US09210836B2
An electronic component mounting device, includes a stage in which a plurality of stage portions are defined, a first heater provided in the plurality of stage portions respectively, and the first heater which can be controlled independently, a mounting head arranged over the stage, and a second heater provided in the mounting head.
US09210834B2
The object is to provide a power converter which is capable of minimizing an extent to which the power converter components other than the semiconductor module are thermally affected by the heat originating from the semiconductor module. The semiconductor modules constituting a main circuit for power conversion; a capacitor electrically connected to the main circuit; drive circuits that provide the main circuit with a drive signal used in power conversion operation; a control circuit that provides the drive circuit with a control signal used to prompt the drive circuit to provide the drive signal. Within a casing, a cooling chamber including a coolant passage is formed, and a chamber wall of the cooling chamber is formed with a thermally conductive material. At least the semiconductor modules are housed inside the cooling chamber, and at least the capacitor and the control circuit are disposed outside the cooling chamber.
US09210833B2
An adjustable exhaust duct includes a lower duct section and an upper duct section. The lower duct section may be larger or smaller than the upper duct section, and each duct has four identical locking systems. The locking systems secure the lower duct section and the upper duct section.
US09210813B2
A high-density Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card package and a production method thereof are provided. The SIM card package includes a substrate, an Integrated Circuit (IC) chip, a bonding wire, and a mold cap. The substrate is a two-layer, a four-layer, a six-layer or an eight-layer high-density interlinked and packaged organic laminated substrate that is manufactured through an etching-back process, and a passive device and a crystal oscillator are provided on the organic laminated substrate. Two IC chips are provided side by side, or one of the IC chips is stacked with a third IC chip, the third IC chip being respectively connected to the organic laminated substrate and the IC chip under the third IC chip by the bonding wire. The IC chip, the passive device, and the crystal oscillator are adhered to the organic laminated substrate.
US09210801B2
The present invention provides a display panel and a wiring structure thereof. The wiring structure comprises a plurality of metal wires extending across a first wiring region, a second wiring region, and a third wiring region. The first wiring region adjoins the second wiring region. The second wiring region adjoins the third wiring region. A line width of an nth metal wire in the second wiring region is a, and a distance between the nth metal wire and an n+1th metal wire is b, where n≧1. When n is taken as different values, a/(a+b) is a constant value. According to the above method, the coverage ratio in the seal coating region by the metal wires is not changed to avoid the problem of uneven curing of the sealant. The performance stability of the display panel is thus not impacted.
US09210800B1
A circuit layout structure is suitable for a circuit board and includes following components. A first differential pair and a second differential pair respectively extend from the inside of a chip area of the circuit board to the outside of the chip area through a first patterned conductive layer of the circuit board, and respectively extend between the chip area and a port area of the circuit board through a second patterned conductive layer of the circuit board. A third differential pair extends from the chip area to the port area through the first patterned conductive layer. A first ground plane is constituted by the first patterned conductive layer. Orthogonal projections of the first differential pair and the second differential pair on the second patterned conductive layer overlap the first ground plane.
US09210799B2
There is provided an electronic device having an audio system for reproducing audio signals. An exemplary electronic device has an analog region and a separate and non-overlapping digital region. The electronic device comprises an analog ground plane disposed within the analog region and a digital ground plane disposed within the digital region. Digital circuitry is disposed opposite the digital ground plane, wherein digital signals are routed on or over the digital ground plane. Analog circuitry is disposed opposite the analog ground plane, wherein analog signals are routed on or over the analog ground plane. At least one audio output channel disposed opposite the analog ground plane.
US09210796B2
A mount for a semiconductor device, the mount comprising: an insulating substrate having first and second parallel face surfaces, an edge surface that connects the parallel surfaces and having formed therein a recess having an opening on the first face surface; an electrically conductive plug seated in the recess and having a first exposed surface on or near the edge surface and a second exposed surface on or near the first face surface.
US09210787B2
A shield device for a plasma arc torch includes an inner shield member defining an inner auxiliary gas chamber and an outer shield member surrounding the inner shield member. An outer auxiliary gas chamber is defined between the inner shield member and outer shield member. The shield device allows an auxiliary gas flow to be split into a first flow of auxiliary gas through the inner auxiliary gas chamber and a second flow of auxiliary gas through the outer auxiliary gas chamber. The inner shield member and the outer shield member are configured to be mounted to the plasma arc torch as an integral unit.
US09210775B2
A method and system for storage of perishable items is provided. The system includes at least one enclosed compartment to store the perishable items. At least one of the walls of the enclosed compartment is detachable to allow movement of the perishable items in and out of the compartment. The system further includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are disposed on one of the walls of the compartment. The LEDs include one or more blue LEDs that are coated with a layer of phosphor material. The LEDs are electrically coupled with a power source. The system further includes a control unit that is configured to control power supplied by the power source to the LEDs based on presence of the perishable items in the compartment.
US09210772B2
A circuit for actuating a plurality of light-emitting means which are connected in series, comprising a plurality of electronic switches, which can be actuated depending on a rectified system voltage. The plurality of electronic switches are arranged in parallel with at least some of the light-emitting means, wherein each of the plurality of electronic switches short-circuits on activation of at least one of the light-emitting means connected in series. At least one energy store is connected in parallel with a first group of light-emitting means during a charge phase by virtue of the electronic switches, and it is connected in parallel with a second group of light-emitting means during a discharge phase by virtue of the electronic switches.
US09210771B2
An exterior lighting system for a vehicle is disclosed. The lighting system may include a plurality of lights provided proximate the wheel-wheels of the vehicle. The plurality of lights may be illuminated upon a brake pedal of the vehicle being depressed, a turn signal lever of the vehicle being activated, or upon a driver entering a desired setting into an operator interface of the system. The lighting system may be used as a safety feature to provide approaching vehicles better warning of a braking, slowing, or turning vehicle. The lighting system may also be used during roadside repair to warn other vehicles and/or to provide illumination for the repair. The lighting system may also be used for entertainment or accessorizing purposes enabling the user to select from a plurality of lighting sequences stored in the memory of the system.
US09210769B2
A light emitting diode (LED) is driven with a plurality of pulses having controllable pulse widths and positions within clock time periods that provide for both LED light intensity control and digital information communications from a single output node of an integrated circuit (IC) device. The LED light intensity is determined by the duty cycle of the pulses where the human eye integrates these light pulses from the LED into continuous light intensity levels. The digital information contained in the light output from the LED is detected by a photo-detector that converts the light pulses into electric signals that are demodulated and read by a circuit debugger and/or manufacturing test station. The aforementioned operations allow continuous visual display and data transmission using only one output node of the IC device. This is especially advantageous when using low pin count IC devices.
US09210759B2
A number of luminaires can be communicably coupled and networked. Some or all of the luminaires may be equipped with a number of sensors including motion sensors. Upon detecting motion of an object in the vicinity of a luminaire, the luminaire can increase the luminous output of the lighting subsystem in the luminaire and communicate a targeted or broadcast output signal to some or all of the remaining luminaires in the network. The output signal may variously contain data indicative of one or more parameters related to motion of the object (direction of travel, velocity, etc.) or one or more parameters related to the increased luminous output of the luminaire. Responsive to the receipt of an output signal generated by another luminaire, the luminaire may autonomously adjust the luminous output of the lighting subsystems responsive to an event detected by the other luminaire.
US09210749B2
The present invention relates to a driver device (50a-50f) and a corresponding method for driving a load (22), in particular an LED unit comprising one or more LEDs (23). The proposed driver device comprises power input terminals (51, 52) for receiving a rectified supply voltage from an external power supply, power output terminals (53, 54) for providing a drive voltage and/or current for driving a load (22), a single stage power conversion unit (66a, 66b, 66c) coupled to the power input terminals (52) comprising a single switching element (60) and an energy storage element (Ch), both coupled to a switch node (55), wherein the power output terminals (53, 54) are represented by the output of said stage power conversion unit, a filter unit (68) coupled to said switch node (55), said filter unit comprising a filter inductor (Lc) and a filter capacitor (Cs), and a control unit (58) for controlling said switching element (60).
US09210741B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a thermoplastic/filament hybrid composite, and more particularly, to a high frequency induction heating double steel belt press apparatus which uses an induction heating unit and double steel belts to allow rapid heating through accurate and uniform temperature control.
US09210735B2
An apparatus comprising a Local Mobility Anchor (LMA) configured to couple to a mobile node (MN), a network address translation (NAT) server, and an Internet Protocol (IP) version four (IPv4) only host and to associate an IP version six (IPv6) address for an interface with the MN with an IPv4 address for an interface with the IPv4 only host in a NAT state table entry, wherein the NAT state table entry is used to translate an IPv6 packet associated with the MN to an IPv4 packet associated with the IPv4 only host.
US09210728B2
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes providing a multi-radio connectivity service to a mobile subscriber, and managing the multi-radio connectivity service for the mobile subscriber. The managing can include: providing admission control; providing privileged subscriber access at a plurality of WiFi access points; providing signaling for quality of service (QoS) equivalence across a WiFi network and a mobile network; and distributing certain traffic based on a policy.
US09210727B2
Generally discussed herein are wireless systems, apparatuses, and methods for pairing a device and a base station. For example, the disclosed techniques may enable communication between a headphone base station (broadcasting an audio signal over a wireless channel) and a headphone set device (receiving an audio signal over a wireless channel) that establish communications using one or more identifiers. In some examples, a device or base station identifier maintained at the base station or device, respectfully, is validated and reprogrammed when it does not match a corresponding provided from the device or base station. In further examples, the validation and reprogramming may occur in response to a condition such as a charging event (such as the placement of the headphone set device onto a charging station provided by the headphone base station).
US09210721B2
There is provided a communication delay time derivation method for calculating a communication delay time depending on a combination of channels set between communication terminals on a communication path in the MCH/IF environment. When selecting a channel to be used for communication in each section on the communication path per section between communication terminals on the communication path, a calculation target section specification means 82 detects an inter-terminal selected channel repetitive pattern as a pattern of the selected channels cyclically appearing on the communication path, and defines a section corresponding to the inter-terminal selected channel repetitive pattern as a communication delay time calculation target section. A communication delay time derivation means 83 derives a communication delay time in the calculation target section based on the inter-terminal selected channel repetitive pattern.
US09210717B2
Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods, systems, devices and/or apparatuses for logical channel prioritization by a user equipment (UE) within a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communications network. The UE may have multiple logical channels each associated with one or more applications or services of the UE. The UE may identify whether a quality of service (QoS) obligation to allocate at least a portion of uplink resources to a logical channel for a time period is present, and may also identify whether the logical channel has control data to be transmitted from the UE. If a QoS obligation and/or control data are present for the logical channel, the UE may allocate at least a portion of the uplink resources to the logical channel.
US09210694B2
A feedback method and apparatus is provided for facilitating feedback in a Cooperative Multi-Point (CoMP) system in which multiple base stations cooperate with each other for downlink transmission to a terminal. The feedback method of a terminal includes determining whether the terminal is operating in cooperative multi-point mode for receiving data from a plurality of cells; estimating, when the terminal is operating in cooperative multi-point mode, channels of the cells belonging to a measurement set based on channel status information reference signals for the cells; selecting at least one best cell based on a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio based on the estimated channels; and feeding back a cell index and channel information of the best cell.
US09210690B2
A method at a first device for enabling a device-to-device wireless link, the method detecting whether a presence signal of a second device is received over a first time period, the presence signal of the second device having a time-slot boundary; and if the presence signal of the second device is not detected, initiating a time-slot boundary by the first device including: transmitting a first presence signal of the first device in a selected time-slot; and checking for an acknowledgment to the first presence signal.
US09210682B2
Disclosed are systems, apparatus, devices, methods, media, products, and other implementations, including a method that includes controllably modifying, at a first wireless device, an original unmodified value of at least one PHY-layer signal parameter, such as amplitude, frequency, timestamp, gain, signal equalization, and/or any combination thereof, of a signal according to at least one pre-determined varying signal modification process. The method further includes transmitting to a second wireless device the signal with the controllably modified value of the at least one PHY-layer signal parameter, with the transmitted signal configured to facilitate position determination of the second wireless device when the original unmodified value of the at least one PHY-layer signal parameter is determined at the second wireless device from the controllably modified value of the at least one PHY-layer signal parameter.
US09210677B2
The present invention proposes a method of sending a UE the timing advance information per carrier group promptly and commanding preamble transmission, and activating secondary carriers in a wireless communication system supporting carrier aggregation technology using uplink transmission timings for the respective carrier groups. Through the present invention, the UE is capable of configuring the timing advance information of the carrier group promptly and activating the secondary carrier quickly, resulting in reduction of uplink transmission delay.
US09210671B2
Power headroom reports may be transmitted from a wireless terminal to a base station wherein a primary component carrier and at least one secondary component carrier are provided for uplink transmissions from the wireless terminal to the base station and wherein a respective component carrier index is assigned to each of the at least one secondary component carriers provided for the wireless terminal. Respective power headroom reports may be generated for the primary component carrier and for each of the at least one secondary component carriers, and a MAC control element may be generated including the power headroom reports for the primary and secondary component carriers. More particularly, the power headroom reports for each of the at least one secondary component carriers may be arranged in order of the component carrier indices for the respective secondary component carriers. The MAC control element including the power headroom reports for the primary and secondary component carriers may be transmitted from the wireless terminal to the base station over one of the component carriers. Related wireless terminals, and base stations are also discussed.
US09210670B2
Methods and apparatus of a base station or a User Equipment (UE) in communication with each other are provided. The UE is configured by the base station for operation with an adapted Time Division Duplex (TDD) UpLink-DownLink (UL-DL) configuration. A process enabling UL power control for transmissions of various channels or signals from the UE in two different sets of UL Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) and a process enabling receptions of data transport blocks by the base station in two different sets of UL TTIs are provided.
US09210665B2
A sounding reference signal (SRS) is being scheduled for transmission in the last symbol of subframe n on a first cell in a first cell group. The last symbol overlaps in time with transmission of an uplink packet in subframe n+1 in a second cell in a second cell group. The wireless device transmits the SRS if a power parameter is less than or equal to a maximum allowable transmission power in the symbol. A calculation of the power parameter considers transmission power of the uplink packet if the overlap in time exceeds a first duration.
US09210661B2
A wireless base station apparatus includes a determination unit configured to make a determination as to whether an amount of power in the terminal device is to be reduced, and a control information transmission unit configured to transmit control information indicating power control to the terminal device, based on a determination result of the determination unit, and a terminal device includes at least one outlet unit configured to be able to supply power to an external device, a measurement unit configured to acquire the measurement value by measuring power in the terminal device, a measurement information transmission unit configured to transmit the measurement information indicating the measurement value to the wireless base station apparatus, a control information reception unit configured to receive the control information from the wireless base station apparatus, and a power supply control unit configured to control supply of power, based on the received control information.
US09210656B2
The listen interval of a WLAN client is selected to have one of a plurality of values, including a start listen interval (SLI) and one or more longer listen intervals (e.g., transient listen interval (TLI), maximum listen interval (MLI)). The listen interval is set to SLI in response to (1) detecting that an applications processor of the WLAN client is in an awake state, (2) detecting transmit/receive activity on the wireless link, and (3) failing to detect an expected beacon signal on the wireless link. If the listen interval is set to MLI (or TLI) and the WLAN client fails to detect an expected beacon signal (beacon miss), the listen interval is temporarily set to SLI. If the WLAN client then detects an expected beacon signal before detecting a predetermined number of consecutive beacon misses, the listen interval is immediately returned to the original listen interval MLI (or TLI).
US09210650B2
The disclosure provides a terminal access method and a terminal access device. The method comprises: determining, according to a value within an Enhanced Access Barring (EAB) parameter corresponding to an Access Class (AC) configured by a system, whether to allow access of a terminal corresponding to the AC; when the corresponding AC is determined to be not barred according to the EAB parameter, then according to a common Access Class Barring (ACB) parameter broadcasted by the existing system, performing access allowed judgment; when the corresponding AC is determined to be barred according to the EAB parameter, then, according to a barring time parameter configured by the system, calculating a barring time for re-accessing the system. In the method of the disclosure, the EAB and the existing ACB mechanism are jointly processed, solving the problem of possible impact on a system caused when large numbers of delay-insensitive or low-priority services or terminals access a network simultaneously. Also, during the occurrence of an unexpected event, as the EAB applicable terminal is provided with appropriate control, this type of terminal is prevented from accessing the system directly without constraints, and the duration of system congestion during the unexpected event is shortened.
US09210649B2
An operator identity for an ANDSF management object is described. The operator identity identifies the server that originally provided the data concerned to the management object. In this way, it is possible to determine the operators that are responsible for different branches of an ANDSF management object. The operator identity may take the form of a PLMN identity.
US09210641B2
Method and arrangement in a mobile terminal in a wireless communication system, for supporting a handover from a serving cell to a target cell. The method comprises determining 104a if the mobile terminal has moved in a predefined way in relation to at least one potential target cell. The determining is based on Doppler shift measurements 102a. The method further comprise adjusting 106a at least one handover related parameter, in order to enable a fast handover, when it is determined that the mobile terminal has moved in the predefined way in relation to the at least one potential target cell.
US09210614B2
A WLAN coordinated data transmission method, system, and relevant device are disclosed. The WLAN coordinated data transmission method includes: detecting, by an offloading scheduling controller, whether the number of MAC SDUs buffered in a MAC SDU queue of a mobile communication module exceeds a preset threshold, and, if so, packing a part of the MAC SDUs into a MAC PDU, and sending the MAC PDU to a coordination mode management module through an interface of the mobile communication module; sending, by the coordination mode management module, the MAC PDU containing the packed part of the MAC SDUs through an LLC protocol layer to a WLAN module for transmission; and packing, by the offloading scheduling controller, a remaining part of the MAC SDUs buffered in the MAC SDU queue into a MAC PDU, and transmitting the MAC PDU through the mobile communication module.
US09210612B2
A communication system and method are provided. The communication system includes a master base station, a slave base station and a remote radio unit (RRU); where a cell controlled by the slave base station is included in cells controlled by the master base station. The master base station is configured to receive downlink data and send the downlink data to the slave base station; and the slave base station corresponds to a transmission channel identifier of the downlink data. The slave base station is configured to receive the downlink data sent by the master base station, convert the downlink data into air interface downlink vector data, and send the air interface downlink vector data to the RRU. The RRU is configured to convert the air interface downlink vector data into analog data and send the analog data to a user equipment, thereby realizing data transmission.
US09210589B2
A protocol for providing location-based communication services in wireless sensor networks utilizes dynamic selection of forwarding devices, dynamic forwarding decisions, and intelligent backoff. Dynamic selection of forwarding devices limits the number of transmissions by dynamically selecting the devices that forward a message. Dynamic forwarding decisions implement different heuristics for different devices. According to intelligent backoff, devices that are closer to a destination region backoff for a shorter period of time than those which are further away from the destination region.
US09210588B2
A method for controlling an output of a small base station in a mobile communication system is provided. The method includes measuring Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) and receive sensitivity of at least one of a macro base station and a neighboring small base station, determining a service margin of the small base station, and determining transmission power based on the RSSI, the receive sensitivity and the service margin. The method may further include extracting the receive sensitivity of the neighboring small base station from the measured receive sensitivity, calculating the RSSI of the macro base station from total RSSIs based on a receive sensitivity ratio of the neighboring small base stations prior to determining the service margin.
US09210584B2
The invention relates to a method for measuring signal interference from an interfering transceiver node of a mobile communications network to a user equipment served by a serving transceiver node. The interfering transceiver node uses a plurality of defined radiation patterns for signal transmission, wherein a transmission of a sequence of the defined radiation patterns by the interfering transceiver node is triggered. Furthermore, signal measurements of the signal transmitted by the interfering transceiver node that uses the sequence of the defined radiation patterns are triggered at the user equipment and an interference level of the signals received at the user equipment is estimated from the interfering transceiver node in dependence on the sequence of the defined radiation patterns, wherein the interference level is estimated based on the triggered signal measurements received from the user equipment.
US09210583B2
Systems, methods, and apparatuses for centrally optimizing femtocells are presented herein. A scanning component can receive information from femtocells indicating respective operating conditions of the femtocells. Further, an optimization component can categorize the femtocells into groups based on the information, and direct a change of a parameter set of a group of the groups to a femtocell of the group. A method can include receiving, from femtocells, information associated with respective operating conditions of the femtocells; sorting the femtocells into groups based on the information; and directing a change of a parameter set that is associated with a group of the groups to a femtocell of the group. In an example, the method can further include directing a change of a parameter of a macrocell communicatively coupled to a femtocell of the femtocells.
US09210582B1
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for adding and removing unanchored small cell sites for a cluster that delivers precision time protocol frequency and phase synchronization over a network without on-path support are provided. In embodiments, the method includes continuously measuring, in an asymmetric network without on-path support, an anchor path delay. A maximum standard allowable (MSA) delay variation is determined for the cluster. A respective round trip (RT) delay is continuously measured from the host site to each unanchored small cell site in the cluster. The anchor path delay is compared to each respective RT delay to determine a respective unanchored delay variation. In embodiments, unanchored small cell sites are be added to or removed from the cluster based on a comparison of a respective unanchored delay variation to the MSA delay variation.
US09210569B2
An access point detects a presence of a first device having a device identifier in a femtozone associated with the access point. The access point matches the device identifier with an identifier associated with corresponding applications and activates a set of applications associated with the device identifier.
US09210568B1
A hardware-capability update method for a portable device with at least first and second SIM cards is provided. The method includes detecting whether a hardware capability for a first SIM card has to be responded to a requesting terminal; determining whether the hardware capability for the first SIM card can be responded immediately; transmitting the information about hardware capability to the requesting terminal when the hardware capability for the first SIM card can be responded immediately; and storing the information about pending updated hardware capability when the hardware capability for the first SIM card cannot be responded immediately.
US09210567B2
A machine to Machine (M2M) device for receiving parameter update information in a wireless communication system according to the present invention includes a receiver for receiving a first message, which includes information regarding the parameter update, from a base station. The information regarding the parameter update may include information indicating that a position update of M2M devices in a specific M2M group to which the M2M device belongs is required. The receiver may be further configured to transmit a second message including a position update request to the base station and receive a third message including position updated information on the M2M devices in the specific M2M group from the base station in response to the second message. The M2M device may further include a processor for performing a position update on the basis of the updated position information in the third message.
US09210552B2
Disclosed are a method for receiving multicast data in a machine to machine (M2M) device in a wireless communication system and an M2M device therefor. The M2M device receiving multicast data according to the present invention, includes a receiver receiving multicast control information for transmitting multicast data from a base station, and the multicast control information includes a retransmission indicator field which indicates whether corresponding multicast data is retransmitted or not.
US09210549B2
A mobile unit in a housing facility for mobile units may be tracked by activating a first reading device at a first location of the housing facility upon detecting a first mobile unit arriving at or departing from the first location, wherein the first mobile unit has a first tag having an identification code (ID) readable by the first reading device. A set of readings may be performed by the first reading device to read a set of tag IDs during a time interval. Upon an ending of the time interval, tag IDs, in the set of tag IDs, that correspond to the first tag ID are identified based on the set of readings. A record is updated to associate the first tag ID with the first location.
US09210544B2
A tracking device and a tracking device control method with intelligent safe zones are provided. The tracking device includes a positioning module, a long-range transceiver, a short-range transceiver and a microcontroller. The microcontroller is configured to provide the long-range transceiver with radio-signal information about a short-range radio signal received by the short-range transceiver. The long-range transceiver transmits the radio-signal information to a server for safe-zone identification of the tracking device and then receives a safe-zone identification result from the server. The microcontroller is further configured to operate the positioning module, the long-range transceiver and the short-range transceiver in accordance with the safe-zone identification result.
US09210542B2
A method and computer system for detecting crowds in a location tracking system utilizes a grid and the pigeonhole principle to minimize an amount of hardware, memory and/or processing capability required in the location tracking system. In particular, an amount of storage required to determine whether a location update has resulted in a crowd grows only linearly, rather than quadratically, with the number of objects being tracked because a number of active grid points will be, at most, four times the number of objects being tracked. By determining whether an individual active grid point is within a crowd area, the computational time required for detecting a crowd within this crowd area is independent from the total number of objects being tracked.
US09210541B2
A method for locating at least one individual located remotely from a broadcast network. An analysis unit compares user profiles, dynamic locations stored in the communicator location database, and/or fixed locations entered into the analysis unit. A data set of at least one matching individualized locatee user profile is generated and the individualized locatee user profile is transmitted to the locator via the locator's communicator device.
US09210527B2
An apparatus and method for providing uniform addressing for Machine-to-machine (M2M) services, including receiving by a first machine-to-machine (M2M) module a content from a first machine-to-machine (M2M) device using a first format, wherein the content is addressed for transmission to a second M2M device; converting the received content to a second format for transmission to a second M2M module, wherein the second M2M module is operable to convert the received content back to the first format for transmission to the second M2M device; and transmitting the converted content to the second M2M device through the second M2M module.
US09210522B2
A hearing aid includes a receiver with a receiver housing, the receiver having a sound port opening, and being configured to be placed at least partly in an ear canal of a user, and a sound tube acoustically connected to the sound port opening of the receiver, the sound tube having a longitudinal extension in at least two directions, wherein the sound tube has a total length of at least 16 mm. A hearing aid includes a behind the ear (BTE) unit configured to process sound and generate an electrical signal, an earpiece, and a signal conductor configured to communicate the electrical signal to the earpiece, wherein the earpiece comprises a receiver that is configured to convert the electrical signal into a sound signal, and wherein the earpiece further comprises a sound tube that is coupled to a sound port opening at the receiver, the sound tube having a longitudinal extension in at least two directions.
US09210521B2
Various embodiments of systems, devices, components, and methods are disclosed for mechanically coupling a bone conduction hearing aid, or a spacer or other device for a bone conduction hearing aid, to an abutment of a bone screw affixed to a patient's skull. Some embodiments of abutment attachment mechanisms employ axially-directed forces to secure a hearing aid to an abutment of a bone screw, while others employ radially directed forces to secure a hearing aid to an abutment of a bone screw.
US09210517B2
The present disclosure relates to communication devices. Such devices may comprise input for receiving sound signal to be processed and presented to a user, and output for outputting the processed signal to a user perceivable as sound. Such processing may be performed by use of a processor for processing the sound signal in dependence of a setting or a set of setting to compensate a hearing loss profile. Further, the communication device may comprise a bio-signal acquisition and amplifier component in communication with a user interface for providing the bio-signals as input to the user interface, the user interface controlling the setting or set of setting for operation of the communication device.
US09210509B2
A system and method for the directional transmission of sound is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system comprises an audio source configured to generate an audio signal, a control module configured to receive the audio signal and generate a driving signal, based at least in part on the audio signal, and an array comprising a plurality of loudspeakers, wherein the loudspeakers are linearly arranged such that the spacing between two adjacent loudspeakers increases along the array. In a particularly, embodiment, the spacing increases exponentially, and broadband dipole loudspeakers are used.
US09210507B2
A system and method for mitigating microphone hiss may obtain a frequency spectrum characteristic for a microphone. A microphone that has limited dynamic range may create microphone hiss in an output signal. The microphone hiss may prevent a reproduction of a sound field, represented in an output signal of the microphone, from being perceived as a natural environment. The microphone frequency spectrum may be obtained using static measurements or calculated dynamically. A virtual noise floor may be calculated responsive to the microphone frequency spectrum and a desired noise floor. Gain coefficients may be calculated responsive to the output signal of the microphone. The gain coefficients may be calculated to mitigate undesirable signal content including background noise and echoes. The calculated gain coefficients may be modified responsive to the virtual noise floor. The modified gain coefficients may allow a reproduction of the sound field to be perceived as a natural environment.
US09210506B1
Volume extension includes limiting the magnitude of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) frequency bins which allows increases to the perceived level of audio content without causing distortion. A soft limit and smoothing is applied to each FFT bin is to prevent or reduce distortion while maximizing output volume. Frequency resolution is significantly improved compared to volume extension methods utilizing filterbanks and hard limiting, and distortion is reduced because no hard limiting occurs.
US09210504B2
In an embodiment, a method of processing audio signals at a device includes receiving audio signals at a plurality of microphones of the device; processing at least one of the audio signals received by the plurality of microphones to generate a first characteristic; a beamformer applying beamformer coefficients to the received audio signals, thereby generating a beamformer output; processing the beamformer output to generate a second characteristic. An echo canceller is applied to the beamformer output, thereby suppressing, from the beamformer output, an echo resulting from audio signals output from an audio output. An operating parameter of the echo canceller is determined, using a relationship between the first and second characteristics.
US09210502B2
An echo cancelling device splits a low-band signal through LPFs having characteristics which do not cause aliasing during downsampling of downsamplers, and splits a high-band signal through HPFs having characteristics which do not cause aliasing during downsampling of downsamplers. The echo canceling device generates a mid-band signal by subtracting the low-band signal and the high-band signal from a pre-split signal by adder-subtractors, and cancels an echo on a band-by-band basis.
US09210501B2
Provided is a pop-noise removing method. The pop-noise removing method analyzes an acoustic noise, occurring when receiving digital broadcasting under a weak electric field environment, and reduces a pop-noise on the basis of the analyzed result, for transferring digital broadcasting with a minimized pop-noise to consumers. Accordingly, an output of the pop-noise of digital broadcasting can be minimized.
US09210500B2
A circuit including headset type detection provides compatibility with different transducer types, such as headphones provided by different manufacturers. An audio circuit that generates or receives an audio signal includes electrical terminals for coupling to a transducer device, at least one of which carries the audio signal. A transducer device type detection circuit is included and detects a type of a transducer device coupled to the audio device from characteristics measured at the multiple electrical terminals when the transducer is coupled to the audio device. The circuit also includes a configuration control circuit for altering a configuration of the audio device according to a detected type of the transducer device.
US09210498B1
A wearable electronic band configured to contain a plug to engage a power source, and one or more earbud charging receptacles. The band also contains its own rechargeable battery electrically connected to the receptacles and a power source, such as an external source or an induction coil.
US09210495B2
Provided is a dynamic headphone that has a small size but makes a larger-diameter headphone unit mountable thereon, the dynamic headphone including a highly reliable acoustic channel that acoustically connects a front air chamber and a back air chamber to each other. A headphone case 20 houses a headphone unit 50 therein, and includes a back air chamber C2 on a back side of the headphone unit 50. The headphone case 20 includes: a back air chamber forming portion 40 that forms the back air chamber C2; and a mount portion 30 integrally provided to an opening end of the back air chamber forming portion 40, the headphone unit 50 being mounted in the mount portion 30. An acoustic channel 70 is provided between the mount portion 30 and the headphone unit 50.
US09210494B1
This disclosure relates to bone conduction. One disclosed apparatus includes a support structure and a bone-conduction transducer (BCT). The support structure includes a front section and a side section. The side section includes a recessed structure and at least one member that extends from the recessed structure. The BCT includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is in contact with the at least one member such that at least one gap is defined between the BCT and the recessed structure. When the support structure is worn, the second portion is in contact with a wearer so as to transmit a target vibration of the second portion to a bone structure of the wearer. The at least one member is configured to transmit a vibration of the first portion of the BCT to the recessed structure.
US09210493B2
A wireless earpiece may include a local memory for storing audio files that can be played back by the user. The wireless earpiece may fit entirely within the user's ear canal. Audio files, for example music files, may be loaded on the wireless earpiece by docking the wireless earpiece with a mobile device, which includes a larger memory storing the user's library of music files. The wireless earpiece may also be charged while docked with the mobile device by receiving power from the mobile device's larger battery. To provide stereo sound, two wireless earpieces may be worn by the user and docked separately with the mobile device. Each of the two wireless earpieces may store a single channel of an audio file, which is separated by the mobile device during synchronization.
US09210491B2
An electronic amplifier device amplifies magnetic audio signals emanating from a portable electronic device placed thereon. The electronic amplifier device includes a housing having a designated area for placement of the portable electronic device thereon, an amplifier circuit, and at least one loudspeaker electrically coupled to the amplifier circuit. A wireless audio coupler circuit situated within the electronic amplifier device includes a magnetic signal pick-up coil which is situated in close proximity to the designated area on the housing. The magnetic signal pick-up coil senses magnetic signals emanating from the portable electronic device placed on the designated area of the housing, and the electronic amplifier device amplifies these signals and provides them to the loudspeaker.
US09210487B1
Embodiments provide a methodology for designing a large-scale non-blocking OCS using a multi-stage folded CLOS switch architecture for use in datacenter networks and fiber-rich backbone network POPs. One aspect employs a folded CLOS architecture because of its ease of implementation, enabling the topology to scale arbitrarily with increasing number of stages. The fraction of ports allocated for internal switch wiring (overhead) also increases with the number of stages. Design decisions are made to carefully optimize the insertion loss per module, number of ports per module, number of stages and the total scale required. Other embodiments include folded CLOS switch architectures having at least two stages. In one example, power monitoring may be included only on the leaf switches.
US09210483B2
For watermark embedding, without full Dolby AC-3 decoding, mantissa bits in the AC-3 bit stream are changed by exploiting the fact that during AC-3 encoding more bits than required by the perceptual masking curve are used for the quantization of the MDCT coefficient mantissa values. In addition to the bap values, truly required bap values are determined and the mantissa values are changed accordingly, controlled by the watermark information. The advantages are efficient watermark embedding, other bit stream parameters and values remain unchanged except for CRC checks, and the audio quality of the watermarked signal remains perceptually unchanged.
US09210464B2
A digital broadcast receiver device (100) is provided with: a descrambling unit (504) which uses keys for a plurality of services to decrypt encrypted video data for the plurality of services and generates video data for the plurality of services; and a CAS control unit (503) which, for each of the plurality of services, measures the update period of the key information and the key processing time for generating keys from the key information and determines, from among the plurality of services, which services are to be descrambled, that is, to be decrypted by the descrambling unit (504), selecting services such that the sum of the key processing times of all services to be decrypted is less than each one of the update periods of the services to be decrypted.
US09210463B2
An autodiscovery system provides content credentials to customer premise equipment through an event-driven architecture. The autodiscovery system includes several modules for implementing the event-driven architecture, such as an autodiscovery front-end module, an autodiscovery back-end module, and a broadcast activation module. The autodiscovery system may also include a subscriber database that stores subscriber records that identify subscribers associated with a level of service, a customer premise equipment identifier, or both. The modules of the autodiscovery system may also communicate with a conditional access system that communicates the content credentials to a data carousel. When the content credentials are made available on the data carousel, the autodiscovery front-end module may notify the customer premise equipment that the content credentials are ready for retrieval from the data carousel.
US09210460B2
A user device provides, to a content delivery system, a content request for selected media and receives, in response to the content request, a unicast link for receiving the selected media via a unicast stream and a multicast link for receiving the selected media via a multicast stream. The user device presents a first portion of the selected media via the unicast stream and buffers, in a local memory, a second portion of the selected media from the multicast stream. The second portion is later in linear sequence of the selected media than the first portion. The user device discontinues presenting the first portion of the selected media when the first portion would overlap the second portion and present the second portion of the selected media from the memory.
US09210454B2
A “pause live television” service is implemented, where in one embodiment, a continuously streaming video from a broadcast programming source is copied into a circular buffer. A set top box (“STB”) requests a trick function, such as “pause,” by sending a message to the system, which in one embodiment suspends the display of the present broadcast video in the STB. The system determines an pointer and when the user requests resumption of the broadcast video (e.g., “play”), the system uses the pointer for that particular STB to determine the appropriate resumption point in the particular buffer to resume streaming of the video for that STB. In various embodiments, the network may begin streaming of the video at the resumption point on another channel and direct the STB to then tune to that channel. Thus, the program appears to have been seamless suspended and resumed using a network based capability.
US09210452B2
A method of processing additional information related to an announced service or content in a Non-Real Time (NRT) service and the broadcast receiver are disclosed herein. A method of providing a Non-Real Time (NRT) service in a broadcasting receiver includes receiving a service map table (SMT) and a first descriptor through a service signaling channel, identifying an image identifier and an image type of an image for an NRT service based upon the first descriptor, receiving the image via a flute session and displaying the image when corresponding service is played, wherein the image is logo or icon data for the NRT service. The method may further include connecting a service signaling channel, parsing the received SMT and the first descriptor, determining whether a service is the NRT service based upon the parsed SMT and storing the received image.
US09210450B2
Entertainment systems for aircraft and other vehicles are described having a plurality of media players. The media players collectively store a full content set, with each media player storing only a fraction of the full content set. Each of the media players can be configured to index the full content set, such that media players can obtain missing content from other media players.
US09210448B2
An moving picture decoding device includes a receiver that receives data that has been coded according to multi-view coding of pictures that are included in a moving picture and provided for a plurality of views; a first decoder that decodes coded data that is included in the data coded according to the multi-view coding and provided for a first view; and a second decoder that decodes coded data that is included in the data coded according to the multi-view coding and provided for a second view A detector detects a region of the data that cannot be decoded and is among a plurality of regions to be decoded by the first decoder. A concealing unit conceals the predetermined region detected by the detector using decoded data.
US09210444B2
A method for modifying bit-rate comprising receiving bandwidth information about a network, modifying one or more parameters of a pre-filter coupled to a video encoder based on the received bandwidth information, applying the pre-filter to video content based on the modified parameters and encoding the pre-filtered video content to have a bandwidth commensurate with the bandwidth information.
US09210441B2
A video encoder and corresponding methods are provided for selecting the mode of a current macroblock of an inter-coded frame, including one or more of checking first modes for a subset of macroblock modes, selectively checking other modes in response to motion vector information of the checked first modes, and selecting the mode for the current macroblock in response to the checked modes; checking the macroblock mode of at least one neighboring macroblock, and selecting the mode for the current macroblock in response to the macroblock mode of the at least one checked neighboring macroblock; checking the cost of a subset of macroblock modes, further checking only intra-coded modes if the checked cost meets a preset criteria, and selecting the mode for the current macroblock in response to the checked modes; and adjusting an early-stopping threshold in response to checked macroblock modes, and selecting the mode for the current macroblock in response to the checked macroblock modes if the adjusted early-stopping threshold is met.
US09210439B2
A method for encoding high dynamic range (HDR) images involves providing a lower dynamic range (LDR) image, generating a prediction function for estimating the values for pixels in the HDR image based on the values of corresponding pixels in the LDR image, and obtaining a residual frame based on differences between the pixel values of the HDR image and estimated pixel values. The LDR image, prediction function and residual frame can all be encoded in data from which either the LDR image of HDR image can be recreated.
US09210412B2
The present invention provides active shutter glasses and a stereoscopic image projection system that allow a stereoscopic image of excellent display quality to be viewed. The present invention provides active shutter glasses for a stereoscopic image projection system in which the active shutter glasses include a shutter section for the right eye and a shutter section for the left eye, the shutter section for the right eye and the shutter section for the left eye each include a liquid crystal cell, and when the glasses are worn, viewing angles of the shutter section for the right eye and the shutter section for the left eye each are wider on the right and left sides than on the upper and lower sides.
US09210404B2
Methods for determining intrinsic parameters associated with a camera and for registering cameras within a camera array are described. In some embodiments, a camera may be calibrated using an optical target that is positioned at a depth outside the depth of focus of the camera. The optical target may include a grid of symmetrical shapes (e.g., a rectilinear grid of circles or tilted squares). The intrinsic parameters for the camera may be determined using an iterative calibration process in which a cost function is used to evaluate the straightness of lines intersecting rows and columns associated with centroids of the symmetrical shapes. In some embodiments, the registration of a color camera with a depth camera may include mapping centroids identified within a first color image captured by the color camera with corresponding centroids identified within an undistorted intensity image captured by the depth camera.
US09210403B2
A system for space-based imaging in three dimensions includes at least two satellites in a geocentric orbit in a same orbital plane, a satellite being equipped with equipment for optical imaging in two dimensions and a system for transmitting to the ground images in two dimensions; at least one data receiving station on the ground, connected to a communications network; at least one center for processing the images received in two dimensions from the satellites in order to create resulting images in three dimensions and to broadcast the resulting images in three dimensions, the processing center being connected to the communications network; and, a system for controlling the satellites such that a geographical area of the Earth of which images are to be taken is seen under an angle of incidence with respect to a nadir greater than a minimum threshold and/or less than a maximum threshold.
US09210398B2
A method and apparatus for temporally interpolating a three-dimensional (3D) depth image are provided to generate an intermediate depth image in a desired time. The apparatus may interpolate depth images generated by a depth camera, using a temporal interpolation procedure, may generate an intermediate depth image in a new time using the interpolated depth images, and may combine the generated intermediate depth image with color images, to generate a high-precision 3D image.
US09210384B2
A system and method for real time registration of images is disclosed. The system measures the angle rate of change and approximates attitude difference between the two cameras to provide an estimate of the relative rate of change between the two cameras. Approximating attitude difference between the two cameras reduce the time needed for initial image registration. Real time registration of images reduces the processing load and improves tracking.
US09210380B2
Some embodiments provide an architecture for establishing a multi-participant conference. This architecture has one participant's computer in the conference act as a central content distributor for the conference. The central distributor receives data (e.g., video and/or audio streams) from the computer of each other participant, and distributes the received data to the computers of all participants. In some embodiments, the central distributor receives A/V data from the computers of the other participants. From such received data, the central distributor of some embodiments generates composite data (e.g., composite image data and/or composite audio data) that the central distributor distributes back to the participants.
US09210374B2
A transmission terminal is connected to a display apparatus for outputting image data for displaying on the display apparatus, including: a resolution obtaining unit; a resolution determining unit; a resolution selecting unit; an image processing unit which performs a process of adding a segment area to the image data output by the display apparatus after a first resolution is selected by the resolution selecting unit; and a resolution changing unit which changes the resolution of the display apparatus to the resolution selected by the resolution selecting unit. Image data and auxiliary information may be appropriately displayed depending on capabilities of a display connected to a transmission terminal to increase viewability of information necessary for conferencing to ensure displaying of the information.
US09210365B2
Methods, computer program products and systems for providing video tracking. The method includes receiving a first signal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. A location of the RFID tag is determined in response to the first signal. An image that includes the location of the RFID tag is recorded. The location of the RFID tag is marked on the image, resulting in a marked image.
US09210359B2
A display device, a remote control device for the display device, a method of controlling the display device, a method of controlling the remote control device, and a method of controlling a server includes collecting at least one piece of situation information or receiving at least one piece of situation information from a remote control device, determining a current state of a user based on the collected or received at least one piece of situation information, instructing the remote control device to output a notification signal corresponding to the current state of the user, and generating the control command according to the current state of the user and providing a sense-based image service to the user according to the control command.
US09210358B2
Methods, systems, and techniques for dual-mode communication are provided. Example embodiments provide a an enhanced mobile device that includes a CPU, a low latency transceiver, and a high latency transceiver. The enhanced mobile device is in communication with a console via both the low latency transceiver and the high latency transceiver. The console also includes a CPU, a low latency transceiver, and a high latency transceiver. In some embodiments, the low latency communication channel is used to transmit control messages to an entertainment console whereas the high latency communication channel is used to communicate data between the mobile device and the entertainment console. The dual-mode communication may be used in different scenarios, including with an entertainment console for gaming, viewing videos, and the like.
US09210346B2
A focus detection sensor includes a line sensor comprised of a pair of sensor arrays in which a plurality of pixels are arranged. The sensor arrays include a pixel of a first type having an arrangement for transferring charges generated by a photoelectric conversion device to a corresponding memory device and causing the memory device to integrate the charges during a charge accumulation period, and a pixel of a second type having an arrangement for integrating, in the pixel, the charges generated by the photoelectric conversion device during the charge accumulation period without transferring the charges to the memory device until the end of the charge accumulation period, and transferring the charges to the corresponding memory device when the charge accumulation period has ended. An accurate charge accumulation result can be obtained by a simple arrangement.
US09210336B2
The automatic generation (702) of one or more secondary video streams based on an input primary video stream (701) may use analytics performed on the video to provide information on targets, events, and/or areas of interest to permit the one or more secondary video streams (703) to concentrate on one or more targets, events, and/or areas of interest.
US09210330B2
An image sensor includes a sensing device including a pixel array having a plurality of unit pixels, the sensing device being configured to generate pixel data in response to an incident light signal having information of an image of an object and information of an ambient light; an image data generation unit configured to generate image data corresponding to the object based on the pixel data; and an illuminance data generation unit configured to generate illuminance data corresponding to the ambient light based on the pixel data.
US09210329B2
In an imaging apparatus having framing assist control, a controller controls a change speed of the display angle of view changed by a second or a third instruction member faster than the change speed of the display angle of view changed by a first instruction member. The first instruction member is configured to issue an instruction regarding a change of a display angle of view and a change direction of the display angle of view. The second instruction member is configured to issue an instruction to change the display angle of view displayed on the monitor to a wide-angle side by a predetermined amount. The third instruction member is configured to issue an instruction to change the display angle of view displayed on the monitor to the display angle of view before the display angle of view is changed by the second instruction member.
US09210326B2
An imaging apparatus which controls display regarding capturing, an imaging method and a storage medium are shown. According to one implementation, an imaging apparatus includes, an imaging section, a display section, an imaging control section, a condition related information setting section, a first specifying section, and a display control section. The imaging control section controls automatic imaging processing in which the imaging section automatically images a subject under a predetermined condition. The condition related information setting section sets condition related information regarding the predetermined condition which changes during the automatic imaging processing. The first specifying section specifies a number of subjects as a target of imaging. The display control section displays the set condition related information changing at least one of a size and/or a position according to the number of subjects specified by the first specifying section.
US09210323B2
An image capture device according to the present disclosure includes: an image capturing section configured to generate an image by shooting; an acceleration detector configured to detect acceleration and output a first signal; an angular velocity detector configured to detect angular velocity and output a second signal; and a controller configured to determine an angle of rotation of the image based on at least a result of comparison between the first and second signals' DC components and a result of comparison between the first and second signals' AC components.
US09210318B2
An imaging device of the present invention comprises a facial organ detection section for detecting eyes from a digital image, an eye-priority AF section for setting an AF region to a detected eye and focusing on the eye, and an image processing section for carrying out image processing on the digital image to feather the periphery of an eye that the eye-priority AF section has focused on, wherein the facial organ detection section detects facial organs from a digital image that has been captured by the imaging section, and determines inclination of a face based on the detected facial organs, the eye-priority AF section selects one eye based on the inclination of the face, and carries out focusing on the selected eye, and the image processing section carries out processing to feather eyes that have not been selected, and varies feathering strength in accordance with inclination of the face.
US09210316B2
The embodiments herein provide a system and method for detecting and capturing a focused image. The system comprises of an image capturing unit, edge detection unit and a focusing unit. The image capturing unit obtains plurality of images sequentially. The edge detection unit identifies region of interest in each of the obtained images and calculates edge strength value for the identified regions. The edge detection unit determines peak edge value from the edge strength values. The edge strength value quantifies degree of focus in the identified region. If the identified region is more focused, the number of edges is relatively more when compared with out-of-focus region. The peak edge value indicates that the identified region is well focused. The focusing unit causes the image capturing unit to capture focused image when the edge strength value reaches a predefined value of the peak edge value.
US09210307B2
A camera assembly for a vehicle includes an end connector with a first connection point that carries a video+signal, a second connection point that carries power, and a third connection point that receives a video−signal, video shield current and ground current. The camera assembly may connect to a conduit assembly of the vehicle that includes a first conduit that carries the video+signal from the end connector to a display in the vehicle, a second conduit that carries power from a power source (such as a battery) to the camera assembly, and a third conduit that connects between the third connection point and a ground point for the display in the vehicle. The camera may include a radio frequency identification element operable to wirelessly communicate between a remote device and the camera to identify the camera module and/or to program the camera.
US09210301B2
The instant application describes a stereoscopic video processing system that includes a vector detector configured to detect a motion vector associated with frames of an input video signal; an output image generator configured to generate interpolation frames based on the frames of the input video signal and the motion vector and to arrange the frames of the input video signal and the interpolation frame along a time axis; and an output controller configured to control the output image generator to output the interpolation frames as the output video signal alternately at intervals of one frame and two frames, and output the frames of the input video signal between the one frame and the two frames of the interpolation frames.
US09210294B2
A method of operating an image reader typically includes: searching a digital image for nominally straight edges; characterizing the nominally straight edges in terms of length and/or direction; determining a predominant orientation of the nominally straight edges; establishing a group of edges as a function of their proximity to the center of the image; establishing a group of edges as a function of their proximity to other remaining edge positions; and transmuting a rectangle bounding those edges into a rectified image. The rectified image is typically an image that is cropped or rotated.
US09210292B2
Provided is a quantization processing method using dither patterns that make it possible to obtain a dot array having excellent dispersibility even in the case of a single color or mixed color inks. For this purpose, first and second dither patterns are prepared in order to respectively quantize multivalued data for a first ink to different pieces of binary data, respectively. Also, third and fourth dither patterns are prepared in order to respectively quantize multivalued data for a second ink to different pieces of binary data. Further, on the basis of a combination of the multivalued data on the first ink and the multivalued data on the second ink, a quantization unit for the first ink, and a quantization unit for the second ink are determined.
US09210290B2
The present invention provides a destination setting apparatus for setting destinations used in communications based on a plurality of communication protocols, the apparatus including an input unit configured to input destination information including a destination and a communication protocol of the destination to a destination list which displays a destination as a communication target, a display unit configured to display a setting screen including setting items settable by each communication protocol, based on the destination information input to the destination list, a determination unit configured to determine if the destination information input to the destination list includes one type of communication protocol or a plurality of different types of communication protocols, and a control unit configured to control to generate a setting screen to be displayed by the display unit based on the determination result of the determination unit, and to display the setting screen on the display unit.
US09210286B2
A technique which enables reduction of time required for continuous printing performed by an image forming apparatus in a temperature rise suppression mode. A printer prints a plurality of pages based on print data received from a host computer. A temperature sensor detects internal temperature of the printer. A control unit controls the printer such that the printing is suspended when the internal temperature has risen to a shifting temperature, and the printing is restarted when the internal temperature has fallen to a normal restart threshold value during the suspension of the printing. The control unit calculates the number of remaining pages left unprinted when the printing is suspended, and sets the normal restart threshold value according to the calculated number of the remaining pages.
US09210282B2
An image forming apparatus has an image display operation device with a function selecting portion to correlate with a plurality of functions executed in the image forming apparatus, a display portion, and a display control portion. The function selecting portion includes a function selecting portion in which selectable function items are displayed in accordance with an operation mode selected in the image forming apparatus. A second function selecting portion display other function items that are simultaneously selected. The display control portion simultaneously displays the function selecting portions on the display portion. The image display operation device simultaneously makes functions selectable. When the functions according to the first function selecting portion is selected, the display control portion changes functions according to the second function selecting portion that is displayed, based on contents of the functions according to the first function selecting portion.
US09210281B2
A display input device includes: a display portion in which setting item regions for a plurality of setting items are aligned and displayed, and the setting value input images including a character string indicating a setting value that can be set and a preview image indicating the result of an output of a job when a setting value that has been already set and the setting value displayed as the character string are further reflected are aligned and displayed such that a plurality of the preview images are displayed as thumbnails; and an operation input portion which receives an operation on the setting value input image as an input for setting the setting value corresponding to the selected setting value input image.
US09210275B2
A system and method of a telephony application platform can include receiving a communication session request specifying a destination endpoint, connecting the communication session through a first application module according to the destination endpoint, receiving an instruction to transition communication control to a second application module, transitioning communication control of the communication session to the second application module, independently metering resource usage of the communication session of each application module, and accounting the metered usage of the communication session.
US09210246B2
A VOIP service and method is provided which comprises an redirecting dialer device (RDD), which connects a telephone to a POTS circuit. Responsive to DTMF signals from the telephone representative of a long telephone distance number, the RDD intercept the DTMF signals and transits alternative DTMF signals representative of an alternative telephone number of a PSTN/VOIP gateway server. Once connected to the PSTN/VOIP gateway server, the RDD then transmits the DTMF signals associated with the original long distance number. The VOIP gateway server is operative to convert the analog signals from the telephone into digital and packetized VOIP data which is transmitted through a public or private IP-based network to a remote telecommunication device associated with the original long distance telephone number. If the DTMF signals from the telephone are representative of a local telephone number, the RDD is operative to forgo transmitting the alternative DTMF signals.
US09210243B2
The present invention provides a lens holding device excellent in an impact resistance.The lens holding device comprising a lens carrier having a cylindrical shape extending in an optical axis direction of a lens and holding said lens at an inner peripheral face side,a coil provided to a coil attaching part formed at an outer peripheral face of said lens carrier, an outer wall part, an inner wall part placed so that said coil is between said outer wall part, a connection part connecting said outer wall part and said inner wall part; andsaid inner face part has an inner face facing said lens carrier, an outer face facing said coil, and a first side face and a second side face which connects said inner face and said outer face and approximately parallel to each other, further at said outer peripheral face of said lens carrier, a control part is formed which has a main face facing said inner face, a first projection face facing said first side face, and a second projection face facing said second side face.
US09210242B2
A housing for a personal electronic device includes a first housing portion, a second housing portion, and a pivoting member pivotally attached to the second housing portion. The first housing portion defines a first plane and has a first support member arranged thereon at a first angle to the first plane. The first support member includes at least one through hole for engaging a fastener. The second housing portion defines a second plane and has a second support member arranged thereon at a second angle to the second plane. The second support member includes at least one retaining hole configured to align with the at least one through hole and retain the fastener. The pivoting member is configured to pivot between at least two positions to obscure the fastener.
US09210240B2
According to one aspect, a portable electronic device that includes a base portion and a sliding portion. The sliding portion is adapted to be coupled to the base portion and slideable relative thereto between a closed position and an open position. The device also includes a flex connector coupled to the sliding portion, the flex connector having a connector end, a dynamic region, and an intermediate coupler between the connector end and the dynamic region. The device also includes a guide base slidably coupled to the sliding portion, the guide base being adapted to be mechanically coupled to the intermediate coupler so as to secure the flex connector to the guide base before the sliding portion is coupled to the base portion.
US09210239B1
A method, system, and apparatus are directed towards selectively compressing data for transmission over a network. In one embodiment, a sending network device and receiving network device negotiates different compression modes to communicate data between them. An initial compression mode may be selected based on a network bandwidth. The sending network device then reads data, and compresses using the selected compression mode. The compressed data may then be written out. Ratios of compression and the write times are then employed to selectively adjust the compression mode for subsequent data compressions. In one embodiment, a compression ratio is also employed to determine whether to employ the selected compression mode, or to reduce the level of compression by using a different compression mode. The receiving network device having received information about the selected compression mode, then employs that compression mode to decompress the received data.
US09210236B2
A method and system for dynamic distributed data caching is presented. The system includes one or more peer members and a master member. The master member and the one or more peer members form cache community for data storage. The master member is operable to select one of the one or more peer members to become a new master member. The master member is operable to update a peer list for the cache community by removing itself from the peer list. The master member is operable to send a nominate master message and an updated peer list to a peer member selected by the master member to become the new master member.
US09210235B2
A system, method and computer-readable medium for client-side cache management are provided. A client request for content is returned that includes executable code for generating a request for preload information. Based on processing the executable code, a client computing device requests preload information from a content delivery service provider. The content delivery service provider provides an identification of content based on resource requests previously served by the content delivery service provider. The client computing device processes the preload information and generates and obtains identified resources for maintenance in a client computing device memory, such as cache.
US09210232B2
An approach is provided for optimizing data (e.g., media) transfer. Retrieval is initiated for information relating to transfer of media to one or more devices. It is determined whether a particular media that is to be transferred to the one or more devices is new to the one or more devices using the retrieved information. Transfer of the particular media to the devices is initiated in which the particular media is determined to be new.
US09210217B2
Embodiments of methods, systems and apparatuses for a content broker that offers preloading opportunities, are disclosed. One content broker system includes at least one content distribution server coupled through one or more communications networks to a plurality of user devices and one or more content providers. The at least one content distribution server is operative to obtain at least one of a user device parameter or a user parameter, wherein the user parameter is associated with at least one user associated with one or more of the plurality of user devices. The at least one content distribution server is further operative to classify a plurality of storage elements associated with the plurality of user devices based on the at least one of the user device parameter or the user parameter, offer preloading opportunities to at least one of the one or more content providers, select a content from a plurality of content available from the one or more content providers based on the classified plurality of storage elements and responses to the offered preloading opportunities, and assist preloading of at least a portion of the selected content to at least one of the plurality of storage elements.
US09210213B2
Methods and systems for transparent user interface integration between remote (“published”) applications and their local counterparts are described, providing a seamless, unified user experience, and allowing integration of a start menu, dock, taskbar, desktop shortcuts, windows, window and application switching, system tray elements, client-to-host and host-to-client file type association, URL redirection, browser cookie redirection, token redirection, status message interception and redirection, and other elements. These methods and systems further enhance theme-integration between a client and remote desktop or virtual machine by remoting all UI elements to a recipient for generation, including text controls, buttons, progress bars, radio buttons, list boxes, or other elements; presenting them with the receiver's product and OS-specific UI; and returning status back to the sender. This may achieve a more unified and transparent UI integration. Furthermore, international text may be correctly received in cross-language environments, or translated into the language of the presenting environment.
US09210212B2
Updated image views of an actively changing desktop, in a remote desktop session being shared by a Remote Desktop terminal server, are displayed on the host's logon screen. Specifically, a Microsoft Window's based computer (host), which is communicating with a network projector (client) through a remote desktop connection, provides continually updating image views of the desktop being hosted in a remote desktop session onto the host screen such that a user locally positioned near the host may preview the desktop content being provide to, and output by, the remote projector.
US09210211B2
In one embodiment, a method updates a media program streaming application for a media program streaming service. The method downloads the application, which includes a bootstrap application, through a distribution site. The bootstrap application receives a manifest from a remote server that lists remote core files. The bootstrap application determines if a core memory contains updateable core files corresponding to the remote core files. The method determines if an updateable core file is present in the core memory that matches a remote core file and loads the updateable core file from the core memory into a memory. If an updateable core file that matches the remote core file is not present in the core memory, the method requests the remote core file from the remote server and loading the received remote core file into the memory. The method then executes the core files in the memory without recompilation.
US09210206B2
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to messaging to provide data link integrity. An embodiment of a method includes transmitting a data stream over a data link from a first device to a second device, the data stream including multiple frames, the data stream being transmitted in a first mode. The method further includes determining a data transmission mode change from the first mode to a second mode for the transmission of the data stream from the first device to the second device, generating mode packets, each mode packet including fields to define a plurality of mode elements, the fields of the mode packet being set to indicate the data transmission mode change, and transmitting the mode packets to the second device prior to implementing the data transmission mode change.
US09210200B1
A videoconference server for use with a videoconference system in which a plurality of users communicate video and audio data to each other, including at least one server external port, at least one resource distribution node operating on the server and having at least first and second internal ports, the first internal port in communication with the server external port, at least one operating node including at least one internal port which is in communication with the resource distribution node second internal port, and wherein the resource distribution node is configured to receive a request from a user over the server external port, the request for establishing a connection with the operating node, wherein the resource distribution node is configured to pass the connection with the server external port to the operating node to thereby establish a virtual connection between the user and the operating node using the server external port for communication of videoconference related data.
US09210193B2
An example method includes capturing session attributes associated with a communication session initiated by a node in a network environment, querying external attributes associated with the node, deriving a response attribute according to an access control policy rule based on at least one of the session attributes and at least one of the external attributes, and applying the response attribute to the communication session. The session attributes can include remote authentication dial in user service RADIUS vendor specific attribute information from an unknown vendor. The method may further include auditing the communication session, enforcing the response attribute, or ignoring the access control policy. Enforcing the response attribute can include taking an access control action according to the response attribute. The access control action may include allowing the node to access a virtual local area network in the network environment, denying access to the network environment, etc.
US09210188B2
The present invention relates to a method for preventing a relay-attack on a smart key system, and in particular, provides an advantage of preventing a vehicle and equipment stored inside the vehicle from being stolen by using predetermined information transmitted and received when the SMK UNIT of the vehicle and a FOB Key wirelessly communicate with each other and enabling a holder of the FOB Key to make the relay-attack once the holder secures visibility from the vehicle.
US09210179B2
Embodiments of computer-implemented methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more computer programs stored therein are provided to transfer contents of transactional data between two or more networks configured to have different levels of network protection using barcode technology with a data diode network security appliance. Generated data barcodes can be decoded to produce contents of transactional data to be transmitted between two or more networks configured to have different levels of network security protection, and decoded contents of the transactional data can then be securely communicated back to the sender for comparison by use of a data diode unit. Generated verification barcodes can then be decoded to produce verification data. Verification data can confirm success of the transmission of contents of the transactional data encoded in the data barcodes. Decoded contents of the transactional data can then be stored responsive to an indication of successful transmission.
US09210173B2
An originator of an appliance can independently secure the appliance for instantiation in the cloud, separate from the security level of the cloud. The originator can secure the appliance utilizing a secure rights application. The secure rights application can be configured to “wrap” an appliance in a security container. The security container can limit access to the applications and operating systems contained in the appliance, but allow the appliance to operate normally once instantiated in the cloud. The secure rights application can be configured to cryptographically secure the appliance in order limit the ability of unauthorized parties from accessing the components of the appliance while maintaining the functionality of the appliance.
US09210153B2
System and method for distribution of a PIN code comprising an application end user in communication with an application server comprising at least one PIN code generating mechanism for authentication of an application end user, and a portable telecommunication device further characterized by that said application server is in communication with a synthetic voice PIN server also in communication with said portable telecommunication device.
US09210138B2
A method provides end-to-end security for transport of a profile to a target device (e.g., a mobile computing device) over at least one communications network that includes a plurality of nodes. In accordance with the method, the profile is encrypted for transport between the target device and an initial node of the network through which the profile is transported. The encryption is an end-to-end inner layer encryption performed prior to hop-to-hop encryption. The encrypting uses a public key of a public, private key pair. The private key is derivable from a seed securely provisioned in the target device using a public key algorithm. The encrypted profile is transmitted over the communications network to the target device.
US09210136B2
A major management apparatus, an authorized management apparatus, an electronic apparatus for delegation management, and delegation management methods thereof are provided. The major management apparatus generates a first and a second delegation deployment messages and respectively transmits them to the authorized management apparatus and the electronic apparatus. The authorized management apparatus encrypts an original authorized operation message into an authorized operation message by an authorization key included in the first delegation deployment message and transmits the authorized operation message to the electronic apparatus. The original authorized operation message includes an operation task message and a right level. The electronic apparatus decrypts the authorized operation message into the original authorized operation message by the authorization key included in the second delegation deployment message and performs an operation according to the operation task message and the right level.
US09210124B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for allocating a public IP address, including: receiving, by a CGN, a user on-line packet, and judging whether an idle public IP address exists; when the public IP address pool doesn't have an idle public IP address, constructing and sending, a DHCP Request packet to a DHCP Server, and requesting obtaining a public IP address set; and allocating, a first public IP address in the public IP address set to the user. Embodiments of the present invention further provide an apparatus and a system for allocating a public IP address. Unified management and allocation of the public IP address of the CGN device can be implemented through the method, the apparatus, and the system provided in the embodiments of the present invention. The utilization ratio of the public IP address of the CGN device can be effectively improved.
US09210121B2
A method and an apparatus for configuring Domain Name System (DNS) address of a terminal are provided. The DNS address configuration method of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes establishing a connection with a network, requesting the network for the DNS address, determining whether the DNS address is successfully received from the network, and configuring, if the DNS address is not successfully received, the DNS address of the terminal with an auxiliary DNS address stored in the terminal. The DNS address configuration method and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is advantageous to configure the DNS address of a terminal even if the terminal fails to receive the DNS address from the network or if the received DNS address is erroneous.
US09210118B2
Systems and methods for automatically locating web-based social network members are provided. According to one embodiment, contact content including an associated GPS identifier and status for web-based social network members located at or near the same location automatically appears on a GPS-enabled device. A further exemplary system includes a GPS-enabled device configured to receive a GPS identifier and a status representing a location and a current state for a web-based social network member, a processing module that associates the received GPS-identifier and the received status, and a communications module that sends the associated GPS-identifier and status to a server comprising a web-based social network database. Contact content in a web-based social network database record in the web-based social network database is updated to include the associated GPS identifier and status for the web-based social network member.
US09210113B2
A method, system and apparatus for automatically unsuppressing threads are provided. A message associated with a suppressed thread is received, using a communication interface of device. The suppressed thread is automatically unsuppressed by a processor of the device when one or more of: the message is from a contact that is flagged in a contact list; and, the contact that is flagged in the contact list has been added as a recipient of the message as compared to at least a last message in the suppressed thread.
US09210109B2
Transferring instant messaging sessions includes receiving a selection, from a user within a user interface, of at least one instant messaging session from among multiple instant messaging sessions to transfer from a first instant messaging controller on a first device to at 5 least a second instant messaging controller on a second device, where the user is signed on concurrently to the first instant messaging controller on the first device and the second instant messaging controller on the second device. At least a portion of the selected instant messaging session is transferred from the first instant messaging controller on the first device to the second instant messaging controller on the second device and the transferred portion of 10 the instant messaging session is made perceivable on the second instant messaging controller on the second device.
US09210101B2
A method of distributing content to an application from a server is disclosed. The method includes detecting in a file to be sent to the application from the server that the application is directed to request one or more resources to be downloaded to the application. A network latency associated with the downloading of the one or more resources is determined. A subset of the one or more resources is selectively packaged based at least in part on the network latency. The selectively packaged subset of the one or more resources is sent to the application.
US09210098B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for identifying commands for virtual resource instances in a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment). Specifically, in a typical embodiment, a set of commands for an instance of a virtual resource may be received in a computer memory medium or the like. The commands may then be analyzed and information pertaining to the commands may be stored in a computer storage device or the like. When a user/requester later wishes to identify a command to be utilized for another instance of the virtual resource, the requester can access the information and be provided with a set of suggested commands that are typically utilized for similar and/or previous instances of the virtual resource.
US09210093B2
A control circuit generates a selection signal indicating a head area of an alignment buffer when the area is an unwritten area, and when the head area is a written area, successively performs comparison between a sequence number stored in the area and a sequence number of a target packet from a head to a tail to search a boundary area and generates a selection signal indicating the detected boundary area. When the boundary area could not be detected even when the search reaches the last written area, the control circuit generates a selection signal indicating the next area of the last written area. The writing circuit shifts data stored in each area by one area from the area indicated by the selection signal in a direction of the tail of the alignment buffer, and writes packet information of the target packet into the area indicated by the selection signal.
US09210079B2
The disclosure herein describes a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) gateway. During operation, the VXLAN gateway receives, from a physical host, an Ethernet packet destined for a virtual machine residing in a remote layer-2 network broadcast domain that is different from a local layer-2 network broadcast domain where the physical host resides. The VXLAN gateway then determines a VXLAN identifier for the received Ethernet packet. The VXLAN gateway further encapsulates the Ethernet packet with the virtual extensible local area network identifier and an Internet Protocol (IP) header, and forwards the encapsulated packet to an IP network, thereby allowing the packet to be transported to the virtual machine via the IP network and allowing the remote layer-2 network broadcast domain and the local layer-2 network broadcast domain to be part of a common layer-2 broadcast domain.
US09210077B2
In an embodiment, a system routes a new data stream from a source to a destination through a plurality of forwarding devices interconnected with links. The system includes a control device that receives a request to create a path through the plurality of interconnected forwarding devices for a new data stream and determines a type of the new data stream. A data flow database stores historical usage characteristics of data streams having the determined type. A path computation module determines, based on the historical usage characteristics of data streams having the determined type, the requested path through plurality of interconnected forwarding devices from the source to the destination.
US09210074B2
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method for processing data packets by a first-hop switch in a data network, including: receiving a first data packet associated with a flow; determining whether the flow associated with the first data packet is found in a flow table in the first-hop switch; modifying the first data packet by replacing a packet header field with flow definition information; and transmitting the modified first data packet based upon the flow definition information.
US09210071B2
Embodiments of a method implemented in at least one fat tree network node for improved load distribution, wherein the node is one of a plurality of fat tree network nodes in a fat tree network each of which implement a tie-breaking process to produce minimum cost trees, is described. In some embodiments, a spanning tree computation for each root node of the fat tree network in order from a lowest ranked root node to a highest ranked node is performed, a filtering database for each root node of the fat tree network, wherein the filtering database includes a set of media access control (MAC) addresses of the leaf nodes of the fat tree network generated, and link utilization for each computed tree to use as a prefix to link identifiers used for at least one tie-breaking algorithm added.
US09210066B2
A routing method and apparatus are provided. The routing method includes the following steps: sending a probe frame that carries an address of a destination node to a neighboring node(s); receiving a response message returned; selecting one neighboring node from the neighboring node(s) that returns the response message as a next-hop node to which data is sent. A neighboring node with a cost parameter which is lower than a cost parameter in a routing table of the destination node is selected as the next-hop node. In the routing method, when a routing node forwards data, the route is found in real time by broadcasting a probe frame, and data may be sent as long as any one of the neighboring nodes that may arrive at the destination node is in an active state, and thus a data transmission delay is shortened.
US09210063B2
In a packet relay apparatus or bandwidth policing apparatus, when the bandwidth of a flow having a function to respond to a congestion notification surpasses a first threshold, a congestion notification is given to rewrite a value representing the congestion state of the network out of the packet headers of the packet received by the apparatus. The packet is dropped if the bandwidth of the flow surpasses a second threshold higher than the first threshold. One of the following, including packet drop, rewriting the value representing the priority level in the network out of the packet headers and altering the priority level in the apparatus is imposed on the packet when the bandwidth of the flows surpasses a second threshold higher than the first threshold.
US09210061B2
A mirrored live-data flow of the live-data flow passing through a selected point within a network is monitored at a first processing node. The live-data flow comprises data that is in active transmission between endpoints in the network and prior to exit from the network and onward storage of the data in a database. Each packet within the mirrored data flow is decoded at the first processing node according to each protocol associated with a packet. Packets having a plurality of protocols associated therewith are decoded in parallel with each other. Each of the decoded packets are compared at the first processing node to a set of predetermined or deduced conditions. A predetermined or deduced response is executed based upon detection of a predetermined or deduced condition within the decoded packets. At least a portion of the decoded packets of the live-data flow causing execution of the predetermined or deduced response are processed at a second processing node to determine a manner for controlling an operation of the network at a same time the live-data flow is in active transmission between the endpoints in the network. The operation of the network is controlled in response to the processing step.
US09210055B2
A method is intended for computing online channel loss rate and collision loss rate of at least one communication link established between nodes (N1, N2) of a network (WN) using a random access MAC protocol. This method comprises the steps of i) dividing time in probing windows and transmitting a chosen number S of probe packets during each probing window from a transmitter node (N1) to a receiver node (N2) linked therebetween, ii) measuring a packet loss rate from probe packets lost on this communication link during a probing window, iii) scanning each probing window with smaller sliding windows, each having a size Wk smaller than S, to identify the sliding window during which only channel losses occur, and then for computing a channel loss rate on this communication link from this identified sliding window, and iv) computing a collision loss rate on this communication link by subtracting the computed channel loss rate from the measured packet loss rate.
US09210054B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product for managing a service is disclosed. A computer system collects information about the use of a set of resources by the service. Responsive to receiving a request to verify information about the use of the set of resources by the service, the computer system generates a description of the use of the set of resources by the service using the information collected. The computer system then creates a response to the request using the generated description of the use of the set of resources by the service as proof of the validity of the information.
US09210050B2
A system and method for testing line state. Traffic through a communications path is determined. A test vector is generated. Attributes of the test vector simulate the traffic. The test vector is communicated to one or more end devices. Performance information for each of the attributes of the test vector is measured. A performance map utilizing the attributes and the performance information is generated.
US09210046B2
Network discovery is performed to detect routers and to collect discovery data from them. The discovery data is analyzed to identify zones, i.e., autonomous routing domains and subdomain areas. Network traffic is monitored at border router ports to obtain zone traffic data. The zone traffic data is analyzed to evaluate per-zone or inter-zone traffic parameters.
US09210045B2
In one embodiment, a particular node in a computer network receives an indication of a number of child nodes of one or more potential parent nodes to the particular node in a primary directed acyclic graph (DAG). From this, the particular node selects a particular potential parent node with the highest number of child nodes as a secondary DAG parent for the particular node, and joins the secondary DAG at the selected secondary DAG parent (e.g., for multicast and/or broadcast message distribution). This may recursively continue, such that nodes gravitate toward parents with more children, potentially allowing parents with fewer children to relinquish their parental responsibilities.
US09210038B1
Generally described, systems and methods are provided for detecting locations of failures of network paths. The system collects information from a plurality of nodes and links in a network, aggregates the collected performance information across paths in the network, processes the aggregated performance information for detecting failures on the paths, and determines at least one location for network failures. In some aspects, processing the aggregated information may include determining the performance information on each of the nodes and links in the network. The performance information on each of the nodes and links may be determined by application and optimization of an objective function.
US09210032B2
A method and computer-readable storage media are provided for managing resources of a first node. The method may include detecting a failure in a first node. The first node may include one or more cores and supporting resources. The method may further include determining that one or more cores in the first node survived the failure. The method may further include determining that any supporting resources survived the failure. The method may also include reconfiguring a second node to add the surviving supporting resources of the first node using communication interface between the first and second node if the determinations found a surviving core and surviving supporting resource in the first node.
US09210023B1
A method of ranging and sub-carrier selection in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system and the OFDMA system is disclosed. An OFDM symbol is received from a customer premises equipment (CPE) at a base station. The OFDM symbol is demodulated for obtaining a plurality of subcarriers. A plurality of data subcarriers are multiplied by zeros and stored. A plurality of uniformly spaced subcarriers is extracted from the stored subcarriers. A ranging CPE is detected in uniformly spaced subcarriers. Delay estimation is performed using the stored plurality of subcarriers upon detecting presence of ranging CPE. A method of subcarrier allocation at a ranging CPE transmitter based on total number of subcarriers, subcarriers in used band, a delay spread to be supported in terms of number of samples, a required ratio of highest amplitude to second highest amplitude of the ranging signal is disclosed.
US09210017B2
There is provided a reception device including a reception unit configured to receive an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) signal, an acquisition unit configured to acquire a transmission parameter concerning the OFDM signal contained in the OFDM signal, and a selection unit configured to select a demodulation mode of the OFDM signal in accordance with the acquired transmission parameter.
US09210000B2
The invention relates to a channel estimating method for an FBMC telecommunication system. The disclosed estimating method uses the signal before it is filtered by the analysis filter bank.According to a first embodiment, the preamble is composed of a repetition in time of an elementary pattern of pilot symbols and the channel estimate is made in the stationary part of the preamble.According to a second embodiment, the preamble is composed of a predetermined pattern of pilot symbols distributed in time and in frequency, and the channel estimate may be made on a typical part of the preamble.The channel thus estimated is used to make an equalisation before the analysis filter bank.
US09209998B2
Some embodiments provide a novel method for forwarding a packet at a first managed interconnection switching element in a managed network of interconnection switching elements. The method receives a packet from a source machine on a first network segment in a first network. The packet identifies a destination machine located on a second network segment in a second, different network. The method removes a context tag that identifies the first network segment. The method uses the identification of the first network segment to determine a logical switching element that connects at least the first and second network segments. The method encapsulates the packet with a logical context identifier that identifies a logical port of the logical switching element. The logical port corresponds to the second network segment. The method transmits the twice-encapsulated packet towards a second managed interconnection switching element at the second network.
US09209994B2
A flexible, extensile, and dynamically configurable back-end Application Server environment that efficiently supports the ever-increasing range of activities for which mobile subscribers employ their wireless devices. The environment may operate within any number of entities within a messaging ecosystem including for example a service provider.
US09209993B2
Various embodiments provide session-based filtering to filter messages in a cooperative manner between a client and a service provider. In at least some embodiments, a service provider can establish a messaging session with a client and deliver messages to the client. The client can implement various client-side techniques to filter some of the messages based on various client designated criteria. The service provider can obtain feedback from the client indicative of one or more of the delivered messages that have been filtered. The service provider can dynamically create a session-based list based on the feedback and use the list during the session to block messages on the server-side according to the client designated criteria. When the session concludes, the session-based list can be discarded. In this manner, message filtering can occur without persistent storage of state data for the filtering at the service provider.
US09209991B1
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to ad hoc networking. An embodiment includes computing a routing score for a source node based on at least hardware capabilities of the source node, applications available to the source node, and networking capabilities of the source node. The embodiment further includes receiving at the source node, one or more routing scores from intermediate nodes directly or indirectly connected to the source node, and sending the data to the destination node based on at least the routing scores received from each intermediate node and one or more route paths associated with each intermediate node.
US09209990B1
A method and system is directed to routing a flow of packets over a network to multiple traffic management devices. An apparatus receives each packet from a network and forwards the packet to one of a group of traffic management devices. The apparatus also may receive packets from servers for which the traffic management devices are managing communications. When forwarding packets, a traffic management device is selected from the group of traffic management devices by employing a hash of an IP address and port number. The IP address and port number are selected from source or destination information in the packet that has a greater port number. When the traffic management device performs a network address translation, further actions may be performed so that packets that are part of a flow between two network devices are delivered to the same traffic management device.
US09209988B2
A battery-powered WLAN communication device has an activity sensor operable to identify an available packet. A PHY module is awakened to begin receiving the packet. The PHY module decodes a full MAC address from a MAC portion of a header of the packet. A MAC address parser receives the MAC address and determines whether the packet is to be received by comparing the full MAC address to a MAC address of the WLAN communication device. The MAC address parser is awakened to perform the comparing and shutdown after. Packets to be received include beacon packets. A hardware centric MAC separate from the MAC address parser has a beacon processor capable of being awakened from a shutdown state to process a beacon packet. The PHY module, the MAC address parser, and the beacon processor module are operable to be awakened and shutdown independently of each other and of a microprocessor.
US09209986B2
A base station and method for use in a wireless system are provided. The method includes receiving, by a base station, one or more service data units (SDUs) from a core network node; receiving, by the base station, a control message including respective length information of the one or more SDUs from the core network node; identifying, by the base station, consecutive SDUs are not received; and muting, by the base station, one or more subframes impacted by a loss of the consecutive SDUs based on the length information included in the control message. The control message is transmitted after the one or more SDUs are transmitted from the core network node.
US09209979B2
Apparatuses, computer readable media, methods, and systems are described for requesting creation of virtual machine (VM) in a cloud environment comprising a virtual private cloud. Through various communications between a cloud DMZ, cloud provider, and/or company's network, a VM instance may be securely created, initialized, booted, unlocked, and/or monitored through a series of interactions building, in some examples, upon a root of trust.
US09209976B2
Method and system for restricting execution of virtual applications to a managed process environment
Methods and systems for restricting the launch of virtual application files. A launching application is signed with a digital signature. When the launching application launches a runtime engine and instructs it to execute an application file, the runtime engine determines whether an entity identifier associated with the launching application identifies an authorized entity. If the entity identifier identifies an authorized entity and the digital signature is valid, the runtime engine executes the application file. A ticket may be transmitted to the launching application along with an instruction to launch the application file. The ticket includes a digital signature and an expiration date. The launching application communicates the ticket to the runtime engine, which will execute the application file only if the digital signature is valid and a current date is not later than the expiration date.
US09209974B1
Functional encryption keys can be selected based on a set of criteria that facilitates efficient decryption of ciphertexts. The method includes electronically storing one or more decryption key metadata parameters for a plurality of candidate decryption keys for a functional encryption ciphertext, storing a functional encryption ciphertext, extracting a scheme type of functional input from the ciphertext, extracting a functional input from the ciphertext, searching the metadata parameters to identify a set of candidate keys matching the scheme type of the ciphertext, searching the set of candidate keys to identify a key matching the extracted functional input, and selecting one of the identified candidate keys matching the scheme type and the extracted functional input as a decryption key for the functional encryption ciphertext.
US09209969B2
A method of per-packet keying for encrypting and decrypting data transferred between two or more parties, each party having knowledge of a shared key that allows a per-packet key to differ for each packet is provided. Avoiding the use of a static session key during encryption offers several advantages over existing encryption methods. For example, rejecting packets received with duplicate sequence numbers, or sequence numbers that are beyond a specified deviation range mitigates Replay Attacks.
US09209963B1
A numerically controlled oscillator includes a phase accumulator configured to output a phase word, a clock configured to periodically output a clock signal in accordance with a delay interval, and a clock controller configured to adjust the delay interval. The phase accumulator is configured to output a new phase word in response to receiving the clock signal. An example method includes receiving a plurality of frequency control words, calculating a delay interval, accumulating the frequency control words in accordance with the delay interval to generate a phase word, and converting the phase word to a waveform.
US09209957B2
Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention include converting satellite signals to an intermediate frequency signal for content decoding, and selecting modulated digital data within the satellite signals for content decoding using digital signal processing. One embodiment includes a system configured to select at least one content channel from an input signal including a plurality of content channels modulated onto a carrier, the system including: a digital channelizer switch including: a high speed analog to digital converter configured to digitize the intermediate frequency signal; a digital channelizer configured to digitally tune a content channel from the digitized intermediate frequency signal; and a high speed digital to analog converter configured to generate an analog output signal using the content channel digitally tuned from the digitized intermediate frequency signal by the digital channelizer.
US09209954B2
A mobile communications system including: at least one base station configured to communicate data to/from different terminal devices via respective of plural logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface; first and second terminal devices operable to camp-on to first and second carriers of plural carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the at least one base station via the first and second carriers. The first and second carriers support compatible synchronization signalling such that the first and second terminal devices both can synchronize with the first and second carriers to begin a camp-on procedure. Following synchronization with one of the first or second carriers to begin the camp-on procedure, the second terminal device is configured to determine whether or not to continue with the camp-on procedure in dependence on an aspect of physical layer signalling associated with a control channel of the carrier with which it has synchronized.
US09209947B1
A method and system are provided for data transfer in a network where jamming conditions may occur. A sender at a first endpoint of the network includes a processor that implements fault-tolerant coding of cohorts of original datagrams that are converted into corresponding chapters of transformed datagrams such that the original datagrams are recovered by a receiver at a second endpoint of the network from a subset of the transformed datagrams of each chapter transferred over the network. In the presence of jamming, chapter size and redundancy of the coding are adjusted according to the level of jamming to enable datagram recovery with a minimum of resending over the network. The sending rate may also be tuned in reaction to changing network conditions based on messages from the receiver on a separate feedback channel to keep datagram loss rates below a specified upper bound.
US09209941B2
Aspects of a method and system for diversity processing utilizing a programmable interface suppression module may include one or more circuits that are operable to program an interference suppression module based on one or more interference cancellation parameters. A plurality of weighting factor values may be computed based on the one or more interference suppression parameters and a received plurality of multipath signals. A plurality of estimated signal may be generated based on the plurality of weighting factor values. A plurality of updated estimated signals may be generated based on the plurality of estimated signals. A plurality of interference suppressed signals may be generated based on the plurality of updated estimated signals.
US09209939B2
The present invention discloses microwave communications devices. The microwave communications device includes: a first converting module, a second converting module, configured to perform mutual conversion between a baseband signal or an intermediate frequency signal and a microwave signal, where microwave signals received or output by the first converting module and the second converting module respectively have a same polarization direction or perpendicular polarization directions; and an orthomode transducer with three waveguide ports, configured to perform separation and synthesis of orthogonally polarized microwave signals, The microwave communications devices in embodiments of the present invention can, by providing dual channels and integrating an orthomode transducer inside the microwave communications device, increase a transmission capacity while improving equipment application flexibility, reducing installation complexity, and lowering costs.
US09209918B2
In a direct communication between terminals, a terminal transmits a synchronization channel preamble part after transmitting a synchronization channel message part including synchronization information. The terminal receives a dedicated channel including a direct communication packet after transmitting the synchronization channel preamble part. A transition time gap for switching from transmission to reception may be inserted to an end of the synchronization channel preamble part.
US09209916B2
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting event data to a display device, wherein both image sequences for displaying images of an event and supplemental data for the display of additional information relating to the event are transmitted as event data by a transmission device to the named display device. The event data are split and are transmitted over a plurality of transmission channels of differing bandwidth, with at least some of the image sequences being transmitted over at least one transmission channel of higher bandwidth and at least some of the supplemental data being transmitted over at least one transmission channel of lower bandwidth.
US09209914B2
The present invention relates to testing a mobile device in a lab by providing test signals to the mobile device via a cabled connection which bypasses the actual physical antennas in the mobile device. The test signals emulate a wireless channel and incorporate representative and/or actual measured characteristics of the performance of the antennas in the mobile device. As such, the performance mobile device can be accurately measured without requiring placement in an anechoic chamber, which enables efficient testing over a large set of configurations and underlying conditions.
US09209913B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a temperature compensation method and apparatus for a received signal strength indicator. The apparatus comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure a current temperature; and a digital compensation module configured to select a temperature compensation coefficient from prestored temperature compensation coefficients corresponding to a normal temperature, a low temperature and a high temperature according to the current temperature, and perform temperature compensation on output signals of the RSSI according to the selected temperature compensation coefficient. With the method and apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention, the accurate power values of the input signals of the RSSI under any temperatures can be obtained by measuring the characteristics of the RSSI under the predefined three temperatures, and using an interpolation method to compensate for the temperature characteristics of the RSSI. In comparison with the relevant art, the size of the storage is decreased and the accuracy of temperature compensation is improved.
US09209909B2
The position of a mobile unit (12) within a detection zone is determined. An acoustic signal is emitted from the mobile unit and received along a first path (54). An echo of the signal is received after reflection from a surface (46) within said detection zone. The position of the mobile unit (12) within the detection zone is determined from the times of arrival of the signal and echo.
US09209904B2
A method of operating an optical waveguide for transmitting an optical signal input to the optical waveguide with a first frequency. The optical waveguide includes a plurality of modulator circuits configured along an optical transmission channel. Each modulator circuit includes at least one resonant structure that resonates at the first frequency when the modulator circuit that includes the at least one resonant structure is at a resonant temperature. Each modulator circuit has a different resonant temperature.
US09209903B2
Provided is an optical transmitter module. The optical transmitter module includes a package including a lower substrate and a side substrate in which a through hole is formed, and a feed-through block coupled to the side substrate in which the through hole is formed. The feed-through block includes a feed-through substrate, at least one lead pin penetrating the feed-through substrate and coupled to the feed-through substrate, a base substrate formed to extend from the feed-through substrate in a direction in which the at least one lead pin is coupled, and a dielectric substrate formed between the at least one lead pin and the base substrate protruding from the feed-through substrate. Therefore, it is possible to improve the quality of a signal transmitted by the optical transmitter module.
US09209899B2
A method and apparatus for adaptive nonlinear equalization, comprising: a horizontal polarization component compensation unit configured to calculate a linear damage value of an input signal, a nonlinear damage value of a horizontal component of the input signal, and a crosstalk value caused by a vertical component to the horizontal component, and compensate the horizontal component according to the linear damage value, the nonlinear damage value and the crosstalk value; and, a vertical polarization component compensation unit configured to calculate a linear damage value of the input signal, a nonlinear damage value of a vertical component of the input signal, and a crosstalk value caused by a horizontal component to the vertical component, and compensate the vertical component according to the linear damage value, the nonlinear damage value and the crosstalk value. With the present invention, Intra-channel nonlinear damage of a polarization multiplexing optical communication system is effectively compensated.
US09209894B2
A method for clearing a fault condition at a target device is disclosed herein. In selected embodiments, such a method includes detecting a fault condition at a target device and receiving N instructions before the fault condition is cleared, where the N instructions are unexecutable due to the fault condition. N fault condition indicators are transmitted in response to the N instructions. Clearing of the fault condition is detected when the fault condition no longer exists. Acknowledgments corresponding to the fault condition indicators are received, where each acknowledgment indicates that one of the fault condition indicators has been received. A fault clear indicator is transmitted only after both all N fault condition indicators have been received and clearing of the fault condition has been detected. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed herein.
US09209893B2
A method of providing frame synchronization for GPS signals can include performing coherent bit extraction on the GPS bits and then performing coherent frame boundary detection based on the bits of the coherent bit extraction. Concurrently, differential bit extraction on the GPS bits and differential frame boundary detection based on bits of the differential bit extraction can be performed. Whichever of the coherent frame boundary detection and the differential frame boundary detection first finds a frame boundary, then that frame boundary is used for the frame synchronization. A method of providing string synchronization for GLONASS signals includes performing coherent and differential bit extraction on the GLONASS bits.
US09209890B2
To dynamically change an amount of communication resources to be used for relay communication. A relay station for relaying a radio signal between a base station and a mobile station is provided. The relay station includes a wireless communication unit for transmitting or receiving a radio signal in blocks individually divided in at least one of a time domain, a frequency domain, a code domain, and a space domain, and a communication control unit for causing the wireless communication unit to transmit, in one block, data contained in two or more radio signals received in different blocks by the wireless communication unit.
US09209882B2
A method for reporting and obtaining channel state information, an eNodeB, and a user equipment are disclosed. The method for reporting channel state information includes: determining a reported content in channel state information (CSI) of downlink component carriers according to priorities of contents-in-CSI, where the CSI of the downlink component carriers includes the reported content and a content that is not to be reported; and reporting the reported content to an eNodeB on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). By determining a reported content in CSI according to a priority, the shortage of a CSI reporting resource may be relieved.
US09209866B2
A telecommunication device including a battery capable of providing a first power supply voltage to circuits of the device, among which at least one security module; a near-field communication module capable of providing a second power supply voltage to the security module; and a circuit for activating the provision of the second power supply voltage, including a switch controllable at least by one element accessible from outside of the device.
US09209865B2
The medical image diagnosis apparatus has a body, a power transmitting part, a power receiving part, and a device. The power transmitting part is housed in the body, has a transmission coil, and generates an oscillating field due to resonance from the transmission coil upon receiving electric power. The power receiving part has a reception coil, resonates with a frequency substantially equal to the resonant frequency of the transmission coil, and generates electric power upon receiving the oscillating field. The device houses the power receiving part, deriving organization information through operation via non-contact with the body by electric power from the power receiving part. The apparatus comprises a status checker and a controller that determines whether or not electric power should be generated depending on at least one of the statuses to control the generation of electric power by the transmission coil.
US09209864B2
The present invention relates to a power line communication system for a large capacity load which greatly improves the recognition ratio and accuracy of a communication signal even for a large capacity load in that it: includes a switch unit as a transmission means wherein a first switch made of semiconductor elements and a second switch made of relay elements are connected in parallel; and generates and transmits a communication signal by selectively using the switches.
US09209859B1
A method for detecting a signal includes channelizing a digitized radio frequency (RF) environment to generate first tier channel outputs. The digitized RF environment includes a first bandwidth. Each first tier channel output has a second bandwidth smaller than the first bandwidth. Each first tier channel output overlaps at least a portion of at least one adjacent first tier channel output. One or more of the first tier channel outputs are channelized to generate multiple second tier channel outputs. Each second tier channel output has a third bandwidth that is smaller than the second bandwidth. Each second tier channel output overlaps at least a portion of at least one adjacent second tier channel output. The method includes performing a comparison of signal data from each second tier channel output to first signal feature data and determining whether a potential target signal is present in the digitized RF environment.
US09209852B2
A microwave backhaul system may comprise a monolithic integrated circuit comprising an on-chip transceiver, digital baseband processing circuitry, and auxiliary interface circuitry. The on-chip transceiver may process a microwave signal from an antenna element to generate a first pair of quadrature baseband signals and convey the first pair of phase-quadrature baseband signals to the digital baseband processing circuitry. The auxiliary interface circuitry may receive one or more auxiliary signals from a source that is external to the monolithic integrated circuit and convey the one or more auxiliary signals to the digital baseband processing circuitry. The digital baseband processing circuitry may be operable to process signals to generate one or more second pairs of phase-quadrature digital baseband signals.
US09209849B2
An apparatus for enhancing an efficiency of an antenna in a mobile terminal includes an antenna matcher whose setting is changed under control of a controller, the antenna matcher coupled to the antenna, a sensing unit for sensing whether or not a user holds the mobile terminal and a holding pattern in which the user holds the mobile terminal, and a controller for controlling the setting of the antenna matcher according to whether or not the user holds the mobile terminal and the holding pattern.
US09209845B2
Technique for calibration of a frequency converter for reducing a leakage-based non-direct-current component at an output of the frequency converter. In an apparatus comprising a frequency converter arranged to perform frequency conversion on an input signal, a local oscillator signal generator arranged to generate an amplitude-modulated local oscillator signal of the frequency converter, and a detector arranged to detect a non-direct-current component of an output signal of the frequency converter, which results from the amplitude-modulated local oscillator signal, an amplitude modulation of an original local oscillator signal by the local oscillator signal generator is controlled, a magnitude of local oscillator leakage of the frequency converter is observed on the basis of the non-direct-current component detected by the detector, and at least one parameter influencing the non-direct-current component of the output signal of the frequency converter is adjusted such that the observed magnitude of local oscillator leakage is reduced.
US09209844B2
The inventive concept relates to a wireless communication receiver. The wireless communication receiver includes a second off-chip RF filter, an RF-to-digital converter and a digital pre-processor processing a signal converted into a digital. The RF-to-digital converter converts an RF signal being received into a digital signal of DC frequency band or intermediate frequency band and has a dynamic range that can process a wanted RF band signal and unwanted signals near to the wanted RF band signal. The digital pre-processor digitally controls a signal gain to transmit it to a modulator/demodulator.
US09209823B2
A decoder level shifter device includes a first decoder level shifter and a second decoder level shifter. The first decoder level shifter has first to fourth input terminals, first and second output terminals, first and second enable terminals, first and second reset terminals. The first to fourth input terminals receive first to second input signals and their complementary signals, respectively. The second decoder level shifter has fifth to eighth input terminals, third to fourth output terminals, and third and fourth enable terminals. The fifth to eighth input terminals receive the first and second input signals and their complementary signals, respectively. The first, second, third, and fourth enable terminals are connected to the fourth, third, second, and first output terminals, respectively.
US09209820B2
Described is a linear and symmetric time-to-digital converter (TDC) which comprises: a first input; a second input; a first delay line having a plurality of delay stages coupled together in series, the first delay line to receive the first input; a second delay line having a plurality of delay stages coupled together in series, the second delay line to receive the second input; and a plurality of comparators, each having first and second outputs coupled to the first and second delay lines.
US09209813B2
An alignment circuit is disclosed. In one embodiment, the circuit includes a shift register having a plurality of serially-coupled storage elements each configured to receive a first signal on a respective clock input, wherein a data input of a first one of the serially-coupled storage elements is configured to receive a second signal. The circuit further includes a detector configured to detect a position of a logical transition based on data shifted into the shift register and an encoder configured to generate selection signals based on the position of the logical transition. A multiplexer tree configured to select a bit position of one of the plurality of serially-coupled storage elements based on the selection signals, wherein an output of the multiplexer tree is a third signal that is a version of the second signal.
US09209812B2
A voltage level conversion circuit includes a voltage switch circuit and a level shift circuit. The voltage switch circuit is configured to sequentially output an intermediate voltage and a conversion voltage in response to a switch signal. The level shift circuit is configured to latch a voltage level corresponding to an input signal using the intermediate voltage, and to convert the latched voltage level using the conversion voltage to generate an output signal.
US09209807B2
A differential receiver for receiving differential signals including a positive signal and a negative signal and generating an output signal is provided. The differential receiver includes a first comparator configured to compare the positive signal and the negative signal and generate a first signal that is asserted when a difference between the positive signal and the negative signal is larger than a positive offset voltage; a second comparator configured to compare the positive signal and the negative signal and generate a second signal that is asserted when the difference between the positive signal and the negative signal is smaller than a negative offset voltage; a logic gate configured to generate a third signal that is asserted when the first signal and the second signal are negated; and an output circuit configured to generate the output signal based on the first to third signals.
US09209803B2
A capacitive sensing-based electronic switch, which incorporates an integrated circuit with processing capability, which can only be activated by user action in a dedicated area, whereby switch activation occurs only if, at least, a touch is capacitively sensed and criteria based on timing plus sequential touches on capacitive sensors are satisfied.
US09209801B2
N (n is an integer more than one) number of transistors are connected in series in an order from a first transistor to an nth transistor from a first terminal to a second terminal. First to nth nodes are connected to gates of the first to nth transistors. N number of resistance elements are connected in series in an order from a first resistance element to an nth resistance element from a bias terminal to the nth node. The first resistance element is connected between said bias terminal and said first node, and the kth resistance element (k=2 to n) is connected between the (k−1)th node and the kth node. Thus, a high frequency switch circuit can reduce an area of the whole gate bias resistances.
US09209800B2
A high frequency semiconductor switch has a first terminal, second terminals, a first through FET group, second through FET groups and a shunt FET group. The first through FET group has first field effect transistors connected serially with each other. One end of the first through FET group is connected to the first terminal. Each of the second through FET groups has second field effect transistors connected serially with each other. One end of each of the second through FET groups is connected to each of the second terminals. The other end of each of the second through FET groups is commonly connected to the other end of the first through FET group. The shunt FET group has third field effect transistors connected serially with each other between the second terminal and a ground terminal.
US09209798B2
Methods, systems, circuits, and devices for power-packet-switching power converters using bidirectional bipolar transistors (BTRANs) for switching. Four-terminal three-layer BTRANs provide substantially identical operation in either direction with forward voltages of less than a diode drop. BTRANs are fully symmetric merged double-base bidirectional bipolar opposite-faced devices which operate under conditions of high non-equilibrium carrier concentration, and which can have surprising synergies when used as bidirectional switches for power-packet-switching power converters. BTRANs are driven into a state of high carrier concentration, making the on-state voltage drop very low.
US09209797B2
A device includes a voltage converter circuit that includes an output node, a voltage drop circuit, and a first transistor. The first transistor is electrically coupled between the output node and the voltage drop circuit.
US09209785B2
A remote control apparatus which includes a first operation unit including a first key part having a plurality of keys operable when the remote control is in a first mode, a first control unit to generate a key signal corresponding to a key input through the first key part and a first transmission unit to transmit the key signal to the image apparatus, and a second operation unit including a second key part provided on a surface of the remote control apparatus, the second key part is different from the first key part and has a plurality of keys to be manipulated when the remote control is in a second mode, a second control unit to generate a key signal corresponding to a key input through the second key part, and a second transmission unit to transmit the key signal to the image apparatus.
US09209783B2
A device, comprising a first interpolator that is configured to (a) receive, at a first clock rate, a first signal having a first sampling rate and (b) output, at a second clock rate, a second signal having a first desired sampling rate average; wherein the first interpolator comprises: a first buffer for storing the first signal; and a first fractional sampling ratio circuit that is configured to generate a first pattern of fixed point values, wherein an average value of the first pattern corresponds to a first desired sampling rate ratio between the first desired sampling rate average and the first sampling rate.
US09209780B2
A piezoelectric oscillator includes a piezoelectric vibrating piece, an integrated circuit, and a package. The package includes a first layer, a second layer, a third layer, and a fourth layer. The ceiling surface as a portion of the inferior surface of the third layer has a rectangular shape surrounded by short sides and long sides. The ceiling surface includes a pair of frequency checking terminals electrically connected to the connecting electrodes and control terminals to control the integrated circuit. The pair of the frequency checking terminal are adjacent to one another. The respective frequency checking terminals are disposed in contact with any of the long sides and one of the short sides. The control terminals are extracted to the top surface of the third layer, and overlap the frequency checking terminals in a vertical direction on the top surface of the third layer to be connected to the mounting terminals.
US09209771B1
A method and an apparatus for canceling EM coupling are provided. The apparatus includes a ring structure at least partially surrounding an EM circuit. A negative transconductance circuit is coupled to ends of the ring structure. The negative transconductance circuit is configured to cancel an EM coupling to the EM circuit at a frequency. The method includes generating a plurality of settings for a negative transconductance circuit and tuning the negative transconductance circuit to one of the plurality of settings for the negative transconductance circuit to cancel an EM coupling to an EM circuit at a frequency.
US09209763B2
A differentiator generates a time derivative signal from a time-variable signal. A transconductance amplifier generates a biasing control signal as a function of the time derivative signal. A supply network functions to supply the differentiator and transconductance amplifier. The supply network is driven by the biasing control signal output from the transconductance amplifier. With this configuration, speed of operation of the differentiator and transconductance amplifier vary with the supply provided by the supply network, and the supply is modulated as a function of the received time-variable signal.
US09209757B1
A charge pump power supply may comprise a plurality of capacitors and a switching circuit for switching the capacitors to provide a first voltage or a second voltage in accordance with the select input. The charge pump power supply may have a signal polarity input for indicating a polarity of an output audio signal. Switches for switching one or more capacitors providing a first polarity voltage in a then-current operating mode may be configured to switch at a greater frequency than switches for switching one or more capacitors providing a second polarity voltage responsive to the signal polarity input indicating a positive polarity of the output audio signal. Switches for switching one or more capacitors providing the first polarity voltage in a then-current operating mode are configured to switch at a lesser frequency than switches for switching one or more capacitors providing the second polarity voltage responsive to the signal polarity input indicating a negative polarity of the output audio signal.
US09209749B2
A multiplier circuit and wireless communication apparatus that adjust an output level of a desired multiple wave to a desired range is provided. The multiplier circuit includes a multiple wave output unit configured to receive an input signal of a predetermined frequency, to output a multiple wave that is a predetermined multiple of the input signal, and control harmonic distortion associated with the output of the multiple wave based on a gate-source voltage; and a controller configured to adjust the gate-source voltage.
US09209741B2
A synchronous brushless machine having a single exciter field stator winding. The single exciter field stator winding is energized by a high frequency alternating current to provide a single excitation field to magnetically couple with the exciter field armature winding in both the starter mode and the generator mode. With a higher excitation frequency relative to the main armature current frequency, a steady main field voltage can be achieved which improves stability control while in the starter mode. In one or more configurations, the single exciter field stator winding is driven by a H-bridge converter.
US09209734B2
An apparatus for estimating a parameter of an induction motor is provided. The estimating apparatus receives an output from a current controller and d and q-axis currents in a synchronous reference frame applied to an induction motor, calculates an error of rotor resistance, and obtains a difference between the rotor resistance and nominal rotor resistance to calculate stator resistance therefrom.
US09209713B2
Methods, systems, circuits, and devices for power-packet-switching power converters using bidirectional bipolar transistors (BTRANs) for switching. Four-terminal three-layer BTRANs provide substantially identical operation in either direction with forward voltages of less than a diode drop. BTRANs are fully symmetric merged double-base bidirectional bipolar opposite-faced devices which operate under conditions of high non-equilibrium carrier concentration, and which can have surprising synergies when used as bidirectional switches for power-packet-switching power converters. BTRANs are driven into a state of high carrier concentration, making the on-state voltage drop very low.
US09209709B2
A device for providing electric power to a load, having two switch members (Z1, Z2) connected in series between positive and negative power supply rails. The first switch connected to the positive rail and the second switch connected to the negative rail, with an inductor (L) being connected to a bridge point between the switches and the load. Each switch having and a flywheel diode connected in parallel with a switchable member. A monitoring circuit monitors a current (I) through said inductor (L) and a bridge voltage (E) at said bridge point. A control circuit provides control signals to the switches for turning said switchable members ON and OFF. When said current is positive, the control circuit turns the first switch member OFF when said current exceeds a predetermined control value (I0) whereupon the current decreases towards zero and passes through the flywheel diode of the second switch member.
US09209707B2
A three-level inverter having two direct current (DC)-links for converting DC voltages generated in a plurality of photovoltaic (PV) modules into alternating current (AC) voltages, wherein one end of a first DC-link of the two DC-links is connected to a first potential point at which a first potential is generated in the plurality of PV modules, and one end of a second DC-link of the two DC-links is connected to a second potential point at which a second potential that is lower than the first potential is generated in the plurality of PV modules, and both the other end of the first DC-link and the other end of the second DC-link are connected to a third potential point at which a third potential having a medium level between the first potential and the second potential is generated in the plurality of PV modules.
US09209705B2
A first conversion section converts, into a first direct-current voltage, an alternating-current voltage input from input lines, and applies the same between power supply lines. A diode is arranged between the power supply lines such that an anode thereof faces toward the power supply line side. A capacitor has both ends connected to a direct-current load, and is connected in series with the diode. A switch section selects conduction/non-conduction between an alternating-current power supply and the first conversion section. A second conversion section converts, into a second direct-current voltage, the alternating-current voltage input without passing through the switch section, and is connected to a connection point located between the capacitor and the diode to apply the second direct-current voltage to the capacitor.
US09209699B1
A power supply is provided, including a bridge rectifier, a film capacitor and a DC-to-DC converter. The bridge rectifier rectifies an input voltage of an AC power supply to produce a full-wave rectified voltage. The film capacitor filters the full-wave rectified voltage to produce a first pulsating DC voltage. A control circuit of the DC-to-DC converter attenuates the first pulsating DC voltage to produce a second pulsating DC voltage, detects a peak value and a valley value of the second pulsating DC voltage, and produces an OCP compensation value of −(Vx−VH)+PH accordingly, where Vx refers to the second pulsating DC voltage, VH refers to the valley value, and PH refers to the peak value. The control circuit provides an OCP function and a constant output power limitation for the DC-to-DC converter according to a compensated OCP setting value produced by adding the OCP compensation value to an OCP setting value.
US09209693B2
There is a control circuit comprising first and second DC terminals for connection to a DC network, the first and second DC terminals having a plurality of modules and at least one energy conversion element connected in series therebetween to define a current transmission path, the plurality of modules defining a chain-link converter, each module including at least one energy storage device, the or each energy storage device being selectively removable from the current transmission path to cause a current waveform to flow from the DC network through the current transmission path and the or each energy conversion element and thereby remove energy from the DC network, the or each energy storage device being selectively removable from the current transmission path to modulate the current waveform to maintain a zero net change in energy level of the chain-link converter.
US09209692B2
The invention discloses a hysteretic control conversion circuit. The circuit includes a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor that are connected in series between a voltage input terminal and a ground terminal, a first voltage divider resistor string connected in series between a voltage output terminal and the ground terminal, a comparator, and a logic controller, where an output terminal of the comparator is connected to an input terminal of the logic controller, and two output terminals of the logic controller are respectively connected to grid electrodes of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor. The hysteretic control conversion circuit also includes: a negative feedback module connected between the voltage output terminal and the input terminal of the comparator, and configured to perform negative feedback control over an output voltage of the hysteretic control conversion circuit and clamp the output voltage to a preset reference voltage.
US09209689B2
A digital compensator combines a version of the input voltage with a version of the output current or voltage in such a way as to eliminate dependence on variations in the input voltage.
US09209668B2
Provided is a spindle motor having an electrostatic discharge (ESD) path that can stably discharge electric charges introduced from the outside to a rotating shaft through a base plate, in a structure of forming a bearing housing by using a resin and insert-molding the base plate. The spindle motor includes: a rotor to the central portion of which one end of a rotating shaft is coupled; a bearing that rotatably supports the rotating shaft; a bearing housing that accommodates the bearing in the inside of a groove and that is made of a resin; and a base plate whose inner circumferential portion is buried and combined in the inside of the bearing housing, wherein part of the base plate is in contact with the bearing to thus discharge externally introduced static electricity through the rotating shaft, bearing, and the base plate.
US09209663B2
Apparatus and methods for providing a pre-determined axial thrust force profile for use in a rotating machine that includes a magnetically permeable rotor with first and second surfaces and a generally perpendicular shaft is disclosed. One or more bearings support the shaft and a coil induces flux in the rotor. First and second pole pieces disposed adjacent to the first and second surfaces define first and second gaps. A series magnetic circuit including the pole pieces, the gaps and the rotor carries flux generated by current flowing in the coil. Pole pieces and gaps provide substantially similar reluctance in both gaps. Magnetic saturation characteristics of a series magnetic circuit may provide a pre-determined axial force profile as a function of coil current. A first magnetic saturation characteristic may provide a maximum axial force at a first current magnitude. A second magnetic saturation characteristic may provide a lower axial force at a current greater than the first current. The saturation characteristic may be formed by configuring the geometry and dimensions of the poles. The axial force profile may be formed to reduce the net axial thrust load on the bearings.
US09209659B2
An armature for a rotating electric machine includes an armature core and an armature coil. The armature core includes a substantially annular main body disposed in radial opposition to a field of the machine and teeth extending from the main body radially toward the field. The armature coil is arranged between the teeth of the armature core. For each of the teeth, there are formed a protrusion and a pair of claws at a distal end of the tooth. The protrusion protrudes from a circumferentially central part of the distal end of the tooth radially toward the field. The claws extend, respectively on opposite circumferential sides of the protrusion, from the distal end of the tooth toward the field. Each of the claws has a smaller width at its distal end than at its proximal end and is arcuate-shaped so as to engage with and thereby retain the armature coil.
US09209658B2
A stator unit including a coil in which a distance between an m−1-th turn and an m-th turn is wider than each distance in a first turn to the m−1-th turn. The m+1-th turn is disposed between the m−1-th turn and the m-th turn. Further, in a cross-section perpendicular to a central axis and passing a tooth, an angle between a line segment connecting respective centers of the m+1-th turn and the m−1-th turn and a line segment connecting respective centers of the m+1-th turn and the m-th turn is about 120° or more. With this structure, bulging in a circumferential direction of the coil adjacent to an inner peripheral portion of the tooth can be suppressed and a clearance can be secured between adjacent coils such that the number of turns of the coil can be increased.
US09209656B2
A brushless motor includes a stationary unit and a rotary unit rotatably supported with respect to the stationary unit. The stationary unit includes an armature and a base member arranged to support the armature. The rotary unit includes a magnet, a hub made of a magnetic material and a rotor yoke made of a magnetic material. The armature includes a plurality of coil patterns arranged along a circumferential direction. The hub includes an inner lower surface, an outer lower surface and a recess portion. The recess portion is arranged between the inner lower surface and the outer lower surface and depressed upward. At least a portion of the magnet is accommodated within the recess portion. At least one of the inner lower surface and the outer lower surface is positioned above a lower surface of the magnet.
US09209651B2
This document discusses, among other things, an electronic circuit and method for defaulting to a valid battery supply to power an electronic device. In an example, an electronic circuit can be configured to receive information about the battery supply (e.g., an internal battery), such as the battery supply voltage (VBAT), and to determine if the battery supply is valid or invalid using the received information (e.g., comparing the VBAT to a threshold). If VBAT is valid, the electronic device can default to receiving power from the battery supply. If VBAT is invalid, the electronic device can receive power from another power supply, such as an external supply.
US09209649B2
A method for charging in a portable terminal is provided. The method includes charging a battery of an electronic device, using a natural resource, monitoring a charging state of the battery, and booting the electronic device based at least in part on the charging state and a determination that the electronic device is powered off.
US09209641B2
There is provided a battery system including a system bus, a system controller coupled to the system bus and configured to transmit one or more first system frames on the system bus, and one or more battery subsystems coupled to the system bus and configured to transmit one or more second system frames on the system bus, wherein at least one of the one or more battery subsystems including a storage system for storing power, and a storage system controller for controlling charging and discharging of the storage system, for receiving storage system data, and for transmitting the one or more second system frames including the storage system data on the system bus, wherein at least one of the system controller or the storage system controller is configured to apply a system frame division signal on the system bus between the system frames.
US09209639B2
A storage battery system includes: electric storage units; and DC-DC converters each provided between one of the electric storage units and a DC bus. Each of the DC-DC converters includes: a voltage sensor for detecting a voltage value at a connection point between the DC bus and the DC-DC converter; a second obtainment unit which obtains voltage values detected by the voltage sensors of the other DC-DC converters; and a control unit which, when a difference value between a statistic of the voltage values obtained by the second obtainment unit and the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor is not less than a predetermined threshold value, changes the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor, and controls an amount of charge in and an amount of discharge from a corresponding one of the electric storage units to approximate the changed voltage value to a predetermined target value.
US09209635B2
A pre-charging system for a capacitor in a voltage inverter for an electric motor is provided. The system includes a grounding contactor electrically coupled between a grounding terminal of a battery pack and a first end of the capacitor. The system further includes a pre-charging contactor and a resistor electrically coupled in series. The pre-charging contactor and the resistor are electrically coupled between a high voltage terminal of the battery pack and a second end of the capacitor. The microprocessor determines a total amount of energy supplied to the resistor and induces the pre-charging contactor to have an open operational position to electrically de-couple the high voltage terminal from the second end of the capacitor, if the total amount of energy is greater than a threshold amount of energy.
US09209630B2
A method and a system for balancing cells of a vehicle battery includes discharging charge from a highest charged cell for a discharge time period dependent on a charge difference between the highest charged cell and a lowest charged cell at a given time. The cells may be charged with the discharge charge during a charge time period.
US09209629B2
According to an embodiment, a charge-discharge control device includes a receiving unit and a group controller. The receiving unit is configured to receive schedule information that indicates a schedule time at which a plurality of electric power devices, each having at least either a charging function or a discharging function, performs at least either charging or discharging. The group controller is configured to, according to the schedule information, perform grouping in such a way that each of the electric power devices belongs to either one of a charging group for performing charging and a discharging group for performing discharging, and control, on a group-by-group basis, each of the electric power devices put in the charging group and each of the electric power devices put in the discharging group.
US09209627B2
A wireless power supply includes a multi-layer shim assembly. Each shim aids in alignment of coils and routing of conductors in a multi-layer coil array. A shield or PCB can be used as part of the multi-layer shim assembly. Wires can be routed through channels to the edge of the shim assembly or wires can protrude through a portion of the multi-layer shim assembly. Traces can be used to route current through the multi-layer shim assembly. Plastic shims can be created by over-molding coils with plastic.
US09209616B2
A power supply circuit for an on board energy source or storage device, and particularly for a super-capacitor storage unit having a plurality of interconnected super-capacitors and a first and a second terminal, includes a positive bus connecting the first terminal to a positive pole of a DC high voltage feeding source and a negative bus connecting the second terminal to a negative pole of the high voltage feeding source; and means for disconnecting the super-capacitor storage unit from the high voltage feeding source after detecting circulating fault currents due to insulation losses to ground, which include a high speed circuit breaker and a differential relay that are connected in series along the negative bus, between the second terminal and a grounding point, the differential relay generating an activation signal of the high speed circuit breaker in response to the circulation of a fault current.
US09209605B1
A laser diode subassembly is disclosed, in which dichroic reflectors are disposed sequentially one after another forming an array or stack, each reflector having a sequential array index. An array of laser diode emitters is provided, each emitter having a sequential array index. Individual reflectors of the array redirect laser sub-beams from individual laser diode emitters having same array indices, to propagate via dichroic reflectors having higher array indices, so as to form a combined optical beam. A common partial reflector may be used for the laser diode emitters instead of individual wavelength selective reflectors for each laser diode emitter.
US09209600B2
Semiconductor lasers, in particular Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) are tuable especially in the mid-IR spectral range, e.g. in wavelengths of about 3-14 μm, by precisely controlling the laser's temperature in the vicinity of the active region. The present invention introduces a novel design for locally heating the active region, thereby allowing fast heating and thus tuning a laser. It is generally applicable for lasers across the field, e.g. to QCLs with multi-color emitters or to Vertical-Cavity Single-Emitter Lasers (VCSELs) or to Distributed Feedback (DFB) lasers. Essentially, the invention consists of structurally integrating a heating resistor as part of the laser, placed close to the component to be temperature-controlled, i.e. the active region or the grating, etc., and feeding this resistor with a variable electrical current in order to locally control the thermal dissipation. In multi-emitter lasers, a resistor can be associated with each emitter section to tune the temperature of each section and thus its emitted wavelength. Similarly, in multisection DBR lasers, with a resistor associated with each grating, the latter can be tuned and thus the associated wavelength of the optical cavity. The invention also includes a novel manufacturing process, especially for buried heterostructure lasers.
US09209599B2
Symmetrical, direct coupled laser drivers for high frequency applications. The laser drivers are in integrated circuit form and use a minimum of relatively small (low valued) external components for driving a laser diode coupled to the laser driver through transmission lines. An optional amplifier may be used to fix the voltage at an internal node at data frequency spectrum to improve circuit performance. Feedback to a bias input may also be used to fix the voltage at the internal node. Programmability and a burst mode capability may be included.
US09209597B2
A device for producing white light includes a light conversion module and a light source. The light conversion module includes undoped metal oxide powder comprising particles having a size of less than 50 nm. The light source generates excitation light having a wavelength in the near infrared region. The excitation light is directed towards the undoped metal oxide powder, the undoped metal oxide powder is excited with the excitation light, and the excited undoped metal oxide powder emits white light having a continuous spectral distribution in the range of 440 nm to 900 nm.
US09209591B2
A laser processing method of applying a pulsed laser beam to a single crystal substrate to thereby process the single crystal substrate. The laser processing method includes a numerical aperture setting step of setting the numerical aperture (NA) of a focusing lens for focusing the pulsed laser beam so that the value obtained by dividing the numerical aperture (NA) of the focusing lens by the refractive index (N) of the single crystal substrate falls within the range of 0.05 to 0.2, a positioning step of relatively positioning the focusing lens and the single crystal substrate in the direction along the optical axis of the focusing lens so that the focal point of the pulsed laser beam is set at a desired position in the direction along the thickness of the single crystal substrate, and a shield tunnel forming step of applying the pulsed laser beam to the single crystal substrate so as to focus the pulsed laser beam at the focal point set in the single crystal substrate thereby forming a shield tunnel extending between the focal point and a beam incident surface to which the pulsed laser beam is applied.
US09209586B2
A feed mechanism for a terminal crimping machine includes a feed track and a strip locator. The feed track has a top plate and a side wall. The top plate extends from a front of the feed track to a rear of the feed track. The top plate is configured to receive thereon a terminal strip having a plurality of terminals arranged along a carrier strip. The terminal strip is configured to be moved from the rear to the front towards a crimping zone of the terminal crimping machine. The side wall has a fixed edge above the top plate. The strip locator is coupled to the feed track. The strip locator has a rail movably coupled to a support wall. The support wall is fixed relative to the feed track. The rail is biased against the terminal strip to force the terminal strip against the fixed edge of the side wall.
US09209584B2
An electrical connector assembly includes a header having a body having a first receptacle and a second receptacle separated by a midwall and a plurality of contacts held by the midwall. The contacts have first pins located within the first receptacle and second pins located within the second receptacle. A first plug is received in the first receptacle. The first plug includes a housing holding a plurality of terminals terminated to corresponding wires having sockets mated with corresponding first pins in the first receptacle. The sockets are configured to be electrically connected to sockets of a second plug received in the second receptacle by the contacts held by the header.
US09209582B2
A connector (10) can be fit into a case-side opening (161) of a shield case (160) so that female terminals (52) in the connector (10) can be connected to male terminals (172) in a device-side connector (170) mounted in a back of the case-side opening (161). The connector (10) includes a housing (20) with a fitting (21) at one end that can fit into the case-side opening (161). Stretchable conductors (51) and wires (71) connected to the female terminals (52) are pulled out from the opposite end of the housing (20). A terminal accommodating portion (30) is formed separately from the fitting (21) and accommodates the female terminals (52) inside. The terminal accommodating portion (30) is mounted into the housing (20) loosely movably in a direction intersecting a fitting direction of the fitting (21) into the case-side opening (161) when connecting the male terminals (172) and the female terminals (52).
US09209580B2
A system of a coaxial connector and a coaxial cable, wherein the respective outer and inner conductors of the coaxial connector and the coaxial cable are interconnected in an electrically conductive manner, such that the coaxial connector and the coaxial cable engage into each other in a form-fitting and rotationally secured manner. The engaging parts may be in the form of tongues and cut-outs that interfit to prevent rotation.
US09209570B2
To provide a connector enabling high quality signal transmission while maintaining compatibility with the current HDMI connector, in a new HDMI interface using pins assigned to a shield, as a data pair. Each of signal electrode pins is arrayed near a shell (grounding conductor) so as to couple with the shell, and differential signals are transmitted with single end. A ground plane is disposed between multiple signal electrode pins of a first stage and the plurality of signal electrode pins of a second stage within a dielectric. Also, connection conductors electrically connecting the ground plane and the grounding conductor are disposed between each of the signal electrode pins of each of the stages within the dielectric. With a pair of signal electrode pins transmitting differential signals, crosstalk from other signal electrode pins can be reduced, and high quality signal transmission is enabled.
US09209568B2
A connector assembly includes a receptacle connector and a plug connector. The receptacle connector includes a receptacle insulative housing including a receiving portion, a number of mating portions extending from the receiving portion and a number of contact-receiving slots extending through the mating portions and the receiving portion. At least one of the mating portions includes an anti-mismating block at a corner thereof. The plug connector includes a plug insulative housing including a mating surface and a number of cavities extending through the mating surface for receiving the mating portions. The plug insulative housing includes an anti-mismating groove at a corner of one of the cavities to receive the anti-mismating block of the receptacle insulative housing.
US09209566B2
Disclosed is a connector for preventing unlocking which includes a signal pin transferring a signal; a body into which the signal pin is inserted and which is electrically isolated from the signal pin; a first housing having a hollow portion into which one end of the body is inserted, a thread groove and at least one protruding portion or a plurality of fixing grooves formed at an inner circumferential surface of the other end thereof; and a second housing having a hollow portion into which the other body end is inserted and through which the second housing is moved along an outer circumferential surface of the body in an axial direction.
US09209565B2
The electrical connector, having a tubular housing section, in which an insulating body is arranged which bears an electrical contact and is locked to the housing section via a locking device, which is engages with a receiving recess of the housing section, wherein the locking device has at least one flexible supporting element for the insulating body and the insulating body of the housing section is able to be unlocked releasably by a tool. According to the invention, the insulating body is releasable from the plug side of the housing section by a tool and the locking device and the receiving recess are realized separately in the circumferential direction of the housing section and have at least two locking parts that are separated from one another and a corresponding number of locking part receptacles which are at a distance to one another laterally.
US09209562B2
A lever connector includes a housing, and a lever rotatably provided on the housing to be rotated in a locking direction to be disposed at a connection locking position. The lever includes support plate portions rotatably supported by both sides of the housing, the housing has a hump portion protruding in a direction intersecting with a rotating direction of the lever, the lever has a protrusion portion protruding in an opposite direction to the hump portion to be engaged with the hump portion, the hump portion has a tapered surface inclined in a protruding direction of the protrusion portion as extending in the locking direction from a top of the hump portion, and as the protrusion portion is slid along the tapered surface to be engaged with the tapered surface, the lever is applied with a rotating force in the locking direction.
US09209546B1
A locking mechanical and electrical connector for joining two sections of an artificial holiday tree includes an upper and a lower part that thread to a joined configuration from a separated configuration and locked in the joined position by a ball detent. Once completely joined, electrical contacts carried by the upper part are in electrical contact with electrical contacts carried by the lower part. The electrical wiring of the upper and lower parts is managed using harnesses and kept electrically separated from the two sections of the artificial tree. In joining of tree tubing sections, the weight of the upper section helps drive the rotation of the upper part with respect to the lower part, assisted by the low friction design of the threaded connection and the ball contact between the upper part electrical contacts and the interface surface of the lower part.
US09209542B1
An electronic card protecting mechanism is adapted to an electronic device including a casing. The electronic card protecting mechanism includes a base, a substrate, an elastic component and a positioning component. The base is slidably disposed in the casing and has a covering plate having a slot. The substrate is disposed on the base and aligned to the slot. When the base is located at a first position, an opening of the casing is covered by the covering plate. When the base resists an elastic force of the elastic component and moves to a second position, the positioning component positions the base and the opening is aligned to the slot, such that the electronic card is adapted to be plugged to or unplugged from the substrate through the opening. When the base is released by the positioning component, the base is restored by the elastic force of the elastic component.
US09209541B2
A connector that electrically connects circuit boards to each other by fitting a header and a socket to each other, the connector including: header holding fixtures for holding the header to the circuit board; and a socket molded article as a molded article of the socket, wherein recessed portions with a recessed shape are formed on the socket molded article so that soldering terminals of the header holding fixtures cannot interfere with the socket molded article when the header and the socket are fitted to each other.
US09209540B2
Board-to-board connectors that may provide a durable and reliable connection, save board space, may be easy to manufacture, and may be simple to use during device assembly. One example may include a receptacle including a number of contacts forming electrical connections with traces or planes in or on a printed circuit board. A boss may be included as part of the receptacle and the boss may be connected to the printed circuit board. An insert may be mated to the receptacle. Contacts in the insert may form electrical connections with traces or planes in a second or flexible circuit board. A cowling may be placed over the flexible circuit board to act as a stiffener. A fastener, such as a screw, may be placed through openings in the cowling, second or flexible circuit board, and insert, and into the boss.
US09209537B2
Electrical connector assembly between a flexible printed circuit board and a central processing unit
An electrical connector assembly for connecting a CPU with an FPC includes a first electrical connector having a first insulating housing and a plurality of first contacts retained in the first insulating housing, a second electrical connector electrically connecting the first electrical connector in a vertical direction having a second insulating housing and a plurality of second contacts retained in the second insulating housing, and a protecting cover assembled between the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector. The protecting cover includes a base and a plurality of through holes running through the base for receiving the second contacts to contact with the first contacts. The protecting cover includes a pair of buckling portions for locking the FPC and an acting portion extending upwardly from the buckling portion, the acting portion release the buckling portion off the FPC when a hand push the acting portion.
US09209536B2
A mounting portion (20) of a housing (10) is to be inserted into a circular mounting hole (2) formed on a circuit board (1) and has a fixed piece (21) and two resilient locking pieces (30) at substantially equal angular intervals. The fixed piece (21) has an arcuate outer surface (22A). Each resilient locking piece (30) has a displaceable main body (31) with an arcuate outer shape (33A) that conforms to the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole (2). A lock (37) is on a tip of the main body (31) and can be locked to an edge on an under side of the mounting hole (2). An extending portion (33) is formed on each of side edges of the main body (31) and extends circumferentially toward the fixed piece (21).
US09209530B2
A conductor connection terminal (1) comprising an insulating housing (2) and comprising at least one spring-force clamping connection (5) in the insulating housing (2) for making the terminal connection of an electrical conductor is described. The spring-force clamping connection (5) has a base plate (6) and at least one spring tongue (7), which is at an angle to the base plate (6), is connected in a root region (8) to the base plate (6) and extends with its tongue end (9), which is movable in spring-elastic fashion, in a conductor plug-in direction (L). The free tongue end (9) is spaced apart from the base plate (6) by a gap (15). The insulating housing (2) has at least one actuating pushbutton (4), which interacts with the tongue end (9) opposite the base plate (6) and has an actuating section (14), which extends in the direction towards the base plate (6), for deflecting the spring tongue (7) transversely to the direction of extent of the spring tongue (7). The actuating pushbutton (4) has at least one resting section (20), which is designed in each case at an associated tongue end (9) to rest on a lateral peripheral edge (19) of the associated tongue end (9) and to shift the tongue end (9) in the direction of the base plate (6) whilst reducing the width of the gap (15) when the actuating pushbutton (4) is shifted in the direction of the base plate (6) so as to open a clamping connection formed by the spring tongue (7) for an electrical conductor of which a terminal connection is intended to be made.
US09209525B2
A directive electrically small antenna (DESA) process and method employs multipole synthesis to implement directive electrically small multipole antennas with ultra-wideband (UWB) stable antenna patterns. Although lossy, embodiments have adequate efficiency to work as receive antennas in the high ambient noise environment of the HF band and below. Employing a process dubbed “antenna regeneration,” energy may be circulated within an antenna by means other than resonance. This enables multiple decade UWB response without the efficiency penalties inherent to traditional resistively-loaded antenna systems. Regenerative antennas can simultaneously achieve the performance of high Q resonant antennas and the bandwidth of resistively loaded antennas.
US09209516B2
An NFC component includes a first interface that can be used in reader mode and is configured to be connected to an antenna via an impedance matching external circuit. A second interface can be used in card mode and in reader mode and is configured to be connected to the antenna and to the first interface via the impedance matching external circuit. An internal module includes a first detection circuit configured to deliver a first detection signal that represents the phase antenna matching quality when the impedance matching external circuit and the antenna are indeed connected between the first interface and the second interface. The internal module is further configured to deliver a check signal from at least the first detection signal.
US09209512B2
An antenna device utilized in a wireless communication device having a lid, a chassis and a hinge is disclosed. The antenna device includes a radiating module disposed in the lid or the hinge and moving in response to movement of the lid, for transmitting or receiving radio-frequency signals; and a metal barricade disposed in an area apart from the radiating module by a specified distance on the chassis.
US09209495B2
A system and method for the thermal management of a battery-based energy storage is described. One embodiment includes a thermal management system for a battery-based energy storage system, the thermal management system comprising a residual heat source, such as a geothermal heat source, and a battery-based energy storage system thermally connected to the residual heat source The thermal connection between the energy storage system and the residual heat source may be direct (i.e., the energy storage system may be adjacent to, partially located within, or fully located within the residual heat source) or indirect (e.g., the energy storage system and residual heat source may use a heat conduit to transfer heat). In embodiments using a heat conduit to transfer heat, the thermal management system may further comprise a control system for controlling the circulation of a fluid in the heat conduit in order to regulate the temperature of the energy storage system.
US09209478B2
An electrode plate winding device and rolling method for cylinder type battery that is to increase a battery capacity by rolling the electrode plate in a cylinder-like shape. The electrode plate winding device has a mandrel which winds electrode plates coated with the active material layers having different polarity and separators, interposed between the plates. The mandrel is of a generally round cross-section but divided into two parts by a groove. The mandrel having at least one electrode tap region formed in one of the divided parts.
US09209475B2
To increase the power generation efficiency of a microbial power generator by using an easy and inexpensive unit. Two plate-like cation-exchange membranes 31 are disposed in parallel in a tank 30. This arrangement allows an anode chamber 32 to be formed between the cation-exchange membranes 31. Two cathode chambers 33 are separated from the anode chamber 32 by using the respective ion-permeable nonconductive membranes 31. An oxygen-containing gas is made to pass through the cathode chamber 33. An anode solution L is supplied to the anode chamber, and, preferably, the anode solution is made to circulate. A biologically treated exhaust gas is used as the oxygen-containing gas to be supplied to the cathode chamber 33. Carbon dioxide in the biologically treated exhaust gas can promote transport of Na+ and K+ ions, and water vapor can increase the ion permeability, thereby increasing the power generation efficiency.
US09209474B2
Fuel cell devices are provided having improved shrinkage properties between the active and non-active structures by modifying the material composition of the non-active structure, having a non-conductive, insulating barrier layer between the active structure and surface conductors that extend over the inactive surrounding support structure, having the width of one or both electrodes progressively change along the length, or having a porous ceramic layer between the anode and fuel passage and between the cathode and air passage. Another fuel cell device is provided having an internal multilayer active structure with electrodes alternating in polarity from top to bottom and external conductors on the top and/or bottom surface with sympathetic polarity to the respective top and bottom electrodes. A fuel cell system is provided with a fuel cell device having an enlarged attachment surface at one or both ends, which resides outside the system's heat source, insulated therefrom.
US09209468B2
A fuel cell failure prediction apparatus is provided. The prediction apparatus includes upstream and downstream voltage monitoring units, a data processing unit and a system control unit. The upstream and downstream voltages of each single cell may be synchronously monitored by the upstream and downstream voltage monitoring units. According to the monitored upstream and downstream voltages of each single cell, the data processing unit is used to obtain a differential voltage of the upstream and downstream voltages of each single cell. In accordance with the differential voltage, the system control unit performs a correcting control of failure prediction on the fuel cell.
US09209467B2
Disclosed is a humidifier for a fuel cell having an enhanced humidifying performance and being able to prevent an instantaneous decrease of the output of a car which might occur at the time of high-speed driving. The humidifier comprises a membrane housing with first and second ends; a bundle of hollow fiber membranes provided in an inner space of the membrane housing; a humidity retainer provided in the inner space of the membrane housing; a first cover mounted on the first end of the membrane housing, the first cover including an inlet for introducing unreacted gas of high-humidity discharged from a stack; and a second cover mounted on the second end of the membrane housing, the second cover including an outlet for discharging the unreacted gas used for humidification.
US09209457B2
[Problem] To suppress increases in the resistance of nickel positive electrodes and assure sufficient battery capacity even after repeated pulse charging and discharging cycles with a large current. [Solution] This alkaline storage battery (10) contains aluminum (Al) in a hydrogen storage alloy negative electrode (12) and also includes Al in a nickel positive electrode (11). In a state where a prescribed charging and discharging cycle has completed, the Al content in the nickel positive electrode (11) is 0.25% by mass or greater of that in the positive electrode active material, and in powder x-ray diffraction of the positive electrode active material using Cu—Kα, the half-width of the (101) plane peak for Ni(OH)2 is controlled so as to be 0.5 (°/2θ) or greater.
US09209454B2
The present invention provides novel cathodes having a reduced resistivity and other improved electrical properties. Furthermore, this invention also presents methods of manufacturing novel electrochemical cells and novel cathodes. These novel cathodes comprise a silver material that is doped with a trivalent species.
US09209424B2
A laminated substrate for an organic LED element includes a translucent substrate, a scattering layer including glass and a solid scattering material provided on the translucent substrate and having a thickness of 30 μm or less, and an electrode provided on the scattering layer, and no covering layer including glass is provided between the scattering layer and the electrode.
US09209415B2
Disclosed is a light-emitting element which includes a first light-emitting layer over and in contact with a hole-transport layer and a second light-emitting layer over and in contact with the first light-emitting layer. The first and the second light-emitting layers contain a bipolar host material and an emissive guest material. The guest material in the first light-emitting layer has a lower ability for capturing a hole than a guest material in the second light-emitting layer; therefore, the hole-transport property of the first light-emitting layer can be controlled to be higher than that of the second light-emitting layer. The difference in hole-transport property between the first and second light-emitting layers allows a recombination region to be widely spread in the light-emitting layers. An anti-reducing material may be provided in the hole-transport layer, which prevents the hole-transport layer from being reduced by electrons which fail to undergo recombination in the light-emitting layers.
US09209414B2
A display device is discussed which can include: a flexible substrate defined into a first area, a second area bent from an edge of the first area, and a third area outwardly expanded from the second area; a thin film transistor layer disposed on the substrate; an organic emission layer disposed on the thin film transistor layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the organic emission layer; a polarization layer disposed on the encapsulation layer; and a cover window disposed on the polarization layer. The polarization layer is formed on the encapsulation layer opposite to the first and third areas of the substrate.
US09209413B1
The present invention provides a series of spirally configured cis-stilbene/fluorene hybrid materials, which are spirally-configured cis-stilbene/fluorene derivatives having glass transition temperatures ranged from 110° C. to 135° C., decomposition temperatures ranged from 380° C. to 425° C., reversible electron transport property, and balanced charges motilities. In addition, a variety of experimental data have proved that this spirally configured cis-stilbene/fluorene hybrid materials can indeed be used as a hole-blocking type electron-transporter and/or a host material for phosphorescent OLEDs. Moreover, the experiment data also reveal that the OLEDs using the spirally configured cis-stilbene/fluorene hybrid materials can indeed be used as the hole-blocking type electron-transporter or as a host materials, which are able to show excellent external quantum efficiency (ηext), current efficiency (ηc), power efficiency (ηp), maximum luminance (Lmax), and device lifetime performances much better than the conventional or commercial OLEDs.
US09209412B2
The present invention relates to compositions, comprising (a) a compound of the formula (I), and (b) a polymeric material, to specific oligomers of the formula I, and their use as organic semiconductor in organic devices, especially in organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and photodiodes, or in a device containing a diode and/or an organic field effect transistor. High efficiency of energy conversion, excellent field-effect mobility, good on/off current ratios and/or excellent stability can be observed, when the compositions, or oligomers according to the invention are used in organic field effect transistors, organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and photodiodes.
US09209407B2
An amine-based compound and an organic light-emitting diode including the amine-based compound are provided. The amine-based compound may be used between a pair of electrodes of an organic light-emitting diode. For example, the amine-based compound may be used in an emission layer and/or between the emission layer and an anode (for example, in a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a functional layer having a hole injection ability and a hole transport ability). Accordingly, an organic light-emitting diode including a first electrode, a second electrode facing the first electrode, and an organic layer that is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and includes the amine-based compound is provided.
US09209406B2
An organic EL device includes an anode, an emitting layer, an electron transporting zone and a cathode in this sequence, in which the electron transporting zone contains an aromatic heterocyclic derivative represented by a formula (1) below. In the formula (1), X1 to X3 are a nitrogen atom or CR1, and A is represented by a formula (2) below. In the formula (2), L1 is s single bond or a linking group, and HAr is represented by a formula (3) below. In the formula (3), Y1 is an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or the like, and one of X11 to X18 is a carbon atom bonded to L1 by a single bond and the rest of X11 to X18 are a nitrogen atom or CR13.
US09209404B2
The present invention provides a macromolecular compound by which the short-circuit current density and the photoelectric conversion efficiency are enhanced when the macromolecular compound is used in an organic layer contained in a photovoltaic device. Specifically, the present invention provides a macromolecular compound having a structural unit represented by Formula (1): wherein Ar1 and Ar2 are the same as or different from each other and represent a trivalent aromatic hydrocarbon group or a trivalent heterocyclic group; X1 and X2 are the same as or different from each other and represent —O—, —S—, —C(═O)—, —S(═O)—, —SO2—, —C(R50)(R51)—, —Si (R3)(R4)—, —N(R5)—, —B(R6)—, —P(R7)—, or —P(═O)(R8)—; wherein the macromolecular compound has a light absorbing terminal wavelength of 700 nm or more.
US09209397B2
A process for forming a layer of an electroactive material, including: depositing a liquid composition containing an electroactive material and at least one solvent onto a workpiece to form a wet layer; placing the wet layer on the workpiece into a vacuum chamber containing solid absorptive material; and treating the wet layer at a controlled temperature in a range of −25° C. to 80° C. and under an applied vacuum in a range of 10−6 Torr to 1,000 Torr for a period of 1-100 minutes.
US09209379B2
A piezoelectric vibration element includes a piezoelectric piece, a pair of excitation electrodes, and a pair of extraction electrodes. The piezoelectric piece has a rectangular shape with long sides and short sides and a first principal surface and a second principal surface. The piezoelectric piece includes a mesa portion thicker than a peripheral portion at least on the first principal surface. The excitation electrode is larger than an area of the mesa portion and covers the mesa portion on the principal surface where the mesa portion is formed. The excitation electrode has a center away from a center of the piezoelectric piece toward another short side by a first distance. The mesa portion has a center away from the center of the piezoelectric piece to the other short side by a second distance. The second distance is different from the first distance.
US09209377B2
A thermoelectric module includes an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface each being assigned to a respective hot side or cold side and forming an intermediate space therebetween, a geometric axis and at least one sealing element. The sealing element at least partially forms the inner circumferential surface or is separated from the hot side or cold side disposed there only by an electric insulation layer. The sealing element seals the intermediate space at least with respect to the cold side and has at least one electric conductor connecting at least one thermoelectric element disposed in the thermoelectric module to at least one other electric conductor disposed outside the thermoelectric module. A vehicle having the thermoelectric module is also provided.
US09209375B2
Methods and devices for controlling thermal conductivity and thermoelectric power of semiconductor nanowires are described. The thermal conductivity and the thermoelectric power are controlled substantially independently of the electrical conductivity of the nanowires by controlling dimensions and doping, respectively, of the nanowires. A thermoelectric device comprising p-doped and n-doped semiconductor nanowire thermocouples is also shown, together with a method to fabricate alternately p-doped and n-doped arrays of silicon nanowires.
US09209373B2
A Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC) package is disclosed. The PLCC package includes a lead frame with an integrated reflector cup. The reflector cup is directly connected to a heat sink, which improves the ability of the PLCC package to distribute heat away from the light source that is provided in the reflector cup.
US09209370B2
A light emitting device includes a light emitting structure below a substrate, in which at least one first contact area and at least one second contact area are defined. A plurality of layers having mutually different refractive indexes is provided below the light emitting structure.
US09209363B2
Disclosed herein is a light emitting device exhibiting improved current spreading. The disclosed light emitting device includes a light emitting structure including a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, a second conductivity type semiconductor layer, and an active layer disposed between the first conductivity type and second conductivity type semiconductor layers, a first electrode disposed on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer, and a second electrode disposed on the second conductivity type semiconductor layer. The light emitting structure includes a mesa etching region where the second conductivity type semiconductor layer, active layer, and first conductivity type semiconductor layer are partially etched, thereby exposing a portion of the first conductivity type semiconductor layer. The first electrode is disposed on the exposed portion of the first conductivity type semiconductor layer. A first electrode layer is disposed between the second conductivity type semiconductor layer and the second electrode. A second electrode layer is disposed between portions of the first electrode layer spaced from each other at opposite sides of the mesa etching region.
US09209359B2
In embodiments of the invention, a semiconductor structure comprising a III-nitride light emitting layer disposed between an n-type region and a p-type region is grown on a substrate. The substrate is a non-III-nitride material. The substrate has an in-plane lattice constant asubstrate. At least one III-nitride layer in the semiconductor structure has a bulk lattice constant alayer and [(|asubstrate−alayer|)/asubstrate]100% is no more than 1%. A surface of the substrate opposite the surface on which the semiconductor structure is grown is textured.
US09209353B2
This invention relates to a lighting device comprising a light transmissive light outlet unit (102), and light emitting diodes (104) generating light which is emitted through the light outlet unit. The lighting device further comprises a conductive layer structure (114), which is arranged as a coating on a portion of an inner surface of the light outlet unit. The light emitting diodes are mounted on and electrically connected with the conductive layer structure.
US09209349B2
A method of fabricating a nitride semiconductor light emitting device is provided. The method includes growing a first group-III-nitride semiconductor layer on a substrate, the first group-III-nitride semiconductor layer having a top surface formed as a group-III-rich surface exhibiting a group-III-polarity and a bottom surface formed as a N-rich surface exhibiting a N-polarity. The method further includes selectively etching a N-polarity region in the top surface of the first group III nitride semiconductor layer, forming a second group III nitride semiconductor layer on the first group III nitride semiconductor layer to fill the etched N-polarity region and forming a light emitting structure including first and second conductivity type nitride semiconductor layers and an active layer on the second group III nitride semiconductor layer.
US09209347B2
Apparatus and methods of thermally processing semiconductor substrates are disclosed. Aspects of the apparatus include a source of intense radiation and a rotating energy distributor that distributes the intense radiation to a rectifier. The rectifier directs the radiation toward the substrate. Aspects of the method include using a rotating energy distributor to distribute pulsed energy to a substrate for processing. The rotational rate of the energy distributor is set based on the pulse repetition rate of the energy source. A substrate may be continuously translated with respect to the energy distributor at a rate set based on the pulse repetition rate of the energy source.
US09209343B2
A structure and method of making a thin-film solar cell is provided. A thin-film solar cell includes a substrate, absorber layer and a buffer layer. The absorber layer is deposited by a single-step bulk electrochemical process, or a multi-layer electrochemical process. The buffer layer is deposited by an electrochemical deposition process such as a multi-layer deposition or an atomic layer deposition. The absorber and buffer layers are non-toxic materials which can include sulfur incorporated during the deposition process or incorporated after deposition by an anneal step.
US09209340B2
An electro-optic device includes a first electrode, a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode, and an active layer of organic semiconducting material between the first electrode and the second electrode. The active layer includes a quasi-bilayer in which a first plurality molecules from a first layer of active material is interpenetrated by a second plurality of molecules from a second layer of active material formed on the first layer. The first and second pluralities of molecules provide donor-acceptor pairs such that the quasi-bilayer has at least a portion that is a bulk heterojunction active layer. Each of the first plurality of molecules has a long axis that is longer than corresponding transverse axes and the long axis is substantially aligned along a common direction such that the active layer is more sensitive to a first polarization of incident light than a second polarization of the incident light, wherein the first polarization and the second polarization are orthogonal polarization components of the light.
US09209339B2
Embodiments of mechanisms of a backside illuminated image sensor structure are provided. The backside illuminated image sensor structure includes a device substrate having a frontside and a backside and pixels formed at the frontside of the substrate. The backside illuminated image sensor structure further includes a metal element formed in a dielectric layer over the backside of the substrate and a color filter layer formed over the dielectric layer. In addition, the metal element is configured to form a light blocking area in the device substrate and is made of copper.
US09209331B2
Optically sensitive devices include a device comprising a first contact and a second contact, each having a work function, and an optically sensitive material between the first contact and the second contact. The optically sensitive material comprises a p-type semiconductor, and the optically sensitive material has a work function. Circuitry applies a bias voltage between the first contact and the second contact. The optically sensitive material has an electron lifetime that is greater than the electron transit time from the first contact to the second contact when the bias is applied between the first contact and the second contact. The first contact provides injection of electrons and blocking the extraction of holes. The interface between the first contact and the optically sensitive material provides a surface recombination velocity less than 1 cm/s.
US09209328B2
An optoelectronic semiconductor component includes an optoelectronic semiconductor chip having side areas covered by a shaped body, at least one plated-through hole including an electrically conductive material, and an electrically conductive connection electrically conductively connected to the semiconductor chip and the plated-through hole, wherein, the plated-through hole is arranged in a manner laterally spaced apart from the semiconductor chip, the plated-through hole completely penetrates through the shaped body, and the plated-through hole extends from a top side of the shaped body to an underside of the shaped body, the electrically conductive connection extends at the top side of the shaped body.
US09209325B2
A method for forming contacts on a photovoltaic device includes forming a heterojunction cell including a substrate, a passivation layer and a doped layer and forming a transparent conductor on the cell. A patterned barrier layer is formed on the transparent conductor and has openings therein wherein the transparent conductor is exposed through the openings in the barrier layer. A conductive contact is grown through the openings in the patterned barrier layer by a selective plating process.
US09209324B2
Apparatus comprise a photovoltaic cell arrangement having a front surface and a rear surface, and first and second conductor patterns formed on different ones of the front and rear surfaces. The first conductor pattern comprises at least one loop, and the apparatus comprises at least a first terminal connected to the second conductor pattern, and second and third terminals connected to different ends of the at least one loop of the first conductor pattern. A transducer arrangement comprises a transducer body having a front surface and a rear surface, and first and second conductor patterns formed on different ones of the front and rear surfaces. The first conductor pattern comprises at least one loop. The transducer arrangement comprises at least a first terminal connected to the second conductor pattern, and second and third terminals connected to different ends of the at least one spiral loop of the first conductor pattern. The transducer body and the first and second conductor patterns together form a photovoltaic transducer arrangement and the second conductor pattern constitutes an induction transducer.
US09209322B2
A polymer substrate and back contact structure for a photovoltaic element, and a photovoltaic element include a CIGS photovoltaic structure, a polymer substrate having a device side at which the photovoltaic element can be located and a back side opposite the device side. A layer of dielectric is formed at the back side of the polymer substrate. A metal structure is formed at the device side of the polymer substrate.
US09209315B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate; an element isolation insulating film buried in the semiconductor substrate so as to isolate adjacent element; a memory cell having a first insulating film and a charge accumulation film; a second insulating film formed on the charge accumulation films of the memory cells and the element isolation insulating film; and a control electrode film formed on the second insulating film. An upper surface of the element isolation insulating film is lower than an upper surface of the charge accumulation film, the second insulating film is provided with a cell upper portion on the charge accumulation film and an inter-cell portion on the element isolation insulating film, and a dielectric constant of the cell upper portion is lower than a dielectric constant of the inter-cell portion.
US09209313B2
A thin film transistor array panel includes: a gate line including a gate electrode; a first gate insulating layer on the gate line; a semiconductor layer on the first gate insulating layer and overlapping the gate electrode; a second gate insulating layer on the semiconductor layer and the first gate insulating layer, and an opening in the second gate insulating layer and through which the semiconductor layer is exposed; drain and source electrodes on the second gate insulating and semiconductor layers and facing each other; a first field generating electrode; and a second field generating electrode connected to the drain electrode. The semiconductor layer includes an oxide semiconductor layer, and first and second auxiliary layers on the oxide semiconductor layer and separated from each other. An edge of the drain and source electrodes is disposed inside an edge of the first and second auxiliary layers, respectively.
US09209310B2
An object is to provide a thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, in which a material used for the oxide semiconductor layer and a material used for source and drain electrode layers are prevented from reacting with each other. The source and drain electrode layers provided over a substrate having an insulating surface have a stacked structure of two or more layers. In the stack of layers, a layer which is in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer is a metal layer including a metal element other than a metal element included in the oxide semiconductor layer. An element selected from Sn, Sb, Se, Te, Pd, Ag, Ni, and Cu; an alloy containing any of these elements as a component; an alloy containing any of these elements in combination; or the like is used for a material of the metal layer used.
US09209300B2
A fin field effect transistor including a first insulation region and a second insulation region over a top surface of a substrate. The first insulation region includes tapered top surfaces, and the second insulation region includes tapered top surfaces. The fin field effect transistor further includes a fin extending above the top surface between the first insulation region and the second insulation region. The fin includes a first portion having a top surface below the tapered top surfaces of the first insulation region. The fin includes a second portion having a top surface above the tapered top surfaces of the first insulation region.
US09209296B2
A semiconductor device includes a vertical trench gate element portion and a lateral n-channel element portion for control which includes a well diffusion region, and a junction edge termination region which surrounds the vertical trench gate element portion and the lateral n-channel element portion for control. The junction edge termination region includes an oxide layer, a sustain region in contact with a trench provided at the end, and a diffusion region in contact with the sustain region. The diffusion region is deeper than the base region and has low concentration. The sustain region is shallower than the diffusion region and has high concentration. The well diffusion region is deeper than the base region and the sustain region and has low concentration. The breakdown voltage of the junction edge termination region and the well diffusion region is higher than that of the vertical trench gate element portion.
US09209295B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes: a substrate; a stacked body including a plurality of electrode layers and a plurality of insulating layers, both of them being alternately stacked on the substrate; a cap film provided in contact with the electrode layer within a hole formed to penetrate the stacked body; an insulating film provided on a side wall of the cap film and including a charge accumulation film; and a channel body provided on a side wall of the insulating film. The cap film includes a protrusion portion protruding toward the insulating film. In the cap film, a film thickness of a portion where the protrusion portion is provided in a direction in which the protrusion portion protrudes is larger than a film thickness of the other portions where the protrusion portion is not provided.
US09209294B1
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming, on a principal face of a substrate, a semiconductor layer including a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; and forming, in the semiconductor layer, a trench having a bottom located in the first semiconductor region. The method further includes a step of forming a trench bottom impurity region being of a second conductivity type and covering the bottom of the trench by performing annealing to cause part of the semiconductor layer corresponding to an upper corner portion of the trench to move to be placed on the bottom of the trench.
US09209291B2
A three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor device includes first interlayer dielectric layers and word lines that are alternately stacked on a substrate; select lines formed on the first interlayer dielectric layers and the word lines; etch stop patterns formed on the select lines to contact the select lines; channel holes formed to pass through the select lines, the first interlayer dielectric layers, and the word lines; channel layers formed on surfaces of the channel holes; insulating layers formed in the channel holes, the insulating layers having an upper surface that is lower than upper surfaces of the etch stop patterns; impurity-doped layers formed in channel holes on upper surface of the insulating layers; and a second interlayer dielectric layer formed over the etch stop patterns and the impurity-doped layers.
US09209283B2
In a thin film transistor, an increase in off current or negative shift of the threshold voltage is prevented. In the thin film transistor, a buffer layer is provided between an oxide semiconductor layer and each of a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer. The buffer layer includes a metal oxide layer which is an insulator or a semiconductor over a middle portion of the oxide semiconductor layer. The metal oxide layer functions as a protective layer for suppressing incorporation of impurities into the oxide semiconductor layer. Therefore, in the thin film transistor, an increase in off current or negative shift of the threshold voltage can be prevented.
US09209278B2
A finFET is formed having a fin with a source region, a drain region, and a channel region between the source and drain regions. The fin is etched on a semiconductor wafer. A gate stack is formed having an insulating layer in direct contact with the channel region and a conductive gate material in direct contact with the insulating layer. The source and drain regions are etched leaving the channel region of the fin. Epitaxial semiconductor is grown on the sides of the channel region that were adjacent the source and drain regions to form a source epitaxy region and a drain epitaxy region. The source and drain epitaxy regions are doped in-situ while growing the epitaxial semiconductor.
US09209274B2
The present disclosure provides in various aspects methods of forming a semiconductor device, methods for forming a semiconductor device structure, a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device structure. In some illustrative embodiments herein, a gate structure is formed over a non-planar surface portion of a semiconductor material provided on a surface of a substrate. A doped spacer-forming material is formed over the gate structure and the semiconductor material and dopants incorporated in the doped spacer-forming material are diffused into the semiconductor material close to a surface of the semiconductor material so as to form source/drain extension regions. The fabricated semiconductor devices may be multi-gate devices and, for example, comprise finFETs and/or wireFETs.
US09209270B2
A device includes a semiconductor substrate, a gate stack over the semiconductor substrate, and a stressor region having at least a portion in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the gate stack. The stressor region includes a first stressor region having a first p-type impurity concentration, a second stressor region over the first stressor region, wherein the second stressor region has a second p-type impurity concentration, and a third stressor region over the second stressor region. The third stressor region has a third p-type impurity concentration. The second p-type impurity concentration is lower than the first and the third p-type impurity concentrations.
US09209267B2
An oxide semiconductor film is formed over a substrate. A sacrifice film is formed to such a thickness that the local maximum of the concentration distribution of an injected substance injected into the oxide semiconductor film in the depth direction of the oxide semiconductor film is located in a region from an interface between the substrate and the oxide semiconductor film to a surface of the oxide semiconductor film. Oxygen ions are injected as the injected substance into the oxide semiconductor film through the sacrifice film at such an acceleration voltage that the local maximum of the concentration distribution of the injected substance in the depth direction of the oxide semiconductor film is located in the region, and then the sacrifice film is removed. Further, a semiconductor device is manufactured using the oxide semiconductor film.
US09209231B2
This invention provides an array substrate, a method for fabricating the same, and an OLED display device. Each pixel unit of the array substrate comprises: a TFT drive layer; an OLED further away from the substrate than the TFT drive layer and driven by it, the OLED sequentially comprises a first electrode, a light emitting layer, a second electrode, wherein the first electrode is transparent, and the second electrode is a transflective layer, or the second electrode is transparent and has a transflective layer disposed thereon; a reflection layer disposed between the TFT drive layer and the OLED and forming a microcavity structure with the transflective layer, and a reflective surface of the reflection layer has a concave-convex or corrugated structure disposed thereon for causing diffuse reflection of light; and a color filter film disposed between the reflection layer and the OLED and located in the microcavity structure.
US09209228B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display includes: pixel electrodes formed on a substrate; a pixel definition layer between the pixel electrodes and partitioning a pixel area; organic emission layers of a plurality of colors on the pixel electrodes; and a common electrode on the organic emission layers. The pixel definition layer includes a first pattern and a second pattern having different formation materials, thicknesses, and extension directions.
US09209226B2
A 3D semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The 3D semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a common source region formed on the semiconductor substrate and extending in a line shape, an active region formed on the common source region and including a lateral channel region, which is substantially in parallel to a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and source and drain regions that are branched from the lateral channel region to a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a gate formed in a space between the source region and the drain region.
US09209218B2
An infrared solid-state imaging device with unit detecting sections in a matrix form, wherein the unit detecting section includes: an infrared light guiding layer; a first reflecting layer on the infrared light guiding layer; an infrared light detecting section on the first reflecting layer, the infrared light detecting section including an infrared light absorbing layer and upper and lower contact layers; and first metal wiring connected to the upper contact layer, wherein a side wall of the unit detecting section is inclined at an angle smaller than 45° to a normal direction, to form a groove between the adjacent unit detecting sections, a first insulating layer is provided on the side wall of the unit detecting section and second metal wiring is provided on the first insulating layer, and a refractive index of the first reflecting layer is lower than that of the lower contact layer.
US09209214B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a front side and a back side opposite the front side, first P-type regions located adjacent to the back side and spaced apart from each other in the substrate, N-type regions located under the first P-type regions and spaced apart from each other in the substrate, and second P-type regions located adjacent to the back side and located between the first P-type regions.
US09209213B2
An image capturing module of a web cam device, and particularly to a thin-type web cam device, includes a circuit board having circuit lines and a through opening. A substrate plate having contacts attaches to the bottom of the circuit board. An image sensor is covered by a transparent shield. The image sensor and the shield are carried by the substrate plate and located within the through opening.
US09209210B2
A photo-detecting apparatus in which the time taken to read out a detection signal is decreased, and thus, a frame rate of the photo-detecting apparatus is improved. A photo-detecting pixel includes a photosensitive device for generating a first detection signal by photoelectrically converting incident light; a first transistor for generating a detection current by receiving the first detection signal generated by the photosensitive device via a gate terminal of the first transistor; a second transistor for forming a first current path with the first transistor, in response to a read signal input via a gate terminal of the second transistor; and a third transistor for delivering a voltage in accordance with the detection current to a data line, in response to a gate signal applied to a gate terminal of the third transistor.
US09209195B2
SRAM well-tie with an uninterrupted grated first poly and first contact patterns in a bit cell array
An integrated circuit containing an SRAM may be formed using one or more periodic photolithographic patterns for elements of the integrated circuit such as gates and contacts, which have alternating line and space configurations in SRAM cells. Strap rows of the SRAM containing well ties and/or substrate taps which have SRAM cells on two opposite sides are configured so that the alternating line and space configurations are continuous across the regions containing the well ties and substrate taps.
US09209194B1
Some embodiments include a semiconductor construction having a semiconductor substrate and an interlayer insulating material over the substrate. Memory cells are supported by the substrate, and each memory cell includes a cell transistor and a cell capacitor. The cell transistor has source and drain regions extending into the semiconductor substrate. A conductive plug extends through the interlayer insulating material and is in electrical contact with one of the source and drain regions, and with the cell capacitor. The construction also includes at least one anti-fuse having a fuse capacitor. A covering material is between the fuse capacitor and the interlayer insulating material, and is in direct contact with the interlayer insulating material. The covering material is of a different composition than the interlayer insulating material.
US09209191B2
A gate insulating film and a gate electrode of non-single crystalline silicon for forming an nMOS transistor are provided on a silicon substrate. Using the gate electrode as a mask, n-type dopants having a relatively large mass number (70 or more) such as As ions or Sb ions are implanted, to form a source/drain region of the nMOS transistor, whereby the gate electrode is amorphized. Subsequently, a silicon oxide film is provided to cover the gate electrode, at a temperature which is less than the one at which recrystallization of the gate electrode occurs. Thereafter, thermal processing is performed at a temperature of about 1000° C., whereby high compressive residual stress is exerted on the gate electrode, and high tensile stress is applied to a channel region under the gate electrode. As a result, carrier mobility of the nMOS transistor is enhanced.
US09209184B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a first active region, a second active region and a field region between the first and second active regions, and a gate structure formed on the substrate to cross the first active region, the second active region and the field region. The gate structure includes a p type metal gate electrode and an n-type metal gate electrode directly contacting each other, the p-type metal gate electrode extends from the first active region less than half way toward the second active region.
US09209178B2
Etching interleaved structures of semiconductor material forming fins of finFETs and local isolation material interposed between the fins is performed alternately and cyclically by alternating etchants cyclically such as by alternating gases during reactive ion etching. Etchants are preferably alternated when one of the semiconductor material and the local isolation material protrudes above the other by a predetermined distance. Since protruding surfaces are etched more rapidly than recessed surfaces, the overall etching process is accelerated and completed in less time such that erosion of other materials to which the etchants are less than optimally selective is reduced and allow improved etching of trenches for improved isolation structures to be formed.
US09209167B2
Disclosed are a method and a system for determining threshold voltage (Vt) variations in field effect transistors (FETs), wherein multiple field effect transistors (FETs) (e.g., at least a first FET and a second FET), which are similar in design except for having different effective channel widths, can be selected for processing. Information regarding these multiple FETs (e.g., the ratio of the different effective channel widths and other information) can be acquired and used to define the relation between a standard deviation of an uncorrelated Vt variation and a difference between a first average Vt associated with the first FET and a second average Vt associated with the second FET. The relation can, depending upon the FET layouts, be used for different purposes (e.g., for characterizing the threshold voltage mismatch between a pair of adjacent essentially identical FETs on a chip or for characterizing a width scaling relation).
US09209156B2
A semiconductor package and a method of forming a semiconductor package with one or more dies over an interposer die are provided. By forming a first redistribution structure over the interposer die with TSVs, the die(s) bonded to the interposer die can have edge(s) beyond the boundary of the interposer die. In addition, a second redistribution structure may be formed on the opposite surface of the interposer die from the redistribution structure. The second redistribution structure enables reconfiguration and fan-out of bonding structures for external connectors of the interposer die.
US09209149B2
A package includes first package component, which further includes a first metal trace at a surface of the first package component, with the first metal trace having a trace width measured in a direction perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first metal trace. The first package component further includes a second metal trace at the surface of the first package component. The first metal trace and the second metal trace are parallel to each other. A second package component is overlying the first package component, wherein the second package component includes a metal bump. A solder region bonds the metal bump to the first metal trace, wherein the solder region contacts a top surface and sidewalls of the first portion of the first metal trace. A ratio of a volume of the solder region to the trace width is between about 1,100 μm2 and about 1,300 μm2.
US09209146B2
An electronic device package includes a bump having a post disposed on a contact portion of a semiconductor chip and an enlarged portion laterally protruded from an upper portion of the post; an interconnection portion having a locking portion that substantially surrounds the enlarged portion and an upper sidewall of the post; and a dielectric layer substantially surrounding the bump and the locking portion to separate the interconnection portion from the semiconductor chip.
US09209138B2
An integrated circuit shielding technique utilizing stacked die technology incorporating top and bottom nickel-iron alloy shields having a low coefficient of thermal expansion of especial utility in conjunction with magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) and other devices requiring magnetic shielding.
US09209133B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes a semiconductor chip formed with cut fuses over one surface thereof; and migration preventing modules preventing occurrence of a phenomenon in which metal ions of the fuses migrate to cut zones of the fuses; each migration preventing module including: a ground electrode formed in the semiconductor chip to face the fuse with a first insulation member interposed therebetween; a floating electrode formed over the fuse with a second insulation member interposed therebetween to face the ground electrode with the fuse interposed therebetween; and a power supply electrode formed over the floating electrode with a third insulation member interposed therebetween.
US09209132B2
A common mode filter monolithically integrated with a protection device. In accordance with an embodiment a semiconductor material having a resistivity of at least 5 Ohm-centimeters is provided. A protection device is formed from a portion of the semiconductor material and a dielectric material is formed over the semiconductor material. A coil is formed over the dielectric material.
US09209124B2
An embodiment of the invention provides a chip package including a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite thereto. A conducting pad is located on the first surface. A side recess is on at least a first side of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the side recess extends from the first surface toward the second surface and across the entire length of the first side. A conducting layer is located on the first surface and electrically connected to the conducting pad, wherein the conducting layer extends to the side recess.
US09209120B2
A semiconductor package includes a lead frame having an interior region and leads surrounding the interior region, an integrated circuit, a region of insulating material, and a power bar. The integrated circuit, which is disposed in the interior region, has bond pads and electrical couplings (e.g., bond wires) between the bond pads and the leads. The region of insulating material is disposed on at least some of the lead frame leads and the power bar is disposed on the region of insulating material. There also are electrical couplings between the power bar and at least some of the bond pads.
US09209119B1
A packaged semiconductor device is assembled using a first lead frame upon which a die is mounted and encapsulated and a second lead frame that provides bent leads for the device. By using two different lead frames, an array of the first lead frames can be configured with more lead frames for more devices than a comparably sized lead frame array of the prior art because the first lead frame array does not need to provide the leads for the packaged devices. Instead, the leads are provided by the second lead frame array, which can be attached to the first lead frame array after the dies have been mounted and encapsulated on the first lead frame array.
US09209112B2
A first substrate with a penetration electrode formed thereon is stacked on a second substrate with a protruding electrode formed thereon. The penetration electrode has a recessed portion. The substrates are stacked with the protruding electrode entered in the recessed portion. A distal width of the protruding electrode is smaller than an opening width of the recessed portion.
US09209109B2
An IGBT includes a semiconductor portion with IGBT cells. Each IGBT cell includes a source zone of a first conductivity type, a body zone of a second, complementary conductivity type, and a drift zone of the first conductivity type separated from the source zone by the body zone. An emitter electrode includes a main layer and an interface layer. The interface layer directly adjoins at least one of the body zone and a supplementary zone of the second conductivity type. A contact resistance between the semiconductor portion and the interface layer is higher than between the semiconductor portion and a material of the main layer. For example, the interface layer may reduce diode emitter efficiency and reverse recovery losses in IGBTs.
US09209108B2
A method for forming a fine pattern using isotropic etching, includes the steps of forming an etching layer on a semiconductor substrate, and coating a photoresist layer on the etching layer, performing a lithography process with respect to the etching layer coated with the photoresist layer, and performing a first isotropic etching process with respect to the etching layer including a photoresist pattern formed through the lithography process, depositing a passivation layer on the etching layer including the photoresist pattern, and performing a second isotropic etching process with respect to the passivation layer. The second isotropic etching process is directly performed without removing the predetermined portion of the passivation layer.
US09209096B2
A photoluminescence measurement system can include an optical source.
US09209094B2
A first fin field effect transistor and a second fin field effect transistor are formed on an insulator layer overlying a semiconductor material layer. A first pair of trenches is formed through the insulator layer in regions in which a source region and a drain region of the first fin field effect transistor is to be formed. A second pair of trenches is formed partly into the insulator layer without extending to the top surface of the semiconductor material layer. The source region and the drain region of the first field effect transistor can be epitaxial stressor material portions that are anchored to, and epitaxially aligned to, the semiconductor material layer and apply stress to the channel of the first field effect transistor to enhance performance. The insulator layer provides electrical isolation from the semiconductor material layer to the second field effect transistor.
US09209092B2
A conventional DRAM needs to be refreshed at an interval of several tens of milliseconds to hold data, which results in large power consumption. In addition, a transistor therein is frequently turned on and off; thus, deterioration of the transistor is also a problem. These problems become significant as the memory capacity increases and transistor miniaturization advances. A transistor is provided which includes a wide-gap semiconductor and has a trench structure including a trench for a gate electrode and a trench for element isolation. Even when the distance between a source electrode and a drain electrode is decreased, the occurrence of a short-channel effect can be suppressed by setting the depth of the trench for the gate electrode as appropriate.
US09209091B1
A semiconductor device is described that includes a first electrical circuit and a second electrical circuit formed on a semiconductor on insulator wafer. The semiconductor on insulator wafer has a layer of semiconducting material formed over a buried layer of insulating material formed over a supporting layer of material. A wide deep trench is formed in the semiconductor on insulator wafer to galvanically isolate the first electrical circuit from the second electrical circuit. The first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit are coupled together for exchanging energy between the galvanically isolated electrical circuits.
US09209090B2
A method of forming a semiconductor die comprises covering a first subset of a plurality of dummy gate electrodes and a second subset of the plurality of dummy gate electrodes with a first mask layer, the mask layer being patterned to expose a third subset of the plurality of dummy gate electrodes. The method also comprises removing the third subset of the plurality of dummy gate electrodes to form a first set of openings. The method further comprises filling the first set of openings with a first metal material to form a plurality of P-metal gate areas covering a first area of the major surface within a first device region over the major surface and to form a plurality of dummy P-metal gate areas collectively covering a second area of the major surface within a second device region over the major surface.
US09209088B2
Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor wafer, forming a gate dielectric over the semiconductor wafer, and forming a gate over the gate dielectric. At least one recess is formed in the semiconductor wafer proximate the gate and the gate dielectric, at least a portion of the at least one recess extending beneath the gate. The at least one recess in the semiconductor wafer is filled with a semiconductive material.
US09209086B2
Techniques for integrating low temperature salicide formation in a replacement gate device process flow are provided. In one aspect, a method of fabricating a FET device is provided that includes the following steps. A dummy gate(s) is formed over an active area of a wafer. A gap filler material is deposited around the dummy gate. The dummy gate is removed selective to the gap filler material, forming a trench in the gap filler material. A replacement gate is formed in the trench in the gap filler material. The replacement gate is recessed below a surface of the gap filler material. A gate cap is formed in the recess above the replacement gate. The gap filler material is etched back to expose at least a portion of the source and drain regions of the device. A salicide is formed on source and drain regions of the device.
US09209084B2
Maskless hybrid laser scribing and plasma etching wafer dicing processes are described. In an example, a method of dicing a semiconductor wafer having a front surface with a plurality of integrated circuits thereon and having a passivation layer disposed between and covering metal pillar/solder bump pairs of the integrated circuits involves laser scribing, without the use of a mask layer, the passivation layer to provide scribe lines exposing the semiconductor wafer. The method also involves plasma etching the semiconductor wafer through the scribe lines to singulate the integrated circuits, wherein the passivation layer protects the integrated circuits during at least a portion of the plasma etching. The method also involves thinning the passivation layer to partially expose the metal pillar/solder bump pairs of the integrated circuits.
US09209079B2
A semiconductor device is prepared by an annealing process to interconnect at least two components of the device by a conductor line surrounded by an insulator material. The annealing process results in formation of residual stresses within the conductor line and the insulator material. One or multiple notches are designed in the layout on a selective portion of the mask for patterning conductor line. The existence of the notch or notches on the selective portion generates extra stress components within the conductor line than would exist without the existence of the notch. The position of the notch is selected so that the extra stress components substantially counteract the residual stresses, thereby causing a net reduction in the residual stresses. The reduction in the residual stresses results in a corresponding mechanical stress migration and therefore improvement in the reliability of the device.
US09209078B2
A method for making a semiconductor device comprises forming an electrical interconnect layer, forming a first dielectric layer over the interconnect layer, forming an opening in the first dielectric layer over a first electrical interconnect of the interconnect layer, forming an aluminum layer over the first dielectric layer, etching the aluminum layer to form an aluminum die pad, forming a second dielectric layer over the aluminum die pad and the first dielectric layer, and forming a conductive via through the first and second dielectric layers to contact a second electrical interconnect of the interconnect layer.
US09209077B2
Self-aligned via and plug patterning using diagonal hardmasks for improved overlay in fabricating back end of line (BEOL) interconnects is described. In an example, a method of fabricating an interconnect structure for an integrated circuit involves forming a first hardmask layer above an interlayer dielectric layer disposed above a substrate. The first hardmask layer includes a plurality of first hardmask lines having a first grating in a first direction and comprising one or more sacrificial materials interleaved with the first grating. The method also involves forming a second hardmask layer above the first hardmask layer. The second hardmask layer includes a plurality of second hardmask lines having a second grating in a second direction, diagonal to the first direction. The method also involves, using the second hardmask layer as a mask, etching the first hardmask layer to form a patterned first hardmask layer. The etching involves removing a portion of the one or more sacrificial materials.
US09209072B2
Methods of fabricating a semiconductor device are described. The method includes forming a patterned oxide layer having a plurality of openings over a substrate, depositing a metal layer in the openings to form metal plugs, depositing a global transformable (GT) layer on the oxide layer and the metal plugs, and depositing a capping layer directly on the GT layer without exposing the GT layer to ambient air. The GT layer on the oxide layer transforms into a dielectric oxide and the GT layer on the metal plugs remains conductive during deposition of the capping layer.
US09209071B2
A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a dielectric layer formed over the semiconductor substrate, a first anti-etch layer, a second anti-etch layer and a conductive material. The dielectric layer has an opening. The first anti-etch layer is formed on the sidewall of the opening and made of a material having resistance to peroxide. The second anti-etch layer is formed over the first anti-etch layer and made of a material having resistance to acid. The conductive material is formed within the opening and in contact with the second anti-etch layer.
US09209069B2
A method of preparing a high resistivity single crystal semiconductor handle wafer comprising implanting He ions through a front surface of the high resistivity single crystal semiconductor handle wafer, which is followed by an anneal sufficient to form a nanocavity layer in the damage region formed by He ion implantation. The anneal may be prior to or concurrent with thermal oxidation to prepare a front oxidized surface layer.
US09209068B2
A method for treating at least one first material layer including siloxane bonds, wherein at least one surface can be interlocked with a surface of a second material layer by direct bonding, the method including: at least one forced diffusion at a temperature greater than or equal to 30° C., at least in the first material layer, of chemical species including at least one pair of free electrons and at least one labile proton; and converting at least one portion of the siloxane bonds into silanol bonds in at least one portion of the first material layer extending from the surface to a depth greater than or equal to approximately 10 nm.
US09209065B1
A strained silicon material layer is bonded to a relaxed silicon material layer. The strained silicon material and any defect containing region formed during bonding are completely removed from a second device region, while a portion of the strained silicon material layer remains in a first device region. A relaxed silicon material portion is epitaxially formed on an exposed portion of the relaxed silicon material layer. A high performance nFET device, in which leakage is not a main concern, can be formed on the remaining portion of the strained silicon material layer in the first device region, and a pFET device or a low leakage nFET device can be formed on the epitaxially formed relaxed silicon material portion.
US09209057B2
Provided is a method of controlling temperatures of objects to be heated in a heating unit by adjusting a heating rate of each of a plurality of heating elements, based on temperature detection values detected at a plurality of temperature detection elements, wherein the plurality of temperature detection elements are positioned at different positions and the plurality of heating elements are positioned at different positions. The method includes estimating a temperature of each of the plurality of temperature detection elements by using a first estimation algorithm when one of the plurality of temperature detection elements is broken, based on the temperature detection values of the temperature detection elements excluding the broken temperature detection element, and controlling the temperatures of the objects to be heated based on the estimated temperatures.
US09209056B2
An overhead buffer device used for disposing in a semi-conductor factory includes a strut module and a plurality of buffer modules. The strut module disposed on the top wall of the factory has a horizontal beam and a plurality of overhead strut. The overhead strut is set on the horizontal beam and spaced arranged along the horizontal beam. The buffer modules are installed on the overhead strut respectively. Each buffer module has a plurality of buffers arranged in sequence and along a vertical direction. Each buffer is used for receiving one front opening unified pod (FOUP). Thus, the instant disclosure can be used for using the space of the factory efficiently. Besides, the instant disclosure also provides a wafer transport system having the overhead buffer device.
US09209055B2
A bypass route is provided in order to transfer a substrate without passing through the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber, that is, a loader module, from a load lock chamber to a storage. In the bypass route, a sub-transfer unit for transferring the processed substrate from the load lock chamber to the storage is provided. The sub-transfer unit transfers the processed substrate from the load lock chamber to the storage, and a main transfer unit of the loader module returns the processed substrate from the storage to a transport container on holding stage.
US09209053B2
In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment, a plurality of semiconductor packages each including a semiconductor chip mounted on a wiring board and a sealing resin layer as objects to be processed, and a tray including a plurality of housing parts are prepared. A depressed portion having a non-penetrating shape or a penetrating shape is formed in the housing part. The semiconductor packages are disposed in the plural housing parts respectively. By sputtering a metal material on the semiconductor package housed in the tray, a conductive shield layer is formed.
US09209039B2
A method of forming a reversed pattern in a substrate. A resist on a substrate is exposed and developed to form a pattern therein, the patterned resist having a first polarity. The polarity of the patterned resist is reversed to a second polarity, and a reversal film is formed over the patterned resist having the second polarity. The patterned resist having the second polarity is removed, forming a pattern in the reversal film. The pattern in the reversal film is then transferred to the substrate. Additional methods of forming a reversed pattern in a substrate are disclosed, as is a semiconductor structure formed during the methods.
US09209024B2
A back end of line device and method for fabricating a transistor device include a substrate having an insulating layer formed thereon and a channel layer formed on the insulating layer. A gate structure is formed on the channel layer. Dopants are implanted into an upper portion of the channel layer on opposite sides of the gate structure to form shallow source and drain regions using a low temperature implantation process. An epitaxial layer is selectively grown on the shallow source and drain regions to form raised regions above the channel layer and against the gate structure using a low temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process, wherein low temperature is less than about 400 degrees Celsius.
US09209023B2
A method of forming an integrated circuit structure includes forming an insulation layer over at least a portion of a substrate; forming a plurality of semiconductor pillars over a top surface of the insulation layer. The plurality of semiconductor pillars is horizontally spaced apart by portions of the insulation layer. The plurality of semiconductor pillars is allocated in a periodic pattern. The method further includes epitaxially growing a III-V compound semiconductor film from top surfaces and sidewalls of the semiconductor pillars.
US09209011B2
A method of operating a film deposition apparatus including a turntable provided in a vacuum chamber and configured to rotate a substrate mounted thereon, a first reaction gas supplying portion, a second reaction gas supplying portion, a separation area, a first vacuum evacuation port for mainly evacuating the first reaction gas, a second vacuum evacuation port for mainly evacuating the second reaction gas, and a cleaning gas supplying portion for supplying a cleaning gas to clean the turntable, the method includes a cleaning step of supplying the cleaning gas from the cleaning gas supplying portion into the vacuum chamber while terminating the evacuation from the first vacuum evacuation port and performing the evacuation from the second vacuum evacuation port.
US09209010B2
A substrate cleaning method includes removing a foreign material attached to a substrate while preventing deterioration of the substrate and any film formed on or above the substrate. A cleaning gas at a pressure between 0.3 MPa and 2.0 MPa is sprayed towards a wafer W with attached foreign material 22 placed in a near-vacuum, producing clusters 21 made up of a multitude of gas molecules 20, and the clusters 21 collide with the wafer W without undergoing ionization.
US09209000B2
Systems, system components, and methods for plasma stripping are provided. In an embodiment, a gas flow distribution receptacle may have a rounded section that includes an inner surface defining a reception cavity, an outer surface forming an enclosed end, and a centerpoint on the outer surface having a longitudinal axis extending therethrough and through the reception cavity. First and second rings of openings provide flow communication with the plasma chamber. The second ring of openings are disposed between the first ring and the centerpoint, and each opening of the second ring of openings extends between the inner and outer surfaces at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis that is less than the first angle and has a diameter that is substantially identical to a diameter of an adjacent opening and smaller than the diameters of an opening of the first ring of openings.
US09208998B2
A tandem processing-zones chamber having plasma isolation and frequency isolation is provided. At least two RF frequencies are fed from the cathode for each processing zones, where one frequency is about ten times higher than the other, so as to provide decoupled reactive ion etch capability. The chamber body is ground all around and in-between the two processing zones. The use of frequency isolation enables feed of multiple RF frequencies from the cathode, without having crosstalk and beat. A plasma confinement ring is also used to prevent plasma crosstalk. A grounded common evacuation path is connected to a single vacuum pump.
US09208997B2
A method of etching a copper layer of a target object including, on the copper layer, a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto the copper layer is provided. The method includes etching the copper layer by using plasma of a first gas containing a hydrogen gas; and processing the target object by using plasma of a second gas containing a hydrogen gas and a gas (hereinafter, referred to as “deposition gas”) that is deposited on the target object. Further, the etching of the copper layer by using plasma of the first gas and the processing of the target object by using plasma of the second gas are repeated alternately.
US09208995B2
Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus (111) to and from which a diaphragm (101) can be easily attached and detached, and in which a sample (6) can be arranged under vacuum and under high pressure. The charged particle beam apparatus includes: a lens barrel (3) holding a charged particle source (110) and an electron optical system (1,2,7); a first housing (4) connected to the lens barrel (3); a second housing (100) recessed to inside the first housing (4); a first diaphragm (10) separating the space inside the lens barrel (3) and the space inside the first housing (4), and through which the charged particle beam passes; a second diaphragm (101) separating the spaces inside and outside the recessed section (100a) in the second housing (100), and through which the charged particle beam passes; and a pipe (23) connected to a third housing (22) accommodating the charged particle source (110). The first diaphragm (10) is attached to the pipe (23), and the pipe (23) and the third housing (22) can be attached to and detached from the lens barrel (3) in the direction of the optical axis (30). A space (105) surrounded by the first housing (4) and the second housing (100) is depressurized, and the sample (6) arranged inside the recessed section (100a) is irradiated with a charged particle beam.
US09208987B2
A radioactive ray generating apparatus includes a second shielding member, a target, and a first shielding member, which are sequentially disposed from an electron emission source side. A shortest distance from a maximum radiation intensity portion of the target to the first shielding member is shorter than a shortest distance from the maximum radiation intensity portion of the target to the second shielding member.
US09208982B2
Systems and methods for distributing power to a plurality of integrated circuit dies are provided. In some aspects, a system includes a substrate and a plurality of integrated circuit dies disposed on the substrate. Each of the plurality of integrated circuit dies includes a circuit and a target inductive element coupled to the circuit. The system also includes a power supply module configured to generate a source power signal. The system also includes at least one source inductive element configured to electromagnetically couple the source power signal to one or more of the plurality of the target inductive elements to generate one or more target power signals that supply power to one or more corresponding circuits.
US09208966B2
A switch includes: a second conductor; a second movable electrode provided in a second hermetic space so as to be movable in a first direction in which it parts from the fixed electrode and in a second direction opposite the first direction; an opposed electrode slidably provided in the fixed electrode to face the second movable electrode so as to open from and be in contact with the second movable electrode in an open state and a closed state respectively; a second driver which generates a driving force and moves the second movable electrode in the first direction when performing an opening operation; and a driving force transmitting mechanism which moves the opposed electrode in the second direction by converting a direction of the driving force for moving the second direction opposite the moving direction of the second movable electrode when the second driver generates the driving force for moving the second movable electrode in the first direction.
US09208965B2
An apparatus to cover the original wall switch controlling the lighting fixtures which now contain the wireless lamps such that a user cannot interrupt power to the lighting fixture by inadvertently changing the setting the wall switch.
US09208963B2
An apparatus generates a machine operation enable signal as a function of a closed position of a movable safety access door of a safety guard for a work cell. A pivotal plate carries a handle and a switch receiver. A stationary non-contact proximity switch is mounted to be activated by the switch receiver when the door is closed and the pivotal plate is in a latched position. A ring receives a tongue projecting from the pivotal plate when the plate and handle are in the latched position. A pivotal hasp is movable around the ring into interference with the path of movement of the pivotal plate to block the plate from the fully latched position. A movable detent enables the plate and handle to be moved to the fully latched position only by moving the detent from exterior side of the plate.
US09208960B2
An electrode for a vacuum circuit breaker comprises a cylindrical conducting body, a contact electrode as a combination electrode, and a plurality of slits provided on a surface area of the cylindrical conducting body, the slits being inclined with respect to an axial direction of the cylindrical conducting body, wherein an angle between the slits and the axial direction of the cylindrical conducting body is smaller as the slit becomes farther away from the contact electrode.
US09208956B2
A light transmitting substrate having at least a light receiving surface, a first electrode located on the light transmitting substrate, a collector electrode located on at least a part of the first electrode and formed from a metal thin film, a photoelectric conversion portion located on an upper surface of the first electrode or the collector electrode, carrying a photosensitizer, and immersed in a carrier transport material, an insulating frame portion surrounding sides of the photoelectric conversion portion, and a second electrode located to be opposed to the first electrode above the photoelectric conversion portion are provided. Relation of Isc×Rh<0.05×Voc is satisfied, where Isc represents a short-circuit current value of a dye-sensitized solar cell, Rh represents a total value of electrical resistance values of the collector electrode, the first electrode, and the second electrode, and Voc represents an open circuit voltage value of the dye-sensitized solar cell.
US09208938B2
Various embodiments include inductor structures including at least one air gap for reducing capacitance between windings in the inductor structure. One embodiment includes an inductor structure having: a substrate; an insulation layer overlying the substrate; a conductive winding overlying the substrate within the insulation layer, the conductive winding wrapped around itself to form a plurality of turns substantially concentric about a central axis; an insulating structural support containing an air gap between the conductive winding and the insulation layer, the insulating structural support at least one of under, over or surrounding the plurality of turns of the conductive winding or between adjacent turns in the conductive winding; and at least one insulation pocket located radially inside a radially innermost turn in the plurality of turns with respect to the central axis.
US09208933B2
A support frame for an electrical transformer assembly, comprising two loop-shaped parts, each loop-shaped part having a plurality of limbs, each limb having a peripheral recessed portion in which a primary electrical coil is mountable, and at least one secondary coil is mountable in piggyback on the primary electrical coil, one limb of each loop-shaped part having a straight section. The frame also includes an adjustable attaching means for attaching one of the loop-shaped parts with respect to the other loop-shaped part and adjusting a distance therebetween, so that only the straight sections are adjacent and form a central leg, the central leg being for receiving a magnetic core distinct from the attaching means. The frame provides a means and a method to efficiently secure adjacent windings in a circular core transformer kernel.
US09208931B2
A composition of voltage switchable dielectric (VSD) material that comprises a concentration of core shelled particles that individually comprise a conductor core and a conductor shell, so as to form a conductor-on-conductor core shell particle constituent for the VSD material.
US09208926B2
An umbilical comprises an outer sheath defining an interior void; one or more power cores; and one or more forced convection cooling circuits disposed within the interior void proximate the power cores, typically at least one forced convection cooling circuit paired with each power core. The forced convection cooling circuit comprises a heat exchange delivery fluid conduit and a heat exchange return fluid conduit in fluid communication with the heat exchange delivery fluid conduit, where at least one of the fluid conduits is disposed either proximate to the other conduit or disposed within the other conduit. The forced convection cooling circuit has a length which has been determined to be sufficient to achieve a desired heat exchange that results in a desired efficient evacuation of heat energy from the power cores along a predetermined length of the umbilical.
US09208924B2
An electrically conductive element, including an insulator and a first conductor, is provided, which can be affixed to a second conductor consisting of conductive structural element, wherein the insulator is positioned between the first and second conductors to electrically isolate them. A power supply may be connected between the first and second conductors to provide power thereto, and an electrical device may be connected across the first and second conductors.
US09208915B2
A method of processing ion exchange resin radioactive waste, wherein the radioactive waste contains a plurality of fractions of radioactive waste based on density, which may include cation resin waste and anion resin waste, wherein at least one of the plurality of fractions comprises a total concentration of at least one radionuclide, including performing at least one of the following operations (i), (ii) or (iii): (i) separating the at least one of the plurality of fractions from the radioactive waste utilizing a moving freeboard; (ii) separating the radioactive waste into cation resin waste and anion resin waste; or (iii) removing at least a portion of the total concentration of the at least one radionuclide from: the radioactive waste; the at least one of the plurality of fractions separated by the moving freeboard; or at least one of the radioactive waste, the cation resin waste or the anion resin waste.
US09208910B2
The installation provided includes at least one structure for receiving and holding guide tubes and structural elements; a carriage movable parallel to the guide tubes; at least one welding tool; and displacement means for moving the welding tool, the displacement means connecting the pincer to the carriage and presenting at least six degrees of freedom.
US09208906B2
A system for passively cooling nuclear fuel in a pressurized water reactor during refueling that employs gravity and alignment of valves using battery reserves or fail in a safe position configurations to maintain the water above the reactor core during reactor disassembly and refueling. A large reserve of water is maintained above the elevation of and in fluid communication with the spent fuel pool and is used to remove decay heat from the reactor core after the reaction within the core has been successfully stopped. Decay heat is removed by boiling this large reserve of water, which will enable the plant to maintain a safe shutdown condition without outside support for many days.
US09208903B2
In an illustrative embodiment, a pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR) includes a pressure vessel (12, 14, 16), a nuclear reactor core (10) disposed in the pressure vessel, and a vertically oriented hollow central riser (36) disposed above the nuclear reactor core inside the pressure vessel. A once-through steam generator (OTSG) (30) disposed in the pressure vessel includes vertical tubes (32) arranged in an annular volume defined by the central riser and the pressure vessel. The OTSG further includes a fluid flow volume surrounding the vertical tubes and having a feedwater inlet (50) and a steam outlet (52). The PWR has an operating state in which feedwater injected into the fluid flow volume at the feedwater inlet is converted to steam by heat emanating from primary coolant flowing inside the tubes of the OTSG, and the steam is discharged from the fluid flow volume at the steam outlet.
US09208902B2
An integrated circuit containing a memory and a sense amplifier. The integrated circuit also containing an extended delay circuit which extends the delay between when a precharged bitline is floated and when a wordline is enabled. A method of testing an integrated circuit to identify bitlines with excessive leakage.
US09208899B2
An integrated circuit on-chip parametric (OCP) test structure includes a static random access memory (SRAM) universal test structure (UTS) having UTS ports and an OCP controller configured to determine first and second UTS ports of the SRAM UTS for independent connection to first and second on-chip test pads, respectively. The integrated circuit OCP test structure further includes a UTS OCP router connected to the OCP controller and configured to connect the first and second UTS ports of the SRAM UTS to the first and second on-chip test pads, respectively. Methods of operating an integrated circuit OCP test structure and OCP testing of an integrated circuit are also included.
US09208897B2
Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for configuring storage cells. A method includes determining a usage history for a set of storage cells of a solid-state storage medium. A method includes adjusting a voltage threshold for a set of storage cells by an amount based at least in part on a usage history. A method includes configuring a set of storage cells to use an adjusted voltage threshold.
US09208884B2
A control circuit is configured to, during an erase operation, set a voltage of a first line connected to a selected cell unit to a voltage larger than a voltage of a gate of a first transistor included in the selected cell unit by an amount of a first voltage. The control circuit is configured to, during the erase operation, set a voltage difference between a voltage of a first line connected to an unselected cell unit and a voltage of a gate of a first transistor included in the unselected cell unit to a second voltage, the second voltage differing from the first voltage. In addition, the control circuit is configured to, during the erase operation, apply in the selected cell unit and the unselected cell unit a third voltage to a gate of at least one of dummy memory transistors in a dummy memory string, and apply a fourth voltage to a gate of another one of the dummy memory transistors in the dummy memory string, the fourth voltage being lower than the third voltage.
US09208877B2
Provided is a semiconductor integrated circuit according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention including a data transmitting circuit and a data receiving circuit that receives data transmitted from the data transmitting circuit. The data transmitting circuit includes a data output circuit that outputs the data or sets an output to a high impedance state, and a control circuit that outputs a control signal to the data output circuit so that the data output circuit outputs the data when the data transmitting circuit transmits the data, and the data output circuit keeps outputting data last output in the previous data transmission, during a predetermined period after the previous data transmission when the data transmitting circuit further transmits another data after transmitting the data.
US09208870B2
A memory device can include at least two ports for transferring data to and from the memory device; and plurality of memory cells, each memory cell including at least one element programmable between different impedance states, and a plurality of access devices, each access device providing a current path between the element and a different one of the ports.
US09208869B2
A resistive random access memory (ReRAM) includes a first electrode, a threshold switching layer formed over the first electrode and configured to perform a switching operation according to an applied voltage, a resistance change layer formed over the threshold switching layer, and configured to perform a resistance change operation, and a second electrode formed over the resistance change layer, wherein the threshold switching layer comprises a stoichiometric transition oxide while the resistance change layer comprises a non-stoichiometric transition metal oxide.
US09208868B2
A memory cell is included which has a selection transistor and a variable resistance device connected to a bit line through the selection transistor. The variable resistance device includes a first electrode which has a first metal material and is connected to the selection transistor, a second electrode which has a second metal material different from the first metal material, and an insulating film which is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, has a third metal material different from the first metal material and the second metal material, and has oxygen. The second metal material has a greater normalized oxide formation energy than the first metal material.
US09208867B2
A semiconductor memory includes a substrate configured to include a plurality of active regions which are defined by isolation layers extending in a first direction and word lines extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction; source line contacts configured to be alternately disposed over the active regions arranged in the first and second directions and disposed over each of the active regions arranged in a third direction intersecting the first and second directions; source lines configured to extend in the third direction while being coupled to the source line contacts; contacts configured to be disposed over each of the active regions over which the source line contacts are not disposed; variable resistance elements configured to be disposed over each of the contacts; bit line contacts configured to be disposed over each of the variable resistance elements; and bit lines configured to extend in a fourth direction intersecting the first to third directions while being coupled to the bit line contacts.
US09208857B2
An SRAM multiplexing apparatus comprise a plurality of local multiplexers and a global multiplexer. Each local multiplexer is coupled to a memory bank. The global multiplexer has a plurality of inputs, each of which is coupled to a corresponding output of the plurality of local multiplexers. In response to a decoded address in a read operation, an input of a local multiplexer is forwarded to a corresponding input of the global multiplexer. Similarly, the decoded address allows the global multiplexer to forward the input signal to a data out port via a buffer.
US09208855B2
A static random access memory (SRAM) is provided. The SRAM includes a data line, a data line bar, and a current path block. The current path block includes at least two transistors configured to provide a current path for the data line in transition from a first logic voltage to a second logic voltage, wherein the current path block is connected to the data line and the data line bar during an entire duration of operation of the SRAM.
US09208850B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of normal word lines and a plurality of redundancy word lines which are disposed adjacent to the normal word lines, a detection block suitable for detecting a first word line whose active history satisfies a predetermined condition and a second word line adjacent to the first word line as a target word line and a target neighboring word line, among the normal word lines and the redundancy word lines, and a control block suitable for sequentially refreshing the normal word lines and the redundancy word lines whenever a refresh command is applied, and additionally refreshing the target word line, the target neighboring word line and a normal word line adjacent to the redundancy word lines among the normal word lines.
US09208842B2
A method and a system for operating a memory are provided. The memory includes a plurality of memory cells which are configured to store data. The method includes the following steps. A counting number recorded in a counter is counted by 1, if the memory is written. The memory is set as a frequently using device, if the counting number recoded in the counter reaches a predetermined value.
US09208840B2
A method for performing a holding operation to a semiconductor memory array having rows and columns of memory cells, includes: applying an electrical signal to buried regions of the memory cells, wherein each of the memory cells comprises a floating body region defining at least a portion of a surface of the memory cell, the floating body region having a first conductivity type; and wherein the buried region of each memory cell is located within the memory cell and located adjacent to the floating body region, the buried region having a second conductivity type.
US09208836B1
Integrated circuit devices transmit data via a shared signaling link in back to back burst intervals without contention and without insertion of performance-degrading bubbles by disabling output drivers during an interval that occurs at an edge or “margin” of a given burst interval and thus at a timing boundary between the back to back burst intervals. In “bit-level margining” embodiments, the driver-disabling operation or “margining” is performed during a portion of each bit interval (i.e., a unit of time allocated to transmission of a bit or other symbol. In “burst-level margining” embodiments, output drivers are disabled over an entire bit interval that occurs at the margin of a given burst interval.
US09208827B2
A semiconductor stacked package may include a substrate formed with a plurality of coupling pads, a plurality of semiconductor chips stacked on the substrate. The semiconductor stacked package may also include first circuit units disposed on each of the semiconductor chips, and electrically connected with the coupling pads by the medium of bonding pads. The semiconductor stacked package may include second circuit units disposed on each of the semiconductor chips and electrically disconnected with the coupling pads, connection pads disposed on each of the semiconductor chips and corresponding to the second circuit units, and blocking circuits coupled between the second circuit units and the connection pads. The semiconductor stacked package may also include bonding wires electrically connecting the bonding pads and the coupling pads.
US09208823B2
A method and apparatus for managing address map information are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a processor configured to store address map changes to a first data storage medium, save the address map changes to a nonvolatile data storage medium when an abnormal power state is detected, and when the power state is no longer abnormal retrieve the last saved address map information and address map changes and update the address map information using the address map changes. The apparatus may be configured to retrieve the instructions for the processor operation over a network connection.
US09208820B2
Data deduplication for data storage tapes comprises determining the read throughput of a deduplicated set of individual files on a single data storage tape, and determining a placement of deduplicated file data on a single data storage tape to reduce an average number of per-file gaps on the tape. Deduplicated file data is placed on the single data storage tape based on said placement to increase an average read throughput for a deduplicated set of individual files.
US09208818B1
Embodiments of the present invention disclose methods, computer program products, and systems for replicating data stored on a tape cartridge on one or more computing devices. In one embodiment, initiation of a replication sequence begins in response to at least one of: receiving a manual prompt of a user, loading of a first tape cartridge to be replicated into a first tape drive, receiving a request from a backup program, or occurrence of a predetermined time. When priming a first tape cartridge for writing of data, the first tape cartridge is configured for replication to a second tape cartridge. After loading the first tape cartridge into a first tape drive, data stored on the first tape cartridge can be directly transmitted from the first tape drive to a second tape drive in which the second tape cartridge is loaded without using an intermediate host computer system to facilitate data transfer.
US09208816B2
The invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a recording medium for recording multimedia content, which allow a controlled access to the multimedia content. According to the invention, the recording medium for recording multimedia content has a content limitation indicator for indicating which multimedia content is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium, which specifies an age rating for the multimedia content. A recording apparatus compares the multimedia content to be recorded with the limitations specified by the content limitation indicator prior to recording the multimedia content on the recording medium.
US09208815B1
A data storage device is disclosed comprising a disk comprising a plurality of tracks, and an actuator configured to actuate a head over the disk. While seeking the head from a first track toward a second track, a velocity of the head over the disk is measured, and a deceleration distance and a deceleration time is generated based on the measured velocity. A coast velocity is generated based on the measured velocity, the deceleration distance, and the deceleration time, and a control signal applied to the actuator is adjusted based on the measured velocity and the coast velocity.
US09208813B2
Digital optical tape archival storage systems and methods are disclosed. A digital optical tape recorder may simultaneously write data and two or more guide tracks onto a digital optical tape recording medium. A digital optical taper reader may include a camera to capture a two-dimensional image of the digital optical tape recording medium, and an image processor to extract the data from the two-dimensional image.
US09208810B1
A data storage device is disclosed comprising a disk surface comprising a first spiral track at least partially overwritten by a second spiral track, and a head actuated over the disk surface based on the second spiral track. The first spiral track comprises a periodic pattern written at a first frequency, and the second spiral track comprises a periodic pattern written at a second frequency different from the first frequency.
US09208809B2
In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes at least two modules, each of the modules having an array of transducers, wherein the at least two modules are fixed relative to each other, wherein an axis of each array is defined between opposite ends thereof, wherein the axes of the arrays are oriented about parallel to each other, wherein the array of a first of the modules is offset from the array of a second of the modules in a first direction parallel to the axis of the array of the second module such that the transducers of the first module are about aligned with the transducers of the second module in an intended direction of tape travel thereacross; and a mechanism for orienting the modules about an axis orthogonal to the plane in which the arrays reside to control a transducer pitch presented to a tape.
US09208804B1
A magnetic head of an embodiment includes a stack, side shields, and a first and a second magnetic shield. The stack includes a pin layer having a fixed magnetization direction, a first free layer having a magnetization direction to change in accordance with an external magnetic field, a second free layer antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled with the first free layer and having a magnetization direction to change in accordance with the field, and an antiferromagnetic layer exchange-coupled with the second free layer. A magnetic field is applied from the side shields to the first and second free layers, and a direction of the magnetic field is substantially parallel to the magnetization direction of one of the first and second free layers and substantially antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the other, and a magnetic volume of the one is larger than a magnetic volume of the other.
US09208798B2
A method, system, and computer-usable non-transitory storage device for dynamic voice codec adaptation are disclosed. The voice codec adapts in real time to devote more bits to audio quality when it is most needed, and fewer bits to less important parts of utterances are disclosed. Dialog knowledge is utilized for compression opportunities to adjust the bitrate moment-by-moment, based on the inferred value of each frame. Frame importance and appropriate transmission fidelity is predicted based on prosodic features and models of dialog dynamics. This technique provides the same communications quality with less spectrum needs, fewer antennas, and less battery drain.
US09208797B2
A tone detector and associated method for use with EVRC-B and GSM vocoders to enable reliable detection of system connect tones over a wireless communication system. The tone detection method examines a number of sequential data frames of the signal received from the vocoder and determines that the tone is present if the spectral energy at frequencies around the tone is much higher than that at neighboring frequencies and if the calculated center frequency of the data frames is at or near the frequency of the tone.
US09208795B2
The present invention relates to a frequency band extending device and method, an encoding device and method, a decoding device and method, and a program, whereby music signals can be played with higher sound quality due to the extension of frequency bands.A bandpass filter 13 divides an input signal into multiple sub-band signals, a feature amount calculating circuit 14 calculates feature amount using at least one of the multiple divided sub-band signals and the input signal, a high frequency sub-band power estimating circuit 15 calculates an estimated value of a high frequency sub-band power based on the calculated feature amount, a high frequency signal generating circuit 16 generates a high frequency signal component based on the multiple sub-band signals divided by the bandpass filter 13, and the estimated value of the high frequency sub-band power calculated by the high frequency sub-band power estimating circuit 15. A frequency band extending device 10 extends the frequency band of the input signal using a high frequency signal component. The present invention may be applied to a frequency band extending device, for example.
US09208792B2
A method of processing an audio signal is described. The method includes selecting one among a plurality of entries of a codebook based on information from the audio signal. The method also includes determining locations, in a frequency domain, of zero-valued elements of a first signal that is based on the selected codebook entry. The method further includes calculating energy of the audio signal at the determined frequency-domain locations. The method additionally includes calculating a value of a measure of a distribution of the energy of the audio signal among the determined frequency-domain locations. The method also includes calculating a noise injection gain factor based on the calculated energy and the calculated value.
US09208775B2
A method for determining pitch pulse period signal boundaries by an electronic device is described. The method includes obtaining a signal. The method also includes determining a first averaged curve based on the signal. The method further includes determining at least one first averaged curve peak position based on the first averaged curve and a threshold. The method additionally includes determining pitch pulse period signal boundaries based on the at least one first averaged curve peak position. The method also includes synthesizing a speech signal.
US09208770B2
A noise event suppression technique for a monitoring system detects a noise event in a signal waveform when a focal sample in the waveform has an amplitude greater than an amplitude of algorithmically determined earlier and later samples in the waveform that are noncontiguous with the focal sample. When the monitoring system detects the noise event, the monitoring system reduces the amplitude of the focal sample to an amplitude between those of the earlier and later samples. The monitoring system outputs data determined using the waveform once noise events have been adequately suppressed.
US09208766B2
Provided is a computer program product for adaptively enhancing an end-user's perceived quality, or quality of experience (QoE), of speech and other audio under ambient noise conditions. The computer program product comprises the steps of determining the ambient noise characteristics on a continuous basis to capture the time varying nature of ambient noises, and adaptively determining the most optimal signal shaping to be applied to the audio/speech signal to produce the most appropriate enhancement to compensate for the ambient noise impairment. The computer program product also comprises a signal shaping technique by using an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter that performs the signal modification with a low delay; a multi-level automatic gain control (AGC); and a controlled amplitude clipping module that assures samples are below a certain limit; and outputs the modified signal for playback through a loudspeaker or the like.
US09208758B2
The present technology relates generally to musical wind instrument key mechanisms, and more particularly to the octave or register vents that are employed on musical wind instruments to cause the instrument to play pitches an octave or more higher in frequency relative to the frequency obtained prior to actuation of the vent. In some embodiments, an octave/register key for affixing to a musical wind instrument in which an air column is formed includes a core having a core aperture therein. The core is reversibly moveable between a first position in which the core aperture is in fluid communication with the air column and a second position in which the core aperture is out of fluid communication with the air column.
US09208756B2
A musical instrument includes a body having an outer shell, an internal cavity defined by that outer shell and a center plate dividing that internal cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber. In one embodiment, a foam core fills the internal cavity.
US09208755B2
A method includes determining, through test instructions executing on a processor of a data processing device, utilization of a graphics engine of the processor by an application executing thereon based on initiation thereof through a driver associated with the processor and/or an operating system executing on the data processing device, and detecting, through the test instructions, an idle state of one or more non-graphics engine(s) of the processor. The method also includes transitioning, through the processor, a frame buffer associated therewith into a self-refresh mode of low power utilization thereof, and copying data related to the execution of the application to a memory of the data processing device. Further, the method includes clock-gating the one or more non-graphics engine(s) to reduce a power consumption of the data processing device, and enabling the graphics engine to utilize the copied data in the memory for continued execution of the application.
US09208754B2
A method and apparatus for controlling a display of a portable electronic device are provided. The method comprises generating a screen comprising a list on the display. The list comprises one or more row elements, with each row element comprising one or more column sub-elements. At least a portion of one of the column sub-elements of at least one of the row elements is truncated. Upon selection of a row element, the screen is enabled for scrolling of that row element. Enabling scrolling comprises loading the truncated portion of the selected row element into a pre-buffer. The method further comprises receiving a scrolling input, and updating the screen on the display to scroll the row element, bringing the truncated portion into view. The selected row is scrolled while maintaining the series of column sub-elements in the row without reference to other rows.
US09208747B2
In a control method and a control unit for context-specific determination of at least one DESIRED perspective upon rendering of medical image data at a monitor, a graphical symbol is generated at a user interface dynamically and depending on an image status in order to detect a perspective control signal, and is used to control the rendering.
US09208733B2
Systems and methods for monitoring internal resistance of a display. The method may include supplying the display via a capacitor with a first voltage configured to enable the display to receive one or more touch inputs. After supplying the display with the first voltage, the method may include discharging the capacitor to a second voltage configured to enable the display to display image data. The method may then monitor a discharge waveform that corresponds to when the capacitor discharges from the first voltage to the second voltage. Based at least in part on the discharge waveform, the method may determine a chip on glass resistance value and a flex on glass resistance value that correspond to an internal resistance of the display.
US09208732B2
An LCD device includes a driver and a timing controller. The driver includes at least one or more gate driving IC for outputting a scan signal to a plurality of gate lines of a panel, and at least one or more data driving IC for respectively outputting a plurality of image data signals to a plurality of data lines of the panel. The timing controller determines whether a current mode is an abnormal mode in which the panel outputs an abnormal image by using at least one or more lock signals, outputs a driver control signal generated for controlling the driver when the current mode is determined as a normal mode, and outputs a masking control signal, which makes the panel not to output the abnormal image, to the driver when the current mode is determined as the abnormal mode.
US09208728B2
A display apparatus and a control method thereof are disclosed. The display apparatus includes a signal processor which processes a video signal; a display which displays an image based on the video signal processed by the signal processor, a light source providing light for displaying the image; and a driving circuit which drives the light source on the basis of a dimming signal having an on-section and an off-section for dimming the light source. The driving circuit includes a protection circuit for performing a protection operation as a result of an abnormal electric current flowing in the light source during the off-section. The display apparatus is protected when a short circuit occurs between the light source and the driving circuit, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability of the apparatus.
US09208718B2
In a method of compensating gamma reference voltages includes setting a plurality of emission signal on-duty ratios that have different values in a range from 0% to 100%, setting a plurality of data offsets for the emission signal on-duty ratios and each of the data offsets being set based on a color shift, the color shift being caused according to the emission signal on-duty ratios, generating a plurality of compensation gamma reference voltages by multiplying a gamma reference voltage by the data offsets, and applying the compensation gamma reference voltages to an organic light emitting display panel in dimming ranges that include the emission signal on-duty ratios, respectively.
US09208707B2
A method for fabricating a display window member for a portable terminal includes: fabricating a surface sheet to be attached to a surface of the window member; introducing the surface sheet into a mold; and molding the body of the window member by pouring poly synthetic resin into the mold, and at the same time, attaching the surface sheet to the outer surface of the body. Since the window member fabrication method employs a dual injection molding using polymer synthetic resin, the fabrication method can easily reduce the weight of the window member compared to the conventional fabrication method using a glass material only and can reinforce the surface hardness of the window member while easily fabricating the window member.
US09208701B2
An outdoor sign assembly includes a perimeter framework with fluid-directing channels to direct water off of the sign during inclement weather, and further includes individually removable sign face panels that are configured to support individual indicia members including lettering, numbers, symbols, designs, or the like, including internally-lighted indicia. The sign face panels cooperate with the framework to direct water around and off of the sign assembly, and may be placed in side-by-side arrangement to achieve any desired length. During assembly or disassembly, the sign face panels are held relatively securely to the framework, even before mechanical fasteners are fully tightened.
US09208700B2
A sticker recording sheet includes an image-receiving paper portion having an receiving layer, an image-receiving base material, and an adhesive layer laminated on each other, and a release coated paper portion provided on a back surface side of the adhesive layer in a peelable manner, wherein the image-receiving paper portion is provided with a first half-cut portion cut in an approximately square shape, having an uncut bridge portion on at least one side of the approximately square shape, and a second half-cut portion cut from at least one side of the approximately square shape having the bridge portion toward an outer circumference of the image-receiving paper portion.
US09208693B2
A method, a system and a computer program product for selecting a further inquiry for a user to clarify a request for information from the user. One or more candidate answers to the request for information from the user are determined, and a score value is generated for each of one or more characteristics of each candidate answer, where at least one characteristic is associated with an inquiry for the user to clarify the request for information. A characteristic associated with an inquiry is determined that includes score values providing the greatest potential adjustment for the candidate answers in response to a clarification of the request for information, and the inquiry is selected that is associated with the determined characteristic for presentation to the user.
US09208692B2
A system and methods for providing input devices or sensors to record users' responses or answers to questions and the conviction of those answers by measuring and tracking various metrics, including the speed, direction and magnitude or power of a response to the question, and calculating the score thereof.
US09208688B2
A method and apparatus for operating an aircraft. The aircraft is flown at a constant bank angle in which the aircraft crosses an intended ground track for the aircraft. Information is identified about a wind using positions of the aircraft flying at the constant bank angle.
US09208687B2
A system and method for exchanging information between aircraft (210). Sensors on a first aircraft (210) provide data about the first aircraft's environment, including hazards such as turbulence, icing, lightning, or birds. The system transmits the data to receiving systems in other aircraft (210), which display the data, to warn the pilots flying the other aircraft of potential hazards. The pilot of the first aircraft may supplement the information with visual observations, about birds or unmanned aerial vehicles, for example. In one embodiment, the information is transmitted from aircraft to aircraft over a data link using ADS-B. In another embodiment, a first aircraft may transmit data to a second aircraft, which may relay, or re-transmit, the data to a third aircraft.
US09208684B2
A device may obtain information associated with a traffic light. The traffic light may control a flow of traffic associated with a first location. The device may obtain travel information associated with a mobile device and determine, based on the travel information, that the mobile device is located at a second location, that is different from the first location, and is traveling toward the first location. The device may determine a projected status of the traffic light based on the information associated with the traffic light and the travel information. The projected status of the traffic light indicating a status of the traffic light at a time the mobile device is projected to arrive at the first location. The device may transmit information identifying the projected status to the mobile device.
US09208681B2
Methods and systems for counting vehicle wheels and axles. A strip material can be embedded in a roadway to produce a slightly raised surface. The strip can be angled at a relatively large angle, (e.g., 78 degrees) with respect to the direction of travel. The number of wheels per axle and the number of axles per vehicle can be counted as the vehicle rolls over the strip and the wheels contact the strip at different times. A signal emitted from a detection mechanism(s) associated with the strip material can be transmitted to a signal processing unit to determine the number of wheels and axle with respect to the vehicle. The vehicle wheel and axle counts can be determined by the number and grouping of signals from the detection mechanism. Such an approach provides a reliable, direct measure of the wheel and axle counts for toll charge or classification purposes.
US09208680B2
A system and method for identification of a particular one device from an array of networked devices. Each of the devices are individually addressable by a controller on the network, and a technician preferably identifies a particular one device by use of a handheld remote control. Pointing one of transmitter/receiver pair at a device including the complementary component allows remote disambiguation based upon ranging and signal strength, particularly when using a pair of orthogonal antennas to discriminate and confirm which particular device is being pointed to by the remote. Optional confirmation helps improve identification robustness, and then the properly identified device may be configured/commissioned.
US09208675B2
A behavioral recognition system may include both a computer vision engine and a machine learning engine configured to observe and learn patterns of behavior in video data. Certain embodiments may be configured to learn patterns of behavior consistent with a person loitering and generate alerts for same. Upon receiving information of a foreground object remaining in a scene over a threshold period of time, a loitering detection module evaluates the whether the object trajectory corresponds to a random walk. Upon determining that the trajectory does correspond, the loitering detection module generates a loitering alert.
US09208670B2
A warning system for detecting a battery fire in a battery of an electric or hybrid vehicle includes a battery management system. The electric or hybrid vehicle is parked at or in a building to carry out a battery charging operation. The battery management system is connected to a building network installed in the building during the charging operation either via a direct connection or via a wireless connection. The battery management system triggers or activates protective measures if a fire is detected.
US09208666B2
An automated self-monitored alarm verification solution including at least a premises portion, a server portion, and an end user device portion. Alarm verification includes capturing by an image capture device at least one image in response to a detection event, and transmitting a first data signal including the image to a local signal processing device. The signal processing device transmits a second signal including at least a portion of the image to a remote hosted server according to at least a first set of predetermined parameters. After receiving the second signal, the server transmits a third signal including at least a portion of the image from the hosted server to a user device. Using the user device, a user views the image and indicates a validity status of the alarm based at least in part on the content of the image. Based at least upon either the validation status indicated by the user, or upon a failure to receive a message including a validation status from the user within a predetermined duration of time, the server portion may send an alarm signal to an emergency response service.
US09208660B2
A docking device for a credit card payment includes a base and a support plate configured to accommodate a smart pad and to slide on the base. When the support plate slides from one side to the other side, the smart pad accommodated on the support plate changes from one state of being inclined toward one person located at the one side to the other state of being inclined toward the other person located at the other side.
US09208653B2
In a gaming machine, a display displays at least part of a map including a plurality of cell forming courses on which a character moves in a game. The controller executes each round of the game, moves the character to a destination cell in each round, determines whether an event set to the destination cell belongs to predetermined events, selects any one determination table from among a plurality of determination tables based on a position of the destination cell when the event belongs to the predetermined events, performs the event set to the destination cell, determines a result of the performed event based on the selected determination table, and awards a profit corresponding to the result of the performed event to the player.
US09208635B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dispenser configured for storing one or more items and dispensing the stored items to authorized users. According to various embodiments, the dispenser generally includes a housing defining an interior portion dimensioned to receive a plurality of items and an access assembly configured to prevent unauthorized user access to the interior portion of the dispenser while providing selective access to certain items in response to input received from an authorized user. According to various embodiments, the access assembly comprises a pair of flexible barriers coupled to a sliding door assembly, which includes one or more lockable access doors. Together, the door assembly and flexible barriers prevent access to the interior of the dispenser when in a locked configuration and permit access to certain items when in an unlocked configuration.
US09208624B2
One embodiment is directed to a method of authenticating a vehicle telematics device. The method includes receiving, at a server, identifying information for a vehicle telematics device and receiving, at the server, information identifying an account to which the vehicle telematics device is to be associated. The method also includes authenticating the vehicle telematics device by finalizing an association between the vehicle telematics device and the account if data that is specified for authentication is received at the server from the vehicle telematics device and if that data is obtained by the vehicle telematics device within a time window that is specified for authentication.
US09208621B1
Methods and systems that detect a package type of a package deposited within a logistics receptacle having an entrance chute that receives the package, an image sensor within the entrance chute, and an interaction sensor. The interaction sensor detects when the package is provided to the receptacle. After detection, the image sensor is activated to capture an image corresponding to at least a part of one side of the package. The image is processed to determine a pattern match related to the package type, and the package's type is identified based upon the determined pattern match. The system may also include a dispatch type of server notified with a pickup request from the receptacle. The server may update analytics information related to the receptacle, determine a future pickup schedule for the receptacle based upon the updated analytics information, and transmit a schedule update message based upon the future schedule.
US09208620B1
Systems and methods provide for printing unactivated tokens which can be activated into valid postage indicia at a later time. Monetary liability for postage indicia value is postponed until the token is activated into a postage indicium; thus, the token does not have value and is not valid until activated into indicium. Consequently, a user is not made monetarily liable for printed tokens unless the tokens are activated into postage indicia.
US09208604B2
A disclosed method includes extracting a region from each of plural cross sections in a volume data representing a solid to be rendered, based on data of brightness values of texels for each of the plurality of cross sections, wherein the plural cross sections are perpendicular to an axis set for the volume data; deleting any one of two adjacent cross sections among the plural cross sections based on a correlation between a region extracted for one cross section of the two adjacent cross sections and a region extracted for the other cross section of the two adjacent cross sections; and rendering the solid by using data of the cross sections after the deleting.
US09208599B2
Visual animation platforms may allow users to develop visual media projects, such as movies. Many visual animation platforms may provide animation effects that may be applied to visual elements of a visual media project. Unfortunately, current techniques for providing a preview of an animation effect may be limited. Accordingly, one or more systems and/or techniques for presenting a visual preview are disclosed herein. In particular, a snapshot of an original state of a selected visual element may be stored. A referenced animation effect may be applied to the selected visual element to generate an updated visual element that may be used to generate a visual preview of how the referenced animation effect may look as applied to the selected visual element. The snapshot may be applied to the updated visual element to non-destructively revert the updated visual element to the original state.
US09208595B2
Images of a layout target for a template are acquired. The plurality of acquired images are edited using editing processing corresponding to a category corresponding to a layout. The edited images are arranged on the template corresponding to the category.
US09208592B2
A computer-implemented system and method for providing a display of clusters is provided. A plurality of cluster spines is presented in a two-dimensional display. Each cluster spine includes a vector of document clusters. A compass is positioned over at least a portion of the clusters of one or more of the spines. A spine label for at least one of the spines within the compass is placed around a circumference of the compass. One of the spine labels is pinned to the compass at a fixed location. The compass is reoriented within the display and the pinned spine label is displayed at the fixed location on the reoriented compass.
US09208588B2
Described here are systems and methods for iteratively reconstructing images from data acquired using a medical imaging system. The image reconstruction is decomposed into separate linear sub-problems that can be more efficiently solved. A statistical image reconstruction process is decomposed into a statistically-weighted algebraic reconstruction update sequence. After this step, the reconstructed image is denoised using a regularization function.
US09208585B2
A method for creating an energy series of images acquired using a multi-energy computed tomography (CT) imaging system having a plurality of energy bins includes acquiring, with the multi-energy CT imaging system, a series of energy data sets, where each energy data set is associated with at least one of the energy bins. The method includes producing a conglomerate image using at least a plurality of the energy data sets and, using the conglomerate image, reconstructing an energy series of images, each image in the energy series of images corresponding to at least one of the energy data sets.
US09208579B2
In an object tracking device, a search region setting unit sets the search region of an object in a frame image at a present point in time, based on an object region in a frame image at a previous point in time, zoom center coordinates in the frame image at the previous point in time, and a ratio between the zoom scaling factor of the frame image at the previous point in time and the zoom scaling factor of the frame image at the present point in time. A normalizing unit normalizes the image of a search region of the object included in the frame image at the present point in time to a fixed size. A matching unit searches the normalized mage of the search region for an object region similar to a template image.
US09208576B2
The invention presents a method for comparing the similarity between image patches comprising the steps of receiving form at least two sources at least two image patches, wherein each source supplies an image patch, comparing the received image patches by extracting a number of corresponding subpart pairs from each image patch, calculating a normalized local similarity score between all corresponding subpart pairs, calculating a total matching score by integrating the local similarity scores of all corresponding subpart pairs, and using the total matching score as an indicator for an image patch similarity, determining corresponding similar image patches based on the total matching score.
US09208573B2
Techniques for determining motion saliency in video content using center-surround receptive fields. In some implementations, images or frames from a video may be apportioned into non-overlapped regions, for example, by applying a rectilinear grid. For each grid region, or cell, motion consistency may be measured between the center and surround area of that cell across frames of the video. Consistent motion across the center-surround area may indicate that the corresponding region has low variation. The larger the difference between center-surround motions in a cell, the more likely the region has high motion saliency.
US09208566B2
Speckle sensing for motion tracking is described, for example, to track a user's finger or head in an environment to control a graphical user interface, to track a hand-held device, to track digits of a hand for gesture-based control, and to track 3D motion of other objects or parts of objects in a real-world environment. In various examples a stream of images of a speckle pattern from at least one coherent light source illuminating the object, or which is generated by a light source at the object to be tracked, is used to compute an estimate of 3D position of the object. In various examples the estimate is transformed using information about position and/or orientation of the object from another source. In various examples the other source is a time of flight system, a structured light system, a stereo system, a sensor at the object, or other sources.
US09208565B2
Method and apparatus for estimating three-dimensional position and orientation through sensor fusion
An apparatus and method of estimating a three-dimensional (3D) position and orientation based on a sensor fusion process. The method of estimating the 3D position and orientation may include determining a position of a marker in a two-dimensional (2D) image, determining a depth of a position in a depth image corresponding to the position of the marker in the 2D image to be a depth of the marker, estimating a 3D position of the marker calculated based on the depth of the marker as a marker-based position of a remote apparatus, estimating an inertia-based position and an inertia-based orientation by receiving inertial information associated with the remote apparatus, estimating a fused position based on a weighted sum of the marker-based position and the inertia-based position, and outputting the fused position and the inertia-based orientation.
US09208559B1
In a method and an apparatus for implementing a gastric artery chemical embolization (GACE) catheterization procedure, an x-ray imaging system obtains a first current image data set of the patient prior to implementing the GACE procedure, and a second current image data set that shows the blood vessels that supply the fundus of the subject. The first and second current image data sets are fused to form a first fusion image data set. A second fusion image data set is then formed by fusion of the first fusion image data set with a catheter-position-indicating data set, obtained during the GACE procedure. The second fusion image data set is displayed during the GACE procedure or control data for a lightweight robot, used to operate and guide the catheter, can be derived from the second fusion image data set.
US09208553B2
An inspection system comprises a beam generator module for deflecting spots across scan portions of a specimen. The system also includes detection channels for sensing light emanating from a specimen in response to an incident beam directed towards such specimen and generating a detected image for each scan portion. The system comprises a synchronization system comprising clock generator modules for generating timing signals for deflectors of the beam generator module to scan the spots across the scan portions at a specified frequency and each of the detection channels to generate the corresponding detected image at a specified sampling rate. The timing signals are generated based on a common system clock and cause the deflectors to scan the spots and the detection channels to generate a detected image at a synchronized timing so as to minimize jitter between the scan portions in the response image.
US09208548B1
Approaches are described for managing the processing of image and/or video data captured by an electronic device. A user can capture an image using a camera of a computing device, where metadata obtained by sensor(s) of the device can be stored along with the image. The image can be transmitted to a network service, where the network service can divide the image into a plurality of image portions, and for each image portion, the network service can search a library of image patches in attempt to find at least one library patch that substantially matches a respective image portion. If one of the library image portions matches the image portion within an allowable threshold, the network service can modify the image portion such as by applying image modifications made to the library image patch to the image portion or merging the library patch image with the image portion.
US09208545B2
A novel modification to the order statistics filters called the Adaptive Weighted-Local-Difference Order Statistics is shown that will act as a generic framework for the design of adaptive filters suitable for specific signal processing applications. To demonstrate the design of filters using this framework two implementations were defined and evaluated: Edge Orientation Adaptive Weighted-Local-Difference Median Filter (EOAWLDMF) and Luminance-Similarity Adaptive Weighted-Local-Difference Median Filter (LSAWLDMF) for restoration of noisy images.
US09208544B2
An image processing apparatus and an image fine-tuning method are provided. The image processing apparatus includes a high-pass filter, a block comparator, an image data reconstructor, and a calculator. The high-pass filter receives a first image to generate a filtered image. The block comparator receives an input image and the first image to generate a block comparison result. The image data reconstructor receives the filtered image and the block comparison result to generate image reconstruction data. The calculator receives the input image and the image reconstruction data to generate an output image.
US09208518B2
A method, system and computer program product for increasing the sales of a retailer. A unit, referred to herein as the “retailer promotions device,” generates a group offer for a set of users/customers to purchase a product based on intelligent analytics (e.g., real-time attributes/dynamics such as the strategy in selling the remaining inventory). A group offer refers to an offer to sell a product at a promotional price if a number of users (e.g., users of mobile devices and/or customers online and/or customers in a physical store) agree to purchase the product at the promotional price within a time period. The group offer is sent to targeted users/customers via online and mobile devices as well as via electronic displays and kiosks in the physical store. By using real-time attributes/dynamics to generate group offers that can be sent to targeted users/customers, the sales of the retailer are likely to be increased.
US09208514B2
Media properties selection method and system based on expected profit from profile-based ad delivery
An automatic system facilitates selection of media properties on which to display an advertisement, responsive to a profile collected on a first media property, where a behavioral-targeting company calculates expected profit for an ad correlated with the profile and arranges for the visitor to be tagged with a tag readable by the selected media property. The profit can be calculated by deducting, from the revenues that are expected to be generated from an ad delivered based on the collected profile, at least the price of ad space at a media property where the BT company might like to deliver ads to the profiled visitor. When the calculated profit is positive (i.e., not a loss), the BT company arranges for the visitor to be tagged with a tag readable by the selected media property through which the BT company expects to profit.
US09208512B1
Apparatus and method for transferring promotional messages to a mobile communication device. A promotional message is generated for display on a mobile communication device. The promotional message is associated with an entity having a physical location. The promotional message has a plurality of different types of content each associated with a different distance between the mobile communication device and a physical location of the entity. The generated promotional message is thereafter stored in a memory. A controller selects and transfers the promotional message to the mobile communication device responsive to a detected distance between the mobile communication device and the physical location. The transferred promotional message displays, on the device, a selected one of the different types of content corresponding to the detected distance.
US09208507B2
A system and method for optimizing advertisements. To maximize revenue, a plurality of ad networks are tiered based on their pricing data, and in one embodiment, their cost per thousand impressions (CPM). Each tier includes a pricing data range. Periodically, the system may increase and decrease frequency caps for the ad networks to adjust the ad networks in the tiers. Frequency caps may be increased for an ad network when the CPM for the ad network is above the CPM range for the ad network's tier. The frequency caps may be decreased for the ad network when the CPM for the ad network is below the CPM range for the ad network's tier. For each ad network request received, the system traverses through the tiers of the plurality of ad networks for an ad network that is capable of serving an ad based on the ad network's frequency cap.
US09208504B2
A database has a plurality of elements, where each element is associated with a location and at least one set of different attribute values, wherein each set includes a timestamp when the attribute values in the set were determined. A determination is made of a reference geographical location, an element having a geographical location within a geographical region including the referenced geographical location, a most recent set of the attribute values for the element having a most recent timestamp, a previous set of attribute values for the determined element comprising the set of attribute values having a previous timestamp prior to the most recent timestamp, and whether a condition with respect to at least one of the most recent set of attribute values and the previous set of attribute values of the determined element is satisfied.
US09208497B2
Methods and apparatuses for sorting seller listings or advertisements of a seller network. One embodiment includes: determining an indicator of potential revenue that is expected to be generated from presentation of advertisements, based on statistical data indicating performance of the advertisements; and presenting one or more of the advertisements based at least partially on the indicator of potential revenue.
US09208495B2
Methods and apparatuses to present advertisements which provide references to request real time communication connections. One embodiment includes presenting an advertisement including information usable to request a real time communication connection to a predetermined advertiser, which is to be charged a fee for the advertisement responsive to the real time communication connection established to the advertiser using the information.
US09208491B2
Key requests in a data processing system may include identifiers such as user names, policy names, and application names. The identifiers may also include validity period information indicating when corresponding keys are valid. When fulfilling a key request, a key server may use identifier information from the key request in determining which key access policies to apply and may use the identifier in determining whether an applicable policy has been satisfied. When a key request is authorized, the key server may generate a key by applying a one-way function to a root secret and the identifier. Validity period information for use by a decryption engine may be embedded in data items that include redundant information. Application testing can be facilitated by populating a test database with data that has been encrypted using a format-preserving encryption algorithm. Parts of a data string may be selectively encrypted based on their sensitivity.
US09208489B2
A point of sale system including at least one proxy server having an internet connection, a web browser operative to download web pages from the internet via the proxy server, and a real time user input limiting trusted computing base module communicating with the web browser and being operative to limit user input to the web pages in real time.
US09208486B2
A mobile communication device with security mechanisms is provided for enabling wireless personal information transfer with increased security. In another embodiment of the disclosure, a mobile communication device is used to confirm a transaction.
US09208485B2
Methods and systems for facilitating online transactions are disclosed. One method includes supplying content for display in a frame of a website, the website hosted by a third-party. The method also includes receiving transaction information from the third-party, and returning a token to the frame, the token including state information based on the transaction information. The method further includes passing the token from the frame to the third-party. The method optionally also includes receiving the token from the third-party and transferring funds from a first account to a second account based on the transaction information and the state information.
US09208482B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, processes, and computer program code for conducting transactions are described which allow a first party to a transaction to identify a second party to a transaction. In one or more embodiments, a mobile device may be operated to conduct transactions with merchants, service providers, and other devices, such as automated teller machines (ATMs). A transaction token issuing authority associated with a merchant or point of transaction may be determined such that the mobile device may communicate with the appropriate entity or entities to conduct a transaction.
US09208474B2
In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a human resource management platform that includes applications targeted to solve a variety of human resource, compensation, and performance management problems. Applications of the human resource management platform include business applications such as performance driven compensation that may provide a single solution for driving employee performance and organizational success by automation of goal setting, performance measurement, and employee rewards by directly linking performance results to rewards.
US09208472B2
The subject disclosure is directed towards a web service that maintains a set of models used to generate plans, such as vacation plans, in which the set of models includes models that are authored by crowd contributors via the service. The models include rules, constraints and/or equations, and may be text based and declarative such that any author can edit an existing model or combination of existing models into a new model. Users can access the models to generate a plan according to user parameters, view a presentation of that plan, and interact to provide new parameters to the model and/or with objects in the plan to modify the plan and view a presentation of the modified plan.
US09208470B2
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for generating and awarding user-generated badges. In one embodiment, a user-generated badge may be generated in response to input received via a graphical user interface. The user-generated badge may be represented by a media token and have associated therewith a set of rules defining one or more activities to be completed. Activity data may be monitored via one or more data sources based upon the set of rules. An instance of the user-generated badge may be automatically awarded to individuals satisfying the set of rules.
US09208466B2
An electronic lock box system that includes a central computer, which allows “listing agents” (if used in a real estate sales environment) to custom tailor a survey questionnaire that relates to features connected with the potential sale or lease of a property, and thereby garner feedback information from potential buyers (or lessees), or at least from “showing agents” that represent potential buyers/lessees. To improve response rate, the listing agent can add incentives to other agents who provide useful feedback. Furthermore, the system can be configured such that reciprocal feedback is necessary in order for a participating agent to see feedback about his or her own listings.
US09208460B2
The disclosed embodiments provide a set of methods, systems, data structures, and computer-executable instructions for executing on a compute machine to automatically analyze data associated with an indexed corpora and to generate for graphical display a set of results associated with those analytic operations.
US09208456B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for maintaining security and data gathering for a number of vehicles. The systems include a vehicle activity module for each of the vehicles. The vehicle activity module has a wireless transmitter, a storage device, at least one sensor for receiving event information from identification devices, such as RFID cards, keypads, magnetic ID cards, and the like, a releasable key container, and a processor for accessing and analyzing information. The VAMs are wirelessly connected to a computer system. The VAMs control access to the keys, monitor information relating to access, and store and transmit information relating to sales events, non-sales events, and intrusion events. The VAMs are capable of autonomous operation, without the need to access the computer system to verify event information. The VAMs further include signal attenuating mechanisms to facilitate use of “smart keys.”
US09208455B2
A wireless terminal device includes: a transmission control unit which transmits a transfer request which is for requesting a use right of contract authentication information relating to a wireless business operator providing wireless connection services, which is information held by a second wireless terminal device as another wireless terminal device, via a wireless line when a predetermined operation is input; a receiving unit which receives transfer information which is transmitted via the wireless line in response to the transfer request for transferring the use right; and a control unit which sets valid contract authentication information based on the received transfer information.
US09208450B1
Techniques for processing electronic documents are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for processing electronic documents comprising obtaining an electronic document being sent over a network toward a destination, analyzing text content of the electronic documents to identify whether the electronic document matches any of a plurality of predefined document templates, wherein the electronic document conforms to a structure of at least one of the plurality of predefined document templates, and wherein the analyzing comprises executing at least one machine learning algorithm, the at least one machine learning algorithm trained using at least one sample electronic document having a predefined template, obtaining a document loss prevention (DLP) policy based on the at least one document template associated with the electronic document, and selectively allowing the electronic document to continue toward the destination based on the DLP policy.
US09208445B2
A method (and structure) of quantum computing. Two independent magnitudes of a three-state physical (quantum) system are set to simultaneously store two real, independent numbers as a qubit. The three-state physical (quantum) system has a first energy level, a second energy level, and a third energy level capable of being degenerate with respect to one another, thereby forming basis states for the qubit.
US09208426B2
A chip module comprises a carrier, having a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface. A first recess structure is arranged in the carrier in the first main surface, and a chip is arranged in the first recess structure of the carrier. A patterned metallization layer is deposited on the second main surface of the carrier, the metallization layer having a first metallization structure and a second metallization structure, the first metallization structure being electrically isolated from the second metallization structure. The chip is electrically connected to the first metallization structure and the second metallization structure. The chip module comprises in particular an RFID chip and is suited to be connected to a textile substrate by way of laser reflow soldering.
US09208422B2
A packaging material comprising a plurality of magnetisable portions thereon comprising at least one detectable magnetisable portion per package to be formed from the packaging material is disclosed. At least one of the magnetisable portions provides a first magnetic mark carrying a magnetic field pattern.
US09208421B2
A logo-added two-dimensional code creation device determines the color of a two-dimensional code to be superimposed on a logo image by adjusting the L value indicating the color lightness, whereby a logo-added two-dimensional code readable regardless of influence of post-printing processing and/or ambient light can be created. The logo-added two-dimensional code has smaller cells superimposed on the tiger character that can easily lose the design integrity than the cells superimposed on the background part, ensuring the design integrity of the logo image without impairing the readability of information.
US09208418B2
A method of forming a halftone screen comprising representing each of a first, second, third and fourth tone range of increasing darkness by forming a plurality of dots arranged in a grid; the dots representing the second tone range larger than the dots representing the first tone range; the dots representing the third tone range having a body section and at least one extension extending toward a or respective nearest neighbor(s), the extension(s) narrower in width than the body section, the dots representing the third tone range substantially the same size as the dots representing the second tone range; and the dots representing the fourth tone range having a body section and at least one extension extending toward a or respective nearest neighbor(s), the extension(s) greater in width than the extension(s) associated with the dots representing the third tone range. A halftone screen and a printing system are also disclosed.
US09208415B2
An image processing apparatus includes a determining unit that determines whether image data includes multi-valued drawing information for drawing a multi-valued image; a multi-valued drawing unit that draws the multi-valued image of the image data when the multi-valued drawing information is determined to be included in the image data; a less-than-multi-valued drawing unit that draws a less-than-multi-valued image of the image data when the multi-valued drawing information is not determined to be included in the image data; a value-count reducing image processing unit that reduces number of values of a drawing result of the multi-valued image to generate an image with a fewer number of values; and a less-than-multi-valued encoding processing unit that encodes a drawing result obtained by drawing the less-than-multi-valued image and encodes the generated image with the fewer number of values.
US09208406B2
A dual card connector includes a holder and a base body. The holder defines two overlapped sliding slots for receiving cards, each sliding slot includes a group of conductive terminal assemblies, the holder includes a plurality of elastic pieces, the elastic pieces are connected to the conductive terminal assemblies. The base body includes at least two groups of connecting terminals. The holder is detachably mounted to the base body, thus the elastic pieces are resisted and electrically connected to the connecting terminals. An electronic device employing the dual card connector is also disclosed.
US09208405B2
Systems and methods for implementing a hierarchical image recognition framework for classifying digital images are provided. The provided hierarchical image recognition framework utilizes a multi-layer approach to model training and image classification tasks. A first layer of the hierarchical image recognition framework generates first layer confidence scores, which are utilized by the second layer to produce a final recognition score. The provided hierarchical image recognition framework permits model training and image classification tasks to be performed more accurately and in a less resource intensive fashion than conventional single-layer image recognition frameworks. In some embodiments real-time operator guidance is provided for an image classification task.
US09208386B1
A crowd state characterization system utilizes a plurality of processors to analyze video streams from numerous videos to select videos and/or video frames of interest. The processors digitize dismounts such as pedestrians and the like and then analyze the digitized pedestrians. The frames of video are characterized in terms of entropy related to discordant motion and enthalpy related to energy. A selector can then select from among numerous videos to allow observation of videos numerically determined to be of interest.
US09208374B2
A technique of high-speed information processing is realized by determining a method of accessing processing target data so as to allow high-speed access in consideration of a memory architecture. According to the technique, in a method of performing information processing by sequentially referring to element data of the processing target data stored in a main memory according to a predetermined information processing rule such as a recognition dictionary, when generating the information processing rule, a reference order of the element data which improves a cache hit rate is determined based on a rule for storing the element data of the processing target data in the main memory, records of the positions of referred element data, and the cache architecture.
US09208373B2
A method of improving the lighting conditions of a real scene or video sequence. Digitally generated light is added to a scene for video conferencing over telecommunication networks. A virtual illumination equation takes into account light attenuation, lambertian and specular reflection. An image of an object is captured, a virtual light source illuminates the object within the image. In addition, the object can be the head of the user. The position of the head of the user is dynamically tracked so that an three-dimensional model is generated which is representative of the head of the user. Synthetic light is applied to a position on the model to form an illuminated model.
US09208366B2
A securable indicia encoding system with a lock receiving portion is disclosed herein. In one illustrative embodiment, a securable indicia decoding device may include an imaging subsystem, a memory, a processor, and a housing. The imaging subsystem may include an image sensor array and an imaging optics assembly operative for focusing an image onto the image sensor array. The memory may be capable of storing frames of image data comprising data communicated through the read-out portion of at least some of the pixels during the imaging operation. The processor may be operative for receiving one or more of the frames of image data from the data storage element and performing a decode operation for attempting to decode a decodable feature represented in at least one of the frames of image data. The housing may encapsulate the illumination subsystem and the imaging subsystem. The housing may include a lock receiving portion for receiving a security lock.
US09208365B2
A distance between at least one antenna of an interrogation system and a transponder, such as an RFID tag, is determined based on derivatives with respect to frequency of the phase and the signal strength of responses transmitted by the transponder and received at the at least one antenna. The derivatives of the phase and the signal strength facilitate compensating for sources of multipath interference. Determining changes in distance may further facilitate determining location, speed, or bearing of the transponder by the interrogation system.
US09208360B2
Disclosed are an RFID tag for an RFID service and an RFID service method thereof. The present invention includes a tag storage unit including a TID memory and a user memory; and a tag controller that inserts and stores a content name field including content name information related to an item attached with the corresponding tag in the user memory, wherein the tag controller inserts the content name information in a tag response signal according to the request of a peripheral RFID interrogator and transmits it or permits an access to the memory in which the content name field is inserted. The present invention includes and stores the content name information in the identification data stored in the RFID tag to allow a user to select only the desired tag when the interrogator simultaneously recognizes a plurality of tags and receive the desired contents through the network, making it possible to give convenience to a user and reduce time and the using fee of the network.
US09208353B2
Generally described herein are methods and systems for enhanced tamper and malware resistant computer architectures. A system for enhanced tamper and malware resistance can include a harvardizer configured to receive comingled instructions and data and produce separated instructions and data. A data memory can be configured to receive the separated data. An instruction memory that is physically separate from the data memory can be configured to receive the separated instructions. The system can include one or more computer processors that can be configured to execute the separated instructions and data. The system can include one or more encryptors or decryptors to help thwart injection based attacks.
US09208350B2
The invention discloses a system and apparatus for detecting problematic certificate action requests and digital certificates. Ideally, the invention will be used to detect a certificate request that will result in security problems and detect issued certificates that lack essential information. The invention uses a proxy system that intercepts certificate requests and transmitted certificates. The proxy system runs a series of checks on the intercepted request and/or certificate. The checks vary depending on the certificate contents, requester, and system providing the request or certificate.
US09208348B1
A computer-implemented method for managing encrypted files within application packages may include (1) identifying an individual component within an application package that requires encryption, (2) creating an encrypted file by encrypting the individual component, (3) decomposing the encrypted file into (a) a primary encrypted file that contains an initial portion of the encrypted file that matches a critical attribute of the individual component and (b) an auxiliary encrypted file that contains the remaining portion of the encrypted file, and (4) replacing, within the application package, the individual component with the primary encrypted file and the auxiliary encrypted file. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09208346B2
A persona-notitia intellection codifier (P-NIC) server intelligently codifies and disburses personal user information from a user device (smartphone, laptop, etc.) to a multiplicity of designee devices. Masking Persona-Notitia Intellection Codes (a.k.a. PICs) are created that each stipulate control(s) and parametric limitation(s) for the associated one of a variety of personal user information. The Persona-Notitia Intellection Codifier (P-NIC) server rapidly produces a mask comprising a multiple bit “key” value (i.e., a persona-notitia intellection code (PIC)) that is uniquely distinguishable from every other PIC that's ever been generated for a given user. The value of the PIC is typically many bytes in length, and associates attributes to a unique key value that describes a desired subset of all the user's available personal user information to be unlocked by the key value (i.e., by the PIC).
US09208340B2
A parallel data processing system based on location control and a method thereof can divide a data into smaller data and store and manage the divided data using a location control technique which divides a file, distributes the divided files, and stores and manages information on corresponding areas. The parallel data processing system includes an encryption and decryption server, a location control server and a storage device. Further, the system may reduce the time required for storing and reading a data and improve the speed of controlling encryption and decryption of the data as a result, by distributing the data in a plurality of storage devices and processing the data in parallel in encrypting, storing and restoring a data which requires security. In addition, performance of a plurality of storage devices and efficiency of the storage may be enhanced.
US09208339B1
Systems and methods for transmitting information between virtual environments comprising: copying a first virtual environment, wherein the first virtual environment comprises a plurality of original applications, a first clock, and a first trusted security zone to create a second virtual environment, wherein the second virtual environment comprises a copy of at least some applications of the plurality of original applications, a second clock, and a second trusted security zone. The first trusted security zone may receive a request from a copied application to engage in a transmission with an original application. The first trusted security zone may then determine if a nonce associated with the copied application is a verified nonce, wherein determining if the nonce is a verified nonce comprises comparing, by the first trusted security zone, the nonce associated with the copied application to a nonce associated with the at least one original application.
US09208338B2
A method and apparatus for securely executing a plurality of actions requiring elevated privilege using less than a corresponding plurality of prompts for privilege elevation, and in some embodiments, only a single prompt for privilege elevation, comprising: receiving a request to perform a first action requiring an elevated privilege; acquiring the elevated privilege to perform the first action; executing the first action, wherein the first action is executed based on the elevated privilege; receiving a request to perform a second action requiring an elevated privilege; and executing the second action using the elevated privilege acquired for the first action.
US09208337B2
Systems, methods and software applications for providing an identity and age-appropriate verification registry. A system for providing an identity and age-sensitive information registry includes various modules. In one implementation, system may include a registration module configured to allow parents and their children to register an account with the registry; and a request processing module configured to enable third parties to query the registry to see if any individual is registered and has authority or consent to access age-sensitive content, products or services or share data that could become publicly available by the third party.
US09208336B2
An Extensible Markup Language (XML) document management method includes: receiving an XML document management operation request sent via an XCAP protocol, by an XML Document Management Server (XDMS); determining that the XML document management operation request is in an entrustment mode, and determining whether to perform an operation described in the XML document management operation request in accordance with access permission information corresponding to an XML document, by the XDMS.
US09208324B2
A processor implemented method of performing a security web application testing based on a hybrid pipelined application which includes (a) receiving, a scan profile selected from a group includes (i) an uniform resource locator associated with an application, (ii) one or more scan attack templates, (iii) one or more attack rules, and (iv) one or more automation scan results, (b) generating, a one or more possible tasks based on the scan profile, (c) selecting, at least a sub-set of tasks from the one or more possible tasks, (d) assigning, the sub-set of tasks to an automated task performing tool, and a user for execution, (e) obtaining, one or more tasks results associated with the sub-set of tasks executed by the automated task performing tool, and the user, and (f) updating, a database based on the one or more tasks results.
US09208321B2
A countermeasure for a computer security threat to a computer system is administered by establishing a baseline identification of an operating or application system type and an operating or application system release level for the computer system that is compatible with a Threat Management Vector (TMV). A TMV is then received, including therein a first field that provides identification of at least one operating system type that is affected by a computer security threat, a second field that provides identification of an operating system release level for the operating system type, and a third field that provides identification of a set of possible countermeasures for an operating system type and an operating system release level. Countermeasures that are identified in the TMV are processed if the TMV identifies the operating system type and operating system release level for the computer system as being affected by the computer security threat. The received TMV may be mutated to a format for processing of the countermeasure.
US09208320B2
A software distribution system comprises a computer; a first distribution device; and a second distribution device, wherein the computer includes a first software reception unit configured to receive the software; a second software reception unit configured to receive the test program corresponding to the software; and a software execution unit configured to merge the software described in an executable format and the test program, and execute, the second software reception unit attempts to acquire a test program corresponding to the software at a timing at which the first software reception unit has received the software, and makes repeated attempts at a predetermined interval when the test program cannot be acquired, and the software execution unit merges the software and the test program at a timing at which the second software reception unit has received the test program.
US09208316B1
Features are described for detecting and disabling potentially harmful items that are embedded within or referenced by network resources such as web pages. A network node, remote from a user's computing device, can compare content portions to a repository of content portions which are known to be harmful, or to a blacklist of resources which are known to be harmful. The network node can take preventative actions based on the nature of the threat and the nature of the resource. For example, the network node can modify or remove portions of source code, replace interactive content with static images, and/or disable objects. Other features include providing users with a mechanism to override the preventative measures and receive the original unprocessed content. The network node can monitor the user overrides and fine tune its detection of harmful content.
US09208307B2
A system and method for finding vulnerabilities and tracing an end result associated with a vulnerability to its origins in user data. A user data source containing an ordered sequence of user data items may be a data file. In one embodiment the method for identifying, in the user data source, the origins of the end result, includes associating with each user data item a location identifier identifying the location of the user data item in the sequence of user data items executing instructions with a virtual machine, associating with each result the location identifier of the data item when one argument is a user data item and a tag when more than one argument is a user data item. This process may be continued until the end result is obtained. Subsequently, the method may include stepping through instructions with the virtual machine in reverse order, to tracing the origins of the end result to each of the user data items contributing to the result.
US09208304B2
Disclosed is a method for web service user authentication capable of increasing convenience while providing high security strength. The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a technique for conveniently performing user authentication by alleviating a user inconvenience of a memory of a password, storing a user password in a device which is carried by him/her at all times so as to use a powerful password, and using the password.
US09208302B2
Technologies for enabling biometric multi-factor authentication includes a transform selector value, a transform function that uses the transform selector value and a biometric user identifier as input, a salt derived from the output of the transform function, and a cryptographic hash function that generates a hash value based on the salt and a non-biometric user identifier.
US09208301B2
Systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products are provided for determining a user's authentication requirements/credentials for a specific network access session based on the current location of the user in comparison to known boundaries of location associated with the user, such as the user's residence, place of business or the like. As such, the present invention serves to expedite the process for authenticating a user who desires to gain access to a network service, such as a banking application or the like.
US09208297B2
The invention relates to a one time password inquiry method, including steps of triggering a one time password token, determining whether the trigger is a generation or an inquiry operation, if it is an inquiry operation, inquiring and displaying the latest generated password; otherwise, generating a one time password. Meanwhile, the invention also provides a one time password token with inquiry function, including a trigger module, a determining module, a one time password generating module, a storage module, a display module and an inquiry module. By adding inquiry function, the token meets the need for a user to inquiry a one time password, eliminates the asynchronous problem between the token and a server, and lowers power loss taken by the token.
US09208296B1
This disclosure relates generally to contaminable medical products. In particular, this disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and methods for preventing contaminated use of medical products that become contaminated upon being used for an intended purpose that requires the operation of a medical treatment apparatus, medical treatment system, or both. A medical product may have a unique identity and a permissive operation session, that is associated with the unique identity, may be created to allow a use of the medical device when uncontaminated, while preventing the use of the medical product after it has been presumably contaminated during the permissive operation session.
US09208273B1
Various embodiments implement electronic designs with cloning techniques by identifying a root device corresponding to a master design in an electronic design, performing one or more sets of searches for device correspondence with respect to the root device, and implementing the electronic design by at least characterizing the device correspondence based at least in part upon one or more criterion for the one or more sets of searches. These techniques implement the electronic design by characterizing the device correspondence through at least determining whether the device correspondence represents a clone, a mutant, or a user clone and by identifying and replicating clones, mutants, and/or user clones in the electronic design.
US09208272B2
Timing Constraints are crucial to meet timing requirements of an Integrated Circuit (IC). Timing exceptions are specified so that certain paths of the design of the IC are not timed as they are not relevant for the speed of the IC. If a path is specified as an exception but it is indeed a timing-relevant path then the design may functionally fail due to timing violations ignored by the timing analysis tools. It is therefore extremely important to ensure that all timing exceptions are correctly specified. The Hybrid Timing Exceptions Verification uses static verification as well as dynamic verification to effectively verify correctness of such timing exceptions. The solution pin-points the errors in the exceptions specification with very low number of false errors that would require significant designer inputs and time to manually waive them.
