, the memory access requests from the host terminal including one or both of host read requests and host write requests. The memory controller generates memory access requests. Priorities are assigned to the memory access requests. The memory access requests are segregated to memory unit queues of at least one set of memory unit queues, the set of memory unit queues associated with a memory unit. Each memory access request is sent to the memory unit according to a priority and an assigned memory unit queue of the memory access request.
US08918592B2
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a read request from a first caching agent, determining whether a directory entry associated with the memory location indicates that the information is not present in a remote caching agent, and if so, transmitting the information from the memory location to the first caching agent before snoop processing with respect to the read request is completed. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08918590B2
The present invention provides a ring bus type multicore system including one memory, a main memory controller for connecting the memory to a ring bus; and multiple cores connected in the shape of the ring bus, wherein each of the cores further includes a cache interface and a cache controller for controlling or managing the interface, and the cache controller of each of the cores connected in the shape of the ring bus executes a step of snooping data on the request through the cache interface; and when the cache of the core holds the data, a step of controlling the core to receive the request and return the data to the requester core, or, when the cache of the core does not hold the data, the main memory controller executes a step of reading the data from the memory and sending the data to the requester core.
US08918585B2
A storage apparatus coupled to a host device comprises a virtual volume which is a virtual logical volume configured of multiple virtual areas and a pool configured of multiple actual area groups of different performances. A controller manages pool status information which is the information showing which actual area is allocated to which virtual area and access load related to the virtual areas. A management system of the storage apparatus, with reference to the pool status information at multiple points of time from past to present and an access load threshold which is equal to or larger than 1, estimates the used capacity of each actual area group at points of time in the future, calculates the installed/removed amount of each actual area group which is the difference between the estimated used capacity and the current storage capacity, and performs the processing based on the calculated result.
US08918577B1
In a three-dimensional nonvolatile memory, physical levels in blocks are zoned and different zones store different numbers of bits per cell so that different blocks have different data capacities. Block data capacities are calculated and recorded, and may be updated as data capacities change. User data is mapped to blocks according to their respective data capacities.
US08918575B2
A semiconductor chip may be operable to receive and copy an OTP programming vector presented by the semiconductor chip programming device into its memory after it boots up from the boot read-only memory (ROM). The OTP programming vector which is a computer program may comprise an encrypted data to be programmed into the one-time programmable (OTP) memory in the semiconductor chip and may be signed with an electronic signature. The semiconductor chip may be operable to authenticate the OTP programming vector in the memory. The authenticated OTP programming vector in the memory may be executed to decrypt the data and program the data in a random data format into the OTP memory and then report the status via one or more general purpose input/output (GPIO) pins on the semiconductor chip.
US08918568B2
An apparatus, including a first multiple of virtual function clusters positioned on a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) configuration space, each of the clusters comprising at least one virtual function, and a second multiple of physical functions positioned on the PCIe configuration space. The apparatus also includes an extended virtual function shell positioned on the PCIe configuration space and configured to select one of the physical functions, to select one of the available virtual function clusters and to associate the selected virtual function cluster with the selected the physical function.
US08918566B2
A system and method for allocating resources on a shared storage system are disclosed. The system 10 can include a shared storage device 12 and a plurality of port schedulers 14 associated with a plurality of I/O ports 16 that are in communication with the shared storage device 12. Each port scheduler 14 is configured to enforce a concurrency level and a proportional share of storage resources of the shared storage device 12 for each application 18 utilizing the associated port. The system 10 can also include a resource controller 17 that is configured to both monitor performance characteristics of the applications 18 utilizing at least one of the I/O ports 16, and to adjust the concurrency level and the proportional share of storage resources parameters of the port schedulers 14 for at least a portion of the applications 18 in order to vary allocation of the resources of the shared storage device 12.
US08918561B2
A computer implemented method, data processing system, and apparatus for hardware resource arbitration in a data processing environment having a plurality of logical partitions. A hypervisor receives a request for a hardware resource from a first logical partition, wherein the request corresponds to an operation. The hypervisor determines the hardware resource is free from contention by a second logical partition. The hypervisor writes the hardware resource to a hardware resource pool data structure, as associated with the first logical partition, in response to a determination the hardware resource is free. The hypervisor presents the hardware resource to the first logical partition. The hypervisor determines that the operation is complete. The hypervisor release the hardware resource from a hardware resource pool, responsive to the determination that the operation is complete.
US08918555B1
In one implementation, groups of objects may be maintained, each group including one or more objects that are to be replicated at one or more of the storage clusters. The objects may be assigned to the groups based on replication choices where at least some of the objects are assigned to multiple ones of the groups. A priority value may be determined and associated with each of the groups, the priority value of a particular group being determined based on priority values associated with objects within the particular group. The objects may be selected, for replication, in a replication order based on the priority value of the groups and replication of the selected objects may be initiated.
US08918550B2
Real-time USB class level decoding is disclosed. In some embodiments, a first packet associated with a USB class level operation associated with a target USB device that is being monitored is received. A second packet generated by a USB hardware analyzer configured to observe USB traffic associated with the target USB device is received. It is determined based at least in part on a time associated with one or both of the first packet and the second packet that the class level operation has timed out.
US08918549B2
A system and method for detecting a USB cable-type. A USB PD device configured at a near end of a USB cable is configured to (i) receive and process a signal from a device at a far end of the USB cable to determine a power rating of the USB cable and (ii) adjustably establish power delivered by the first device to the USB cable as a function of the determined USB cable power rating.
US08918548B2
An electronic device and an accessory are provided. The electronic device is installed on the accessory and identifies a type of the accessory. The electronic device includes a housing, a processor and an active sensing element. The processor and the active sensing element are disposed in the housing, and the active sensing element is electrically connected to the processor. The accessory includes a body and a passive sensing element, and the passive sensing element is disposed in the body. When the electronic device is installed on the accessory, the processor identifies the type of the accessory through that the active sensing element detects the passive sensing element, and the processor starts an operating mode relative to the accessory according to the type of the accessory. A method of operating an electronic device and an accessory is also provided.
US08918545B1
Mechanisms are provided for remote direct memory access (RDMA) resource leak detection. A user space context is generated comprising a user space RDMA resource hierarchical data structure. A kernel context is generated comprising a kernel RDMA resource hierarchical data structure. The kernel RDMA resource hierarchical data structure comprises nodes of the users space RDMA resource hierarchical data structure. A request to close a RDMA resource is received and the user space RDMA resource hierarchical data structure is traversed to determine whether the RDMA resource has child RDMA resources allocated in the user space RDMA resource hierarchical data structure. A resource leak is detected in response to determining, based on at least one of the user space RDMA resource hierarchical data structure or the kernel RDMA resource hierarchical data structure, that the RDMA resource has a child RDMA resource allocated in the user space RDMA resource hierarchical data structure.
US08918536B1
A method and apparatus for optimizing computer network bandwidth usage to prevent congestion is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises comparing a permissible bandwidth usage with a data transfer rate to produce a comparison result and adjusting the data transfer rate for performing at least one data transfer operation based on the comparison result.
US08918534B2
A distributed storage network includes a distributed storage processing unit, which generates multiple data slices from a single data segment, and multiple different storage units to store the data slices. Each data slice is assigned to a particular storage unit for storage. The distributed storage processing unit determines which of the storage units are in a ready state, and sends data slices to the ready storage units. Data slices assigned to storage units that are not in a ready state are temporarily stored in a temporary memory, e.g. cache memory, until the storage unit becomes ready. If the intended storage unit remains in a non-ready status for too long, the slices stored in cache memory can be sent to a substitute storage unit, or discarded and reconstructed at a later time.
US08918529B1
A notification message gateway is disclosed. Notification data and application identification data is received. The application identification data is used to select an application credential associated with at least one application instance. The notification data and application credential are provided to a distribution node such that the notification data is provided to the application instance.
US08918523B2
A graphical user interface (GUI) is disclosed that allows a user to identify routers, communities, residents and media aggregation managers existing on a network. The user may interactively select a path that includes two media aggregation managers and at least one router. The GUI predicts scheduled bandwidth utilization along the selected path for a variety of residents wishing to communicate across the path. The GUI may be utilized for initializing all media aggregation managers on the network along with provisioning each of the routers on the selected path. The GUI provisions all of the routers and initializes all of the media aggregation managers on the selected path simultaneously in order to accomplish the predicted schedule of usage provided by the GUI to the user and force all communication packets communicated between the residents to travel along the selected path.
US08918514B2
Bandwidth and/or Quality of Service (QoS) for a user session may be modified in a network that includes a Regional/Access Network (RAN) that facilitates differentiated end-to-end data transport between a Network Service Provider (NSP) and/or an Application Service Provider (ASP) and a Customer Premises Network (CPN) that includes a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) by receiving a request at the NSP and/or the ASP to change the bandwidth and/or QoS associated with the user's session. An Application Programming Interface (API) is used at the NSP and/or the ASP to communicate with the RAN to modify the bandwidth and/or QoS associated with the user's session.
US08918513B2
Techniques are described which simplify and/or automate many of the tasks associated with the configuration, deployment, and management of network resources to support cloud-based services.
US08918512B2
An integrated hybrid system is provided. The hybrid system includes compute components of different types and architectures that are integrated and managed by a single point of control to provide federation and the presentation of the compute components as a single logical computing platform.
US08918511B2
Exemplary embodiments may employ techniques for dynamically dispatching requests to resources operating in a distributed computing environment, such as a computing cloud, according to one or more policies. Embodiments may further dynamically adjust resources in the computing environment using predictive models that use current loads as an input. Embodiments may still further maintain a state for a processing environment independent of the type or configuration of a device used to access the environment on behalf of a user.
US08918503B2
Systems and methods for optimization of mobile traffic directed to private networks and operator configurability thereof are disclosed. One embodiment includes a method, which may be implemented on a system, for identifying a network accessed by mobile traffic at a mobile device, identifying an operator of the network, and/or determining whether the mobile traffic is directed towards a private or public network. In response to determining that the mobile traffic is directed towards a private network, determining whether the private network is owned by or operated by the operator. Optimization of the mobile traffic is performed based on policies set by the operator. In general, the system maintains and/or enforces different sets of policies regarding mobile traffic optimization set by different and multiple operators.
US08918501B2
Monitoring knowledge is distilled into platform-nonspecific patterns of high-level language elements compiled into management packs or other rule packs targeting specific platforms. A server health and/or configuration monitoring knowledge compiler accepts distillation document(s) and target-specific information, and generates target-specific rule packs to be consumed by monitoring tools to monitor specific target platforms consistent with the platform-nonspecific monitoring elements. Computational rule pack generation is qualitatively different from manual rule pack creation. Plug-ins tailor the compiler to generate on-premises or cloud-based rule packs. Distillation element examples include monitor alert types, instructional content types, target attributes and tags, monitored item types, event alert types, performance collection types, policy monitor types, and threshold monitor types. Tags on monitoring elements indicate relevant products, locations, product features, monitoring tool features, contributors, etc. Runtime code is shared by multiple rule packs for different target platforms.
US08918475B2
A system and method for managing an agricultural device, including connecting the agricultural device to a network, collecting operational data relating to the agricultural device, granting an access right in respect of the collected operational data to an entity connected to the network, receiving data from the entity in response to the access right, and managing the agricultural device on the basis of the collected operational data and the data from the entity. The method may be implemented for managing multiple agricultural devices, and may be implemented in a computer readable medium. In one embodiment, the operational data relates to clinical mastitis detection.
US08918472B2
A method and system for managing email between a sender and a recipient wherein the method and system provide the recipient with control over routing an email message, wherein the control includes predefining directions to be performed upon the receipt of an email message, and wherein the directions are dependent upon the properties of the email message. The recipient may enable or disable the control at any time.
US08918460B2
Organizing a participant list includes maintaining a participant list of users of an electronic communications system to be used by a first user of the electronic communications system. Communications strengths between the first user and each of the users included in the participant list are determined. The users included in the participant list are organized based on the corresponding communications strengths. Communications strengths may be determined for users included in a group within a participant list, and the users within the group may be organized within the group based on communications strength. An additional group in the participant list in which some or all of the users included in the participant list are organized based on communications strength may be provided.
US08918454B2
Rule sets are managed as a web service. A web service request having at least a body and an endpoint address is received from a client. The endpoint address includes a service description parameter and a parameter identifying a path to a given rule set in a rule set. The body of the web service request is parsed to determine whether the body identifies a first type of method or a second type of method. If a first type of method is identified, a service description file is dynamically generated in a format specified by the service description parameter in the web service request. The service description file is based on the rule set path, information from the rule set database and model data. If a second type of method is identified, the identified rule set is executed. The first type of method may be a GET method while the second type of method may be a POST method.
US08918451B2
A system and method for providing service component architecture (SCA) data transformation in a distributed transaction processing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, an SCA software component can be used to provide a service to transform data and requests from a service-oriented data format to a transactional data format, such as a Tuxedo or other format. In accordance with an embodiment, a configuration file, such as a schema file, is used to define the transformation between the service-oriented and transactional data formats. The SCA software components operate to communicate with a transaction component, perform the data transformation automatically, and support a transaction process on the transaction component.
US08918449B2
In one exemplary embodiment, a terminal user-interface (UI) client is configured to accept a user-scripted command from a user. The user-scripted command includes an operating system command or a user-customized command. The user-scripted command is passed to a distributed server management platform. A node tag input by a user is accepted. The node tag identifies at least one agent node in a server in the cloud-computing platform to execute the user-scripted command. A distributed server management platform that passes the user-scripted command to a group broker of an agent group comprising the agent node identified by the node tag, and to pass a command result to the terminal UI. A group broker to pass the user-scripted command to the agent node, and to pass a command result from the agent node to the distributed server management platform.
US08918443B2
A random number generator of a processor comprises a whitener for reducing the bias in random numbers generated by the random number generator. The whitener receives a random number of a first length read by an array of latches with inputs from an array of oscillators. The whitener dynamically creates a mask of the first length based on a parity of at least one previous random number read from the array of latches during at least one cycle prior to reading the random number. The whitener applies a compare operation between the random number and the mask to generate a whitened random number of the first length, with reduced bias, without reducing randomness.
US08918438B2
A collection unit collects attribute information of each of a plurality of electronic devices, and registers the collected attribute information in mounted device information correspondingly to a mounting position of the electronic device in a management system. A determination unit refers to device definition information in which attribute information of each electronic device mounted on the management system is registered correspondingly to a mounting position, determines as a comparison object position a mounting position in which the attribute information registered in the mounted device information is not matched with the attribute information registered in the device definition information and, when a plurality of comparison object positions are present, determines whether the attribute information of the mounted device information corresponding to one comparison object position is matched with the attribute information of the device definition information corresponding to another comparison object position.
US08918434B2
Various embodiments of the invention relate to optimizing storage of schema-less data. A schema-less dataset including a plurality of resources is received. Each resource is associated with at least a plurality of properties. At least one set of co-occurring properties from the plurality of properties is identified. A graph including a plurality of nodes is generated. Each of the nodes represents a unique property in the set of co-occurring properties. The graph further includes an edge connecting each node representing a pair of co-occurring properties. A graph coloring operation is performed on the graph. The graph coloring operation includes assigning each of nodes to a color, where nodes connected by an edge are assigned different colors. A schema is generated that assigns a column identifier from a table to each unique property represented by one of the nodes in the graph based on the color assigned to the node.
US08918432B2
A system for managing drug labeling information includes a repository comprising a network accessible database, the repository having an upload portion and a download portion, the repository being accessible to a plurality of users via client computers coupled to a wide area network. The repository includes drug labeling information on a plurality of drugs stored therein. The upload portion of the repository is accessible by a first set of users while the download portion of the repository is accessible by a second set of users. In one preferred aspect of the invention, drug manufactures are able to upload new or revised PDF files containing drug labeling information. The new or revised PDF files are then available for download by pharmacists or other authorized users.
US08918431B2
A computing system has a user interface allowing a user to view and input data related to concepts in a knowledge area associated with the user, an observation sub-system to centralize data and to identify a plurality of knowledge concepts, a conceptualization sub-system to generate a plurality of nodes within an ontological mapping, wherein each of the nodes corresponds to a certain one of the plurality of identified knowledge concepts identified by the observation sub-system, a relationship identification sub-system to create relationships between at least some of the plurality of identified knowledge concepts, and attribute affinity weights to the relationships, a change refinement sub-system to modify at least one of the plurality of nodes, affinity weights and relationships based upon information associated with the user, and a non-transitory knowledge store to store the information associated with the user pertaining to a sub-plurality of the plurality of identified knowledge concepts.
US08918430B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for tracking information related to events. Event information may be stored in a digital sequential chain. The sequential chain stores information related to the event as it occurs over a period of time. The sequential chain allows for the relation of multiple events resulting in an event chain. The information in the event chain may be related using a unique identifier.
US08918423B1
A system and method are provided for determining object access to a resource by comparing reference inputs from an object profile, an object selection profile, an environmental status, and/or a complex outcome to one or more resource profile reference conditions contained in one or more resource profiles. The object profile reference input comparison to the resource profile reference conditions is based on a plurality of object profile categories each including a plurality of hierarchically linked object profile values. The object profile represents no more than one object profile value for each object profile category. The object selection profile reference input comparison to the resource profile reference conditions is based on a plurality of object selection profile categories each including a plurality of hierarchically linked object selection profile values. The object selection profile includes one or more object selection profile values for a particular object selection profile category.
US08918422B2
Improvement of the quality of name and address matching processes using e-mail domains is provided. A distinction is made between e-mail domains designed to be used by employees of an entity and domains designed to be used by individuals or organizations who aren't employees of the domain owner entity. By analyzing domain names in conjunction with known relationships between e-mail addresses and names of companies, it is possible to differentiate between employee-use domains and public-use domains and maintain a collection of employee-use domains that are associated with the domain owner's business name. When performing a name and address matching process, the e-mail domains of the input records can be checked against the collection of employee-use domains and the records for the input name and address can be supplemented to include the domain owner's name and address as alternative information.
US08918421B2
Concepts and technologies are described herein for collecting and displaying information. A client device executes one or more application programs for providing operations with respect to entity-related data that relates to one or more entities. The application programs analyze the entity-related data to identify one or more entities associated with the entity-related data and transmit entity information relating to the entities to a server or database. Information relating to the entity is retrieved from the server or database and is presented to a user of the client device.
US08918420B2
An apparatus and associated method is provided for facilitating a search for user information in a multiple-domain communication scheme. A search is initiated by way of a web-based console. A search request causes search inquiries to be made to each of the domains of the multi-domain communication scheme. And, search results are provided also by way of a web-based console.
US08918417B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating query refinements from user preference data. A group of query pairs are obtained. Each query pair includes a first query and a second query. A quality score is determined for each query pair from user preference data for documents responsive to both the first and the second query. A diversity score is determined for each query pair having a quality score satisfying a quality threshold, the diversity score determined from user preference data for documents responsive to the second, but not the first, query. For each query pair having a quality score satisfying the quality threshold and a diversity score satisfying a diversity threshold, the second query of the query pair is associated with the first query of the query pair as a candidate refinement for the first query.
US08918408B2
A computing device maintains an input history in memory. This input history includes input strings that have been previously entered into the computing device. When the user begins entering characters of an input string, a predictive input engine is activated. The predictive input engine receives the input string and the input history to generate a candidate list of predictive inputs which are presented to the user. The user can select one of the inputs from the list, or otherwise continue entering characters. The computing device generates the candidate list by combining frequency and recency information of the matching strings from the input history. Additionally, the candidate list can be manipulated to present a variety of candidates. By using a combination of frequency, recency and variety, a favorable user experience is provided.
US08918398B2
A system and method are provided for maintaining a historical record of anonymized user profile data for mobile device users. In one embodiment, a central system, which includes one or more servers, operates to obtain current locations and user profiles for users of mobile devices. The central system processes the current locations and the user profiles of the users over time to maintain a historical record of anonymized user profile data by location. By anonymizing the user data, privacy of the users of the mobile devices is maintained. The central system may then use the historical record of anonymized user profile data to respond to historical requests. The historical requests may be made by users of the mobile devices, subscribers, and/or third party services.
US08918395B2
A Website may be automatically categorized by (a) accepting Website information, (b) determining a set of scored clusters (e.g., semantic, term co-occurrence, etc.) for the Website using the Website information, and (c) determining at least one category (e.g., a vertical category) of a predefined taxonomy using at least some of the set of clusters.
US08918392B1
A storage controller is implemented for controlling a storage system. The storage controller may be implemented using a distributed computer system and may include components for servicing client data requests based on the characteristics of the distributed computer system, the client, or the data requests. The storage controller is scalable independently of the storage system it controls. All components of the storage controller, as well as the client, may be virtual or hardware-based instances of a distributed computer system.
US08918389B2
Search-engine software displays a group of search results in a graphical user interface (GUI) for a search engine. The search-engine software captures positive feedback and negative feedback as to the search results from a user. Then the search-engine software determines a collective aboutness signature for the search results associated with the positive feedback and a collective aboutness signature for search results associated with the negative feedback. The search-engine software obtains a score of similarity to each of the collective aboutness signatures for a representation of each query suggestion in a group of query suggestions. Then the search-engine software separates the scored query suggestions into two or more groups, based on the similarity scores, and displays query suggestions from the groups in the GUI.
US08918387B1
A computer-implemented method for classifying applications configured for cloud-based platforms may include 1) identifying an online platform that hosts an online service and that is capable of hosting a plurality of third-party applications integrated with the online service and configured to operate on the online platform, 2) identifying at least one third-party application that is integrated with the online service and configured to operate on the online platform, 3) identifying metadata describing at least one characteristic of the third-party application, and 4) generating a classification of the third-party application based at least in part on the characteristic. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08918377B2
A solution for managing data received from multiple sources is provided. In particular, when conflicting data values are received from multiple sources for a data element, a conflict rule is used to determine the main data value for the data element, which is subsequently stored for use. The conflict rule can define any automatic, semi-automatic, or manual procedure for resolving the conflict. The conflict rule, or an identifier thereof, can be stored with each data value and the main data value for the data element.
US08918374B1
Compression of relational table data is enhanced with a pre-compression step of mapping the values of each field. Illustratively, the data in each cell of the relational table is replaced with a number a smaller number of characters. Additionally side information that is necessary for reversing the mapping is also compressed.
US08918372B1
A set of metadata associated with backup data is obtained. A consistent hash key for the backup data is generated based at least in part on the set of metadata. The backup data is assigned to one of a plurality of deduplication nodes based at least in part on the consistent hash key.
US08918366B2
Multi-dimensional surrogation systems and methods are provided that generate at least one up-to-date data surrogate using information of data and numerous data changes received from at least one data source, including a production system. Embodiments described further perform bulk-to-brick transformation of the up-to-date data surrogate. Brick-level data, or item data, is further indexed and stored in an application-aware manner. The stored item data is easily accessible by many data management applications for integrated item search and recovery functions, audit functions, monitoring and supervision functions, legal discovery functions, compliance functions, archival functions, backup functions, disaster recovery functions, and more. Bulk-to-brick transformation and access of the stored item data occur off of the production system, thus contributing no performance degradation to the production system.
US08918361B2
Methods and systems include embodiments that recursively save parent, grandparent, and other records in a database that depend from a record. User-provided code within a save event or trigger can thus call further save methods without corrupting the database. Junction objects, objects that reflect records with two or more parents, can also be recursively saved.
US08918359B2
A method is provided in one example and includes generating a query for a database for information stored in the database. The information relates to data discovered through a capture system. The method further includes generating an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) element to represent information received from the query. A rule based on the OLAP element is generated and the rule affects data management for one or more documents that satisfy the rule. In more specific embodiments, the method further includes generating a capture rule that defines items the capture system should capture. The method also includes generating a discovery rule that defines objects the capture system should register. In still other embodiments, the method includes developing a policy based on the rule, where the policy identifies how one or more documents are permitted to traverse a network.
US08918350B2
A method of routing data through a router in a communications network, the method comprising receiving one or more data packets, each packet having a respective destination address and applying a lookup algorithm to each packet, said lookup algorithm being arranged to determine a respective route along which each packet is to be transmitted towards its destination address by searching an associated hierarchical data structure containing routing information for each packet. The method comprising forwarding each packet for transmission to its respective destination address, wherein said lookup algorithm comprises an adaptive learning component that is configured to dynamically identify an optimum starting position for searching within said hierarchical data structure, for each of the data packets, based on the results of one or more earlier searches.
US08918342B1
There is disclosed a system functional for operating and updating an interactive voice response self care system which utilizes various types of models. The system is capable of improving the performance of the self care system through updating the models used in that system in a closed loop manner. The system is also potentially configured to utilize input from a human agent, such as a customer service representative, to which a customer call is transferred by a self care system.
US08918337B2
First business process data obtained from a first trading participant includes a set of transaction messages having a first data format in accordance with a first protocol for conducting business transactions used by the first trading participant. A virtual trading participant receives fictitious business process data from the first trading participant and acknowledging the fictitious business process data and replying to the first trading participant that the fictitious business process data has been acknowledged. Operational characteristics and a connectivity of a currently trading participant connected to a process management platform accessible via an interconnection fabric are tested, by utilizing the virtual trading participant to determine if the data defining individual business processes is in a uniform format understood by a process management platform. The virtual trading participant is utilized to ensure compatibility with an identified version of the uniform format.
US08918330B1
A system and method for determining popularity of a video based in part on requests for the video received from a referrer, grouping videos whose popularity based on requests from referrers exceeds a threshold and displaying those videos in a channel or providing them in a web feed.
US08918326B1
Providing feedback regarding detectability of a watermark message produced by a watermarking encoder may include receiving a watermark detectability indication corresponding to detectability of the watermark message, and determining an enhancement indication corresponding to a prescribed enhancement to a watermark signal in which the watermark message is embedded based on the watermark detectability indication.
US08918325B2
A signal processing device is provided, including a prediction error calculating unit that calculates an error signal between a left signal l(n) and a prediction signal of the left signal l (n) predicted from a right signal r(n), a gain adjusting unit that makes a gain adjustment and outputs an error signal, a first adder that adds the left signal l(n) and the error signal and outputs, and a second adder that adds the right signal r(n) and the error signal in opposite phase and outputs.
US08918323B2
Contextual conversion platform for generating prioritized replacement text for spoken content output
A contextual conversion platform, and method for converting text-to-speech, are described that can convert content of a target to spoken content. Embodiments of the contextual conversion platform can identify certain contextual characteristics of the content, from which can be generated a spoken content input. This spoken content input can include tokens, e.g., words and abbreviations, to be converted to the spoken content, as well as substitution tokens that are selected from contextual repositories based on the context identified by the contextual conversion platform.
US08918318B2
Speech recognition of even a speaker who uses a speech recognition system is enabled by using an extended recognition dictionary suited to the speaker without requiring any previous learning using an utterance label corresponding to the speech of the speaker. An extended recognition dictionary learning device includes an utterance variation data calculating section for comparing an acoustic model sequence output from a speech recognition result and an input correct acoustic model sequence to calculate a correspondence between the models as utterance variation data; an utterance variation data classifying section for classifying the calculated utterance variation data into widely appearing utterance variations and unevenly appearing utterance variations; and a recognition dictionary extending section for defining a plurality of utterance variation sets by combining the classified utterance variations and thereby extending the recognition dictionary for each utterance variation set according to the utterance variations included in each utterance variation set. A speech recognition device uses the extended recognition dictionary for each utterance variation set to output a speech recognition result.
US08918313B2
A method of selectively performing signal processing in a first mode and in a second mode. In the first mode, a noise cancel signal having a signal characteristic to cancel an external noise component is generated based on a voice signal supplied from a microphone, and an input digital audio signal and the noise cancel signal are combined into a voice signal to be output through a speaker. In the second mode, a sound process for vocal voice is performed on a voice signal supplied from a microphone, a vocal voice component is canceled from a digital audio signal of input music to generate a karaoke signal, and the karaoke signal and the vocal signal are combined into a voice signal to be output through a speaker. The first mode corresponds to an audio replay operation accompanied by noise cancel, and the second mode corresponds to a karaoke operation.
US08918306B2
Systems and methods are disclosed herein for managing electronic access to a plurality of computerized insurance services. A network interface is configured to receive a user identity provided by a user remote to the system and an access request from the user to access a selected computerized insurance service from the plurality of computerized insurance services. A memory stores computer executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the system to determine a set of access rights for the user based on the user identity and an insurance-related role associated with the user identity and allow the user to access the selected computerized insurance service according to the access request only if the access requested is included in the determined set of access rights. At least two of the computerized insurance services are implemented on substantially different information platforms.
US08918303B2
A method and system for calibrating temperature measurement devices, such as pyrometers, in thermal processing chambers are disclosed. According to the present invention, the system includes a calibrating light source that emits light energy onto a substrate contained in the thermal processing chamber. A light detector then detects the amount of light that is being transmitted through the substrate. The amount of detected light energy is then used to calibrate a temperature measurement device that is used in the system.
US08918300B2
An apparatus and method for battery state of charge (SOC) estimation can reduce the estimation error in the battery SOC. The apparatus includes a charge/discharge current detection unit, a terminal voltage detection unit, a first estimation unit that estimates a first SOC by integrating the charge/discharge current value, a second estimation unit that estimates an open circuit voltage value from the charge/discharge current value and the terminal voltage value and estimates a second SOC from the open circuit voltage value, a first difference calculation unit that calculates a SOC difference between the first SOC and the second SOC, an error estimation unit that estimates, based on the SOC difference, an error as a state quantity of an error model by using the error model, and a second difference calculation unit that calculates a SOC of the battery by subtracting the error from the first SOC.
US08918296B2
The method for detecting single-phase grounding fault based on the harmonic component of residual current is provided, in which collecting and calculating the phase differences of third harmonic waves relative to the fundamental wave of the residual current in the feeder line, and judging if the phase differences of the residual current in the feeder line is into a threshold range, and judging if there is a suspected grounding fault, and confirming the fault event by judging the duration and the generated times of the suspected grounding fault. Another method for detecting single-phase grounding fault based on the harmonic component of residual current is provided, in which the residual current of neutral point is used.
US08918294B2
A method for monitoring water consumption. A set of locations in a fluid transport system in a structure is monitored for sounds generated by a fluid flowing at an endpoint of the fluid transport system. Current acoustic data is generated for the sounds detected from monitoring the set of locations. The current acoustic data is compared with historical acoustic data to form a difference. A determination is made as to whether the difference exceeds a threshold. An action is performed in response to determining that the difference exceeds the threshold.
US08918293B2
A flow meter for monitoring fluid flow through a pipeline, the flow meter comprising a conduit having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for communication with respective sections of the pipeline; a target element positioned inside the conduit between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the target element being mounted for resilient axial displacement under a pressure differential between the inlet and the outlet; an arm secured at an anchor point on one side of the conduit and extending radially across the conduit, the target element being coupled to the arm for applying a load to the arm, upon said axial displacement of the target element, so as to deflect the arm relative to the anchor point; a sensor arrangement for measuring deflection of the arm at a point on the opposite side of the applied load to the anchor point; and a processor configured for providing a signal representative of the steam flow through the conduit in response to said measured deflection.
US08918288B2
Clustering analysis is used to partition data into similarity groups based on mathematical relationships between the measured variables. These relationships (or prototypes) are derived from the specific correlation required between the measured variables (data) and an environmental property of interest. The data points are partitioned into the prototype-driven groups (i.e., clusters) based on error minimization. Once the data is grouped, quantitative predictions and sensitivity analysis of the property of interest can be derived based on the computed prototypes. Additionally, the process inherently minimizes prediction errors due to the rigorous error minimization during data clustering while avoiding overfitting via algorithm parameterization. The application used to demonstrate the power of the method is pressure gradient analysis.
US08918279B2
Route search devices, methods, and programs acquire basic congestion information, the basic congestion information being congestion information for specific links. The systems, methods, and programs set a destination and search for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information. Based on the first travel route, the systems, methods, and programs determine, whether center traffic information is necessary to be acquired. Only when it is determined that the center traffic information is necessary, the systems, methods, and programs acquire the center traffic information, the center traffic information being congestion information of a link other than the specific links, and search for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information.
US08918278B2
A method and system for modeling and processing vehicular traffic data and information, comprising: (a) transforming a spatial representation of a road network into a network of spatially interdependent and interrelated oriented road sections, for forming an oriented road section network; (b) acquiring a variety of the vehicular traffic data and information associated with the oriented road section network, from a variety of sources; (c) prioritizing, filtering, and controlling, the vehicular traffic data and information acquired from each of the variety of sources; (d) calculating a mean normalized travel time (NTT) value for each oriented road section of said oriented road section network using the prioritized, filtered, and controlled, vehicular traffic data and information associated with each source, for forming a partial current vehicular traffic situation picture associated with each source; (e) fusing the partial current traffic situation picture associated with each source, for generating a single complete current vehicular traffic situation picture associated with entire oriented road section network; (f) predicting a future complete vehicular traffic situation picture associated with the entire oriented road section network; and (g) using the current vehicular traffic situation picture and the future vehicular traffic situation picture for providing a variety of vehicular traffic related service applications to end users.
US08918254B2
A control device may assist in parking maneuvers of a vehicle. The control device may include an interface to a sensor unit for detecting a boundary of a parking space in the surroundings of the vehicle. An arithmetic unit may determine a trajectory into a parking position in the parking space. In some embodiments the arithmetic unit is configured to calculate a trajectory into the parking position, taking into account a potential extension of parts of the body of the vehicle beyond the boundary of the parking space. Devices and methods are provided.
US08918249B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for an electronic control unit that can be adjusted or changed to operate in different manners for different circumstances. The apparatus includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for operation of a plurality of electronic components, such as latch motors. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a plurality of inputs configured to receive a connection from a plurality of handle sensors, and a plurality of outputs configured to connect to the plurality of latch motors. The ECU also comprises a conversion loop with a receptacle and a receptacle circuit. The receptacle circuit can be configured as either an open or closed circuit, and the receptacle circuit is accessible via the receptacle. The ECU is configured to operate in either a first mode or a second mode depending on whether the receptacle circuit is open or closed.
US08918244B2
The present application relates to an in-vehicle control system for synchronizing files with a remote source. The remote source includes a storage device configured to store a first file. The system includes a communications device capable of establishing a wireless communication link with the remote source. The communications device is configured to send, receive, or both send and receive files to and/or from the remote source. The system further includes a memory device configured to store a second file. The system yet further includes a data processing device coupled to the communications device, the data processing device configured to perform a comparison of the first file of the remote source and the second file of the memory device, wherein the data processing device is further configured to synchronize the file of the remote source and the file of the in-vehicle control system based on the comparison.
US08918241B2
An autonomous mobile device is configured to move on a surface provided with a base station thereon, and is operated in one of a work state and return state. In the work state, the autonomous mobile device is operable to plot a movement route along which the autonomous mobile device moves, and is operable to adjust the movement route upon presence of an obstacle. In the return state, the autonomous mobile device is operable to plot a returning route on the surface from the current position to the base station, and to move along the returning route to the base station.
US08918235B1
Technologies are described herein for providing additional yaw control to a multi-engine aircraft experiencing engine thrust asymmetry. A primary flight control system of the aircraft is configured to limit the operational thrust of an operating engine of the aircraft to provide additional yaw control when the aircraft is experiencing thrust asymmetry. The system includes a thrust limit module for calculating the maximum engine thrust limit to be imposed on an operating engine. The maximum engine thrust limit is calculated using inputs corresponding to the sideslip angle and the roll rate of the aircraft. The maximum engine thrust limit is imposed on the operating engine of the aircraft such that the operational thrust generated by the operating engine is limited to the maximum engine thrust limit. By reducing the operational thrust generated by the operating engine, the yawing caused by the thrust asymmetry is likely to be reduced.
US08918231B2
Apparatuses and methods for adjusting a position of at least one component of a vehicle for a user of the vehicle. A user is identified with a user key associated with the user. The user key and a vehicle identifier associated with the vehicle are transmitted to a server remote from the vehicle. At least one user setting for the vehicle is received from the remote server, with the at least one user setting relating to the user key, the vehicle identifier, and the position of the at least one component. A vehicle system setting is updated with the at least one user setting so as to adjust the position of the at least one component based on the at least one user setting when the vehicle system setting does not correspond with the at least one user setting.
US08918229B2
Three dimensional accelerometer data is used to determine a slope the vehicle is traveling over at a specific point in time. The slope data can then be combined with other metrics to provide an accurate, slope corrected vehicle mass. The vehicle mass can then be used along with other vehicle data to determine an amount of work performed by a vehicle, enabling s detailed efficiency analysis of the vehicle to be performed. To calculate slope, horizontal ground speed (VHGS) can be calculated using the Pythagorean Theorem. One can take the Z/Up magnitude and divide it by the horizontal ground speed. Replacing Z, x and y with directional vectors enables one to calculate slope. The slope data is then used to determine the mass of the vehicle at that time. Pervious techniques to calculate mass did not factor in slope, and thus are not accurate.
US08918225B2
A renewable energy resource management system manages a delivery of a power requirement from a multi-resource offshore renewable energy installation to an intelligent power distribution network. The installation includes multiple renewable energy resource components and is capable of variably and independently generating power from each to microgrids comprising the intelligent power distribution network so that the entire power requirement is satisfied from renewable energy resources. An electricity grid infrastructure is also disclosed in which power production is balanced with power consumption so that power storage requirements are minimized.
US08918203B2
A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a first radial axis; a second SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a second radial axis, the SCARA arms having a common shoulder axis of rotation; and a drive section coupled to the SCARA arms is configured to independently extend each SCARA arm along a respective radial axis and rotate each SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation where the first radial axis is angled relative to the second radial axis and the end effector of a respective arm is aligned with a respective radial axis, wherein each end effector is configured to hold at least one substrate and the end effectors are located on a common transfer plane.
US08918198B2
A method and system for modifying a substrate, such a thin film, solar panel or the like detects error and/or variance and, if needed, re-optimizes the product design and/or process parameters on the fly, so that product can meet the product specification. This allows for methods and systems of process control that can adaptively change the product design in real time.
US08918192B2
A lead for an implantable cardiac prosthesis, with protection against the thermal effects of MRI fields by terminating the lead head (10) with an electrically insulating tubular outer housing (28) and an anchoring mechanism. The tubular housing (28) carries an electrically isolated thermally conductive solid part in the outer region of its distal end forming a heat sink. The heat sink thermally conductive material is for example titanium, associated with an electrically insulating coating such as a diamond deposition. The anchor may be a projecting helical anchoring screw (20), axially extending the tubular housing, which is an electrically conductive active screw on at least one end portion.
US08918186B2
The object,—to create a printed circuit board for an implant having improved properties in connection with the electrical contacting via the contact points of the conductor tracks on the printed circuit board,—is achieved, according to the present invention, by means of a device for contacting and/or electrostimulation of living tissue cells or nerves with having a printed circuit board having with at least one contact point for electrical contacting, the printed circuit board encompassing comprising a flexible multilayer system with at least one conductor track. In accordance with the invention, the contact points for the conductor track in the multilayer system are galvanically reinforced. To this end, a galvanically reinforced layer is grown onto the already preprocessed contact point, for example by means of a galvanic process. By virtue of the application of one or more additional material layers onto the contact points of the conductor tracks, these latter are mechanically more stably anchored in the printed circuit board in mechanically more stable manner and hence become more reliable in their function.
US08918180B2
A method and system of providing therapy to a patient using electrodes implanted adjacent tissue. The method comprises regulating a first voltage at an anode of the electrodes relative to the tissue, regulating a second voltage at a cathode of the electrodes relative to the tissue, and conveying electrical stimulation energy between the anode at the first voltage and the cathode at the second voltage, thereby stimulating the neural tissue. The system comprises a grounding electrode configured for being placed in contact with the tissue, electrical terminals configured for being respectively coupled to the electrodes, a first regulator configured for being electrically coupled between an anode of the electrodes and the grounding electrode, a second regulator configured for being electrically coupled between an anode of the electrodes and the grounding electrode, and control circuitry configured for controlling the regulators to convey electrical stimulation energy between the anode and cathode.
US08918177B2
A method and system are provided to assist in programming of a neurostimulator based on a collection of pre-existing therapy profiles. The method and system access a collection of pre-existing therapy profiles derived from prior actual patients or patient models. The pre-existing therapy profiles include stimulation programs mapped to pre-existing patient profiles. The pre-existing patient profiles have at least one of i) prior lead attribute, ii) prior pain maps, and iii) prior stimulation maps for prior patients or models of patients. The method and system further compare the new patient profile with at least a portion of the collection of pre-existing patient profiles to generate profile matching scores indicating an amount of similarity between the pre-existing patient and the new therapy profile.
US08918172B2
Various aspects relate to a device which, in various embodiments, comprises a header, a neural stimulator, a detector and a controller. The header includes at least one port to connect to at least one lead, and includes first and second channels for use to provide neural stimulation to first and second neural stimulation sites for a heart. The controller is connected to the detector and the neural stimulator to selectively deliver a therapy based on the feedback signal. A first therapy signal is delivered to the first neural stimulation site to selectively control contractility and a second therapy signal is delivered to the second neural stimulation site to selectively control one of a sinus rate and an AV conduction. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
US08918170B2
The invention provides an electrophysiological analysis system, in particular for detecting pathological states. This system comprises: electrodes intended to be placed in different regions of the body that are well away from each other; an adjustable DC voltage source for generating successive DC voltage pulses varying in magnitude from one pulse to another, the duration of the pulses being equal to or greater than about 0.2 seconds; a switching circuit for selectively connecting a pair of active electrodes to the voltage source and for connecting at least one other high-impedance electrode; and a measurement circuit for recording data representative of the current in the active electrodes and potentials on at least certain high-impedance connected electrodes in response to the application of said pulses. The range of voltages covered causes, from one pulse to another, the appearance or disappearance of electrochemical phenomena in the vicinity of the active electrodes.
US08918169B2
Devices and systems to measure luminal organ parameters using impedance. In at least one embodiment of an impedance device of the present disclosure, the impedance device comprises an elongated body having a distal body end and a pair of detection electrodes positioned in between a pair of excitation electrodes located at or near the distal body end, the pair of detection electrodes configured to obtain one or more conductance values within a mammalian luminal organ within a field generated by the pair of excitation electrodes, wherein a measured parameter of the mammalian luminal organ can be calculated based in part upon the one or more conductance values obtained by the device and a known distance between the pair of detection electrodes.
US08918168B2
An electrocardiogram (ECG) signal sensing module is provide. The ECG signal sensing module includes at least one touchpad button, for producing a press signal when being pressed; at least one sensing electrode, mounted on the at least one touchpad button and moving in unison with the at least one touchpad button, for measuring the voltage on the portion thereof touched by a user; an electrocardiogram signal processor, coupled to the at least one sensing electrode, for processing the voltage on the at least one sensing electrode and producing an ECG signal; and a transmission interface, coupled to the at least one touchpad button and the electrocardiogram signal processor, for outputting the press signal and the ECG signal to a computer.
US08918162B2
A sequence of three-dimensional thermal infrared images of the face or other area of the body is analyzed to extract time-varying maps which link skin surface temperature details to the locations of anatomical structures. Frame-to-frame quantitative variations in temperature and position of anatomical nodes of the body maps are determined for the sequence and compared to reference profiles to produce estimates of physiological condition and psychological state. The magnitude, latency, and duration of such variations at particular anatomical locations resulting from selected controlled stimuli have been determined to be strongly correlated with particular psychological states.
US08918153B2
A device for non-invasively measuring at least one parameter of a cardiac blood vessel in a patient is provided. The device comprises at least one light source that emits light in the 400 nm to 1000 nm wavelength range; at least one photodetector adapted to receive light emitted by the light source and generate an output based on the received light, wherein said light is reflected from or transmitted through tissue of the patient, the output of said photodetector being correlated with a parameter of the blood vessel; and at least one probe for facilitating delivery of light from the light source to an external tissue site on the patient in the proximity of the cardiac blood vessel and receipt of light by the photodetector. A system and methods of monitoring/measuring cardiac parameters utilizing the device and/or system are also provided.
US08918147B2
A method for touch panel operation is disclosed. A touch is detected on a first touch panel, and reception of input from the first touch panel is prevented based on a predetermined deactivating operation.
US08918144B2
A Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card enclosure is formed with an internal cavity adapted to receive a SIM card and a cellular transceiver. A wireless telephone is adapted for docking with the SIM card enclosure. A personal computer includes a docking receptacle for holding the SIM card enclosure and wireless telephone. The personal computer may communicate over a cellular telephone network when the SIM card enclosure is docked to the personal computer. The wireless telephone may conduct voice calls over a wireless link with the personal computer when the wireless telephone is undocked from both the personal computer and SIM card enclosure. The wireless telephone may communicate over a cellular telephone network when the SIM card enclosure is docked to the wireless telephone. Voice communications between the wireless telephone and personal computer may be conducted concurrently with data communications between the personal computer and the cellular telephone network.
US08918143B2
The subject innovation relates to a method for changing from the active subscription data of a first service provider to the active subscription data of a second service provider in an identification module for use in a mobile radio device that can be connected to a mobile radio network. The change is initiated in the identification module in response to a receipt of a first message from the second service provider, and, after the initiation of the change, the identification module controls the activation of the subscription data of the second service provider based on a receipt of a message from the first service provider confirming the change. The subject innovation also relates to an identification module that is suitable for carrying out the method.
US08918136B2
Adjustment of a downlink transmit power parameter, such as a ceiling level, is disclosed. Signal-to-noise type information and committed power information can be employed to determine the ceiling level adjustment. A ceiling level can be a predetermined cap on transmission power for downlink channels between a user equipment and a base station. Where there is sufficient headroom in total transmission power and a power level greater than the predetermined ceiling can be effective, the ceiling can be adjusted to greater values than the predetermined value. Where total transmission power is more committed, ceiling adjustment can be prevented. Further, where there is no adequate benefit from increasing the ceiling, the adjustment of the ceiling can be prevented. While some instances can result in optimized transmission levels below the ceiling, instances can also be accommodated where the ceiling is to be increased.
US08918133B2
A mobile based neighborhood watch system capable of group interactions, anonymous messages and observation reports. Employing a downloadable mobile client application in their mobile device, members of a local neighborhood watch group can send messages to each other, wherein messages can include voice recorded on their mobile devices and photos taken using their mobile devices. They can also provide comments on messages received, and make observation reports regarding a task they have conducted, something they have noticed, a situation they have witnessed, etc. The membership of the local neighborhood watch group is maintained by a server, and such membership typically includes people staying in a neighborhood, local law enforcement officials, local fire department workers, etc.
US08918097B2
A method (400, 500) and a system 200 for managing service in an access network (110) for wireless communication. The method can include monitoring at least one environmental condition and, responsive to detecting a change in the environmental condition, adjusting at least one service parameter. The system can include an environmental detector (130) that monitors at least one environmental condition and a processor (202) that, responsive to detecting a change in the environmental condition, adjusts at least one service parameter.
US08918096B2
A method includes receiving a first measurement configuration at a user equipment from a wireless communication network; making measurements using the first measurement configuration; in response to a condition being satisfied resulting from the measurements that are made, transmitting an indication that an allowed small cell has been detected; receiving a second measurement configuration at the user equipment from the wireless communication network; and making measurements of the allowed small cell using the second measurement configuration, where the first measurement configuration results in measurements being made less frequently than measurements made in accordance with the second measurement configuration. An apparatus configured to perform the method is also disclosed.
US08918094B2
Components of a mobile traffic network and components in communication with the network cooperate to confirm whether a mobile station user or account owner has previously purchased media content for a particular mobile station. Media content that has already been purchased by a user can be downloaded by that user to a new mobile station after the initial mobile station is lost, damaged, or upgraded.
US08918093B2
A virtual device management system for wireless handheld devices such as tablets, smart phones, M2M, etc., based upon user initiated session, upon which a dedicated communication channel is established with the wireless device. The system includes processes and protocols employed in user initiation methods such as SMS, or data channel, queuing user sessions, routing user requests and establishment of dedicated communication channels for effective troubleshooting by authorized users and to compare device parameters against pre-defined set to generate a standards deviation report. A device client is resident on the mobile device non-volatile memory and is operable by the end user to invoke the application and initiate a request.
US08918086B2
A telecommunications addressing system/method allowing selection of a telephone instrument device (TID) using arbitrary identifiers is disclosed. The system/method allows a source TID (STD) to select a target TID (TTD) by the use of a Target Telephone Identifier (TTI) data string rather than a traditional numeric telephone identification (NTI). This TTI is then indexed within a TTI/NTI mapping server (TMS) that functions as a hierarchical repository of TTI/NTI mappings. STD/TTD communication is established by first performing a lookup of the STD-selected TTI within the TMS to identify the NTI of the TTD. Once the NTI of the STD has been identified by the TMS, communication between the STD and TTD is established using the NTI via the normal public switched telephone network (PSTN). TMS TTI lookup may be performed via STD TID web application and/or via PSTN infrastructure interface.
US08918085B2
A social messaging hub provides communication services for a data enabled device having Internet network access capabilities such as a portable media player, personal digital assistant, a Wi-Fi mobile platform, a tablet computer, portable e-Reader, a personal computer, a laptop and a netbook computer. The social messaging hub communicates with the data enabled device over the Internet or cellular data networks, and interfaces with a message infrastructure including mobile carriers, message aggregators, message exchanges and various specialized social messaging services, such as Microsoft Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, Facebook and Twitter to enable bi-directional messaging communication. The user is given a registered phone number and unique IP addressable identification which serve as a source and destination identifier of the associated data enabled device. Messages may originate in or be delivered to other users' mobile telephones or in similarly equipped and provisioned IP data enabled devices.
US08918069B2
A radio frequency transmitter comprising a modem which receives one or more input data signals and an adaptive predistortion signal and provides a baseband in-phase signal and a baseband quadrature signal. The transmitter may comprise a power amplifier module which receives the in-phase and quadrature phase signals and provides a radio frequency output signal. A predistortion module receives the radio frequency signal, downconverts the radio frequency signal to an intermediate frequency signal, and downconverts the intermediate frequency signal to a baseband feedback signal. The transmitter samples the feedback signal and provides an adaptive predistortion signal to the modem.
US08918062B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for allowing a transmitter (Tx) to perform antenna selection independently of a receiver (Rx) in a transceiver supporting both transmit diversity and receive diversity. Certain aspects may utilize a cross switch, which may be used in a parallel or cross configuration, to provide for the independent antenna selection, such that the Rx may maintain the ability to operate on the same antenna as the Tx, on another antenna, or on both antennas for enhanced receive diversity. Furthermore, certain aspects may employ additional switching in the baseband domain in an effort to avoid, or at least reduce, switching glitches in the Rx caused by changing the cross switch configuration. In this manner, the Rx need not re-converge upon antenna switching.
US08918059B2
[Problem] Provided are a base station, a terminal station, a radio system, a radio control method and a storage medium capable of estimating with high accuracy a utilization status of a frequency band which is assigned to or of which a preferential use is permitted to another radio system.[Solution] A base station of a radio system, which estimates a utilization status of a frequency band which is assigned to or of which a preferential use is permitted to another radio system, wherein the base station comprises an estimation means which estimates a utilization status of said frequency band, on the basis of a received signal power ratio between a received signal power value of the other radio systems and a received signal power value of the own radio system, which is obtained at least one sensing apparatus.
US08918057B2
A communications apparatus. Multiple antennas are arranged to receive downlink signals and transmit uplink signals. A transceiver module is arranged to receive the downlink signals from the antennas and pass the uplink signals to an antenna selection device. The antenna selection device is coupled between the antennas and the transceiver module and arranged to receive the uplink signals to be transmitted from the transceiver module and dynamically pass the uplink signals to one of the antennas according to an antenna selection signal. A processor is arranged to receive the downlink signals from the transceiver module, calculate short-term signal qualities of the downlink signals and generate the antenna selection signal according to the short-term signal qualities.
US08918046B2
An image-forming device includes a casing, a conveying path, a pair of registration rollers, and a process cartridge. The conveying path is disposed in the casing to convey a recording sheet. The pair of registration rollers is disposed on the conveying path to regulate a leading edge of the recording sheet conveyed along the conveying path. The process cartridge is detachably mounted on the casing, and includes a developer accommodating unit, a photosensitive member, and an upstream guide part. The photosensitive member is disposed on the conveying path. The upstream guide part is disposed upstream of the pair of registration rollers on the conveying path to guide the recording sheet toward the pair of registration rollers in cooperation with the conveying path. The upstream guide part is formed with a concaved part that is concaved in a direction away from the conveying path.
US08918044B2
An image heating apparatus includes a hollow image heating roller having a through hole at one axial end portion side thereof; a bearing fitted around the roller; a heat insulating bush fitted around the roller between the roller and the bearing; a retaining ring for preventing the heat insulating bush from moving relative to the roller; an annular spacer provided between the heat insulating bush and the retaining ring, the annular spacer being provided with an inwardly protruded key portion engageable with the through hole.
US08918043B2
An image heating apparatus includes; an endless belt; a plate-like heater slidable on an inner surface of the belt; a driving roller, opposed to the heater through the belt, for rotating the belt and for forming a nip for heating an image on a sheet; an energy supply member including an electrical contact for supplying electrical energy to the heater; a flange provided with a guide for guiding rotation of the belt and a stopper for limiting movement of the belt in an axial direction; and a pressure applying member for applying pressure between the flange and the driving roller. The flange includes a fixing portion for fixing the energy supply member with a predetermined play in a pressing direction of the pressure applying member so that the flange is disengageable in the axial direction relative to the belt integrally with the energy supply member.
US08918042B2
A fixing device for fixing an image on a recording medium includes a rotatable endless fixing rotary member, a heating source which heats the fixing rotary member, an opposite rotary member in contact with the fixing rotary member, a nip forming member provided inside the fixing rotary member and in contact with the opposite rotary member via the fixing rotary member to form a nip portion to which the recording medium is fed, holding members rotatably holding end portions of the fixing rotary member, and protecting members provided between the holding members and end surfaces of the fixing rotary member to protect the end portions. Each of the protecting members has an opposite surface facing the corresponding end surface of the fixing rotary member, and including an inner diameter-side end edge having an inclined surface inclined in an inner diameter direction and away from the fixing rotary member.
US08918038B2
A fixing device includes a fixing unit and a gloss equalizing unit. The fixing unit is disposed in a media conveyance path to fix a toner image on a recording medium conveyed therethrough. The fixing unit includes a rotary fuser member, a rotary pressure member, and a media stripper. The fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotary pressure member is pressed against the fuser member to form a fixing nip therebetween. The media stripper is held in contact with the pressure member to allow the recording medium to separate from the pressure member. The gloss equalizing unit is disposed downstream from the fixing unit along the media conveyance path. The gloss equalizing unit includes a pair of first and second rotary glossing rollers, at least one of which is heated and at least one of which is pressed against the other to form a gloss equalizing nip therebetween.
US08918033B2
A powder accommodation container includes an accommodation container body, a regulation member, and a transport member. The accommodation container body has a hole portion to outside and accommodates powder. The regulation member is provided in the hole portion to regulate a passage of the powder accommodated in the accommodation container body. The transport member is arranged in an inside of the accommodation container body to rotate about a rotating shaft and to transport the powder in the inside of the accommodation container body. The transport member has one end side in a short direction that is arranged on the rotating shaft and the other end side that is a free end, the free end includes a flexible member that is in contact with the accommodation container body to be flexed. The flexible member is locatable to face the hole portion.
US08918031B2
A toner cartridge for an imaging apparatus having a housing including two opposed end walls and an elongated body therebetween and an exit port. An inner surface of the body defines a toner reservoir that is in communication with the exit port. A drive shaft is rotatably mounted within the housing. A translatable toner platform is provided in slidable contact with the inner surface of the body and is nonrotatable relative to the housing. A toner platform stop is also provided. A detachable drive shaft coupling couples the toner platform to the drive shaft and upon the toner platform hitting the stop, the coupling detaches from the platform. The detachable coupling may be provided in a frangible portion of the toner platform or be frictionally engaged with a recess therein. Rotation of the drive shaft translates the toner platform toward the exit port and rotates an exit paddle.
US08918027B2
A module installable in an electrostatographic printing apparatus includes a first housing suitable for retaining marking material, and extending substantially a width of a rotatable charge receptor. The first housing includes an input port and an output port. The module includes a second housing external to the first housing, the second housing forms a conduit between the output port and the input port. The second housing contains a quantity of marking material, the quantity being suitable as at least part of an initial fill of marking material for the first housing.
US08918022B2
Provided is a driving force transmission device including a sun gear that rotates by receiving a driving force from a driving source, an internal gear that is arranged coaxially with the sun gear, a planetary gear that engages with the sun gear and the internal gear, a rotary member that is provided coaxially with the sun gear and the internal gear and installed with the planetary gear so as to rotate corresponding to revolution of the planetary gear, and an urging member that urges the planetary gear toward the rotary member.
US08918020B2
An image forming apparatus includes a first detection portion at a first guide provided in an image forming unit and a second detection portion at a second guide provided in a unit drawable to the exterior of the image forming apparatus. Since there are many parts in this apparatus, an error in the relative positions of the first and the second detection portions is large. The image forming apparatus includes a lock member configured to lock the unit to an image forming apparatus main body, and a pressure member configured to, when the unit is locked to the image forming apparatus main body, press the first guide and the second guide to each other. As a result, adjustment of the relative positions of the first and the second detection portions is not required at the time of replacement of the unit or the detection portions.
US08918003B2
A fixing device includes: a rotatable fixing member configured to fix at a nip a toner image formed on recording paper; a rotatable pressing member configured to form the nip between itself and the rotatable fixing member; and a controller configured to control a temperature of the rotatable pressing member depending on smoothness of the recording paper.
US08917995B1
A balloon envelope with an integrated receiver. In an example embodiment, a balloon includes: (i) an envelope including one or more signal passing sections, each of the one or more signal-passing sections being configured to allow a signal to pass through; (ii) at least one signal receiver corresponding to a particular one of the one or more signal passing sections; and (iii) at least one signal-directing surface located within the envelope and corresponding to the particular one of the one or more signal-passing sections, the at least one signal-directing surface being configured to receive the signal and direct the signal towards the at least one signal receiver.
US08917992B1
An optical network remote node includes first and second node inputs, each receiving a multiplexed optical signal, and node outputs, each outputting a separate demultiplexed optical signal. The node includes first and second optical power splitters, each having a splitter input connected to one of the node inputs and splitter outputs connected to corresponding node outputs. The node includes an arrayed waveguide grating having first and second grating inputs connected to the first and second node inputs, respectively, and grating outputs connected to the corresponding node outputs. If the received signal at one of the node inputs is time division multiplexed, the corresponding connected optical power splitter broadcasts the received optical signal at the node outputs. If the received signal at one of the node inputs is wavelength division multiplexed, the arrayed waveguide grating demultiplexes the received optical signals in wavelength and outputs the demultiplexed signals at the node outputs.
US08917991B2
In fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) RF over Glass (RFoG) Architecture a customer-premise-equipment (CPE) includes a wavelength separator. A method includes up-converting a baseband upstream data signal to a frequency band above a frequency band of a baseband downstream data signal; combining the up-converted upstream data signal with an upstream cable return signal; transmitting the up-converted upstream data signal and the upstream cable return signal using a single upstream laser; and separating, with a wavelength separator, A) a downstream data signal and a downstream cable feed signal from B) the combined up-converted upstream data signal and upstream cable return signal.
US08917987B2
A method for detecting branch fibers is provided, which includes: sending test signals to a plurality of branch fibers, where the test signals are added at ports of the optical splitting module with identification information for identifying branch fibers connected to the ports and receiving a reflection signal added with the identification information of a detected branch fiber, identifying the detected branch fiber corresponding to the reflection signal through detecting the identification information added to the reflection information, and obtaining channel characteristics of the detected branch fiber according to the reflection signal. Further, a system and an apparatus for detecting branch fibers are provided.
US08917981B2
The invention relates to a liquid heating device for an automobile that comprises at least one first part (1a) made of a heat-conducting material, a liquid flow path (10a) integrally formed in said first part (1a) for enabling a flow of liquid between an inlet and an outlet (12a), and a heating means (14) thermally coupled with said part (1a) and capable of heating said part (1a) so that the liquid flowing through said flow path can absorb the heat of said part (1a). According to the invention, the first part includes a planar bottom wall (15a) extending in a plane parallel to the flow path (10a), and the electric heating means includes a plurality of flat stones (14) having a positive temperature coefficient and arranged as a matrix in the same plane in parallel and in contact with the bottom wall (15a) as well as two electrodes in the form of two planar surfaces, each arranged in parallel and in contact with the corresponding surfaces of the flat stones of the matrix.
US08917980B2
An entertainment system (1019, 2) having a fluid system with a smoke generator (1007, 4), the smoke generator being supplied from at least one pump (1005, 8, 10) connected to at least one container for fluid (1003, 12, 14), which at least one pump (1005, 8, 10) is controlled by a controller (1009, 6), wherein the controller is adapted to perform a shutdown process upon malfunctioning of at least a part of the entertainment system. The shutdown process performs a purge of at least part of the fluid system. Furthermore, a method of operating the entertainment system (1001, 2), has the steps of performing a shutdown process upon malfunctioning of at least a part of the entertainment system, the shutdown process including the step of purging (2009, 3003a, 3003b) at least a part of said fluid system.
US08917978B2
Methods and systems for generating playback instructions for time-warped playback of presentation layer protocol data. The method includes a protocol engine executing on a computing device recording a protocol data stream comprising a plurality of packets representing a user session. The protocol engine determines a complexity factor for a first portion of the protocol data stream and for a second portion of the protocol data stream based on content of the packets of the protocol data stream. The protocol engine determines a first playback rate for the first portion of the protocol data stream and a second playback rate for the second portion of the protocol data stream using the complexity factor of each portion of the protocol data stream, wherein the first playback rate differs from the second playback rate. The protocol engine renders the protocol data stream according to the determined playback rates.
US08917971B2
Systems and methods are provided for presenting a supplemental content asset on a secondary device that is relevant to a primary content asset that is being presented on a primary user device, to enhance the user experience of the primary content asset. A relevant supplemental content asset may be selected based on characteristics of the primary content asset and/or user profile information. Presentation of the supplemental content asset and primary content asset may be coordinated and synchronized by exchange of messages between the primary user device and secondary device.
US08917969B2
Luminescence concentrators and luminescence dispersers on the basis of oriented dye zeolite antennas
A luminescence concentrator (LK) may concentrate both incident direct and diffuse light by way of frequency shift and total internal reflection. It differs fundamentally from geometric concentrators. With sufficient geometric expansion of the collector plate, nearly arbitrarily high concentration can be achieved in the LK. A luminescence disperser is an apparatus which holds both directional and nondirectional incident light captive in a transparent body by way of frequency shift and total internal reflection and emits it diffusely or directionally uniformly distributed across an area by way of luminescence emission. The object of the invention is a method for the technical implementation of the LK and luminescence disperser, using zeolite crystals having a nanotube structure, into which the luminescent dyes are embedded such that they have antenna properties. Using the resulting novel structures, problems can be solved which made the technical use of LK impossible or at least considerably limited it. This results in completely novel usage possibilities for collecting and concentrating sun light and feeding it into photovoltaic systems, for converting it into electric and thermal energy in combined photovoltaic/hot water apparatuses, and for feeding it into fiber optic apparatuses.
US08917957B2
An object of the present invention is to enhance search accuracy when additional data to be added to editing target data is searched using handwriting input. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus includes inputting a pattern to editing target data, acquiring attribute information of the editing target data, searching additional data to be added to the editing target data by using the pattern and the attribute information, and displaying the additional data, which is searched by the search unit and added to the editing target data.
US08917952B2
A method of image processing includes receiving camera data representative of an object, implementing, with a processor, a convolution operation on the camera data to generate filtered data representative of the object, the convolution operation being configured with singular value decomposition (SVD) kernel data, and storing the filtered data in a memory. Implementing the convolution operation includes applying the SVD kernel data in parallel to a plurality of subsets of the camera data.
US08917951B1
The presently claimed invention provides a method for stitching a plurality of images together in a way with least memory and CPU usage, and minimum file input and output, while still possessing fast computation speed to avoid post-scan delay for whole slide viewing and good stitching quality. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of calculating featureness of each candidate strip of a image by applying a mathematical transformation, calculating offset of the strip with correlation maximum location, calculating stitching reliability of the candidate strip from the pre-defined weighted function of its featureness and the correlation coefficients of each matching block, and determining optimal stitching path with stitching reliability.
US08917937B2
Methods and apparatus for identifying primary media content in a post-production media content presentation are disclosed. An example computer-implemented method to detect primary media content included in a secondary media content presentation disclosed herein comprises determining a first image corresponding to the secondary media content presentation, the first image comprising a plurality of image subregions, each image subregion representative of an inter-frame variation associated with a corresponding subregion of the secondary media content presentation, selecting a region of the first image comprising a plurality of connected image subregions of the first image together exhibiting a first type of inter-frame variation, and when a shape of the selected region of the first image corresponds to a predefined shape, processing a region of the first captured image corresponding to the selected region of the first synthetic image to identify the primary media content.
US08917936B2
An image pickup element capture an image of an object, and detailed unique information relating to the captured image is automatically associated with the image through pattern recognition so that the image is easily managed. A pattern detector performs the pattern recognition on an image obtained through a pre-photographing operation, and a result of the recognition is stored in a memory. A code comparator compares stored a preceding recognition result with the latest recognition result obtained through the pattern recognition performed using the pattern detector. In accordance with a result of the comparison, the stored recognition result is updated. When it is determined that a predetermined pattern is not included in the image obtained using the image pickup element, the recognition result stored in the memory is associated with the captured image.
US08917922B2
The CT imaging system optimizes its image generation by updating an image with the current application of a data fidelity update and a regularization update together in a single step in an iterative reconstruction algorithm. The iterative reconstruction algorithm includes the ordered subsets simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (OSSART) and the simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART). The data fidelity update and the regularization update are independently obtained using some predetermined statistical information such as noise and or error in matching the real data.
US08917916B2
There is disclosed a method of simulating the output of a medical imaging device, the medical imaging device being operable to image an anatomical structure, and the method including: accessing model data representing a model of the anatomical structure; accessing selection data representing a selected region of the anatomical structure to be imaged; and processing the selection data and the model data to generate output data representing a simulation of the output of the medical imaging device when imaging the selected region.
US08917913B2
Systems for performing on-line searching, and particularly, to searching with face recognition and social networking profiles. In one example, one or more systems may be provided with regard to searching with face recognition and social networking profiles.
US08917909B2
Methods provide surveillance, including a modified video data stream, with computer readable program code, when read by a processor, that is configured for receiving at an image processor a first video data stream and a second video data stream. Each of the first and second video data streams may include a target object having an assigned tracking position tag. The methods may further include extracting a first facial image of the target object from the first video data stream, determining a target object location in the second video data stream based at least in part on the tracking position tag and generating a modified video data stream including the first facial image superimposed on or adjacent to the target object location in the second video data stream.
US08917908B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for tracking and distributing annotations for a video stream. During operation, the system receives, at an annotation server, the video stream originating from a remote field computer, extracts a number of features from the received video stream, and identifies a group of features that matches a known feature group, which is associated with an annotation. The system further associates the identified group of features with the annotation, and forwards the identified group of features and the annotation to the remote field computer, thereby facilitating the remote field computer to associate the annotation with a group of locally extracted features and display the video stream with the annotation placed in a location based at least on locations of the locally extracted features.
US08917902B2
Image overlaying and comparison for inventory display auditing is disclosed herein. An example method to perform inventory display auditing disclosed herein comprises overlaying a reference image over a current image displayed on a camera display, the reference image corresponding to an inventory display to be audited, comparing the reference image and the current image to determine whether the current image and the reference image correspond to a same scene and when the reference image and the current image are determined to correspond to the same scene, indicating a difference region in the current image displayed on the camera display, the difference region being a first region of the current image that differs from a corresponding first region of the reference image.
US08917891B2
Disclosed herein, among other things, are methods and apparatus for allocating feedback cancellation resources for improved acoustic feedback cancellation for hearing assistance devices. In various embodiments, a hearing assistance device includes a microphone and a processor configured to receive signals from the microphone and process them according to a plurality of processing blocks. The processor is adapted to include an event detector that can provide detection of an event and an output to adjust one or more processing blocks of the overall process to more efficiently use resources of the processor for the event detected, in various embodiments.
US08917880B2
Methods of operating an audio device are provided. A method includes calculating estimated sound pressure levels (SPLs) for drive signals directed to an ear canal receiver (ECR) during a time increment Δt; calculating an estimated SPL_Dose during the time increment Δt using the estimated sound pressure levels; and calculating a total SPL_Dose at a time t of the audio device using the estimated SPL_Dose.
US08917879B2
In an active muffler having improved response characteristics, a speaker section includes a diaphragm adapted to generate sound, a voice coil for driving the diaphragm, and a distance sensor to detect the movement of the diaphragm. A light generated by the LED is reflected by the diaphragm, the reflected light is detected by a phototransistor to thereby measure the distance to the diaphragm, so that the movement of the diaphragm is detected. Noise is detected by a microphone, and a signal having opposite phase to that of the noise is generated by an opposite-phase generating section. The difference between the opposite-phase signal and the signal of the distance to the speaker from the distance sensor is calculated and inputted to a PID control section. Such a difference indicates the delay of the speaker movement. Feedback control is performed in a direction in which the difference is canceled out.
US08917877B2
A rendering device is configured to dynamically vary how audio and visual information is rendered by a rendering device responsive to changes in distance between the rendering device and a mobile device carried by a user. As the user moves about, the distance between the rendering device and the mobile device carried by the user will vary. As the distance between the mobile device and the rendering device changes, the rendering system can dynamically adapt how the audio and visual information is rendered. For example, the rendering device can increase or decrease the volume of an audio output, depending on changes in the distance. Also, the rendering device can change how visual information is rendered on a display responsive to changes in distance. In some embodiments, when the distance between the mobile device and rendering device exceeds a predetermined distance, the audio and/or visual information may be sent to the mobile device.
US08917873B2
A mobile terminal includes an apparatus for reducing Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) noise in the mobile communication terminal. The apparatus includes a first output path including a resistance element; a second output path not including a resistance element; a modem for, when detecting an event for outputting an audio signal, determining an output path of the audio signal and outputting a control signal indicating the determined output path; and a switch for switching according to the control signal and providing the audio signal to either the first output path or the second output path.
US08917870B2
Embodiments described herein are generally directed to methods and devices in which computing devices, and mobile devices in particular, establish a shared encryption key for a device group comprising at least three mobile devices. In accordance with one example embodiment, a public key of a mobile device is computed using a shared password as performed in accordance with authentication acts of a password-authenticated key exchange protocol, and transmitted to at least one other mobile device of the group. A public value is computed as a function of a mobile device private key and of a public key of at least one other mobile device of the device group, in accordance with a group key establishment protocol. The public values of the mobile devices of the device group are used to compute a shared encryption key.
US08917860B2
An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.
US08917857B2
Methods and systems are provided for routing incoming customer service requests directly to the most appropriate destination within a call center without requiring customer knowledge of a specific telephone number or extension to call and without requiring the customer to select from a series of menus. The receiving location or inbound call center accepts a voice call from a customer. The incoming voice call includes an associated data stream. This data stream is processed by the inbound call center and is used to route the call to the appropriate destination or customer service representative, for example a specific person, a department, a subsidiary, an individual either working within a facility or working outside the facility, a subcontractor and combinations thereof. Additional functionality is provided by including additional data, e.g. data in addition to routing data, along with voice data.
US08917855B1
A system or device can be configured with a first interface that is configured and arranged to provide content to a remote web-browser. This first interface can be provided by a computer server designed to implement a website. A second interface is configured and arranged to communicate content of an audio telephone calls with a remote audio-enabled device. This second interface can also communicate video content, text content, document sharing content and/or desktop sharing content. A processing circuit is configured and arranged to establish an audio telephone call between the remote web-browser and the remote audio-enabled device. The processing circuit can also facilitate communications with social networks by passing a general status message to a plurality of interface modules, each interface module designed to interface with a corresponding and respective social network.
US08917854B2
A system, method, and device for forming contextualized competitions in a work environment are disclosed. The system includes a performance metric computation component which computes performance metrics, a visualization component which generates a visual interface for display to a supervisor, and a processor which implements the components. The method includes receiving information related to a set of agents operating in a work environment. A first aggregated value for a first performance metric and a second aggregated value for a second performance metric are computed. The first and second values are visualized, and a predicted effect on the second performance metric when the first performance metric is altered is visualized. The device serves as a decision-making support tool including a plurality of control mechanisms for altering at least one performance metric and displaying the predicted effect on another.
US08917850B2
A method for implementing Multimedia Caller Identification (MCID) service is disclosed. The method includes: if the network determines that the calling UE is an MCID service subscriber and determines that the called UE supports the MCID early media, the network negotiates the MCID early media with the called UE, and plays a MCID to the called UE if the negotiation succeeds. In addition, a system for implementing the MRBT service and MCID service is disclosed. The present invention enables the MCID service in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) so that users may use the multimedia services in the IMS and have a better experience.
US08917849B2
An end-user device and method for messaging, includes: enabling an initiating user, using an end-user device, to choose at least one target user and to subsequently press a dedicated button selected from a set of dedicated buttons that includes one or more dedicated buttons; and in response to pressing the dedicated button preceded by choosing the at least one target user, enabling sending to the at least one target user a respective message, wherein a type of the respective message corresponds to the dedicated button, pressed by the initiating user.
US08917841B2
A system and a method for conducting a telephone survey, which reduce the number of calls that are not answered by survey participants, are provided. The system comprises means of making outbound telephone calls with a selected call display number, storing a call record for each outbound call, and routing inbound telephone calls to a voicemail or interactive phone system if the inbound calling number is identifiable from the stored call records. The method comprises the steps of making outbound calls to survey phone numbers with the call display set to a local phone number, storing a call record with each outbound call, and routing inbound calls to a voicemail or interactive phone system if the inbound call number is identifiable from the stored call records.
US08917837B2
A method is provided for the sharing of information in which a request for information is transmitted along with an indication of a reason for which the information is sought and, in response to the request, a subset of the information available is provided on the basis of a characteristic of the event.
US08917835B2
Visual voicemail privacy protection is implemented by requiring a credential from a user or a user device before providing voicemail data to the user. The credential may be a user name and password combination, a digital certificate, or the like. The user may enable or disable this privacy protection feature at will. A first device being used for visual voicemail services may detect a second device within a defined area around the first device and either enable or disable privacy protection features based on whether the second device is determined to be an authorized or unauthorized device. Privacy protection features may be implemented locally or remotely.
US08917831B2
An approach for directing a call to a matching service of a call destination is described. A call matching manager determines that a call is to be redirected from a first voice response unit based on service data about a service and caller data about a caller. The call matching manager also queries, during the call, one or more databases corresponding to a plurality of other services to identify a matching service based on the caller data. Still further, the call matching manager initiates transfer of the call for processing by a second voice response unit via out-of-band telephony signaling using a generated reference value.
US08917822B2
A device and method for providing captioned services to an assisted user using a captioned device linkable via a first communication link to a hearing user's device where the method includes the steps of, at a relay, receiving a request for captioning service from the captioned device on a second communication link, in response to the request, setting up the captioning service at the relay including receiving hearing user voice signals from the captioned device, providing the voice signals to a call assistant to transcribe into text and transmitting the text back to the captioned device to display, wherein the step of receiving a request may be prior to establishment the first communication link and wherein the step of receiving a request may be subsequent to establishment of the first communication link.
US08917818B2
A method and system for determining a number of load coils in a transmission line are provided. An impulse response of the transmission line is calculated from a characteristic impedance of the transmission line. A number of complex conjugate pole pairs of a transfer function of the impulse response is then determined. Thereby, the number of load coils in the transmission line, which is equal to the number of complex conjugate pole pairs, is determined.
US08917816B2
A multi-leaf collimator device for radiotherapy, including: a frame that has a box shape and has through-holes formed in top and bottom surfaces thereof; a plurality of collimators that are received in the frame, wherein each of the collimators includes a rack gear formed on the top surface of the collimator, the collimators are symmetrically arranged in a left-right direction about a central portion of the frame, and are slidably provided on the frame; and a motion driving unit that includes a pinion gear that is formed to be detachable from the rack gear formed on the top surface of the collimator, and is provided on the frame to move the pinion gear in a front-back direction of the frame and an up-down direction of the frame.
US08917801B2
A method of demodulating a modified dual carrier modulation (MDCM) signal using hard decision includes generating real symbol vector candidates and imaginary symbol vector candidates which correspond to an MDCM signal pair; calculating a first norm between a real part of the MDCM signal pair and each of the real symbol vector candidates and determining as a real symbol vector a real symbol vector candidate that has the minimum first norm among the real symbol vector candidates; and calculating a second norm between an imaginary part of the MDCM signal pair and each of the imaginary symbol vector candidates and determining as an imaginary symbol vector an imaginary symbol vector candidate that has the minimum second norm among the imaginary symbol vector candidates.
US08917798B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for compressed sensing (CS). The CS is a signal processing concept wherein significantly fewer sensor measurements than that suggested by Shannon/Nyquist sampling theorem can be used to recover signals with arbitrarily fine resolution. In this disclosure, the CS framework is applied for sensor signal processing in order to support low power robust sensors and reliable communication in Body Area Networks (BANs) for healthcare and fitness applications.
US08917787B2
Systems and methods for a downlink precode filter directed towards both wired and wireless MIMO communication systems. Systems and methods of the invention can provide close to optimal capacity (similar to the water-filling solution) while requiring power amplifiers associated with transmit antennas to operate at a fixed power level. In particular, systems and methods of this invention can improve the performance of MIMO wireless devices such as 802.11n, WiMax, LTE, LTE-Advanced etc.
US08917785B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for constructing a long training field (LTF) sequence in a preamble to reduce a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) at a transmitter.
US08917784B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for constructing a training sequence as a part of transmission preamble in an effort to minimize (or at least reduce) a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) at a transmitting node.
US08917780B2
An apparatus for providing improved color intensity mapping may include a processor. The processor may be configured to divide color intensity value byte data into high priority portions and low priority portions distributed as constellation points in a constellation matrix and to provide separation between each of the constellation points by assigning a unique mapping code to a plurality of the constellation points.
US08917777B2
A method, a system, and an apparatus for evaluating video quality are disclosed to improve accuracy of the evaluation. The method includes: obtaining information about a transmitted video; resolving the information about the transmitted video to obtain video frame parameters, where the video frame parameters include a compression distortion parameter and/or a video quality distortion parameter with packet loss; and calculating a video frame quality parameter according to the video frame parameters. An apparatus and a system for evaluating video quality are provided. The embodiments of the present invention improve accuracy of video quality evaluation without reference.
US08917772B2
Provided is a method checks availability of spatial merge candidates and a temporal merge candidate, constructs a merge candidate list using available spatial and temporal merge candidates, and adds one or more candidates if the number of available spatial and temporal merge candidates is smaller than a predetermined number. The spatial merge candidate is motion information of a spatial merge candidate block, the spatial merge candidate block is a left block, an above block, an above-right block, a left-below block or an above-left block of the current block, and if the current block is a second prediction unit partitioned by asymmetric partitioning, the spatial merge candidate corresponding to a first prediction unit partitioned by the asymmetric partitioning is set as unavailable. Therefore, the coding efficiency of motion information is improved by removing unavailable merge candidates and adding new merge candidates from the merge list.
US08917763B2
A motion compensation apparatus performs motion compensation on a current block having a non-rectangular shape, using a reference image stored in a frame memory and includes: a reference block memory for storing part of the reference image; a frame-memory-transfer control unit which identifies, in the reference image, a pixel block having a rectangular shape and including a reference block having a non-rectangular shape and used for motion compensation, and transfers pixel data of the identified pixel block from the frame memory to the reference block memory and a motion compensation processing unit which generates a prediction block of the current block, using the reference block included in the pixel block stored in the reference block memory.
US08917756B2
A wireless communication system. The system comprises transmitter circuitry (BST1), the transmitter circuitry comprising encoder circuitry (50) for transmitting a plurality of frames (FR). Each of the plurality of frames comprises a primary synchronization code (PCS) and a second synchronization code (SSC). The encoder circuitry comprises of circuitry (501) for providing the primary synchronization code in response to a first sequence (32). The encoder circuitry further comprises circuitry (502) for providing the secondary synchronization code in response to a second sequence (54) and a third sequence (56). The second sequence is selected from a plurality of sequences. Each of the plurality of sequences is orthogonal with respect to all other sequences. The third sequence is a subset of bits from the first sequence.
US08917747B2
DSL backchannel data and/or information is transported upstream in a vectored, bonded line DSL system. Backchannel data (e.g., error samples or the like from downstream-end DSL equipment) is encapsulated/packetized using Layer 2 encapsulation. Upstream user data is packetized into Ethernet packets or the like. The backchannel data and upstream user data are combined and the combined data transmitted to an upstream-end DSL apparatus, such as an access node. The combined data are separated in the upstream-end DSL apparatus so that the upstream user data can be processed further. The Layer 2 encapsulated backchannel data is decapsulated and then routed to a vectoring control entity or the like for use in operating the DSL system, for example in mitigating FEXT crosstalk in the DSL system's operation.
US08917733B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided for managing a performance level of a processing circuit, such as a modem, by making adjustments to one or more operating parameters provided to the processing circuit, such as a voltage supplied to the processing circuit and/or a clock frequency of the processing circuit. The processing circuit is adapted to monitor wireless wide area network (WWAN) protocol information. The processing circuit may adjust at least one operating parameter provided to the processing circuit in response to the monitored wireless wide area network (WWAN) protocol information.
US08917729B1
Techniques are described for maintaining a forwarding information base (FIB) within a packet-forwarding engine (PFE) of a router, and programming a packet-forwarding integrated circuit (IC) with a hardware version of the FIB. Entries of the hardware version identify primary forwarding next hops and backup forwarding next hops for the LSPs, wherein the packet-forwarding IC includes a control logic module and internal selector block configured to produce a value indicating a state of the first physical link. The selector block outputs one of the primary forwarding next hop and the backup forwarding next hop of the entries for forwarding the MPLS packets based on the value in response to the packet-processing engine addressing one of the entries of the FIB for the LSPs. Packets are forwarded with the PFE to the one of the primary forwarding next hop and the backup forwarding next hop output by the selector block.
US08917728B2
In a retransmission request transmitting method, an RLC sublayer of a receiving-side apparatus determines whether or not an RLC-PDU-data (or an RLC-data-Sub-PDU) not received yet is under retransmission control processing in a MAC sublayer; and generates and transmits a STATUS-PDU (NACK) including only a RLC-data-PDU which has neither been received yet nor is under the retransmission control processing in the MAC sublayer, on the basis of the determination result, at a timing when the STATUS-PDU is generated.
US08917727B2
A digital broadcasting system and a data processing method are disclosed. A receiver receives a broadcast signal including mobile service data and main service data. A known data detector detects known data from the broadcast signal. An equalizer performs channel equalization on the mobile service data received by means of the detected known data. An RS frame decoder acquires an RS frame from the channel-equalized mobile service data. A management processor extracts a Generic Stream Encapsulation (GSE) packet from a GSE Base Band (BB) constructing one row of the RS frame, and calculates an IP datagram from the extracted GSE packet. A presentation processor displays broadcast data using data contained in the calculated IP datagram.
US08917724B2
A method for performing a link aggregation on a link aggregation group, comprising a plurality of transport links, for sessions received at a first network node which is connected to a second network node via the link aggregation group. The method, which is to be executed in the first network node, enables link aggregation optimization for the sessions destined for the second network node by selectively choosing transport link for the sessions on the basis of the load of the transport links. The suggested link aggregation results in a packet load balancing and improved bandwidth utilization. An arrangement suitable for executing the suggested method is also provided.
US08917718B2
An embodiment of a method and apparatus for provisioning of a communication device includes receiving a registration request from a first communication device. The registration request includes an address associated with the first communication device. The method further includes registering the first communication device in response to receiving the registration request, placing a call request to the first communication device, and establishing a call session with the first communication device. The method further includes prompting a user of the first communication device for a user identifier, and receiving a user identifier from the user of the first communication device. The method still further includes sending one or more configuration parameters associated with the user identifier to the first communication device. The one or more configuration parameters are operable to configure the first communication device.
US08917686B2
The present invention discloses various methods and apparatuses for allocating identifiers and resources associated with a contention-based uplink channel and using the identifiers and resources. An uplink (UL) signal transmission method using a contention-based identifier (CB identifier) according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a step in which user equipment receives, from a base station, a first message containing a CD identifier (CB-RNTI); a step in which the user equipment receives, from the base station, a second message containing information on the allocation of the contention-based uplink (CB UL) channel associated with the CB identifier; and a step in which the user equipment transmits an UL signal to the base station via the CB UL channel.
US08917678B2
A wireless terminal for transmitting data to a base station with placing the data on a plurality of subcarriers, the wireless terminal includes: an antenna; and a processor configured for controlling the antenna to transmit, to the base station, a request signal for requesting an access right with placing the request signal on a predetermined number of subcarriers; and controlling the antenna to transmit, to the base station, a request message for requesting a communication resource being transmitted by subcarriers whose number is less than the predetermined number, to use the access right assigned by the base station with respect to the request signal when the wireless terminal has transmission data; wherein the processor is configured to control the antenna to transmit the request message to the base station when the level of communication with the base station is lower than a threshold value.
US08917650B2
A wireless network includes a base station which can serve terminals directly, or via multi-hop transmission paths via relay stations. The base station transmits a downlink sub-frame which includes a first set of frame control information and a second set of frame control information. The second set of frame control information occupies a different position within the downlink sub-frame compared to the first set of frame control information. A relay station is able to transmit a downlink sub-frame to a terminal, or another relay station, while still being able to receive a set of frame control at a different time during the downlink sub-frame. The invention is especially useful in a wireless network in which the downlink transmissions of a base station and a relay station are synchronized to one another and where the downlink transmissions of a base station and relay station occupy the same, or similar, frequency bearer.
US08917644B2
A mobile communication system includes a plurality of eNBs that perform radio communication with an UE and an MCE that controls the eNBs. The MCE indicates an MBSFN subframe (MCE) serving as radio resources that transmit a reference signal for power measurement to the UE less frequently than normal to the eNB, the eNB, in addition to the MBSFN subframe (MCE) indicated by the MCE, designates the MBSFN subframe (eNB) serving as the radio resources that transmit a reference signal to the UE less frequently than normal, and in the MBSFN subframe (MCE) and the MBSFN subframe (eNB) the reference signal is transmitted to the UE. In this manner, the reference signal for measuring a power can be transmitted less frequently than normal, and a power consumption of the infrastructure can be reduced.
US08917637B2
Apparatus and methods for conducting full-duplex wireless communication with a communication partner
A wireless communication apparatus that conducts full-duplex wireless communication with a communication partner using a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna is provided. The apparatus includes a transmitting unit configured to transmit a signal via the transmitting antenna using a first frequency channel, a receiving unit configured to receive a signal via the receiving antenna using a second frequency channel different from the first frequency channel, and a control unit configured to control beam angle of directionality of at least one of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, so that a direction of a communication path of a signal which the transmitting unit transmits and the communication partner receives, and a direction of a communication path of a signal which the communication partner transmits and the receiving unit receives, differ from each other.
US08917636B2
A transmitter circuit includes a first unit configured to determine a transmission power of the transmitter circuit, and a second unit configured to determine whether a transmission of data for a signaling radio bearer is scheduled by the transmitter circuit. The transmitter circuit further includes a third unit configured to suppress a transmission of transmission data by the transmitter circuit if the transmission power exceeds a threshold value and if the transmission of data for the signaling radio bearer is scheduled.
US08917634B1
A method and computer readable medium for providing Enterprise conferencing is provided. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a first SIP INVITE message is exchanged between a Media Gateway of the Enterprise and a first Media Server of a Conferencing Service Provider. Then, an Application Server of the Conferencing Service Provider establishes conference call resources at the Conferencing Service Provider. A first RTP session is established between the Media Gateway and the first Media Server, and then a PROMPT AND COLLECT message is sent from the Application Server to the first Media Server to gather data from the caller for establishing the Enterprise conferencing. After receipt of the data by the Application Server, an SIP INFO message is sent from the Application Server to a second Media Server of the Conferencing Service Provider, selecting the second Media Server to host the call.
US08917632B2
Some embodiments provide a method for encoding video pictures captured by a mobile device having at least first and second cameras. The method identifies a first rate controller parameter that is based on at least a first value that quantifies one characteristic of the first camera. The method uses the first rate controller parameter to configure a set of rate controllers to adjust a bit rate for encoding video pictures captured by the first camera. The method identifies a second rate controller parameter that is based on at least a second value that quantifies the same characteristic of the second camera. The first and second values are different, and the difference causes the first and second rate controller parameters to be different. The method uses the second rate controller parameter to configure the set of rate controllers to adjust a bit rate for encoding video pictures captured by the second camera.
US08917627B2
Techniques are provided for routing table synchronization for a distributed network switch. In one embodiment, a first frame having a source address and a destination address is received. If no routing entry for the source address is found in a routing table of a first switch module, routing information is determined for the source address and a routing entry is generated. An indication is sent to a second switch module, to request a routing entry for the source address to be generated in the second switch module, based on the routing information.
US08917626B2
A system for managing internetwork communications among a plurality of networks includes: (a) a plurality of edge network nodes; each respective edge network node being coupled to manage internetwork communications between a respective own network and other networks of the plurality of networks than the respective own network; and (b) at least one gateway-capable edge network node communicatingly coupled with each respective network node. Each respective edge network node includes a native communication network management unit for managing communications by the respective edge network node using a native communication protocol. Each respective edge network node includes an overlay communication network management unit for managing communications by the respective edge network node using an overlay communication protocol.
US08917623B2
The present invention provides a positioning method, device and system, which are applied to indoor WLAN positioning. A positioning server obtains location service information of APs in a set of APs to be measured; selects three APs to be measured in the set of APs to be measured according to a preset rule, and calculates a first coordinate of a terminal; if a calculated RSSI value of an unmeasured AP is not smaller than a difference between the measured RSSI value and a preset threshold, determines that signals of the unmeasured AP are not affected by reflection; and uses the first coordinate as a location coordinate of the terminal if all the three APs to be measured have been measured, thereby positioning the terminal.
US08917622B2
A Base Station (BS) communication module and a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) communication module are adapted to implement a method for selecting a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS). The method for selecting an MCS includes the following steps: receiving a plurality of first packets in a first period, and calculating a Packet Error Rate (PER); determining whether the PER is greater than an error rate threshold; and when the PER is greater than the error rate threshold, performing the following steps: obtaining a Carrier to Interference plus Noise Ratio (CINR) return value; performing an adjusting procedure to obtain a CINR adjustment value; calculating an actual return value according to the CINR return value and the CINR adjustment value; and selecting one of a plurality of MCSs according to the actual return value.
US08917621B2
A method for obtaining feedback delay includes: obtaining a target time elapsed in a process from when a remote radio end receives uplink data sent from a user end to when the remote radio end sends out feedback information responsive to the uplink data to the user end, wherein the feedback information responsive to the uplink data is fed back by a processing node to the remote radio end; calculating a feedback delay by adding the target time and an air interface transmission propagation delay, wherein the air interface transmission propagation delay is a transmission time of the uplink data from the user end to the remote radio end; and configuring, by the processing node, an uplink hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) ACK/NACK feedback interval to be the feedback delay.
US08917615B2
The invention relates to an apparatus, a system, a method and a computer program product for transmitting to a policy and/or charging server information relating to a user, wherein the information includes an indication of a service data detecting entity for detecting service data of a packet data connection of the user, and initiating communication towards the service data detecting entity based on the received information.
US08917611B2
A system for managing wireless devices in a wireless network comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to: receive a diagnostic request to analyze a problem associated with a wireless device operating in the wireless network; retrieve diagnostic information associated with the wireless device from the wireless network; retrieve diagnostic information associated with the wireless device from the wireless device; determine at least one solution for the problem associated with the wireless device based on the retrieved diagnostic information from the wireless network and the wireless device; transmit the at least one solution; and receive a confirmation that the problem has been resolved.
US08917610B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for detecting intermittent network link failures. A tracking module tracks link failures of a network link of a network over a specified time interval. A failure module determines the network link is failing in response to a number of link failures exceeding a specified failure threshold. A mitigation module mitigates communications over the network link.
US08917600B2
A technique for introducing a real-time congestion status in a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) policy decision in a cellular network is presented. A method embodiment performed by the PCRF comprises the steps of obtaining, from one of a Policy Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) and a database, at least one cell identifier; sending, to a Performance Manager network element, a request for checking congestion status, the request comprising the at least one cell identifier; receiving, from the Performance Manager network element, a retrieved congestion status for the at least one cell identifier; generating at least one of a QoS Class Identifier and a QoS Profile based on the at least one cell identifier and the received congestion status; and sending, to the PCEF, a message comprising the at least one of the Class Identifier and QoS Profile.
US08917592B2
A communication apparatus used as a first communication apparatus in a communication system having a ring network, the communication apparatus including: a storage unit configured to store information indicating a correspondence between a state of a path provided on the ring network, a state of a first link established between the first and third communication apparatuses, a state of a second link established between the second and third communication apparatuses, and a direction of forwarding the data; and a control unit configured to monitor links that are included in the ring network, and presence or absence of a failure occurring in each of the first and second links, and determine a direction of forwarding data to which path identification information corresponding to the third communication apparatus is added based on a result of the monitoring and the information stored in the storage unit.
US08917575B2
A device for generating pressure pulses in flowing fluid includes a valve having a stem movable linearly relative to a passageway. The valve is configured to vary restriction to flow through the passageway in response to changes in relative position between the stem and the passageway. The device also includes a rotatable member in operable communication with the valve such that rotation of the rotatable member causes the stem to move, and a motion translation arrangement that is in operable communication with the rotatable member and the stem such that the stem linearly reciprocates in response to the rotatable member rotating in a single direction of rotation.
US08917574B2
According to the present invention there is provided a vibration isolation section for use in a seismic streamer system, the section including: a resilient sheath arranged to be connected end-to-end in a seismic streamer system and receive axial loads transmitted through the system, wherein the resilient sheath is configured to stretch upon receiving an axial load and substantially convert the axial load into a radial stress; and a support structure housed within the resilient sheath, the support structure including one or more members having substantially constant diameter under load which provides a reaction to the radial stress, thereby providing attenuation to the received axial load.
US08917562B2
As memory geometries continue to scale down, current density of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) make conventional low current reading scheme problematic with regard to performance and reliability. A body-voltage sense circuit (BVSC) short pulse reading (SPR) circuit is described using body connected load transistors and a novel sensing circuit with second stage amplifier which allows for very short read pulses providing much higher read margins, less sensing time, and shorter sensing current pulses. Simulation results (using 65-nm CMOS model SPICE simulations) show that our technique can achieve 550 mV of read margin at 1 ns performance under a 1 V supply voltage, which is greater than reference designs achieve at 5 ns performance.
US08917555B2
There is disclosed an operating method of a semiconductor device including programming a memory cell by supplying a program voltage to a control gate of the memory cell and a detrap voltage to a well which is formed in a semiconductor substrate, and subsequently removing electrons trapped in a tunnel insulating layer of the memory cell by supplying a voltage lower than the detrap voltage to the control gate while also supplying the detrap voltage to the well before the programmed memory cell is verified.
US08917552B2
A control circuit for a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device, during a write operation, configures multiple bit lines so that bit lines that are adjacent to select bit lines are nonselect bit lines. The control circuit applies a first voltage to a write bit line that is included in the select bit lines, and also applies a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage, to a write inhibit bit line that is included in the select bit lines. Then, the control circuit applies a third voltage that is higher than the second voltage to the nonselect bit lines. As a result, the control circuit raises the voltage of the write inhibit bit line, while maintaining the write bit line at the first voltage. Next, the control circuit applies a fourth voltage for the write operation to the drain-side select gate line.
US08917544B2
A phase change memory device includes: a memory cell arranged at a region where a word line and a bit line cross each other; and a control logic including: a program control logic configured to control a program operation of the memory cell; a read control logic configured to control a read operation of the memory cell; and an operation complete signal transfer unit configured to adjust a transfer time point of an operation complete signal transferred between the program control logic and the read control logic.
US08917541B2
Provided are a magneto resistive effect element with a stable magnetization direction perpendicular to a film plane and with a controlled magnetoresistance ratio, and a magnetic memory using the magneto resistive effect element. Ferromagnetic layers 106 and 107 of the magneto resistive effect element are formed from a ferromagnetic material containing at least one type of 3d transition metal such that the magnetoresistance ratio is controlled, and the film thickness of the ferromagnetic layers is controlled on an atomic layer level such that the magnetization direction is changed from a direction in the film plane to a direction perpendicular to the film plane.
US08917540B2
According to embodiments of the present invention, a memory device with soft decision decoding is provided. The memory device includes a memory cell configured to store an input data bit; a memory sensor configured to read out a parameter associated with a state of the memory cell; a detector configured to determine, based on the parameter read out from the memory cell, a soft information indicating the likelihood that the input data bit stored in the memory cell is a “0” or the likelihood that the input data bit stored in the memory cell is a “1”; and a decoder configured to generate a decoded bit based on the soft information. Further embodiments relate to a method of performing soft-decision decoding on a data bit stored in a memory cell of a memory device.
US08917523B2
In a board connector wherein fixing portions 5 which have respective screw holes screw holes each into which a screw member passed through the circuit board is threaded and are adapted to fix a housing 3 to the circuit board by tightening the screw members are integrally provided at the synthetic resin-made housing 3 adapted to be mounted in an upstanding manner on the circuit board, the fixing portions 5 are provided in a projecting manner at that portion of one longitudinal outer wall surface of the housing 3 disposed near to a proximal end portion thereof, and a fixing surface 5a of the fixing portion 5 is formed into such a shape as to restrain an end face of the housing 3 from lifting from a surface of the circuit board at the time when the fixing portion 5 is fixed to the circuit board 2 by a tightening force of the screw member 7.
US08917515B2
An electronic device includes a casing, a circuit board, a connector and a waterproof component. The casing includes an opening structure. The circuit board is disposed inside the casing. The connector includes a first joint, a second joint and a soft cable. The first joint pierces through the opening structure. The second joint is disposed on the circuit board. The soft cable is electrically connected to the first joint and the second joint in a curvedly deformable manner. a length of the soft cable is substantially greater than an amount of vibration amplitude and a distance between the first joint and the second joint. The waterproof component is disposed between the first joint and the opening structure. Vibration from the casing can be transmitted toward the soft cable via the first joint, and is decayed by structural deformation of the soft cable.
US08917513B1
A cabinet frame enclosure is provided having a first side wall, a second side wall, a first opening and a second opening each in combination defining an interior space for accommodating a plurality of equipment, the equipment being removable through the first opening. A plurality of functional modules are provided such as: an asset tracking module for detecting the presence or absence of the equipment from the interior space of the cabinet frame enclosure, the asset tracking module disposed in the first side wall adjacent the first opening; an access control module for providing electronic locking and access control to the interior space of the cabinet frame enclosure; an environmental management module for monitoring and controlling environmental conditions within the interior space of the cabinet frame enclosure; a power management module for monitoring and controlling power distribution to equipment located in the interior space of the cabinet frame enclosure, the power management module disposed in one of the first side wall or second side wall and adjacent the second opening; and a cabinet control module (CCM) for providing consolidated connectivity to the plurality of functional modules, wherein the CCM presents a single network connection for managing the equipment located in the cabinet frame enclosure.
US08917498B2
A wiring structure between main body and cover body of electronic device includes a support connection member. The support connection member has a first pivoted section pivotally connected to the cover body and a second pivoted section pivotally connected to the main body. The first pivoted section is formed with a first pivot hole communicating with outer side. The second pivoted section is formed with a second pivot hole communicating with outer side. The support connection member is formed with a recessed receiving space between the first and second pivoted sections in communication with the first and second pivot holes. At least one conductive body is disposed in the receiving space. The conductive body has a first connection end and a second connection end respectively outward extending from the first and second pivot holes. A protection cover board is disposed in the receiving space for covering the conductive body.
US08917497B2
A storage cabinet configured to accommodate electronic equipment is disclosed. The storage cabinet has front, rear, and side walls extending upwardly from a bottom to define a storage space. The storage cabinet also includes a compartment located within the storage space configured to accommodate electronic equipment. The compartment includes an electronic cooling device for each piece of equipment, a ventilation system, and-one or more components for receiving and transmitting wireless signals into and out of the cabinet.
US08917492B2
A power storage module for a hybrid system. The module includes internal absorption elements for absorbing electrolytes, and gasses thereof, that may have separated from a storage cell within the module owing to overvoltages. The module may further include external indicator(s) for indicating that such separated electrolytes are contained within the module case. It is possible to protect a user of the power storage module who wants to open the case of this module, in the event that the power storage cell has released electrolyte in gaseous and/or liquid form into the interior of the case.
US08917490B2
There is provided a multi-layered ceramic capacitor having a dual layer-electrode structure formed by applying a dual layer of electrode paste to the multi-layered ceramic capacitor. The multi-layered ceramic capacitor having a dual layer-electrode structure includes a capacitor body having a preset length and width and having a plurality dielectric layers stacked therein, an internal electrode unit formed on the plurality of dielectric layers and having a preset capacitance, and an external electrode unit including first external electrodes respectively formed on both sides of the capacitor body to be electrically connected to internal electrodes, and second external electrodes formed on the first external electrodes.
US08917487B2
A method and circuit are described for detecting an overvoltage condition and using the detection of the overvoltage condition to protect a circuit or component from the overvoltage condition. In one embodiment, an overvoltage protection circuit is used to detect an overvoltage condition on pin driver electronics, the detection of which is powered by the overvoltage condition itself, thus eliminating the need to provide overvoltage protection circuitry that requires power supplies with voltages greater than the pin electronics the overvoltage protection circuit is meant to protect.
US08917471B1
A data storage device (DSD) enters a high spindle suppression (HSS) mode to reduce instances of rotation of a spindle motor of the DSD during the HSS mode. When a read command is received from a host to read requested data from the DSD in the HSS mode, it is determined whether the requested data is not stored in a solid state memory of the DSD. If it is determined that the requested data is not stored in the solid state memory, the spindle motor is controlled to rotate a disk of the DSD. The requested data is read from the disk and stored in the solid state memory before completing transfer of the requested data to the host.
US08917464B2
Embodiments of the present invention utilize a hard disk drive buffer to minimize seek delays during background replication of a first volume and fulfillment of application input/output requests. According to one aspect of the present invention, a requested first sector of data is read along with one or more additional sectors of data. Upon determining that one or more of the read sectors of data should be replicated, the sectors are read from the disk buffer and written to a second volume.
US08917455B2
Provided are a variable power optical system in which the value of the entire length with respect to the image height is reduced and the aberration is well corrected, and an image pickup device comprising the same. Specifically provided is a variable power optical system comprising, in order from the object side, at least a first lens group having negative refractive power, a variable power group having positive refractive power, and a final lens group having positive refractive power, wherein the variable power group is provided with, in order from the object side, a first lens element having positive refractive power, a second lens element, and a third lens element, the second lens element has a convex shape on the object side, and the final lens group comprises a positive lens, the variable power optical system satisfying the following conditional expression: 10≦VdLg≦45 −1.0<(R2a−R2b)/(R2a+R2b)<1.0 where VdLg is the Abbe number of the positive lens of the final lens group with respect to the d line, R2a is the curvature radius of the object-side surface of the second lens element, and R2b is the curvature radius of the image-side surface of the third lens element.
US08917452B2
Measurement reference lengths of length and width are set with respect to a convex structure, and an average of vertical distances between tip points and bottom points inside a measurement reference area is calculated as an average height. An average of horizontal distances between the tip points and bottom points is calculated as an average distance. A value obtained by dividing the average height by the average distance provides a gradient ratio. An inverse tangent of the gradient ratio provides an average gradient angle. When the average gradient angle ranges from 5 degrees to 15 degrees and a standard deviation of average gradient angle ranges from 30% to 40% of the average gradient angle, a regular reflectance at a regular reflection angle with respect to incident light of an angle of 30 degrees from a normal direction of the film surface is 1% or less.
US08917444B2
A frequency comb generator fabricated on a chip with elimination of a disadvantageous reflow process, includes an ultra-high Q disk resonator having a waveguide that is a part of a wedge structure fabricated from a silicon dioxide layer of the chip. The disk resonator allows generation of a frequency comb with a mode spacing as low as 2.6 GHz and up to 220 GHz. A surface-loss-limited behavior of the disk resonator decouples a strong dependence of pumping threshold on repetition rate.
US08917441B2
A spatially multiplexed autostereoscopic display is arranged to provide landscape and portrait operation. Multiple optical windows may be provided by spatial and temporal multiplexing techniques. A fast response lens array pair is aligned with a fast response spatial light modulator, and synchronized to provide first and second sets of images with first and second respective directionalities to provide first and second sets of respective optical windows. The first and second sets of optical windows may each comprise two or more optical windows in each viewing lobe. The optical windows may be arranged with an inclination to the vertical of 25 degrees to 65 degrees. An observer tracking system may be arranged to direct left and right eye image data to the left and right eyes of an observer, respectively, for landscape and portrait orientations of the display.
US08917437B2
An exterior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a mirror head portion and a reflective element accommodated by the mirror head portion. The reflective element includes a glass substrate and a mirror reflector coated at a surface of the glass substrate. The reflective element is configured to provide a field of view of at least about 15 degrees at the side of the vehicle and provides a substantially undistorted reflected image as viewed by the driver of the vehicle. The reflective element may have a width dimension of less than about 15 cm and a height dimension of less than about 9 cm. The mirror substrate is curved or formed via a hydro-bending process utilizing at least one bending element, which may be CNC formed in accordance with a free form pattern of curvatures.
US08917433B2
The invention relates to an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, comprising a mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements which are adjustable independently of one another for the purpose of changing an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement, a polarization-influencing optical arrangement having at least one polarization-influencing component, wherein, by displacing the polarization-influencing component, a degree of overlap between the polarization-influencing component and the mirror arrangement can be set in a variable manner, and a deflection device having a respective reflection surface upstream and downstream of the mirror arrangement relative to the light propagation direction.
US08917432B2
The present disclosure is directed to an illumination system. The illumination system may include a base member rotatable about a rotation axis and a plurality of mirrors disposed on an outer surface of the base member along a perimeter of the base member. The mirrors may be oriented at a predetermined angle. The illumination system also includes at least two illumination sources. Each of the mirrors of the first plurality of mirrors is configured to receive radiation from the first illumination source at a first portion of each mirror at a first time. The mirror is configured to reflect the radiation to an optical path. Each of the mirrors is further configured to receive radiation from the second illumination source at a second portion of the mirror at a second time. The mirrors reflect the radiation from the second illumination source to the common optical path.
US08917420B2
A method for processing black point compensation parameters for a color image to be printed so as to enhance image quality of the color image is provided. The method includes converting a received color image to a gray scale image; determining, using the received color image and the gray scale image, a performance attribute to estimate the effect of the black point compensation parameters on the image quality of the received color image, respectively; deriving a model to estimate relationships between the black point compensation parameters and the determined performance attribute; maximizing the performance attribute of the derived model so as to process the black point compensation parameters for the color image; and using the processed black point compensation parameters to construct output device profiles.
US08917409B2
An image forming apparatus which can prohibit any users but a user who has made a deposit from operating the image forming apparatus for a chargeable process. A communication controller of the image forming apparatus obtains pieces of proper information of cell-phones. An ID management section issues IDs for the respective pieces of proper information, and the communication controller sends the IDs to the corresponding cell-phones. At an input section, a user of one of the cell-phones inputs the ID sent thereto. Thereafter, the communication controller receives an access from a cell-phone and receives proper information of the cell-phone. In this moment, it is judged whether the cell-phone which has made an access is identical with the cell-phone of which ID was inputted at the input section. Only when the communication controller identifies the cell-phone, the communication controller permits the image forming apparatus to communicate with the cell-phone.
US08917404B2
An image forming apparatus stores a setting values set including core data independent of a model of the image forming apparatus and non-core data not included in the core data; writes the core data on another image forming apparatus without change, and if the model of the image forming apparatus is the same as the model of the another image forming apparatus, writes the non-core data on the another image forming apparatus without change, while if the model of the image forming apparatus is not the same as the model of the another image forming apparatus, writes the non-core data including a setting value of a function setting in the non core-data that is the same as the function setting in the another image forming apparatus on the another image forming apparatus.
US08917398B2
An apparatus arranged to analyze a multi-layer optical material structure, the apparatus constituted of: a control unit, a light source outputting light; and a light receiver arranged to receive the light from the light source after interaction with the target structure, the control unit arranged to: detect the amplitude of the received light as a function of wavelength; perform a transform of a function of the detected amplitudes to the optical thickness domain; determine, responsive to a planned composition of the target multi-layer structure, optical thickness and amplitude of expected peaks of the performed transform to the optical thickness domain which correspond with interactions with single interface between layers; identify actual peaks of the performed transform to the optical thickness domain which correspond with interfaces between layers; and determine at least one physical characteristic of the target structure responsive to the determined peaks.
US08917391B2
Large digital displays for entertainment, architectural and advertizing displays have interconnected display panels with pluralities of light emitting elements. To solve calibration problems, each of the display panels stores measured luminance and chromaticity data for each of the light emitting elements of the panel. The luminance data is independent of the chromaticity data. A central controller can then perform calibration procedures so that the light emitting elements are matched across the entire display.
US08917389B2
SERS-active materials are delivered to a remote zone, then optically interrogated to detect and analyze from a safe distance the presence of explosives or other materials which may or may not be hazardous. Delivery methods include deploying projectiles comprising SERS-active material(s) which distribute their contents upon deployment to a target zone.
US08917371B2
A TFT-LCD assembly substrate comprises an array structure layer, comprising a plurality of first signal lines and a plurality of second signal lines. Adjacent first signal lines and adjacent second signal lines cross each other to define a plurality of combination pixel regions, and each of the combination pixel regions comprises two pixel regions juxtaposed along a direction of the first signal line, and there are a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode formed in one pixel region of the two pixel regions and there is a common electrode formed in the other pixel region.
US08917366B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device, which includes a backlight module and a liquid crystal panel disposed on the backlight module. The backlight module includes an optic film assembly. The optic film assembly includes a first prism plate. The liquid crystal panel includes a first polarization plate. The first polarization plate is arranged to directly confront the first prism plate. The first prism plate includes a first base plate and a plurality of parallel first prism bars formed on an upper surface of the first base plate. The first prism bars have an axial direction that forms an included angle with respect to a polarization direction of the first polarization plate. The liquid crystal display device omits the topmost diffusion plate that is conventionally used in the known the optic film assembly so as to reduce the manufacture cost.
US08917354B2
A method for detecting motion in video fields of video data, comprises the steps of: calculating texture information for a pixel in the video fields; determining a threshold value as a function of the calculated texture information; calculating a differential value for the pixel; and detecting motion in the video fields as a function of the determined threshold value and the calculated differential value.
US08917353B2
An image apparatus with reduced three-dimensional (3D) crosstalk includes a shutter control system including an infrared (IR) signal transmitter configured to receive from a display device for displaying two or more light-off sections and two or more light-on sections arranged alternately in one image frame, information corresponding to the light-off sections and the light-on sections, and to output an IR signal corresponding to the information, the IR signal corresponding to a start of a first light-off section of the light-off sections in the image frame, and a shutter controller configured to receive the IR signal, and to control opening or closing of a left shutter and a right shutter in accordance with the IR signal.
US08917350B2
A system and method for synchronizing a photographic lighting device to image acquisition by a camera such that initiation of light emission of the photographic lighting device occurs after the first shutter blade of the camera begins to expose an image acquisition sensor of the camera to light and before X-sync associated with the first shutter blade stopping movement.
US08917346B2
Estimating focus error in an image involves a training phase and an application phase. In the training phase, an optical system is represented by a point-spread function. An image sensor array is represented by one or more wavelength sensitivity functions, one or more noise functions, and one or more spatial sampling functions. The point-spread function is applied to image patches for each of multiple defocus levels within a specified range to produce training data. Each of the images for each defocus level (i.e. focus error) is sampled using the wavelength sensitivity and spatial sampling functions. Noise is added using the noise functions. The responses from the sensor array to the training data are used to generate defocus filters for estimating focus error within the specified range. The defocus filters are then applied to the image patches of the training data and joint probability distributions of filter responses to each defocus level are characterized. In the application phase, the filter responses to arbitrary image patches are obtained and combined to derive continuous, signed estimates of the focus error of each arbitrary image patch.
US08917344B2
In a digital camera operation method, photographic images are taken with the camera and a corresponding compressed high resolution image and also a corresponding lower resolution image is stored for each. A fast display mode of the camera sequentially displays individual lower resolution display images, using the data of one of the lower resolution images. A normal display mode displays high resolution display images by expanding and displaying one of the compressed high resolution images. When changing from the fast display mode to the normal display mode, the lower resolution display image currently displayed can be replaced with the corresponding high resolution display image.
US08917341B2
A solid-state imaging device with a photodiode, a first charge accumulation region electronically connected to the photodiode, a second charge accumulation region electronically connected to the photodiode, where a charge generated in the photodiode is distributed into the first charge accumulation region and the second charge accumulation region based on an amount of charge.
US08917339B2
The dynamic range of a pixel is increased by using selective photosensor resets during a frame time of image capture at a timing depending on the light intensity that the pixel will be exposed to during the frame time. Pixels that will be exposed to high light intensity are reset later in the frame than pixels that will be exposed to lower light intensity.
US08917338B2
A solid-state imaging device includes a light blocking layer formed in an active pixel region of a pixel region on a light incident side so as to surround a photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel and formed in an extending manner to an optical black region, a concave portion formed so as to be surrounded by the light blocking layer in a region corresponding to the photoelectric conversion unit, a first refractive index layer formed on surfaces of the light blocking layer and the concave portion and having a relatively low refractive index, a second refractive index layer formed on the first refractive index layer so as to be buried in the concave portion and having a relatively high refractive index, and an anti-flare layer formed on the first refractive index layer in the optical black region.
US08917337B2
A ramp section generates a reference signal. A comparison section compares an analog signal to the reference signal, and terminates a comparison process at a timing at which the reference signal has satisfied a predetermined condition for the analog signal. A main count section performs a count operation and outputs a count value. A latch section latches a second count value at a second timing related to the end of the comparison process corresponding to a second analog signal after latching a first count value at a first timing related to the end of the comparison process corresponding to a first analog signal. A column count section sequentially counts values of bits constituting the second count value retained in the latch section after an initial value has been set on the basis of values of bits constituting the first count value retained in the latch section.
US08917336B2
Systems and methods for correcting geometric distortion are provided. In one example, an electronic device may include an imaging device, which may obtain image data of a first resolution, and geometric distortion and scaling logic. The imaging device may include a sensor and a lens that causes some geometric distortion in the image data. The geometric distortion correction and scaling logic may scale and correct for geometric distortion in the image data by determining first pixel coordinates in uncorrected or partially corrected image data that, when resampled, would produce corrected output image data at second pixel coordinates. The geometric distortion correction and scaling logic may resample pixels around the image data at the first pixel coordinates to obtain the corrected output image data at the second pixel coordinates. The corrected output image data may be of a second resolution.
US08917333B2
Provided are an image processing method, a digital image processing apparatus, and a recording medium storing the image processing method. The method includes capturing a first image, a second image, and a third image, which are captured with different focuses for the same subject and background; setting a subject portion and a background portion by using the first and second images; and combining the first image for the subject portion and the third image for the background portion with each other to obtain an out-of-focus image.
US08917332B2
An image processing apparatus includes an input unit configured to receive an input image to be processed; a brightness-information extracting unit configured to extract, from the image, brightness information indicating brightness of the whole image; a luminance-value-distribution-information extracting unit configured to extract, from the image, luminance-value-distribution information indicating a distribution of luminance values in the image; and a scene determining unit configured to determine a scene of an object included in the image on the basis of the extracted brightness information and the extracted luminance-value-distribution information.
US08917326B2
A photography apparatus includes: an imaging unit configured to image a subject and acquire photographed image data; a display unit configured to perform an image display; and a control unit; wherein the control unit executes reading processing for reading out, from a storage medium which stores template information arranged to fit and display photographed image data imaged by the imaging unit into a target region within display screen data according to a predetermined display format, the template information, wherein instruction information for instructing what sort of image should be photographed as the photographed image data to be fit and displayed in the target region is correlated therewith, and instruction information display control processing for controlling the display unit so as to display the instruction information in a correlated manner with the target region, in accordance with the template information.
US08917321B1
A failure-determination apparatus is provided with: a radar device (2); a camera unit (3); a moving target determination unit (12) that determines whether or not the object detected by the radar device (2) is a moving target; an object extraction unit (13) that extracts a specific object from the image captured by the camera unit (3); and a failure-determination unit (14) that determines that the camera unit (3) is in an abnormal state when the object which has been determined to be the moving target by the moving target determination device (12), cannot be determined to be the specific object by the object extraction unit (13).
US08917316B2
Photographing equipment includes an image pickup portion, a display portion which displays an image acquired by the image pickup portion, an object detecting portion which detects a reference object of a predetermined size or a larger size within an image pickup range of the image pickup portion among objects in the image acquired by the image pickup portion, and a display controlling portion which displays a representation recommending 3D photographing on the display portion if the object detecting portion detects the reference object.
US08917315B2
An imaging module includes: a hollow lens holder open at both ends; a lens assembled in the lens holder and collecting light input from one end of the lens holder; a hollow imaging holder having an opening into which the light output from the lens is input; an optical member assembled in the imaging holder and transmitting or deflecting the light input from one end of the imaging holder; and an image sensor assembled in the imaging holder and having a light-receiving region configured to receive the light transmitted or deflected by the optical member and to perform photoelectric conversion of the received light, wherein an optical axis center of the lens and a center of the light received by the light-receiving region of the image sensor are aligned with each other by fitting a light-output-side end portion of the lens holder and the imaging holder to each other.
US08917314B2
An apparatus and a method for synchronizing and providing a stereoscopic image are provided. The method includes storing a first image, receiving a second image that forms a stereoscopic image with the first image correlated, synchronizing the first image and the second image, and outputting the synchronized two images.
US08917311B1
A system and method for conducting a video call between an originating device and a terminating device by establishing a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection between the devices. The originating and terminating devices exchange candidate information through a P2P server, except that the candidate information for the terminating device is altered before arriving at the originating device. The altering includes changing the IP address and corresponding port for each candidate. The originating device uses the altered candidate information to derive new candidate pairs that are sent to the terminating device, which uses the new candidate pairs to also derive a second candidate list. If the candidate pairs match, a P2P connection is established between the devices.
US08917310B2
Improved methods, systems, and devices for managing communications are provided. A user device may display all ongoing communications so that a user can visualize the communications network or some subset thereof (e.g., a subgroup or group of users). A system may maintain the user device in an instant ready-on mode of communication with the other user devices. A user may then initiate communications with a subgroup (e.g., a pair) or group without initiating a new connection. Accordingly, a user can simultaneously and fluidly communicate at the subgroup level, at the group level, or at the inter-group level. Moreover, users can function as independent actors that can freely form and leave subgroups as well as groups.
US08917308B2
Disclosed is a Video Alarm Security System (VASS) adapted to transmit image information showing detected alarm events to a communication device of a remote person allowing said person to verify the alarm event before initiating a 3-party call to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) with jurisdiction over the location of said VASS. In one embodiment the 3-party conference call is established using two co-joined and bridged transceivers, A and B, wherein transceiver A is a Wi-Fi transceiver connected to an internet router to establishes an internet video call connection between the VASS and person and B is a cellular telephone transceiver adapted to establishes a bridged call connection between the VASS and PSAP. In another embodiment transceivers A and B are both cellular telephone transceivers. Methods for establishing 3-party PSAP call connections using ISP (Internet service provider) or cellular telephone company provided conference calling services are also disclosed.
US08917306B2
In one example implementation, a request from a first endpoint is identified for a second endpoint to join a video communication session. Particular video data captured at the first endpoint is displayed at the second endpoint prior to the second endpoint joining the video communication session. In certain embodiments, the particular video data captured at the first endpoint can be displayed at the second endpoint without the user of the first endpoint being made aware that the particular video data was displayed at the second endpoint.
US08917304B2
In accordance with an embodiment, an optical scanning apparatus for exposing a photoconductor includes a light source, a deflecting device, an imaging optical system and a light-guiding optical system. The light source configured to emit a light beam. The deflecting device configured to deflect and scan the light beam from the light source. The imaging optical system configured to form an image by using the deflected and scanned light beam on the photoconductor. The light-guiding optical system configured to guide the light beam passing through the imaging optical system to a photodetector.
US08917300B2
According to an embodiment, an image erasing apparatus that erases an image formed on a recording medium is provided. The image erasing apparatus includes an erasing unit that erases an image, a reading unit that reads a size of the recording medium, a classification device that classifies the erasing-processed recording medium, and a control unit. The control unit recognizes the size of the erasing-processed recording medium based on data about the size, and controls the classification device to classify each recording medium from which the image has been erased for each different size.
US08917297B2
A heat transferring device for a workpiece such as a pen barrel includes a pneumatic mechanism, a roller mechanism, a heating mechanism, and a rolling mechanism. The pneumatic mechanism is connected with the roller mechanism. The rolling mechanism rotates the pen barrel, and the roller mechanism includes an elastic force applying mechanism that applies an elastic force on the pen barrel during rotation. As the rolling mechanism rotates the pen barrel, the elastic force applying mechanism applies an elastic force to the pen barrel that keeps a roller wheel in contact with respective faces of the pen barrel during rotation. Thus, the force that the elastic force applying mechanism applies to the pen barrel is uniform and the respective faces of the pen barrel receive a uniform force. Therefore, the device can heat transfer designs on pen barrels having non-circular as well as circular shapes.
US08917293B2
Image data obtained by adding a dummy image to a periphery of inputted image data is divided into blocks which correspond to positions of LEDs. A light-emitting luminance of an LED in an image display area is determined in accordance with a maximum value among gradation values of pixels included in a block corresponding to the LED. A light-emitting luminance of an LED in an image non-display area is determined in accordance with an average luminance level of some of small blocks which are adjacent to the block corresponding to the LED in the image non-display area, the small blocks being obtained by further dividing a block of the image display area adjacent to the block corresponding to the LED.
US08917291B2
A projector includes: an image-taking section; an updating section; a storing section storing taken-image information, position data and image data; a projecting section projecting a whole image including an individual image and having a function of adjusting the size of the whole image; and a control section performing control so as to make the projecting section adjust the size of the whole image according to the movement of the individual image in a state in which the whole image includes the whole of the individual image.
US08917285B2
Display methods and interfaces for high dynamic range images. High dynamic range images and corresponding histograms are displayed on a display device. The histogram panel displays low dynamic range and high dynamic range data of the images simultaneously. The low dynamic range and high dynamic range data is brightness level of the image pixels.
US08917278B2
An apparatus, system, and method of outputting an image, and image output control program stored in a recording medium are described. The image output apparatus that displays data through a display obtains first element identification information for identifying a first element included in a specified folder, determines whether the first element is a folder based on the first element identification information, obtains second element identification information for identifying a second element included in the first element when the first element is determined to be the folder, analyzes whether the second element is a data file having a data format compatible with the display to generate an analysis result, determines a display format of the first element that is determined to be the folder based on the analysis result of the second element, and causes the display to display an image that reflects the first element in the determined display format.
US08917263B2
Provided is a method of driving a liquid crystal panel by providing a gate delay compensation period to a timing at which gate selection signal waveforms supplied to horizontal scanning interconnections change so that a switching element changes from a conduction state to a non-conduction state with respect to a timing at which image data signal waveforms supplied to data interconnections change so that image data corresponding to display contents of a pixel electrode connected to the horizontal scanning interconnections changes to next image data, wherein an ambivalent temperature is detected to make the gate delay compensation period variable in accordance with the ambivalent temperature.
US08917261B2
In one embodiment, a method includes determining output modifications to apply to pixels of a display based on a modification map for pixels of the display. The modification map provides output-modification values for the pixels to mitigate optical occlusion of pixels of the display optically occluded by micro-features of a touch sensor overlying the display relative to other pixels of the display not optically occluded by micro-features of the touch sensor. The method also includes applying the output modifications to pixels of the display to mitigate their optical occlusion relative to other pixels of the display not optically occluded by micro-features of the touch sensor.
US08917260B2
An optical touch panel may include a plurality of light-sensing areas. The plurality of light-sensing areas may be integrally formed with pixels in a display panel or may be formed on the display panel, in order to sense incident light from outside the optical touch panel. A method of driving an optical touch panel may include sensing a change in an output from a plurality of light-sensing areas between two time points and determining that there is an optical input when the change in the output is greater than or equal to a first reference value that is defined in advance. The light-sensing areas may be integrally formed with pixels in a display panel or formed on a surface of the display panel, for sensing incident light from outside the optical touch panel.
US08917255B2
The present disclosure provides a deformable touch screen including a display unit for displaying a user interface; a touch panel including a dielectric material, a first electrode coated on one end of the dielectric material, a second electrode coated on the other end of the dielectric material, a non-conductive material coated on the second electrode, and a conductive metal coated on the coated non-conductive material; a voltage controller for controlling a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a signal generator for applying a signal to the voltage controller, wherein the signal generator generates a signal for making a user interface button of the display unit into a 3D form according to a measured result of an increase or a decrease in mutual capacitance of a user's hand and a conductive metal.
US08917244B2
According to an example embodiment a display screen includes a first sensor array that is operable to detect a first external stimulus that meets a first detection criteria, and a second sensor array that is operable to detect a second external stimulus that meets a second detection criteria, the second detection criteria quantitatively different from the first detection criteria.
US08917242B2
A computer with an input device having a labeled region including a host, a first monitor, a first touchpad and a cover is provided. The first monitor is electrically connected to the host and serves as a display media of the host. The first touchpad is electrically connected to the host and serves as an input media of the host. The first touchpad includes a touch keypad region, wherein a plurality of touch keys is disposed in the touch keypad region. The cover encloses the first touchpad and includes a labeled region. When the device is power on, the labeled region is corresponding to the touch keypad region of the first touchpad, and the user can distinguish positions of each of the touch keys of the touch keypad region when inputting data by means of the touch keypad region.
US08917241B2
An operating method of a display device includes controlling a shift of a cursor of a user interface reference frame according to a shift of the pointing device with reference to an initial point in a 3D spatial reference frame; and updating a position of the initial point in the 3D spatial reference frame according to an updating signal. An advantage of the present invention is when the operating range is changed, reference coordinates utilized by the pointing device are appropriately adjusted, so as to lower the affect of offset, allowing the pointing device to be applied in different areas/directions without having the cursor displayed on the display device to incorrectly reflect shift of the pointing device.
US08917239B2
A removable cover for a handheld electronic device, including a protective cover that at least partially covers rear and side surfaces of a handheld electronic device, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the cover for detecting user gestures performed outside of the electronic device, a battery, wireless communication circuitry, and a processor configured to operate the proximity sensors, and to operate the wireless communication circuitry to transmit commands to the electronic device based on gestures detected by the proximity sensors.
US08917238B2
Various embodiments related to entering text into a computing device via eye-typing are disclosed. For example, one embodiment provides a method that includes receiving a data set including a plurality of gaze samples, each gaze sample including a gaze location and a corresponding point in time. The method further comprises processing the plurality of gaze samples to determine one or more likely terms represented by the data set.
US08917236B2
An information processing apparatus is capable of obtaining operation data according to a tilt of a predetermined object that can be moved by a user. The information processing apparatus calculates tilt information corresponding to the tilt of the object based on the operation data. The information processing apparatus calculates a specified position on a screen of a display device based on the operation data so that the specified position changes according to at least one of a position and the tilt of the object. Selection items are displayed on the screen of the display device. The information processing apparatus switches between sets of the selection items displayed on the screen according to an amount of tilt represented by the tilt information. Moreover, the information processing apparatus selects an item displayed at the specified position from among the selection items to perform an information process according to the selected item.
US08917228B2
The invention discloses a liquid crystal display apparatus and a pixel element design thereof. The liquid crystal display apparatus includes a register, a liquid crystal display panel, a driving circuit, a dynamic frequency adjustment unit and a control circuit. The liquid crystal display panel includes a plurality of liquid crystal capacitors and a plurality of pixel units. The driving circuit includes a plurality of storage capacitors corresponding to the liquid crystal capacitors. A capacitance of the storage capacitors far exceeds a capacitance of the liquid crystal capacitors. The driving circuit casts the image information on the liquid crystal display panel. The dynamic frequency adjustment unit computes and judges based on an image characteristic classification of the image information, so as to generate a display mode control signal dynamically.
US08917222B2
A display device includes: a liquid crystal panel including a display surface on which frame images are displayed; a conversion portion for converting a frame image signal into a first image signal representing an image having a lower resolution and a second image signal representing an image having a higher resolution; and a liquid crystal driver for driving the liquid crystal panel with performing first and second scanning operations of the first and second image signals over pixels of the entire display surface. The liquid crystal driver performs the second scanning operation with targeting a drive luminance value which is set in response to an expected value of an achieved luminance value during the first scanning operation for the pixel of the display surface before the second scanning operation commences, and target luminance value for the pixels defined by the frame image signal.
US08917212B2
Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed which relate to verifying an antenna via a transmitter. A logical interface coupled to a transmitter reads antenna specifications from a memory integrated with an antenna, and refuses transmission when the antenna attributes conflict with the requirements of the transmitter.
US08917209B2
Embodiments describe determining position by selecting a set of digital pseudorandom sequences. The magnitudes of the cross-correlation between any two sequences of the chosen set are below a specified threshold. A subset of digital pseudorandom sequences are selected from the set such that the magnitudes of the autocorrelation function of each member of the subset, within a specified region adjacent to the peak of the autocorrelation function, are equal to or less than a prescribed value. Each transmitter transmits a positioning signal, and at least a portion of the positioning signal is modulated with at least one member of the subset. At least two transmitters of the plurality of transmitters modulate respective positioning signals with different members of the subset of digital pseudorandom sequences.
US08917208B2
A system and method of training antennas for two devices having heterogeneous antenna configurations in a wireless network is disclosed. The method includes communicating one or more estimation training sequences between two devices via a phased array antenna and a switched array antenna, wherein a beamforming vector of the phased array antenna is switched between phase vectors within a set of weight vectors while the switched array antenna is switched within a plurality of antenna sectors. The method further includes tuning at least one of the phase array and switched array antennas with an antenna parameter selected based at least in part on the one or more estimation training sequences. The method further includes communicating data messages via at least one of the phase array and switched array antennas so tuned.
US08917204B2
An integrated circuit for cancelling a radio frequency transmit leakage signal comprises: a transmitter portion comprising at least one amplifier stage for transmitting a radio frequency signal to an antenna port; and a first coupler arranged to operably couple the transmitter portion, the antenna port and a receiver portion. The receiver portion is arranged to receive a first composite signal that comprises a received radio frequency signal from the antenna port and the transmit leakage signal. The receiver portion comprises: a first down-conversion circuit arranged to receive the first composite signal and a local oscillator signal such that the first down-conversion circuit outputs a down-converted composite signal at a first intermediate frequency signal; and a second coupler arranged to receive the down-converted first composite signal at the first intermediate frequency signal and a phase shifted version of the local oscillator signal such that the phase shifted version of the local oscillator signal is arranged to cancel at least a portion of the transmit leakage signal from the down-converted first composite signal.
US08917203B2
A system and method for motion-based adaptive frequency estimation of a Doppler sensor is provided. The system comprises a Doppler sensor configured to output a digitized Doppler data signal, and a Doppler velocity estimation module operatively coupled to the Doppler sensor to receive the Doppler data signal. An inertial navigation system is operatively coupled to the Doppler velocity estimation module, and one or more inertial sensors is operatively coupled to the inertial navigation system. The inertial sensors are configured to transmit inertial navigation data to the inertial navigation system. The Doppler velocity estimation module calculates a speed or velocity estimate based on the Doppler data signal and the inertial navigation data. The speed or velocity estimate is then transmitted to the inertial navigation system.
US08917191B1
A system for controlling an image displayed on a display unit of an aircraft is shown and described. The system includes an enhanced vision system that detects elements of an approach lighting system for display on the display unit. The system also includes a synthetic vision system that uses a database of navigation information and a determined aircraft location to generate synthetic display elements representing the approach lighting system. Display electronics of the system cause the detected elements from the enhanced vision system to be simultaneously displayed on the display unit within a same scene as the generated synthetic display elements from the synthetic vision system. Advantageously, the simultaneous display allows a pilot viewing the display unit to check for whether information provided by the enhanced vision system matches information provided by the synthetic vision system.
US08917187B2
The invention disclosed herein is a securely attached portable, wearable device to enhance safety, visibility and communication capability of safety personnel when such personal leave their vehicles. The device provided is configured to be securely attached to the wearer, and is capable of emitting variable visual and audio signals actuated by a control panel component which is designed so that the user can activate various options of visual and audio signals while in flight. The device may further include GPS capability for tracking, activation and deactivation functions.
US08917184B2
Various systems and methods of operating an analyte measurement device is provided. The device has a display, user interface, processor, memory and user interface buttons. In one example, one of the methods can be achieved by measuring an analyte with the analyte measurement device; displaying a value representative of the analyte; prompting a user to activate a test reminder; and activating the test reminder to remind a user to conduct a test measurement at a different time. Other methods and systems are also described and illustrated.
US08917183B2
A miner's personal gas alarm can be mounted in a helmet powered by a rechargeable battery for a light or be self-contained. A visual indicator will generate an alarm when the concentration of gas detected by the gas sensor triggers an alarm condition. An audio alarm can also be generated by the alarm condition. The gas sensor is a non-dispersive infrared (“NDIR”) gas sensor. When the gas sensor detects methane, the alarm condition is triggered by either an abnormally high rate of increase of methane concentration level or by an elevated concentration of methane that is above approximately 500 ppm and substantially below a lower explosion limit of methane (e.g., approximately 10,000 ppm), and the gas sensor is recalibrated whenever the sample concentration of methane falls below an ambient threshold level of methane.
US08917168B2
A panel device 10, which is capable of increasing vibration amplitude of a panel without increasing power consumption of a piezoelectric element, includes a panel 11 rectangular in shape and piezoelectric elements 12, 13 also rectangular in shape disposed on the panel 11 for vibrating the panel 11, such that each of the piezoelectric elements 12, 13 is disposed having one side at a slant relative to one side of the panel 11.
US08917167B1
System, method and device to generate user tactile feedback using working fluid inside a sealed vessel, which is vaporized causing a rapid pressure/volume change, then the fluid condenses, restoring original pressure/volume. In one embodiment this sequence is repeated to create a vibration. The sealed vessel is mechanically coupled to a touch surface so the user feels the vibration, typically with a fingertip. In some embodiments a portion of the sealed vessel is also the touch surface. In some embodiments multiple vessels are arranged in an array behind or integral to the touch surfaces.
US08917154B2
An improved system for concentrating magnetic flux of a multi-pole magnetic structure at the surface of a ferromagnetic target uses pole pieces having a magnet-to-pole piece interface with a first area and a pole piece-to-target interface with a second area substantially smaller than the first area, where the target can be a ferromagnetic material or a complementary pole pieces. The multi-pole magnetic structure can be a coded magnetic structure or an alternating polarity structure comprising two polarity directions, or can be a hybrid structure comprising more than two polarity directions. A magnetic structure can be made up of discrete magnets or can be a printed magnetic structure.
US08917144B2
A power amplifier includes: an amplification element amplifying an input signal; and a bias circuit supplying a bias current to an input of the amplification element. The bias circuit includes a reference voltage terminal to which a battery voltage is applied from a battery, a first resistor having a first end connected to the reference voltage terminal, a second resistor connected between a second end of the first resistor and ground, and a first transistor. The first transistor has a control terminal connected to a connection point between the first resistor and the second resistor, a first terminal connected to a power supply, and a second terminal connected to the input of the amplification element. The first and second resistors are the same material.
US08917143B2
An integrated circuit (IC) chip has a class D PWM (pulse width modulation) amplifier configured for generating first and second PWM signals. The class-D PWM modulator includes a differential output driver configured for driving a first and a second output signals in response to the first and the second PWM signals. A clipping detection circuit is configured to turn on a clipping indication signal when one or both of the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal maintain the same state between two consecutive edges of the oscillator clock signal. The clipping detection circuit is also configured to turn off the clipping indication signal when both the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal change states between two consecutive edges of the oscillator clock signal.
US08917137B2
A power supply circuit to supply an internal voltage to an output node includes: a pull-up driver, in response to a result obtained by comparing the internal voltage to a first reference voltage, configured to generate the internal voltage from a power supply voltage, a pull-down driver, in response to a result obtained by comparing the internal voltage to a second reference voltage, configured to discharge the internal voltage, a pull-up drive blocking unit configured to block the pull-up driver from being driven, in response to the result obtained by comparing the internal voltage to the second reference voltage, and a pull-down drive blocking unit configured to block the pull-down driver from being driven, in response to the result obtained by comparing the internal voltage to the first reference voltage.
US08917134B2
A semiconductor device includes a control section, a first arm, and a second arm; and has an H-bridge circuit to supply an input current supplied from a power source to an output terminal as a reversible electric current on the basis of a control signal outputted from the control section and a reverse-connection-time backflow prevention circuit to prevent an electric current in a direction opposite to the direction of the input current from being supplied to the H-bridge circuit. The first arm is formed over a first island. The second arm is formed over a second island. The control section and the reverse-connection-time backflow prevention circuit are formed over a third island.
US08917130B2
A method for initializing a delay locked loop having a delay circuit includes a plurality of serially connected delay elements and a counter circuit for selecting an output of one of the delay elements as an output clock signal. The method includes resetting an initial delay control circuit, generating, with the initial delay control circuit, a pulse based on a period of an input clock signal, determining, with the initial delay control circuit, a number of delay elements required to produce a delay time at least substantially equivalent to a pulse width for a preset signal, initializing the counter circuit based on the preset signal and adjusting the counter circuit in response to phases of the input and output clock signals.
US08917129B1
An apparatus comprising a delay circuit and a control circuit. The delay circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of intermediate signals in response to (i) a clock signal and (ii) an adjustment signal. The control circuit may be configured to generate the adjustment signal and a plurality of output signals having a quarter-cycle interval in response to (i) the plurality of intermediate signals and (ii) the clock signal.
US08917125B1
A system and method are provided of performing background corrections for an interleaving analog-to-digital converter (ADC). An analog input signal s1(t) is accepted having a first frequency f1 and a bandwidth (BW). The method generates a clock at frequency fs, and creates 2 sample clocks with evenly spaced phases, each having a sample clock frequency of fs/2. The method also generates a first tone signal s2(t) having a predetermined second frequency f2 outside BW. The analog input signal and the first tone signal are combined, creating a combination signal, which is sampled using the sample clocks, creating 2 digital sample signals per clock period 1/fs. The 2 digital sample signals are interleaved, creating an interleaved signal. Corrections are applied that minimize errors in the interleaved signal, to obtain a corrected digital output. Errors are determined at an alias frequency f3, associated with the second frequency f2, to obtain correction information.
US08917124B1
A system and method are provided for frequency multiplication jitter correction. The method accepts an analog reference signal having a first frequency, and using the analog reference signal, derives a system clock signal having a second frequency, greater than the first frequency. A PLL using a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is one example of a frequency multiplier. The method samples the amplitude of the analog reference signal using the system clock signal and converts the sampled analog reference signal into a digitized reference signal. In response to comparing the digitized reference signal to an ideal digitized reference signal, the phase error correction for the system clock signal is derived. The phase error correction at a first instance of time can be applied to the digitized data signal, previously converted from an analog data signal sampled at a first instance of time with the system clock signal.
US08917117B2
To provide a composite semiconductor device capable of preventing malfunction of preventing electrical circuits and contributing to miniaturization of a power converter. A composite semiconductor device 10 has a structure in which a first power semiconductor element 13 that passes current from a second terminal C1 to a third terminal E1 according to a signal input from a first terminal G1 and a second power semiconductor element 16 that passes current from a second terminal C2 to a third terminal E2 according to a signal input from a first terminal G2 are formed in a single substrate (chip) 20. The third terminal E2 of the second power semiconductor element 16 is electrically connected to the first terminal G1 of the first power semiconductor element 13. A current path for transferring electric charge from the second terminal C1 of the first power semiconductor element 13 to the first terminal G2 of the second power semiconductor element 16 when the potential of the second terminal C1 of the first power semiconductor element 13 is increased with time is provided.
US08917111B1
Approaches for configuring programmable resources of a programmable IC are disclosed. A first set of configuration data is loaded using a configuration port of the programmable IC, which also includes input/output (I/O) ports. Programmable resources are configured according to the first set of configuration data to implement a master data link circuit and at least one slave data link circuit. The master data link circuit includes a hardwired communication circuit, and a set of the programmable resources arranged to form a communication control circuit configured to control the communication circuit to provide a data link for communicating data via one of the I/O ports. A second set of configuration data is loaded using the master data link circuit. Programmable resources of the programmable IC are configured according to the second set of configuration data to implement a logic circuit configured to communicate data via the slave data link circuit.
US08917110B2
A package includes a master chip including a storage circuit configured to store an impedance setting of the master chip and an impedance setting of a slave chip, and a termination circuit for an impedance matching with an outside of the package, and the slave chip connected to the master chip, wherein if a termination operation for the slave chip is activated, the termination circuit of the master chip performs an impedance matching operation using the impedance setting for the slave chip.
US08917103B2
A testing method for testing a semiconductor device includes heating the semiconductor device until the temperature of the semiconductor device reaches a predetermined temperature; conducting other functional tests other than testing of the overheat protection function in a second step after the temperature of the semiconductor device has reached the predetermined temperature; allowing the semiconductor device to generate heat by itself such that the overheat protection function of the semiconductor device is activated, detecting a first diode forward voltage of a desired diode contained in the semiconductor device when the overheat protection function of the semiconductor device is activated and computing a first computational temperature of the semiconductor device based on the detected first diode forward voltage of the desired diode contained in the semiconductor device; and determining whether the computed first computational temperature of the semiconductor device resides in the overheat protection function activating temperature range.
US08917102B2
A method for measuring a capacitance using a capacitance meter. The capacitance meter includes an AC power source with a controllable frequency which is fed to a capacitor to measure its capacitance. A first measurement of the capacitance is performed by the capacitance meter using a first frequency. When the first measurement of the capacitance indicates the capacitance is below a threshold capacitance a lower capacitance measurement is performed in the capacitance meter, using a second measurement of the capacitance using a second frequency. When the first measurement of the capacitance indicates the capacitance is above a threshold capacitance, a higher capacitance measurement is performed in the capacitance meter, using a second measurement of the capacitance using a third frequency, the third frequency being lower than the second frequency.
US08917098B2
Provided are a converter circuit and a method of driving the same. The converter circuit includes: an input unit receiving a conversion target signal; a detection unit receiving a conversion target signal for each interval from the input unit, sampling the conversion target signal for each interval according to a plurality of timings to calculate an average value for each interval, and outputting a comparison unit input signal by using the average value for each interval; and a comparison unit comparing the comparison unit input signal with a predetermined reference signal to output a comparison result value.
US08917094B2
Downhole tools and techniques acquire information regarding nearby conductors such as pipes, well casing, and conductive formations. At least some method embodiments provide a current flow along a drill string in a borehole. The current flow disperses into the surrounding formation and causes a secondary current flow in the nearby conductor. The magnetic field from the secondary current flow can be detected using one or more azimuthally-sensitive antennas. Direction and distance estimates may be obtainable from the azimuthally-sensitive measurements, and can be used as the basis for steering the drillstring relative to the distant conductor. Possible techniques for providing current flow in the drillstring include imposing a voltage across an insulated gap or using a toroid around the drillstring to induce the current flow.
US08917091B2
This method makes it possible to carry out the auto-calibration of the electromagnetic coils of an apparatus such as an atomic clock, a magnetometer or a gyroscope by injecting successive currents into the coils and measuring the magnetic fields induced in order to calculate the transfer coefficients (field/current) of each of the coils and the real angles that they form with very great precision.
US08917089B2
A device for detecting metal elements in slab form such as metal plates or sheets, includes an emission coil powered by suitable control elements and generating a magnetic field, a reception coil placed so as to enable generation via induction of a voltage across the terminals of the coil under the action of the magnetic field, and elements for processing and evaluating the voltage signal delivered by the at least one reception coil, enabling delivery of an information signal indicating the absence or presence of one or more metal elements near the coils. The emission coil (3) and the reception coil (5) are both mounted in a housing or a sensor head having an active detection face having an associated detection region, and are positioned at a defined inclination one relative to the other and relative to the face.
US08917087B2
A moving magnetic field generating apparatus includes a magnet array including magnets disposed at a first pitch such that N and S poles of adjacent magnets in the magnet array are alternated, and first and second magnetic pole piece arrays extending along the magnet array to interpose the magnet array therebetween with a gap from the magnet array. The first and second magnetic pole piece arrays are disposed with a predetermined phase difference therebetween. The first magnetic pole piece array includes first magnetic pole pieces disposed at a second pitch in an array and each having a length enough to face at least two adjacent magnets in the magnet array. The second magnetic pole piece array is configured similarly to the first magnetic pole piece array. One of the first and second magnetic pole piece arrays and the magnet array is relatively moved to the other at a predetermined speed.
US08917081B2
A current detection device includes a bus bar for current detection. The bus bar for current detection is constituted by a conductor provided with a first portion penetrating through a hollow portion of a magnetic material core in a first direction in which a current passes and plate-shaped second portions each linked to both sides in the first direction with respect to the first portion, the bus bar for current detection formed such that a width of the second portion is greater than a maximum width of the hollow portion of the magnetic material core and a minimum width of a contour of a section in the first portion is greater than a thickness of the second portion.
US08917077B2
The present invention provides a multi-phase switching regulator and a droop circuit for use in the multi-phase switching regulator. The multi-phase switching regulator generates pulse width modulation (PWM) signals according to an output voltage and a droop signal, to drive a plurality of switching sets to convert an input voltage to the output voltage. The droop circuit detects the sum of the currents generated by the plurality of switching sets and provides the droop signal which is related to the sum of the currents to the multi-phase switching regulator. The droop signal can be used for over current protection (OCP) or for the droop control.
US08917075B2
A direct current to direct current (DCDC) voltage converter is described comprising a controller and at least one converter circuit. The converter circuit comprises at least first and second inductors, each having an input and an output; a first input switch connected to the input of the first inductor; a second input switch connected to the input of the second inductor; and an output switch connected to the outputs of the inductors for selectively combining the outputs to form a parallel combination of the inductors or a series combination of the inductors. The controller generates signals for selectively connecting the first and second input switches and the output circuit between a pair of power supply input terminals and a pair of power supply output terminals. In response to appropriate signals from the controller, the converter circuit can be operated as a buck converter or a boost converter.
US08917069B2
A low dropout voltage regulator circuit that dynamically adjusts its output voltage has a voltage adjustment circuit in communication with a dynamic voltage controlling circuit for modifying the output voltage of the low dropout voltage regulator. A first amplification circuit is connected to receive an adjusted reference voltage from the voltage adjustment circuit and compare it with a feedback signal from the output voltage to provide a drive signal to a signal input terminal of a follower output transistor. An output terminal of the follower output transistor provides the output voltage of the regulation circuit. An adjustable internal load circuit applies a load current to the output terminal of the follower output transistor to increase the bandwidth of the output of the voltage regulation circuit that is sensed by a dynamic biasing sensing circuit to generate a dynamic biasing signal that modifies the bandwidth of the first amplification circuit.
US08917067B2
Methods, apparatuses and systems for assisting an output current of a voltage converter, are disclosed. One method includes detecting a request for a positive change in an output voltage of the voltage converter, selecting an output current assist value based on the requested positive change in the output voltage, for a predetermined load, and assisting the output current with the selected output assist current.
US08917066B2
A system for managing shunt utilization among multiple power converters sharing a common DC bus is disclosed. Each power converter includes a shunt device, typically one or more power resistors, configured to dissipate power from the DC bus. The power converter is configured according to an initial set of configuration parameters to selectively connect the shunt device to the DC bus. Each power converter monitors the amount of power being dissipated from the DC bus via the shunt device connected to that power converter and determines a utilization rate for the shunt device. As the utilization rate increases, the configuration parameters are modified to less frequently connect the shunt device to the DC bus. As the utilization rate decreases, the configuration parameters are modified to more frequently connect the shunt device to the DC bus.
US08917062B2
The present invention discloses a charge control circuit for supplying power from an external power source to a first common node and charging a second common node from the first common node. A regulator circuit is coupled between the external power source and the first common node, and a transistor is coupled between the first common node and the second common node. The present invention detects an operation parameter of the transistor and controls an internal voltage source to generate a non-predetermined voltage difference accordingly. When the sum of the voltage at the second common node and the non-predetermined voltage is equal to or higher than the reference voltage, the voltage at the first common node is regulated to a level higher than the voltage at the second common node, and the transistor is in an optimum conductive state.
US08917045B2
Methods and systems for replacing HVAC blower motors and other electric motors are disclosed including systems and methods for gathering and storing information about motors that may need to be replaced, systems and methods for selecting replacement motors, and systems and methods for programming the replacement motors. The systems and methods allow a select few replacement motors to be programmed to replace nearly any original motor.
US08917043B2
A motor control circuit and associated techniques can adjust a phase of a motor drive to keep a rotational reference position of an electric motor at the same relative phase as a zero current in a motor winding at different motor speeds and as the motor accelerates and decelerates. In some embodiments, a particular circuit and technique can be used to detect the zero current in the motor winding.
US08917042B2
A drive circuit is provided for reducing conducted electromagnetic interference provided by a power line to a motor controller. The power line includes a first alternating current (AC) line output and a second AC line output. The drive circuit includes an EMI filter having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, a first output terminal, and a second output terminal. The first input terminal is configured to be coupled to the first AC line output and the second input terminal is configured to be coupled to the second AC line output. The drive circuit further includes at least two series-coupled filter capacitors positioned after the EMI filter and a power factor correction (PFC) choke. The PFC choke is coupled at a first end to the second output terminal and at a second end between the series-coupled filter capacitors.
US08917036B1
A method for operating a HID lamp using a bi-power electromagnetic ballast. The method includes applying a full power level to the lamp to produce full brightness and applying a dimmed power level to the lamp to produce a dimmed brightness. The lamp may be dimmed by switching the lamp power from the full power level to the dimmed power level and then applying a full power pulse to the lamp. The dimmed power level is less than the full power level.
US08917033B2
The present application discloses an open circuit protecting circuit, an open circuit protecting method and an illuminating apparatus. The open circuit protecting circuit is configured in an apparatus with a LED load being supplied with power by a current source, and comprises: a switch circuit, a timer circuit and a detecting circuit. When the LED load malfunctions, the open circuit protecting circuit carries out the following operations: the detecting circuit sends an enabling signal to the timer circuit, the timer circuit sends a driving signal with a set time to the switch circuit and the switch circuit is in the on-state during the set time, so as to make the LED load be short circuited to protect the circuit from being damaged. The open circuit protecting circuit can also resume to normal work automatically after the open circuited malfunction is cleared, and thus a hot-plugging function can be realized.
US08917023B2
This invention relates to an illumination system (100) comprising a plurality of luminaires (101a-d). The luminaires are each arranged to transmit in the light emitted an identification code ID. To ensure sufficient detection of the identification codes during selection with a selection device (120), the system further comprises a control unit (130) which is arranged for identification of any luminaire which has a nominal drive value equal to or below a minimum preset value, or equal to or above a maximum preset value. The control unit sets (or instructs a driver to set) the nominal drive value of such identified luminaire to a predetermined value to achieve a corresponding predetermined light output from the luminaire ensuring a sufficient signal for the transmission of the identification code ID.
US08917014B2
Certain example embodiments relate to organic light emitting diode (OLED) inclusive devices, and/or methods of making the same. A substrate supports a transparent conductive coating (TCC) based layer, and first and second organic layers disposed thereon. A reflective conductive layer is supported by the organic layers. An out-coupling layer stack (OCLS) interposed between the organic layers and a viewer of the device includes a hybrid organic-inorganic polymer matrix having scatterers dispersed throughout in a manner such that each scatterer is located in the far field of its nearest neighbor. The scatterers are dispersed to have a high Zeta potential, and promote Mie-like scattering of light passing through the OCLS. Mie-like scattering caused by the OCLS may help to frustrate the wave-guiding modes in the glass, e.g., by breaking down the in-phase coherence.
US08917012B2
The present invention relates to a heat sink (1), which is in thermal connection with at least one electronic component (4). The heat sink (1) has at least one chamber (2), which has at least one wall with at least one porous element (3a). Pressure producing means (7) are connected to the chamber (2), in order to cyclically modulate the air pressure P1 in the chamber (2). Thus, a “breathing” of air through the at least one porous element (3a) can be achieved and a cooling effect is obtained. Additionally, holes (8) can be provided to the chamber (2), which produce cyclic air jets (9) due to the fluctuating chamber air pressure P1. By providing an interaction of the air jets (9) with the air volume surrounding the at least one porous element (3a), the cooling of the at least one electronic component (4) can be optimized
US08917009B2
Disclosed are a vibration generator, which can increase the vibration force of a vibration plate by additionally applying the mass of a mass body to the vibration plate, and an electronic device including the same. The vibration generator includes at least one piezoelectric element mounted inside the case and subjected to compression and expansion in response to input power, a vibration plate including a body elongated in a preset lengthwise direction and having the at least one piezoelectric element mounted thereon, and generating vibrations by the compression and expansion of the at least one piezoelectric element, and at least one mass part adding a preset magnitude of mass to the vibration plate.
US08917007B2
Disclosed are a single rotor-type axial gap motor with low magnetic loss and high output, and a pump device using the axial gap motor. A first contact surface (231) is provided on the lateral surface in one circumferential direction of a yoke strip (23), and a second contact surface (232) is provided on the lateral surface in the other circumferential direction of the yoke strip (23), wherein the first contact surface (231) and the second contact surface (232) are aligned with each other. Defining As1 and As2 as the surface areas (As) of the first and second contact surfaces (231, 232), and Ap1 and Ap2 as the projected surface areas (Ap) of the lateral surfaces of the aforementioned yoke strip seen from the circumferential direction, it holds that As>Ap.
US08917005B2
A rotor core for an Internal Permanent Magnet (IPM) machine includes a cavity having a magnet disposed therein. The cavity defines an air slot adjacent a radially outermost edge of the magnet disposed therein. A leakage flux path extends across the air slot and connects opposing sides of the cavity. The leakage flux path is oriented in an approximate tangential relationship relative to an axis of rotation of the rotor core, and is angled relative to the radially outermost edge of the magnet disposed within the cavity to direct flux away from the magnet. The cavity further includes an air pocket disposed along a radial inner surface of the magnet relative to the axis of rotation, adjacent the air slot of the cavity.
US08917003B2
A permanent magnet rotor for use on an electrical generator comprises a hub having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral bore centered on an axis. The inner peripheral bore is provided with a screw thread at least over a portion of an axial dimension. Permanent magnets are mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the hub. A containment band is positioned radially outwardly of the magnets, holding the magnets and the hub together. The hub, a generator rotor incorporating the permanent magnet rotor, and a generator incorporating the permanent magnet rotor are also disclosed and claimed in this application.
US08916989B2
A multi-purpose vehicle includes a frame, two aligned seats, an engine, a first generator driven by the engine, and a second generator driven by the engine. The frame includes two side frame portions, a base connected between the side frame portions, and two seat supports disposed on the base for supporting the seats, respectively. The second generator is disposed on the base and under one of the seats for supplying electricity to external electrical appliances.
US08916987B2
A hydrokinetic electrical generating device includes first and second wing assemblies each having axis vertical wings. First and second beam assemblies support the first or second wing assemblies. A first sliding member is slidably connected to the first beam assembly and a second sliding member is slidably connected to the second beam assembly. The axis vertical wings are rotatably connected to one of the first or second sliding members. A first sliding connector is connected to the first sliding member and a second sliding connector connected to the second sliding member. A mechanical-electrical section has first and second flywheels connected by a first or second drive belt to a generator. First and second flywheel connecting rods connect the first or second sliding connector to the first or second flywheel. A water force rotating the wings displaces the connecting rods causing flywheel and drive belt rotation thereby operating the generator.
US08916986B2
An impulse air turbine arrangement for use with a reversing bi-directional air flow in a wave power plant comprises an axial flow turbine rotor with volutes mounted one each side of the turbine rotor to direct the reversing air flow to and from the turbine rotor. Each volute extends circumferentially with respect to the turbine axis between a radially outer opening and a radially inner opening. The radially outer opening is oriented for input/output of the air in a tangential direction and the radially inner opening is oriented axially to impinge/receive swirling air flow onto/from the turbine rotor.
US08916982B2
An inverter generator used in combination with a motor and an ECU generating a pulse at each predetermined rotation angle of the motor is comprised of: an electric generator driven by the motor configured to generate alternating current electric power; estimating means for estimating an electrical angle of alternating voltage of the alternating current electric power from the pulse, the estimating means being electrically connected with the ECU; a converter configured to convert the alternating current electric power into direct current electric power, the converter electrically connected with the electric generator and the estimating means; and an inverter configured to convert the direct current electric power into alternating current output electric power, the inverter electrically connected with the converter.
US08916980B2
An apparatus includes an image sensor with a frontside and a backside. The image sensor includes an active circuit region and bonding pads. The active circuit region has a first shape that is substantially rectangular. The substantially rectangular first shape has first chamfered corners. A perimeter of the frontside of the image sensor has a second shape that is substantially rectangular. The second substantially rectangular shape has second chamfered corners. The bonding pads are disposed on the frontside of the image sensor. The bonding pads are disposed between the first chamfered corners and the second chamfered corners. The first shape is disposed inside the second shape.
US08916974B2
Methods and apparatus for routing signal paths in an integrated circuit. One or more signal routing paths for transferring signals of the integrated circuit may be determined. A dummy fill pattern for the integrated circuit may be determined based on the one or more metal density specifications and at least one design rule for reducing cross coupling capacitance between the dummy fill pattern and the routing paths. The signal routing paths and/or the dummy fill pattern may be incrementally optimized to meet one or more timing requirements of the integrated circuit.
US08916972B2
An embodiment integrated circuit structure includes a substrate, a metal pad over the substrate, a post-passivation interconnect (PPI) structure over the substrate and electronically connected to the metal pad, a thin oxide film layer directly over a top surface of the PPI structure, and a polymer layer over the thin oxide film layer and PPI structure.
US08916971B2
An integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor chip having a first region and a second region; a dielectric layer formed on the first region and the second region of the semiconductor chip; a first elongated under-bump metallization (UBM) connector formed in the dielectric layer and on the first region of the semiconductor chip and having a first longer axis extending in a first direction; and a second elongated UBM connector formed in the dielectric layer on the second region of the semiconductor chip and having a second longer axis extending in a second direction. The first direction is different from the second direction.
US08916969B2
Semiconductor devices, packaging methods and structures are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes an integrated circuit die with a surface having a peripheral region and a central region. A plurality of bumps is disposed on the surface of the integrated circuit die in the peripheral region. A spacer is disposed on the surface of the integrated circuit die in the central region.
US08916964B2
A semiconductor device and a method of producing the same, wherein a joining member and a joined member are bonded by means of brazing in a way such that no voids are left inside the joining layer. The semiconductor device comprises a joined member and a joining member which is joined to the joined member by means of brazing. The joined member is provided with a through hole which is open on the joining surface with the joining member, and a path communicating with the through hole is provided on at least one of the joining surface of the joining member with the joined member or the joining surface of the member with the joining member.
US08916963B2
The invention relates to a power module (10), preferably for a vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle, characterized in that said module includes two vertically adjacent semiconducting chips (12, 14), each chip having a first surface (20, 22) to be connected to a heat sink substrate (24, 26), and a second surface (28, 30) separate from the first and on which at least one electronic component (38a-44b) is arranged, the module being arranged such that the second surfaces of the chips are arranged opposite one another.
US08916956B2
System and method for providing a multiple die interposer structure. An embodiment comprises a plurality of interposer studs in a molded interposer, with a redirection layer on each side of the interposer. Additionally, the interposer studs may be initially attached to a conductive mounting plate by soldering or wirebond welding prior to molding the interposer, with the mounting plate etched to form one of the redirection layers. Integrated circuit dies may be attached to the redirection layers on each side of the interposer, and interlevel connection structures used to mount and electrically connect a top package having a third integrated circuit to the interposer assembly.
US08916955B2
The present disclosure relates to a layout arrangement and method to minimize the area overhead associated with a transition between a semiconductor device array and background features. A nearly buffer zone free layout methodology is proposed, wherein an array of square unit cells with a first pattern density value is surrounded by background features with a second pattern density value. A difference between the first pattern density value and second pattern density value results in a density gradient at an edge of the array. Unit cells on the edge of the array which are impacted by a shape tolerance stress resulting from the density gradient are identified and reconfigured from a square shape aspect ratio to a rectangular shape aspect ratio with along axis of the unit cell oriented in a direction parallel to the variation induced shape tolerance stress to alleviate the variation.
US08916953B2
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a silicon single crystal wafer, in which a heat treatment is performed with respect to a silicon single crystal wafer having oxygen concentration of less than 7 ppma and nitrogen concentration of 1×1013 to 1×1014 atoms/cm3, which is obtained from a V-region silicon single crystal ingot grown by the Czochralski method, in a non-nitriding atmosphere at 1150 to 1300° C. for 1 to 120 minutes. As a result, a method for manufacturing a low-cost silicon single crystal wafer which is applicable to an IGBT by using a V-region wafer that is manufactured by the CZ method which can cope with an increase in diameter, by making a bulk have no defects and by providing a radial resistivity distribution, which is substantially equal to that when the neutron irradiation is effected, without performing the neutron irradiation is provided.
US08916952B2
A self-aligned bipolar transistor and method of fabricating the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a substrate and an intrinsic base are provided, followed by a first oxide layer, and an extrinsic base over the first oxide layer. A first opening is formed, exposing a portion of a surface of the extrinsic base. Sidewall spacers are formed in the first opening, and a self-aligned oxide mask is selectively formed on the exposed surface of the extrinsic base. The spacers are removed, and using the self-aligned oxide mask, the exposed extrinsic base and the first oxide layer are etched to expose the intrinsic base layer, forming a first and a second slot. A silicon layer stripe is selectively grown on the exposed intrinsic and/or extrinsic base layers in each of the first and second slots, substantially filling the respective slot.
US08916950B2
A semiconductor structure and method for forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure having one or more oxide layers and a nitride plug. Specifically, the structure and method involves forming one or more trenches in a substrate. The STI structure is formed having one or more oxide layers and a nitride plug, wherein the STI structure is formed on and adjacent to at least one of the one or more trenches. One or more gates are formed on the substrate and spaced at a distance from each other. A dielectric layer is formed on and adjacent to the substrate, the STI structure, and the one or more gates.
US08916946B2
The present invention is intended to provide a compact and simple optical semiconductor device that reduces crosstalk (leakage current) between light receiving elements. According to the present invention, since a back surface electrode is a mirror-like thin film, crosstalk to an adjacent light receiving element can be suppressed, thereby reducing a detection error of a light intensity. By disposing a patterned back surface electrode or by disposing an ohmic electrode at the bottom of an insulating film over the whole back surface, contact resistance on the back surface can be reduced. By using the optical semiconductor elements with a two-dimensional arrangement and by using a mirror-like thin film as the back surface electrode, crosstalk can be reduced. By accommodating the optical semiconductor elements in the housing in a highly hermetic condition, the optical semiconductor elements can be protected from an external environment.
US08916940B2
A method of forming a dielectric layer on a further layer of a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method comprises depositing a dielectric precursor compound and a further precursor compound over the further layer, the dielectric precursor compound comprising a metal ion from the group consisting of Yttrium and the Lanthanide series elements, and the further precursor compound comprising a metal ion from the group consisting of group IV and group V metals; and chemically converting the dielectric precursor compound and the further precursor compound into a dielectric compound and a further compound respectively, the further compound self-assembling during said conversion into a plurality of nanocluster nuclei within the dielectric layer formed from the first dielectric precursor compound. The nanoclusters may be dielectric or metallic in nature. Consequently, a dielectric layer is formed that has excellent charge trapping capabilities.
US08916935B2
A device includes a High-Voltage N-Well (HVNW) region have a first edge, and a High-Voltage P-Well (HVPW) region having a second edge adjoining the first edge. A first Shallow N-well (SHN) region is disposed over a lower portion of the HVNW region, wherein the first SHN region is spaced apart from the first edge by an upper part of the HVNW region. A second SHN region is disposed over a lower portion of the HVPW region, wherein the second SHN region is laterally spaced apart from the second edge. A Shallow P-well (SHP) region is disposed over the lower portion of the HVPW region, and is between the first SHN region and the second SHN region. The SHP region has a p-type impurity concentration higher than a p-type impurity concentration of the HVPW region. An isolation region is disposed over and contacting the SHP region.
US08916922B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a plurality of insulating layers vertically stacked on the substrate, a plurality of channels arranged in vertical openings formed through at least some of the plurality of insulating layers, and a plurality of portions alternatingly positioned with the plurality of insulating layers in the vertical direction. At least some of the portions are adjacent corresponding channels of the plurality of channels. Each of the portions includes a conductive barrier pattern formed on an inner wall of the portion, a filling layer pattern positioned in the portion on the conductive barrier pattern, and a gate electrode positioned in a remaining area of the portion not occupied by the conductive barrier or filling layer pattern.
US08916921B2
A plurality of a first conductive layers are provided at a certain interval L in a vertical direction, with a dielectric sandwiched therebetween. The certain interval L is set so that the first dielectric has an equivalent oxide thickness DEOT that satisfies the following relation (1). Dsio2
US08916915B2
Disclosed is a thin film transistor substrate which facilitates to improve output and transfer characteristics of thin film transistor, wherein the thin film transistor substrate comprises a thin film transistor comprising a lower gate electrode on a substrate, an active layer on the lower gate electrode, source and drain electrodes on the active layer, and an upper gate electrode on the source electrode, drain electrode and active layer, the upper gate electrode for covering a channel region defined by the source and drain electrodes; and a contact portion for electrically connecting the lower gate electrode with the upper gate electrode.
US08916897B2
An object is to provide a light-emitting element which uses a plurality of kinds of light-emitting dopants and has high emission efficiency. In one embodiment of the present invention, a light-emitting device, a light-emitting module, a light-emitting display device, an electronic device, and a lighting device each having reduced power consumption are provided by using the above light-emitting element. Focus is placed on Förster mechanism, which is one of mechanisms of intermolecular energy transfer. Efficient energy transfer by Förster mechanism is achieved by employing a combination of molecules which makes it possible to obtain an overlap between an emission spectrum band of the molecule which donates energy and the longest-wavelength-side peak of a characteristic curve obtained by multiplying an absorption spectrum of the molecule which receives energy by a wavelength raised to the fourth power.
US08916893B2
A light-emitting device includes a circuit board to which external electric power is supplied, a light emitting diode that is electrically connected onto the circuit board and emits light based on electric power from the circuit board, a housing provided on the circuit board so as to surround the light emitting diode and so that the upper end portion of the housing is positioned above the upper end portion of the light emitting diode, and a fluorescent laminate provided on the housing. The fluorescent laminate includes a first fluorescent layer that emits fluorescent light and a second fluorescent layer that emits fluorescent light having a wavelength that is longer than that of the first fluorescent layer. The second fluorescent layer is disposed on the housing and the first fluorescent layer is laminated on the second fluorescent layer.
US08916890B2
LED chips including an LED layer or layers capable of emitting light of a first wavelength, a light conversion layer on the LED capable of converting at least a portion of the light of a first wavelength to light of a second wavelength, and a filter layer therebetween that is transmissive to light of a first wavelength and reflective to light of a second wavelength. The filter layer may prevent at least some of the light of a second wavelength from entering the LED layer or layers, where it may be subject to various optical losses, such as internal reflection and absorption. LED chips may also include multiple filter and light conversion layers. Methods of fabrication are also disclosed.
US08916885B2
The present invention introduces the novel, improved design approach of the semiconductor devices that utilize the effect of carrier recombination, for example, to produce the electromagnetic radiation. The approach is based on the separate control over the injection of the electrons and holes into the active region of the device. As a result, better recombination efficiencies can be achieved, and the effect of the wavelength shift of the produced radiation can be eliminated. The devices according to the present invention outperform existing solid state light and electromagnetic radiation sources and can be used in any applications where solid state light sources are currently involved, as well as any applications future discovered.
US08916880B2
A semiconductor device that can suppress deterioration in crystal quality caused by a lattice mismatch between a substrate and an epitaxial layer and that also can ensure a voltage sustaining performance, and a wafer for forming the semiconductor device. An epitaxial wafer of silicon carbide (SiC), which is used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes a low resistance substrate and an epitaxial layer provided thereon. The epitaxial layer is doped with the same dopant as a dopant doped into the substrate, and has a laminated structure including a low concentration layer and an ultrathin high concentration layer. A doping concentration in the low concentration layer is lower than that in the silicon carbide substrate. A doping concentration in the ultrathin high concentration layer is equal to that in the silicon carbide substrate.
US08916879B2
A pixel array and a pixel unit thereof adapted in a display panel are provided. The pixel array includes a plurality of pixel units, and each pixel unit includes a first gate line, a second gate line, a data line, a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel. The first sub-pixel is electrically connected to the second gate line and electrically connected to the data line through the third sub-pixel. The second sub-pixel is electrically connected to the second gate line and the data line. The third sub-pixel is electrically connected to the first gate line and the data line.
US08916877B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) comprises: an active layer formed on a substrate; a gate insulating layer formed on the active layer; a gate electrode including a first gate region and a second gate region formed on portions of the gate insulating layer and spaced apart with a separation region interposed therebetween; an interlayer insulating layer formed on the gate insulating layer and the gate electrode, and having an opening formed to expose portions of the gate insulating layer and the gate electrode around the separation region; a gate connection electrode formed on the interlayer insulating layer and connected to the first gate region and the second gate region through the opening; and source and drain electrodes formed on the interlayer insulating layer. The TFT and the OLED display device have excellent driving margin without a spatial loss.
US08916876B2
According to the present invention, there is provided a white organic light emitting diode (W-OLED) display device for effectively blocking outgas generated from a color filter using silicon nitride having a low water vapor transmission rate as a passivation layer instead of a planarization layer which is an organic insulating layer, and a method of fabricating the same.
US08916874B2
Sacrificial optical test structures are constructed upon a wafer of pre-cleaved optical chips for testing the optical functions of the pre-cleaved optical chips. The sacrificial optical structures are disabled upon the cleaving the optical chips from the wafer and the cleaved optical chips can be used for their desired end functions. The test structures may remain on the cleaved optical chips or they may be discarded.
US08916869B2
A solid-state image sensor which holds a potential for a long time and includes a thin film transistor with stable electrical characteristics is provided. When the off-state current of a thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer is set to 1×10−13 A or less and the thin film transistor is used as a reset transistor and a transfer transistor of the solid-state image sensor, the potential of the signal charge storage portion is kept constant, so that a dynamic range can be improved. When a silicon semiconductor which can be used for a complementary metal oxide semiconductor is used for a peripheral circuit, a high-speed semiconductor device with low power consumption can be manufactured.
US08916867B2
A semiconductor element having high mobility, which includes an oxide semiconductor layer having crystallinity, is provided. The oxide semiconductor layer includes a stacked-layer structure of a first oxide semiconductor film and a second oxide semiconductor film having a wider band gap than the first oxide semiconductor film, which is in contact with the first oxide semiconductor film. Thus, a channel region is formed in part of the first oxide semiconductor film (that is, in an oxide semiconductor film having a smaller band gap) which is in the vicinity of an interface with the second oxide semiconductor film. Further, dangling bonds in the first oxide semiconductor film and the second oxide semiconductor film are bonded to each other at the interface therebetween. Accordingly, a decrease in mobility resulting from an electron trap or the like due to dangling bonds can be reduced in the channel region.
US08916865B2
An object is to provide a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics and high reliability. In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film, the oxide semiconductor film is subjected to dehydration or dehydrogenation performed by heat treatment. In addition, as a gate insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, an insulating film containing oxygen, preferably, a gate insulating film including a region containing oxygen with a higher proportion than the stoichiometric composition is used. Thus, oxygen is supplied from the gate insulating film to the oxide semiconductor film. Further, a metal oxide film is used as part of the gate insulating film, whereby reincorporation of an impurity such as hydrogen or water into the oxide semiconductor is suppressed.
US08916855B2
An organic light-emitting display apparatus includes a thin film transistor having an active layer, a gate electrode, and source and drain electrodes, an organic light-emitting device having a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor, an intermediate layer including an emissive layer, and an opposite electrode, and an opposite electrode contact portion having a joining region and an insulating region. The opposite electrode and a power interconnection line contact each other in the joining region. An insulating layer is interposed between the opposite electrode and the power interconnection line in the insulating region, and a portion of the insulating layer penetrates into the power interconnection line in the insulating region.
US08916850B2
The present invention provides a light-emitting element comprising: a carbon layer comprising a graphene; a plurality of fine structures having grown toward the upper side of the carbon layer; and a light-emitting structure layer formed on the surface of the fine structures.
US08916846B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a first wiring, a second wiring, and a memory cell provided between the first wiring and the second wiring. The memory cell includes a memory layer, a rectifying element layer, and a protective resistance layer including a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type and a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type.
US08916843B2
A system includes a patient support and an outer gantry on which an accelerator is mounted to enable the accelerator to move through a range of positions around a patient on the patient support. The accelerator is configured to produce a proton or ion beam having an energy level sufficient to reach a target in the patient. An inner gantry includes an aperture for directing the proton or ion beam towards the target.
US08916833B2
According to an aspect, an imaging device includes: a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element and arranged on a same plane; a transparent electrode provided on a surface of the photoelectric conversion element; a plurality of first conductors, each of which is electrically coupled to the transparent electrode corresponding to one photoelectric conversion element at a plurality of points and provided to the transparent electrode corresponding to one photoelectric conversion element; and a second conductor that is provided between adjacent pixels and electrically couples the first conductors, and also electrically couples the first conductors between the adjacent pixels.
US08916830B2
An X-ray detector panel comprises: a substrate; a transistor including a gate electrode disposed on the substrate, a gate insulating layer disposed on the gate electrode, an active layer disposed on the gate insulating layer, and a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed on the active layer and separated from each other; a photodiode including a first electrode connected to the drain electrode of the transistor, a photoconductive layer disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the photoconductive layer; an interlayer insulating layer including a first interlayer insulating layer covering the transistor and the photodiode, the first interlayer insulating layer being formed of an insulating material having a band gap energy of about 8 eV to about 10 eV; a data line disposed on the interlayer insulating layer and contacting the source electrode of the transistor via the interlayer insulating layer; a bias line disposed on the interlayer insulating layer and contacting the second electrode of the photodiode via the interlayer insulating layer; and a passivation layer disposed on the data line, the bias line, and the interlayer insulating layer.
US08916827B2
A photonic crystal, which is a periodically arranged structure made of free-standing columns, has a base material of at least one metal or a metal alloy. Intermediate spaces between the columns allow passage of a gas to be analyzed. The photonic crystal has predefined imperfections, by which at least one resonator is formed, the resonant frequency of which is in a frequency range which is absorbed by a gas component to be detected. A heating unit heats at least some of the columns and at least one detector element extracts the energy present in the resonator in the heated state under the action of the gas to be analyzed. The device may have extremely small dimensions and very low energy consumption.
US08916823B2
A method to determine a distribution profile of an element in a film. The method comprises exciting an electron energy of an element deposited in a first film, obtaining a first spectrum associating with the electron energy, and removing a background spectrum from the first spectrum. Removing the background value generates a processed spectrum. The method further includes matching the processed spectrum to a simulated spectrum with a known simulated distribution profile for the element in a film comparable to the first film. A distribution profile is obtained for the element in the first film based on the matching of the processed spectrum to a simulated spectrum selected from the set of simulated spectra.
US08916821B2
Certain embodiments described herein are directed to devices that can be used to align the components of a source assembly in a source housing. In some examples, a terminal lens configured to couple to the housing through respective alignment features can be used to retain the source components in a source housing to provide a source assembly.
US08916820B2
A mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising a RF confinement device, a beam expander and a Time of Flight mass analyzer. The beam expander is arranged to expand an ion beam emerging from the RF confinement device so that the ion beam is expanded to a diameter of at least 3 mm in the orthogonal acceleration extraction region of the Time of Flight mass analyzer.
US08916802B2
A household appliance includes a warming drawer housing having an interior chamber, and a warming drawer module in the interior chamber. The module includes a support plate, a glass heating element forming a floor surface of the module for receiving items to be warmed, a gasket strip covering an upper perimeter surface of the glass heating element, a frame disposed over the gasket strip and the upper perimeter surface, and a first electrical connection disposed adjacent to an edge of the frame. The frame includes a drip guard projecting outward from the edge of the frame and overhanging the first electrical connection to guide a liquid from a surface of the frame or the glass heating element away from the first electrical connection such that the liquid does not come into contact with the first electrical connection.
US08916800B2
A glow plug includes a ceramic glow pencil, a protective sleeve from which the glow pencil protrudes, and a housing from which the protective sleeve protrudes. The protective sleeve is fastened to the glow pencil via a holding element which is disposed outside of the housing and is soldered to the glow pencil. The ceramic glow pencil includes a substantially cylindrical inner conductor disposed along a length of a distal end of the ceramic glow pencil, an insulating layer disposed over the inner conductor, and an outer conductive layer disposed over the insulating layer, wherein the outer conductive layer is connected to the inner conductor at the distal end of the ceramic glow pencil.
US08916795B2
A plasma-actuated vortex generator arrangement includes a plurality of spaced-apart vortex generators, and a plasma actuator distributed amongst the plurality of vortex generators.
US08916793B2
Methods and systems for controlling temperatures in plasma processing chamber via pulsed application of heating power and pulsed application of cooling power. In an embodiment, temperature control is based at least in part on a feedforward control signal derived from a plasma power input into the processing chamber. In further embodiments, fluid levels in each of a hot and cold reservoir coupled to the temperature controlled component are maintained in part by a passive leveling pipe coupling the two reservoirs. In another embodiment, digital heat transfer fluid flow control valves are opened with pulse widths dependent on a heating/cooling duty cycle value and a proportioning cycle having a duration that has been found to provide good temperature control performance.
US08916789B2
An apparatus and method are disclosed for creating an integrated access door and switch actuator. The integrated access door and switch actuator are created from a single composite material. The composite material is flexible to allow movement, but is also durable to provide a protective covering. The integrated access door and switch actuator include a living hinge, which allows the access door to move to an open and closed position while the switch actuator is stationary in a fixed position.
US08916772B2
A three-dimensional thin-film semiconductor substrate with selective through-holes is provided. The substrate having an inverted pyramidal structure comprising selectively formed through-holes positioned between the front and back lateral surface planes of the semiconductor substrate to form a partially transparent three-dimensional thin-film semiconductor substrate.
US08916770B2
A photoelectric conversion device may effectively prevent an electrolyte from leaking and have a high durability. A photoelectric conversion device includes a first substrate and a second substrate spaced from the first substrate. A plurality of first electrodes are on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate and extend from a sealing region of the first substrate, and the first electrodes are spaced from each other. A protective layer is on the first electrodes, and an end portion of the protective layer on the sealing region extends continuously across at least two of the first electrodes.
US08916767B2
A solar cell and a method of fabricating the same are provided according to one or more embodiments. According to an embodiment, the solar cell includes a substrate, a back electrode layer formed on the substrate, a light absorbing layer formed on the back electrode layer, and a transparent electrode layer formed on the light absorbing layer, wherein the light absorbing layer is comprised of copper (Cu), gallium (Ga), indium (In), sulfur (S), and selenium (Se) and includes a first concentration region in which concentrations of sulfur (S) gradually decrease in the light absorbing layer going in a first direction from the back electrode layer to the transparent electrode layer.
US08916758B2
The present invention is an adjustable musical instrument lever that changes the throw, amount of leverage, and amount of resistance the lever incurs when moved. The device also adjusts to accommodate the size of the player's hand. Further, it can be retrofit to many valved musical instruments.
US08916750B1
Described herein is a seed-enhancing gene promoter in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).
US08916747B2
The present invention is directed to plants that display an improved oil quantity phenotype or an improved meal quality phenotype due to altered expression of an IMQ nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with an improved oil quantity phenotype or improved meal quality phenotype.
US08916746B2
Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides and recombinant DNA constructs useful for conferring drought tolerance, compositions (such as plants or seeds) comprising these recombinant DNA constructs, and methods utilizing these recombinant DNA constructs. The recombinant DNA construct comprises a polynucleotide operably linked to a promoter that is functional in a plant, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a DTP21 polypeptide.
US08916742B2
An engineered designed article providing multi-directional support. Portions of three or more overlapping, circular-like bodies are integrated on a flexible planar membrane into products, such as bandages, headgear, tool handles, lumbar pillows, backpacks, cervical supports, and back supports, to offer a multi-directional, (360° quadrant) support or pressure-concentrating area, to enhance specific support at the medial, lateral, inferior and/or superior part of a body part. The article can be made of material that is waterproof, acts as a shock absorber, and provides multi-directional support. Medicaments can be infused into the pressure-concentrating area of the support or into the membrane itself. An aperture for accepting IV needles is also provided.
US08916736B2
Method for selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene using composite bed in the presence of styrene
The present invention discloses a process for the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene in the presence of styrene conducted in a combined bed, which process comprises under hydrogenation reaction conditions, passing a hydrocarbon fraction feedstock containing phenylacetylene and styrene through a combined bed reactor containing a catalyst A and a catalyst B to contact the feedstock with the catalyst A and the catalyst B in turn, wherein the catalyst A is a nickel-based catalyst, the catalyst B is at least one selected from the group consisting of palladium-based catalysts and copper-based catalysts, and a weight ratio of the catalyst A loaded to the catalyst B loaded is from 0.5:1 to 5:1.
US08916735B2
Techniques, systems, apparatus and material are described for generating renewable energy from biomass waste while sequestering carbon. In one aspect, a method performed by a reactor to dissociate raw biomass waste into a renewable source energy or a carbon byproduct or both includes receiving the raw biomass waste that includes carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to be dissociated under an anaerobic reaction. Waste heat is recovered from an external heat source to heat the received raw biomass waste. The heated raw biomass waste is dissociated to produce the renewable fuel, carbon byproduct or both. The dissociating includes compacting the heated raw biomass waste, generating heat from an internal heat source, and applying the generated heat to the compacted biomass waste under pressure.
US08916729B2
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of compounds with (perfluoroalkyl)fluorohydrogenphosphate anion, and to compounds containing (perfluoroalkyl)fluorohydrogenphosphate anion and to the use thereof.
US08916723B2
A regio-selective and consecutive Michael-Claisen process has been developed for substituted cyclohexane-1,3-dione synthesis started from unsubstituted or substituted acetone and α,β-unsaturated esters. Substituted cyclohexane-1,3-diones are the basic unit found in several natural products, bioactive alkaloids and acridine dione type heterocycles, polyphenols, and unnatural amino acid synthesis. Most of the potent herbicidal and pesticidal active molecules contain cyclohexane-1,3-dione derivatives. Such an important intermediate synthesis using a facile, atom economy and one-pot process is a demandable area in organic synthesis.
US08916721B1
The present invention is directed to ester compositions which result from the trans-esterification of a triglyceride having an iodine value of between 85 and 175 mg KOH/gm with a fatty alcohol having a melting point of between 35° and 75° C., followed by cooling and removal of the polar phase which results. Surprisingly, we have found the composition has unique properties when used in cosmetic applications.
US08916713B2
An improved and efficient process for the preparation of 2-[3-cyano-4-(2-methylpropoxy)phenyl]-4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylic acid (febuxostat) that is substantially free from amide by-product is provided.
US08916712B2
The present invention provides compositions and methods for cytoprotection. In particular, it provides zinc chelate compositions comprising at least one zinc ion and at least one aminothiol ligand.
US08916705B2
The invention provides compounds and compositions useful for the modulation of certain enzymes. The compounds and compositions can induce of cell death, particularly cancer cell death. The invention also provides methods for the synthesis and use of the compounds and compositions, including the use of compounds and compositions in therapy for the treatment of cancer and selective induction of apoptosis in cells.
US08916700B2
The present invention relates to a process for selectively producing a cellulose ether derivative with a very high reaction efficiency of an organohalide compound. There is provided a process for producing a cellulose ether derivative such as carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose in which a low-crystalline powdery cellulose having a crystallinity of 50% or less is reacted with an organohalide compound such as ethylene chlorohydrin, a monohaloacetic acid and a salt of the monohaloacetic acid in the presence of a base.
US08916695B2
The present invention concerns antigen binding proteins and fragments thereof which specifically bind Oncostatin M (OSM), particularly human OSM (hOSM) and which inhibit the binding of OSM to the gp130 receptor but does not directly interact with site II residues. The invention also concerns a method of humanizing antibodies. Further disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions, screening and medical treatment methods.
US08916694B2
Compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of apolipoprotein B. The compositions comprise oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acid encoding apolipoprotein B. Methods of using these compounds for modulation of apolipoprotein B expression and for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions associated with expression of apolipoprotein B are provided.
US08916693B2
Conjugates are provided, an exemplary conjugating having a single water-soluble, non-peptidic polymer, such as a poly(ethylene oxide), attached to a chitosan. Complexes of small interfering nucleic acids formed with such conjugates as well as small interfering nucleic acids attached to such conjugates are also provided. Related methods, intermediates, and compositions are also provided.
US08916692B2
Disclosed is a spectrofluorimetrically detectable luminescent composition consisting essentially of at least one energy transfer acceptor lanthanide(III) complex having an emission spectrum maximum in the range from 300 to 2000 nanometers and a luminescence-enhancing amount of at least one energy transfer donor selected from the group consisting of a fluorophore, a lumiphore, an organic compound, a salt of an organic ion, a metal ion, a metal ion complex, or a combination thereof. Such energy transfer donor enhances the luminescence of at least one energy transfer acceptor lanthanide(III) complex, with the conditions that the emission spectrum of any energy transfer donor differs from that of its energy transfer acceptor lanthanide(III) complex; and such energy transfer donor can be dissolved to form a unitary solution in a solvent having an evaporation rate at least as great as that of water.
US08916690B2
The invention relates to growth-inhibited hydroxyapatite for improving bone healing. It differs from the apatites employed to date in that it releases calcium ions and phosphate ions in physiological solutions, which, unlike traditional hydroxyapatites, it does not bind. It thereby promotes bone regeneration and bone growth. The growth-inhibited hydroxyapatite contains in agglomerates of prestructured collagen templates on which hydroxyapatite crystals with a crystallite growth of below its critical nucleus radius are formed epitactically. It is prepared by the steps a) mineralization of prestructured collagen templates in supersaturated Ca- and phosphate-ion-containing solutions, where the prestructured collagen templates are capable of diffusion and/or migration, so that HAP crystallites grow epitactically on the collagen templates and the collagen templates grown together with HAP crystallites agglomerate due to their capability of diffusion and/or migration, b) separating off the agglomerates.
US08916680B2
Methods are described for measuring the amount of a kisspeptin-54-derived peptides in a sample. More specifically, mass spectrometric methods are described for detecting and quantifying a kisspeptin-54 derived peptides in a sample utilizing on-line extraction methods coupled with tandem mass spectrometric techniques.
US08916679B2
Provided are peptides that bind to the thymidylate synthase protein, in particular to human thymidylate synthase (hTS) protein, for the treatment of cancer. Further provided are peptides that can bind at a binding site located at the interface of thymidylate synthase protein. These peptides range from 3 to 10, preferably 4-8 amino acids and have a sequence that binds to each subunit of the thymidylate synthase dimer at the level of dimer interface, stabilizing the dimeric inactive form of the thymidylate synthase enzyme. In addition, provided are pharmaceutical compositions including these compounds as active agents, and uses thereof for the treatment of cancer and to reverse or/and be active in cancer drug resistance.
US08916673B2
The present invention provides a process for producing a liquid crystalline polyester resin, wherein an acetylation reaction and an oligomerization reaction of raw materials are carried out in an acetylation reaction vessel, and then a deacetylation polycondensation of a liquid after the oligomerization reaction is carried out in a polycondensation reaction vessel, wherein the acetylation reaction vessel used is a vessel having an inner wall surface composed of an alloy containing 50% by mass or more of Ni and 10% by mass or more of Mo; and the inner wall surface of the acetylation reaction vessel is divided into three or more band-like zones arrayed in the height direction of the vessel, and the oligomerization reaction is carried out while maintaining the temperatures of each band-like zone in a particular relationship.
US08916670B1
The present invention relates generally to electrolyte materials. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides for a solid polymer electrolyte material that has high ionic conductivity and is mechanically robust. An exemplary material can be characterized by a copolymer that includes at least one structural block, such as a vinyl polymer, and at least one ionically conductive block with a siloxane backbone. In various embodiments, the electrolyte can be a diblock copolymer or a triblock copolymer. Many uses are contemplated for the solid polymer electrolyte materials. For example, the novel electrolyte material can be used in Li-based batteries to enable higher energy density, better thermal and environmental stability, lower rates of self-discharge, enhanced safety, lower manufacturing costs, and novel form factors.
US08916646B2
An addition curable self-adhesive silicone rubber composition comprising (A) an organopolysiloxane containing alkenyl at either end, (B) an organosilicon compound containing phenylene and SiH group, (C) an organohydrogenpolysiloxane containing two SiH groups, (D) an organohydrogenpolysiloxane containing at least three SiH groups, and (E) an addition reaction catalyst is integrally moldable with thermoplastic resins.
US08916640B2
Blended polyolefin dispersions, including: (A) a liquid; (B) an olefin-based polymer dispersed in the liquid, the dispersed olefin-based polymer having an average particle size ranging from 0.1 to 5 microns; and (C) an alpha-beta unsaturated carboxylic acid-based polymer dispersed in the liquid, the dispersed alpha-beta unsaturated carboxylic acid-based polymer having an average particle size ranging from 0.02 microns to 1 micron. Coatings, froths, foams, toners, and other various uses for the blended dispersions are also disclosed.
US08916629B2
The invention relates to a composition comprising very low density polyethylene having a density of less than 0.905 g/cm3, ethylene acrylic acid copolymer and thermoplastic starch and/or the constituent components thereof.
US08916628B2
A novel starch-based composition includes: (a) at least 45% by weight of at least one soluble starch, (b) at most 55% by weight of at least one non-biodegradable, non-amylaceous polymer, and (c) a bonding agent carrying at least two functional groups capable of reacting with molecules carrying functions including an active hydrogen, these amounts being expressed with respect to solids and relative to the sum of (a) and (b). A method for preparing such a starch-based composition and a thermoplastic composition prepared by heating such a composition are also described.
US08916625B2
An ink jet resin ink composition which is caused to adhere onto a glitter region that contains a glitter pigment, includes: at least one kind of resin selected from a urethane-based resin, an ester-based resin, and a fluorene-based resin, wherein glass-transition temperatures (Tg) of the urethane-based resin and the ester-based resin are higher than or equal to −70° C. and less than or equal to 80° C., and a glass-transition temperature (Tg) of the fluorene-based resin is higher than or equal to 0° C.
US08916613B2
The invention relates to insecticide mixtures comprising thiodicarb and at least one other known active ingredient from the category of chloronicotinyls, as well as the use of these mixtures to control animal pests.
US08916604B2
Provided herein are pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating disorders characterized by reduced expression of anti-oxidative stress enzymes in a subject. In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for inducing expression of anti-oxidative stress enzymes in a subject in need thereof. The method includes administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a demethylating agent. The demethylating agent includes a phytochemical that induces expression of Nrf2 and Nrf2-mediated genes expressing anti-oxidative stress. Such phytochemicals include indoles, such as 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) and indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and isothiocyanates, such as phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and sulforaphane (SFN).
US08916595B2
The present invention provides a composition having an excellent controlling activity on plant disease. The composition comprising the compound represented by the formula (1) and one or more carbamate fungicidal compound selected from the group (A) shows an excellent controlling activity on a plant disease. group (A): a group consisting of benthiavalicarb, iprovalicarb, propamocarb, and metam.
US08916586B2
A styrylquinoline derivative of structure I or IV or a benzodioxol isoquinoline of structure II or III for use in the treatment of an angiogenesis-related disease or disorder. The invention also provides a composition comprising a styrylquinoline derivative of structure I or IV or a benzodioxol isoquinoline of structure II or III for use as a medicament.
US08916582B2
This invention relates to novel morphinan compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. This invention also provides compositions comprising a compound of this invention and the use of such compositions in methods of treating diseases and conditions that are beneficially treated by administering a σ1 receptor agonist that also has NMDA antagonist activity.
US08916580B2
This invention is directed to spiro-oxindole compounds, as stereoisomers, enantiomers, tautomers thereof or mixtures thereof; or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates or prodrugs thereof, for the treatment and/or prevention of sodium channel-mediated diseases or conditions, such as pain.
US08916560B2
Disclosed herein are new heterocyclic compounds and compositions and their application as pharmaceuticals for the treatment of disease. Methods of inhibiting PAS Kinase (PASK) activity in a human or animal subject are also provided for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes mellitus.
US08916556B2
Methods and compounds for treating neurodegenerative and other disorders. Included is the administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a compound having binding specificity for a p75NTR receptor molecule. Enhanced survival of neural and other cells has been observed.
US08916549B2
Provision of a compound having a serotonin 5-HT2C receptor activating action.A compound represented by the formula (I): wherein each symbol is as described in the description, or a salt thereof.
US08916537B2
Novel compounds and pharmaceutical compositions are provided. In one aspect of the invention the compounds may be utilized in medical practice, for example, in treatment of cancer and immune disorders.
US08916527B2
The invention encompasses an active metabolite of the 18-membered macrocyclic antimicrobial agents, specifically, a metabolite of tiacumicin B and in certain embodiments, R-Tiacumicin B or and its related compounds. In particular, the invention encompasses a compound that acts as a potent antibiotic agent for the treatment of bacterial infections, specifically GI infections caused by toxin producing strains of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens).
US08916522B2
A method of treating an individual (i) having abnormal bone; or (ii) afflicted with a disease or disorder related to normal or abnormal FGF receptors or a skeletal disorder; or (iii) having dysplasic bone. The method includes administering to the individual a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF-9) variant comprising at least one amino acid substitution in the beta 8-beta 9 loop, wherein the FGF-9 variant incorporates one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17.
US08916518B2
The invention relates to a method for coupling proteins to a starch-derived modified polysaccharide. The binding interaction between the modified polysaccharide and the protein is based on a covalent bond which is the result of a coupling reaction between the terminal aldehyde group or a functional group of the modified polysaccharide molecule resulting from the chemical reaction of this aldehyde group and a functional group of the protein which reacts with the aldehyde group or with the resulting functional group of the polysaccharide molecule. The bond directly resulting from the coupling reaction can be optionally modified by a further reaction to the aforementioned covalent bond. The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions that comprise conjugates formed in this coupling process and to the use of conjugates and compositions for the prophylaxis or therapy of the human or animal body.
US08916517B2
This invention relates to novel analogs of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), which are agonists for the PACAP/vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors: PAC1, VPAC1 and VPAC2 receptors. These PACAP analogs can be used as prophylactic/therapeutic agents for a wide range of medical disorders, including (but not limited to) cancer and autoimmune disease. These PACAP analogs can be coupled to suitable radionuclides and used in the localization, diagnosis and treatment of disseminated cancers and metastatic tumors, or coupled to small molecule therapeutics and used as vectors for targeted drug delivery. This invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions of one or more PACAP-like compounds of the invention either alone or in combination with one or more other prophylactic/therapeutic agents.
US08916512B2
A surfactant component and a composition comprising the same are provided. The surfactant component comprises a first surfactant, a second surfactant, and water. The first surfactant comprises an alcohol alkoxylate having a high degree of alkoxylation of greater than 30 to 150. The first surfactant is present in an amount of from 1% to 50% by weight based on the total weight of the surfactant component. The second surfactant is present in an amount of at least 5% by weight based on the total weight of the surfactant component. Water is present in an amount of from 20% to 90% by weight based on the total weight of the surfactant component. The second surfactant enables higher concentrations of the first surfactant in water to be achieved without gelling than what has been accomplished to date.
US08916507B2
A wellbore treatment fluid is formed from an aqueous medium, a gas component, a viscosifying agent, and a surfactant. The surfactant is represented by the chemical formula: [R—(OCH2CH2)m—Oq—YOn]pX wherein R is a linear alkyl, branched alkyl, alkyl cycloaliphatic, or alkyl aryl group; O is an oxygen atom; Y is either a sulfur or phosphorus atom; m is 1 or more; n is a integer ranging from 1 to 3; p is a integer ranging from 1 to 4; q is a integer ranging from 0 to 1; and X is a cation. The fluid may be used in treating a subterranean formation penetrating by a wellbore by introducing the fluid into the wellbore. The fluid may be used in fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore by introducing the fluid into the formation at a pressure equal to or greater than the fracture initiation pressure.
US08916503B2
Methods of isolating cells or generating cell lines comprising the step of exposing the cells to signaling probes that produce a signal upon hybridization to a target sequence, as well as methods of quantifying the level of expression of an RNA of interest, methods for identifying genetic recombinational events in living cells and methods of generating a transgenic animal using the isolated cells. Methods for isolating a plurality of cells encoding a plurality of different RNAs associated with a same nucleic acid tag sequence, comprising the step of exposing the cells to a same signaling probe that produces a detectable signal upon hybridization to the same nucleic acid tag sequence, are also provided. Signaling probes and protease probes that form stem-loop structures, three-arm junction structures, and dumbbell structures may be used in the above methods.
US08916502B2
An agent for improving lawn grass quality, which is excellent in promoting dwarfing of lawn grass, making the stem sturdy, increasing the leaf count, and improving greenness, is provided.An agent for improving lawn grass quality containing, as active ingredients, 5-aminolevulinic acid represented by formula (1): R2R1NCH2COCH2CH2COR3 (1) wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an acyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryl group or an aralkyl group; and R3 represents a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, an alkoxycarbonyloxy group, an aryloxy group, an aralkyloxy group or an amino group, or a derivative thereof or a salt of the acid or the derivative, and a gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor.
US08916496B2
The invention describes an improved thermally-responsive record material substantially free of aromatic isocyanate yielding an image of high intensity and useful for bar codes. The record material comprises a support having provided thereon a heat-sensitive composition comprising a substantially colorless color former comprising a fluoran; and a developer material selected from the group consisting of 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone and 3,3′-diaminodiphenylsulfone, and an organic acid which upon being heated reacts with said color former to develop color, and including a binder material. Optionally, a modifier compound is included in the heat-sensitive composition. The compound can be selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid amide, such as stearmide. Optionally, magnesium state is included.
US08916490B2
Process for the regeneration of an at least partially coked molecular sieve catalyst comprising introducing the at least partially coked catalyst into a regenerator; introducing into the regenerator an oxygen-containing gas to regenerate at least part of the at least partially coked catalyst, thereby producing a gaseous mixture and at least partially regenerated catalyst; separating at least partially regenerated catalyst and at least part of the gaseous mixture; and analyzing the composition of the gaseous mixture to control the burning rate of the coke present on the at least partially coked catalyst in the regenerator by adjusting the mass flow rate of the oxygen-containing gas on the basis of the analysis of the gaseous mixture.
US08916489B2
A dielectric ceramic composition for multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) includes a first component of 91 to 98 wt % and a second component of 2 to 9 wt %, wherein the first component includes a main component BaTiO3 of 94 to 98 wt %, a first subcomponent of 0.5 to 2 wt % including a glass powder having a network structure, and a second subcomponent of 1 to 4 wt % including at least one of MgO, Cr2O3 and Mn3O4, and the second component includes (Ba1-y-xCaySrx)(ZryTi1-y)O3, and x satisfies 0.2≦x≦0.8 and y satisfies 0.03≦y≦0.15.
US08916488B2
A sliding member having a sliding surface comprising a silicon carbide sintered body having a primary phase comprising mainly silicon carbide, and a subphase having a different composition from the primary phase and containing at least boron, silicon and carbon. The ratio of pores having a roundness of 6 μm or less and a pore diameter of 10 to 60 μm with respect to all pores having a pore diameter of 10 μm or more in the sliding surface is 60% or more. This enables retention of good seal properties even in a long-term continuous use. The subphase in the silicon carbide sintered body is preferably granular crystal phases dotted among a plurality of the primary phases. This provides excellent lubricating liquid holding performance as well as excellent thermal conductivity and excellent thermal shock resistance properties.
US08916481B2
A process for manufacturing a 3D or PoP semiconductor package includes forming a redistribution layer on a reconstituted wafer, then laser drilling a plurality of apertures in the reconstituted wafer, extending from an outer surface of the reconstituted wafer to intersect electrical traces in the first redistribution layer. A solder ball is then positioned adjacent to an opening of each of the apertures. The solder balls are melted and allowed to fill the apertures, making contact with the respective electrical traces and forming a plurality of solder columns. The outer surface of the reconstituted wafer is then planarized, and a second redistribution layer is formed on the planarized surface. The solder columns serve as through-vias, electrically coupling the first and second redistribution layers on opposite sides of the reconstituted wafer.
US08916479B1
Provided are methods for processing semiconductor substrates having titanium nitride (TiN) structures as well as aluminum (Al) structures and, in some embodiments, other structures, such as silicon germanium (SiGe), tantalum nitride (TaN), hafnium oxide (HfOx), silicon nitride (SiN), and/or silicon oxide (SiO2) structures. Etching solutions and processing conditions described herein provide high etching selectivity of titanium nitride relative to these other materials. As such, the titanium nitride structures can be removed (partially or completely) without significant damage to these other structures. In some embodiments, the etching rate of titanium nitride is at least about 200 Angstroms per minute and even at least about 350 Angstroms per minute, while the etching rate of aluminum and/or other materials is less than 15 Angstroms per minute. An etching solution may be kept at 40° C. to 65° C. and may include ammonium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide (between 1:600 and 1:3,000 by weight).
US08916470B1
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing sidewall spacers on a memory device. The method comprises forming sidewall spacers on a memory device having a memory array region and at least one peripheral circuit region by forming a first sidewall spacer adjacent to a word line in the memory array region and a second sidewall spacer adjacent to a transistor in the peripheral circuit region. The first sidewall spacer has a first thickness and the second sidewall spacer has a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.
US08916464B2
Structures with improved solder bump connections and methods of fabricating such structures are provided herein. The structure includes a via formed in a dielectric layer to expose a contact pad and a capture pad formed in the via and over the dielectric layer. The capture pad has openings over the dielectric layer to form segmented features. The solder bump is deposited on the capture pad and the openings over the dielectric layer.
US08916459B2
A compound semiconductor device having mesa-shaped element region, and excellent characteristics are provided. The compound semiconductor device has: an InP substrate; an epitaxial lamination mesa formed above the InP substrate and including a channel layer, a carrier supply layer above the channel layer and a contact cap layer above the carrier supply layer; ohmic source electrode and drain electrode formed on the cap layer; a recess formed by removing the cap layer between the source and drain electrodes, and exposing the carrier supply layer; an insulating film formed on the cap layer and retracted from an edge of the cap layer away from the recess; a gate electrode extending from the carrier supply layer in the recess to outside of the mesa; and air gap formed by removing side portion of the channel layer facing the gate electrode outside the mesa.
US08916450B2
Methods for removing a material layer from a base substrate utilizing spalling in which mode III stress, i.e., the stress that is perpendicular to the fracture front created in the base substrate, during spalling is reduced. The substantial reduction of the mode III stress during spalling results in a spalling process in which the spalled material has less surface roughness at one of its' edges as compared to prior art spalling processes in which the mode III stress is present and competes with spalling.
US08916447B2
A method uses a line pattern to form a semiconductor device including asymmetrical contact arrays. The method includes forming a plurality of parallel first conductive line layers extending in a first direction on a semiconductor substrate. In this method, the semiconductor substrate may have active regions forming an oblique angle with the first direction. The method may further include forming a first mask layer and a second mask layer and using the first mask layer and the second mask layer to form a trench comprising a line area and a contact area by etching the first conductive line layers using the first mask layer and the second mask layer. The method further includes forming a gap filling layer filling the line area of the trench and forming a spacer of sidewalls of the contact area and forming a second conductive line layer electrically connected to the active region.
US08916446B2
Methods for fabricating bipolar junction transistors, bipolar junction transistors, and design structures for a bipolar junction transistor. The bipolar junction transistor may include a plurality of emitters that are arranged in distinct emitter fingers. A silicide layer is formed that covers an extrinsic base layer of the bipolar junction transistor and that fills the gaps between adjacent emitters. Non-conductive spacers on the emitter sidewalls electrically insulate the emitters from the silicide layer. The emitters extend through the extrinsic base layer and the silicide layer to contact the intrinsic base layer. The emitters may be formed using sacrificial emitter pedestals in a replacement-type process.
US08916444B2
The present disclosure discloses a method of forming a semiconductor layer on a substrate. The method includes patterning the semiconductor layer into a fin structure. The method includes forming a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer over the fin structure. The method includes patterning the gate dielectric layer and the gate electrode layer to form a gate structure in a manner so that the gate structure wraps around a portion of the fin structure. The method includes performing a plurality of implantation processes to form source/drain regions in the fin structure. The plurality of implantation processes are carried out in a manner so that a doping profile across the fin structure is non-uniform, and a first region of the portion of the fin structure that is wrapped around by the gate structure has a lower doping concentration level than other regions of the fin structure.
US08916435B2
A memory device, and a method of forming a memory device, is provided that includes a capacitor with a lower electrode of a metal semiconductor alloy. In one embodiment, the memory device includes a trench present in a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor on insulating (SOI) layer on top of a buried dielectric layer, wherein the buried dielectric layer is on top of a base semiconductor layer. A capacitor is present in the trench, wherein the capacitor includes a lower electrode of a metal semiconductor alloy having an upper edge that is self-aligned to the upper surface of the base semiconductor layer, a high-k dielectric node layer, and an upper electrode of a metal. The memory device further includes a pass transistor in electrical communication with the capacitor.
US08916427B2
A semiconductor device may be formed by forming a silicon-containing gate dielectric layer over a semiconductor layer. A gate metal layer is formed over the gate dielectric layer; the gate metal layer includes 2 atomic percent to 10 atomic percent silicon during formation. The gate metal layer is patterned to form a metal gate. Source and drain contact holes are subsequently formed, and contact metal is formed and patterned in the contact holes. A subsequent contact anneal heats the contact metal and gate for at least 30 seconds at a temperature of at least 750° C.
US08916425B2
A seed crystal including mixed phase grains having high crystallinity with a low grain density is formed under a first condition, and a microcrystalline semiconductor film is formed over the seed crystal under a second condition which allows the mixed phase grains in the seed crystal to grow to fill a space between the mixed phase grains. In the first condition, the flow rate of hydrogen is 50 times or greater and 1000 times or less that of a deposition gas containing silicon or germanium, and the pressure in a process chamber is greater than 1333 Pa and 13332 Pa or less. In the second condition, the flow rate of hydrogen is 100 times or greater and 2000 times or less that of a deposition gas containing silicon or germanium, and the pressure in the process chamber is 1333 Pa or greater and 13332 Pa or less.
US08916424B2
To improve productivity of a transistor that includes an oxide semiconductor and has good electrical characteristics. In a top-gate transistor including a gate insulating film and a gate electrode over an oxide semiconductor film, a metal film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film, oxygen is added to the metal film to form a metal oxide film, and the metal oxide film is used as a gate insulating film. After an oxide insulating film is formed over the oxide semiconductor film, a metal film may be formed over the oxide insulating film. Oxygen is added to the metal film to form a metal oxide film and added also to the oxide semiconductor film or the oxide insulating film.
US08916420B2
An embodiment provides a chip package including a substrate, a cavity extending downward from an upper surface of the substrate, a metal layer overlying the substrate and conformally covering a sidewall and a bottom portion of the cavity, a chip having an upper surface and located on the metal layer in the cavity, wherein the upper surface is not lower than an upper surface of the metal layer outside of the cavity, and the protective layer covering the chip.
US08916418B2
A disclosed surface-emitting laser module includes a surface-emitting laser formed on a substrate to emit light perpendicular to its surface, a package including a recess portion in which the substrate having the surface-emitting laser is arranged, and a transparent substrate arranged to cover the recess portion of the package and the substrate having the surface-emitting laser such that the transparent substrate and the package are connected on a light emitting side of the surface-emitting laser. In the surface-emitting laser module, a high reflectance region and a low reflectance region are formed within a region enclosed by an electrode on an upper part of a mesa of the surface-emitting laser, and the transparent substrate is slanted to the surface of the substrate having the surface-emitting laser in a polarization direction of the light emitted from the surface-emitting laser determined by the high reflectance region and the low reflectance region.
US08916416B2
A semiconductor device has a semiconductor die with a plurality of bumps formed on contact pads disposed over its active surface. An encapsulant is formed over the semiconductor die. An interconnect structure is formed over the semiconductor die and encapsulant. The semiconductor die is mounted to a translucent tape with the bumps embedded in the translucent tape. The translucent tape has layers of polyolefin, acrylic, and polyethylene terephthalate. A back surface of the semiconductor die undergoes backgrinding to reduce die thickness. The tape undergoes UV curing. A laminate layer is formed over the back surface of the semiconductor die. The laminate layer undergoes oven curing. The laminate layer is laser-marked while the tape remains applied to the bumps. The tape is removed after laser-marking the laminate layer. Alternately, the tape can be removed prior to laser-marking. The tape reduces die warpage during laser-marking.
US08916410B2
Processes for making light to current converter devices are provided. The processes can be used to make light to current converter devices having P-N junctions located on only the top surface of the cell, located on the top surface and symmetrically or asymmetrically along a portion of the inner surface of the via holes, located on the top surface and full inner surface of the via holes, or located on the top surface, full inner surface of the via holes, and a portion of the bottom surface of the cell. The processes may isolate the desired P-N junction by etching the emitter, forming a via hole after forming the emitter, using a barrier layer to protect portions of the emitter from etching, or using a barrier layer to prevent the emitter from being formed on portions of the substrate.
US08916409B2
An electronic device includes a substrate and a plurality of particles anchored to the substrate. An electrode material is formed over the particles and configured to form peaks over the particles. One or more operational layers are fog led over the electrode material for performing a device function.
US08916406B2
Disclosed is an organic electroluminescence device which can be stably produced by a wet process and exhibits enhanced external quantum efficiency and reduced coating unevenness and a production method thereof. Specifically, disclosed is a method of producing the organic electroluminescence device comprising at least a layer, which is formed by a wet process comprising of coating a solution of an organic material dissolved in a solvent to form a liquid layer, followed by removal of the solvent by blowing air to form the layer, wherein the relative drying rate of the solvent to butyl acetate is from 1 to 1000, (based on the drying rate of butyl acetate being 100), the thickness of the formed liquid layer is from 1 to 100 μm, a air-blowing rate is from 0.1 to 5 m/s and the time between completion of coating and start of blowing is from 0 to 60 sec.
US08916405B2
Carbon-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) and techniques for the fabrication thereof are provided. In one aspect, a LED is provided. The LED includes a substrate; an insulator layer on the substrate; a first bottom gate and a second bottom gate embedded in the insulator layer; a gate dielectric on the first bottom gate and the second bottom gate; a carbon material on the gate dielectric over the first bottom gate and the second bottom gate, wherein the carbon material serves as a channel region of the LED; and metal source and drain contacts to the carbon material.
US08916389B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an element for SPR measurement without the need of a mechanical solution-sending mechanism. The scope of the present invention is defined by a sensor element for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurement utilizing an SPR effect, wherein the sensor element comprises a transparent substrate, a gold thin film formed on at least a part of the transparent substrate, and a thin film with affinity for a sample provided on the transparent substrate having the gold thin film formed on at least a part thereof, and the thin film with affinity for a sample has a measurement region (region A), a sample introduction section (region B) and a sample absorption section (region C) provided with the region A therebetween, the region A is provided with a sample measurement section containing a molecule-recognizing film, an introduction port is formed on the film with affinity for a sample in the region B, an absorption pad is provided on the film with affinity for a sample in the region C so that the whole region C should be covered, and a point in the region B, a point in the region A, and a point in the region C exist in one straight line on the thin film with affinity for a sample.
US08916387B2
Methods are provided for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, based on the glycosylation pattern of amyloid-beta peptides in body fluids and tissues.
US08916384B2
A pipelining assembly for use in a blood analyzing instrument, methods for performing parallel pipelining functions, and methods for processing a plurality of prepared blood samples through a blood analyzing instrument. The pipelining assembly presented generally includes a first sample preparation chamber, a first queuing chamber in fluid communication with the first sample preparation chamber, and a first control valve between the first sample preparation chamber and the first queuing chamber. The pipelining assembly further includes a second sample preparation chamber, a second queuing chamber in fluid communication with the second sample preparation chamber, and a second control valve between the second sample preparation chamber and the second queuing chamber. An analysis chamber is provided to receive first and second prepared blood samples from the in first and second queuing chambers. The presented methods include steps for repeated processing of prepared blood samples through the blood analyzing instrument.
US08916380B2
Disclosed is a method for preparing an embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like cell, which includes the steps of: (a) obtaining a first cell population from a mammalian tissue or body fluid, wherein the first cell population comprises adult stem cells; (b) obtaining a second somatic cell population from a mammalian tissue, wherein the mammalian tissue is different from the mammalian tissue in step (a) and the second cell population is different from the first cell population; (c) coculturing the first cell population and the second cell population in a medium for a period of time sufficient to form a colony from either the first cell population or the second cell population; and (d) subculturing a cell from the colony in a medium for a period time sufficient to prepare the ESC-like cell.
US08916378B2
A novel nucleic acid construct for down-regulating angiogenesis in a tissue of a subject is provided. The nucleic acid construct includes: (a) a first polynucleotide region encoding a chimeric polypeptide including a ligand binding domain fused to an effector domain of an apoptosis signaling molecule; and (b) a second polynucleotide region encoding a cis acting regulatory element being for directing expression of the chimeric polypeptide in a specific tissue or cell; wherein the ligand binding domain is selected such that it is capable of binding a ligand present in the specific tissue or cell, whereas binding of the ligand to the ligand binding domain activates the effector domain of the apoptosis signaling molecule. Also provided are methods of utilizing this nucleic acid construct for treating diseases characterized by excessive or aberrant neo-vascularization or cell growth.
US08916376B2
The present invention is generally directed to novel functionalized biomolecules and methods for generating such biomolecules. Biomolecules may generally include nucleic acids, peptides, multicomponent molecular complexes and/or any other molecular products that may be produced by living organisms. The present invention is further directed to cells and/or organisms manipulated to produce such functionalized biomolecules. The cells contemplated by the present invention include both prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic cells. The functionalized biomolecules are produced via materials introduced into the cell using standard molecular biology techniques or are incorporated within the genomic nucleic acid of a cell by standard recombination techniques. Further contemplated is the use of such cells for sequestration of target molecules within the cells.
