US08950003B2
An attribute detector detects the attributes of a user of a program. A determining unit determines, based on the detected attribute of a user, whether the user is a superior user for whom usage restriction is not necessary or a subordinate user for whom the usage restriction is necessary, for a program of a first type. The program of the first type is a program appealing to the taste of the user and that is frequently run by the user for many hours. When the user is verified to be the subordinate user and also when the user has executed a program of a second type for a predetermined number of recommended executions, a permission/rejection determining unit permits the execution of the program of the first type.
US08949997B2
Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for generating verification data that may be used for validation of a wireless transmit-receive unit (WTRU). The verification data may be generated using a tree structure having protected registers, represented as root nodes, and component measurements, represented as leaf nodes. The verification data may be used to validate the WTRU. The validation may be performed using split-validation, which is a form of validation described that distributes validation tasks between two or more network entities. Subtree certification is also described, wherein a subtree of the tree structure may be certified by a third party.
US08949995B2
Methods for server security verification include acquiring a public key associated with a received report that includes an indication regarding the presence of a vulnerability for each vulnerability, the report having been generated at a server; decrypting the received report using the public key; determining a level of server-side security based on the decrypted report using a processor; and reconfiguring a browser at the client responsive to the determined level of server-side security.
US08949993B2
At least one available wireless access point is identified at a particular location and a connection is established with the available wireless access point. Communication is attempted with a trusted endpoint over the wireless access point and the attempted communication with the trusted endpoint over the wireless access point is monitored to assess risk associated with the wireless access point. Results of the assessment, in some instances, can be reported to an access point risk manager and risk associated with future attempts to use the wireless access point can be assessed based at least in part on the reported assessment results.
US08949987B2
A computer security process monitor detects security intrusions of a networked computing platform by monitoring execution statistics associated with one or more computer processes executed by the platform in relation to expected (or “valid”) execution parameters. The execution statistics in one example include system process statistics (e.g., process name, peak memory usage, maximum number of threads, peak CPU utilization) and network interface statistics (e.g., IP ports, protocols) associated with the one or more computer processes; and the valid execution parameters define acceptable values or states corresponding to the execution statistics.
US08949985B2
A method, computer program product, and computer system for sending, by a first computing device, a payload from a plurality of payloads to a second computing device. A response from the second computing device responding to the payload is received at the first computing device. It is determined whether the payload has successfully attacked an application executing at the second computing device based upon, at least in part, the response. If not, at least a portion of the plurality of payloads that shares a structural overlap with the first payload is identified. At least a second payload of the portion is prevented from being sent to the second computing device in response to identifying that the second payload shares the structural overlap with the first payload.
US08949984B2
Provided are an information protection apparatus and system. The information protection apparatus based on Windows, Unix, or Linux includes a first check unit, a second check unit, and a security measure unit. The first check unit checks whether there is a file including monitoring information among a plurality of check target files in a local storage area, according to a predetermined check policy. The second check unit checks whether there is a file including the monitoring information among the check target files in a sharing storage area of a file system that is shared in a network drive type in an NFS scheme. The security measure unit performs a security measure conforming to a predetermined security policy for the file including the monitoring information.
US08949983B2
A method of communicating data in a network comprises receiving a copy of a message on a first channel via at least one of a first port and a second port, the first port coupled to a first neighbor node and the second port coupled to a first neighbor's neighbor node; and selecting either the copy of the message received via the first port or the copy of the message received via the second port if a copy of the message is received via both the first port and the second port. If a copy of the message is only received via one of the first port or the second port, the received copy of the message is selected. The selected copy of the message is forwarded on the first channel to a second neighbor node via a third port and to a second neighbor's neighbor node via a fourth port; and the integrity of the selected copy of the message is determined based on supplemental integrity data received from another node, wherein the supplemental integrity data is exclusive of a copy of the message communicated on a second channel.
US08949978B1
A computing device in a network is protected from malware originating from Web sites, referred to as Web threats, by having only one domain reputation database check performed before a URL is sent to a target Web site. The computing device performs a URL check using an external reputation database and generates a pass token if the URL is considered safe. The pass token is inserted into the header of the HTTP request containing the URL. When the gateway device in the network (the device that receives HTTP requests in the network and transmits them over the Internet) receives the HTTP request, it validates the pass token and allows the request to proceed to the target Web site without having to perform its own URL check using the same reputation database. Instead, it can rely on the pass token and assume that the URL will not pose a potential Web threat.
US08949976B2
Scanning for computer viruses or E-mail and data content filtering is performed using a distributed programming approach. A master computer 4 serves to divide the scanning operation into a plurality of tasks that are allocated to further computers 8, 10, 12, 14, 20. These further computers then separately perform the tasks and return the results to the master computer 4. The master computer 4 can check the update status of the further computers prior to them starting operation in order to check that they have the latest data defining the scanning to be performed.
US08949960B2
Example implementations described herein are directed to authentication based on the user's private factors, while not revealing at the server side information allowing the server (or anyone with the server's information) to deduce the private answers. In example implementations, the user answers a questionnaire with authentication factors, wherein the answers are transformed in a one-way fashion and the transformed answers are provided to the server side. Example implementations facilitate authentication based on polynomial interpolation or other methods to permit a user to authenticate, even if the user does not answer all of the questions correctly.
US08949957B2
A method for creating a unique and secure mobile internet protocol version 4 connection for a packet data network is provided. The method includes generating an extended master session key to create a mobile internet protocol root key. The method also includes creating a mobile internet protocol security parameter index based on the mobile internet protocol root key and an access point name. The method further includes deriving a mobile node home agent key based on the access point name. Furthermore the method includes associating the derived mobile node home agent key to the created security parameter index. Moreover the method includes providing the unique and secure mobile internet protocol version 4 connection to transfer data for the packet data network connectivity.
US08949955B2
A method and apparatus for time-based one-time password generation using a wireless communications device for two-factor authentication are described. The computer-implemented method comprising detecting launch of a security code generation application on a wireless communications device, generating a first unique security code upon launching the application, displaying the first security code on the wireless communications device, determining based on time whether to generate a new unique security code, and displaying the new unique security code.
US08949952B2
A system includes a multi-stack subscriber, a gateway, and a web portal. The web portal determines whether the subscriber is authenticated to access the Internet using a first Internet Protocol by receiving logon information from the subscriber. The subscriber requests to access the Internet using a second Internet Protocol. The gateway and/or the web portal determine whether the subscriber is authenticated to access the Internet using the second Internet Protocol without sending a second logon to the subscriber.
US08949941B2
A system, method, and apparatus for the authentication of the physical location of a target node are disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, the authentication of the target node's physical location is achieved by using ping ranging measurements obtained from the amount of time that elapses during ping messages being sent between the target node and at least one trusted node with a known physical location. The physical location of the trusted node(s) is obtained by using satellite geolocation techniques. The accuracy of the ranging measurements may be improved upon by using pre-coordination and/or priority determination of the ping messages being sent between the target node and the trusted node(s). In at least one embodiment, the ping messages are sent by dedicated ping response hardware that is associated with the target node and/or the trusted node(s). In some embodiments, the ping messages include a pseudo random code bit sequence.
US08949934B2
There is provided a communication device including a determination unit for determining whether authentication information presented to a user of another communication device is consistent with comparison information transmitted from the other communication device capable of obtaining and transmitting the authentication information, and an authentication unit, when it is determined that the authentication information is consistent with the comparison information, for authenticating the other communication device as an opposite communication party.
US08949933B2
A method, system and computer-readable medium for managing technical records across an enterprise are presented. The method includes controlling access to a technical records repository through a centralized technical records security service, wherein the technical records security service controls access to multiple independent technical records repositories for an enterprise, wherein technical records must follow a strict naming convention set by the enterprise, and wherein the technical records must contain a specific security classification level set by the enterprise.
US08949932B2
Techniques for credential auditing are provided. Histories for credentials are evaluated against a principal credential policy for a user and an enterprise credential policy for an enterprise as a whole. An audit trail is produced within a report for the histories. The report indicates whether compliance with the principal and enterprise credential policies occulted and if not at least one reason is provided as to why compliance was not met within the histories.
US08949929B2
Methods and devices provide a secure virtual environment within a mobile device for processing documents and conducting secure activities. The methods and devices create a secure application environment in which secure data and documents may be segregated from unsecured data using document encryption, allowing the application of security policies to only the secure application environment. The creation of a secure application environment allows users to access and manipulate secure data on any mobile device, not just specifically designated secure devices, without having to secure all data on the mobile device, while providing the corporate entity with necessary document security. The methods and devices provide for securing data on a mobile device at the data level using encryption.
US08949927B2
There is described a method and apparatus for managing security for a connection between a user device and a communications network comprising at least one base station and a core network. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving at the core network security capability information for the user device connecting to the communications network. Security capability information for the base station is then obtained from memory or from the base station itself. The security capability information for the user device and the security capability information for the base station is then processed in the core network to select a security policy for a connection between the user device and the base station and the selected security policy is transmitted to the base station.
US08949918B2
An HFC cable communication system comprising: a CMTS having a first attenuator to attenuate one or more upstream signals applied to the CMTS; an optical link having a dynamic range and comprising an optical receiver having a second attenuator to attenuate the upstream signal(s) and an optical transmitter having a third attenuator to attenuate the upstream signal(s); a coaxial RF link comprising one or more RF amplifiers having a fourth attenuator to attenuate the upstream signal(s); and one or more subscriber modems to generate the upstream signal(s) at respective transmit RF signal levels. The CMTS implements a long loop ALC to set the transmit RF signal level(s) based on received RF signal levels of the upstream signal(s) at the CMTS. Respective values for the first, second, third and fourth attenuators are selected based on the dynamic range of the optical link so as to facilitate implementation of the long loop ALC and effective transmission of upstream information carried by the upstream signal(s).
US08949911B2
A broadcast receiving device and a reporting method thereof are disclosed. If a request to purchase a pay service is received, a signal received from a remote control device within a preset reference time period is sensed before purchasing the pay service in order to determine whether the purchase is normal or abnormal, and a purchase questioning message according to the determined results is transmitted to a pre-registered contact number or an address of a user and a time display unit mounted on the broadcast receiving device. Therefore, if a pay service purchase request command is received, it is determined whether the purchase is normal or abnormal by sensing a signal received from the remote control device within the first reference time period set before conducting the purchase, and a purchase questioning message according to the determined results is transmitted to a user's pre-registered contact number or address and the display unit, which is mounted on the broadcast receiving device and displays the current time. Accordingly, loss resulting from abnormal purchases can be prevented and successive abnormal purchase can be eliminated.
US08949909B2
Method, device, and storage medium to identify that a resource conflict exists pertaining to tuners of a device that tune to programs; notify a user that the resource conflict exists; receive a request to release a tuner; release the tuner in response to the request; determine whether a program offer is to be made; and provide the program offer in response to determining that the program offer is to be made.
US08949900B2
An approach is provided for selecting personalized content presented via a set-top box. Viewing data related to content experienced by a user is retrieved. Broadcast content is selected based on the viewing data from a plurality of programs that are designated to broadcast to a plurality of set-top boxes. A personalized programming channel is presented for the user using the selected broadcast content over a particular one of the set-top boxes associated with the user.
US08949894B2
An apparatus and method for providing multiple screens is provided. The apparatus for providing multiple screens includes a service processing module providing a plurality of services, an interface module through which an audio content is independently selected from the plurality of services, and an output module outputting the selected audio content.
US08949889B1
Technology is described for personalizing a product placement in content. The method may include identifying a dynamic location in the content available for the product placement. A user profile may also be identified. The product placement may be selected based on the dynamic location identified in the content and the user profile. The product placement for the dynamic location identified in the content may then be provided.
US08949885B2
Described herein are techniques for transmitting alert information in association with television programming in a transport stream. The alert information may be transmitted to a plurality of television receivers for which the message may be applicable to at least a portion of the television receivers. Each television receiver receives the alert information and determines whether to output the alert information for presentation to a user.
US08949880B2
Various embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer-readable medium providing licensing rights for media content that follows a subscriber so that the subscriber may experience the media content on various content distribution platforms. In particular embodiments, the systems, methods, and computer-readable medium transfer licensing rights for a user for particular media content that is associated with a first device on a first distribution platform so that the rights are associated with a second device on a second distribution platform. As a result, in various embodiments, the user is able to experience the particular media content with the use of the second device on the second distribution platform.
US08949879B2
Personalized access controls associated with digital media are provided. The system records access controls associated with specific digital media assets in a digital library and creates policy decisions regarding use of the asset based on these settings. Data management for the access controls is also specified, including on an individual and group basis.
US08949877B2
A method of determining demand for multimedia content in a multimedia provider network includes receiving a content demand statistics (CDS) request from a client application where the request identifies a subscriber set. Responsive to the CDS request, selected CDS data is retrieved from a CDS subsystem. The CDS data is indicative of demand for multimedia content among subscribers in the subscriber set. The retrieved CDS data is delivered to the client application. The selected data may be selected from past data, present data, and future data. The CDS request indicates a set of buddy subscribers and the messaging server retrieves CDS data associated with the buddy subscribers. A security subsystem may be accessed and to determine, prior to retrieving CDS data for a particular buddy subscriber, whether the particular buddy subscriber has authorized the requesting subscriber.
US08949876B2
Methods, systems, and user-interfaces for creating a collaborative review of an offering may facilitate multiple people (users) collaborating on a review by submitting short statements concerning particular characteristics, traits, or qualities concerning the offering. Users can also vote on the validity or strength of each submitted statement. Votes on statements are tabulated, scores are computed, and the information is fed back to the user. These actions take place over a network with users of computing devices interacting with the system running on one or more servers. In one embodiment, the end results of this process is a single collaborative review for each offering that reflects the experiences, knowledge, and understanding of multiple people concerning that offering. The collaborative review may be made accessible via a network as a useful resource for people in making decisions about that offering.
US08949873B1
A method for storing user activity data is disclosed. The method includes receiving user activity data from the multiple computer programs, and identifying a subset of the user activity data in accordance with storage criteria associated with the multiple computer programs. The method also includes storing in a user activity database the subset of the user activity data identified in accordance with the storage criteria associated with the multiple computer programs, and displaying the subset of the user activity data stored in the user activity database.
US08949871B2
In various exemplary embodiments, a system and method to provide smart media selection to a set of one or more individuals at a location associated with a display device of a receiver system is provided. In example embodiments, an indication of a presence change at the location is received. User specific information associated with the set of the one or more individuals identified as being at the location is accessed. A recommendation playlist based on the user specific information is generated.
US08949868B2
A method of dynamic linkage including: receiving a request to launch a program; checking a system memory for the program; reserving a unique memory block of the system memory for the program and loading the program into the unique memory block if the program is not found in the memory of the system; performing internal memory relocations for the program if the program is not found in the memory of the system; ensuring that a library required by the program has been loaded into the system memory if the program is not found in the memory of the system; and invoking the program.
US08949865B1
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a system that includes a computer processor, a tracking engine executing on the computer processor, and a translation engine executing on the computer processor. The tracking engine is configured to retrieve a translation engine from a translation engine provider system, detect a user-generated action has occurred, and generate a pre-translated event for the user generated action using the translation engine application programming interfaces (APIs). The translation engine is configured to translate the pre-translation event to obtain a first translated event, prepare the first translated event for transmission to a first tracking system, and send the first translated event to the first tracking system.
US08949863B1
A storage device failure in a computer storage system can be analyzed by the storage system by examining relevant information about the storage device and its environment. Information about the storage device is collected in real-time and stored; this is an on-going process such that some information is continuously available. The information can include information relating to the storage device, such as input/output related information, and information relating to a storage shelf where the storage device is located, such as a status of adjacent storage devices on the shelf. All of the relevant information is analyzed to determine a reason for the storage device failure. Optionally, additional information may be collected and analyzed by the storage system to help determine the reason for the storage device failure. The analysis and supporting information can be stored in a log and/or presented to a storage system administrator to view.
US08949854B2
A system and associated method for subscribing Really Simple Syndication (RSS) enabled content using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) are disclosed. An application server coupled to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server in the Internet intermediates a SIP message and a request for a RSS feed. An end device requests subscription of the RSS feed in a SIP message. The HTTP server enables the application server to subscribe the RSS feed and to track changes in the RSS feed over the Internet by use of a Serving Call/Session Control Function (S-CSCF) servicing the SIP message. The HTTP server enables the end device subscribing the RSS feed to fetch the web content from the media cache in later part of the subscription by providing updates to the application server.
US08949850B2
Server load-balancing operation-related data, such as data associated with a system configured for global server load balancing (GSLB) that orders IP addresses into a list based on a set of performance metrics, is tracked. Such operation-related data includes inbound source IP addresses (e.g., the address of the originator of a DNS request), the requested host and zone, identification of the selected “best” IP addresses resulting from application of a GSLB algorithm and the selection metric used to decide on an IP address as the “best” one. Furthermore, the data includes a count of the selected “best” IP addresses selected via application of the GSLB algorithm, and for each of these IP addresses, the list of deciding performance metrics, along with a count of the number of times each of these metrics in the list was used as a deciding factor in selection of this IP address as the best one. This tracking feature allows better understanding of GSLB policy decisions (such as those associated with performance, maintenance, and troubleshooting) and intelligent deployment of large-scale resilient GSLB networks.
US08949845B2
A resource controller that includes a first buffer configured to store requests of a first predefined category having a first priority. In addition, the resource controller includes at least a second buffer configured to store requests of a second predefined category having a second priority where the first priority is set such that processing requests of the first category has priority over processing the requests of the second category. Also, the resource controller includes a mechanism configured to block the requests of the first category when a predefined condition is met.
US08949841B2
A streaming multiprocessor (SM) in a parallel processing subsystem schedules priority among a plurality of threads. The SM retrieves a priority descriptor associated with a thread group, and determines whether the thread group and a second thread group are both operating in the same phase. If so, then the method determines whether the priority descriptor of the thread group indicates a higher priority than the priority descriptor of the second thread group. If so, the SM skews the thread group relative to the second thread group such that the thread groups operate in different phases, otherwise the SM increases the priority of the thread group. f the thread groups are not operating in the same phase, then the SM increases the priority of the thread group. One advantage of the disclosed techniques is that thread groups execute with increased efficiency, resulting in improved processor performance.
US08949839B2
Novel tools and techniques for controlling workloads in a multi-tenant environment. Some such tools provide a queue controller that can control workflow processing across systems, work (provisioning engines, computing clusters, and/or physical data centers. In an aspect, a queue controller can determine the status of each work request based on one or more attributes, such as the workflow type, the systems affected by (and/or involved with) the workflow, information about the tenant requesting the workflow, the job type, and/or the like. In another aspect, a queue controller can be policy-based, such that policies can be configured for one or more of these attributes, and the attribute(s) of an individual request can be analyzed against one or more applicable policies to determine the status of the request. Based on this status, the requested work can be scheduled.
US08949837B2
A data processing system includes a microprocessor having access to multiple levels of cache memories. The microprocessor executes a main thread compiled from a source code object. The system includes a processor for executing an assist thread also derived from the source code object. The assist thread includes memory reference instructions of the main thread and only those arithmetic instructions required to resolve the memory reference instructions. A scheduler configured to schedule the assist thread in conjunction with the corresponding execution thread is configured to execute the assist thread ahead of the execution thread by a determinable threshold such as the number of main processor cycles or the number of code instructions. The assist thread may execute in the main processor or in a dedicated assist processor that makes direct memory accesses to one of the lower level cache memory elements.
US08949813B2
Systems and methods are disclosed that may be implemented to install and use a replacement BIOS code stored in non-volatile memory of the system BIOS to facilitate activation of a new or replacement OS on an information handling system. The replacement BIOS code may include an activation certificate of authority information to activate a different version operating system for use on an information handling system that has been previously configured with a different operating system version along with a previous BIOS code that did not include the updated OEM activation string.
US08949803B2
Techniques are disclosed for limiting execution of software programs. For example, a method comprises the following steps. A first set of program code is extracted from a second set of program code. The extracted first set of program code is parsed to generate a parsed structure. The parsed structure generated from the first set of program code is examined for one or more expressions predetermined to be unsafe for execution. The one or more expressions predetermined to be unsafe for execution that are contained in the first set of program code are detected. In one example, the first set of program code may be a script generated with the JavaScript™ scripting language and the second set of program code may be a business process.
US08949800B2
Method, system, and computer program product embodiments of a time-based trace facility for facilitating software debugging without interfering with the run-time behavior, performance or resource usage of the traced software are provided. The trace facility resides in a different address space than the target address space and uses different time-slices of CPU resources to execute the instructions in the address spaces. The trace facility uses a cross-memory mode to read the state data from the target address space in accordance with a time schedule. The trace facility writes the state data to a trace area, which may be located in either the target or trace address spaces or external storage. With this approach, the trace facility can read a large amount of state data frequently to construct the type of historical record needed to analysis run-time behavior, performance and resource usage.
US08949799B2
The present invention relates to application program logs. In particular, the invention relates to a method and a system in which an original log method of an application program is optimized and newly injected to the application program. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for optimizing an application program log record, comprising: identifying an original log method of an application program; separating a character string parameter in the original log method into a constant part and a variable part; establishing a correspondence flag between the constant part and the variable part; constituting an optimized log method by the constant part, the variable part and the correspondence flag; and replacing the original log method with the optimized log method through a code injection. With the above method, the hard disk storage amount of the log record and the IO operation frequency can be reduced.
US08949796B2
A system and method for automatic code-design and file/database-design association. Existing source code is analyzed for process and control elements. The control elements are encapsulated as augmented state machines and the process elements are encapsulated as kernels. The new elements can then have meta-data attached (including, a name, I/O method, and test procedures), allowing software code sharing and automatic code/file/database upgrading, as well as allowing sub-subroutine level code blocks to be accessed directly.
US08949792B2
Development of data services can be enhanced through the use of methods and systems that automate aspects of the build process. Particularly, software can be used to automatically generate test cases and incorporate test results into documentation as part of the build process based on an updated Application Programming Interface (API) specification to generate up-to-date and accurate Software Development Kit (SDK) artifacts. A method can comprise accessing data defining an API for a data service, such as Web Application Description Language (WADL) or Web Service Description Language (WSDL) data. The method can further comprise identifying a test case for a service call that can be made via the API based on the data defining the API, and generating test code, the test code configured to evaluate the test case by making the service call. The test code can be used for evaluating the test case(s) in order to ensure requests and/or responses are consistent with the API definition.
US08949791B2
A method of creating computing environment in a cloud computing environment for execution of a test is disclosed. The method includes loading a setup script from a script store. The loading is performed by a test manager that is in communication with the script store. The test manager checks if there are more setup scripts to be loaded. If yes, the remaining setup scripts are loaded by the test manager. The test manager then calculates computing resources needed to run all tests as coded in all loaded scripts. The test manager then attempts to reserve needed computing resources in a virtual data center using a data center infrastructure manager.
US08949790B2
SMAPs are generated for use in debugging visual paradigms. A system can debug a non-Java source, or a visual paradigm, embedded inside another distinct paradigm. The system may include a visual object ordering system that determines an order number for each of a plurality of visual objects in the visual paradigm, and a mapping system that maps the order number of each visual object to a set of line numbers in the associated code output.
US08949789B2
An adaptable business object can include a generic, content-free, and meaning-free skeleton business object, which can be used to create a new business object without requiring that a user be proficient in a development environment such as a software development kit (SDK). Definitions of a first field to be added to a header of the adaptable business object and a second field to be added to an item node of the adaptable business object can be received via a field extensibility tool, and a terminology tool can adapt the adaptable business object by storing metadata relating to the terminology of the business object in a metadata repository such that screen and section titles for at least one user interface screen supported by the new business object can be presented at runtime using the stored metadata.
US08949782B2
A computerized device can comprise a display adapter and a data processing hardware element, such as a processor. The data processing hardware element implements a timeline view module to provide output via the display adapter to display a timeline of an application under development. The timeline can comprise a plurality of tracks, including a track providing a temporal view of each of a plurality of media components of the application and a scripting track providing a temporal view of scripting components of the application. The scripting track can be rendered and populated by default by the timeline view module, and can be kept in view even when other tracks are scrolled out of view. The timeline view module can respond to input events directed to the scripting track to define scripting actions such as labels and actions used to control the application.
US08949777B2
Methods for mapping a function pointer to the device code are presented. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a function which is executable by processing devices. The method includes generating codes including a first code corresponds to a first processing device and a second code corresponds to a second processing device. The second processing device is architecturally different from the first processing device. The method further includes storing the second code in a byte string such that the second code is retrievable if the function will be executed by the second processing device.
US08949773B2
One or more process models from natural language use case models are derived, for example, by creating, using a processor, an in-memory model of a use case from information in natural language text describing the use case; transforming the in-memory model into a process model in predetermined modeling notation; and generating a selected business process model using the process model.
US08949772B1
A system and method of dynamically generating software is provided. Applications are created in a set of workflow models which are tested in an interpretive test environment. The models are stored in a versioning repository and code generation templates created for the models. Source code is generated and compiled for the application. Modifications to the models are tested and incorporated into a modified version of the application after subsequent testing of the model and the modified, compiled application. The modified version of the application is returned to the test environment where it becomes the basis for testing future modifications.
US08949766B2
A method, apparatus and product for detecting corresponding paths in combinationally equivalent circuit designs. The method comprising: obtaining a first circuit design and a second circuit design, the first and second circuit designs have corresponding sets of input and output elements; obtaining a path in the first circuit design, the path commencing in an input element and ending in an output element, wherein the input element and the output element are connected by combinational logic elements; automatically extracting, by a computer, a sensitization function of the path in the first circuit design; and automatically determining, by the computer, one or more paths in the second circuit design which are sensitized by the sensitization function of the path.
US08949757B2
A method and apparatus to design a circuit is described. In on embodiment, the method comprises selecting a target clock for a design of the circuit, and determining a plurality of latencies for a portion of the circuit. The method further comprises determining a representation of a data flow graph for the portion of the circuit, the data flow graph having a first node connected with a second node by a number of extra delays determined based on the target clock and the plurality of latencies, the first node and second node representing paths that start from and end in registers in the portion of the circuit, the first node connecting to a node between a first input of the portion of the circuit and an input of a register of the portion of the circuit. The method continues to retime the design for the circuit to operate at the target clock based on the representation of the data flow graph, wherein at least one of the selecting, determining, and retiming is performed by a processor.
US08949755B2
A set of nets in an integrated circuit design, having a timing margin and traverse routing tiles, are identified. The set of nets are assigned a utilization metric based on the traversed routing tiles. A set of sparse nets are determined from the set of nets, based on the utilization metric of each net in the set of sparse nets. One or more target nets are selected from the set of sparse nets, based on the timing margin of the target nets. The target nets may be modified.
US08949754B1
The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for electronic design verification. The method may include providing, using a processor, a low-power electronic design and determining if a power domain associated with the low-power electronic design is active. The method may further include identifying, at a register transfer level (RTL) at least one X value associated with an active power domain wherein identifying occurs during a simulation.
US08949753B1
Some embodiments provide support for real number modeling in SystemVerilog by defining built-in nettypes with real data type and resolution functions natively in SystemVerilog and allow a simple path for porting Verilog-AMS wreal modeling to SystemVerilog modeling. Some embodiments provide support for incompatible nettypes and for net coercion in SystemVerilog. Some embodiments provide support for SystemVerilog reals net connecting to electrical nets and support for SystemVerilog real signals connecting to Verilog-AMS wreal signals. Some embodiments combine the strengths of Verilog-AMS and SystemVerilog languages to build a solution for value conversion between incompatible nets and an effective way to configure, simulate, or verify mixed-signal designs that are written in SystemVerilog language.
US08949750B2
A method and system for fracturing or mask data preparation is disclosed in which the central core portion of a diagonal pattern is fractured using overlapping variable shaped beam (VSB) shots, and an outer portion of the diagonal pattern is fractured using non-overlapping VSB shots. A transition region is interposed between the central core and outer pattern portions, and transition region shots are generated so as to produce in the transferred pattern a smooth transition in pattern characteristics such as line edge roughness or period of waviness, from the central core portion of the pattern to the outer portion of the pattern. A pattern determined by the transition region shots is then compared to a reticle pattern created using conventional non-overlapping VSB shots. Methods for forming a semiconductor device layout pattern on a reticle or substrate are also disclosed.
US08949742B2
A system and method for adjusting a displayed visualization, such as a tree diagram. An example method includes providing a first mechanism for facilitating adjusting spacing between plural leaf nodes of a visualization by a first factor and providing a signal indicative of the first factor in response thereto; and employing a second mechanism to display an updated visualization in response to the signal, wherein spacing between leaf nodes of the updated visualization is adjusted relative to the initial visualization based on the signal, such that a region defined by a group of leaf nodes, whose spacing therebetween has been adjusted, is shrunk or enlarged based on the first factor. In an illustrative embodiment, the example method further includes adjusting the spacing between leaf nodes so that leaf nodes overlap each other.
US08949739B2
Embodiments automatically create dynamic thumbnail images corresponding to accessed web pages. Thumbnails, snapshots, or other images are generated for each of a plurality of the web pages (e.g., viewed or visited by a user, or pre-fetched by a browser). The images are provided to the user as, for example, active tiles in a browser tab or on a desktop background. As content on the web pages updates, the images are re-created and visually distinguished from other images to enable the user to quickly identify the images that correspond to updated web pages. The user interacts with the images to view the corresponding web pages.
US08949728B2
Methods and systems for providing graphical user interfaces are described. Overlaid, information-bearing windows whose contents remain unchanged for a predetermined period of time become translucent. The translucency can be graduated so that, over time, if the window's contents remain unchanged, the window becomes more translucent. In addition to visual translucency, windows also have a manipulative translucent quality. Upon reaching a certain level of visual translucency, user input in the region of the window is interpreted as an operation on the underlying objects rather than the contents of the overlaying window.
US08949714B2
A method of sending an integrated message using a portable device according includes executing an integrated message application supporting a plurality of channels including at least two channels having different messaging schemes. An input window permits entry of a message, and the message is displayed on a message display window. In response to a user selection for displaying icons of a hidden state that corresponds to the plurality of respective channels, displaying the icons corresponding to the plurality of respective channels in response to the user choice, and sending the message using at least one activated channel of the plurality of channels.
US08949707B2
Provided are an adaptive document display apparatus and method, and more particularly, an adaptive document displaying apparatus and method which can adaptively convert a document according to the screen size of a device that is to display the document. The adaptive document displaying apparatus includes: a document analyzing unit analyzing each of a plurality of components included in a document; and a document converting unit converting the document according to the result of analysis and attributes of a display device.
US08949706B2
Systems and methods for distributed electronic signature documents. A method for distributed electronic signature documents includes creating a signing template that contains information about how a signable document is to be signed. A signable document is created to be distributed to a signer for signing. The signable document is electronically transmitted to the signer. A message is sent using an activatable control in the signing document to a web signing server to invoke the signing process. A browser window is opened on a signer's computer in order to execute the signing process.
US08949705B2
Optimal presentation and editing of business data in a browser-based user interface of an integrated web-based business information system is described, including a browser at a user computer in dynamic communication with a web server allowing database editing and updating without browser page refreshes. For optimizing the data input/editing experience of the user, an array of features in various combinations is provided including: single-click instantiation of cell editing in a table displayed by the browser; single off-click or keyboard commits instantiating cell-wise data transfers; bulk editing allowing group modification of data elements across a plurality of adjacently-displayed or non-adjacently displayed records; client-side, location-based caching of old cell values allowing selective go-back for any edited or bulk-edited cell, in any order desired by the user, prior to a page-refreshing input event; and easy establishment/modification of sub-records associated with any of a displayed list of records using sub-record access icons, rollover menus, and auxiliary browser windows.
US08949704B2
The present inventions are related to systems and methods for data processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for mis-correction detection and correction in a data processing system.
US08949699B1
In one embodiment, a method for communicating a sequence of data bits is provided. FEC coding is performed on a received sequence of data bits to produce an FEC coded sequence formatted for a first set of N data lanes. The FEC coded sequence includes FEC data blocks, in which each FEC data block has a plurality of data symbols. Alignment markers are added to the FEC coded sequence and the FEC coded sequence is multiplexed to produce a multiplexed sequence formatted for a second set of M data lanes. The multiplexing is performed only at boundaries between the data symbols or the alignment markers. The multiplexed sequence is transmitted on M data lanes.
US08949698B2
Techniques and mechanisms for handling data faults in a memory system which includes multiple integrated circuit (IC) dies, each die including a respective one of multiple memory arrays. In an embodiment, control logic monitors for a die failure of the multiple dies, and further monitors for a request to perform error correction for the multiple memory arrays. Each of the multiple memory arrays may store a respective vertical error correction code specific to data of that memory array. Another IC die may store a Bose, Ray-Chaudhuri, Hocquenghem (BCH) code of a horizontal codeword which spans the multiple memory arrays. In another embodiment, the BCH code is available to decode logic for data recovery operations in response to a die failure, where the BCH code is further available to the decode logic for error correction operations when all of the memory arrays are operative.
US08949692B1
A method and system for service-aware parity placement in a storage system, including after receiving the service notification specifying a target SD: writing a RAID stripe to the persistent storage, where the parity block of the RAID stripe is stored on the target SD and none of the data blocks in the RAID stripe are stored on the target SD. The method further includes performing a modified garbage collection operation that includes identifying a live RAID stripe in the persistent storage, writing a new RAID stripe to a new location in the persistent storage, where the new RAID stripe includes a copy of at least a portion of data from the live RAID stripe and a parity block in the new RAID stripe is stored on the target SD, and issuing a removal notification when the modified garbage collection operation is completed.
US08949689B2
A method of operation of a storage control system includes: generating encoded data having a proportional data distribution for writing to a memory device; identifying a marginal block when an erase block is read from the memory device; and generating a marginal tag for the marginal block, the marginal tag having a non-proportional data distribution different from the proportional data distribution.
US08949688B2
A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module updating an encoded data slice of a set of encoded data slices to produce an updated encoded data slice and sending the updated encoded data slice to a first DS unit of a set of DS units. The method continues with the first DS unit storing the updated encoded data slice and generating partial error recovery information to produce a collection of partial error recovery information. The method continues with the first DS unit outputting the collection of partial error recovery information for storage in at least some of the set of DS units. The method continues with one of the at least some of the set of DS units updating error recovery information of an encoded data slice based on a corresponding one of the collection of partial error recovery information.
US08949669B1
The system and method filters out benign errors and triaging errors that are not filtered. The errors that are not filtered are triaged by categorizing the error and in response to the categorized error either resolving the error by executing code to proactively test the error and repair it; or collect the data necessary to perform deeper analysis by the customer service center and forwarding the collected data to the customer service center.
US08949663B2
A multi-core processor includes a monitored processor core whose process result is to be monitored; a monitoring processor core group including two or more monitoring processors which can perform a process for monitoring the monitored processor core; an evaluating part configured to evaluate a processing load of the monitoring processor core group; and a controlling part configured to make the monitoring processor core group perform the process for monitoring the monitored processor core in a distributed manner if the processing load of the monitoring processor core group evaluated by the evaluating part is low, and make the monitoring processor of the monitoring processor core group perform the process for monitoring the monitored processor core if the processing load of the monitoring processor core group evaluated by the evaluating part is high, the monitoring processor performing a process whose priority is relatively low.
US08949646B1
A method of monitoring power load of a data center includes monitoring a power usage of a cluster of the data center, monitoring a power usage of a power distribution unit (PDU) of the data center, and monitoring a power usage of at least one of a rack of the data center or a computer within a rack of the data center.
US08949635B2
Methods and apparatus to improve integrated circuit (IC) performance across a range of operating conditions and/or physical constraints are described. In one embodiment, an operating parameter of one or more of processor cores may be adjusted in response to a change in the activity level of processor cores (e.g., the number of active processor cores) and/or a comparison of one or more operating conditions and one or more corresponding threshold values. Other embodiments are also described.
US08949619B2
Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for electronically sharing data using authentication variables, such as biometrics and contextual data. Example contextual data includes machine identifications (IDs) and data collected from sensors of computing devices.
US08949616B2
Methods, apparatus and systems for securing user-associated passwords used in transactions are disclosed. The methods include a user computing device receiving a user-associated password such as a PIN from a user, where the user-associated password is operable to authenticate an identity of a user. The user-associated password may be received in response to the user receiving a request for the user-associated password from a third party such as a merchant. The user computing device may generate a temporary password such as a one-time password, dynamic password, or the like, and encrypt the user-associated password using the temporary password. The encrypted user-associated password may then be communicated to the third party in lieu of the user-associated password received by the user.
US08949607B2
A method for protecting a digital document and user data typed into a digital document is presented. The method comprises computation of an authentication tag when the document is sent from a server. A similar authentication tag is computed when the document is shown on a client. When another document referenced in the document is requested by the client from the server, the authentication tag computed by the client is attached to the request for that other document. The server receiving the request compares the authentication tag it computed with the one it received to verify if the request came from an authentic copy of the document. The method is suitable for protection of online banking, online investment, online shopping, and other electronic applications.
US08949603B2
A database management system (DBMS) performs encryption in a DB. The system receives authentication authorization regarding a security policy of the DB from an external encryption unit that is separated from the DB and performs encryption. Important data in a column unit is selectively encrypted and an encrypted comparison code (ECC) of the important data is generated inside the DB. The encrypted important data and the corresponding ECC is generated as a single encryption data type.
US08949593B2
An authentication system receives encrypted terminal identification information and terminal identification information, from a transmission terminal, and determines whether decrypted identification information decrypted using a terminal public key obtained by the authentication system matches the terminal identification information received from the transmission terminal.
US08949591B2
The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for split proxying Secure Socket Layer (SSL) communications via intermediaries deployed between a client and a server. The method includes establishing, by a server-side intermediary, a SSL session with a server. A client-side intermediary may establish a second SSL session with a client using SSL configuration information received from the server-side intermediary. Both intermediaries may communicate via a third SSL session. The server-side intermediary may decrypt data received from the server using the first SSL session's session key. The server-side intermediary may transmit to the client-side intermediary, via the third SSL session, data encrypted using the third SSL session's session key. The client-side intermediary may decrypt the encrypted data using the third SSL session's session key. The client-side intermediary may transmit to the client the data encrypted using the second SSL session's session key.
US08949584B2
Embodiments may disclose a power on reset circuit, which includes: a current mirror connected to a power node, the power node receiving a variable power supply voltage, the current mirror being configured to supply a first current to a first line and a second current to a second line; a comparative voltage generator configured to generate a comparative voltage using the first current provided via the first line; a driver connected to the second line, the driver being configured to activate a reset signal in response to a voltage of the second line; and a ground selecting transistor configured to connect the second line and a ground node according to the comparative voltage.
US08949582B2
Described embodiments classify packets received by a network processor. A processing module of the network processor generates tasks corresponding to each received packet. A packet classification processor determines, independent of a flow identifier of the received task, control data corresponding to each task. A multi-thread instruction engine processes threads of instructions corresponding to received tasks, each task corresponding to a packet flow of the network processor and maintains a thread status table and a sequence counter for each flow. Active threads are tracked by the thread status table, and each status entry includes a sequence value and a flow value identifying the flow. Each sequence counter generates a sequence value for each thread by incrementing the sequence counter each time processing of a thread for the associated flow is started, and decrementing the sequence counter each time a thread for the associated flow is completed.
US08949580B2
A RISC processor apparatus and method for supporting an X86 virtual machine. The RISC processor includes: an instruction module for storing a virtual machine instruction set that supports the X86 virtual machine; a decoder for, during the decoding of an instruction of the virtual machine instruction set, distinguishing the virtual machine instruction set mode of the instruction, decoding the instruction according to the distinguished virtual machine instruction set mode, and outputting the decoded instruction to a fixed-point operation component or a floating-point operation component according to the distinguished virtual machine instruction set mode; the fixed-point operation component for processing the fixed-point instruction of the virtual machine instruction set according to the output of the decoder and outputting the execution result; the floating-point operation component for processing the floating-point instruction of the virtual machine instruction set according to the output of the decoder and outputting the execution result.
US08949576B2
An apparatus for processing operations in an adaptive computing environment is provided. The adaptive computing environment including at least one processing node. A node includes a memory configured to receive and store data. The data is received from a programmable interconnection network and stored. The node also includes an execution unit configured to perform a signal processing operation. The operation is performed using data retrieved from the memory and an output result is generated. The output result may be used for further computations or sent directly to the programmable interconnection network for transfer to another processing node in the adaptive computing environment.
US08949572B2
An effective address cache memory includes a TLB effective page memory configured to retain entry data including an effective page tag of predetermined high-order bits of an effective address of a process, and output a hit signal when the effective page tag matches the effective page tag from a processor; a data memory configured to retain cache data with the effective page tag or a page offset as a cache index; and a cache state memory configured to retain a cache state of the cache data stored in the data memory, in a manner corresponding to the cache index.
US08949568B2
A storage device is disclosed, in which the device comprises memory (222) divisible into multiple zones, each zone comprising a plurality of physical blocks of the memory (222) and for associating with a zone-based address map for mapping between logical and physical addresses of said zone. The multiple zones are configurable independently of each other, and the memory (222) is non-volatile or volatile memory. A related zone-based block management and address mapping method, and a zone-based block management and address map for a storage device are also disclosed.
US08949566B2
Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for locking access to data storage shared by a plurality of compute nodes. Embodiments include maintaining, by a compute node, a queue of requests from requesting compute nodes of the plurality of compute nodes for access to the data storage, wherein possession of the queue represents possession of a mutual-exclusion lock on the data storage, the mutual-exclusion lock indicating exclusive permission for access to the data storage; and conveying, based on the order of requests in the queue, possession of the queue from the compute node to a next requesting compute node when the compute node no longer requires exclusive access to the data storage.
US08949565B2
A system reserves and manages a hidden service partition through components of the hardware platform of a computing device. The hidden partition is not accessible by way of a host operating system on the computing device. A hardware platform controller provisions a portion of nonvolatile storage through configuration settings of the hardware platform controller. When the host system requests settings related to storage in the system, the request is routed through the interfaces of the hardware platform, and the hardware platform controller reports in accordance with the configuration settings, hiding the service partition. The hidden partition is dynamically modifiable through secure remote access to the hardware platform controller, not through the host system such as operating system or BIOS.
US08949563B2
A first storage system copies data of a virtual area of a first virtual volume to a virtual area of a second virtual volume of a second storage system, monitors accesses with respect to multiple virtual areas of the first virtual volume, updates access information related to the accesses of the multiple virtual areas, and, based on the access information, reallocates data inside an actual area of a first pool allocated to the virtual area of the first virtual volume. The first storage system sends the access information to the second storage system. The second storage system receives the access information, and, based on the access information, reallocates data inside the actual area allocated to a virtual area of the second virtual volume.
US08949558B2
Described herein are methods, systems, apparatuses and products for cost-aware replication of intermediate data in dataflows. An aspect provides receiving at least one measurement indicative of a reliability cost associated with executing a dataflow; computing a degree of replication of at least one intermediate data set in the dataflow based on the reliability cost; and communicating at least one replication factor to at least one component of a system responsible for replication of the at least one intermediate data set in the dataflow; wherein the at least one intermediate data set is replicated according to the replication factor. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08949556B2
An apparatus and computer program product for managing memory of a device is disclosed. A computer system collects information about use, by the device, of data in the memory of the device. The information collected by the computer system includes a time and a location for which each portion of the data is used by the device. The computer system identifies patterns of use, by the device, of each portion of the data based on the information collected. The computer system then selects one or more portions of the data that are not needed in the memory of the device based on the patterns of use by the device.
US08949554B2
A system and method for reducing power consumption of a video subsystem. A computer system includes multiple display devices supported by a graphics processor. A memory for storing video data for the multiple display devices utilizes multiple channels for higher bandwidth. A systems controller within the graphics processor determines a retraining condition, such as an idle power state, is satisfied for one or more channels of the multiple memory channels. The graphics processor divides each respective screen for the multiple display devices into multiple horizontal bars. For each one of the multiple horizontal bars, the corresponding data may be rearranged from being distributed across the multiple channels to being stored in a single one of the multiple channels. The systems controller determines a given channel is an upcoming free channel. This free channel is retrained while it is free. Retraining may include at least reducing its memory clock (MCLK) frequency.
US08949546B2
Embodiments include a local cache management system that is configured to be coupled to a local cache and that includes an index engine configured to store fingerprints of message segments stored in the local cache and a redundancy management engine coupled to the index engine. The redundancy management engine includes an adaptive emitter configured to receive a message segment to be transmitted to a remote device, determine expected latency costs of a plurality of transmission algorithms, and select a transmission algorithm, such as by selecting the lowest expected latency cost. The adaptive emitter is also configured to determine whether the message segment is stored within a remote cache management system associated with the remote device, and transmit the message segment through a network to the remote cache management system using the selected transmission algorithm upon a determination that the message segment is not stored within the remote cache management system.
US08949527B2
A method may include storing data in one or more first-type stripes spanning a plurality of N storage resources and having N−1 data strips for storing the data and a parity strip for storing parity information for the data stored to the particular first-type stripe and each of the plurality of storage resources includes one of a data strip or a parity strip of the particular first-type stripe if the data to be stored exceeds a threshold size. If the data to be stored does not exceed a threshold size, the method may include storing the data in a second-type stripe and a third-type stripe each spanning N storage resources, such that each stripe comprises N−1 data strips for storing the data and a metadata strip for storing address information for the corresponding second-type strip or third-type strip.
US08949509B2
A mass storage system comprising multiple memory cards, each with non-volatile memory components, a system bus interface for communicating with a system bus of a host system, and at least one ancillary interface. The ancillary interface is configured for direct communication of commands, addresses and data between the memory cards via a cross-link connector without accessing the system bus interface.
US08949500B2
Described embodiments provide a system having a bridge for connecting two different processor buses. The bridge receives a request from a first bus, the request having an identification field having a value. The request is then entered into one of a plurality of buffers having requests therein with the same identification field values. Which buffer receives the request may be based on a variety of techniques, such as random, least recently used, most full, prioritized, or sequential. Next, the buffered request is transmitted over a second bus. A response to the request is eventually received from the second bus, the response is transmitted over the first bus, and the request is then removed from the buffer. By entering the received request to the buffer with request with the same identification value, there is a reduced possibility of head-of-line request blocking when compared to a single buffer implementation.
US08949489B1
Systems, mediums, and methods are provided for scheduling input/output requests to a storage system. The input output requests may be received, categorized based on their priority, and scheduled for retrieval from the storage system. Lower priority requests may be divided into smaller sub-requests, and the sub-requests may be scheduled for retrieval only when there are no pending higher priority requests, and/or when higher priority requests are not predicted to arrive for a certain period of time. By servicing the small sub-requests rather than the entire lower priority request, the retrieval of the lower priority request may be paused in the event that a high priority request arrives while the lower priority request is being serviced.
US08949486B1
An interface device includes a first proxy interface configured to carry out first direct memory access (DMA) transactions initiated by an input/output (I/O) device and a second proxy interface configured to carry out second DMA transactions initiated by a storage drive. A buffer memory is coupled between the first and second proxy interfaces and configured to temporarily hold data transferred in the first and second DMA transactions. Control logic is configured to invoke the second DMA transactions in response to the first DMA transactions so as to cause the data to be transferred via the buffer between the I/O device and the storage drive.
US08949484B2
A device comprises circuitry configured for being communicatively coupled to a transceiver. In operation, the device is configured to receive a first message from another device to support at least one aspect of attachment of the device and the another device and to send, to the another device, a second message after the first message and prior to attachment. In operation, the device is further configured to receive, from the another device, a third message that is sent after the second message and prior to attachment and send, directly to the another device, data utilizing at least one channel for data transfer utilizing a second one of the addresses for identification in association with the device on the shared wireless communication medium, for data transfer after attachment in connection with a group that is controlled by the another device.
US08949483B1
Techniques are described for determining data movements. A first plurality of performance goals for a plurality of storage pools and a second plurality of performance goals for a plurality of applications are received. A first I/O classification characterizing a workload of a first data portion is determined. The first I/O classification is one of a predetermined set of I/O classifications. A proposed data movement of the first data portion from a first to a second of the plurality of storage pools is determined in accordance with criteria including a match between the first I/O classification and one of the predetermined set of I/O classifications which is preferred for the second storage pool over one or more other I/O classifications of the predetermined set. The criteria also includes any of the first plurality of performance goals and the second plurality of performance goals.
US08949481B2
A multimedia interface cable for achieving complete interoperability between different types of multimedia display interfaces. The cable comprises a first multimedia connector including a plurality of contact pins of at least high-speed multimedia signals and control signals; a second multimedia connector including a plurality of contact pins of least high-speed multimedia signals and control signals; a plurality of un-crossing conducting wires for coupling the plurality of contact pins of the high-speed multimedia signals in the first multimedia connector to the plurality of contact pins of the high-speed multimedia signals in the second multimedia connector; and a plurality of conducting wires for coupling the plurality of contact pins of the control signals in the first multimedia connector to the plurality of contact pins of the control signals in the second multimedia connector.
US08949479B2
An information processing apparatus (MFP) according to an aspect of this invention selects, from among memory channel groups composed of possible combinations of available memory channels in a wide IO memory device, a memory channel group with a number of memory channels that can maintain a necessary data transfer rate even if the operation frequency is reduced. At that time, the MFP evaluates the power consumption of the wide IO memory device in the case of using each memory channel group at the operation frequency and operation voltage corresponding to the number of memory channels in the memory channel group and to the transfer rate needed for job execution. As a result of evaluating power consumption, the MFP selects the memory channel group with the lowest power consumption and uses it for job execution.
US08949472B2
A method, system and computer program product is disclosed for scheduling data packets in a multi-processor system comprising a plurality of processor units and a multitude of multicast groups. The method comprises associating one of the processor units with each of the multicast groups, receiving a multitude of data packets from the multicast groups, and scheduling all of the data packets received from each of the multicast groups for processing by the one of the processor units associated with said each of the multicast groups. In one embodiment, scheduling is based on affinity of both transmit and received processing for multiple connections to a processor unit. In another embodiment, a system call is provided for transmitting the same data over multiple sockets. Additional system calls may be used for building multicast group socket lists.
US08949465B2
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for providing a variation of digital content that is based on a client-specified context token. Localized digital assets, e.g., graphics resources, video resource, audio resources, and text string resources, are stored as a collection of records and are dynamically linked to a assemble a software system based on the client-specified context token to generate the variation of digital content. The client receives the assembled variation of the digital content including the localized digital assets specified by the client-provided context.
US08949460B2
An apparatus and a method for layer-2 and layer-3 VPN discovery are disclosed. The apparatus is incorporated in a network, and the network includes a first carrier network. The first carrier network includes at least two layer-1 provider edge devices. Layer-1 VPN information is created within the first carrier network. BGP next hop information passes within the first carrier network. The BGP next hop information is for a selected one of the following: a layer-2 VPN-based provider edge device, a layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device, and a layer-2 and layer-3 VPN-based provider edge device. The network also includes a second carrier network within which the BGP next hop information is used for VPN discovery.
US08949455B2
A method and apparatus for processing path-based database operations is provided. According to one aspect, a path cache is maintained. For each hierarchical node that is traversed during a path-determining operation, it is determined whether a cache entry corresponding to that node is already contained in the path cache. If such a cache entry is already contained in the path cache, then the path indicated in that cache entry is used to complete the pathname for the node for which the operation is being performed. As a result, hierarchically higher nodes do not need to be traversed to complete the operation. Alternatively, if such a cache entry is not already contained in the path cache, then a cache entry for the node currently being traversed is generated and inserted into the path cache for use in subsequent path-determining operations.
US08949448B1
In accordance with the present invention is provided a system and method for improving a timestamp precision in a precision timestamp protocol (PTP) device. The present invention provides for dynamic adjustment of otherwise uncertainty of the latency of a connection between two devices connected together through a gearbox and/or a block sync circuit. The dynamic adjustment is accomplished by identifying the alignment of data within the gearbox and block sync and adjusting the timestamp assigned to the data based upon the identified alignment to remove the jitter associated with the gearbox and the block sync, thereby improving the timestamp precision in the PTP device. In a particular embodiment, the invention is employed in a serial-deserializer (SERDES) device.
US08949446B2
In one embodiment, an intermediary device situated along a communication path between two endpoint devices may receive communication packets sent along the communication path. If the intermediary device receives a connection-initiating packet having a customization indicator and a connection-acknowledgement packet having a customization indicator, then the intermediary device may install a bypass rule.
US08949438B2
A data synchronisation system automating content adaptation and transfer between storage devices and content servers, independent of user device. Included is a data storage device, a synchronisation device that uploads, downloads and processes content data, a control server handling connection data and capability data, controlling the synchronisation device, and at least one content server. The synchronisation device communicates with the data storage device, accesses a device identifier, and connects to the control and/or content server. The control server processes the device identifier and sends connection and capability data to the synchronisation device, which processes the connection and capability data, establishes a connection with the content server based thereon, and performs at least one of downloading and adapting content data to a data storage device format, and uploading same to the data storage device; and of downloading and adapting content data for compatibility with, and uploading to, the destination content server.
US08949431B2
A method for an assisted live migration of virtual machines is disclosed. The method comprises receiving an assist request for assisting in a migration of a virtual machine, wherein the assist request includes at least a comfort load level; determining a current load of the virtual machine to be migrated; comparing the current load to the comfort load level; reducing a load on the virtual machine to be migrated until the current load is lower than the comfort load level; and initiating a live migration of the virtual machine to be migrated when the current load is lower than the comfort load level.
US08949424B2
Provided are a content information providing method and apparatus. Application information about application data is obtained from broadcasting data. An application resource is generated based on the application information. The application resource is added to a content item. Link information between the application resource and an audio/video (AV) resource is added to attribute information of the content item. The content information including the attribute information is provided to a content reproducing apparatus.
US08949422B2
In some examples, a contents providing apparatus that provides contents to multiple devices may include a user information management unit, a contents management unit, a contents usage information management unit, and a contents usage information searching unit.
US08949420B2
A method of pre-fetching and preparing content in an information processing system is provided. The method includes the steps of generating at least one content pre-fetching policy and at least one content preparation policy, wherein each of the policies are at least in part a function of context information associated with a user. The content is pre-fetched based on information contained within the at least one content pre-fetching policy. Once the content has been pre-fetched, it is prepared based on information contained within the at least one content preparation policy. The context information associated with the user includes at least one of the user's usage patterns, current location, future plans and preferences.
US08949419B2
A relay server and a relay communication system can easily synchronize resource information with a resource when terminals share the resource. When an instruction to synchronize shared resource information is given, the relay server transmits the synchronization instruction to each resource sharing terminal based on the shared resource information. Having received the synchronization instruction, when the shared resource information includes the resource that is owned by the terminal, the resource sharing terminal compares the resource information and the resource. If the resource information and the resource do not match, the resource sharing terminal updates the resource information to the latest information, and transmits, to the relay server, an instruction to update the shared resource information including the resource information. Thus, the resource information of an entire network can be synchronized by one synchronization instruction.
US08949418B2
An illustrative embodiment of a method for firewall rule use counting receives log messages comprising one or more log data sets from each firewall rule in a particular network whose counts are to be tracked in a log collector, generates a network trie for each reference database in a set of databases and a device source trie and a device destination trie for each firewall device in a plurality of devices of the particular network, a source port and protocol list and a destination port and protocol list for each respective device, a unique object for each log data set received; a mapping database comprising an entry for each log data set received associated with the unique object; and feeds each entry in the mapping database through a topology model to also generate a reference to a unique firewall rule on a respective device in the plurality of devices. A count associated with the unique firewall rule is incremented using a count of logs stored associated with the respective unique object and a report is generated.
US08949417B2
A method, system, and program product for communicating with machines connected to a network. Information sent to or from the machines is transmitted using electronic mail or via a direct connection. The electronic mail may be transmitted over the Internet to a service center or from a service center to a resource administrator, but also may remain within a local or wide area network for transmission between a machine and a resource administrator. E-mail messages may be transmitted from a computer which is attached to a device that is being monitored or controlled and include information regarding the status, usage, or capabilities of the attached device. The device may send status messages and usage information of the device to either a resource administrator or to a service center on the Internet through a firewall.
US08949407B2
The described implementations relate to capturing a computing experience. In one case, a user session capture tool can launch a remote user session where a user-interface and user inputs are gathered from a single computing device. Remote user session data produced by the remote user session can be analyzed to determine user activity.
US08949404B2
Systems, methodologies, and media associated with acquiring a graphics mode post-failure screen provided by a graphical operating system running on a self-reset capable computer are described. One exemplary method embodiment may be performable in a management processor (e.g., ASIC, FPGA) that is configured to be operably connected to a computer (e.g., server) that is configured to provide a graphical post-failure screen and to self-reset upon entering a failure state. The exemplary method embodiment may include receiving a stream of video data from the computer and making it available to a downstream component like a remote console application. The exemplary method may also include performing a screen refresh after detecting the failure state in the computer. The exemplary method may also include selectively storing the graphical post-failure screen in a memory associated with the management processor.
US08949402B2
Described are embodiments directed at providing a witness service that sends notifications with a resource state to clients. Embodiments provide a protocol that includes various messages for registering and receiving notifications regarding the state of a resource. The protocol may include a message for requesting node information from a first node in a cluster. The node information identifies nodes in the cluster that provide a witness service, which monitors a resource. The protocol includes a message that is used to register with the witness service for notifications regarding a state, or state change, of a network or cluster resource. The protocol also includes messages for sending notifications with state information of the resource.
US08949397B2
A maintenance method includes a maintenance module 280a operating on a mobile communications device 201 to cause the device to determine if the mobile communications device is in a device context as specified by a device context condition set 311, and if so then to cause the device to collect an actual device context parameter set 323 of device context parameters specified in a desired device context parameter set 315 of device context parameters. A mobile communications device 201 including a handheld casing enclosing a central processing unit 240, wireless communications capabilities 262, 211, and a maintenance module 280a providing instructions which, when operating on the central processing unit 240, cause the device 201 to determine if the mobile communications device 201 is in a device context as specified by a device context condition set 311, and if so then to collect from the device an actual device context parameter set 323 of device context parameters specified in a desired device context parameter set 315.
US08949395B2
Systems and methods of event driven recovery management are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of providing event driven recovery management includes continually copying one or more data blocks that are generated from a computing device, associating at least one event marker with the copies of the one or more data blocks, and allowing access to the copies of the one or more data blocks according to the at least one event marker in order to provide event driven recovery. For purposes of this disclosure, an event marker, a book mark, an application consistency point, and/or a business event are interchangeably used, depending on the context.
US08949389B1
A method and system for configuring an Infiniband fabric is provided. The method comprises providing a virtual fabric configuration parameter via an enhanced user interface to a subnet manager (“SM’) to configure a virtual fabric within the Infiniband fabric; analyzing the virtual fabric; determining if configuration based on the virtual fabric configuration parameter can be implemented; computing a quality of service (QOS) parameter, a routing and a partition such that the QOS parameter, routing and partitioning are interrelated; and configuring a plurality of switches and a plurality of host channel adapters (HCA's) within the virtual fabric.
US08949387B2
Provided is a method for best practices analysis of zones and components in a network. A database has information on components in the network and configuration settings for the components. Best practices rules indicate best practices configuration settings for components in the network. The database and the accessed best practices rules are processed to determine whether the configuration settings for the components in the network satisfy the best practices configuration settings for the components indicated in the best practices rules. A report is generated indicating whether the configuration settings of the components in the network satisfy the best practices configuration settings for the components indicated in the best practices rules.
US08949383B1
In one embodiment, a solution is provided wherein a volume hierarchy may be received at a network device in a storage area network. Once the network device is ready to apply the volume hierarchy, a message so indicating may be sent. Later, a command to apply the volume hierarchy may be received and the volume hierarchy may be applied so that the network device processes IOs using the volume hierarchy.
US08949374B2
A method, system, computer medium, and other embodiments for integrating unrelated web hosted services with stand-alone media-based devices are provided. Users can access and control the media-based device conveniently with a web-browser through various portals on the Internet. In one embodiment, users access the media-based device through one or more unrelated web portals, so as to control and to program the media-based device in a single web session, and to see information both stored on the media-based device and originating from third-party online sources of information and services in a single integrated presentation.
US08949367B2
Techniques for cooperative storage management are described. According to embodiments described herein, a storage server stores backup data for a plurality of client systems, including a first client system and one or more other client systems. The storage server receives a request from the first client system to store new backup data. In response to the request from the first client system, the storage server determines which backup data to delete to make space for the new backup data based, at least in part, on retention duration goals associated with the one or more other client systems. The retention duration goals indicate that the client desires to be able to recover data at least as old as a specified age. The storage server may also determine which backup data to delete based, at least in part, on respective minimum space parameter values for the other client systems.
US08949364B2
An apparatus, method and system are disclosed for visually constructing and rapidly delivering distributed applications. The system includes a virtual appliance apparatus and a composite appliance apparatus, as well as a system for virtualizing hardware resources and for provisioning, executing and scaling distributed applications.
US08949362B2
A system, method, and computer program product is included for receiving a criterion at a first node via at least one network; in response to the criterion, sending from the first node via the at least one network a first signal to a second node including a first message; receiving at the first node via the at least one network a second signal from the second node including the content that is included in the second signal based on a schema defining at least one of a format and a vocabulary for processing, and including a second message; and in response to the second signal, presenting at least a portion of the content in connection with the second message.
US08949360B1
A system and method for sending and receiving requests and responses, relaying requests, and aggregating requests and responses to and from social networks are described. In one aspect a system user can send a request to recipients chosen by the user as being people or groups most likely to have useful responses to the request. Recipients can respond to the request, relay the request to one or more additional recipients, or both. The other recipients can further respond to and/or relay the request, etc. The system user who originated the request (also referred to as the request originator, or the originator) has control over which other users, if any, can see the request. For example, the originator can specify that the request not be relayed.
US08949352B2
Presenters are enabled to broadcast a document to remote viewers from one browser to another. While viewing a document in the web browser, a user can share the document out to remote viewers by providing them with a link that when selected, opens the document synchronously with the presenter in web browser. The viewers are enabled to consume the broadcast by watching the presenter go through the document in real time. The viewers may also be enabled to view the document asynchronously from the presenter and easily synchronize back with the presenter's view.
US08949346B2
An example method is provided and includes receiving information indicative of a marking on an electronic display. Data related to the marking is communicated to a first memory element and to a second memory element. The data is used to render a local image on the electronic display, and the local image being removed over a configured time period. The method further includes receiving additional data to be used to replace the local image on the electronic display. The additional data is received via the second memory element, and the additional data is generated when at least a portion of the local image has been changed. The local image can have an associated time to live parameter for removing the local image, which is configured to be longer than a delay for data propagation between the electronic display and a collaboration server that includes the second memory element.
US08949345B2
A solution is proposed for managing collaborative working sessions (for example, meetings). A corresponding method (600) includes the following steps under the control of a data processing system (420). At first, a set of working sessions is scheduled (606-612); each working session is to be attended by a plurality of participants; moreover, the working sessions require a set of common resources (for example, a meeting room). A communication address or more (for example, a mobile telephone number) is associated (615) with each participant. The method continues by signaling (618-630) an availability of the resources (for example, by dialing a service number and entering an identifier of a current meeting that is starting or an identifier of a preceding meeting that has just ended). In response thereto, the communication address associated with each participant to a current working session (being the first scheduled one still to be held) is retrieved (633). It is then possible to send (636) a message (indicative of a holding of the current working session) to the communication address associated with each participant to the current working session.
US08949337B2
In one aspect, a method related to communication includes but is not limited to generating a first identifier associated with a first entity in conjunction with a communication scenario; and establishing a second identifier associated with a second entity in conjunction with the communication scenario. In addition, other method, system, and program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and/or text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US08949335B2
A content processing device calculates a content topicality degree representing a degree of topicality of a content which serves as a topic between sharing users, based on subject information relating to a subjects in the content, sharing user information and social information; extracts a sharing user who does not appear in the subject of the content as an unappearing sharing user; calculates a content appropriateness degree representing a degree of appropriateness of the content to be shared between the sharing users in such a manner that the value for the content appropriateness degree decreases, as the degree of intimacy between the extracted unappearing sharing user and the subject increases; calculates a content evaluation value based on the content topicality degree and the content appropriateness degree; determines a priority based on the calculated content evaluation value; and controls output of the content according to the determined priority.
US08949332B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for redirecting messages in a publish/subscribe messaging system in which redirection messages are received as messages for publication on a topic. Upon receiving a subsequent message for publication, the subsequent message will be redirected to a target message topic if the source message topic of the subsequent message matches a previously-recorded instruction to redirect messages from the source message topic to the target message topic.
US08949330B2
A system for automated recommendations for social media activities includes a page data extraction module for extracting pre-defined page data parameters in relation to pre-defined reference parameters; a reference module for providing reference parameters in relation to each of the pre-defined page data; a comparing and correlation module for comparing and correlating each of the extracted page data parameters with each of the corresponding reference parameters to obtain a corresponding comparative and correlative score for each of the parameters; and a recommendation module for recommending action points based on each of the comparative and correlative scores for each of the parameters.
US08949309B2
A communication system is provided that is capable of flexibly dealing with conversations among agents. An agent includes a software part which performs operations that represent the functions of a human ear and a mouth. In generating a conversation, an agent communication language, which is similar to a human conversation, is prepared and sent to a conversation part as a message packet. The conversation part then generates a plurality of conversation threads one for each unit of conversation and converse with a plurality of nodes in parallel and asynchronously. On the other hand, in another node which receives the message packet, a protocol manager receives the data (message packet) from a network and passes it to the conversation part. The conversation part understands the message packet and executes the content. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the conversation part moves to other places along with a mobile agent.
US08949301B2
Numerically controlled oscillators and oscillation methods for generating function values in respective clock cycles by using a recurrence equation are provided. The oscillation circuit generates, in each of the clock cycles, a current one of the function values by multiplying, using a multiplier having a latency of k clock cycles, a first one of the function values generated in a first one of the clock cycles that is j cycles before a current one of the clock cycles by a coefficient and adding an output of the multiplier and at least one of the function values generated in previous ones of the clock cycles that are 1 to i−1 cycles before the current one of the clock cycles excluding the first one of the clock cycles, where 2
US08949300B2
A random number quality control circuit capable of fast control of the level of random number quality is present. When a “0” output section and a “1” output section generate random numbers by individually receiving a random number signal, a random number quality monitor monitors an unbalance between the numbers of “0”s and “1”s. If a deviation from a desired ratio is found, a drive controller controls the reception characteristics of the “0” output section and “1” output section individually so that the deviation will be compensated for. The amount of information intercepted between a sender and a receiver can be reduced by maintaining the mark ratio of shared random numbers at 50%.
US08949299B2
A method and apparatus for generating a pseudorandom sequence using a hybrid ring generator with low hardware cost. When a primitive polynomial over GF(2) is selected as the characteristic polynomial f(x) to construct a hybrid ring generator, the circuit implementing f(x) will generate a maximum-length sequence (m-sequence). The hybrid ring generator offers unmatched benefits over existing linear feedback shift register (LFSR) based maximum-length sequence generators (MLSGs). Assume k 2-input XOR gates are required in a standard or modular LFSR design. These benefits include requiring only (k+1)/2 2-input XOR gates, having at most one level of a 2-input XOR gate between any pair of flip-flops, enabling the output of each flip-flop to drive at most 2 fanout nodes, and creating a highly regular structure that makes the new design more layout and timing friendly.
US08949295B2
Methods, systems, and computer programs for managing memory in a host where virtual machines (VMs) execute are presented. In one embodiment, a method includes an operation for determining which amount of heap memory has been reserved in a Java virtual machine (JVM) that is in excess of the heap memory needed by the JVM. If there is excess heap memory, a Java balloon agent reserves a Java object in the heap memory. Typically, the Java object will be the size of one or more memory pages in the host. Further, the Java balloon agent loads the Java object with a certain value, for example, by zeroing out the page of memory. When a virtual machine monitor (VMM) in the host detects that a machine physical memory page associated with the Java object has the first value, then the VMM frees the machine physical memory page to make the memory available to other VMs or to other processes executing in the host.
US08949286B2
When using virtually stored data sets, such as virtual storage access method (VSAM) data sets, while the data set is open (referred to as an open time) static data set characteristics and/or job parameters have been defined for the VSAM data set. In one approach, a method for modifying a virtual storage access method (VSAM) data set includes opening a VSAM data set; and modifying a VSAM control block structure for the VSAM data set.
US08949280B2
A computer-implemented method includes receiving a selection of a particular logical field via a database query interface. The method includes querying a discovery registry associated with a data abstraction model of a database to discover one or more web services that are resolvable based on the particular logical field. The data abstraction model includes a plurality of logical fields, where each logical field corresponds to a particular data structure of the database. A web service input and a web service output of a particular discovered web service are associated with logical fields of the data abstraction model via the discovery registry. A modified database query interface includes an input assistance selectable input associated with the discovered web services. In response to a selection of the input assistance selectable input, a form input interface may be displayed that includes one or more input forms associated with the discovered web services.
US08949279B2
A method and apparatus are provided for managing sessions during which a terminal and a server exchange information blocks organized as a plurality of streams. The method includes storing in a data structure first data determined on the basis of an information block dedicated to signaling and coming from the terminal, the first data identifying the stream that transports the information block, the stream belonging to a session. The method further includes storing second data linked to the first data, the second data being determined on the basis of at least one other information block dedicated to signaling and transported by the same stream, the second data identifying the other stream or streams of the session.
US08949275B1
A system and method for inter-application to do list management uses task tags embedded in documents to identify tasks related to the documents. The method allows users to embed a task tag in a document which is identified by a task processor. The task processor generates a task record, which can be stored in a task database, and transmits a task notification to one or more users based on task parameters defined in the task tag. The task record can be modified based on input from users and subsequent notifications can be generated based on the modifications to the task record. Users can access a task database to review and modify stored task records according to predefined permissions associated with the task record.
US08949269B1
A system and method for coordinating and improving communication using a sponsored registry are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a client search module and a client info retrieval module. The client search module receives a search request from a first provider including one or more search parameters associated with a client, searches one or more distributed sponsored databases based on the one or more search parameters, obtains search results from the one or more distributed sponsored databases including a search result associated with the client, wherein any particular client is sponsored by one sponsored database at most, and sends the search results for display to the first provider. The client info retrieval module receives a request for the client's data and information including the selection of the client from the search results and retrieves the client's data and information from the sponsored database.
US08949268B2
A method and system to improve personal and collaborative information management and search. The method is to actively or passively capture pieces of information and the connections among them across disparate technologies and the human mind, while people keep working with familiar tools, and to snapshot such information objects to be globally addressed, persistent in time, and hyperlinked based on the connections. The system can be injected in existing digital information technology (servers and the cloud or personal and mobile computing devices) to capture, connect, share, synchronize, search and serve the information objects and their connections. This is particularly effective in finding information that is buried and disorganized across devices, applications, internet accounts, and people, or information and connections in the users' mind and actions that otherwise do not get captured in digital form.
US08949263B1
Analysis is enabled, of a corpus of statements (such as those from social media), according to each statement's expression of sentiment about some kind of object. Object-specific corpuses are identified, where each object-specific corpus contains statements that refer to a same object. For each statement of an object-specific corpus, the polarity and intensity of sentiment expressed is determined. Net polarity and intensity measures are determined for each object-specific corpus and utilized to graph the corpus in a two-dimensional space. The area of the graphical symbol, representative of an object-specific corpus, can be proportional to the number (absolute or relative) of statements of the object-specific corpus. Brands can be compared, with each brand represented by an object-specific corpus. A single brand can have shown, relative to a temporal dimension, the net polarity, net intensity, or volume of its statements. Net polarity is shown to have a strong correlation with survey-based techniques.
US08949262B2
A method and system are disclosed for planning maintenance of an automation installation by monitoring a maintenance state of individual components of the installation, which are connected to one another via a communication network, using life cycle data. The method and system can read device-identifying data from the individual components via the communication network, locate identified components in a current component database containing an item of replacement part availability information, and evaluate replacement part availability information relating to the located components with regard to determining specified procurement actions within the current maintenance interval.
US08949260B2
A method and apparatus for secure and oblivious document matching are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises transmitting initial secure dot product data generated from a document thumbprint for a document to a remote system. The method may also comprise receiving a response from the remote system. In one embodiment, the response is generated by the remote system utilizing the initial secure dot product data and without knowledge of the document. In one embodiment, the method may further comprise determining whether the response indicates a match for the document.
US08949258B2
Techniques to manage file conversions are described. File conversion requests to convert files between different file formats are received. A determination is made whether the file conversion requests are synchronous file conversion requests or asynchronous file conversion requests. The synchronous file conversion requests are stored in a synchronous job queue. The asynchronous file conversion requests are stored in an asynchronous job queue. Files are converted between the different file formats that are associated with synchronous file conversion requests stored in the synchronous job queue prior to asynchronous file conversion requests stored in the asynchronous job queue. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08949257B2
A system and method for analyzing data from a plurality of computer environments. The computer environments are authenticated and data is imported to a memory location. The data is converted into a uniform format to enable expedited searching by one or more authenticated users. The data may be marked so that a user may determine which computer environment provided the data. The system may also create one or more indexes of the data to assist one or more users in searching the data.
US08949248B2
A method, apparatus and computer readable medium generate a webpage using keywords identified from user input and user email communications. The keywords are identified, ranked, and transmitted to a server where a search engine uses one or more of the keywords to identify items of interest such as articles or videos. A web page is generated using selected items of interest or links to the items of interest which may then be displayed to a user as the user's homepage.
US08949247B2
In a method for a dynamic updating of an index of a search engine, wherein the index is an inverted index comprising a dictionary, a posting file with a posting list for each keyword of the index and a database log, the documents are inserted in the index in small batches called update generations, a list of all occurrences of keywords in the documents of each update generation is generated, the occurrence list is inserted in the database log, and for each keyword entered in the database a reference to a previous entry of the same keyword is created. This previous entry has a reference stored in the mass storage device as the last added entry of all recently keywords.—A search engine performing the method may be implemented on one or more servers with a mass storage device, and comprises a core search engine with a search subsystem and an indexing subsystem for creating a keyword index stored on the mass storage device and with the index realized as a dynamically updateable index.
US08949242B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for semantic document analysis. In one aspect, methods include the actions of segmenting a document into segments; generating semantic representations, each corresponding to one of the segments; determining a corresponding segment score for one or more of the segments based on the corresponding semantic representation, such that each segment score represents a change in the corresponding segment; comparing each segment score to a threshold score, such that the threshold score represents an expectation of change for the document; and identifying segments having segment scores that indicate the change in the corresponding segment deviates from the expectation of change for the document based on the comparison.
US08949237B2
A technique for identifying overlapping clusters of items in a data set. The technique may be used in connection with a social network or other on-line environment in which users express approval for other users, such as through votes, tags or other inputs. These expressions of approval may be used to form clusters such that entities assigned to a cluster have a higher metric of approval from other entities within the cluster than from outside the cluster. Such clusters may be arrived at through a computationally efficient approach that involves randomly selecting one or more entities as a seed for a cluster. The cluster may be grown by testing other entities, similar to those already in the cluster, to determine whether they are more preferred by those already in the cluster than those outside the cluster. Once a cluster is grown to a desired size, it may be pruned.
US08949235B2
Computer-implemented method, system, and techniques for summarization, searching, and indexing of video are provided, wherein data related to objects detected in the video in a selected time interval is received and the objects are clustered into clusters such that each cluster includes objects that are similar in respect to a selected feature or a combination of features. A video summary is generated based on the computed clusters.
US08949232B2
Architecture that provides a data structure to facilitate personalized ranking over recommended content (e.g., documents). The data structure approximates the social distance of the searching user to the content at query time. A graph is created of content recommended by members of the social network, where the nodes of the graph include content nodes (for the content) and recommending member nodes (for members of the social network who recommended the content). If a member recommends content, an edge is created between the member node and the content node. If a member is a “friend” (tagged as related in some way) of another member, an edge is created between the two member nodes. Each node is converted to a lower dimensional feature set. Feature sets of the content are indexed and the feature set of the searching user is utilized to match and rank the search results at query time.
US08949230B2
In some embodiments, a technique for providing location-based functionality comprises providing functionality, wherein the functionality uses information provided by a location-aware device.
US08949229B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a video score for a domain. In one aspect, a method includes determining video resources hosted on devices assigned to a domain, determining a quality metric for the video resources, generating a quality score from the quality metrics for video resources hosted on the domain, generating a quantity score based on counts of video resources hosted on the domain, determining a domain video score from the quality score and the quantity score, and adjusting, based on the domain video score, one or more video search operations on the video resources hosted on the domain.
US08949225B2
A method, system, and computer program product for of processing database queries using the resource description framework (RDF) language through a gateway service. The method commences by receiving a database query (e.g., an SQL query) from an application, the query being in a first query language format, then converting the query into a SPARQL query format and submitting the converted query to a SPARQL endpoint. The SPARQL endpoint processes the SPARQL query (e.g., by accessing an RDF repository), and sends back the query results. A gateway service (e.g., a SPARQL gateway) then receives the SPARQL query results from the SPARQL endpoint and transforms the SPARQL query results into a format corresponding to the first query language format so the initiating application can process it natively. Several performance features are disclosed, including a method for achieving a quality of service level by concurrently submitting multiple SPARQL queries with different LIMIT clauses.
US08949221B1
A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for searching a computing environment, such as a cloud data repository. In some embodiments, this includes providing an extension function for distributed execution of queries. In some embodiments, subqueries or subexpressions of a query may be executed in parallel amoung different repositories or collections.
US08949211B2
A system and article are disclosed for objective-function based sentiment. In one example, the system includes a set of domain information, and a computer programmed with executable instructions which operate a set of modules. The modules include a sentiment polarization module for identifying a domain-aspect opinion-word pair within a set of domain data, and assigning a sentiment polarity score to the domain-aspect opinion-word pair based on an objective function which includes sentiment data from the domain information.
US08949206B2
A system (e.g., content management system, content delivery system) and method are described herein which are configured for receiving one or more source descriptor files (e.g., MPD files, HLS m3u8 files, HTTP manifest files) along with associated adaptive bit rate segments. The system and method are also configured for receiving rules (e.g., content ratings, timing information, user profiles, regional and demographic information) and then creating multiple descriptor files based on the received rules and the source descriptor file(s). The system and method are further configured for distributing the multiple descriptor files to one or more downstream systems (e.g., content to delivery systems, users).
US08949203B1
Method and system for verifying data in a database. In one aspect, verifying data includes receiving an indication of at least one policy, the at least one policy including at least one rule. A verification process is initiated on target data by implementing the at least one policy, where implementing the at least one policy includes instantiating and applying the at least one rule. The at least one rule causes at least one verification check to be performed on the target data.
US08949202B2
Access control with easy change/extension is implemented. Access to data is controlled by a first storage unit that stores a plurality of attribute values respectively selected from a plurality of integers which are relatively prime and identifying a plurality of attributes of users, in association with respective users a second storage unit that stores a product of at least two attribute values which are common to users belonging to a set of users, in association with respective data to be accessed, to show the set of users which are targets of controlling access to the data. A plurality of attribute values corresponding to a user who requests access are read from the first storage unit, and a product of at least two of the plurality of read attribute values is calculated. The user is accepted as a target of controlling access to the data, on condition that the calculated product of attribute values matches a product of attribute values stored in the second storage unit in association with the data to be accessed.
US08949197B2
According to embodiments described herein, a backup server maintains backup data for a set of data, which includes data for a first block and a second block. Backup data for the first and second block include backup data for a plurality of versions of the first and second block. A distinct watermark is stored for each version of the first block and each version of the second block. In response to a request to perform a restoration operation on the set of data, a particular version of the first block and a particular version of the second block are selected to use in the restoration operation by comparing a restoration target with the watermarks of the version of the first block and second block. The selected version of the first block has a different watermark than the selected version of the second block.
US08949196B2
A computer-implemented method including obtaining a subject dataset including two or more features associated with a subject geographic object, obtaining a candidate dataset including two or more features associated with a candidate geographic object, comparing, using a computer, at least two features of the subject dataset to at least two corresponding features of the candidate dataset, at least one of the features compared comprising a geographic feature, and determining whether the candidate geographic object matches the subject geographic object based on the comparison.
US08949183B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to creating and maintaining consistent data sets in a shared pool of configurable computer resources to support disaster recovery support. Data from an application is stored in local data storage and replicated to another data storage. A consistency point of the data is created in both of the data storage, with the consistency point representing an identical data set at a point-in-time. Based upon the created consistency points, a consistent set of application data may be requested to support a read operation for a migrated application.
US08949181B2
A threshold tracking system enabling users to arrange input data according to a set time of input creation is disclosed. The tracking system defines threshold variables that maintain counts of inputs over a set threshold time and the input values associated with each count. The threshold variables also maintain timelines, which are divided into time periods. Information may be stored in a working memory, which utilizes a scheduler to update state variable values.
US08949179B2
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to architectures, methods and systems and structures that facilitate the sharing and synchronization of electronically stored files among and between cloud entities and a number of computers, systems, devices and/or users. One particular exemplary aspect includes the mapping and/or translation of files electronically stored in a cloud file system when synchronized and/or shared with client computer systems.
US08949178B2
Data synchronization includes establishing a plurality of target data tables based on a source data table in which data to be synchronized is stored, determining a current target data table from the plurality of target data tables, synchronizing the source data table and the current target data table, and directing an application server to access the current target data table upon successful completion of synchronization.
US08949177B2
A method that enables the run-time behavior of a system to be analyzed is disclosed. By analyzing the totality of the messages in the log or logs system behavior can be better understood. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention detects patterns in message logs, clusters similar messages, and determines system behavior based on the clustering of messages.
US08949175B2
A generic approach for automatically ingesting data into an HDFS (Hadoop File System) based data warehouse includes a datahub server, a generic pipelined data loading framework, and a meta-data model that, together, address data loading efficiency, data source heterogeneities, and data warehouse schema evolvement. The loading efficiency is achieved via the MapReduce scale-out solution. The meta-data model is comprised of configuration files and a catalog. The configuration file is setup per ingestion task. The catalog manages the data warehouse schema. When a scheduled data loading task is executed, the configuration files and the catalog collaboratively drive the datahub server to load the heterogeneous data to their destination schemas automatically.
US08949171B2
A medical diagnostic supporting apparatus inputs a medical image to be a target of a medical diagnosis, acquires one or more pieces of medical information relating to the medical image as entered information, and acquires an image feature amount from the medical image. The medical diagnostic supporting apparatus selects a plurality of pieces of not-entered information associated with the acquired image feature amount from not-entered information that is medical information other than the entered information as presented not-entered information candidates that are candidates for presentation, and selects presented not-entered information from the presented not-entered information candidates based on a plurality of inference results acquired using the entered information and each of the presented not-entered information candidates. The medical diagnostic supporting apparatus presents the selected presented not-entered information to a doctor.
US08949170B2
Specification covers new algorithms, methods, and systems for artificial intelligence, soft computing, and deep learning/recognition, e.g., image recognition (e.g., for action, gesture, emotion, expression, biometrics, fingerprint, facial, OCR (text), background, relationship, position, pattern, and object), large number of images (“Big Data”) analytics, machine learning, training schemes, crowd-sourcing (using experts or humans), feature space, clustering, classification, similarity measures, optimization, search engine, ranking, question-answering system, soft (fuzzy or unsharp) boundaries/impreciseness/ambiguities/fuzziness in language, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computing-with-Words (CWW), parsing, machine translation, sound and speech recognition, video search and analysis (e.g. tracking), image annotation, geometrical abstraction, image correction, semantic web, context analysis, data reliability (e.g., using Z-number (e.g., “About 45 minutes; Very sure”)), rules engine, control system, autonomous vehicle, self-diagnosis and self-repair robots, system diagnosis, medical diagnosis, biomedicine, data mining, event prediction, financial forecasting, economics, risk assessment, e-mail management, database management, indexing and join operation, memory management, and data compression.
US08949160B2
The present disclosure relates generally to systematic algorithms (and associated systems and methods) that take a forecast model as input and produce a discrete probability distribution as output, using scenario reduction ideas from stochastic programming. In one example, an algorithm (and associated system and method) creates scenarios sequentially for each time period, leading to a scenario tree.
US08949159B2
Method and system to coordinate a virtual environment with a real environment, including: coupling a transceiver to a person; determining a position of the transceiver within the real environment by use of a position-determination module; and rendering the virtual environment to a user by use of a virtual environment server that is configured to determine a position of the transceiver. The method and system may further comprises a wormhole server configured to provide communication services between the user and the person.
US08949155B2
Techniques are disclosed herein for protecting personally identifying information (PII) and behavioral data while delivering targeted assets. In one aspect, a profile is created based on a template and desired characteristics of users to receive one or more targeted assets. The template provides a framework for the user characteristics. One or more clients are provided the template. A manifest that identifies the targeted assets is encrypted based on the profile. The encrypted manifest is sent to the one or more clients. A user profile is generated at a client based on a template. The client attempts to decrypt the encrypted manifest based on the profile created at the client. The client sends a request for any targeted assets that were identified through the attempt to decrypt the encrypted manifest.
US08949140B2
A method for handling events in compositional applications represented as processing graphs, including: receiving an event notification; modifying a planning domain according to the event notification; generating a new processing graph for a previously deployed processing graph by using the modified planning domain; determining if the new processing graph is different than the previously deployed processing graph; and if the processing graphs are different: reconfiguring the previously deployed processing graph to match the new processing graph; or deploying the new processing graph and replacing the previously deployed processing graph with the newly deployed processing graph.
US08949138B2
A method of managing an insurance value chain is disclosed. A specification of an insurance policy having a set of attributes is received. Sets of values corresponding to the set of attributes are received. The sets of values are derived from negotiations with stake holders of an insurance value chain. Versions of the insurance policy are generated. Each of the versions of the insurance policy corresponds to a unique one of the sets of values. An aggregation of information regarding the versions of the insurance policy is presented via a user interface of an insurance value chain application.
US08949136B2
In a method of generating a diagnosis of a medical condition, a list of symptoms is received at a server from a patient computer. The list of symptoms is presented to a plurality of participants. A list of diagnoses corresponding to the list of symptoms is presented to the plurality of participants. An input is received from each of the plurality of participants in which the input indicates a likelihood of each of the potential diagnoses being correct. The input from each of the plurality of participants is averaged, thereby generating a ranking of the potential diagnoses from highest likelihood of being correct to lowest likelihood of being correct, which is transmitted to the patient. An indication of which diagnosis was found to be correct is received from the patient. A reward is paid to each participant based on how likely the participant indicated that the correct diagnosis was correct.
US08949127B2
A system and a method are provided. A speech recognition processor receives unconstrained input speech and outputs a string of words. The speech recognition processor is based on a numeric language that represents a subset of a vocabulary. The subset includes a set of words identified as being for interpreting and understanding number strings. A numeric understanding processor contains classes of rules for converting the string of words into a sequence of digits. The speech recognition processor utilizes an acoustic model database. A validation database stores a set of valid sequences of digits. A string validation processor outputs validity information based on a comparison of a sequence of digits output by the numeric understanding processor with valid sequences of digits in the validation database.
US08949126B2
Methods for creating statistical language models (SLMs) for spoken Completely Automated Turing Tests for Telling Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHAs) are disclosed. In these methods, candidate challenge items including one or more words are automatically selected from a document corpus. Selected ones of the challenge items are articulated by a machine text-to-speech (TTS) system as candidate articulations. Those articulations are ranked based on a human listener score indicating whether a candidate articulation originated from a machine. The SLM is then trained to recognize machine TTS articulations according to those rankings, by using a subset of the plurality of candidate challenge items identified as machine articulations as a seed set.
US08949124B1
Systems and methods for modifying a computer-based speech recognition system. A speech utterance is processed with the computer-based speech recognition system using a set of internal representations, which may comprise parameters for recognizing speech in a speech utterance, such as parameters of an acoustic model and/or a language model. The computer-based speech recognition system may perform a first task in response to the processed speech utterance. The utterance may also be provided to a human who performs a second task based on the utterance. Data indicative of the first task, performed by the computer system, is compared to data indicative of a second task, performed by the human in response to the speech utterance. Based on the comparison, the set of internal representations may be updated or modified to improve the speech recognition performance and capabilities of the speech recognition system.
US08949123B2
The voice conversion method of a display apparatus includes: in response to the receipt of a first video frame, detecting one or more entities from the first video frame; in response to the selection of one of the detected entities, storing the selected entity; in response to the selection of one of a plurality of previously-stored voice samples, storing the selected voice sample in connection with the selected entity; and in response to the receipt of a second video frame including the selected entity, changing a voice of the selected entity based on the selected voice sample and outputting the changed voice.
US08949112B2
One embodiment of the present invention is an XML application module that processes an XML character stream, which module includes an XML interface module, a parallel bit stream module, a lexical item stream module, a parser and a parsed data receiver. The XML interface module applies the XML character stream as input to the parallel bit stream module and the parser; the parallel bit stream module forms parallel bit streams and applies them as input to the lexical item stream module; the lexical stream module forms lexical item streams and applies them as input to the parser; the parser forms a stream of parsed XML data and applies it as input to the parsed data receiver; and the parsed data receiver processes the stream of parsed XML data. The parsed data receiver may be, for example, a communication module of a portable communication device.
US08949108B2
The present invention relates to document processing method and apparatus which can edit a natural language and generate a machine-processable document; a template generating method and apparatus which can be used for document processing method and apparatus; a concept library generating method and apparatus which can be used for the document processing method and apparatus and the template generating method and apparatus. The present invention provided a possibility for semantic interaction of documents in different systems and enhances efficiency.
US08949105B2
A disclosed interface between an emulator and a network that is readily scalable. In one aspect, a scalable solution is achieved through a hardware interface board positioned between the network and the emulator to allow proper transfer there between. A computer is separated from and coupled to the hardware interface board and provides the necessary control signals. Because it is done in hardware separated from the computer, the interface board is readily scalable through the simple addition of network chip sets. In another aspect, the interface board can be placed in two modes of operation, a live test mode and a direct test mode. In yet another aspect, packet formats may be changed on the interface board so that it appears to the emulator as if the network is operating at a different data transfer speed than is actually the case.
US08949102B2
The subject application relates to a method and system for power delivery network analysis. The present disclosure is directed towards a computer-implemented method for analyzing a power delivery network (PDN) system. The method may include receiving at least one of a chip power model, a package power model and a board power model at the computing device and co-simulating at least two of the chip power model, the package power model, and the board power model. Numerous other features are also within the scope of the present disclosure.
US08949101B2
Mechanisms are provided for predicting effects of soft errors on an integrated circuit device design. A data processing system is configured to implement a unified derating tool that includes a machine derating front-end engine used to generate machine derating information, and an application derating front-end engine used to generate application derating information, for the integrated circuit device design. The machine derating front-end engine executes a simulation of the integrated circuit device design to generate the machine derating information. The application derating front-end engine executes an application workload on existing hardware similar in architecture to the integrated circuit device design and injects a fault into the existing hardware during execution of the application workload to generate application derating information. The machine derating information is combined with the application derating information to generate at least one soft error rate value for the integrated circuit device design.
US08949098B2
An iterative drilling simulation method and system for enhanced economic decision making includes obtaining characteristics of a rock column in a formation to be drilled, specifying characteristics of at least one drilling rig system; and iteratively simulating the drilling of a well bore in the formation. The method and system further produce an economic evaluation factor for each iteration of drilling simulation. Each iteration of drilling simulation is a function of the rock column and the characteristics of the at least one drilling rig system according to a prescribed drilling simulation model.
US08949097B2
A method for providing potential flow elements including a vortex to capture rotation of a turbine, a dipole to capture a blockage effect of the turbine, a sink to capture extracted energy from wind by the turbine, and a source to capture recovery of flow due to inflow from around the turbine is described. Methods for providing configurations of a VAWT array based on a desired attribute of the array, using a low-order model when the array is subject to physical constraints are also described.
US08949096B2
System for solving for the fully three-dimensional advection diffusion reaction (ADR) of dissolved or particulate tracers (biological or chemical materials) in aquatic environments including an input processor and an ADR tracer field processor. Results from a single execution of an ocean circulation model may be used to drive a separate ADR computer simulation and compute a tracer forecast. The velocity fields are not required to be from an ocean circulation model, they could be analysis fields derived from some other source, such as high frequency RADAR observations or satellite-based surface ocean velocity inversion/detection methods.
US08949092B2
For most large 3D engineering models, the instance positions of repeating instances of connected components show significant multiple spatial aggregation. The invention uses several KD-trees, each for one cluster of points which are spatially aggregated. The multiple KD-trees generate a relatively short data stream, and thus improve the total compression ratio. A method for encoding points of a 3D mesh model comprises steps of determining that the mesh model comprises repeating instances of a connected component, and determining for each repeating instance at least one reference point, clustering the reference points of the repeating instances into one or more clusters, and encoding the clustered reference points using KD-tree coding, wherein for each cluster a separate KD-tree is generated.
US08949088B2
The invention relates to a computer-aided simulation tool, in particular to computer-aided simulation methods, for providing assistance in the planning of thermotherapy, and to suitably configured computer equipment. The thermotherapy comprises hyperthermic treatment of a tumor volume within a volume of a human body. The hyperthermic treatment comprises the application of a magnetic field within a treatment volume by means of a magnetic field applicator. In at least one depot volume, thermal energy can be introduced by means of magnetic, paramagnetic and/or superparamagnetic nanoparticles deposited in the body, by power absorption in the applied magnetic field. Field strength values and optionally calculated temperature distributions are provided for assisting the user in the planning of the thermotherapy.
US08949083B2
A method for modeling a transistor includes providing a transistor model having at least a source node, a drain node, and a gate node, simulating operation of a device using the transistor model in a computing apparatus, and generating an offset voltage at the gate node depending on a magnitude of a current passing through the device.
US08949082B2
Hospital readmissions may be prevented. Readmission is prevented by predicting the probability of a given patient to be readmitted. The probability alone may prevent readmission by educating the patient or medical professional. The probability may be predicted during a patient stay and used to generate a workflow action item to reduce the probability, to warn, to output appropriate instructions, and/or assist in avoiding readmission. The probability may be specific to a hospital, physician group, or other entity, allowing prevention to focus on past readmission causes for the given entity.
US08949077B2
Physiological signal quality classification methods and systems designed to improve ambulatory monitoring. Physiological signals are classified as good, noisy or weak based on signal properties. Once classified, signals are processed differently depending on their classification in order to encourage reliance on reliable physiological data, discourage reliance on unreliable physiological data and induce action to improve signal quality. For example, for a good signal, physiological data may be extracted from the signal and displayed to a person being monitored. For a noisy signal, a noisy signal notification may be displayed to the person in lieu of extracted physiological data. For a weak signal, a weak signal notification may be displayed to the person in lieu of extracted physiological data. Moreover, a noisy or weak signal notification displayed to a person being monitored may be accompanied by a corrective action recommendation, such as “move to quieter environment” for a noisy signal or “check body placement of sensor” for a weak signal.
US08949067B1
A test cell for determining expansion or contraction of a sample contained therein includes, a test cell body, a reflective surface within the test cell body, the reflective surface moveable responsive to expansion or contraction of the sample, a displacement sensor system exterior of the cell body, the displacement sensor system having a transmitter for transmitting directed electromagnetic radiation and a sensor for sensing electromagnetic radiation, a lens provided in the cell body, the lens constructed to allow electromagnetic radiation to pass therethrough. The transmitter, reflective surface, and sensor are constructed and positioned such that directed electromagnetic radiation transmitted from transmitter toward reflective surface is reflected from reflective surface toward the sensor. In an exemplary embodiment, the lens is provided in a cell upper plug, with the translating member positioned for linear displacement toward and away from the lens responsive to expansion and contraction of a material sample.
US08949061B2
A DTV pilot tone is detected in a noisy environment by computing a power average of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) output spectra of a received signal, finding a power peak in the averaged outputs, computing an adjustment parameter to center the power peak in a Discrete Fourier Transform bin of the averaged output spectra, applying the adjustment parameter to adjust the received signal, computing a coherent average of FFT output spectra of the adjusted signal, and, testing a power spectrum of the coherent average for the presence of the DTV pilot tone.
US08949052B2
A method of determining the utility consumption of each appliance in a collection of appliances by using periodic measurements of aggregate utility consumption of all appliances in the collection, is disclosed. The method comprises of determining the normal utility consumption of various modes of each appliance, fixing a measurement interval, and then measuring aggregate utility consumption at periodic intervals. In each interval, we first determine if the change in aggregate utility consumption in an interval is due to change in status (ON or OFF) of one of the appliances. Otherwise we determine if the change in aggregate consumption is due to a change in status of a pair of appliances. Otherwise, we determine if change in aggregate consumption is due to change in status of a triplet of appliances.
US08949047B2
A magnetic sensor device is connectable to a data processing device and is a circuitry physically separate from the data processing device. In the magnetic sensor device, a detection unit detects magnetic field and outputs analog magnetic data representing the detected magnetic field. A conversion unit converts the analog magnetic data into digital magnetic data. A buffer memory has a capacity capable of storing a statistical population formed of a given number of the digital magnetic data. A control unit responds to a first trigger for operating the detection unit to successively output the analog magnetic data, then successively receives the digital magnetic data from the conversion unit in correspondence to the analog magnetic data, and accumulates the received digital magnetic data in the buffer memory to thereby form the statistical population. The control unit further responds to a second trigger for providing the data processing device with the statistical population accumulated in the buffer memory and formed of the given number of the digital magnetic data.
US08949026B2
A navigation server (100) evaluates a transition cost δk from a reference line to each kth (k=1˜n) link via one node on the basis of a deviation of a first movement cost c1k per unit length of the kth link from the minimum value of the first movement cost c1k per unit length of all kth links. Furthermore, a second movement cost c2k corresponding to a net movement cost in each link can be evaluated on the basis of the first movement cost c1k in each link and the transition cost from the reference link to each link. When an evaluation result or a road traffic information based on the evaluation result is provided, a navigation apparatus can be make to guide a vehicle (2) according to a proper navigation route in view of real road traffic conditions.
US08949016B1
A autonomous driving computer system determines whether a driving environment has changed. One or more objects and/or object types in the driving environment may be identified as primary objects. The autonomous driving computer system may be configured to detect the primary objects and/or object types, and compare the detected objects and/or object types with the previous known location of the detected object and/or object types. The autonomous driving computer system may obtain several different metrics to facilitate the comparison. A confidence probability obtained from the comparison may indicate the degree of confidence that the autonomous driving computer system has in determining that the driving environment has actually changed.
US08949013B2
In some examples, systems and techniques can determine a respective visit likelihood for each respective destination of a plurality of destinations based at least in part on a respective distance between the respective destination and a geographic location from a location history associated with a user and a comparison between a time associated with the geographic location and a visit likelihood distribution across time. The systems and techniques can then sort at least some of the plurality of destinations. In other examples, systems and techniques can determine whether a user is likely to visit a place during a future instance of a timeslot based at least in part on a location history associated with the user. The systems and techniques can then output information relating to the place prior to the beginning of the future instance of the timeslot.
US08948995B2
A platoon model allows improved prediction of preceding vehicle future state. In this context, the preceding vehicle is a vehicle immediately ahead of the host vehicle, and the dynamic state of the preceding vehicle was predicted based on data received from one or more vehicles in the platoon. The intelligent driver model (IDM) was extended to model car-following dynamics within a platoon. A parameter estimation approach may be used to estimate the model parameters, for example to adapt to different driver types. An integrated approach including both state prediction and parameter estimation was highly effective.
US08948992B2
The present invention includes a system for limiting the acceleration of a vehicle. The system is operable to determine when the driver of the vehicle is not paying attention and upon making this determination, the system limits the available acceleration of the vehicle. The system includes a vehicle power source, a driver input such as an accelerator pedal, and a driver attention monitor, all three of which are in communication with an electronic control unit.
US08948987B2
An internal combustion engine 1 at a standstill of a vehicle after cold starting can switch its combustion mode to a homogenous combustion mode or a stratified combustion mode. An operation range of the stratified combustion at the standstill of the vehicle after cold starting is expanded relative to an operation range of the homogenous combustion at the standstill of the vehicle after cold starting as an inclination of the vehicle decreases. With this technique, the operation range of the stratified combustion can be expanded while assuring an intake air negative pressure required for achieving the brake performance, so that HC reduction at the standstill of the vehicle after cold starting is obtained.
US08948985B2
A shift control device for a motorcycle includes a transmission that allows switching between a neutral state and a number of engaged shift positions, a shift control section that controls a shift state of the transmission, and an N/D changeover switch that switches between the neutral state and a drive mode for executing automatic shift among the plural shift positions. The shift control device also includes a hand-operated shift switch that allows manual shifting among the plural shift positions, and a foot operated shift control unit that allows manual shifting among the plural shift positions during the drive mode according to an operation of a shift pedal. The N/D changeover switch and the hand-operated shift switch are arranged around a handlebar of the motorcycle. The shift control section is operable to switch between the neutral state and the drive mode by the foot operated shift control unit.
US08948978B2
The disclosure describes a control system for controlling the movement of an implement associated with a machine. The control system includes a load sensor, a grade control system, an implement position sensor, and a controller. The load sensor is configured to generate a load signal indicative of a loading condition of the implement. The grade control system is configured to generate a desired implement position signal indicative of a desired implement position. The implement position sensor is configured to generate an implement position signal indicative of a position of the implement. The controller is configured to generate a machine control command to move the implement as a function of the load signal, the desired implement position signal, and the implement position signal.
US08948971B2
Disclosed is a steering control device capable of adjusting reference points of a plurality of motions, which are used for a steering operation in a steering operating unit, with high precision. In the steering control device, a control unit performs N-point learning under the condition that the absolute value of an operating amount in operation systems other than a target is smaller than a predetermined value (or substantially 0). This makes it possible to suppress the influence of operation systems other than the target on the steering of a vehicle M during N-point learning, making it possible to learn the N point in the operation system of the target with high precision. With this N-point learning for each target, even in an operation system which can be steered through a plurality of motions, it is possible to learn the N point of each motion with high precision.
US08948948B2
There is provided a generation control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle having a second generation mode which controls a generation unit so as to suppress the reduction of a state of charge of a battery, wherein the generation control apparatus activates the generation unit with a high load state in which an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time becomes larger than a maximum output electric power of the generation unit, while controlling the generation unit to operate in the second generation mode unless the battery reaches the target state of charge and thereafter continues to drive the generation unit until the state of charge of the battery reaches a target state of charge of the battery, when the electric power over the predetermined period of time becomes smaller than the maximum output electric power.
US08948947B2
A fuel cell vehicle is provided that can perform communicative filling only in a case in which it is possible to perform communicative filling appropriately. The vehicle includes: a pressure sensor and temperature sensor; a communication system that transmits data signals generated based on the outputs of these sensors; a battery; a lidded box that protects a hydrogen feed port; a lid switch; and a communicative filling ECU that activates the communication system after the lid has been opened. The ECU determines, based on the state of an activation prohibited flag, whether being a state in which activation of the system is not permitted in response to an opened-state of the lid having been detected. The ECU does not activate the system in a case of the flag being ON, and activates the system in a case of the flag being OFF.
US08948944B2
A hybrid-type construction machine includes: an engine to drive a variable-volume-type hydraulic pump; a plurality of hydraulic actuators driven by a hydraulic pressure from the variable-volume-type hydraulic pump; and a motor generator driven by an electric power from an electric power accumulator to assist the engine. A maximum output of the variable-volume-type hydraulic pump is equal to or larger than a maximum output of the engine. When operating by setting an output of the variable-volume-type hydraulic pump larger than the maximum output of the engine, the engine is assisted by the motor generator.
US08948940B2
A method includes monitoring an available amount of electrical energy on an electrical power grid for powering one or more loads at one time. The available amount of electrical energy represents an amount of electrical energy that may be consumed at one time without exceeding a grid capacity. The method also includes monitoring an electrical energy demand of plural electric vehicles traveling on a network of routes that includes one or more conductive pathways extending along the routes for delivering the electrical energy from the electrical power grid to the electric vehicles. The method further includes controlling movements of the electric vehicles such that the electrical energy demand of the electric vehicles does not exceed the available amount of electrical energy on the electrical power grid.
US08948939B2
A method for assisting in the navigation of an aircraft comprises steps of calculating and displaying a linear deviation on a first linear section and an angular deviation on a second angular section. The method comprises a calculation step for converting an angular deviation into an equivalent linear deviation, and, conversely, converting a linear deviation into an equivalent angular deviation. The method comprises a step of graphic representation, called unified monitoring, intended for the crew, of a deviation of the aircraft, on a lateral deviation axis and a vertical deviation axis; each of the deviations, lateral and vertical, being able to be represented on a linear scale, an angular scale or a mixed scale.
US08948937B2
Method and device for an optimal management of the energy of an aircraft.The device (1) includes means (5) for determining, in an iterative manner, according to a predicted energy state and according to a management strategy, optimal commands of means (S1,S2, S3, S4, S5, S6) for controlling the energy of the aircraft, which allow the aircraft to reach a given point of a trajectory in a given operational state.
US08948933B2
A flight management system (FMS) including a plurality of FMS components that can include a civil FMS component and a tactical FMS component. Each FMS component can have a processor programmed to execute an FMS software product. The FMS can also include a multi core FMS manager configured to control a plurality of flight management systems and coupled to the plurality of FMS components. The multi core FMS manager can include a plurality of FMS managers, each coupled to one of the FMS components, and a platform interface manager coupled to an avionics system. Each FMS manager can be adapted to transmit flight management data to, and to receive flight management data from, the FMS component to which it is coupled. The platform interface manager can be adapted to provide each FMS component access to the avionics system, such that an aircraft operator can control each FMS component via the FMS.
US08948927B1
Example methods and systems for determining a distribution of balloons based on population densities is provided. A method may include receiving information indicating a region divided into a plurality of horizontal bands of latitudes and a population density for one or more areas of the region. The method may also include associating the population density for a given area with a corresponding horizontal band of latitude in which the given area resides, and based on the population density associated with each horizontal band of latitude, determining a distribution of a plurality of balloons per horizontal band of latitude. The method may also include providing instructions to control the distribution of the plurality of balloons per horizontal band of latitude to remain in a trajectory substantially within a respective horizontal band of latitude.
US08948921B2
A smart irrigation system for an irrigation controller associated with an irrigation site is described herein. The smart irrigation system comprises a central control system having a user interface and a smart scheduler. The central control system is configured to derive and send an irrigation schedule for the irrigation. The smart scheduler comprises a data receiver, a processor, and a signal interface. The data receiver is configured to receive the irrigation schedule. The processor is configured to convert the irrigation schedule to a series of control signals that the irrigation controller recognizes. The signal interface is configured to connect to the irrigation controller and to send the series of control signals to the irrigation controller. The system uses weather data and irrigation site-specific information to automatically apply the optimal irrigation schedule. User are able to remotely control the irrigation via networks such as Internet.
US08948918B2
An HVAC controller, a method of operating an HVAC controller and an HVAC system employing the controller or the method. In one embodiment, the HVAC controller includes: (1) a processor couplable to at least two refrigerant pressure sensors via separate data paths to receive input signals therefrom and further couplable to a compressor stage and a condenser fan to provide output signals thereto and (2) memory coupled to the processor and configured to store a software program capable of causing the processor to command the compressor stage and the condenser fan to turn on irrespective of a state of an input signal generated by either of the at least two refrigerant pressure sensors and generate alternative error messages at least partially depending upon whether or not a high pressure shutdown occurs after the processor commands the compressor stage and the fan to turn on.
US08948916B2
A sensor relay control device generates feedback data based on sensor data including a plurality of components and being output by an external sensor installed at a portion of a joint of a robot and is connected to a robot control device that executes feedback control of the robot based on the feedback data. The sensor relay control device includes: a generating unit that imports sensor data output by the external sensor and performs coordinate conversion; a synchronizing unit that synchronizes the control data of each axis of the motors with a control cycle of the robot control device; and an outputting unit that outputs the control data of each axis of the motors synchronized with the control cycle of the robot control device to the robot control device as the feedback data.
US08948915B2
A parallel link robot includes a base, three servo motors disposed in the base, three arms, and a robot controller. Each of the three arms includes a first link and a second link that respectively include a first joint and a second joint. Each of the three arms is driven by a corresponding one of the three servo motors. The robot controller determines whether or not any of the first and second joints of the arms is dislocated on the basis of the torques of the three servo motors.
US08948912B2
A service providing system according to an embodiment includes a robot unit, an interface that receives input of order input information, and a control unit that is connected to the robot unit and the interface, and causes the robot unit to execute an operation based on the order input information input with the interface. Furthermore, the service providing system receives input of the order input information with the interface, causes the robot unit to execute the processing operation based on the order input information input with the interface, and provides a product on which the processing operation has been performed by the robot unit.
US08948911B2
A control device (50) and a conveying method for conveying carriers (40 to 49) in a machine (1) are provided. The control device (50) comprises a determining unit (51) for determining the velocity of a carrier (40 to 49) in a first conveying device (10) in which carriers (40 to 49) are conveyed with magnetic force and with variable velocity for each carrier (40 to 49) from a first position to a second position different from the first position, and an evaluating unit (52) for evaluating the velocity of carriers (40 to 49) in a second conveying device (20) in which carriers (40 to 49) are conveyed from a second position to a third position different from the second position, wherein the determining unit (51) is arranged to determine the velocity of each carrier (40 to 49) in the first conveying device (10) on the basis of the evaluation result of the evaluating unit (52) so that the carriers (40 to 49) move continuously between the first and second conveying devices (10, 20). The control device (50) can be part of a conveying system (5) and/or a machine (1).
US08948907B2
A method for loading containers that involves intermittently shifting at least one first empty housing and one second empty housing of the containers between respective first and second rest positions. According to one embodiment the method involves calculating an available time td corresponding to the time necessary for an empty housing to reach a loading position of a manipulator and comparing the available time td with a positioning time necessary for the manipulator to collect from its current position each object to be loaded from a collecting area and depositing it in a loading position coinciding with the position of an empty housing of a container. The object to be collected and the delivery position of the object in an empty housing corresponds with a loading position of the manipulator in which the positioning time is closest to the available time td.
US08948905B2
An apparatus and a method for positioning electronic components to be transferred in relation to a discharging device. The discharging device includes a slide for at least one electronic component and a housing surrounding the slide. The electronic components are provided by a first carrier, which comprises a first side facing the discharging device and a second side facing away from the discharging device. An image data acquisition device captures image data of a region in which the slide is set up. A control determines positional data of the electronic component to be transferred and for generating control commands from the positional data. An actuator moves the first carrier and the discharging device in relation to each other in response to the control commands to change an offset between a longitudinal axis of the slide and a center axis of the electronic component.
US08948900B2
A component mounting apparatus includes: an operational sequence supervision unit which is created in compiler language determining an operational sequence specifying a series of sequence operations of suctioning, recognizing and mounting a component; and a second memory unit which stores a custom program, created in interpreter language and specifying an operation different from the series of sequence operations, and custom program designation information that designates execution of the custom program. The operational sequence supervision unit controls a switching process for switching from the series of sequence operations to an interpreter language processing execution routine for executing the custom program, during, or before or after, the series of sequence operations in accordance with the custom program designation information.
US08948897B2
Within a network-based system, an entity may be identified by an identifier of the entity. An audio generation machine may be configured to generate an audio piece that represents the entity, and the audio generation machine may generate the audio piece based on the identifier of the entity. Hence, the audio piece generated by the audio generation machine may be representative of the entity, and playback of the audio piece may identify the entity, reference the entity, highlight the entity, suggest the entity, or otherwise call the entity to mind (e.g., for one or more listeners of the audio piece). Thus, the generated audio piece may function as an audio-based avatar of the entity (e.g., a representative of the entity within a virtual world). Furthermore, the audio piece may be shared (e.g., in a social networking context or a social shopping context).
US08948887B2
Systems and methods are provided that are capable of synchronizing an industrial process. The industrial process may include a plurality of process levels. A visualization group may be displayed, showing the various levels of a process. A transition group may be graphically defined that allows for the linking of the transitions between the various process levels. In certain embodiments, sequential function charts (SFC) may include expanded capabilities that allow for the visual definition, editing, and review of the transition groups. Such SFC embodiments may be capable of process flow synchronization across any levels of the modeled process.
US08948886B2
A LED lighting system and a controlling method using the same is disclosed. In accordance with the present invention, a central controller extracts an ID information assigned to each of one or more LED lighting devices using a power line communication and classifies the extracted ID information into ID groups according to a user command by assigning a management information thereto to enable controlling of the one or more LED lighting devices based on the management information.
US08948879B2
A neurostimulation device is provided. The device has first and second physical electrode elements that cooperate to provide a plurality of virtual electrode pairs. The spacing between the physical elements, as well as the relative surface areas between the respective portions comprising the virtual pairs, is controlled to provide self-selecting and/or self-directing treatment capabilities.
US08948876B2
Apparatus for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in humans, comprising a housing; stimulation means mounted within the housing for electrically stimulating nerves; an electrode array releasably mounted to the housing, connectable to the stimulation means, and comprising electrodes for electrical stimulation of nerves; control means mounted to the housing and electrically connected to the stimulation means for controlling the stimulation means; monitoring means mounted to the housing and electrically connected to the stimulation means for monitoring the stimulation means; user interface means mounted to the housing and electrically connected to the control means for controlling the stimulation means; display means mounted to the housing and electrically connected to the control means and the monitoring means for displaying the status of the stimulations means; and a strap attached to the housing and configured to hold the housing, stimulation means and electrode array at a specific anatomical location to treat pain.
US08948873B2
The present invention includes methods and devices for treating hypotension, such as in cases of shock, including septic shock, anaphylactic shock and hypovolemia. The method includes the step of applying at least one electrical impulse to at least one selected region of a parasympathetic nervous system of the patient. The electrical impulse is sufficient to modulate one or more nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system to increase the ratio of blood pressure to heart rate and relieve the condition and/or extend the patient's life.
US08948871B2
A device for conveying power from a location external to a subject to a location within the subject may include a flexible carrier and an adhesive on a first side of the carrier. A coil of electrically conductive material may be associated with the flexible carrier. A mechanical connector may be associated with the carrier opposite the adhesive, wherein the mechanical connector is configured to retain a housing and permit the housing to rotate relative to the flexible carrier. At least one electrical portion may be associated with the carrier in a manner permitting electrical connection to be maintained between the flexible carrier and the housing as the housing is rotated.
US08948865B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for treatment of heart arrhythmia via renal neuromodulation. Such neuromodulation may effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, ablation, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, action potential attenuation or blockade, changes in cytokine up-regulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is achieved through application of an electric field. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is achieved through application of neuromodulatory agents, of thermal energy and/or of high intensity focused ultrasound. In some embodiments, such neuromodulation is performed in a bilateral fashion.
US08948864B2
A treatment method and apparatus for performing a diagnostic or therapeutic treatment. The apparatus comprises a treatment head for applying a diagnostic or therapeutic treatment to the body of a patient; means for delivering the treatment through the treatment head; a processor for controlling the treatment; an input arrangement operable by a practitioner to activate the delivery means for initiating the treatment; a sound generator operable at any time before and during the treatment by operation of the or a further input arrangement by the practitioner to generate pleasing sounds; and a speaker for supplying the sounds as output during treatment to distract and hold the attention of the patient.
US08948857B2
An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a plurality of cardiac channels, the method comprising: (a) storing the cardiac channel signals; (b) using a ventricular, a reference and a mapping channel to compute first LAT values at a plurality of mapping-channel locations; (c) monitoring the quality of at least one of the ventricular, reference and mapping channels; (d) if the quality of a monitored cardiac channel falls below a standard, replacing the sub-standard channel with another channel of the plurality of channels having an above-standard quality; and (e) computing second LAT values based on the replacement cardiac channel.
US08948856B2
An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a ventricular channel, a reference channel and a mapping channel wherein selection of at least one of a reference-channel activation and a mapping-channel activation is based on one or more activation times in the ventricular channel.
US08948849B2
An electroencephalographic electrode and optode positioning device has the form of a cap suitable for placement on a subject's head. The cap has semirigid telescopic structures that stiffen it to provide accurate electrode and optode spacing, and stability during subject activity. The cap is intended for use in functional neuroimaging and, although its materials are compatible with fMRI, is usable without fMRI to permit study of physically as well as mentally active subjects.
US08948847B2
A system for imaging tissue includes a millimeter wave Quasi-optical backward wave oscillator. Tumorous tissue is detected in a reconstructed image using solvable inverse image reconstruction techniques. In one embodiment, three-dimensional breast imaging is enabled by providing radiation as a focused energy beam over a wide frequency range and at power levels to penetrate breast tissue disposed within dielectric compression plates.
US08948844B2
A breast coil for a magnetic resonance tomography device for the production of magnetic resonance recordings of female breasts includes a coil housing having a breast recess to accommodate a breast and a number of coil elements. At least one of the coil elements forms an HF correction coil element and has a circuit arrangement to switch over the HF correction coil element between an HF correction mode of operation and another mode of operation. The HF correction coil element is constructed such that in the HF correction mode of operation, the HF correction coil element resonates passively with a B1 field emitted by a transmission antenna arrangement of the magnetic resonance tomography device, and influences a local B1 field distribution during a magnetic resonance recording.
US08948840B2
The present invention relates to a sensor and device incorporating said sensor for obtaining data useful to determine the functional characteristics of the cornea in a non-invasive manner, particularly for establishing a correlation between the impedance at different frequencies and the permeability of the endothelium and epithelium and stromal hydration level.
US08948835B2
The disclosure includes pulse oximetry systems and methods for determining point-by-point saturation values by encoding photoplethysmographs in the complex domain and processing the complex signals. The systems filter motion artifacts and other noise using a variety of techniques, including statistical analysis such as correlation, or phase filtering.
US08948834B2
The present invention involves a method and an apparatus for analyzing measured signals, including the determination of a measurement of correlation in the measured signals during a calculation of a physiological parameter of a monitored patient. Use of this invention is described in particular detail with respect to blood oximetry measurements.
US08948830B2
Fault Current Limiters (FCL) provide protection for upstream and/or downstream devices in electric power grids. Conventional FCL require the use of expensive conductors and liquid or gas cryogen handling. Disclosed embodiments describe FCL systems and devices that use lower cost superconductors, require no liquid cryogen, and are fast cycling. These improved FCL can sustain many sequential faults and require less time to clear faults while avoiding the use of liquid cryogen. Disclosed embodiments describe a FCL with a superconductor and cladding cooled to cryogenic temperatures; these are connected in parallel with a second resistor across two nodes in a circuit. According to disclosed embodiments, the resistance of the superconducting components and its sheath in the fault mode are sufficiently high to minimize energy deposition within the cryogenic system, minimizing recovery time. A scheme for intermediate heat storage also is described which allows a useful compromise between conductor length enabled energy minimization and allowable number of sequential faults to enable an overall system design which is affordable, and yet allows conduction cooled (cryogen free) systems which have fast recovery and allows for multiple sequential faults.
US08948823B2
A mobile terminal and a method for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal are provided. In a mobile terminal including a first processor and a second processor, the first processor controls execution of a first operation and displays a screen corresponding to the execution of the first operation on a display module. When a predetermined user command is input, the first processor is deactivated and the second processor performs a control operation for continuously executing the first operation with reference to operation information associated with the first operation and displays a screen corresponding to the continuous execution of the first operation on the display module. The first processor or the second processor is selectively activated according to a user command such that the user can use a phone mode suitable for the environment in which the mobile terminal is used.
US08948817B2
A wireless serving communication unit comprises a signal processor, for receiving and processing a signal to be broadcast, and a number of transmitters operably coupled to the signal processor, for transmitting the broadcast signal in a plurality of sectorised cells to a wireless subscriber communication unit. The wireless serving communication unit comprises logic to replicate the processed signal into a plurality of replicated signals and logic introduce one or more delay(s) to one or more of the replicated processed signals, such that replicated broadcast signals having different delays are transmitted from a plurality of sectorised cells to one or more wireless subscriber communication unit.
US08948794B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided for facilitating provision of a map resource. A method may include causing a request for a plurality of portions of a map to be sent to a map source. The method may further include receiving the requested plurality of portions of the map in a single response message. A corresponding apparatus is also provided.
US08948791B2
A mobile participation platform enables a wireless network operator or third party to solicit response data related to a specific time and location specific event by signaling multiple mobile device users that meet predefined qualifications. The qualifications include presence at the specific location at the specific time, and may include other characteristics, such as prior consent to receive solicitations, and particular device type or data collection functionality. The platform locates mobile devices that may qualify for participation, and generates and transmits a solicitation. Mobile devices receiving the solicitation may activate a participation client to acknowledge the solicitation and to contribute by submitting the requested response data, which may include photos, text, sensor data, audio, video and the like. The qualifications are verified, the response data is validated, and anonymity and privacy are maintained by associating the mobile device and other pertinent non-identifying information with an encrypted identifier.
US08948790B1
Various embodiments of an apparatus and a method prevent a dangerous user behavior with a mobile communication device by embedding RFID tags in a vehicle's interior space and by interrogating those embedded RFID tags with an integrated RFID tag reader in the mobile communication device. In one embodiment of the invention, the vehicle's interior space is divided into multiple “zones,” at least one of which is defined as a “driving lock” zone. A vehicle interior zone is identifiable with an embedded RFID tag with a particular tag readable range, which only extends to the boundary of that particular zone. Therefore, a mobile communication device with an integrated RFID tag reader can recognize which zone the mobile communication device is currently in by accessing an RFID tag embedded nearby, and then proceed to enable the driving lock on the mobile communication device, if necessary.
US08948785B1
Mobile stations initiate location determination sessions, such as at predetermined time intervals, with a wireless telecommunications network. The wireless telecommunications network obtains the locations of the mobile stations as a result of the location determination sessions, and the mobile station locations are stored in one or more location registers. The location information stored in the location register(s) may then be used by location-based applications. For example, an application may request that the wireless telecommunications network provide a specified service to the mobile stations that are located in a specified zone according to the mobile station locations stored in the location register(s).
US08948780B2
A method for collecting per call measurement data PCMD is proposed in the present invention. The method comprises: when an instruction to activate a PCMD-related function is received, sending by a base station a message including an indication of whether the base station is capable of collecting the PCMD to a mobility management entity MME device; when an instruction to start PCMD collection is received, sending by the MME device a message including an indication of starting collecting the PCMD to at least one base station capable of collecting the PCMD; based on the received indication of starting collecting the PCMD, collecting by the base station the PCMD for at least one user equipment UE connection. A mobility management entity device and a base station for collecting the per call measurement data PCMD are also proposed in the present invention.
US08948773B2
A method is provided for managing active sets of a terminal that receives a pilot channel from a base station in a mobile communication system. Reception strength of the pilot channel is measured. It is checked whether the number of active sets being managed by the terminal is greater than or equal to the predetermined maximum number of supportable active sets. It is determined whether to transmit a pilot to the base station according to the checking result.
US08948771B2
The present invention proposes methods and devices for mobile communication deployed on shared bands, which enhance reliability of channels such as control channels. According to an aspect thereof, at a communication terminal, a list of channels useable for communication is maintained, information on the usability of a currently used channel is obtained, and it is switched to one of the channels of the list of useable channels if the currently used channel becomes unusable. The invention encompasses also corresponding computer products as well as methods, devices and computer products residing at a network node.
US08948759B2
A method in a wireless terminal (110) for sending a measurement report to a serving base station (130) before handover is provided. The wireless terminal (110) and the base station (130) are comprised in a cell in a wireless communications system. The wireless terminal (110) is arranged to use a standard size message or a reduced size message for sending a measurement report before a handover. The wireless terminal (110) obtains (601) information about the cell size and/or the system load. When the cell size exceeds a predetermined value or when the system load exceeds a predetermined value, the wireless terminal (110) sends (605) a measurement report to the base station (130), using the reduced size message.
US08948745B2
A system associated with a first tower in a wireless network receives, at the first tower, tower lists generated by other towers that are nearby the first tower. The system further authenticates each of the received tower lists, and identifies ones of the nearby towers as rogue towers based on failures to authenticate respective ones of the received additional tower lists. The system also broadcasts a tower black list that lists the identified rogue towers to the nearby towers and to nearby mobile devices.
US08948714B2
A low noise converter includes a plurality of amplification circuits receiving a plurality of polarized wave signals transmitted from a satellite for amplifying the plurality of polarized wave signals, respectively, a plurality of switch circuits, each selecting one of outputs from the plurality of amplification circuits, a plurality of filter circuits provided corresponding to the plurality of switch circuits, respectively, for removing an image signal, a plurality of signal mixer-amplifiers provided corresponding to the plurality of filter circuits, respectively, to frequency-convert each output from the plurality of filter circuits by mixing with a local oscillation signal and to amplify the frequency-converted signal, and a plurality of output ports provided corresponding to the plurality of signal mixer-amplifiers, respectively, to receive an output from the plurality of signal mixer-amplifiers.
US08948698B2
Examples of the present invention include a head unit for a vehicle entertainment system, including a housing, a radio, a first wireless transceiver, and a second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be used to provide a dedicated communications link between the head unit and another electronic device, such as an auxiliary unit. The second wireless transceiver may have a serial port profile (SPP), and may be a Bluetooth transceiver.
US08948690B2
An antenna relay system for facilitating wireless communication between mobile terminals on a high-speed rail vehicle and stationary base stations with substantially reduced Doppler shift effects comprises matched traveling wave directional antennas mounted to a high-speed rail vehicle and positioned collinearly alongside the railway. Both antennas continually transmit and receive at a fixed angle relative to the motion of the train so as to circumvent the Doppler shift. The signal transmitted or received by the stationary antenna is conducted to a nearest node for communication with an access network.
US08948670B2
A fixing apparatus of the present invention includes a fixing rotation member, a rotation drive portion that rotates the fixing rotation member, a cleaning web sheet that cleans a circumferential surface of the fixing rotation member, a cleaning web sheet roller that takes up or feeds out the cleaning web sheet, a swing cam rotationally driven by the rotation drive portion, a rotation transmission portion that transmits a rotation drive force to the cleaning web sheet roller, a one way clutch provided on an input shaft of the rotation transmission portion, and a swing lever connected to the one way clutch and biased so as to be brought into slide contact with the swing cam.
US08948668B2
A belt feeding apparatus has a rotatable belt, first and second belt stretching members, and a steering unit which has a rotatable portion rotatable with rotation of the belt, a frictional portion, and a supporting portion for supporting the rotatable portion. The frictional portion is provided with an inclined surface so that the distance between the rotational axis of the rotatable portion and the surface of the frictional portion increases toward an outside with respect to the direction of a rotational axis of the rotatable portion, and a length of the belt member with respect to the rotational axis direction of the rotatable portion is longer than a length of the rotatable portion and is shorter than a sum of the lengths of the rotatable portion and the frictional portions provided at respective ends, and the belt member contacts both of the frictional portions simultaneously.
US08948655B2
An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a separating mechanism configured to move a transfer belt between a first position in which the transfer belt contacts a photoconductor to a second position, a separating shaft configured to rotate to cause the separating mechanism to move from the first position to the second position. The image forming apparatus further includes a lever configured to be removably mounted on a first end of the separating shaft, and an accommodation section configured to accommodate the lever in a body of the image forming apparatus. A second end of the separating shaft prevents the accommodation of the lever in the accommodation section when the lever is removed and when the separating shaft is in the first rotation position.
US08948654B2
A transfer device and an image forming apparatus having the same are provided. Shapes of cam profiles of first cam members and second cam members controlling movement of first slider members moving a first transfer roller corresponding to a black developer, and second slider members moving a second transfer roller corresponding to a color developer. Times are different as when movement of the first slider members is completed and when movement of the second slider members is completed in mode conversion among a ready mode, a mono mode and a color mode, and thus a driving load generated when the first and second cam members are rotated is reduced, non-uniformity of the rotating speeds of the first and second cam members is reduced, and problems generated due to non-uniform rotating speeds of the cam members are reduced.
US08948653B2
An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a developer container, an outlet, a first shutter, a cover member, a movable member, and a transmission member. The developer container is removably mountable relative to the apparatus body through an opening. The first shutter opens and closes the outlet. The cover member opens and closes the opening. The movable member is reciprocally movable in forward and reverse directions. The transmission member transmits action of the cover member to the movable member and is disposed between the cover member and the movable member. When the movable member is moved in the forward direction, the first shutter is closed. When the movable member is moved in the reverse direction, the first shutter is opened. In a terminal period of an opening operation of the cover member, a movement direction of the movable member is reversed from the forward direction to the reverse direction.
US08948648B2
A developing device includes a casing having an opening extending in a first direction, a developing roller, a thickness-regulation member, an engagement portion and a sealing member. The thickness-regulation member includes a thin-plate member and a regulating portion. The thin-plate member is fixed to the casing and has a lateral end extending in a second direction. The regulating portion is fixed on the thin-plate member and has an end face extending in a direction. The engagement portion is fixed on the thin-plate member and positioned closer to the lateral end than the end face to the lateral end to provide a groove between the engagement portion and the end face. The sealing member is fitted in the groove and has a length in the first direction longer than a length of the groove prior to assembly of the sealing member into the groove.
US08948647B2
A belt device incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, multiple belt tension rollers disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a rotary cleaning member to contact a belt wound area of the endless belt facing an opposing roller to form a cleaning nip between the rotary cleaning member and the endless belt and rotate the rotary cleaning member in a direction opposite the belt moving direction within the cleaning nip, and a voltage applier. The cleaning nip is formed by offsetting a center of the cleaning nip upstream from a center of the belt wound area of the endless belt in the belt moving direction and by at least contacting the rotary cleaning member in a range from the belt wound area to a tensioned belt area located upstream from the belt wound area in the belt moving direction.
US08948645B2
An optical scanning apparatus including a deflection unit configured to deflect a light beam emitted from a light source so that the light beam scans on a photosensitive member, a casing which is configured to house the light source and the deflection unit inside the casing and which is provided with an aperture that transmits the light beam deflected by the deflection unit out from the casing, a first light transmission member provided on the aperture for dust-proofing an interior of the casing, which is configured to transmit the light beam incident on the aperture, and a support member configured to support a second light transmission member for transmitting a light beam that has been transmitted through the first light transmission member and dust-proofing the first light transmission member, wherein the second light transmission member is detachable from the support member.
US08948641B2
A fixing device includes a rotatable fuser member, a rotatable pressure member, a heater, a temperature detector, and a controller. The rotatable fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotatable pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member. The pressure member presses against the fuser member to form a fixing nip therebetween. The heater is disposed adjacent to the fuser member to heat the fuser member. The temperature detector is directed to at least one of the fuser member, the pressure member, and the heater to detect an operational temperature of the fixing device. The controller is operatively connected to the temperature detector and the heater to control power supply to the heater according to readings of the temperature detector, so as to regulate the detected operational temperature at a setpoint temperature that is variable depending on a print page printed on the recording medium.
US08948637B2
An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming part that forms a first developer image representing an image by using a first developer; and a second image forming part that forms a second developer image serving as a base or covering of the first developer image by using a second developer. In a case where the first developer image and the second developer image are superimposed and formed on an image-formed body by the first image forming part and the second image forming part, amount of the first developer that is used to form the first developer image is increased as compared to a case where the first developer image is formed on the image-formed body by the first image forming part without being superimposed with the second developer image.
US08948632B2
An image forming apparatus including: a photosensitive member; a conveying member; an exposure head; a developing unit; an image forming unit; a concentration sensor having a first detection width in a conveyance direction and a second detection width in an axial direction of the photosensitive member; and a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the exposure head and the image forming unit to form a first image for correction, which includes a straight line part extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive member and having a length equal to or larger than the second detection width of the concentration sensor, on the conveying member, and wherein the control unit corrects a developing bias to be applied to the developing unit based on a detection result of the first image for correction by the concentration sensor.
US08948616B2
According to one embodiment, a toner cartridge includes a toner container to be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus body, a shutter to open and close a toner supply port of the toner container, and a key that indicates a type of the toner cartridge and allows the shutter to slide if the key coincides with a release part of the image forming apparatus body.
US08948612B2
A system and method for generating soft decision reliability information from hard decisions in an optical signal receiver. The receiver may include a digital signal processor including a symbol reliability function for generating symbol reliability information associated with symbols encoded on optical signal. The symbol reliability information may be generated as a function of the symbols and hard decision outputs associated with the symbols.
US08948608B1
An optical modulator device directly-coupled to a driver circuit device. The optical modulator device can include a transmission line electrically coupled to an internal VDD, a first electrode electrically coupled to the transmission line, a second electrode electrically coupled to the first electrode and the transmission line. A wave guide can be operably coupled to the first and second electrodes, and a driver circuit device can be directly coupled to the transmission line and the first and second electrodes. This optical modulator and the driver circuit device can be configured without back termination.
US08948596B2
A mobile transmitter traverses a drive path in a neighborhood node of a cable communication system and broadcasts a test signal at frequencies falling within an upstream path bandwidth. A navigational device generates a first record of positions of the transmitter along the drive path, and an analyzer monitors the upstream path bandwidth and generates a second record of received signal amplitudes of the transmitted test signal as a function of time. An ingress map is generated showing the drive path and potential points of ingress in the node, and employed to remediate faults particularly in the hardline coaxial cable plant. Iterative generation of maps and corresponding remediation in the node enable improved cable communication systems with reduced noise profiles between 5 MHz and 20 MHz and employing higher modulation order QAM communication channels (e.g., 256-QAM and higher) throughout the upstream path bandwidth to increase upstream capacity.
US08948591B2
A method for operating a pulsed interference laser in an eye-safe manner in a DIRCM system onboard an aircraft is provided. A reception apparatus is used to receive echoes from the emitted pulses from the interference laser and to evaluate them to determine whether an object is situated within a prescribed laser safety distance for the DIRCM system in the laser beam. The emission of the laser beam is enabled separately for a respective period of time Δt within the period of use of the interference laser, the emission being enabled for the respective subsequent period of time Δt only if no object has been found within the laser safety distance within the respective preceding period of time Δt.
US08948590B2
Modular kit of devices for variable distribution, mixing and monitoring of optical signals in the Internet and other networks is formed by an optical module interconnected with a control electronic module of the electronic system with two redundant power supply sources, which is subsequently interconnected with the communication computer module equipped with the user communication interface and the machine communication interface. Optical module has N optical inputs and M optical outputs where N and M are non-zero natural numbers, and in total the optical module contains N×M of 2×2 type Mach-Zender interferometer optical switching elements. Each of them has two optical inputs, two optical outputs and one electric input. Optical switching elements are mutually interconnected in a grid. Control electronic module is formed by N×M pulse-width modulators connected via an interface module to the communication computer module and to the power supply distribution block.
US08948583B2
This invention provides an information processing apparatus for allowing a user to perform operation without any confusion concerning a device which implements a plurality of functions for one operation member in accordance with operation methods for the operation member. A system controller performs control to execute a predetermined function in response to the start of operation on an operation member and terminate execution of the predetermined function in response to the end of the operation. A timer function unit measures the time from the start of operation on the operation member. When a given operation finishes before the time measured by the timer function unit exceeds a predetermined time after the start of the operation, a notification about the operation method for the operation member is output.
US08948582B2
In a heat medium heating device 10 in which a heat exchange element 20 formed by stacking multiple flat heat exchange tubes 21 and multiple pairs of PTC heaters 26 in multiple layers is fastened and fixed into a casing 11 including heat medium outlet and inlet paths 15 and 16, connection portions 48 and 49 between a power supply HV harness and a control LV harness 44 are provided on an outer surface on one surface side where the heat medium outlet and inlet paths 15 and 16 of the casing 11 are provided, and a control substrate 33 that controls energization to the PTC heaters 26 is disposed on an inside on the same side as a surface on which the connection portions 48 and 49 of the casing 11 is provided.
US08948572B2
A system for video compositing is comprised of a storage device for storing a composite timeline file. A timeline manager reads rendering instructions and compositing instructions from the stored file. A plurality of filter graphs, each receiving one of a plurality of video streams, renders frames therefrom in response to the rendering instructions. 3D hardware is responsive to the rendered frames and the compositing instructions for creating a composite image. A frame scheduler is responsive to the plurality of filter graphs for controlling the frequency at which the 3D hardware creates a new composite image. An output is provided for displaying the composite image. Methods of generating a composite work and methods of generating the timeline file are also disclosed. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this Abstract should not be used to construe the claims.
US08948568B2
Systems and methods for customizing video include providing a portion of video to an electronic display and identifying a character or personality in the portion of video. A request to perform an action regarding the portion of video may be detected and the action may be associated with the identified character or personality. The action may be performed on a second portion of video in response to the character or personality being identified in the second portion of video.
US08948565B2
The subject matter discloses a method, comprising obtaining a current retention time of storage associated with a digital recorder; obtaining current bitrates of channels used to transmit video captured by edge devices communicating with the digital recorder. The method then determines change in compression rates to be allocated to at least a portion of the channels according to the current retention time and the current bitrates and transmits the change in compression rates to be allocated to the channels to edge devices communicating with the digital recorder. The method can be implemented in a system in which several digital recorders use the same storage.
US08948563B2
The invention relates to a measuring apparatus comprising an apparatus for forming a liquid optical waveguide having a substrate (1) having an at least partially curved closed microchannel (2) having a low-refractive coating (13), whereby there is formed in the substrate (1) at least one feed line (6) for supplying liquid, and whereby there is provided at least at one end of the closed microchannel (2) an apparatus for coupling light axially into the closed microchannel and/or for coupling light axially out of the closed microchannel (2), further comprising a light source (4), a light detector (5), and a first liquid pump (9) which supplies a sample liquid (7) to the closed microchannel (2) via the at least one feed line (6, 6a).
US08948553B2
An optical coupler for processing radiation is described. The optical coupler comprises a first deep-shallow waveguide and a second deep-shallow waveguide for guiding radiation in a propagation direction. Each of the deep-shallow waveguides is a waveguide comprising a shallow etched portion and an unetched portion having a width substantially constant along the propagation direction. The width of the shallow etched portion is substantially larger than the width of the unetched portion. The shallow etched portion of the first deep-shallow waveguide and the shallow etched portion of the second deep-shallow waveguide are arranged sufficiently close for coupling radiation from the first deep-shallow waveguide to the second deep-shallow waveguide.
US08948545B2
According to various embodiments, the system and method of the present invention process light-field image data so as to reduce color artifacts, reduce projection artifacts, and/or increase dynamic range. These techniques operate, for example, on image data affected by sensor saturation and/or microlens modulation. Flat-field images are captured and converted to modulation images, and then applied on a per-pixel basis, according to techniques described herein.
US08948542B2
An image processing apparatus for processing image data by a plurality of pipeline-connected processing modules is provided. The apparatus includes a first pipeline processing unit configured to include a plurality of processing modules including a processing module which processes image data for every first size; and a second pipeline processing unit configured to be branched from the first pipeline processing unit and include a plurality of processing modules including a processing module which processes image data for every second size different from the first size. The second pipeline processing unit includes, at a start, a change unit configured to acquire partial image data of the first size from the first pipeline processing unit and change the partial image data of the first size into partial image data of the second size.
US08948537B2
Methods and apparatus according to various aspects take as input image data in a lower-dynamic-range (LDR) format and produce as output enhanced image data having a dynamic range greater than that of the input image data (i.e. higher-dynamic range (HDR) image data). In some embodiments, the methods are applied to video data and are performed in real-time (i.e. processing of video frames to enhance the dynamic range of the video frames is completed at least on average at the frame rate of the video signal).
US08948536B2
The present invention relates to a method of performing dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of an object (10) with signal separation for water and fat, the method comprising acquiring magnetic resonance datasets in the k-space using Dixon acquisition in a chemical shift encoding space and dynamic time resolution in a dynamic time space, wherein the dataset acquisition is performed employing undersampling, wherein the method further comprises: applying a compressed sensing reconstruction technique in the k-space, the chemical shift encoding space and the dynamic time space, said compressed sensing reconstruction resulting in reconstructed datasets, —performing Dixon reconstruction on the reconstructed datasets and dynamic contrast analysis on the Dixon reconstructed datasets.
US08948534B2
A magnetic resonance image (MRI) data array representing an image is filtered in k-space (Fourier space) domain to produce a low-pass filtered data array, a band-pass filtered data array and a high-pass filtered data array. These filtered k-space arrays are two-dimensionally Fourier-Transformed into the image domain where the magnitude of the band-pass filtered data array is thresholded and feathered to produce a fuzzy continuous valued (“gray-scale”) edge mask data array, and the real part of the high-pass filtered data array may, if desired, be soft-thresholded to produce a soft thresholded sharpening mask data array. The edge mask data array is multiplied with the sharpening mask data array and the result is added to the magnitude of the low-pass filtered data array in the image domain to produce a Gibbs' ringing and noise-filtered image to better represent the underlying anatomy.
US08948533B2
Systems, methods, and software for operating an image processing system are provided herein. In a first example, a method of operating an image processing system is provided. The method includes identifying object pixels associated with an object of interest in a scene, identifying additional pixels to associate with the object of interest, and performing an operation based on a depth of the object in the scene on target pixels comprised of the object pixels and the additional pixels to change a quality of the object of interest.
US08948530B2
Provided are an adaptive image compression system and method. The adaptive image compression method includes a step of determining, at an adaptive image compression system, characteristics of an image that is to be compressed, a step of determining, at the adaptive image compression system, a quantization scale factor based on the characteristics of the image that is to be compressed, a step of generating an adaptive quantization table corresponding to the image that is to be compressed based on the determined quantization scale factor, and a step of encoding the image that is to be compressed using the generated adaptive quantization table.
US08948521B2
Provided is a method for assessing image quality using quantization codes, which includes: filtering an original image and a distorted image; generating phase quantization codes from the filtering result; calculating a Hamming difference between the phase quantization code of the original image and the phase quantization code of the distorted image; and assessing image quality of the distorted image by using the calculated Hamming difference. According to the present disclosure, since pixel values of the original image and the distorted image are mapped onto a quantized complex plane and then binary code operation is performed, it is possible to easily implement image quality assessing hardware and also ensure excellent image quality assessing performance.
US08948517B2
One exemplary embodiment involves identifying feature matches between each of a plurality of object images and a test image, each of the feature matches between a feature of a respective object image and a matching feature of the test image, wherein there is a spatial relationship between each respective object image feature and a first landmark of the object image, the first landmark at a known location in the object image. The embodiment additionally involves estimating a plurality of locations for a second landmark for the test image, the estimated locations based at least in part on the feature matches and the spatial relationships, and estimating a final location for the second landmark from the plurality of locations for the second landmark for the test image.
US08948512B2
Methods, systems, and media for image processing using hierarchical expansion are provided. More particularly, the hierarchical expansion can include a merge expansion and/or a refine expansion. In some embodiments, a method for image processing, comprising: receiving a plurality of images, wherein each of the plurality of images has one of a plurality of resolutions; for a first image from the plurality of images that has a first resolution, determining a first set of labels corresponding to each pixel of the first image; and for a second image from the plurality of images that has a second resolution, generating a second set of labels corresponding to each pixel of the second image based on the first set of labels.
US08948494B2
Methods and systems for generating unbiased wafer defect samples are provided. One method includes selecting the defects detected by each of multiple scans performed on a wafer that have the most diversity in one or more defect attributes such that a diverse set of defects are selected across each scan. In addition, the method may include selecting the defects such that any defect that is selected and is common to two or more of the scans is not selected twice and any defects that are selected are diverse with respect to the common, selected defect. Furthermore, no sampling, binning, or classifying of the defects may be performed prior to selection of the defects such that the sampled defects are unbiased by any sampling, binning, or classifying method.
US08948492B2
A quality control method for a machine for processing flat objects for producing packaging: A prepress file for packaging is used to define, in an extremely simple and quick way, masked zones which define which parts of the surface of the object are the parts in which the defects are not to be considered.
US08948488B2
Methods and systems for digitally enhancing an initial image of a material to which a plurality of stains were previously applied, that generally comprise: unmixing the image into a plurality of individual reconstructed images, each individual image corresponding to one of the stains; estimating a residual image corresponding to the difference between the original image and the reconstructed images; adjusting one or more components of the individual images; mixing the adjusted components using one or more estimated mixing coefficients; and adding the residual image to the mixed adjusted components to generate an enhanced image.
US08948485B2
In order to generate a three-dimensional tomographic image in which the visibility of specific tissue that an examiner wants is enhanced, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 of the present invention includes: an offset calculating section 16 which increases or decreases the brightness value of each voxel according to the brightness value of each voxel of a three-dimensional tomographic image volume data. The amount of increase or decrease in the brightness value of each voxel of the offset calculating section is adjustable through a control panel 26, and a tomographic image volume rendering section generates the three-dimensional tomographic image on the basis of a three-dimensional tomographic image volume data in which the brightness value is offset by the offset calculating section.
US08948480B2
A method for image reconstruction includes receiving under-sampled k-space data, determining a data fidelity term of a first image of the under-sampled k-space data in view of a second image of the under-sampled k-space data, wherein a time component separated the first image and the second image, determining a spatial penalization on redundant Haar wavelet coefficients of the first image in view of the second image, and optimizing the first image according the data fidelity term and the spatial penalization, wherein the spatial penalization selectively penalizes temporal coefficients and an optimized image of the first image is output.
US08948478B2
Disclosed is a method of processing data pertaining to a medical procedure. The method includes receiving information indicative of at least one of an imaging device and a video capture device, and information indicative of an identity of a patient to be treated during the medical procedure. The data is received by the computer system without the identity of the patient. A relationship is established to link the data with the identification of the patient. Application of at least one processing rule is initiated to reduce a file size of the data from an original file size of the data as transmitted by the at least one of the imaging device and the video capture device. The data is stored in combination with the identification of the patient in a manner compliant with a standardized medical imaging transmission format.
US08948476B2
A system and method for identifying a location of a physical structure in a body is provided. The system includes an electronic control unit configured to register a first image of a portion of the body in a three-dimensional coordinate system. The electronic control unit is further configured to identify the location of the physical structure in the three-dimensional coordinate system responsive to flow of a fluid shown in the image. The fluid may comprise blood. In one embodiment, the electronic control unit is further configured to generate a second image, such as a three dimensional model, incorporating a representation of the physical structure within a larger physical environment in the three-dimensional coordinate system.
US08948470B2
Processing for judging whether a face is included in a frame is performed, in a predetermined interval, on each of frames included in a moving image of a subject, displayed on a monitor, until the judgment becomes positive. If it is judged that a face is included in a frame, the facial position is detected in the frame, and stored. Then, judgment is made as to whether a face is included in the next frame after predetermined time. If the judgment is positive, the facial position is detected. The previously stored facial position is replaced by the newly detected facial position, and the newly detected facial position is stored. These processes are repeated until photographing operation is performed by operating a release unit.
US08948467B2
A condition based method that selects an appropriate approach among various iris and ocular image recognition algorithms for matching periocular images of a probe and target as a function of quality of images to obtain robust matching even under non-ideal acquisition scenarios.
US08948461B1
A method and system for estimating the three dimensional position of an object in a three dimensional physical space. Specifically, the method discloses capturing a plurality of images of a human form within the three dimensional (3D) physical space. Each of the plurality of images is captured from a different viewpoint location of the human form. At least one image capturing device calibrated within the 3D physical space is used to capture the images. A plurality of silhouettes of the human form is extracted from the plurality of images. A plurality of contours of an object of the human form is obtained from the plurality of silhouettes. A location of the object within the 3D physical space is determined from an object model of the object based on the plurality of contours.
US08948454B2
A method and system for training a special object detector to distinguish a foreground object appearing in a sequence of frames for a target domain. The sequence of frames depicts motion of the foreground object in a non-uniform background. The foreground object is detected in a high-confidence subwindow of an initial frame of the sequence, which includes computing a measure of confidence that the high-confidence subwindow includes the foreground object and determining that the measure of confidence exceeds a specified confidence threshold. The foreground object is tracked in respective positive subwindows of subsequent frames appearing after the initial frame. The subsequent frames are within a specified short period of time. The positive subwindows are used to train the special object detector to detect the foreground object in the target domain. The positive subwindows include the subwindow of the initial frame and the respective subwindows of the subsequent frames.
US08948447B2
In one aspect, a computer implemented method of motion capture, the method includes tracking the motion of a dynamic object bearing a pattern configured such that a first portion of the patterns is tracked at a first resolution and a second portion of the pattern is tracked at a second resolution. The method further includes causing data representing the motion to be stored to a computer readable medium.
US08948446B2
A method comprises receiving a first frame from at least one imaging device, receiving a second frame from the at least one imaging device, analyzing at least a portion of the first frame and at least a portion of the second frame, and indicating when at least one of a zero velocity update and a zero attitude update should be performed based on at least in part on the analysis of the at least a portion of the first frame and the at least a portion of the second frame. The first frame is captured at a first vantage point and the second frame is captured at a second vantage point.
US08948445B2
A two dimensional barcode containing encoded information can be embedded with an image with a high visual quality. The encoded information within the barcode is meaningful to machines, while the image is meaningful to humans. The two dimensional barcode embedded with the image is designed such that machines can decode the information encoded within the two dimensional barcode even with the distortion from the image. The subject application describes various systems, methods and devices that can facilitate embedding the image within the two dimensional barcode, detecting the two dimensional barcode embedded with the image within a practical environment, and decoding the encoded information from the two dimensional barcode even with the distortion from the image.
US08948442B2
Vehicle includes a structure defining an interior space for containing or designed to contain one or more objects, and an arrangement mounted on, joined or coupled to the structure for determining whether an object is present in the interior space, or the presence of multiple objects. One arrangement includes at least one optical imaging device arranged to receive images of the interior space defined by the structure, and a processor coupled to the optical imaging device(s) and arranged to determine whether one or more objects are present in the interior space and when one or more objects are determined to be present, to obtain information about the object or objects. The processor is preferably arranged to distinguish between different objects and/or different arrangements of objects. A related method for obtaining information about objects in interior spaces of vehicles is also disclosed.
US08948440B2
An electro-acoustic transducer includes a frame with an accommodating space defined therein and an opening opened in a top surface thereof, at least one driving unit equipped in the accommodating space of the frame, a diaphragm movably mounted at the opening of the frame, at least one fulcrum settled in the accommodating space of the frame, and at least one lever placed next to the fulcrum to contact with and use the fulcrum as rotation center thereof. The lever connects with the driving unit and the diaphragm at two ends thereof and transmits vibration wave from the driving unit to the diaphragm. The lever has a longer length from the fulcrum to the diaphragm than from the fulcrum to the driving unit for increasing the vibration stroke of the diaphragm during transmitting the vibration wave.
US08948420B2
A MEMS microphone. The MEMS microphone includes a substrate, a transducer support that includes or supports a transducer, a housing, and an acoustic channel. The transducer support resides on the substrate. The housing surrounds the transducer support and includes an acoustic aperture. The acoustic channel couples the acoustic aperture to the transducer, and isolates the transducer from an interior area of the MEMS microphone.
US08948416B2
The present invention is directed to a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone and a method for processing audio signal in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone. The wireless telephone includes a first microphone, a second microphone, and a signal processor. The first microphone outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component. The second microphone outputs a second audio signal. The signal processor increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.
US08948412B2
A system for adjusting an audio setting for a headset, comprises a communications device, a detachable headband containing a detectable element that can be coupled to the communications device, a sensor coupled to the communications device configured to determine whether the headband is coupled to the communications device and a processor configured to adjust the audio setting for the headset to a headband mode when the headband is coupled to the communications device. The processor may also adjust the audio setting of the headset to a non-headband mode based on the sensor detecting the headband being disconnected from the communications device.
US08948397B2
A major management apparatus, an authorized management apparatus, an electronic apparatus for delegated key management and key management methods thereof are provided. The major management apparatus generates a first delegation deployment message and a second delegation deployment message, which are transmitted to the authorized management apparatus and the electronic apparatus, respectively. The authorized management apparatus encrypts an original key management message into a key management message by an authorization key included in the first delegation deployment message. The original key management message includes an operation code and a key identity. The electronic apparatus decrypts the key management message into the original key management message by the authorization key included in the second delegation deployment message. The electronic apparatus selects an application key according to the key identity and operates the application key based on the operation code.
US08948395B2
A novel key management approach is provided for securing communication handoffs between and access terminal and two access points. This approach provides for securely handing off communications between an access terminal and access point without risking exposure a master key for the access terminal. Temporary master keys are derived for low latency handoffs and secure authentication between a new access point and the access terminal. In one aspect, a distributive key management scheme is provided in which a current access point generates a new security key (based on its own security key) that is used by the next access point with which an access terminal communicates. In another aspect, a centralized key management scheme is provided in which a central authenticator maintains, generates, and distributes new security keys (based on a master security key associated with the access terminal) to access points.
US08948379B2
The invention relates to a system for data exchange between at least two communication networks using the IP Internet protocol, a first network having a security level N1 higher than the security network N2 of a second network, and several terminals being connected to the first and second networks, characterised in that it comprises at least the following members: means for marking the flows based on their security level, a gateway between the first network (1) and the network (2) for carrying out a protocol interruption, and means for filtering the data flows suitable for checking the marking and to give authorisation for the broadcasting of the flow based on the relevancy between the marker and the sensitivity level of the communication, and visual means on the terminal for indicating to the user whether or not he communicates on a secured media.
US08948375B2
A data processing system is provided that includes applications, databases, encryption engines, and decryption engines. Encryption and decryption engines may be used to perform format-preserving encryption on data strings stored in a database. Applications may be used to embed information in data strings. Information may be embedded by using a character set that is larger than a character set being used by a data string. A data string may be converted into a larger character set, analogous to converting a number from a lower base to higher base. Such a conversion may shorten a data string, allowing information to be embedded as appended characters.
US08948363B2
A method and system for conference call scheduling using e-mail. The method and system can receive and parse an e-mail received from a conference moderator, containing scheduling and participant information and schedule a conference call with minimal further user intervention. In essence, the method and system can operate as a virtual administrative assistant to identify and collect telephone contact information for each of the proposed conference call participants, using a customizable hierarchy of internal and external sources of contact information. In this manner, the conference moderator does not need know telephone contact information for each conference call participant.
US08948357B2
A directory assistance service includes a database and an interface module. The database stores a set of audio advertisements, and the audio advertisements are priced based on a tiered pricing model. The interface module is in communication with the database and receives a directory assistance request from a caller, plays the caller one or more audio advertisements from the database, and charges an advertiser for playing the audio advertisements based on the tiered pricing model.
US08948354B2
A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations.
US08948346B2
A collimator for adjusting the shape of a region irradiated by radiation and a control method thereof. The collimator includes a plurality of irises to adjust the shape of the irradiation region, a light source outputting light to display the irradiation region, a reflective mirror to adjust a path of light radiated from the light source toward the irradiation region, and an image output unit outputting to the irradiation region a visible image representing the shape of a target object for radiography or a mark indicating the center of the radiation region.
US08948335B2
An embodiment of the present invention takes the form of a system that may reduce the level of flow-induced vibration (FIV) experienced by a jet pump assembly or other similar object within a pressure vessel. Essentially, an embodiment of the present invention may reduce the slip-joint leakage, which may be a cause of the FIVs, by adding a flow-limiting component to an outlet of the slip joint. This component may take the form of a collar, channel, and/or other component that may be connectable to a component of the jet pump assembly. After installation, an embodiment of the present invention may lower the amplitude of, and/or change the frequency of, the FIVs experienced by the jet pump assembly.
US08948331B2
Embodiments of circuits and methods are described for decreasing transmitter waveform dispersion penalty (TWDP) in a transmitter. A data stream is received for transmission across a channel and a main data signal is generated from the data stream. At least two cursor signals are generated where each of the at least two cursor signals are shifted at least a portion of a clock period from the main data signal. The at least two cursor signals are subtracted from the main data signal to generate an output data signal with improved TWDP. Other embodiments include generating a main data signal, a pre-cursor signal shifted on previous clock cycle relative to the main data signal, and a post-cursor signal Shifted one subsequent clock cycle relative to the main data signal. The pre and post cursor signals are subtracted from the main data signal to generate an output data signal.
US08948330B1
In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, systems and methods are provided for aligning signals in a timing recovery system. In certain implementations, a coarse phase error indicative of a phase offset between a reference signal and a signal is identified. The signal is transformed based at least in part on the coarse phase error, and operation of a phase-locked loop is initiated based at least in part on the coarse phase error.
US08948323B2
Devices and methods for suppressing interference in inter-cell and intra-cell network communication. First and second received signals are received at a communication device, the first and second received signals comprising, respectively, reference signals and data signals. Estimated channel vectors are calculated from the first received signals, and estimated data covariance matrices are calculated from the second received signals. A plurality of combining weight vectors are determined based on the estimated channel vectors and the estimated data covariance matrices. The second received signals are then combined with the plurality of combining weight vectors to obtain a plurality of combined signals, wherein interference in the second received signals has been suppressed in the plurality of combined signals.
US08948321B2
A receiver may be operable to receive an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal, and generate a plurality of soft decisions as to information carried in the ISC signal. The soft decisions may be generated using a reduced-state sequence estimation (RSSE) process. The RSSE process may be such that the number of symbol survivors retained after each iteration of the RSSE process is less than the maximum likelihood state space. The plurality of soft decisions may comprise a plurality of log likelihood ratios (LLRs). Each of the plurality of LLRs may correspond to a respective one of a plurality of subwords of a forward error correction (FEC) codeword.
US08948316B2
Upstream frequency response measurement and characterization. Signaling is provided between respective communication devices within a communication system. Based upon at least one of these signals, one of the communication devices captures a number of sample sets corresponding thereto at different respective frequencies (e.g., a different respective center frequencies, frequency bands, etc.). Then, spectral analysis is performed with respect to each of the sample sets to generate a respective and corresponding channel response estimate there from. After this number of channel response estimates is determined, they are combined or splice together to generate a full channel response estimate. In implementations including an equalizer, different respective sample sets may correspond to those that have undergone equalization processing and those that have not.
US08948310B2
Devices and methods for dynamically selecting a matching network for an antenna are provided. In one example, an electronic device capable of selecting such a matching network may include an antenna, several selectable matching networks, a radio receiver, and matching network control circuitry. The radio receiver may couple to the antenna via one of the selectable matching networks to receive a radio signal with both an analog and digital component. The matching network control circuitry may select the matching network from among the several selectable matching networks based at least in part on a characteristic of the digital component of the radio signal.
US08948306B2
Systems and methods are provided for generating a modulated radio frequency (RF) output signal representing a baseband input signal. A digitizer is configured to sample the baseband input signal and produce an N-bit binary digital signal representing a scaled linear function of the signal amplitude. An RF signal source configured to produce an RF carrier signal. N amplifier paths each include at least one amplifier configured to receive the RF carrier signal as an input and provide a corresponding output RF signal. The amplifiers associated with each of the N amplifier paths are active only when a corresponding bit of the digital signal assumes a first value. A power combiner assembly is configured to combine the outputs of the plurality of amplifier paths to deliver the modulated RF output signal.
US08948299B2
A communication device includes: a converting part converting a data signal from a non-return-to-zero signal to a return-to-zero signal; a trigger flip-flop inverting an output signal every time the return-to-zero signal changes in one cycle; a first filter outputting a positive pulse and a negative pulse alternately, which indicate existence and absence of the pulse corresponding to a value of the data signal, by removing a low frequency component of an output signal of the trigger flip-flop.
US08948270B2
Techniques for power and computational load management in video processing and decoding are provided. In one configuration, an apparatus comprising a processor having a set of instructions operative to extract and compile information from a data stream having video is provided. The processor is operative to prioritize a set of parsing or decoding operations to process the data stream referred to as power management (PM) sequences based on the information and calculate projections of at least one of power and computational loading for each of the prioritized PM sequences.
US08948269B1
Systems and methods are provided for operating a decoder to decode a video frame in a multi-threaded environment. A first buffer ring state is detected based on a status of a first buffer ring, and a second buffer ring state is detected based upon a status of a second buffer ring. An adjustment of priorities of a parser thread, a decoder thread, and a renderer thread is requested based on the first buffer ring state and the second buffer ring state. The first buffer ring is interacted with to receive stream data from the parser, the stream data is decoded to generate frame data, and the second buffer ring is interacted with to provide the frame data to the renderer for display.
US08948263B2
A video request manager comprises a first state machine. The first state machine commands a memory controller to fetch reference pixels for a first portion of a picture. The second state machine commands a memory controller to write a second portion of the picture.
US08948261B2
A moving picture coding method includes: coding a coding target block using a motion vector; generating motion vector predictors; and coding the motion vector using one of the motion vector predictors generated in the generating of the motion vector predictors. In the generating of the motion vector predictors, a replacement vector which replaces a temporal motion vector predictor is added to the motion vector predictors when it is impossible to obtain the temporal motion vector predictor from a block which is included in a coded picture different from the coding target picture and corresponds to the coding target block.
US08948259B2
Provided is a method that constructs an MPM group including three intra prediction modes, determines the intra prediction mode of the MPM group specified by the prediction mode index as the intra prediction mode of the current prediction unit if the mode group indicator indicates the MPM group, and derives the intra prediction mode of the current prediction unit using the prediction mode index and the three prediction modes of the MPM group if the mode group indicator does not indicate the MPM group. Accordingly, additional bits resulted from increase of a number of intra prediction mode are effectively reduced. Also, an image compression ratio can be improved by generating a prediction block similar to an original block.
US08948251B2
The present invention provides a transcoder having a MPEG decoder and a MPEG encoder, for changing a GOP structure and the bit rate of an encoded bitstream obtained as a result of an encoding process. The MPEG encoder receives a past encoding parameters generated at a past encoding process as a history information, and performs a present encoding process by using the past encoding parameters selectively so that the present encoding process is optimized. Furthermore, the encoder describe the past encoding parameters into the encoded bitstream as the history information so as to reuse the history information in advance encoding process. The picture quality of the video data does not deteriorate even if decoding and encoding processes are carried out repeatedly by the transcoder.
US08948244B2
An image-processing apparatus is configured to read encoded video data from a recording medium, decode the encoded video data, and re-encode the decoded video data. Further, the image-processing apparatus is configured to record information about a viewing-operation-history relating to the encoded video data and determine a target bit rate of the re-encoding based on the information about the viewing-operation-history. An image-processing method includes reading encoded video data from a recording medium, decoding the encoded video data, detecting information about a viewing-operation history relating to the encoded video data, re-encoding decoded video data obtained at the decoding step, and determining a target bit rate of the re-encoding performed at the encoding step based on the information about the viewing-operation-history.
US08948241B2
Source and destination video devices may use data structures that signal details of an operation point for an MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group) System bitstream. In one example, an apparatus includes a multiplexer that constructs a data structure corresponding to a multiview video coding (MVC) operation point of an MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group) System standard bitstream, wherein the data structure signals a rendering capability value that describes a rendering capability to be satisfied by a receiving device to use the MVC operation point, a decoding capability value that describes a decoding capability to be satisfied by the receiving device to use the MVC operation point, and a bitrate value that describes a bitrate of the MVC operation point, and that includes the data structure as part of the bitstream, and an output interface that outputs the bitstream comprising the data structure.
US08948239B1
An apparatus includes a phase delay module that is configured to receive a set of signals from an antenna assembly having a horizontal polarization element and an elliptical polarization element. The horizontal polarization element and the elliptical polarization element are collectively configured to receive the set of signals over a coverage area. The phase delay module is configured to determine (1) a signal strength of a first signal from the set of signals received via the horizontal polarization element and (2) a signal strength of a second signal from the set of signals received via the elliptical polarization element. The phase delay module is configured to send a combined signal including (1) the first signal and (2) the second signal having a phase delay if the signal strength of the first signal is higher than the signal strength of the second signal.
US08948238B2
Apparatus, the apparatus having at least one processor and at least one memory having computer-readable code stored thereon which when executed controls the at least one processor to perform a method comprising: obtaining in-phase and quadrature samples of a received radio signal at least first and second discrete instances in time; processing the samples to provide information relating to the amplitude and/or phase of the received radio signal at the first and second instances in time; using the amplitude and/or phase information of the received radio signal at the first and second instances in time to determine whether interference is present on the received radio signal; forwarding the complex signal parameters for processing if interference is determined not to be present; and discarding the complex signal parameters without forwarding them for processing if interference is determined to be present.
US08948228B2
In one embodiment, the invention relates to systems, methods and devices for improving the operation of an electromagnetic radiation source or component thereof. In one embodiment, the source is a laser source. A Fourier domain mode locked laser can be used in various embodiments. The sources described herein can be used in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system such as a frequency domain OCT system. In one embodiment, laser coherence length is increased by compensating for dispersion. A frequency shifter can also be used in one embodiment to compensate for a tunable filter induced Doppler shift.
US08948226B2
A method for producing light emission, including the following steps: providing a transistor structure that includes a semiconductor base region disposed between a semiconductor emitter region and a semiconductor collector region; providing a cascade region between the base region and the collector region, the cascade region having a plurality of sequences of quantum size regions, the quantum size regions of the sequences varying, in the direction toward the collector region, from a relatively higher energy state to a relatively lower energy state; providing emitter, base and collector electrodes respectively coupled with the emitter, base, and collector regions; and applying electrical signals with respect to the emitter, base, and collector electrodes to cause and control light emission from the cascade region.
US08948222B1
A light source including a laser diode, and a method of operating a light source including a laser diode are disclosed. A driving current of the laser diode is dithered to cause a near-field light intensity distribution at an end facet to be perturbed, thereby reducing a time-averaged local intensity of the laser light at the end facet of the laser diode. The reduced time-averaged intensity reduces a possibility of a damage of the end facet.
US08948220B2
A microcrystal laser assembly including a gain-crystal includes a frame having a high thermal conductivity. The frame has a base with two spaced apart portions extending from the base. The gain-crystal has a resonator output minor on one surface thereof. The gain-crystal is supported on the spaced-apart portions of the frame in the space therebetween. Another resonator minor is supported in that space, spaced apart from the output mirror, on a pedestal attached to the base of the frame. The pedestal and the frame have different CTE. Varying the frame temperature varies the spacing between the resonator minors depending on the CTE difference between the pedestal and the frame.
US08948214B2
Methods, transmitter, receiver and computer program product for transmitting or receiving data of a real-time communication event, the data being transmitted from the transmitter to a jitter buffer of the receiver. At least one processing parameter describing how data is to be processed for transmission from the transmitter to the jitter buffer in the real-time communication event is determined at the transmitter. Data is processed for transmission from the transmitter to the jitter buffer in accordance with the determined at least one processing parameter. Control information based on the determined at least one processing parameter is transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver, wherein the control information is for use by the receiver to control a state of the jitter buffer. The processed data is transmitted from the transmitter to the jitter buffer of the receiver in the real-time communication event.
US08948204B2
A method for receiving packet data at a communication channel and transmitting the packet data over serial links of the communication channel. The packet data is sliced into n-bit data portions which are concatenated with a header prior to transmitting an n-bit portion across one of the serial links of the communication channel. The header may include an invert bit to alter the majority sign of an n-bit portion. Other aspects of the present invention are also described herein.
US08948203B1
Method and system for establishing asymmetric transfer rates between a first node and a second node communicating with each other via a network link using Ethernet as a network protocol is provided. The method includes determining during a negotiation process that the first node and the second node have compatible asymmetric capability to set a first rate for transmitting information via the network link and a second rate for receiving information via the network link using Ethernet as the network protocol; and establishing the first rate for transmitting information and the second rate for receiving information. Furthermore, the first node includes a first port having a receive segment and a transmit segment. The transmit segment and the receive segment have separate PLL modules such that the transmit segment can transmit data at a first rate and the receive segment can receive data at a second rate via the network link.
US08948201B2
A packet transfer apparatus connects two networks of different protocols. The packet transfer apparatus, connected to a first communication network and a second communication network, performs the steps of: storing first destination correspondence information; receiving a packet of the first communication protocol; based on the first destination correspondence information, determining destination information of a packet of the second communication protocol corresponding to destination information of the received packet of the first communication protocol; generating the header of the packet of the second communication protocol, based on the determined destination information of the packet of the second communication protocol; converting the received one or more packets of the first communication protocol into one or more packets of the third communication protocol; and adding the generated header of the packet of the second communication protocol to the packets of the third communication protocol.
US08948200B2
An approach provides interdomain traversal to support packetized voice transmissions. A request is received and specifies a directory number for establishing a communication session from a first endpoint to a second endpoint. The first endpoint is behind a first network address translator of a first domain, and the second endpoint is within a second domain. A service provider network is accessed to determine a network address for communicating with the second endpoint based on the directory number, to determine existence of a second network address translator within the second domain, and to establish, if the network address can be determined, a media path between the first endpoint and the second endpoint based on the network address to support the communication session. An encrypted session is established with a proxy server according to a cryptographic protocol to support the media path. The proxy server resides within the second domain.
US08948188B1
A network device including a classifier and a processor. The classifier is configured to select a plurality of packets according to a rule. The rule describes a characteristic associated with the plurality of packets selected by the classifier. The processor is configured to, during runtime, execute a program to compare a portion of the plurality of packets to one or more predetermined patterns. During the runtime, one or more additional predetermined patterns can be added to the program for comparison with a portion of one or more of the plurality of packets selected by the classifier without having to reboot the network device.
US08948187B2
A method for communicating additional network information using a synchronization identifier is presented. A synchronization identifier is defined. The synchronization identifier is used for the purpose of synchronizing communication between a Mobile Station (MS) and a network. In addition, the synchronization identifier is used to define additional functionality in the wireless network. As such, the synchronization identifier may be used to communicate information about wireless services and/or wireless components between the MS and the network.
US08948175B2
Methods, devices, and systems for selecting a link of a link group based on contents of a concealed header are disclosed. A network node operating method includes a first network node receiving a packet and concluding that a link group connecting the first network node to a second network node will forward the packet to the second network node. The method further includes determining that the packet includes a tunnel header and an original header concealed by the tunnel header, selecting one link from among a set of parallel links of the link group based at least on one or more fields of the concealed original header, and forwarding the packet to the second network node via the selected link.
US08948174B2
In general, this disclosure describes techniques for applying, with a network device, subscriber-specific packet processing using an internal processing path that includes service objects that are commonly applied to multiple packet flows associated with multiple subscribers. In one example, a network device control plane creates subscriber records that include, for respective subscribers, one or more variable values that specify service objects as well as an identifier for a packet processing template. A forwarding plane of the network device receives and maps subscriber packets to an associated subscriber record and then processes the packet by executing the packet processing template specified by the subscriber record. When the forwarding plane reaches a variable while executing the specified packet processing template, the forwarding plane reads the associated variable value from the subscriber record to identify and then apply the subscriber-specific service object specified by the variable.
US08948173B2
Some bus protocols are useful for management of peripheral devices that exist on a computer's system bus. Such bus protocols include the industry standard architecture bus (ISA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), PCI express (PCIe), etc. The usefulness of such protocols for control messages, interrupt management and more is limited to the short distances over which the protocols operate, usually measured in inches. The use of longer distance transport protocols, such as Ethernet to encapsulate and transport bus protocol messages allows the advantages of the short distant protocols to be used to control remote devices. A master device, with a controller or processor, may be used to manage the operation of a slave device using the bus or control protocol. Such management may include button presses, indicator lights, slave device configuration, etc. The slave device may have a low cost controller or ASIC to provide real-time operational functions, such as routing.
US08948172B2
A system that facilitate broadcast of a device discovery beacon by a dynamic physical device wishing to bind to one or more control systems are provided. If the dynamic physical device comprises of server that is configured to bind to multiple master controllers, the dynamic physical device may include a device Type Flag and set the value of the device Type Flag to indicate the dynamic physical device comprises a server. On detection of the beacon, a master controller evaluates the device Type Flag if it is present in the device discovery beacon. If the device Type Flag is present and indicates the dynamic physical device comprise a server which may bind to multiple master controllers, the master controller may automatically load a device Module for the dynamic physical device and commence communications with the dynamic physical device with no manual intervention.
US08948171B1
A system and method for routing multicast packets. A multicast packet is received at an inbound interface on a switch/router. S,G data are obtained from the packet and used to search an OIL table. If the S,G data are found in the OIL table, the packet is forwarded on an outbound interface associated with the S,G data. If the S,G data are not found in the OIL table, the multicast routing table is consulted to obtain a longest match for the packet, and the packet is forwarded on the interface(s) which correspond to the longest match route. The multicast routing table may include a single entry, such that all packets that do not match an entry in the OIL are forwarded on the same outbound interface. The multicast routing table may include multiple entries with different covered ranges of (S,G).
US08948167B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a control unit for distributing packets of work to one or more consumer of works. The control unit is configured to assign at least one processing domain from a set of processing domains to each consumer included in the one or more consumers, receive a plurality of packets of work from at least one producer of work, wherein each packet of work is associated with a processing domain from the set of processing domains, and a first packet of work associated with a first processing domain can be processed by the one or more consumers independently of a second packet of work associated with a second processing domain, identify a first consumer that has been assigned the first processing domain, and transmit the first packet of work to the first consumer for processing.
US08948163B2
A method of managing circuit-switched calls in a mobile communications network supporting packet-switched sessions is performed as follows: upon reception by the mobile communications network of a circuit-switched call for a user of the mobile communication network, the network ascertains whether the user is engaged in a packet-switched session. In the affirmative case, the network closes the packet-switched data exchange session prior to attempting to route the call to the user.
US08948158B2
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for uplink control feedback design in relation to the high speed dedicated physical control channel (HS-DPCCH). First uplink data may be transmitted on a HS-DPCCH to a first serving cell and a second serving cell, where the first serving cell may be used as a timing reference cell for the uplink transmission. The first serving cell may be associated with a first NodeB and the second serving cell may be associated with a second NodeB. First downlink data may be received from the first serving cell and second downlink data may be received from the second serving cell. A timing reference for uplink transmission may be changed such that the second serving cell may be used as the timing reference cell. Second uplink data may be transmitted on the HS-DPCCH using the second serving cell as the timing reference cell.
US08948143B2
Disclosed are a scrambling transmission method and device thereof. The method comprises: a user terminal generates the message to be sent and modulates the message to be sent to generate the data modulation symbols; the user terminal scrambles the data modulation symbol using the cell-specific scrambling sequence, to generate the scrambled data modulation symbols; and the user terminal sending the scrambled data modulation symbols via a DFT-S-OFDM transmission structure with a time domain spreading. The present invention can reduce the interference among different user terminal data on the same resource in adjacent cells, thus improve the detection performance of uplink control signals.
US08948142B2
A method, device and system for determining resource locations are disclosed in the invention, wherein the method includes the following steps: a user equipment (UE) receiving the High-speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH) from a network side equipment; according to said HS-SCCH, the said UE obtaining the time slot on which the High-speed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH) is located; according to the time slot on which said HS-DSCH is located, said UE determining the sub-frame on which said HS-DSCH is located; the UE receiving the HS-DSCH from said network-side device in the time-slots, which said HS-DSCH is located on, in the subframe which said HS-DSCH is located on. In the invention, the UE is enabled to determine the sub-frame on which the UE is located, according to the time-slots which are distributed by a base-station and the HS-DSCH is located on; while the HS-DSCH resource of TS0 is distributed to the UE, sufficient time for decoding the HS-SCCH is reserved for the UE, thus, when TS0 is adopted as the HS-DSCH resource in the TD-SCDMA system, the problem that the UE cannot accomplish HS-SCCH decoding and HS DSCH data reception in time is solved.
US08948136B2
A method of allocating resources in a communication system and a station for the communication system is disclosed. The communication system is such that a plurality of user equipment can communicate data on a dedicated channel. In the method a request for communication resources may be sent from a user equipment to the station on a first protocol layer. Priority information is obtained at the station from a data flow on a second protocol layer. Communication resources may then at least partially be allocated based on said priority information.
US08948134B2
Examples are disclosed for user feedback to enable a handoff profile for a dual-mode hybrid mobile device. In some examples communication link handoff logic may be executed by the processor component to receive user feedback during a test voice call mediated with a call server, the user feedback pertaining to one or more Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication link parameters for the communication link between the hybrid mobile device and the call server. The communication link parameters are correlated with a call quality threshold based on the user feedback and a handoff profile is established for the hybrid mobile device based on the call quality thresholds, the handoff profile operative to establish criteria for switching the VoIP communication link to a communication link over a different network.
US08948126B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure propose techniques for performing a time division duplex-long term evolution (TDD-LTE) measurement in a time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) system. Certain aspects provide a method that generally includes obtaining measurements of downlink (DL) transmission from a base station (BS) of a second radio access technology (RAT), maintaining uplink (UL) transmission with a BS of a first RAT while obtaining the measurements, and performing network acquisition operations with the BS of the second RAT based on the measurements.
US08948118B2
The invention relates methods for triggering channel quality feedback for at least one of plural component carriers of a communication system available for downlink transmission. The invention suggests a mechanism for triggering channel quality feedback from a terminal where the downlink control signaling overhead for the selection of component carrier(s) to be reported on is minimized. One aspect of the invention is a new interpretation of a predetermined format for dedicated control information comprising a CQI request flag, which is depending on the status of the CQI request flag. In case the CQI request flag is set at least one further bit of the dedicated control information is interpreted as information indicative of the one or more component carriers available for downlink transmission to the terminal and the terminal is providing channel quality feedback on the channel quality experienced on the indicated component carrier or component carriers.
US08948113B2
The teachings herein disclose methods (600, 700) and apparatuses (36, 50) for dynamically rescheduling retransmissions from a selected Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest, “HARQ”, process, based on temporarily remapping the selected HARQ process to one or more subframes (12) that are by default scheduled for another HARQ process running synchronously with the first HARQ process. One advantage of dynamic rescheduling is that a retransmission for a given HARQ process can be accelerated in time, as compared to when the retransmission would occur absent the remapping. In another advantageous aspect, in at least some embodiments, the control signalling (20) for dynamic rescheduling is included in the Downlink Control Information, “DCI”, used to send scheduling grants for the HARQ processes, such that dynamic rescheduling uses control signalling (20) that is compatible with existing scheduling grant signalling.
US08948102B2
A channel access method for a very high throughput (VHT) system using a bonding channel having a plurality of subchannels is provided. The method includes receiving training information comprising a training offset value through a subchannel, performing channel estimation on a full channel bandwidth comprising all subchannels when a time corresponding to the training offset value is elapsed after the training information is received, transmitting a request to send (RTS) frame to a destination station through some subchannels selected from the plurality of subchannels by one or a plurality of source stations according to a result of the channel estimation, and transmitting a clear to send (CTS) frame to one source station selected from the plurality of source stations by the destination station in response to the received RTS frame. Accordingly, an effective channel access mechanism is provided for the VHT system, and collision among stations can be avoided.
US08948101B2
The invention provides for a method of communication within a mobile radio communications device between a chip-card in server mode and any one or more of a plurality of clients each having the same IP address, the method including the steps of creating for each of the clients a socket, wherein each socket is bound to a client port allocated by the device, associating a client identifier to each of the bound client ports, and making each said client identifier available to the chip-card whereby the chip card can distinguish between messages from the plurality of clients.
US08948099B2
In an IP Multimedia setting, a proxy server of a visited network receives a request for a geo-local service from a roaming user agent. The proxy server modifies the received request and forwards the modified request to the user agent's home network. The modification is such that the modified request or a related request message is routed back to the visited network from the user agent's home network, and the geo-local service requested by the roaming user agent is routed to an appropriate IMS entity in the visited network.
US08948097B2
Pseudo-random sequences of a plurality of user equipment specific reference signals (UE-RSs) for use by a plurality of user equipments (UEs) are initialized, the initialization of each pseudo-random sequence associated with each UE-RS being independent of a specific UE identifier and independent of a resource bandwidth assigned to a specific UE. Pseudo-random sequences of the UE-RSs are generated. At least one of the pseudo-random sequences is mapped to a portion of common resources for at least one UE among the plurality of UEs.
US08948095B2
Interference that occurs during wireless communication may be managed by determination of a selected transmit waveform exhibiting a preferred channel quality. A method, apparatus and medium of communication determine a transmit waveform from among a plurality of allocated waveforms of an unplanned access point to an associated access terminal. The transmit waveform exhibiting a highest channel quality with an associated access terminal over others of the plurality of allocated waveforms is determined. Signals are transmitted according to the transmit waveform from the unplanned access point to the associated access terminal.
US08948090B2
Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to periodic over-the-air channel state information (CSI) reporting to serving cells and one or more non-serving cells via a control channel multi-point attachment. The channel state information report may be transmitted based on information indicating how to transmit the channel state information report to the non-serving cell. The information indicating how to transmit the channel state information report may be provided by the serving eNodeB. The information may include a periodicity, offset parameters, timing advance commands, power control commands, and/or an aperiodic report request.
US08948089B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of communicating aggregate data units. For example, a device may include a wireless communication unit to communicate an aggregate data unit including a plurality of data units in an increasing order of sequence numbers assigned to the data units, such that a first data unit having a first sequence number always precedes a second data unit having a second sequence number, greater than the first sequence number.
US08948083B2
An apparatus and method for reducing the power consumed by mobile communication terminal having a wireless LAN connection function. When a data communication operation is started, a control unit determines whether a connection to a wireless LAN is available, and if so, detects the battery remaining amount in a battery unit. If the battery remaining amount is equal to or greater than a first threshold, data communication is performed through the wireless LAN connection. When the battery remaining amount is smaller than the first threshold, a screen for recommending connection through cellular communication is displayed on a display unit. When the battery remaining amount becomes smaller than a second threshold, which is smaller than the first threshold, a power source control unit performs a predetermined power saving operation.
US08948078B2
A relay device for supporting communications between a terminal device and a base station in a wireless communications system is described. The relay device comprises a transceiver arranged to at least receive an access request message from the terminal device; and a control processor operably coupled to the transceiver and arranged to process the access request message, extract information and determine therefrom a power delta value that is not based on a determination of pathloss between the relay device and the terminal device, generate a control element comprising the power delta value; and for relaying at least the control element to the base station. The control processor is further arranged to receive subsequently at least one physical uplink channel message from the terminal device wherein a transmit power level of the at least one physical uplink channel message is based at least on the power delta value.
US08948077B2
Various methods for managing interference handling overhead are provided. One example method includes generating interference overload indication information and causing the interference overload information to be transmitted on a broadcast channel for relay nodes, wherein the transmission via the broadcast channel indicates that the interference overload indication information is for a donor cell. Similar and related example methods and example apparatuses are also provided. Additional example methods and apparatuses are also provided.
US08948074B2
The invention provides a method and device for cooperative relay with multiple relay stations in the wireless telecommunication network. To be specific, according to the invention, in single-hop or multi-hop relay telecommunication link, the relay device and other relay devices within the same hop select space diversity or space multiplexing to carry out cooperative relay operation according to the processing indicating information from the base station, thus obtaining space diversity gain and space multiplexing gain.
US08948070B2
A scheduling method and system for high speed uplink packet access which comprises the following two-level scheduling: a first level scheduling for distributing the target rise over thermal (RoT) of each user equipment (UE); and a second level scheduling for tracking the assigned to target RoT via transmitting a relative authority instruction, according to the current authority and channel quality of the UE.
US08948068B2
A wireless station in a second communication system, with at least a portion of a first frequency band used in a first communication system and a portion of a second frequency band used in the second communication system being shared or neighboring, the wireless station including a waveform characteristic quantity extracting unit that extracts a waveform characteristic quantity which shows a statistical characteristic of a signal received from the first communication system; a communication parameter determining unit that determines communication parameters to be used for the wireless station in the second communication system depending on a determination result of whether the extracted waveform characteristic quantity is of a predetermined waveform characteristic quantity for reducing an interference; and a transmission and reception unit that transmits and receives a wireless communication signal in the second communication system in accordance with the determined communication parameters.
US08948066B2
The present description relates to a method for performing a HARQ process operation in a wireless communication system and to an apparatus using the method. A base station device which performs a HARQ process operation comprises a transmitter which transmits to a relay an uplink (UL) grant in a downlink backhaul subframe n which is a subframe having an index n among the allocated downlink backhaul subframes, and transmits, if downlink data sent from the relay in accordance with the uplink grant is not successfully received, a non-acknowledgement (NACK) signal in a downlink backhaul subframe n+N which is a downlink backhaul subframe that comes after N which is a predetermined number of HARQ processes counted from the downlink backhaul subframe n among the allocated downlink backhaul subframes.
US08948060B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for a timeslot teleconference. A meeting invite is created for a timeslot teleconference on a computer. Timeslots are created for the timeslot teleconference in the meeting invite on the computer. Participants are designated for the timeslots in the meeting invite on the computer, and the timeslots are different time periods during the timeslot teleconference, which can have variable start and end times, as determined by a host. Reach numbers are added for each of the participants in the meeting invite on the computer, and the reach numbers are contact numbers to call the participants for their respective timeslots. The meeting invite is transmitted to participants on the computer. To participate in the timeslot teleconference, the timeslot teleconference is configured for the reach numbers to be called for the participants to correspond to their respective timeslots and/or the participants to call in for their respective timeslots.
US08948053B2
A method includes obtaining a matrix defining a topology of a multi-hop network, where the topology identifies nodes and links between the nodes in the multi-hop network. The method also includes identifying one or more Eigenvalues and/or one or more Eigenvectors of the matrix. The method further includes determining whether the topology of the multi-hop network defines a disconnected network using the one or more Eigenvalues and/or the one or more Eigenvectors. For example, one or more Eigenvalues of the matrix can be identified, and a determination can be made whether a second smallest Eigenvalue equals zero. As another example, Eigenvectors corresponding to two smallest Eigenvalues of the matrix can be identified, and a determination can be made whether the Eigenvectors have opposite zero and non-zero entries such that, for all entries in the Eigenvectors, an ith entry in one Eigenvector is zero while an ith entry in another Eigenvector is non-zero.
US08948052B2
Systems and methods provide adaptability in a mobile ad hoc network (MANET), based on an existing protocol, such as adaptive hybrid domain routing (AHDR). The systems and methods are especially suited for fast changing topologies that may change after a reactive route discovery has been completed.
US08948050B2
The control node, on the basis of the connection information between the distribution nodes and the load information of the distribution nodes, determines a distribution node of the distribution destination to which one of a plurality of distribution nodes subsequently distributes the data, and the data type which is distributed to the distribution node of the distribution destination. The control node distributes node information which specifies the distribution node of the determined distribution destination and type information which specifies the determined data type. The distribution node receives the node information and the type information distributed from the control node. The distribution node, when it receives the data distributed from the other distribution nodes, selects the data of the type specified by the type information from the received data. The distribution node transmits the data of the selected type to the distribution node specified by the node information.
US08948049B2
Networks and devices may communicate with each other using virtual connections. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented model is generated and includes a representation of the path of a virtual connection. The path of a virtual connection, such as an IP tunnel, is traced between its source and destination. The physical connection corresponding to such IP tunnels are found by tracing through the device configuration and routing tables at routers in the network. The path between the source and destination devices is traced until the path is terminated at the destination device, or at an interface to an external network. If the path ends at an external network, the path is traced from the destination device toward the source device until a corresponding interface to the external network is reached.
US08948044B2
A system and method for implementing congestion control for vehicles based at least in part on weighted fair message rates is disclosed. The system comprises a measurement module, a calculation module and a determination module. The measurement module measures a channel busy ratio describing a fraction of time during which a channel is busy. The calculation module calculates a ratio error by comparing the measured channel busy ratio with a target channel busy ratio. The determination module determines a first parameter value for a first vehicle based at least in part on a ratio of weights and determines a message rate for the first vehicle based at least in part on the ratio error and the first parameter value. The message rate describes a speed for transmitting messages from the first vehicle.
US08948031B2
The present patent application comprises means and instructions for improving signaling by increasing a power of at least one signaling channel if errors on the signaling channel occur, comprising tracking quality of the at least one signaling channel, determining whether the at least one signaling channel has an error rate that is above a threshold, and increasing power to the at least one signaling channel if the error rate is above the threshold.
US08948029B2
A method and system for network interface naming is described.
US08948024B2
Various exemplary illustrations are provided of systems and methods for simulating a communication network. An exemplary system may include a communication router rack in communication with an external network. The rack may include a structure supporting a plurality of network router cards, each including a plurality of communication ports configured to allow selective communication between communication devices connected to the router cards and the external network. The router rack may further include a switching circuit enclosed by the rack structure that is in physical communication with the plurality of network router cards. The switching circuit may be configured to determine a unique network identifier for each of the plurality of network router cards to the external network. The rack may further include an external communication port configured to be selectively connected to the external network to allow communication between the plurality of network router cards and the external network.
US08948021B2
Example methods and apparatus to monitor border gateway protocol sessions are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes detecting a failure of a first BGP session, initiating a sustained-down timer and a reset-timer in response to detecting the failure, identifying a sustained-down condition in response to the sustained-down timer exceeding a first time threshold, identifying a flapping condition in response to counting a threshold number of BGP failures and corresponding BGP re-establishments during a second time threshold of the reset-timer, and identifying a continuous flapping condition in response to detecting the flapping condition consecutively for a threshold number of instances.
US08948010B2
The network device is described that comprises an allocator to adaptively allocate respective event message rate limits to client network devices that is in communication with an event-based system logging server to send event messages to the logging server for processing. The adaptively allocated event message rate limits are communicated to the client network devices so that limiting of a global rate of event messages received by the logging server comprises limiting the respective rates at which the client network devices can transmit event messages to the logging server. Measurement of respective event message rates comprises a count of event messages actually received by the logging server from the corresponding client device within a defined time window.
US08948007B2
A system configured to receive a request to identify a quality of service (QoS) policy to be used to process traffic that is received from a user device associated with another network; obtain an interoperable QoS policy, where the interoperable QoS policy identifies a first QoS level, associated with the other network, that corresponds to a type of traffic received from the user device; obtain, from the interoperable QoS policy, a second QoS level that corresponds to the first QoS level; and send, to a device, an instruction to process the traffic based on the second QoS level.
US08948003B2
Each of first and second bridges of a data network having respective external links to an external node implement a network bridge component that forwards traffic inside the network and a virtual bridge component that forwards traffic outside of the network. A virtual bridge is formed including the virtual bridge components of the first and second bridges and an interswitch link (ISL) between the virtual bridge components of the first and second bridges. Data frames are redirected via the ISL in response to a link-down condition of one of the external links.
US08947999B2
Example embodiments of a method and corresponding apparatus for sharing protection resources in a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) based mesh network are presented. The use of dedicated 1+1 methodologies for protection in a mesh network is reliable, but requires a large amount of equipment redundancy, as well as a large associated cost. According to the embodiments of the present method and apparatus, the total number of protection transponders needed to support single failures in a mesh network is reduced by implementing a preconfigured protection cycle (p-cycle) in the mesh network and configuring nodes along the p-cycle to share protection transponders. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present method and apparatus allow for reliable protection against single failures while lessening the amount of equipment redundancy and reducing the associated cost.
US08947998B2
In an aspect, a method for transmitting data in a wireless communication system is provided. A wireless device determines a subcarrier and a subcarrier group to which a data sequence is allocated. The wireless device modulates the data sequence by a transmit filter to generate a data stream. A waveform of the transmit filter is determined based on the subcarrier and the subcarrier group. The wireless device generates a transmission signal based on the data stream. The wireless device transmits the transmission signal through the subcarrier. The transmission signal is cyclostationary.
US08947997B2
The exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a transmission part (500), to a receiver part (600), to a transceiver comprising the transmission and receiver parts, to a radio base station comprising the transceiver, to a method in the transmission part (500) and to a method in a receiver part (600). According to the embodiments of the present invention, the transmission part (500) is configured to generate calibration sequences; process the sequences to determine a resulting calibration signal prior to transmission to a receiver part for enabling the receiver part to detect group delay of the received resulting calibration signal for calibration of the transceiver and/or of the radio base station in a wideband communications system.
US08947994B2
Methods and systems are provided that enable an OFDM transmitter to be used for transmitting conventional OFDM or a form of transformed OFDM. A technique is provided for transforming a coded and modulated sequence of samples prior to an IFFT that enables the transformed sequence of samples to be transmitted using conventional OFDM or transformed OFDM. The selection of a transform function for transforming the coded and modulated sequence of samples may be based on optimizing the transform function for particular operating conditions between the transmitter and receiver. In some embodiments of the invention OFDM and time transformed OFDM are multiplexed in time and/or frequency in a transmission frame. In some embodiments of the invention a pilot pattern is provided in which the pilot are sent using OFDM and data is sent using OFDM and/or transformed OFDM.
US08947993B2
Methods may be provided to transmit data from a wireless terminal operating in a radio access network. For example, sampling rate conversion may be performed on a serial stream of modulation symbols to generate sampling rate converted symbols, and the sampling rate converted symbols may be transmitted over a wireless channel to a node of the radio access network. Related terminals are also discussed.
US08947990B2
A tape device includes a storage unit, a measuring unit, a calculating unit, and an updating unit. The storage unit stores management information in which an identifier of a medium and a data volume further recordable on the medium are in association with each other. The measuring unit measures a data volume written in the medium or a data volume read out of the medium. The calculating unit calculates a data volume recorded in the medium from a total of the data volume measured by the measuring unit, acquires a recorded medium length, and calculates the data volume further recordable on the medium based on the data volume recorded in the medium and the recorded medium length. The updating unit updates the management information stored in the storage unit with the data volume further recordable on the medium which is calculated by the calculating unit.
US08947985B1
A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) write transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) configured to reside in proximity to a media during use and is coupled with a laser that provides energy. The HAMR transducer includes a main pole, at least one additional pole adjacent to the main pole in a down track direction, a waveguide and at least one coil for energizing the main pole. The main pole is configured to write to a region of the media and is recessed from the ABS by a first distance. The additional pole(s) are recessed from the ABS by a second distance greater than the first distance. The waveguide is optically coupled with the laser and directs a portion of the energy toward the ABS at an acute angle from the ABS. A portion of the waveguide resides between the additional pole(s) and the ABS.
US08947984B2
The magnetic recording medium is a particulate magnetic recording medium for heat-assisted recording, as well as includes a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic powder and binder on a nonmagnetic organic material support and a heat-diffusing layer of higher thermal conductivity than the magnetic layer between the nonmagnetic organic material support and the magnetic layer.
US08947980B2
A micro geophone having pole pieces do not extend out around the sides of the magnet, thereby allowing a reduced geophone diameter for a given magnet diameter. The pole pieces are adhesively bonded to the magnet using an adhesive, which may be made suitably electrically conductive by silver or nickel fillers or non-conductive by mica fillers such as borosilicate glass micro-spheres. Axial space is economized by eliminating traditional spider retaining rings. The spider springs are seated directly against the coil form and secured by adhesive fillets disposed on the outward-facing spring circumferences. The spider springs include circumferential notches to receive adhesive. A two-piece bimetallic coil form of aluminum and a heavier material, joined by adhesive, is provided. Headers are affixed to the housing within the seats by adhesive. A straight or rounded chamfer at each of the geophone ends allows the overall geophone dimensions to be maximized.
US08947976B2
A technique includes generating seismic sweep sequences. Each of the seismic sweep sequences has an associated sweep rate. The technique includes varying the sweep rates to reduce harmonic distortion present in a composite seismic measurement produced in response to the sweep sequences.
US08947975B2
An apparatus for use in a wellbore is provided that in one embodiment may include at least one transmitter configured to generate acoustic signals in the wellbore, at least one receiver configured to receive acoustic signals from a formation surrounding the wellbore in response to the transmitted acoustic signal and also configured to provide electrical signals representative of the received acoustic signals, a circuit configured to apply a time-variable gain to the electrical signals to amplify the electrical signals, and a processor configured to process the amplified electrical signals and provide a property of interest.
US08947973B2
An embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure for conducting a marine survey includes towing a survey spread comprising a plurality of receivers and an energy source along a selected course; emitting a signal from an energy source; receiving backscattered acoustic signals at the receivers; and actively detecting a cetacean from the received data.
US08947960B2
A storage medium including a plurality of memory cells, a plurality of transmission lines, a driving module and a floating detection module is disclosed. The memory cells store data. The transmission lines are coupled to the memory cells. The driving module accesses the memory cells via the transmission lines. The floating detection module includes a reset unit, a plurality of connectors and a detector. The reset unit is coupled to a detection line. Each of the connectors is coupled between one of the transmission lines and the detection line. The detector determines whether a state of at least one of the transmission lines is a floating state according to a level of the detection line.
US08947958B2
In accordance with at least one embodiment, a non-volatile memory (NVM) and method is disclosed for detecting latent slow erase bits. At least a portion of an array of NVM cells is erased with a reduced erase bias. The reduced erase bias has a reduced level relative to a normal erase bias. A least erased bit (LEB) threshold voltage level of the least erased bit (LEB) is determined. An erase verify is performed at an adjusted erase verify read threshold voltage level. The adjusted erase verify read threshold voltage level is a predetermined amount lower than the LEB read threshold voltage level. A number of failing bits is determined. The failing bits are bits with a threshold voltage above the adjusted erase verify level. The NVM is rejected in response to the number of failing bits being less than a failing bits threshold.
US08947947B2
An integrated circuit includes a plurality of internal circuits, an e-fuse array circuit configured to store a data used by the internal circuits, and a fuse circuit configured to store a trimming data to set the e-fuse array circuit.
US08947934B2
Memory devices, methods for accessing a memory cell, and memory systems are disclosed. One such memory device includes a plurality of planes of memory cells. Each plane of memory cells includes series strings of memory cells that each have a select gate drain transistor. Control gates of corresponding select gates are coupled together by a shared local control line. Each of a plurality of global control lines are coupled to their corresponding local control line with only a single global select gate.
US08947933B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory apparatus includes a memory cell array, a row decoder, a controller. The memory cell array includes a plurality of memory strings. The memory strings include a first select transistor and a second select transistor, and are connected to each of a plurality of bit lines. The row decoder applies a voltage to the first and second select transistors. The controller detects a defect of the bit lines based on data read from the memory cells.
US08947930B2
Data storage circuits are connected to the bit lines in a one-to-one correspondence. A write circuit writes the data on a first page into a plurality of 5 first memory cells selected simultaneously by a word line. Thereafter, the write circuit writes the data on a second page into the plurality of first memory cell. Then, the write circuit writes the data on the first and second pages into second memory cells adjoining 10 the first memory cells in the bit line direction.
US08947928B2
A flash memory device includes a memory cell array, a temperature sensing unit, and a control unit. The memory cell array is configured to store a plurality of pieces of configuration data corresponding to respective temperature levels of the flash memory device, the pieces of configuration data indicative of respective operation parameter values of the flash memory device. The temperature sensing unit is configured to measure an ambient temperature of the flash memory device and to generate temperature level data. The a control unit is configured to receive the temperature level data from the temperature sensing unit, to read a piece of configuration data corresponding to the temperature level data from among the plurality of pieces of configuration data stored in the memory cell array, and to set operation parameters of the flash memory device according to an operation parameter value indicated by the read piece of configuration data.
US08947916B2
A thermally assisted magnetic writing device including a first magnetic layer known as the “reference layer,” a second magnetic layer known as the “storage layer” that presents a variable magnetization direction, a spacer situated between the reference layer and the storage layer and a first antiferromagnetic layer in contact with the storage layer, the first antiferromagnetic layer being able to trap the magnetization direction of the storage layer. The magnetic device also includes a stabilization layer made of a ferromagnetic material, the stabilization layer being in contact with the first antiferromagnetic layer.
US08947914B2
Provided is a magnetic tunneling junction device including a fixed magnetic structure; a free magnetic structure; and a tunnel barrier between the fixed magnetic structure and the free magnetic structure, at least one of the fixed magnetic structure and the free magnetic structure including a perpendicular magnetization preserving layer, a magnetic layer between the perpendicular magnetization preserving layer and the tunnel barrier, and a perpendicular magnetization inducing layer between the perpendicular magnetization preserving layer and the magnetic layer.
US08947908B2
A non-volatile memory device structure includes first electrodes comprising conductive silicon-containing material, a plurality of resistive switching material stacks comprising first resistive switching material and second resistive switching material overlying the first electrode, wherein the first resistive switching material comprises a first resistance switching voltage and the second resistive switching material comprises a second resistance switching voltage less than the first amplitude, second electrodes comprising metal material overlying and electrically coupled to the plurality of resistive switching material stacks, wherein a plurality of memory elements are formed from the first plurality of electrodes, the plurality of resistive switching material stacks, and the second plurality of electrodes.
US08947905B2
A method of driving a nonvolatile memory device including applying a reset voltage to a unit memory cell, reading a reset current of the unit memory cell, confirming whether the reset current is within a first current range, if the reset current is not within the first current range, changing the reset voltage and applying a changed reset voltage or applying again the reset voltage to the unit memory cell after applying a set voltage to the unit memory cell, if the reset current is within the first current range, confirming whether a difference between the present reset current and an immediately previous set current is within a second current range, and, if the difference is not within the second current range, applying the reset voltage or applying again the reset voltage to the unit memory cell after applying a set voltage to the unit memory cell.
US08947899B2
An apparatus and method for mounting additional components, such as capacitors, to a DC bus of a motor drive. In one aspect, a motor drive includes an enclosure defining an interior, an input for receiving input electrical power from a power source, an output for providing output electrical power to a load, an intermediate DC circuit including a DC bus located in the interior of the enclosure, and a modular capacitor bus electrically coupled with the intermediate DC circuit, the modular capacitor bus including at least one capacitor mounted thereto. The modular capacitor bus is mountable as a unit to the DC bus.
US08947891B2
The present invention provides a back frame of flat panel display device, a mold for back frame, and a backlight system. The back frame includes at least two primary assembling pieces and the two primary assembling pieces are joined to form a main frame structure of the back frame. The at least two primary assembling pieces that are in direct contact for joining or indirect joining to form the main frame structure of the back frame are set in mutual rotation symmetry of a predetermined angle with respect to each other. The back frame, the mold for back frame, and the backlight system of the present invention, through providing at least two primary assembling pieces and the at least two primary assembling pieces being set in mutual rotation symmetry of a predetermined angle with respect to each other, make it possible for one set of mold to be shared by various primary assembling pieces so as to reduce the cost of mold and thus lowering the manufacturing costs of a backlight system and a back frame thereof.
US08947889B2
A conformal electro-magnetic (EM) detector and a method of applying such a detector are provided herein as well as variations thereof Variations include, but are not limited to, single-element, area detectors; an array of multiple active elements.
US08947888B2
A substantially cable-free board connection assembly may include a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs) forming an interconnect plane for a plurality of electronic devices respectively attached to a plurality of plane boards included in the interconnect plane. An insertion direction for substantially all connectors is substantially perpendicular to a face of the interconnect plane. At least a portion of the board connection assembly is mounted to a support structure via a flexible connection.
US08947882B2
Disclosed are a flexible printed circuit board and a mobile terminal using the same. The mobile terminal includes a printed circuit board (PCB), and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) connected to the printed circuit board. The flexible printed circuit board includes a branch extending from one side of the flexible printed circuit board, at least one switch provided on the branch and acquiring a key input signal, and a connector provided on an end portion of the branch and coupled to the flexible printed circuit board.
US08947860B2
A lightweight radio/CD player for vehicular application is virtually “fastenerless” and includes a case and frontal interface formed of polymer based material that is molded to provide details to accept audio devices such as playback mechanisms (if desired) and radio receivers, as well as the circuit boards required for electrical control and display. The case and frontal interface are of composite structure, including an insert molded electrically conductive wire mesh screen that has been pre-formed to contour with the molding operation. The wire mesh provides EMC, RFI, BCI and ESD shielding and grounding of the circuit boards via exposed wire mesh pads and adjacent ground clips. The PCB architecture is bifurcated into a first board carrying common circuit components in a surface mount configuration suitable for high volume production, and a second board carrying application specific circuit components in a wave soldered stick mount configuration. The major components and subassemblies are self-fixturing during the final assembly process, eliminating the need for dedicated tools, fixtures and assembly equipment. The major components and subassemblies self-interconnect by integral guide and connection features effecting “slide lock” and “snap lock” self-interconnection. The radio architecture includes improved push buttons employing 4-bar living hinge linkage and front loaded decorative trim buttons.
US08947853B2
Disclosed is a super capacitor and method of manufacture thereof. This invention relates to a solid state super capacitor comprising a solid state polymer electrolyte and a modified carbonaceous electrode. Said modified carbonaceous electrode comprises a conductive carbonaceous material covered with active ingredients. Said modified carbonaceous electrode and said solid state polymer electrolyte are layered on top of each other to form a sandwich-like structure. Said super capacitor performs much better than known super capacitor comprising liquid or gel-form electrolytes. Said super capacitor has higher conductivity, therefore can be manufactured without a current collector. Since said super capacitor contains solid state polymer electrolyte, the method of manufacturing said super capacitor is more environmentally friendly and has a higher safety level.
US08947840B1
Methods and apparatus improve the signal integrity of high-speed integrated circuits. Disclosed is a passive network for an input to a receiver. One embodiment of the passive network has two coupled inductors to improve both return loss and insertion loss characteristics. A shunt inductor is connected in series with the termination resistance, while a series inductor is placed in series between the pad and receiver circuitry. By exploiting deliberately-introduced mutual coupling between these two inductors, an area-efficient passive network is created that improves both the return loss and input bandwidth.
US08947837B2
An overcurrent fault protection method includes detecting an overcurrent fault in a variable frequency electric power generation system having a first main generator connected to a first alternating current bus through a first generator line contactor, a second main generator connected to a second alternating current bus through a second generator line contactor and an auxiliary power generator connected to a plurality of bus tie contactors, through a third generator line contactor, and connected to at least one of the first and second alternating current buses through the plurality of bus tie contactors, in response to detecting the overcurrent fault, locking out one or more of the plurality of bus tie contactors and in response to a continued detection of the overcurrent fault, opening at least one of the first second and third generator line contactors.
US08947834B2
In accordance with certain embodiments, a method can be utilized that includes depositing a backfill material layer over a reader stack; depositing a chemical-mechanical-polishing stop layer above the layer of backfill material; and depositing a sacrificial layer on top of the chemical-mechanical-polishing stop layer.
US08947828B1
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a main pole, at least one side shield positioned on sides of the main pole, and a trailing shield having a multi-bump structure positioned near a trailing side of the main pole, wherein the multi-bump structure has six junctures along the trailing shield facing the main pole, a first juncture positioned at a media-facing surface, a sixth juncture positioned away from the media-facing surface, and second, third, fourth, and fifth junctures positioned along the side of the trailing shield facing the main pole between the first and sixth juncture, wherein an element height of a first face of the trailing shield positioned between the fourth and fifth juncture is less than an element height of a second face of the trailing shield positioned at an end of the trailing shield positioned opposite the media-facing surface of the trailing shield.
US08947827B1
In one general embodiment, a magnetic head includes a stitch pole; and a main pole formed adjacent the stitch pole, wherein an end region of the stitch pole closest to an air bearing surface of the head tapers towards the main pole. In another general embodiment, a magnetic head includes a stitch pole being a laminate of at least two magnetic layers separated by a nonmagnetic layer; and a main pole formed adjacent the stitch pole. An end region of the stitch pole closest to an air bearing surface of the head tapers towards the main pole. An average angle of the taper of the end region of the stitch pole is between about 20 and about 45 degrees. Such head may be implemented in a data storage system.
US08947826B2
Surface treatment method to develop a durable wear resistant overcoat for magnetic recording systems
A durable wear-resistant coating consists of an atomically mixed layer on the surface of the head or media which is developed by bombardment of the surface with energetic C ions with optimized parameters. This mixed layer is covered with a hard DLC overcoat. This mixed interlayer is able to strongly bond the overcoat to the head or media substrate and improve the tribological properties of the overcoat. In this method a very thin layer of a carbide former material can be used as an interlayer before bombarding the surface with C ions which provides a composite interlayer containing C and species from interlayer and substrate. This composite interlayer bonds the DLC overact to the ceramic substrate of the head or the metallic substrate of the media. This interlayer by itself is protective enough to protect the head media of the hard drives against wear and corrosion.
US08947822B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, wherein the head comprises a dynamic fly height (DFH) actuator. The disk drive further comprises an electrical heating element, and control circuitry operable to select an operating control signal applied to the DFH actuator by heating the electrical heating element for a first heating time, measuring a rate of temperature change of the electrical heating element, and selecting the operating control signal applied to the DFH actuator in response to the rate of temperature change.
US08947820B1
The implementations disclosed herein provide for a storage device including a preamplifier that generates a write current pulse having a region of reduced slew rate that temporally correlates with a time when a magnetization of a write pole tip switches polarity.
US08947819B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and control circuitry comprising a first shock detector and a second shock detector. A first number of shock events is detected based on the first shock detector, and when the first number of shock events exceeds an upper event threshold, a sensitivity of the first shock detector is decreased. After decreasing the sensitivity of the first shock detector, a second number of shock events is detected based on the second shock detector operating at a higher sensitivity than the first shock detector. When the second number of shock events falls below a lower event threshold, the sensitivity of the first shock detector is increased.
US08947818B2
A disk storage apparatus according to one embodiment includes a head, a storage device, a write module and a controller. The head writes data on a disk. The storage device has a storage area for temporarily storing the data written by the head. The write module writes data to tracks on a disk, while partially overlapping the data with previously written data to adjacent track. The controller detects a drift-off write of the head while writing data, determines a drift-off write area in which the drift-off write is occurred, and protects the data written in the storage area, if the data is written in the drift-off write area.
US08947817B1
A system or device that has a storage media and a storage controller configured to non-statically allocate a media scratch pad to one of a plurality of storage locations on the storage media. The plurality of storage locations may be, for example, on a disc surface, or on multiple disc surfaces.
US08947805B1
A receiver utilizes a plurality of read elements, each generating a read-back signal in response to a data track positioned beneath the read element. The plurality of read-back signals are each provided to at least one space-time interference cancellation filter, which generates a filtered output that maximizes a signal associated with one of the plurality of data tracks. The filtered output is provided to a one-dimensional Viterbi detector, which is configured to generate in response an output representative of a data sequence written to one of the plurality of data tracks.
US08947800B2
A monolithic optical absorber and methods of making same. The monolithic optical absorber uses an array of mutually aligned carbon nanotubes that are grown using a PECVD growth process and a structure that includes a conductive substrate, a refractory template layer and a nucleation layer. Monolithic optical absorbers made according to the described structure and method exhibit high absorptivity, high site densities (greater than 109 nanotubes/cm2), very low reflectivity (below 1%), and high thermal stability in air (up to at least 400° C.). The PECVD process allows the application of such absorbers in a wide variety of end uses.
US08947790B2
An imaging lens assembly includes five lens elements with refractive power, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element and a fifth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has a convex object-side surface. The second lens element has positive refractive power. The third lens element has refractive power. The fourth lens element with refractive power has a concave image-side surface, wherein both of an object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fourth lens element are aspheric. The fifth lens element with refractive power has a concave image-side surface, wherein at least one inflection point is formed on the image-side surface of the fifth lens element, and both of an object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens element are aspheric.
US08947783B2
An optical combiner includes a first, second, and third color combiner layer (“CCL”). The first CCL includes a first diffractive grating coated with a first filter configured to reflect a first color light and pass a second and a third color light. The second CCL includes a second diffractive grating coated with a second filter configured to reflect the second color light and pass the third color light. The third CCL includes a third diffractive grating coated with a third filter configured to partially reflect visible light. The diffractive gratings are each embedded in an index matched material and are angle-tuned diffractive gratings configured to receive image light at an angle and respectively reflect the first, second, and third color light in the image light at an order of diffraction that directs the light to an eye of a user.
US08947778B2
New families of two mirror unobscured telescopes with compact Schiefspiegler, eccentric pupil Cassegrain geometries, incorporating aspheres, tilted and decentered secondaries, and tilted decentered focal surfaces. These variables allow control of focal surface tilt. All embodiments, from f/5 to f/16, are totally reflecting, fully baffled systems, with wide diffraction limited FOVs and unobscured aperture MTFs. Systems optimized with the focal plane normal to the gut ray are well suited for visual and general use. They can incorporate a variable iris for f/number control and allow focusing along the gut ray with minimal field tilt. Systems optimized with a fixed focal plane tilt are well suited for high resolution, wide field collimators and IR scene generators. Any light reflected at focus can be trapped, eliminating Narcissus or “cats eye” effects. Additionally, this reflection can be used to provide a uniform “background” irradiance field.
US08947770B2
An apparatus for monitoring optical equipment in an optical circuit is disclosed in which the apparatus may include an optical device situated to receive an optical input signal and to reflect a portion of the energy of the received optical input signal, thereby providing a reflected input signal; a first photodiode located along a path of the reflected input signal, and operable to receive optical energy from the reflected optical input signal and from ambient optical power; a second photodiode located substantially outside the reflection path of the optical input signal; and means for calculating a magnitude of a power level of the optical input signal from values of outputs from the first and second photodiodes.
US08947763B2
In an electrophoretic material, first particles which are charged with a first polarity and second particles which are charged with a second polarity are dispersed in a solvent. A volume, which is obtained by dividing a volume of the solvent by a total number of particles, is called free volume, and a radius of a spherical space, which is occupied by sum of an average volume of the particles and the free volume, is called a free volume radius. A first particle average radius is greater than a second particle average radius. A difference between the free volume radius and the first particle average radius is greater than the second particle average radius. An electric charge amount of the second particles is greater than an electric charge amount of the first particles.
US08947762B2
High display duty ratio and fast optical response electrophoretic display technology is presented by using an anti-ferroelectric coupling torque. The invention also consequently enables fine pixel pitch resolution by introducing photo lithography based switching element preparation method. Newly introduced casting film method for optical switching element preparation enables extremely fine size of switching element based on current well-established flat panel display volume manufacturing process.
US08947749B2
A method includes reading an image of a document obtained by a reading unit exposing the document to light with an exposure unit, causing the reading unit to perform first reading processing for reading first information obtained by causing the exposure unit to perform exposure with a first light amount, and second reading processing for reading second information obtained by causing the exposure unit to perform exposure with a second light amount that is smaller than the first light amount while no document is placed at a reading position of the reading unit, and detecting a foreign matter existing at the reading position according to a difference between the first and second information.
US08947747B2
An image reading device includes: a document table on which a document G is placed; a line light source configured to illuminate the document G; an erecting equal-magnification lens array plate configured to receive light reflected from the document G and form an erect equal-magnification image on a predetermined image plane; and a line image sensor configured to receive the erect equal-magnification image formed by the erecting equal-magnification lens array plate. The erecting equal-magnification lens array plate includes: first and second lens array plates formed with a plurality of lenses on both sides thereof; a first shielding member provided on the first outer side surface of the first lens array plate; and a light-shielding wall provided upright on the top surface of the first light-shielding member and configured to shield light reflected by the document table.
US08947742B2
A control device mounted in an image forming apparatus includes a region searching for unit searching for a region adapted to measure colors in an image; a color measurement unit configured to measure colors of the superimposed color toner image in the region; a storage unit storing measured colors and densities proportional to area ratios of primary color toner images in the superimposed color toner image in the region; and a correction amount determination unit determine correction amounts corresponding to the setting values expressing the tone reproduction curves to minimize the difference between the measured colors and the reference colors.
US08947738B2
An image processing apparatus includes a conversion unit and a determination unit to convert image data into color material data including color material data indicating a color material amount of a chromatic color material and color material data indicating a color material amount of an achromatic color material. The conversion unit converts image data of a region of interest in an image into the color material data of the chromatic color material. The determination unit determines the color material data of the achromatic color material corresponding to the image data so that a color indicated by coloring information corresponding to the image data of the region of interest in the image approaches an achromatic color.
US08947730B2
In an apparatus including an irradiation unit capable of irradiating a sheet selectively with visible light and ultraviolet light, and a measurement unit which measures a spectral reflectance based on light reflected by the sheet, whether to cause the irradiation unit to emit the ultraviolet light when measuring the spectral reflectance of a patch image printed on the sheet is determined based on the spectral reflectance of a reference image of the color of the sheet that has been measured by the measurement unit which measures a spectral reflectance while the ultraviolet light is emitted.
US08947711B2
An information providing device is capable of communicating with an image forming device, a data managing device, and a transmission terminal. The information providing device includes a storage unit; a communication unit that transmits a forming instruction to instruct the image forming device to perform image forming, and receives, from the image forming device, storage location information indicating the data managing device that stores data obtained by image forming by the image forming device and indicating a storage location in the data managing device; and a storage location managing unit that generates, in the storage unit, management information in which identification information of the image data is associated with the storage location information. The communication unit receives the data saved in the storage location indicated by the storage location information from the data managing device and transmits the received data to the transmission terminal.
US08947696B1
This disclosure details the implementation of apparatuses, methods and systems for a Rich Internet Printing and Print product traffic control Manager (hereinafter, “Manager”). The high volume and varied makeup of modern printing needs may render some confused as to the best printing mode for a given job. Often, individuals will settle into a routine of using the same printer, printing mode, printing service, and/or the like for all jobs regardless of whether a different printing method may be preferable or more nearly suited to the job at hand. The Manager may serve as an intermediary agency to direct print jobs to one or more particular printing methods, internal or external document production agencies, printers, and/or the like that are deemed most suitable for the printing job at hand. In an embodiment, the Manager may comprise a single print driver that may be installed on a local computer system. Once installed, a Manager print option may appear among the other printer options in a print menu. By selecting the Manager print option and issuing a print command, a user may direct his or her print job directly to the Manager for analysis and routing to an appropriate printing method, printer, agency, and/or the like.
US08947678B2
A method of measuring spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) with a 3D coordinate measurement device such as a laser tracker. The SMR includes an open-air cube corner retroreflector having a vertex point located near a sphere center of the SMR. Measurements of the SMR to the vertex point are moved to the SMR sphere center by accounting for SMR depth error and SMR runout error.
US08947675B2
The method for measuring profile of an aspheric surface projects an illumination light onto the aspheric surface and introduces a reflected light reflected by the aspheric surface to a sensor through an optical system. The method provides, to a wavefront of the illumination light, a curvature bringing an absolute value of an angle of the reflected light to a smaller value than a maximum value of absolute values of angles of optical system side peripheral rays, locates an exit pupil such that the absolute value of the reflected light angle is smaller than the maximum value, provides, to a sensor conjugate surface, a curvature and a position causing rays of the reflected light not to intersect on the sensor conjugate surface. The sensor conjugate surface, the wavefront of the illumination light and the aspheric surface have a same one of convex and concave surfaces toward a same direction.
US08947666B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to receive interacted energy at an optical calculation device attached to a down hole housing to be deployed in a down hole environment. Further activities may include optically compressing data carried by the interacted energy into at least one orthogonal component, using the optical calculation device, sending a signal associated with the at least one orthogonal component to a remote surface computer, and determining a property of petroleum located in the down hole environment using the remote surface computer, based on the signal. The optical calculation device may comprise a multivariate optical element (MOE). Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US08947658B2
Provided is a nonlinear optical microscope capable of improving the spatial resolution. The nonlinear optical microscope includes: an illuminating part for irradiating, through an objective lens, a sample with at least two colors of illumination light beams spatially and temporally overlapping each other; and a detecting part for detecting signal light generated from the sample due to nonlinear optical effect, the signal light resulting from the irradiation of the sample with the at least two colors of illumination light beams, in which the illuminating part irradiates the sample with the two colors of illumination light beams in which at least one of the illumination light beams has a wavefront distribution different from a wavefront distribution of the other one of the illumination light beams.
US08947648B2
Systems, devices and methods of producing an image are provided. A electro-magnetic radiation source provides electro-magnetic radiation to a sample and a reference. A detector/interferogram unit produces at least one interferogram that is supplied to a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit extracts phase, magnitude, and/or polarization data from the supplied signals, and produces an image based on at least the extracted data.
US08947643B2
A method produces at least one monitor wafer for a lithographic apparatus. The monitor wafer is for use in combination with a scanning control module to periodically retrieve measurements defining a baseline from the monitor wafer, thereby determining parameter drift from the baseline. In doing this, allowance and/or correction can be to be made for the drift. The baseline is determined by initially exposing the monitor wafer(s) using the lithographic apparatus to perform multiple exposure passes on each of the monitor wafer(s). An associated lithographic apparatus is also disclosed.
US08947642B2
System and methods estimate model parameters of a lithographic apparatus and control lithographic processing by a lithographic apparatus. An exposure is performed using a lithographic apparatus across a wafer. A set of predetermined wafer measurement locations is obtained. Discrete orthonormal polynomials are generated using the predetermined substrate measurement locations. The overlay errors arising from the exposure are measured at the predetermined locations to obtain overlay measurements. The estimated model parameters of the lithographic apparatus are calculated from the overlay measurements by using the discrete orthogonal polynomials as a basis function to model the overlay across the wafer. Finally, the estimated model parameters are used to control the lithographic apparatus in order to provide corrected overlay across the wafer.
US08947640B2
A positioning device for positioning an object within a lithographic apparatus, including a support structure for supporting the object, at least two short-stroke units, each connected to the support structure, and a long-stroke unit. In the arrangement, each of the short-stroke units includes a short-stroke actuator system configured to provide independently at least one actuation force between the short-stroke unit and the long-stroke unit, and the long-stroke unit includes a long-stroke actuator system configured to provide at least one actuation force between the long-stroke unit and a reference structure of the lithographic apparatus.
US08947639B2
A drive unit drives a wafer stage in a Y-axis direction based on a measurement value of an encoder that measures position information of the wafer stage in the Y-axis direction and based on information on the flatness of a scale that is measured by the encoder. In this case, the drive unit can drive the wafer stage in a predetermined direction based on a measurement value after correction in which a measurement error caused by the flatness of the scale included in the measurement value of the encoder is corrected based on the information on the flatness of the scale. Accordingly, the wafer stage can be driven with high accuracy in a predetermined direction using the encoder, without being affected by the unevenness of the scale.
US08947638B2
Actuation systems and lithographic apparatus which address the issue of uncontrolled return of common mode currents are provided. In an embodiment such systems aim to prevent the occurrence of corona and discharge between high voltage electric cables in low pressure environments. An exemplary actuation system includes comprises an actuator module, a power source and power transmission cables. The actuator module includes an electrical motor and a first plurality of shielded cables configured to connect to the electrical motor at one end. The actuator module is located in a low pressure environment and each shield of the first plurality of cables is grounded. The transmission cables electrically connect the first plurality of cables with power supply, and include an extra cable configured to connect each shield of the first plurality of cables with the first extra cable, via a choke so as to provide a return path for common-mode currents.
US08947633B2
A method for improving imaging properties of an optical system and an optical system of this type having improved imaging properties are described. The optical system can have a plurality of optical elements. In some embodiments, an optical element is positioned and/or deformed by mechanical force action and by thermal action. In certain embodiments, one optical element is positioned and/or deformed by mechanical force action and another optical element is deformed by thermal action.
US08947629B2
An immersion lithographic projection apparatus having a megasonic transducer configured to clean a surface and a method of using megasonic waves through a liquid to clean a surface of an immersion lithographic projection apparatus are disclosed. A flow, desirably a radial flow, is induced in the liquid.
US08947624B2
A vertical alignment liquid crystal panel based on a transverse electric field drive system is provided which shows few changes in color when looked squarely at. A liquid crystal panel (2) is a vertical alignment liquid crystal panel based on a transverse electric field drive system, which carries out a display by driving, with a transverse electric field, a liquid crystal layer (50) sandwiched between substrates (10, 20), and the substrate (10) is provided with an insulating layer (25) having at least two regions that are different in relative permittivity from each other in a pixel (6) composed of a red subpixel (6R), a green subpixel (6G), and a blue subpixel (6B). Those regions of the insulating layer (25) which correspond to the blue, green, and red subpixel (6B, 6G, 6R) in the liquid crystal panel (2) have relative permittivities of 3, 3 to 7, and 4 to 7, respectively.
US08947614B2
A frameless liquid crystal display device includes a rear enclosure, a backlight module arranged inside the rear enclosure, a mold frame arranged on the backlight module and mounted to the rear enclosure, and a liquid crystal display panel arranged on the mold frame. The liquid crystal display panel has an upper portion that is mounted to the mold frame through a connection section, which includes an elongate base plate to which an elongate projection structure is mounted. The mold frame forms a recess receiving and fixing the connection section therein by screws so as to fix the connection section and the mold frame to the rear enclosure. The liquid crystal display panel includes a CF substrate forming a step with respect to a lower edge of a TFT substrate. A surface decoration is bonded to the step to assemble the liquid crystal display panel to the mold frame.
US08947605B2
An autostereoscopic display in which image data, in the form of grey level information for red, green, and blue components of pixels in multiple images representing multiple perspective views of a scene, are recombined into a second set of images generally consisting of parts of all the original multiple perspective images, arranged within the second set of images in such a way that a 3D image is seen when the second set of images are displayed in sequence.
US08947599B2
A system that adjusts chroma and luma values for a video signal is presented. During operation, the system receives a matrix of coefficients, which when applied to the chroma values and the luma values of a video signal produces substantially the same result as performing a sequence of discrete operations on the chroma values and the luma values, wherein the sequence of discrete operations includes one or more color-representation-conversion operations and one or more processing amplifier operations. For a given pixel of the video signal, the system performs a matrix-multiplication operation between a matrix representation of the chroma values and the luma values for the given pixel and the matrix of coefficients to produce a modified pixel.
US08947586B2
A diaphragm control apparatus of an interchangeable lens camera includes a photographing lens, a diaphragm control slider which is driven between first and second control ends corresponding to maximum and minimum apertures, a position detector, and a controller which drives the diaphragm control slider toward the first control end at high-speed, stores in a memory, as a temporary origin, a position to which the diaphragm control slider has rebounded after reaching the first control end. Thereafter, the controller compares the current position of the diaphragm control slider with the temporary origin while driving the diaphragm control slider at a low-speed towards the first control end. When the current position is within a predetermined range of the temporary origin, the controller determines the current position as the origin of the diaphragm control slider.
US08947581B2
A focusing apparatus includes a focus area setting unit that sets a first focus area in a first captured image, an auto focusing control unit that performs focusing according to a first focus evaluation value that is calculated from the first focus area by automatically adjusting a focus lens, an information deriving unit that derives focus aid information corresponding to a second focus evaluation value that is calculated from a second focus area in a second captured image by manually adjusting the focus lens, and a storage unit that stores at least one of first focus area information about the first focus area and second focus area information about the second focus area, wherein the focus area setting unit sets a third focus area in a third captured image from among the first focus area information and the second focus area information stored during another focusing.
US08947575B2
An image pickup apparatus generates a display image signal by implementing predetermined dynamic range expansion processing on an image signal obtained by performing underexposed image pickup, and detects an image region in which a pixel within a predetermined gradation range exists as a warning region from the image signal either prior to implementation of the predetermined dynamic range expansion processing or following implementation of the predetermined dynamic range expansion processing. The image pickup apparatus synthesizes the display image signal with a warning pattern corresponding to the warning region and displays the synthesized image as a live view image.
US08947570B2
Pixels in an imaging device pixel array are sized according to their geographic location in the pixel array to compensate for various optical characteristics/issues. In one example, pixel size is increased according to the distance of the pixel from the x-axis and/or the y-axis of the pixel array to correct for lens shading.
US08947565B2
In an embodiment, a solid-state image sensor comprises: pixels arranged in columns and rows; read signal lines each connected to pixels arranged in a row direction; and output signal lines each connected to pixels arranged in a column direction. The read signal lines are classified into a first type of read signal lines each connected to a group of pixels on which R and B rays are incident, and a second type of read signal lines each connected to a group of pixels on which G rays are incident. Two pixels (R, B) on two adjacent columns are arranged on two opposite sides with respect to the first type of read signal line. Two pixels (Gr, Gb) on two adjacent columns are arranged on two opposite sides with respect to the second type of read signal line.
US08947564B2
A solid-state imaging device includes a color filter unit disposed on a pixel array unit including pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix and a conversion processing unit disposed on a substrate having the pixel array unit thereon. The color filter unit has a color arrangement in which a color serving as a primary component of a luminance signal is arranged in a checkerboard pattern and a plurality of colors serving as color information components are arranged in the other area of the checkerboard pattern. The conversion processing unit converts signals that are output from the pixels of the pixel array unit and that correspond to the color arrangement of the color filter unit into signals that correspond to a Bayer arrangement and outputs the converted signals.
US08947547B1
Digital media can be automatically transferred between a digital capture device or storage device and one or more other devices with little or no user intervention. Media can be selected for automatic transfer based on one or more media-content or media-context characteristics.
US08947543B2
A method of personalizing an interface of a portable electronic device comprises the steps of interfacing the portable electronic device to a workstation, modifying the existing version of the user interface so as to define a personalized version of the user interface, transferring information defining the personalized version of the user interface from the workstation to the portable electronic device, and implementing the personalized version of the user interface on the portable electronic device.
US08947540B2
A camera for storing photographed images in a storage device connected to the camera through a network and a method of operating the storage device of the camera. The camera includes a photographing unit photographing an object to generate image data of the object; a transfer unit transferring the image data to a storage device to store the image data therein; and a storage device setting unit transferring the image data to at least one second storage device if it is determined that the first storage device is no longer able to store the image data while the image data is being transferred to and stored in the first storage device.
US08947532B2
A system for monitoring the environment of a motor vehicle, includes imaging devices for taking a sequence of images, which sequence contains images of at least a part of the environment of the motor vehicle. A display unit reproduces at least one image detail of the image sequence in the vehicle interior. A device automatically changes the detail of the environment shown by the reproduction of the image detail by the display unit. One or more devices for determining at least one earlier position of the motor vehicle is provided, wherein the environmental detail can be automatically adapted as a function of the earlier position of the motor vehicle.
US08947531B2
A system and method for controlling a convoy of vehicles. The convoy of vehicles including a leader vehicle in communication with a plurality of autonomous follower vehicles. The leader vehicle is configured to receive a first autonomous follower vehicle data and compare the first autonomous follower vehicle data to at least one of a leader vehicle data, a second autonomous follower vehicle data and/or a threshold value. The first autonomous follower vehicle data, the leader vehicle data, the second autonomous follower vehicle data and the threshold value relate to a vehicle performance characteristic.
US08947524B2
Disclosed are a system, a method and an apparatus of predicting a trajectory of an asteroid. In one embodiment, a method of predicting a trajectory of an asteroid near a celestial object, includes continuously monitoring, through a high-definition camera optimized for space viewing, an unlimited expanse of space as visible from a location of the high-definition camera optimized for space viewing. The method also includes detecting a change in a light intensity of one of a plurality of stars. In addition, the method includes determining that the light intensity of a star has changed beyond a threshold parameter. The method further includes detecting an occultation, through a discriminating sensor, when the change in the light intensity of the star is determined. On detecting occultation, the method includes recording a set of properties associated with the occultation.
US08947522B1
Systems and methods to adjust actions based on latency levels are described. The method may be executable to determine an action being performed by a robotic device. The method may also be executable to generate data based on execution of the action to provide to a server and receive information indicative of latency attributable to communication between the robotic device and a server. The method may also determine a priority at which to provide the generated data to the server and provide the generated data to the server in an order based on the priority. When the latency is above a threshold amount, the method may identify information of the generated data having a given priority above a threshold level and provide a reduced resolution version of the identified information to the server.
US08947520B2
An electron microscope according to the present invention includes: a backscattered electron detector provided with a backscattered electron detecting element (9); a low-vacuum secondary electron detector provided with a bias electrode (11) and a specimen stage (12); and a signal switch (14) that switches signals detected by the detectors. Optimal observation conditions are stored in an observation condition memory (20) for each of the detectors. A CPU (19) calls observation conditions stored in the observation condition memory (20) on the basis of the switching of the detectors, and sets conditions of the electron microscope to the called observation conditions. An image processing device (22) converts a plurality of the detected signals obtained on the basis of the switching of the detectors into two-dimensional image signals and evaluates the qualities of images of the two-dimensional image signals. In an image quality prioritized mode, the CPU (19) selects a detector causing an evaluated value to be highest on the basis of the results of the evaluation performed by the image processing device (22) and causes an image to be displayed. In the electron microscope that includes the plurality of detectors, a detector can easily be selected, and the optimal observation conditions for the detectors can easily be set.
US08947511B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media processor including a controller to obtain three-dimensional media content, obtain position information associated with at least one viewer of a display device that is operably coupled to the media processor, adjust convergence of the three-dimensional media content based on the position information, and provide the three-dimensional media content with the adjusted convergence to the display device for presentation. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08947497B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, obtaining images that are captured by a camera system at a location associated with a user, transmitting video content representative of the images over a network for presentation by another media processor at another location, receiving at a media processor media content and second video content representative of second images that are associated with the second user, and presenting at a display device at the location the media content and the second video content in a telepresence configuration that simulates a presence of the other user at the location, where the presentation of at least one of the media content and the second video content at the display device is delayed based on latency parameters associated with the other media processor.
US08947493B2
An example method is provided and includes identifying an active speaker of a video session; analyzing a signal from an originating endpoint associated with the active speaker; identifying a target participant with whom the active speaker seeks to interact; and providing a notification to the target participant that alerts the target participant that the active speaker is seeking to interact with the target participant. In more particular embodiments, the identifying of the target participant includes detecting a gaze of the active speaker; and identifying a target screen to which the gaze is directed.
US08947491B2
A user terminal has an input for receiving a video signal, and a display for displaying to a user a video image derived from the video signal. A selection input is provided for receiving from the user at least one effect for enhancing the video image derived from the video signal. The user terminal has a rendering device for rendering on the display the video image derived from the video signal enhanced by the selected effect.
US08947471B2
An active matrix display may include: a panel including a plurality of scan lines which transmit scan signals, a plurality of data lines which transmit data signals in response to the scan signals from the scan lines, a plurality of pixel circuits which are formed in a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixel circuits include a display element and a driving transistor driving the display element, and a power line which supplies a driving current to the driving transistor; a scan driver selectively transmitting the scan signals to the scan lines; a compensation circuit unit generating a compensation signal for compensating a voltage drop of the power line which results from a change in a total driving current flowing through the panel; and a data driver compensating the data signals using the compensation signal and transmitting compensated data signals to the data lines.
US08947465B2
Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems, methods and devices for display-mode-dependent adjustment of image code values.
US08947453B2
Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for correcting artifacts in a camera-captured image of a document or image of an object exhibiting document-like content. A mobile device may capture an image and send the image to a cloud computing system for processing. According to a first aspect of the present invention, the mobile device may provide real-time feedback cues to assist in the capture of an image. The mobile device may detect a region-of-interest in the captured image, and a user may refine or confirm the detected region-of-interest. The captured image, information identifying the region-of-interest and a metadata tag, referred to as a region-of-interest modification tag, indicating whether, or not, the region-of-interest was refined by a user may be sent to the cloud. The cloud may process the image giving priority to the region-of-interest received from the handset when the region-of-interest modification tag indicates that the region-of-interest was refined by a user over a cloud determined region-of-interest. The cloud may transmit, to the handset, the processing results.
US08947451B2
A method and system for automatically producing arrangements of two-dimensional extents in a computer-based editing or animation environment is presented. The method consists of defining a set of objects having two or more dimensions, automatically calculating and presenting an arrangement of said objects, and optionally iterating to produce alternative arrangements. The arrangements may use templates to guide the selection of sizes, border colors and transparency, rotation, and other attributes of the contained regions.
US08947443B2
Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including: a first drawing processing block configured to generate a video signal by executing predetermined signal processing on entered image data; a second drawing processing block having a higher drawing processing power than the first drawing processing block and being configured to generate a video signal by executing predetermined signal processing on entered image data; a workload measuring block configured to measure at least one of a workload in the first drawing processing block and a workload in the second drawing processing block; a storage block configured to store an application; and a control block configured to select the first drawing processing block or the second drawing processing block to execute the application read from the storage block, on the basis of at least one of the measured workload in the first drawing processing block and the second drawing processing block.
US08947437B2
A tool for providing a visualization of a system may reveal an interactive navigation environment for building performance observation and assessment. The tool may be associated with a processor. The environment may incorporate a treemap, a graph pane, a treemap filter, a graph pane selector, a selected units box and a date/time control mechanism. A visualization of the environment, among other things, may be presented on a display. The treemap may exhibit a building geometry and/or equipment units hierarchically, along with some data information. Units may be interactively selected from the treemap and placed in the box for analysis. The graph pane may show a configuration and display of unit analysis. Selection of detailed views for units in the box may be provided by the graph pane selector. Date and time intervals for analysis may be selected by the control mechanism.
US08947436B2
Provided are a method, an apparatus and a system for dense graph simplification, and a recording medium for the same. The method includes receiving an original graph and extracting a plurality of salient points, which minimize a cost representing a greatest vertical distance between the original graph and each of a plurality of lines connecting two data points in a designated region on the original graph; and outputting a simplified graph in which the extracted salient points are connected. Thus, optimal results are ensured in dense graph simplification, and interactive control is allowed for a user.
US08947432B2
One embodiment of the invention sets forth a mechanism for interleaving consecutive display frames rendered at complementary reduced resolutions. The GPU driver configures a command stream associated with a frame received from a graphics application for reduced frame rendering. The command stream specifies a nominal resolution at which the frame should be rendered. The reduced resolution associated with the frame is determined based on the reduced resolution of an immediately preceding frame (i.e., the complementary reduced resolution), if one exists, or on GPU configuration information. The GPU driver then modifies the command stream to specify the reduced resolution. The GPU driver also inserts an upscale command sequence specifying the nominal resolution into the command stream. Once the command stream is configured in such a manner, the GPU driver transmits the command stream to the GPU for reduced rendering.
US08947431B2
Methods and systems for providing scene data of a virtual world. One method includes the following steps: receiving a request for downloading the scene data from a content requesting party, where the request includes (i) information on an object group in the scene data and (ii) Level of Detail (LoD) information on an object in the object group, packing LoD content of the object in the object group based on the information on the object group and the LoD information on the object, and transmitting the packed LoD content corresponding to the object group to the content requesting party.
US08947429B2
A modeling tool is activated in a 3D modeling application executing on a multi-touch device. A visual representation of a grid system tool is displayed in an active modeling plane and has three separate regions that determine the type of operation to be performed. An existing 3D form is displayed on the tool. A starting touch event of a gesture is received over the existing 3D form within one of the regions. As the gesture is received in the computer, the 3D form may be dynamically extended by adding 3D geometry to the 3D form (thereby adding faces to the 3D form). Alternatively, the 3D form may be scaled (i.e., if the starting touch event occurs over a visual scale grip. Alternatively, if the gesture consists of two taps, a bridge may be created joining the two tapped locations.
US08947427B2
Systems and methods of virtual world interaction, operation, implementation, instantiation, creation, and other functions related to virtual worlds (note that where the term “virtual world” is used herein, it is to be understood as referring to virtual world systems, virtual environments reflecting real, simulated, fantasy, or other structures, and includes information systems that utilize interaction within a 3D environment). Various embodiments facilitate interoperation between and within virtual worlds, and may provide consistent structures for operating virtual worlds. The disclosed embodiments may further enable individuals to build new virtual worlds within a framework, and allow third party users to better interact with those worlds.
US08947425B2
A method of processing a 3D image data includes calculating shift values of gray-scales for a reference view using a 3D effect selection signal having a selection depth value of the 3D image inputted by a user. Shift values of the gray-scales respectively corresponding to a plurality of views are calculated using the shift values of the gray-scales for the reference view. The shift values of the gray-scales respectively corresponding to the plurality of views are applied to a source image signal to generate a plurality of image frames.
