US09750165B2

Cooling control methods and systems include measuring a temperature of air provided to one or more nodes by an air-to-liquid heat exchanger; measuring a temperature of at least one component of the one or more nodes and finding a maximum component temperature across all such nodes; comparing the maximum component temperature to a first and second component threshold and comparing the air temperature to a first and second air threshold; and controlling a proportion of coolant flow and a coolant flow rate to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the one or more nodes based on the comparisons.
US09750163B2

A thermal dissipation system for a server includes a compressed air generating device, a compressed air transmission device, and a controller coupled to the compressed air generating device and the compressed air transmission device. The compressed air generating device includes at least one compressed air source for outputting compressed air. The compressed air transmission device is coupled to the compressed air generating device, and is configured to transmit the compressed air to a server, to make the temperature of air inside the server can be outputted with the compressed air. The controller is configured to detect the heat in the server through the compressed air transmission device, and control values of the pressure and airflow of the compressed air output from the compressed air generating device, according to the heat detected of the server. Therefore, the thermal dissipation system can output compressed air with higher pressure and greater airflow.
US09750162B2

Internal interchangeable modular avionics platform assemblies and methods for removably mounting and interchanging modular avionics platforms within an aircraft. In some embodiments, modular avionics platform assemblies may include a modular avionics platform configured to support various avionics equipment, suitable for removable mounting within a forward fuselage, and interchangeable with a number of alternate platforms. A platform may include a frame structure, and mounting pins and a connector assembly disposed on the frame structure. The mounting pins may project outwardly from the frame structure to align with and detachably secure to corresponding airframe members of an aircraft when the frame structure is in a mounted position. The connector assembly may be disposed on the frame structure and have a plurality of connectors, including connectors for alternating current, direct current, and data. In some embodiments, the platform may also include an environmental cooling system disposed on the frame structure.
US09750161B2

A heat transfer system for use within an avionics bay of an aircraft is provided by the present disclosure that includes, in one form, an aircraft panel comprising an upper skin, a lower skin, and a foam core disposed between the upper skin and the lower skin. At least one heat conducting array extends through the foam core and between the upper skin and the lower skin, the heat conducting array defining at least one upper cap, at least one lower cap, and a wall portion extending between the upper cap and the lower cap, the upper cap being disposed proximate avionics within the avionics bay. A heat conducting spreader is disposed between the lower cap of the heat conducting array and the lower skin of the aircraft panel.
US09750153B2

A system includes a top-of-rack, a first plurality of chassis, and a first backplane. The first plurality of chassis each includes at least one rack module and a chassis network switch that connects to each of the at least one rack module. The first backplane includes a first backplane network switch that connects to the top-of-rack and connects to each of the first plurality of chassis via the chassis network switch of each of the first plurality of chassis.
US09750150B2

A break resistant sapphire plate and a corresponding production process. The sapphire plate may include a planar sapphire substrate, and at least one shock absorbing layer arranged on a surface of the substrate. The shock absorbing layer may have a thickness of between 0.1% to 10% of the thickness of the substrate. The production process for producing the sapphire plate may include providing a planar sapphire substrate, and coating at least one surface of the substrate with a shock absorbing layer. The shock absorbing layer may include a layer thickness between 0.1% to 10% of the thickness of the substrate.
US09750148B1

An anti-tamper mechanism to disable an electronic device during unauthorized physical access includes: a turnover assembly, spring, turnover member, conducting members, and a latch. The turnover body defines a plurality of receiving grooves. Several conducting members are received in the plurality of receiving spaces in a certain and predefined order to enable electrical coupling with the circuit board. The latch includes a supporting bracket, a guiding rod slidably positioned on the supporting bracket, and a latching member positioned on the guiding rod. The latching member engages with the turnover body to hold the turnover member in check, but when the latching member disengages from the turnover body in disassembly, the turnover member displaces the conducting members thereby destroying the certain and predefined order and electrical decouples the circuit board to disable the electronic device.
US09750145B2

Enclosures having reconfigurable compartments for routing wiring used to monitor photovoltaic system output are described. In an example, an enclosure includes a housing around a circuitry bay and a wiring bay, and the wiring bay contains movable shrouds and/or partitions to divide the wiring bay into several reconfigurable wiring compartments. High-voltage wiring and low-voltage wiring may be routed through the wiring compartments, and the shrouds and/or partitions may physically and electrically isolate the high-voltage wiring from the low-voltage wiring. A tray disposed in the circuitry bay and include antenna mounts that extend into the wiring bay to isolate antennas mounted on the antenna mounts from electromagnetic interference from electronic components within the circuitry bay.
US09750127B2

A circuit card assembly includes a first printed circuit board and a first electronic component mounted on the first printed circuit board. A heat transfer assembly is coupled to the first printed circuit board. The heat transfer assembly includes a first plate extending adjacent the first printed circuit board and a second plate extending adjacent the first plate. At least one of the first plate and the second plate includes an accommodation feature to accommodate the first electronic component. The heat transfer assembly further includes a first set of heat pipes between the first plate and the second plate. The first set of heat pipes is configured to remove heat from the first electronic component. At least one heat pipe of the first set of heat pipes extends adjacent the accommodation feature.
US09750121B2

A power supply apparatus outputs an alternating-current voltage to a plasma generator being a capacitive load and the power supply apparatus has a configuration that a transformer included in the power supply apparatus has a secondary-side magnetizing inductance more than five times as great as a leakage inductance.
US09750114B2

A controller, method and system, for controlling lighting responsive to ambient lighting conditions are described. In particular, disclosed is illumination system and method for controlling illumination of a workspace near a display. The illumination system includes an illumination controller compares the reading with the user's preference, and sends a command to at least one luminaire to adjust the illumination of the workspace.
US09750113B2

A control circuit of a driving circuit for supplying a driving current to a light source includes: a pulse width modulation (PWM) input terminal configured to receive an input dimming pulse having an input duty ratio corresponding to a target light quantity of the light source, the input dimming pulse being pulse-width modulated; and a dimming controller configured to convert a period and a pulse width of the input dimming pulse into digital values, reconvert the digital values into an output dimming pulse having an output duty ratio which is the same as or different from the input duty ratio, and control the driving current to be on and off based on the output dimming pulse.
US09750103B2

A method for a light bulb or fixture to emit light and measure ambient light. The method includes driving solid state light sources, such as LEDs, in the bulb with a cyclical signal to repeatedly turn the solid state light sources off and on, where the light sources are turned off and on at a rate sufficient for the bulb to appear on. The method also includes measuring ambient light via a light sensor in or on the bulb during at least some times when the light sources are off, and outputting a signal related to the measured ambient light. The ambient light level signal can be used to control when the light bulb is on and an intensity of light output by the bulb.
US09750102B1

A controller for use in a power converter includes a first edge detection circuit that receives a first input sense signal representative of an input of the power converter coupled to a dimmer circuit, and generates a first edge detection signal in response to the first input sense signal. A shaping circuit receives the first edge detection signal from the first edge detection circuit. The shaping circuit generates a first shape signal in response to the first edge detection signal. A drive circuit receives the first shape signal and a feedback signal representative of an output of the power converter. The drive circuit generates the drive signal in response to the feedback signal to control switching of a power switch of the power converter. The drive circuit switches the power switch in a first higher current mode for a first duration in response to the first shape signal.
US09750101B2

The present invention provides a voltage boost driving circuit for LED backlight, which includes a first power input port, a second power input port, an LED light bar, a positive boost circuit, a negative boost circuit, and a luminance controlling circuit configured for controlling the luminance of the LED light bar; the first and second power input ports are respectively connected to the positive and negative poles of an external power supply; the positive boost circuit is connected between the first power input port and the positive pole of the LED light bar; the second power input port is connected to the ground; the negative boost circuit is connected to the positive boost circuit via the luminance controlling circuit, an output port of the negative boost circuit is connected to the negative pole of the LED light bar. An LCD device is further provided.
US09750093B2

A lighting application is provided that includes an LED assembly including a serial connection of two or more LED units, each LED unit including one or more LEDs, each LED unit being provided with a controllable switch for substantially short-circuiting the LED unit. The lighting application further includes a control unit for controlling a drive unit and arranged to receive a signal representing a voltage level of the supply voltage, and control the switches in accordance with the signal. An LED driver is provided that enables to operate a TRIAC based dimmer at an optimal holding current and an LED driver including a capacitor as a switchable buffer.
US09750080B2

Provided is a method for transmitting a data unit in a wireless local area network system, according to one embodiment. The method comprises transmitting a signal field, transmitting a first data symbol for a first data field, and transmitting a second data symbol for a second data field. The signal field, the first data symbol, and the second data symbol are transmitted through a 1 MHz channel bandwidth having a band of 1 GHz or less. Two pilot tones are inserted to each of the first data symbol and the second data symbol.
US09750078B2

A wireless communication system for a moving vehicle, such as trains, is disclosed. The system includes at least one router in the moving vehicle for receiving and transmitting wireless voice communication and data communication to and from a stationary communication server outside the moving vehicle through an exterior mobile network. Further, the system includes at least one femtocell provided within the moving vehicle, and being connected to the router for wireless transferring of wireless voice communication and data communication between mobile terminals within the moving vehicle and the router. The at least one femtocell is controlled by a femtocell controller directly or indirectly connected to the communication server outside the moving vehicle.
US09750075B2

Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communication circuitry. The wireless communication circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to antennas. An electronic device may include a baseband processor and other storage and processing circuitry that implements protocol stacks for handling multiple radio access technologies. The storage and processing circuitry may use the transceiver circuitry to convey data using a first radio access technology while periodically interrupting the conveying of the data to monitor a paging channel using a second radio access technology. In performing the paging channel monitoring operations, the storage and processing circuitry may enforce a time limit that ensures that operations using the first radio access technology are not disrupted more than desired.
US09750069B2

A first base station (1) is configured to establish a first signaling bearer with a mobility management apparatus (5), establish a second signaling bearer with a second base station (2), and to establish a signaling radio bearer with a mobile station (3) in a first cell (10). The second base station (2) is configured to establish the second signaling bearer with the first base station (1), establish a data bearer with a data transfer apparatus (6), and to establish a data radio bearer with the mobile station (3) in a second cell (20). Furthermore, the first base station (1) is configured to transmit, to the second base station (2) through the second signaling bearer configuration information, necessary to establish the data bearer and the data radio bearer in the second base station (2). Thus, for example, bearer architecture suitable for a C/U plane split scenario is provided.
US09750065B2

The invention relates to a method and telecommunications node for controlling an attach state of a user equipment in an attach control node of a telecommunications system further comprising a subscriber database containing subscription data of the user equipment. The method comprises receiving authentication data in the attach control node if an authentication step is required. Following the authentication step, if any, receiving in a first transfer stage a first set of subscription data from the subscriber database and storing the first set of subscription data in the attach control node, wherein the first set of subscription data is insufficient for enabling establishing a communication session between the user equipment and the telecommunications system. If establishing a communication session is required between the user equipment and the telecommunications network, receiving in a second transfer stage following the first transfer stage a second set of subscription data from the subscriber database in the attach control node, and storing the second set of subscription data in the attach control node, wherein the combination of the first set of subscription data and the second set of subscription data is sufficient for enabling establishing a communication session between the user equipment and the telecommunications network.
US09750055B2

A mobile communication system supports cellular communication in which data communication is performed between a network and a user terminal and D2D communication in which data communication is directly performed among two or more user terminals. The D2D communication is performed by using a part of the uplink radio resources of the cellular communication. The uplink radio resources include a specific radio resource that is used in the transmission of a predetermined uplink signal in the cellular communication. The use of the specific radio resource in the D2D communication is regulated.
US09750054B2

A base station transmits a random access response in response to a random access request (random access preamble) of a user equipment. The random access response includes information about a time when the random access request is transmitted and sequence number information of the random access request (random access preamble). The user equipment checks whether the received random access response is the response of the random access request transmitted by the user equipment, using the information about the time when the random access request is transmitted and the sequence number information included in the received random access response.
US09750052B2

Systems and techniques for random access to a wireless network are described herein. Components of a wireless station may obtain a back-off value. The components may also decode random access resource units from a frame transmitted to the wireless station from an access point of the wireless network. The components may decrement the back-off for each decoded random access frame. The wireless station may select this frame from a sequence of frames when the back-off reaches zero while decoding the random access resource units of this frame. The wireless station then selects the random access resource unit with a more favorable transmission metric than another random access resource unit of the frame and uses the selected random access resource unit to communicate with the access point.
US09750048B2

Apparatus and methods, in one or more aspect, provide feedback with respect to downlink grant feedback communications received by a user equipment (UE). The apparatus and methods monitor for signals from a network entity on one or more channels, and determine, based on the monitoring, whether one or more grants are received and whether UE data is received on the one or more channels. Further, the apparatus and methods generate a feedback indication having a feedback value determined according to a feedback rule and based on whether the one or more grants and the UE data are received. Additionally, the apparatus and methods transmit the feedback indication to the network entity on a resource determined according to the feedback rule and based on whether the one or more grants and the UE data are received.
US09750044B2

Certain aspects relate to techniques and apparatus for network synchronization by network listening. Aspects include transmitting a synchronization signal for a base station (BS) to use for acquiring synchronization with the network. Aspects include listening for a synchronization signal from a BS to use for acquiring network synchronization. In aspects, a method for wireless communications by a BS is provided. The method generally includes acquiring synchronization with a network based on a first synchronization signal transmitted from a primary BS or a secondary BS, determining a synchronization stratum for the BS based on whether the BS acquired synchronization with the network from the primary BS or from the secondary BS, and transmitting a second synchronization signal for one or more other BSs to use for acquiring synchronization with the network, wherein the transmitting is based, at least in part on the determined synchronization stratum.
US09750042B2

According to some embodiments of the invention, a method is provided in a radio network node for scheduling data transmission and/or reception. According to the method, the radio network node predicts at least one autonomous gap occurrence in which user equipments served by the radio network node will use autonomously created gaps for acquiring system information from a neighboring base station and during which the UE is not able to receive data from, and/or transmit data to, the radio network node. Furthermore, the radio network node schedules a user equipment for data transmission and/or reception in a time period which does not overlap with any predicted autonomous gap occurrence.
US09750041B2

A configurable wireless switched network includes a wireless access point. The wireless access point includes an application that is executable thereon. The application is configured to set, by a user via an input component, a first port of a plurality of ports as a command channel. The command channel provides a first point of contact between the wireless access point and client devices. The application is also configured to receive configuration parameters from the user. The configuration parameters include port allocation instructions for the ports and identifiers of the client devices. The application is further configured to monitor bandwidth utilization on a network; receive, at the command channel, a request from one of the client devices to access the network; and assign one of the ports to the client device based on the port allocation instructions, the bandwidth utilization, and an identifier of the client device.
US09750035B2

The present disclosure relates to a scheduling apparatus (109) for reducing interference in a cellular radio communication system (110). The apparatus comprises a processor. The processor is configured for obtaining an indication that direct (D2D) wireless communication should be set up between a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal of the communication system. The processor is also configured for measuring at least one metric of the communication system, said measurement indicating a risk of interference of signalling from the second terminal to the first terminal. The processor is also configured for allocating, based on said measurement, a first set of frequency and/or time resources (f/t resources) for D2D transmissions from the first terminal to the second terminal. The first set of f/t resources defines a first amount of signalling. The processor is also configured for allocating, based on said measurement, a second set of f/t resources for D2D transmissions from the second terminal to the first terminal. The second set of f/t resources defines a second amount of signalling. The second amount of signalling is less than the first amount of signalling.
US09750034B2

In a communication system, an access point in communication with one or more stations identifies a first subset of wireless stations from the set of wireless stations. The first subset of wireless stations is identified based on RSSI values for radio frequency signals received from each of the stations exceeding an RSSI threshold. The first subset of wireless stations is assigned to a first reception window. The access point transmits an identifier of each of the subset of wireless stations and an identifier of the reception window via the radio frequency channel.
US09750029B2

Disclosed are a terminal device for controlling uplink transmission power and a method therefor. A receiving antenna receives uplink transmission mode change information from a base station. A processor determines a transmission power value to be used for the uplink transmission by means of an offset value corresponding to the uplink transmission mode change information. A transmitting antenna transmits an uplink signal with the determined transmission power value.
US09750027B2

A method and an apparatus for operating a transmitter in a millimeter wave communication system is provided. In the method, information of a common and/or control channel is mapped to a dedicated frequency region of a dedicated Radio Frequency (RF) path. Data is mapped to a common frequency region for a common RF path.
US09750023B2

A method, base station, terminal and communication system for updating component carriers are provided. Wherein, status information of the terminal, base station and/or component carrier is acquired; whether the status information accords with the predetermined condition is determined; an old component carrier is replaced by a new component carrier, or a new component carrier is added in the even that the predetermined condition is met. With the embodiments of the present invention, the component carrier which the terminal would use is updated more effectively.
US09750018B2

A method for transmitting a transmission to a station in a wireless network includes transmitting a preamble of the transmission to the station using a first channel with a first bandwidth, the preamble including a first indicator indicating a second channel with a second bandwidth, the second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth, and transmitting a data portion of the transmission to the station using the second channel with the second bandwidth.
US09750013B2

A wireless network has a duty-cycle limitation, which defines a total transmission time budget and an average transmission time. A device (100) has a controller (102) for controlling the transmission of data according to the duty-cycle limitation. The controller stores past transmission time usage of the device in sequences of buckets, and determines a bucket budget of transmission time. A basic transmission time budget is assigned which is smaller than the average transmission time of the corresponding time interval, and additional transmission time is allocated to allow for temporally exceeding the average transmission time. The additional transmission time is based on the total transmission time budget and the past transmission time usage of past buckets in combination with the future basic transmission time budget of future buckets, which past, current and future buckets together cover the duty-cycle period. Advantageously, the system enables accommodating temporal fluctuation in data transmission and guarantees a minimum transmission capacity.
US09750009B2

A method of allocating control information in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes: allocating essential control information of a first system to a first sub-frame in a frame including a plurality of sub-frames each of which comprises a plurality of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and allocating essential control information of a second system to an nth sub-frame in a fixed position from the first sub-frame (where n is an integer satisfying n>1). Accordingly, in a frame supporting heterogeneous systems, essential control information can be fixedly allocated to a specific position while maintaining the number of system switching points, at which switching occurs between the systems, to one even if a radio resource allocation amount changes between the systems, and thus the essential control information that must be received by all user equipments can be effectively provided without the increase of overhead.
US09750008B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for estimating one or more channel properties of a downlink from a cellular communications network based on quasi co-located antenna ports with respect to the one or more channel properties. In one embodiment, a wireless device receives a downlink subframe including a downlink control channel from the cellular communications network. The wireless device estimates one or more large-scale channel properties for an antenna port of interest in the downlink control channel based on a subset of reference signals that correspond to antenna ports in the cellular communications network that are quasi co-located with the antenna port of interest with respect to the one or more large-scale channel properties. As a result of using the quasi co-located antenna ports, estimation of the one or more large-scale channel properties is substantially improved.
US09750005B2

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method by which a base station transmits control information through an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) in a wireless communication system, and the control information transmission method comprises the steps of: mapping control information to an enhanced resource-element group (EREG) allocated to transmit the EPDCCH in a first EPDCCH physical resource block (PRB) set and a second EPDCCH PRB set, respectively; and transmitting the mapped control information, wherein an enhanced control channel element (ECCE) index corresponding to the EREG of the same position is connected with the same physical uplink control channel resource (PUCCH) in the first EPDCCH PRB set and the second EPDCCH PRB set, respectively.
US09750004B2

The invention discloses a method for transmitting and receiving downlink control information, a serving node and a user equipment. The method comprises: determining, by a serving node of a interfered UE, a protected resource, wherein the protected resource is located in at least one of the followings: a physical resource corresponding to a USS in a PDCCH, a physical resource corresponding to an expanded CSS in the PDCCH, a physical resource corresponding to a USS in an E-PDCCH or a physical resource corresponding to a CSS of the E-PDCCH; transmitting, by the serving node, first downlink control information of an interfered cell on the protected resource, wherein the first downlink control information comprises scheduling information for scheduling a paging message and/or a SIB1 message of the interfered cell. The invention can reduce the interference to a system broadcast message, a paging message and the like in a heterogeneous network.
US09750001B2

The present invention relates to a method for configuring a retransmission protocol on the uplink between a network node and a relay node in a mobile communication system, the configuration being performed at a network node or at a relay node, and to the corresponding relay node apparatus and network node apparatus capable of configuring the retransmission protocol. In particular, the number of transmission processes is determined based on the position of time intervals available for the transmission and may be selected in order to control the round trip time of the retransmission protocol. Once the number of transmission processes has been configured, the transmission processes are mapped on the available time intervals in a predefined order and repetitively.
US09749997B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided for a User Equipment (UE) to transmit an acknowledgement signal over multiple Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs). The method includes transmitting the acknowledgement signal in {(n+Q)th, (n+Q+1)th, . . . , (n+Q+N−1)th} Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs), the acknowledgement signal corresponding to a data packet the UE receives in an nth TTI; and not transmitting a non-acknowledgement signal in the {(n+Q)th, (n+Q+1)th, . . . , (n+Q+N−1)th} TTIs. n is an integer, Q is a number greater than 0, and N is a number greater than 1.
US09749996B2

A method of performing, by means of a first transmission point, coordinated multi-point transmission based on the selection of a transmission point according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: selecting a second transmission point from among one or more candidate transmission points participating in the coordinated multi-point transmission; and transmitting a message to the second transmission point to request that the second transmission point transmits a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to a terminal served by the first transmission point, wherein the message indicates a time duration for which the PDSCH is transmitted by the second transmission point.
US09749994B2

Mechanisms for feedback of channel quality information (CQI) in a multi-carrier environment are disclosed. A mobile station may include one or more antennas, and a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas. The transceiver may be configured to receive (e.g., simultaneously) signals on a plurality of carriers. Each of the carriers may include synchronization channels. The transceiver may be further configured to, for each of one or more of the carriers: generate channel quality information (CQI) for the carrier based on pilot signals in the carrier; transmit the CQI for the carrier. The one or more carriers for which CQI is generated and transmitted may be determined by configuration information received from a base station.
US09749988B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a called recovery method, including: receiving, by a target mobile switching center MSC, a provide roaming number PRN message sent by a backup MSC corresponding to a faulty MSC, where the PRN message carries an instruction for initiating paging to a called terminal through a mobility management entity MME; and performing international mobile subscriber identity IMSI paging according to the instruction, so that an MME to which a called terminal is attached controls the called terminal to perform circuit switched fallback CSFB to complete a called connection. Correspondingly, the embodiments of the present invention further provide a mobile switching center and a called recovery system. This solves a problem that in an MSC pool architecture, called paging in a CS domain cannot be performed when a terminal corresponding to a faulty MSC is attached to an E-UTRAN, and improves paging reliability.
US09749973B2

In a wireless network, a primary synchronization signal and a secondary synchronization signal are sent at a predetermined bandwidth in a transmission. The predetermined bandwidth is a lowest operating bandwidth of the wireless network. Data is also sent in the transmission using an operating bandwidth greater than the lowest operating bandwidth.
US09749972B2

A method and system is disclosed for clock synchronization in a wireless backhaul network, based on the IEEE1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP). The network comprises a plurality of hubs, each hub serving one or more remote backhaul modules. Each hub comprises a slave clock, which communicates with a master clock through forward and reverse links. The method comprises, for each hub, estimating the frequency drift {circumflex over (α)} and offset {circumflex over (β)} from the forward and reverse links between the master and slave clock, estimating the accuracy of {circumflex over (α)} and {circumflex over (β)}, determining the least congested link, and adjusting the frequency of the slave clock based on {circumflex over (α)} and {circumflex over (β)} from the least congested link. A fixed or variable time window size is selected to achieve a desired accuracy of {circumflex over (α)} and {circumflex over (β)}. The method may comprise estimating a maximum holdover time for maintaining synchronization with a desired confidence level.
US09749964B2

Apparatus, computer readable medium, and method for generating and receiving signal fields in a high efficiency wireless local-area network (WLAN) are disclosed. A high-efficiency wireless local-area network (HEW) device including circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry may be configured to: receive a physical (PHY) header or media access control (MAC) header from a second HEW station, wherein the PHY header or MAC header comprises an indication of a spatial reuse opportunity and a defer duration; adjust one or more parameters to determine whether or not the wireless medium is in use; and determine whether to transmit within the spatial reuse opportunity based on the adjusted one or more parameters. The circuitry may be configured to adjust one or more parameters to determine whether or not the wireless medium is in use in where the parameters are signal detect (SD) threshold, a mid-packet detection (MPD) threshold, and an energy detection (ED) threshold.
US09749962B1

Various embodiments of methods and systems for closed loop multimode sleep clock frequency compensation in a portable computing device are disclosed. An exemplary embodiment leverages a modem to determine a frequency shift on a sleep clock signal when a reference clock has transitioned into a power saving mode. Using the frequency shift calculation, a compensation capacitor may be adjusted to deliver a more optimum dummy load on the crystal oscillator when the reference clock is taken offline. The method may iterate through until the actual frequency shift of the sleep clock is within an acceptable tolerance relative to zero and, further, may also set a status bit to indicate that the sleep clock frequency is stable.
US09749960B2

Embodiments of methods and systems for adaptable power-budget for mobile devices are presented. In an embodiment, a method may include determining a classification of processes to be executed by a processing device. Such a method may also include detecting a process to be executed by the processing device. Additionally, the method may include selectively providing power to the processing device from one or more of a primary battery and a secondary battery in response to the classification of the detected process.
US09749959B2

The present invention provides method and systems for activating or deactivating network devices by managing the power of the network device. By controlling the power for network devices, the size and coverage of the network can be adjusted to meet the needs for the current usage. This can be particularly advantageous in wireless networks where multiple wireless access points may be provided to provide coverage during peak usage but present the additional security concern of the network being accessible to unauthorized users. Being able to power down unneeded wireless access points during off-peak usage allows for the minimization of such potential security concerns.
US09749952B2

Disclosed is a radio communication system wherein radio terminals can communicate using a plurality of component carriers having different frequencies. The communication system has a reception start timing control means for commonly controlling the cycle of reception start timing for predetermined channels in at least some of the component carriers assigned to the radio terminals; and a reception control means for controlling the reception interval of said predetermined channels, said reception intervals being started at the reception start times in at least some of the component carriers assigned to the radio terminals.
US09749946B2

The present disclosure presents a method and apparatus for improved reselection during mode transitions at a user equipment (UE). For example, the disclosure presents a method for identifying that a user equipment (UE) has started switching from a first priority scheduling mode to a second priority scheduling mode while making measurements for reselection. In addition, such an example method, may include initiating a mode transition timer in response to the identification and triggering a search for one or more frequencies of the second priority scheduling mode upon expiration of the mode transition timer. As such, an improved reselection during mode transitions at UE may be achieved.
US09749943B2

A method, a system and an electronic apparatus for searching nearby apparatuses are proposed. The method includes: searching at least one first apparatus belonging to a first subnet which the electronic apparatus belongs to, and accordingly generating a first list; scanning at least one access point (AP) near the electronic apparatus, and accordingly generating a first AP list; uploading the first AP list to a server, and receiving a second list from the server, where the second list includes at least one second apparatus, and a similarity between a second AP list of each second apparatus and the first AP list is higher than a predetermined threshold; and uniting the first list and the second list to generate a pairing list including at least one apparatus to be paired.
US09749928B2

Approaches for efficient, dynamic and continuous handover processes, which encompass selection of an optimal path (consisting of a satellite, a satellite beam and carrier frequency set) over which a mobile user terminal (UT) communicates with the radio access network in a mobile satellite communications system, are provided. A set of path factors are determined regarding each of a plurality of communications paths for the UT. A path selection metric (PSM) for each communications path is determined, wherein the PSM for each communications path is determined via a weighted calculation based on the respective set of path factors for the communications path. A decision is made as to whether to perform a handover of the UT from a first of the communications paths to a second of the communications paths, wherein the determination is based on an evaluation performed based at least in part on the PSM.
US09749925B2

Various arrangements are presented for managing co-existence of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver with one or more transceivers. A coexistence manager may obtain one or more parameters associated with a first transceiver of the one or more transceivers operating in accordance with a first radio access technology (RAT) and corresponding to an operating event. The first transceiver may be capable of operating in accordance with one or more RATs. The coexistence manager may further determine that the one or more parameters impacts an operation of the GNSS receiver and exceeds a predefined threshold and instruct the first transceiver to perform at least one of selecting a second RAT, changing the one or more parameters or any combination thereof to transmit at least a first portion of a data corresponding to the operating event based on the determination that the one or more parameters impacts the operation of the GNSS receiver.
US09749921B2

Systems and methods to instruct a mobile device to switch from a first protocol to a second protocol after registering the device on a network associated with the first protocol. This may be done to obtain a cryptographic key used by the device. For example, for some communication protocols, such as 3G and 4G communication protocols, obtaining the cryptographic key is difficult. However, the 2G communication protocol uses a cryptographic key that is easier to obtain. Only after obtaining the key, the phone instructed to again switch to the first communication protocol. During the exchange of communication, the user is likely to be holding the phone at his ear, such that he is unlikely to notice that the phone is using the first communication protocol. Hence, the exchange of communication may be decrypted and monitored, without the user noticing anything amiss.
US09749912B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for measurement configuration in heterogeneous networks. In one aspect there is provided a method. The method may include receiving, at a user equipment, configuration information including a range of mobility state values, wherein the range of mobility state values are associated with one or more event reporting criteria; determining, at the user equipment, whether at least one of the range of mobility state values is valid based on a determined mobile state estimation of the user equipment; and determining, based on the determined validity of the range of mobility state values, whether to enable reporting associated with the one or more event reporting criteria. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.
US09749910B2

A method and apparatus for transmitting user equipment (UE) group information in a wireless communication system is provided. A source eNodeB (eNB) of a handover procedure transmits a handover request message including UE group information to a target eNB of the handover procedure when the source eNB hands over a UE to the target eNB. The UE group information is included in a UE history information IE (information element) of the handover request message.
US09749907B1

Disclosed is a method and system to help manage communication in a network configured to support an inter-network fallback process in which the network passes pre-registration signaling and call-setup signaling between a fallback network and user equipment devices (UEs) served by the network to facilitate transition of UEs from being served over one air interface protocol by the network to being served with calls over a different air interface protocol by the fallback network. When the network detects a threshold extent of failure of the inter-network fallback process with respect to at least one UE served in a first coverage area provided by the network, the network may responsively direct one or more UEs served in the first coverage area to each hand over from the first coverage area to at least one second coverage area provided by the network instead of transitioning to be served by the fallback network.
US09749904B1

An interworking solution only requires that Greenfield LTE deploy the IWF and IMS AS, and set up the connections between their MME and IWF for the IMSI attach procedure. The solution uses an IMS client that can be installed on the roamer's devices. Thus once the roamer is attached to the LTE network together with IMSI attach via IWF function, and registered into the IMS system, the roamer can receive voice call and SMS by the original phone number, even though the LTE operator network does not support CSFB.
US09749901B2

A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving a frame supporting a short MAC header in a wireless LAN (WLAN) system are disclosed. A method for encrypting a MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) in a wireless LAN (WLAN) system includes: constructing, by a first station (STA), Additional Authentication Data (AAD) including a Frame Control (FC) field, an Address 1 (A1) field, an Address 2 (A2) field, and a Sequence Control (SC) field; and transmitting a frame including an encrypted MPDU including the AAD from the first STA to a second STA. The FC field, the A1 field, the A2 field, and the SC field of the AAD are constructed on the basis of an FC field, an A1 field, an A2 field, and an SC field of a short MAC header of the MPDU, and one of the A1 field and the A2 field of the AAD includes an associated identifier (AID) value according to whether a transmission direction of the frame is an uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) direction.
US09749900B2

A radio frequency (RF) receiving apparatus (10) includes a first and second omnidirectional RF antennas (20) at different spatial locations or orientations, a first and second RF receivers (24), each connected to a corresponding one of the first and second omnidirectional RF antennas (20), and a controller (32) connected to the first and second RF receivers (24). The first and second RF receivers (24) receive and demodulate RF signals of at least first and second carrier frequencies to recover data packets from at least a first device which transmits data packets on the first carrier frequency RF signal and a second device which transmits data packets on the second carrier frequency RF signal. The controller (32) is configured to control the RF receivers to cycle between receiving and demodulating the first carrier frequency RF signals concurrently to recover redundant data packets from the first device, and receiving and demodulating the second carrier frequency RF signals concurrently to recover redundant data packets from the second device. The apparatus can be used to wirelessly transmit physiological patient monitoring data (e.g. an ECG signal) in the highly reflective environment of an MRI system.
US09749896B2

A method and system for managing traffic in a network. For each label switch path of at least two logical switch paths, logical paths are identified. Each label switch path begins at a first provider edge and ends at a second provider edge. Most recent data received from the first provider edge is transmitted to the second provider edge via a selected logical path.
US09749895B2

Various communication systems may benefit from a high quality of service (QoS). For example, fifth generation (5G) wireless communication systems may benefit from differentiated service flows in the user plane that may impact a core network. According to certain embodiments, a method can include determining at a serving radio access network whether a modification of a service flow will impact at least one of a core network service monitoring, controlling, and configuring, and initiating, based on the determination, the modification of the service flow directly with a user equipment or through a controlling network entity located in the core network.
US09749881B2

A technique for generating or updating a user profile based on a packet flow in a communications network from a user terminal to a destination address is described. A method implementation of this technique comprises receiving, by a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) from a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), at least one item of information indicative of at least one of the destination address and a service provided at the destination address to the user terminal. Based on this item of information, a user profile for a user associated with the user terminal is generated or updated.
US09749867B2

An electronic device including a memory storing biometric or passcode data of a user, and a processor, scanning biometric or passcode data of the user and validating the scanned biometric or passcode data with the stored biometric or passcode data, dynamically identifying a current location of the electronic device, accessing a secure network, requesting access of data over the secure network, wherein access to the data is controlled by a server and the server enables access to the secure data only when the current location of the electronic device is within an authorized area of authentication (AAA), and if the current location of the mobile device is not within an existing AAA, the biometric or passcode data of the user is validated and contingent upon the validation being affirmative, submitting a request to the server to generate a temporary AAA that includes the current location of the electronic device.
US09749864B2

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to controlling access to a mobile device with a paired device. Aspects include pairing the paired device with the mobile device and defining a security profile for the mobile device. Aspects also include receiving a user access request for a desired action via the mobile device and determining signal strength between the paired device and the mobile device. Aspects further include executing the desired action based on a determination that the signal strength is greater than a threshold in the security profile for the desired action.
US09749861B2

User equipment (UE) is configured to automatically detect the presence of an access point (AP) in any one of a plurality of venues and to transmit identification information to the AP to authenticate the UE. The venue receiving the authentication request transfers the authentication request and identification information to an authentication server to automatically authenticate the UE whenever it is carried inside a venue. The venues may be coupled to a Cloud network with the authentication information stored on the Cloud network. Whenever the UE enters any of the venues, the UE is automatically authenticated when it comes within range of any AP within any of the venues. The venue may use an application program interface to provide advertising, coupons, web links, images, audio, video, streaming video, and the like to the UE. The venue may direct the UE to a website or provide a link to the website.
US09749856B2

Methods and apparatuses for providing services for a mobile device with access to a cellular system are disclosed. In accordance with a method a mobile device sends to a cellular system a request for a service by a machine type device. The request includes information identifying the machine type device for use by the cellular system that is then used in exchange of information in relation to at least one of authentication, authorization and configuration. Information associated with configuration of a device-to-machine connection to the machine type device is then sent to the mobile device. The device-to-machine connection for use of the service is then established between the machine type device and the mobile device based on the received information. In another embodiment the mobile device contact the machine type device first and provides the machine type device with information assigned by the cellular system.
US09749847B2

Disclosed herein is a method and system for utilizing a digital data capture device in conjunction with a Bluetooth (BT) enabled mobile device for publishing data and multimedia content on one or more websites automatically or with minimal user intervention. A client application is provided on the BT enabled mobile device. In the absence of inbuilt BT capability, a BT communication device is provided on the digital data capture device. The BT communication device is paired with the BT enabled mobile device to establish a connection. The client application detects capture of data and multimedia content on the digital data capture device and initiates transfer of the captured data, multimedia content, and associated files. The digital data capture device transfers the captured data, multimedia content, and the associated files to the client application. The client application automatically publishes the transferred data and multimedia content on one or more websites.
US09749842B2

A system and method are provided for automating the implementing and use of presence information in a network and/or for automatically selecting the most efficient means for sending a message. In an embodiment of the system, presence information is transmitted to a presence server. The presence server then ascertains presence information for the entries in a user's network address book after a user's device provides presence information about the user to the presence server. This presence information can then used to determine whether a message is to be sent through session based messaging (if presence information indicates that a message recipient is available) or immediate messaging (if the other user is not available or no presence information is available). A system and method is also provided to automatically send the message using an efficient protocol.
US09749824B2

On-Board Diagnostics (OBDs) produced by a vehicle are monitored in real time. The OBDs are evaluated in view of rules or policies to take actions with respect selective component lockdown of resources for a mobile device that is operational within the vehicle. For example, the display screen of the mobile device is blacked out and locked out when the OBDs indicate the vehicle is moving.
US09749820B2

Embodiments herein provide a method for identity management across multiple planes. The method includes receiving, by a MCPTT server, a first request message to establish a call between a first MCPTT client and the one or more second MCPTT client from a signaling plane entity. The first request message includes an application plane identity of the one or more second MCPTT client. Further, the method includes translating, at the MCPTT server, the application plane identity of the one or more second MCPTT client to a signaling plane identity of the one or more second MCPTT client. Furthermore, the method includes sending, by the MCPTT server, the one or more second request message including the signaling plane identity of the one or more second MCPTT client to the second MCPTT client for establishing the call via the signaling plane entity.
US09749819B2

The present disclosure provides a method for performing non-orthogonal communication by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method including: monitoring scheduling signaling; receiving a multi-layer signal in non-orthogonal transmission according to the monitored scheduling signaling and demodulating the multi-layer signal if non-orthogonal transmission exists; and calculating and feeding back channel state information applied to the non-orthogonal transmission.
US09749802B2

A method for determining user activity range includes: determining a moving state of a user; determining, when the moving state of the user is a first state, geographical location information of the user corresponding to the first state; determining, when the moving state of the user is a second state, a geographical location information set of the user corresponding to the second state; and collecting, in a first predetermined time period, geographical location information of the user corresponding to at least one first state, and a geographical location information set of the user corresponding to at least one second state, and combining the geographical location information of the user determined in the first state in the first predetermined time period with the geographical location information set of the user determined in the second state in the first predetermined time period, so as to determine a user activity range.
US09749790B1

A system for exchanging GPS or other position data between wireless devices for purposes of group activities, child location monitoring, work group coordination, dispatching of employees etc. Cell phones and other wireless devices with GPS receivers have loaded therein a Buddy Watch application and a TalkControl application. The Buddy Watch application communicates with the GPS receiver and other wireless devices operated by buddies registered in the users phone as part of buddy groups or individually. GPS position data and historical GPS position data can be exchanged between cell phones of buddies and instant buddies such as tow truck drivers via a buddy watch server. Emergency monitoring services can be set up with notifications to programmable individuals in case an individual does not respond. Positions and tracks can be displayed. TalkControl simplifies and automates the process of joining talk groups for walkie talkie services such as that provided by Nextel.
US09749784B1

The Radiofrequency Identification and Location System represents a novel system and method for locating a Remote Transceiver by means of a Tracking Transceiver whereby the Tracking Transceiver transmits its identification (ID) to the Remote Transceiver which responds with its own ID. The IDs consist of unique PN code sequences which alternately can be PN cover codes and orthogonal codes. A Remote Transceiver can respond to multiple Tracking Transceivers simultaneously while a Tracking Transceiver can receive from multiple Remote Transceivers. By measuring the transit time of its transmitted PN code with respect to the PN code received from a Remote Transceiver, the Tracking Transceiver can measure the distance to that Remote Transceiver and home in gradually.
US09749778B2

A data communication device includes: a computation unit and data unit which includes a first radio communication module for wireless data exchange with an external radio device or is connected to the first radio communication module, a second radio communication module which communicates wirelessly with the external radio device, and a memory that stores identification data from the first radio communication module. The first radio communication module is operated in a receiving mode in which the first radio communication module is not detectable by the external radio device. Upon receiving identification data for the first radio communication module from the external radio device, the first radio communication module can establish a connection and for subsequent data exchange with the external radio device. The second radio communication module is operated in standby mode in which the second radio communication module waits for a communication query from the external radio device.
US09749776B2

A pairing method for wireless communication of an operating unit of a medical control unit with a control apparatus of the medical control unit includes the step of arranging the medical control unit to control a medical device. The operating unit includes at least two operating elements upon the respective user-side actuation of which a control signal is transmitted from a control apparatus to the medical device. The control apparatus is in a pairing mode (or is put into a pairing mode) and the operating unit is put into a pairing mode due to user-side combined actuation of at least two operating elements. A medical control unit implements the pairing method.
US09749770B2

A device may receive a request for a transmission of traffic from an application, the application being associated with an application identifier. The device may determine an application category of the application using the application identifier associated with the application. The device may identify a set of rules associated with the application category, where the set of rules includes at least one of one or more rules associated with foreground traffic, or one or more rules associated with background traffic. The device may selectively block or permit the transmission of traffic, from the application, based on the set of rules.
US09749766B2

A method provides binaural sound to a person through electronic earphones. The binaural sound localizes to a sound localization point (SLP) in empty space that is away from but proximate to the person. When an event occurs, the binaural sound switches or changes to stereo sound, to mono sound, or to altered binaural sound.
US09749764B2

This accessory is apparatus capable of implementing a method that can affect one or more features of a portable electronic device when brought into a vehicle having a radio with a right and left speaker. The accessory has a sender for initiating transmission of an RF test signal at the portable electronic device. The RF test signal is arranged to cause the radio to produce a distinct pair of audio responses from the right and left speaker. The accessory has a discriminator for determining for the right and left speaker the corresponding return delay between transmission of the RF test signal and arrival of the distinct pair of audio responses at the portable electronic device.
US09749762B2

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that performs a sound-recognition operation. During operation, the system recognizes a sequence of sound primitives in an audio stream, wherein a sound primitive is associated with a semantic label comprising one or more words that describe a sound characterized by the sound primitive. Next, the system feeds the sequence of sound primitives into a finite-state automaton that recognizes events associated with sequences of sound primitives. Finally, the system feeds the recognized events into an output system that generates an output associated with the recognized events to be displayed to a user.
US09749757B2

The present disclosure regards a binaural hearing system configured to receive sound signals from the environment having two hearing instruments to be worn on respective sides of the head of a user and to generate a binaural signal using the received sound signals of both hearing instruments.
US09749756B2

A binaural hearing aid includes: at least one signal processor; a first microphone system for provision of a first input signal; and a second microphone system for provision of a second input signal, where the first microphone system is adapted to be placed in or at a first ear of a user, and the second microphone system is adapted to be placed in or at a second ear of the user. The signal processor is configured for: obtaining modulations of the first input signal and the second input signal with at least the first microphone system being in an omni directional microphone mode; evaluating the modulations of the first input signal and the second input signal; and setting one or both of the first microphone system and the second microphone system based on a result from the act of evaluating.
US09749752B2

A microphone includes: a first substrate having one or more first penetration holes; a vibrating membrane disposed on the first substrate and covering the first penetration holes; a fixed membrane disposed at a predetermined distance over the vibration membrane and having a plurality of air intake holes; and a phase delay unit bonded by a bonding pad on the fixed membrane, having a plurality of second penetration holes connected to the one or more first penetration holes, and having a phase delay material in the second penetration holes. A method of manufacturing a microphone including a phase delay unit is also disclosed.
US09749749B2

A signal processing module is configured to receive left and right channels of stereo input audio data and generate first and second channels of output audio data for first and second loudspeakers where the first and second loudspeakers have different frequency responses to one another. The signal processing module comprises an impulse emphasis block configured to emphasize impulsive sounds in the received audio in at least one of the first and second channels of output audio data.
US09749748B2

An electronic device for determining a type of an audio device plugged into the electronic device includes an audio port configured to receive a plug of the audio device, a plug detection system configured to determine a plug type of the audio device from the audio port, and a display configured to display the plug type. The plug type includes a three-section plug and a four-section earphone plug. The three-section plug is either a three-section earphone plug or a three-section external speaker plug.
US09749742B2

The invention relates to a new audio transducer for mobile devices, in particular a micro speaker for use in mobile phones, tablets, gaming devices, notebooks or similar devices, that comprises two figure-8 shaped coils to compensate tumbling passively or to detect and compensate actively rocking modes of the membrane along the two axes perpendicular to the axis of piston-wise movement of the membrane using a detection coil and a damping coil per axis. An amplifier may be used to amplify the detection signal in order to increase the damping effect. Electrical rocking mode compensation replaces state of the art damping mechanisms which are based on damping materials added in the moving part of the membrane. Due to the independence of environmental conditions electrical damping outperforms existing damping techniques.
US09749741B1

Methods and devices for reducing intermodulation distortion are described herein. In response to receiving an audio input signal, N filtered audio signals may be generated by a filter bank, corresponding to N different frequency bands. The N filtered audio signals may be delayed by a delay time D, and a determination of whether an audio frame of the filtered audio signals includes an audio event or a non-audio event. A signal level estimation may then be determined, the signal level estimation indicating an expander, a compressor, or no compression effects being present. An amount of gain is determined and applied to the delayed audio signals, which are summed across the N frequency bands to generate a full-band audio signal. In some embodiments, the full-band audio signal may be applied to a limiter to reduce any audio clipping, and a final audio signal may be generated.
US09749736B2

Signal processing for an acoustic sensor bi-directional communication channel is presented herein. The acoustic sensor can comprise a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) transducer configured to generate, based on an acoustic pressure, an audio output; and a bi-directional communication component configured to send and/or receive data that has been superimposed on the audio output using common mode signaling, time division multiplexing, or frequency separation. In an example, a signal processing component is configured to send the audio output directed to an external device utilizing differential mode signaling between respective pins of the acoustic sensor; and send the data utilizing the common mode signaling comprising a sum of voltages of the respective pins. In other examples, the signal processing component is configured to send and/or receive the data, and send the audio output, during different time periods; or send the data based on a frequency range outside an audio band.
US09749729B2

An assistant guiding system includes a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, a server, and an earphone assembly. The plurality of RFID tags is located at a predetermined area, and each RFID tag pre-stores an identification number of the predetermined area. The server stores scenic spot introduction information of the predetermined area. The earphone assembly communicates with a portable electronic device of tourists, and the portable electronic device downloads the scenic spot introduction information from the server. The earphone assembly includes a reading module and a transmission module. The reading module reads the identification number from the RFID tag. The transmission module sends the identification number to the portable electronic device. The scenic spot introduction information corresponding to the identification number of the predetermined area is played or displayed on the portable electronic device.
US09749727B2

A headset earpiece comprises a faceplate; and at least one flange pivotably connected to the faceplate.
US09749725B2

In a wireless microphone having an antenna in a lower part of a main body, a wireless microphone in which a microphone main body serves as a ground plane, which secures stable antenna ground by being gripped by a user, and which is capable of obtaining good RF performance is provided. The microphone main body includes a holder member made of metal for holding at least an antenna circuit part, a cylindrical cover member made of metal for covering a periphery of the holder member, and a cylindrical grip end member made of metal, inserted into a rear end side of the cover member, and connected with a rear part side of the holder member. The holder member has conduction with the cover member via the grip end member.
US09749723B2

An optical circuit switching matrix includes a plurality of optical ports, each optical port being optically coupled to a respective one of a plurality of user nodes and an optical coupler having at least one input port optically coupled to the plurality of optical ports, and an output port. The optical circuit switching matrix also includes a wavelength demultiplexer having an input optically coupled to the output port of the optical coupler, and a plurality of output ports, each output port being optically coupled to a respective one of the plurality of optical ports.
US09749721B2

The present invention discloses data receiving and sending methods and apparatuses and a system, and relates to the field of communications technologies. The data receiving method includes: receiving a data carrier; deciding polar radius values of multiple labeled constellation points carried at a pre-determined location in the data carrier, to determine a numerical value indicated by a polar radius value of each labeled constellation point in the multiple labeled constellation points; determining, according to a sequence including numerical values indicated by polar radius values of all the labeled constellation points in the multiple labeled constellation points, a demodulation scheme of a constellation point, other than the multiple labeled constellation points, carried in the data carrier; and demodulating, according to the determined demodulation scheme, the constellation point, other than the multiple labeled constellation points, carried in the data carrier.
US09749717B2

A method may include providing one or more telemetry transmission systems, the one or more transmission systems comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters. The method may also include transmitting a first synchronization sequence from the one or more telemetry transmission systems, the first synchronization sequence transmitted in a first channel, and the first synchronization sequence being at least a portion of a first telemetry signal. In addition, the method may include transmitting a second synchronization sequence the one or more telemetry transmission systems, the second synchronization sequence transmitted in a second channel, and the second synchronization sequence being at least a portion of a second telemetry signal. The first and second synchronization sequences may be transmitted simultaneously or at a predetermined time difference. The method may include receiving the first synchronization sequence at the one or more receivers, and receiving the second synchronization sequence at the one or more receivers.
US09749712B2

A communication system 10 including a host device 14 in communication with an external device 40 through a pair of interfaces 48/50. The external device has an application code image module 42 therein. The host device 14 includes an application execution area 66 and a resource application programming interface (API) 60. The host device 14 stores the application code image in the application execution area 66. The application code image controls a function in the host device 14 using the resource application interface. When the function is performed, the application code image may be removed from the host device 14.
US09749707B2

A network device may receive a signal from a headend, wherein a bandwidth of the received signal spans from a low frequency to a high frequency and encompasses a plurality of sub-bands. The network device may determine, based on communication with the headend, whether one of more of the sub-bands residing above a threshold frequency are available for carrying downstream data from the headend to the circuitry. The network device may digitize the signal using an ADC operating at a sampling frequency. The sampling frequency may be configured based on a result of the determining. When the sub-band(s) are available for carrying downstream data from the headend to the network device, the sampling frequency may be set to a relatively high frequency. When the sub-band(s) are not available for carrying downstream data from the headend to the network device, the sampling frequency may be set to a relatively low frequency.
US09749705B2

A method for generating and processing a broadcast signal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: encoding broadcast data for one or more broadcast services; encoding first level signaling information including information describing properties of the one or more broadcast services; encoding second level signaling information including information for listing the one or more broadcast services; and generating a broadcast signal including the encoded broadcast data, the encoded first level signaling information and the encoded second level signaling information.
US09749703B2

A data transmission method is disclosed. N streams of video data uploaded by a video capture terminal are received, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; loopback indication information sent by a mobility management entity or the video capture terminal is received, where the loopback indication information carries an identifier of a bearer of video data to be looped back; according to the identifier of the bearer of the video data to be looped back, the video data to be looped back corresponding to the identifier of the bearer of the video data to be looped back is confirmed; and the video data to be looped back is sent to a trunking terminal. In the data transmission method, data that the trunking terminal needs to monitor is directly looped back at the base station.
US09749698B2

The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus to collect and provide viewer feedback to broadcasts. According to one aspect of the present invention, a rating is generated for a broadcast by a server system. The rating is based at least in part on viewer feedback to the broadcast, and the rating indicates a likelihood of interest in the broadcast for potential subsequent viewers. According to another aspect of the present invention, the rating is provided from the server system to an entertainment system, and the broadcast can be selected for viewing at an entertainment system. In one embodiment, the viewer feedback is received at the entertainment system in response to a feedback questionnaire.
US09749694B2

A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances.
US09749693B2

Methods and systems are disclosed that allow a user to efficiently navigate media selections in an interactive media guidance application and easily identify media for viewing. The disclosed methods and systems provide an environment wherein video assets are displayed according to a user preference on a mosaic page with multiple cells. A subset of the assets appropriate for display in a particular cell is determined based on the user preference. Relevance scores of the assets meeting the user preference are computed, and the asset having the greatest relevance for the user is selected and displayed the corresponding cell. The relevance scores can be computed based on the user's historic viewing habits, user interaction with a media guidance application, or on specific user input.
US09749692B2

Embodiments are disclosed that relate to providing digital content recommendations based upon environmental sensor data. For example, one embodiment provides a computing device configured to receive sensor data from a sensor system, to detect a user present in the use environment via the sensor data, identify the user, recognize a current state of each of one or more use environment state features associated with the user via the sensor data, and store the current state of each of the one or more use environment state features. The computing device is further configured to detect a triggering condition for a selected use environment state feature, and in response provide information related to the selected use environment state feature based upon one or more of the current state of the use selected use environment state feature and a previously-stored state of the selected use environment state feature.
US09749674B2

A terminal device and a method for a terminal device to synchronize audio and video for playback provides a video module in the terminal device. From first and second video segments, the video module generates a video segment including a plurality of cycles, each cycle of the video segment comprises a first video content and a second video content. Time lengths of the first and second video contents change according to a preset rule to take account of time differences.
US09749671B2

A system includes a video-on-demand server and an authentication server. The video-on-demand server is configured to provide video-on-demand content through a broadband connection to a set-top box device. The authentication server is in communication with the video-on-demand server. The authentication server is configured to receive a request to allow access to a video-on-demand package that includes the video-on-demand content, to determine if a user is currently authorized to constantly receive a broadcast package that includes a plurality of broadcast channels related to the video-on-demand content, and to authorize a broadcast channel in the broadcast package when not currently authorized to receive the broadcast package.
US09749670B2

A system and method for generating or increasing viewership of a broadcast of an episode of a series by an affiliate to a plurality of receiver stations is disclosed. A live prefacing media program is transmitted to users within an affiliates market in such a way that does not conflict with the affiliate's exclusive right to transmit a media program within that market. The live prefacing media program includes media program clips from previous episodes of a series, and users can vote on their favorite media program clips. Such votes alter the content presented in the live prefacing media program. Transmission of the live prefacing media program terminates when the affiliates broadcast of the next episode of the series begins, thus encouraging or “throwing” viewers to view that episode.
US09749668B2

One or more devices may receive activity logs from multiple set-top-boxes (STBs); determine that an outage has occurred based on the activity logs; identify one or more STBs, of the plurality of STBs, that failed to play back paid content during the outage, or where playback of paid content, by the one or more STBs, was interrupted during the outage; and credit corresponding accounts associated with the one or more STBs.
US09749660B2

The present invention relates to a method for coding a video signal using hybrid coding, comprising: reducing temporal redundancy by block based motion compensated prediction in order to establish a prediction error signal, deciding whether to transform the prediction error signal into the frequency domain, or to maintain the prediction error signal in the spatial domain for encoding.
US09749659B2

A specification defining allowable luma and chroma code-values is applied in a region-of-interest encoding method of a mezzanine compression process. The method may include analyzing an input image to determine regions or areas within each image frame that contain code-values that are near allowable limits as specified by the specification. In addition, the region-of-interest method may comprise then compressing those regions with higher precision than the other regions of the image that do not have code-values that are close to the legal limits.
US09749658B2

An image coding method includes selecting two or more transform components from among a plurality of transform components that include a translation component and non-translation components, the two or more transform components serving as reference information that represents a reference destination of a current block; coding selection information that identifies the two or more transform components that have been selected from among the plurality of transform components; and coding the reference information of the current block by using reference information of a coded block different from the current block.
US09749647B2

An image coding method in which a chroma component and a luma component of an input image including one or more transform blocks are transformed to code the input image. The luma component has the same size as the current transform block. The chroma component is smaller than the current transform block. In the method, when the current transform block has a first minimum size, the chroma component is transformed on a basis of a block resulting from binding a plurality of the chroma blocks to has the same size as the luma block, and when the current transform block has a size other than the first minimum size, a CBF flag indicating whether or not coefficients of the chroma component include a non-zero coefficient is not coded.
US09749645B2

Techniques for coding and deriving (e.g., determining) one or more coded-block-flags associated with video content are described herein. A coded-block-flag of a last node may be determined when coded-block-flags of preceding nodes are determined to be a particular value and when a predetermined condition is satisfied. In some instances, the predetermined condition may be satisfied when log2(size of current transform unit) is less than log2(size of maximum transform unit) or log2(size of current coding unit) is less than or equal to log2(size of maximum transform unit)+1. The preceding nodes may be nodes that precede the last node on a particular level in a residual tree.
US09749640B2

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for intra prediction. The intra prediction method for a decoder, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of entropy-decoding a received bitstream, generating reference pixels to be used in the intra prediction of a prediction unit; generating a prediction block from the reference pixels on the basis of a prediction mode for the prediction unit and reconstructing an image from the prediction block and a residual block, which is obtained as a result of entropy encoding, wherein the reference pixels and/or the prediction block pixels are predicted on the basis of a base pixel, and the predicted pixel value can be the sum of the pixel value of the base pixel and the difference between the pixel values of the base pixel and the generated pixel.
US09749632B2

Disclosed are a method for determining a color difference component quantization parameter and a device using the method. Method for decoding an image can comprise the steps of: decoding a color difference component quantization parameter offset on the basis of size information of a transform unit; and calculating a color difference component quantization parameter index on the basis of the decoded color difference component quantization parameter offset. Therefore, the present invention enables effective quantization by applying different color difference component quantization parameters according to the size of the transform unit when executing the quantization.
US09749621B2

A calibration plate and a method for calibrating image capturing devices are provided. The calibration plate includes: a plate having a front face and a rear face; a plurality of calibration patterns formed at the front face of the plate, arranged in a regular manner, and used to calibrate image distortions, lens aberrations, and image center positions for the image capturing devices; and a plurality of graphically encoded patterns formed at the front face of the plate, the graphically encoded patterns being different from each other, and the graphically encoded patterns having information providing the positions of the calibration patterns.
US09749620B2

Provided is a disparity correcting device which rapidly corrects disparity information generated on the basis of a left image and disparity information generated on the basis of a right image through a simple configuration, and a method thereof, in stereo vision which generates a 3-dimensional image using a left image and a right image captured from left and right cameras.
US09749618B2

A method of operation of three dimensional (3D) stereoscopic television consistent with certain implementations involves turning on or installing a set of 3D glasses on a viewer to cause the set of 3D glasses to enter an active operational mode; and at the 3D glasses, emitting a signal to the television that causes the television to switch from a 2D display mode to a 3D display mode. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US09749613B2

Provided are a three-dimensional (3D) image acquisition apparatus, and a method of generating a depth image in the 3D image acquisition apparatus. The method may include sequentially projecting a light transmission signal, which is generated from a light source, to a subject, modulating reflected light, which is reflected by the subject, using a light modulation signal, calculating a phase delay using a combination of a first plurality of images of two groups, from among a second plurality of images of all groups obtained by capturing the modulated reflected light, and generating a depth image based on the phase delay.
US09749612B2

In the present disclosure, it is provided a display device, which may include: a detection unit, configured to detect position information with respect to viewer's eyes; a processing unit, configured to obtain the position information with respect to the viewer's eyes from the detection unit, and obtain a screen display image corresponding to a visual angle of the eyes based on the position information with respect to the eyes and parameters for a stereo image to be displayed; and a display unit, configured to obtain the screen display image from the processing unit, and display the screen display image on the display unit.
US09749608B2

An apparatus and a method process a stereoscopic image. More particularly, an apparatus and a method improve compression performance of stereoscopic image data in a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a camera unit including at least two camera modules spaced about a certain distance apart. The camera unit is configured to obtain a first image and a second image to be used to constitute stereoscopic image data. The apparatus further includes a three-dimensional (3D) data generation unit configured to change a compression ratio of the first image and the second image obtained by the camera unit.
US09749606B2

This disclosure relates to baseline restoration methods and apparatuses and medical detecting equipment thereof. The baseline restoration method comprises: determining whether there is a high-amplitude baseline in an input signal by previous k output signals (Y1, . . . , Yk) of a filter, where k is a natural number and k≧1; setting the previous m output signals (Y1, . . . , Ym) of the filter as Y′ when there is a high-amplitude baseline in the input signal, where Y′ is a desired output signal of the filter; and using a current input signal X0, the previous n input signals (X1, . . . , Xn), and the previous m output signals (Y1, . . . , Ym) of said filter to obtain a current output signal Y0 of said filter.
US09749602B2

An illumination unit includes one or more light sources each including a solid-state light-emitting device configured to emit light from a light emission region including a single or a plurality of light-emitting spots. The solid-state light-emitting device includes a single chip or a plurality of chips each emitting a light beam. Three or more of the light-emitting spots are provided within the whole of one or more light sources, to allow the whole of one or more light sources to emit light beams in two or more wavelength bands different from one another, and the solid-state light emitting device in a first light source which is at least one of the one or more light sources, has a plurality of light-emitting spots which emit light in the same wavelength band.
US09749594B2

Systems and methods for transformations between image and map coordinates, such as those associated with a video surveillance system, are described herein. An example of a method described herein includes selecting a reference point within the image with known image coordinates and map coordinates, computing at least one transformation parameter with respect to a location and a height of the camera and the reference point, detecting a target location to be tracked within the image, determining image coordinates of the target location, and computing map coordinates of the target location based on the image coordinates of the target location and the at least one transformation parameter.
US09749591B2

A focus position maintaining apparatus and a microscope are provided. The focus position maintaining apparatus can three-dimensionally correct a shift of a specimen in real time to maintain the focal point of an objective lens in a desired position in the specimen, and the microscope includes the focus position maintaining apparatus. The focus position maintaining apparatus includes a microlens array having a plurality of unit lenses and disposed in a position where the microlens array receives light from a specimen via an objective lens, a focus imaging device disposed in a position where the focus imaging device receives light from the unit lenses of the microlens array, and a control unit that outputs a signal for controlling operation of a focus actuator based on image formation positions of a plurality of images of the specimen detected by the focus imaging device via the microlens array.
US09749588B2

A system includes a network interface for sending and receiving one or more of video data and audio data between two or more endpoints. One or more of a video data source and an audio data source located at more than one endpoint and a control unit for controlling one or more of the video data and the audio data between endpoints. The control unit is operable to execute instructions to specify more than one participant in a conference, wherein at least one participant is remotely located and invoke the conference upon receiving one or more requests to connect to the conference by one or more participants. The control unit is further operable to allocate resources upon the conference being invoked and connect participants to the conference.
US09749585B2

Various embodiments enable a video messaging experience which permits the exchange of short video messages in an asynchronous manner. The video messaging experience preserves the video intimacy and experience of synchronous-type video communications, while at the same time provides the convenience of SMS-type message exchange.
US09749581B2

A user's eye gaze is corrected in a video of the user's face. Each of a plurality of templates comprises a different image of an eye of the user looking directly at the camera. Every frame of at least one continuous interval of the video is modified to replace each of the user's eyes with that of a respective template selected for that frame, whereby the user is perceived to be looking directly at the camera in the modified frames. Different templates are selected for different frames of the continuous interval so that the user's eyes exhibit animation throughout the continuous interval.
US09749576B2

Embodiments of the invention include a subtitling format encompassing elements of enhanced syntax and semantic to provide improved animation capabilities. The disclosed elements improve subtitle performance without stressing the available subtitle bitrate. This will become essential for authoring content of high-end HDTV subtitles in pre-recorded format, which can be broadcast or stored on high capacity optical media, e.g. the Blue-ray Disc. Embodiments of the invention include abilities for improved authoring possibilities for the content production to animate subtitles. For subtitles that are separate from AV material, a method includes using one or more superimposed subtitle layers, and displaying only a selected part of the transferred subtitles at a time. Further, colors of a selected part of the displayed subtitles may be modified, e.g. highlighted.
US09749554B2

An imaging system may have a pixel array that includes a first group of pixels and a second group of pixels that generate image signals in response to light received from a scene. Image signals generated by the first group of pixels may be read out using a first skipping pattern and/or binning factor and image signals generated by the second group of pixels may be read out using a second skipping pattern and/or binning factor. The first and second skipping patterns and/or binning may be different and may be weighted based on the amount of image data that is available for different portions of the scene. An image may be generated based on the image signals that are read out from the first and second groups. Perspective correction operations may be used to correct for perspective distortion in the image.
US09749548B2

In a general aspect, an apparatus can include image processing logic (IPL) configured to perform an image processing operation on pixel data corresponding with an image having a width of W pixels and a height of H pixels to produce output pixel data in vertical slices of K pixels using K vertically overlapping stencils of S×S pixels, K being greater than 1 and less than H, S being greater than or equal to 2, and W being greater than S. The apparatus can also include a linebuffer operationally coupled with the IPL, the linebuffer configured to buffer the pixel data for the IPL. The linebuffer can include a full-size buffer having a width of W and a height of (S−1). The linebuffer can also include a sliding buffer having a width of SB and a height of K, SB being greater than or equal to S and less than W.
US09749540B2

There is provided a control device including an image display unit configured to acquire, from a flying body, an image captured by an imaging device provided in the flying body and to display the image, and a flight instruction generation unit configured to generate a flight instruction for the flying body based on content of an operation performed with respect to the image captured by the imaging device and displayed by the image display unit.
US09749539B2

An image processing apparatus that records a moving image used for generating a still image by a generation unit, comprises: a correction amount calculation unit configured to calculate, for each frame of the moving image, a correction amount for correction of a rolling shutter distortion of an image signal based on a shake amount detected by a camera shake amount detection unit; and a recording unit configured to record the correction amount in association with an image for each frame of the moving image, wherein the generation unit corrects an image of a selected frame from among the images of the frames based on the associated correction amount, and generates a still image.
US09749537B2

An imaging apparatus includes a first vibration isolation control unit configured to control a first vibration isolation unit that corrects camera shake by moving an imaging element, a second vibration isolation control unit configured to control a second vibration isolation unit that corrects camera shake by moving a lens, and a setting unit configured to conduct setting of which of the first vibration isolation unit and the second vibration isolation unit is to be used for which of the camera shake correction and the moving of the photographic range.
US09749532B1

A system and method for obtaining, by an electronic device, a first set of image data recorded during an image capture event and a second set of image data recorded during an image capture event. During the image capture event, a characteristic of an image capture device is changed from a first state to a second state. The first and second sets of image data are recorded by an image capture device having one or more image recording components with one or more image sensor arrays. An image is generated based at least in part on the first and second sets of image data.
US09749527B2

A lens barrel includes a lens, a rotatable operation member, a rotation amount detector configured to detect a rotation amount of the operation member, an operation detector configured to detect a rotational operation of the operation member, the operation detector having a mechanism that is different from a mechanism of the rotation amount detector, and a controller configured to perform drive control of the lens depending on rotation of the operation member, and the controller is capable of operating the lens barrel in a first mode in which the rotation amount detector is used and a second mode in which the operation detector is used, and power consumption required in the second mode is less than power consumption required in the first mode.
US09749522B2

A tracking device for use when performing astrophotography comprises a guider camera and at least one tilt stage, with the topmost of the tilt stages arranged to support an astrophotography camera and the guider camera. Actuators are coupled to the tilt stages such that the astrophotography and guider cameras can be tilted about three axes. The guider camera and actuators are connected to electronics which include a computer programmed to operate in a calibration mode and a tracking mode. In calibration mode, a calibration procedure determines the effect of each actuator on the positions of at least two objects within the field-of-view (FOV) of the guider camera. In tracking mode, the actuators are operated as needed to maintain the positions of the at least two objects constant within the said FOV.
US09749519B2

There is provided an image processing apparatus including a display configured to display a captured image and a representative icon, wherein the representative icon indicates a range of a focus area of the displayed image and the range encompasses a center of focus point located at an initial position within the displayed image, and a processor configured to adjust the range of the focus area of the displayed image according to a size of the representative icon.
US09749510B2

The imaging unit of the present disclosure is an imaging unit rotatable about a first axis. The imaging unit includes a lens holder and an operating member. The lens holder holds a lens on its surface, has a first gear on its rear face, and is rotatable about a second axis in forward and backward directions. The operating member has a second gear engaged with the first gear, is rotatable about a third axis in forward and backward directions, and faces the rear face of the lens holder. A plane with the first axis as a normal, a plane with the second axis as a normal, and a plane with the third axis as a normal are orthogonal to each other. The lens holder rotates by rotating the operating member.
US09749506B2

An image processing method includes: (a) generating coefficients corresponding to pixels of a reduced image; (b) generating coefficients corresponding to pixels of an original image from the coefficients corresponding to the pixels of the reduced image, to expand the coefficients corresponding to the pixels of the reduced image to the coefficients corresponding to the pixels of the original image; and (c) multiplying pixel values by coefficients to correct the original image, wherein in step (b), the coefficients corresponding to the pixels of the original image are generated such that a spatial change of the coefficients corresponding to the pixels of the original image is caused according to a boundary between a bright portion and a dark portion, the spatial change occurring mainly on a dark side of the boundary.
US09749503B2

In the image processing device, the image processing method and the recording medium, the image extractor extracts, from the captured images, captured images regarded as being captured in the same time range, as extracted images. The target image determiner selects an extracted image which were captured by a capturing person who captured largest number of extracted images and with a capturing device of a type used to capture largest number of extracted images, as a target image. The object image determiner selects an extracted image showing a subject similar to a subject present in the target image, as an object image. The color table generator generates a color table for matching colors of the object image to colors of the target image. The color conversion processor carries out the color conversion applying the color table to the object image.
US09749497B2

There is provided an ink-deposition device suitable for depositing ink on a target surface and a printing system comprising the same. In operation in a printing system, the ink-deposition device can convert digital images into ink images on the target surface using pixel-masks and methods as disclosed herein. Advantageously, the ink-deposition device, the printing system comprising it and the methods of using the same can reduce or prevent the occurrence of some undesired ink-formations typically governed by the respective physical and/or chemical properties of the surface and ink being used or mitigate their effect on print quality. Application of the pixel-image mask yields a binary image that exhibits pixel-clusters with stochastically distributed centroids.
US09749491B2

An image forming apparatus is provided with USB sockets on front and back sides, and includes a determining unit for determining whether or not a USB device inserted to a front side USB socket 184 is a function enhancement device, and a control unit making, when it is determined by the determining unit that a function enhancement device is inserted to the front side USB socket 184, the USB device unusable and making, when it is determined that a USB device other than the function enhancement device is inserted, the USB device usable. Thus, it is possible to prevent a USB wireless LAN adapter or the like from being used constantly connected to the front side USB socket and thereby to reduce possibility of USB wireless LAN adapter of being damaged or removed.
US09749486B2

A sheet feeder is provided. The sheet feeder includes a roller to feed a sheet, a motor to rotate the roller, and a motor controller to control rotation of the motor by a feedback control. The motor controller detects a condition of the sheet based on a value acquired in the feedback control at the time a load is applied from the sheet to the roller, while performing a stop control to stop the roller at a designated stop position. The stop control is performed after the motor is rotated in a direction opposite to a direction of feed of the sheet.
US09749483B2

According to an image forming apparatus of one embodiment, a business-type-based word database classifies and stores words for each business type. A business-type-based template database stores business-type-based templates in which plural icons to respectively invoke plural functions previously set for each business type are grouped. A word extraction unit extracts a word by analyzing character information included in print data. A coincidence number count unit compares the extracted word with the words stored in the business-type-based word database, and counts a coincidence number in a comparison result for each business type. A business type determination unit determines a business type of a user transmitting the print data based on the coincidence number. A template acquisition unit acquires a template relating to the determined business type of the user from the business-type-based template database. A display unit displays the acquired template on a screen.
US09749480B1

An image scanning method includes: logging into a cloud server by a terminal to confirm login information based on the login; generating a scan cloud ticket as a data file including content of job for storing scan data into the cloud server using the confirmed login information; sending the scan cloud ticket from the terminal to the image scanning apparatus; receiving the scan cloud ticket and accepting an initiation operation for initiating the job in response to the receiving; performing, in the image scanning apparatus, in response to the accepting of the initiation operation, the image scanning to generate the scan data; obtaining, in the image scanning apparatus, the login information from the scan cloud ticket and logging into the cloud server by the image scanning apparatus using the obtained login information; and uploading the scan data from the image scanning apparatus to the cloud server.
US09749478B2

A technique that guarantees update of a program of a finisher unit while preventing a malfunction thereof from being caused by erroneous attachment thereof to a printing apparatus. Hardware identification information is acquired from the finisher unit. When it is determined based on the acquired hardware identification information that the finisher unit is compatible with a program of the apparatus, program identification information is acquired from the optional unit, for determining based thereon whether a program of the finisher unit program is associated with the program of the printing apparatus. If the programs are associated with each other, the versions there are compared. If the versions are not compatible, the program of the finisher unit is updated to a version compatible with the version of the program of the printing apparatus.
US09749477B2

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for enforcing time and usage limits are provided. One method includes allocating a usage allowance and time allowance for a group subscription to a network, and receiving a notification when a minimum threshold is reached for either the usage allowance or the time allowance within a certain duration. The method may further include determining a remainder of the usage allowance and a remainder of the time allowance by querying at least one policy and charging enforcement function, and reallocating the usage allowance and the time allowance based on the determined remainder of the usage allowance and the determined remainder of the time allowance.
US09749464B2

A control method and an electronic device thereof are provided. The first electronic device includes a memory for storing call logs, a determination module for analyzing the call logs associated with a dialing pattern and identifying a second electronic device associated with a recipient in the dialing pattern, and a control module for, when attempting a call to the first electronic device, outputting information of at least one second electronic device associated with the first electronic device in accordance with the stored call logs.
US09749463B1

Methods and systems for multiple channel authentication are described. In one embodiment, a request for a combined voice and data call is initiated from within a mobile application. The request may include authentication information and contextual information relating to a current exchange between the mobile application and an organization. The user may be authenticated with the authentication information and the combined voice and data call may be routed to a representative based on the contextual information to continue the exchange.
US09749453B2

Relaxation of mobile device features restrictions leveraging embedded auditing systems is presented. One or more managed applications are designated on the mobile device via a software plug-in to an application management adapter running on the mobile device, each of the one or more managed applications being associated with at least one mobile device feature that generates data related to a local environment of the mobile device. A front-end auditing component captures the data generated by the at least one mobile device feature, which transmits the data to a backend auditing component. The backend auditing component logs the data, and a notification of an event associated with the data is generated for one or more designated recipients.
US09749447B2

Providing a distributed processing framework. Initially, the process begins by building a server process plug-in by invoking a code generation module to generate required boilerplate and cross-platform code. Then commencing a server process by loading plug-in code and giving it a thread of control. In addition, client machines discovering the existence of a plug-in code being executed. Further, one or more client applications running on a client server at least issuing commands to the plug-in code, monitoring the events of the plug-in code, update the properties of the plug-in code without information regarding the plug-in interface.
US09749438B1

Methods, systems, and computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for distributing content are disclosed, including receiving a request for a content item to be stored for presentation with content of a first application when a client device is offline; in response, generating and transmitting data that causes the client device to store the content item for presentation with the content of the first application when the client device is offline; determining that a second application is installed; determining that the content item is able to be presented with content of the second application when the client device is offline; and in response, generating and transmitting analytics instructions that cause the client device to detect presentation of the content item with each of the first application and the second application and submit data specifying whether the content item was presented with the first application or the second application.
US09749434B2

A network product display method, apparatus, system, server and terminal are disclosed in the present invention, and belong to the field of computer technology. The method includes: collecting behavior events transmitted by at least one terminal, and the behavior events are generated according to operations on the displayed network product; adjusting the lifetime of the network product according to the behavior events, and the lifetime is the remaining display time of the network product. The present invention, by collecting the behavior events generated according to the operations on the network product and adjusting the lifetime of the network product according to the collected behavior events, solves the problem that lots of server resources are occupied when more network products are released by the server, and achieves the effect that the server resources occupation is reduced and the survival of the fittest of the network products is realized.
US09749431B1

Systems and techniques are disclosed for publishing related media content based on the velocity measure for media content. The velocity measure for the media content may be determined based on a change in engagement rate such as a change in rate of sharing the media content via social media. The related media content may be published on a media outlet such as a website, blog, and/or an aggregation page and the publication may provide more exposure to the media content.
US09749425B2

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of tearing down a Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) session. For example, an apparatus may include a first PAL communication unit to control a PAL connection, over a PAL, between a first device and a second device, the first PAL communication unit is to control the PAL connection during a session with a second PAL communication unit over a communication link, wherein the first PAL communication unit is to tear down the session according to a tear down procedure.
US09749422B2

A communication system includes a switch device communicatively connected to terminal devices and a computer device. The computer device is configured to initiate a connection to the switch device and, after establishment of the communication connection, initiate a bulk start-up of device monitoring for devices to which the switch device is connected. In some embodiments, the bulk start-up of monitoring can be initiated by obtaining an identification of all relevant devices in a reply to a single request sent by the computer device to the switch device. In some embodiments, the computer device can also be configured to send a monitor stop request to the switch device to stop the monitoring of devices.
US09749416B2

A method for distributing inventory data for a distributed cache provided by a plurality of wireless mobile communication devices. A first inventory data is received from a first wireless mobile communication device, and a second inventory data is received from a second wireless mobile communication device. The first inventory data and the second inventory data are compared to identify one or more matching data resources. In response to identifying one or more matching data resources, a matching inventory data that identifies the one or more matching data resources is sent to the first wireless mobile communication device. The matching inventory data enables the first wireless mobile communication device to access each of the one or more matching data resources stored on the second wireless mobile communication device.
US09749409B2

For enhancing data replication in a complex computer storage network by a computer processor device, data usage analytics, in conjunction with historical data transfer patterns, are used to generate predictive assumptions of storage resources in the complex storage network such that the storage resources are allocated and released commensurately with availability of the complex storage network to facilitate efficient data replication across the complex storage network.
US09749405B2

A determination is made of users that form a group within a social network in which the users communicate with each other over a network with electronic devices in a client-server architecture. The users in the group within the social network form a peer-to-peer (P2P) storage group within a P2P storage network. In the P2P storage network, users are peers that act as a client and a server for each other.
US09749399B2

A system and method for selecting a data delivery network. A determination is made of user information associated with a communication from a user. A determination is made of performance information for multiple data delivery networks. The data delivery network is selected for the communication from the multiple data delivery networks.
US09749394B1

Systems and methods are provided for delivering information as alerts. Alerts may be sent to one or more destinations at one or more times, with possible destinations including, e.g., one or more dedicated software clients, portable wireless devices, and/or email accounts, among many other possibilities. The sender may receive confirmation of, and/or may keep persistent records of, among several possibilities, transmission of one or more of the alerts, receipt of one or more of the alerts by devices at their respective destinations, and/or presentation of the alert to the intended recipient. According to an embodiment of the invention, an alert may be used to delivery medical information, which may include an urgent result of a medical test that has been performed on a patient.
US09749391B2

In a bill payment and presentation system, a method for electronically routing billing information over a communications network is provided, using an open financial exchange communication protocol. The method provides for a centrally located mainframe system and a switching system for coordinating the routing of messages between customer service providers and biller service providers. In particular, the method collects at the CSPs and at the BSPs mainframe application files comprising the messages, forwards these files in batch mode to the mainframe system and converts with a switching system these mainframe files into web-enabled addresses, allowing for the effective transmission of financial billing information in flat-file and/or Internet-based form.
US09749385B2

A communication system may be configured to transmit information from one or more information sources to a plurality of users over limited capacity media while enforcing one or more Quality of Service policies, such as maximum information rate (MIR) policies. Methods are presented herein for enforcing maximum information rate on two or more levels in a hierarchal and extendable manner, for at least the purposes of maximizing utilization of available capacity over said media and of fair distributing said capacity between all users. Also presented herein is a method for estimating load over said media.
US09749384B2

A reception terminal in which a decrease in transmission performance can be prevented when CCN is applied to a best-effort network and real-time streaming packets are transmitted. Reception terminal (200) has: an available band estimation unit (205) for estimating a first available band, which is an available band between the reception terminal (200) and a transfer terminal for caching and transferring real-time streaming packets transmitted from a transmission terminal, and a second available band, which is an available band between the reception terminal (200) and the transmission terminal; and an RTCP-R controller (206) for requesting the transfer terminal to transfer packets and thereby causing the transfer terminal to transfer packets using the first available band at a frequency based on the estimated first available band, and communicating the estimated second available band to the transmission terminal and thereby causing the transmission terminal to transmit packets using the second available band.
US09749381B1

A content delivery (CD) service in a CDN maintains property invalidation information on said CD service including, for each property, a list of one or more group invalidation commands. New group invalidation commands are added by selectively merging one or more invalidation commands to form a merged invalidation command and inserting the merged invalidation command into said list, wherein the merging is based on a length of common prefix of elements in said list. A per property common prefix list is maintained for invalidation commands in each property list.
US09749378B2

A system and method for early media buffering using prediction of user behavior. In accordance with an embodiment, a user interface displays a plurality of media options from which particular options can be selected. A click determination logic is configured so that a first event associated with a particular option, such as a click event, is passed singly to a media application without trapping for the possibility of a double-click. The media application interprets the first event as a likely selection by a user of the particular option, and uses information associated with the likely selection to begin buffering a corresponding media content. If a second event associated with the particular option is received within a subsequent time interval, then the second event is treated, like a double-click, as confirmation of the user's selection, and the corresponding media content is streamed from its media content buffer.
US09749374B2

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system for deployment of a streaming application to a streaming application environment comprising the information handling system and one or more target systems may include computer-readable media for storing a library of one or more sequenced applications and entitlement data associated with the one or more sequenced applications and a processor communicatively coupled to the computer-readable media. The processor may be configured to communicate a query for an entitlement to the sequenced application to a digital assets entitlement system server, responsive to a determination that an entitlement exists for the streaming application environment to the sequenced application, receive the sequenced application from the digital assets entitlement system server, and deploy and provision the sequenced application to the one or more target systems via application streaming.
US09749372B2

Proposed herein is a method for transmitting a broadcast signal. The method for transmitting a broadcast signal proposes a system that can support next generation broadcast services in an environment supporting next generation hybrid broadcast, which uses a terrestrial broadcasting network and Internet network. Additionally, proposed herein is an efficient signaling solution that can encompass both terrestrial broadcasting network and Internet network, in an environment supporting next generation hybrid broadcast.
US09749371B2

The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for multicasting/broadcasting in a relay network of a wireless LAN system. A method by which a relay entity delivers a multicast/broadcast frame in a wireless LAN system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, includes the steps of: receiving a multicast/broadcast frame from an STA; and delivering the multicast/broadcast frame to a root access point (AP). The multicast/broadcast frame may be transmitted by the root AP in a broadcast scheme within a basic service set (BSS). In the multicast/broadcast frame transmitted in the broadcast scheme by the root AP, an address 1 (A1) field may be set to a multicast/broadcast address, an Address 2 (A2) field may be set to a medium access control (MAC) address of the root AP, and an Address 3 (A3) field may be set as a MAC address of the STA, which is a source address of the multicast/broadcast frame.
US09749356B2

Systems and methods for detecting and scoring anomalies. In some embodiments, a method is provided, comprising acts of: identifying a plurality of attributes from a profile; for each attribute of the plurality of attributes, determining whether the digital interaction matches the profile with respect to the attribute, comprising: identifying, from the profile, at least one bucket of possible values of the attribute, the at least one bucket being indicative of anomalous behavior; identifying, from the digital interaction, a value of the attribute; and determining whether the value identified from the digital interaction falls into the at least one bucket, wherein the digital interaction is determined to match the profile with respect to the attribute if it is determined that the value identified from the digital interaction falls into the at least one bucket; and determining a penalty score.
US09749347B2

The cyber threat monitor and control apparatuses, methods and systems (hereinafter “CTMC”) determines risk across a global Internet network graph model for various virtual or physical network elements. In one embodiment, the CTMC defines a factor mechanism representing interactions among the set of network elements, the factor mechanism including a factor indicative of a correlation between a pair of network elements from the set of network elements, and dynamically calculate the probabilistic network security measure for each network element in the global Internet graph model based at least in part on the factor mechanism and any observed threat indicators related to the global Internet graph model.
US09749342B1

An authentication procedure utilizes multiple independent sources of data to determine whether usage of a device, such as a desktop computer, is authorized. When a comparison indicates an anomaly from the base-line usage data, the system, provides a notice that access of the first device is not authorized.
US09749341B2

The present disclosure discloses a method, device and system for recognizing network behavior of a program. The method comprises: during the program's access to a network, acquiring application layer data in a current network behavior of the program; judging whether the application layer data includes an unknown protocol; if protocols in the application layer data are all known protocols, identifying the current network behavior of the program as a network behavior of a recognizable program; and if the application layer data includes an unknown protocol, identifying the current network behavior of the program as a network behavior of a suspicious program. As such, a accurate recognition of a network behavior of a program is realized, the network behavior of the program including an unknown protocol is identified as a network behavior of a suspicious program, risk prompt information can be sent to a user, and a final selection is performed by the user, thereby solving the problem that conventional solutions for recognizing a network behavior of a program cannot accurately recognize a network behavior of a newly-emerging or new variant program.
US09749339B2

A system creates a dynamic stochastic network using data relating to events. The dynamic stochastic network includes super nodes, local nodes, and agents. Connections among the super nodes and local nodes include events that are related to the super nodes and the local nodes. Strengths of the connections between the super nodes and local nodes are a function of a number of events that are common to the super nodes and local nodes. The connections are made and broken as the agents interact over time. The strengths of the connections increase and decrease as a function of a change in the number of events that the super nodes and local nodes have in common. An instability metric is calculated for the dynamic stochastic network, and an emerging group threat behavior is detected based on a deviation from the instability metric.
US09749338B2

A computing device may receive netflow data that includes information corresponding to network-side activity associated with a target device. The computing device may evaluate the netflow data based on a netflow signature to identify potentially malicious activity. The netflow signature may include information corresponding to two or more network events occurring in a particular order. The computing device may report, to another computing device, that potentially malicious activity, corresponding to the network data, has been detected based on the evaluation of the netflow data.
US09749335B2

Firmware updates for, e.g., thin client devices may be achieved in a seamless, non-disruptive manner using a two-stage firmware loader, including a base loader pre-installed on the device and a caching loader downloaded, by the base loader, from a firmware server and thereafter responsible for downloading and updating other firmware application packages.
US09749329B2

The present disclosure provides a device and a method for managing network connection. The device is used to connect a number of external devices to a network, and stores a plurality of pieces of network configuration information. The method includes detecting whether one or more external devices requests to connect to the network via the device; and determining the configuration information corresponding to each external device, configuring the allowed external devices and connecting the configured external devices to the network according to the determined network configuration information. A network connection managing system is further provided.
US09749328B2

Embodiments presented herein describe techniques for selecting incoming network frames to be mirrored using an access control list. According to one embodiment, an incoming frame is received. Upon determining that the incoming frame matches an entry in the access control list, a mirror field of the entry is evaluated. The mirror field identifies at least one mirroring action to perform on the frame. The identified mirroring action is performed on the frame.
US09749318B2

A method and apparatus for key management in a communication network. A Key Management Server (KMS) receives from a first device a request for a token associated with a user identity, the user identity being associated with a second device. The KMS then sends the requested token and a user key associated with the user to the first device. The KMS subsequently receives the token from the second device. A second device key is generated using the user key and a modifying parameter associated with the second device. The modifying parameter is available to the first device for generating the second device key. The second device key is then sent from the KMS to the second device. The second device key can be used by the second device to authenticate itself to the first device, or for the first device to secure communications to the second device.
US09749315B1

A method of conferring security trust and privileges between proximally positioned devices in the presence of a root trust device includes configuring a microprocessor to activate at least one wireless communications module to receive a unique environmental signal (UES) and a proximally positioned device's unique device identifier (UDI) in response to detecting a threshold charge capacity in a battery during its initial charging, imprinting a primary device asymmetric key pair, the UDI, and the UES as a primary device pairing event, transmitting a primary device certificate to the proximally positioned device, encrypting device content on the proximally positioned device by multiplexing a device content signal with an asymmetric key, and decrypting the device content on another proximally positioned device using a corresponding asymmetric key from a shared certificate while in the presence of the root trust device.
US09749311B2

The present disclosure relates generally to managing compliance of remote devices that access an enterprise system. More particularly, techniques are disclosed for using a compliance policy to manage remediation of non-compliances of remote devices that access an enterprise system. A device access management system may be implemented to automate remediation of non-compliances of remote devices accessing an enterprise system. Remediation may be controlled based on different levels of non-compliance, each defined by one or more different non-compliances. In some embodiments, a level of non-compliance may be conditionally defined by one or more user roles for which non-compliance is assessed. Access to computing resources of an enterprise system may be controlled for a remote device based on compliance of the remote device. Access may be inhibited for those resources not permitted during a time period of a non-compliance.
US09749309B2

A system comprising an IMS network (104), an adapter module (106), an identity provider (108) and an application (110) is described. The adapter module (106) is within an IMS trust domain. The application (110) is within the trust domain of the identity provider. A user of the system can access the application (110) via the IMS network (104), regardless of whether the application is within the IMS trust domain, by making use of the adapter module (106) to obtain the user's user credentials for the application from the identity provider.
US09749289B2

Described herein are systems, devices, techniques and products for managing the dynamic assignment of media access control (MAC) addresses to wireless network devices, such as by identifying a dynamically assigned MAC address before, after, or during a wireless association process and communicating the dynamically assigned MAC address to a wireless network device. Also disclosed are systems, devices, techniques and products for preventing a denial of service attack on a wireless access point's association table, such as by requiring devices that associate with a wireless access point to respond to a query from the wireless access point shortly after association.
US09749288B2

Systems and methods for storing and managing pools of network addresses. An example method may comprise: identifying, in a data structure representing a pool of network addresses, an index value of an element having a defined state; determining, by a processing device, a network address in view of the index value and a base network address associated with the pool; and modifying the state of the element of the data structure.
US09749278B1

A token for a webclient in communication with an HTTP server to access an email system is stored at a database by the HTTP server. If the HTTP server is unexpectedly unavailable, a backup HTTP server that next interacts with the webclient can locate the token for the webclient using identifying information for the webclient to locate a record in the database containing the token. The backup HTTP server can then provide seamless access to the email system for the webclient despite the loss of connectivity to the initial HTTP server.
US09749268B2

A message delivery system includes a plurality of smart devices associated with a person. Each smart device includes the person's contact information and a wireless transceiver for communicating with each of the other smart devices and communicating messages directed to the person. A message handling module having stored codes executable by a processor is embedded within one of the smart devices to receive current device status of each of the smart devices and to determine a chosen smart device to receive a current message directed to the person based on criteria including the current device status.
US09749263B2

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for identifying and reducing LTE-system coverage holes due to external interference. One embodiment takes the form of a process that includes receiving a signal in a first wireless band. The received signal comprises a signal of interest. The process also includes determining that a received signal quality of the signal of interest is less than a signal-quality threshold. The process also includes determining that the received signal quality of the signal of interest is less than the signal-quality threshold due to interference external to the first wireless band, and responsively attenuating the received signal. The process also includes demodulating the attenuated received signal to obtain the signal of interest.
US09749259B2

A method for allocating port assignments for transmitting a reserved network stream across a network node comprises determining a cycle time associated with a network node. The method also comprises establishing, for at least one port of the network node, a plurality of virtual layers associated with the cycle time, wherein each of the plurality of virtual layers is divided into 2n equally-spaced slots per cycle (where n>0). The method further comprises receiving a reserved stream request associated with transmission of a reserved stream across the node, and determining a number of slots required to transmit the reserved stream. The method also comprises assigning one or more slots associated with a port of the network node to the transmission of packets associated with the reserved stream based on the determined number of slots. The method further comprises transmitting the stream according to the slot assignment associated with the port of the network node.
US09749249B2

Providing protection to network traffic includes sending a Pseudowire protection configuration parameter for configuring a standby Pseudowire between a source node and a destination node, receiving a Pseudowire configuration acknowledgement indicating whether the Pseudowire protection configuration parameter has been accepted by the destination node, and in the event that the Pseudowire protection configuration parameter has been accepted by the destination node, using the standby Pseudowire, wherein the standby Pseudowire's configured based at least in part on the Pseudowire protection configuration parameter.
US09749246B2

Datalink frames or networking packets contain protocol information in the header and optionally in the trailer of a frame or a packet. We are proposing a method in which part of or all of the protocol information corresponding to a frame or a packet is transmitted separately in another datalink frame. The “Separately Transmitted Protocol Information” is referred to as STPI. The STPI contains enough protocol information to identify the next hop node or port. STPI can be used avoid network congestion and improve link efficiency. Preferably, there will be one datalink frame or network packet corresponding to each STPI, containing the data and the rest of the protocol information and this frame/packet is referred to as DFoNP. The creation of STPI and DFoNP is done by the originator of the frame or packet such as an operating system.
US09749238B2

A communication device executes multiple applications that generate application data. The communication device determines application labels that individually identify the executing applications. The communication device inserts the application data in layer three communication payloads and inserts the application labels in layer three communication headers to individually associate the executing applications with their layer three communication headers and their application data. The communication device inserts the layer three communication headers and the layer three communication payloads in layer two communication payloads. The communication device transfers the layer two communication payloads with layer two headers. In some examples, the communication device inserts the application labels in the layer two communication headers to individually associate the executing applications with their layer two communication headers and their application data.
US09749235B2

Through the identification of different packet-types, packets can be handled based on an assigned packet handling identifier. This identifier can, for example, enable forwarding of latency-sensitive packets without delay and allow error-sensitive packets to be stored for possible retransmission. In another embodiment, and optionally in conjunction with retransmission protocols including a packet handling identifier, a memory used for retransmission of packets can be shared with other transceiver functionality such as, coding, decoding, interleaving, deinterleaving, error correction, and the like.
US09749233B2

Techniques for smart data routing are described. A system may include a storage module configured to store network conditions for a plurality of networks and locations and a server device. The server device may be configured to determine network conditions for each of a plurality of networks and locations based upon detected usage of at least one mobile application being accessed via each of the plurality of networks and in each of the locations. Determined network conditions may be stored at the storage module. The server may be further configured to receive a request for a communication from a client device. Based upon at least the determined network conditions, the server may be configured to determine routing information for the communication. Once determined, the server may be configured to provide the routing information for the communication to the client device.
US09749231B2

In general, embodiments of the invention relate to routing packets between servers in different layer 2 domains. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to using overlay routing mechanisms in an Internet Protocol (IP) fabric to enable communication between servers in different layer 2 domains to communication. The overlay routing mechanisms may include direct routing, indirect routing, naked routing, or a combination thereof (e.g., hybrid routing).
US09749230B2

The objective of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of sending address correspondence information and updating a MAC table in a data link layer protocol of applying Link State Routing for solving the problem that too much bandwidth is occupied by broadcasting address correspondence information solicitation in a data link layer of applying link state routing. Through adopting the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention, since besides the ingress network node, other network nodes also store address correspondence information in their address correspondence information tables, so when they receive an address correspondence information solicitation, they can directly reply with an address correspondence information response without broadcasting the solicitation, decreasing the bandwidth occupied by broadcasting address correspondence information solicitation in a data link layer of applying link state routing.
US09749211B2

A computer-implemented process for detecting service failures of a network application under test involves collecting raw network-application availability monitoring (NAAM) data. The NAAM data can include datapoints, each which specifies the network application under test, a respective test site; a time corresponding to a respective probe, and an indication whether the respective probe resulted in a success or a failure. The raw NAAM data is filtered to remove datapoints indicating failures associated with causes other than a service failure of the NAUT. The filtered NAAM data is analyzed to detect a service failure of the NAUT.
US09749200B2

Provided is a method for detecting an application in a wireless communication system. The method includes receiving and inspecting a packet; detecting flows from the packet using a predefined signature; granting a score to each of the detected flows, and summing the granted scores by integrating the detected flows for each application; comparing the summed score of the flows integrated for each application with a preset value; and determining that an application is detected, if the summed score is greater than the preset value.
US09749187B2

A method, apparatus and memory for forwarding packets through a network domain containing nodes that are label distribution protocol (LDP) enabled and nodes that are segment routing (SR) enabled. In one embodiment, the method may include receiving at a hybrid node a packet with an attached segment identifier and detaching the segment identifier from the packet. This embodiment of the method continues with attaching a first LDP label to the packet after the segment identifier is detached and forwarding the packet with the attached first LDP label on a path toward a first LDP enabled node.
US09749178B2

Techniques to dynamically configure target bitrate for streaming network connections are described. An apparatus may comprise a streaming component operative to establish a streaming network connection with a second client device at a first client device; and a stream configuration component operative to determine inter-arrival rate information for the streaming network connection; provide the inter-arrival rate information to an inter-arrival rate analysis component; receive a preliminary target bitrate from the inter-arrival rate analysis component in response to providing the inter-arrival rate information to the inter-arrival rate analysis component; determine round-trip time information for the streaming network connection; determine an assigned target bitrate and a packet size setting for the streaming network connection based on the preliminary target bitrate and the round-trip time information; and configure the streaming component to perform the streaming network connection with the assigned target bitrate and the packet size setting. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09749177B2

The present invention relates to an address assignment procedure where an address request containing a unique identification is sent to a predefined address of a network, and the role of an address assignment master is taken over in response to the receipt of a non-acknowledging response to the address request. Standard intelligent building blocks can thus be used to create a large product portfolio. The intelligent building blocks are connected to each other via a network and addresses can be assigned without needing additional process steps, human interaction or factory/field-service tooling.
US09749176B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided for providing adaptive user notifications. A method may include detecting an event. The method may further include determining usage of one or more connected apparatuses. The method may also include determining, based on the determined usage, a notification method for notifying of the event. The method may additionally include generating an event notification message based on the determined notification method. The method may further include causing the event notification message to be sent to a connected apparatus to trigger the connected apparatus to provide an alert indicative of the event in accordance with the determined notification method. Corresponding apparatuses are also provided.
US09749170B2

A method and apparatus for generating a sampling frequency are provided. A signal is generated, of which frequency is a predetermined multiple of a reference clock, and a frequency offset in a channel is extracted from the entire frequency offset. The amount of shift is calculated by dividing the extracted frequency offset by a predetermined value, and a final sampling frequency is obtained by shifting the frequency of the generated signal by the amount of shift.
US09749153B2

A method and system for populating identities in a message service involves registering a user of a first messaging service with a second messaging service. User identities for users other than the registered user may be identified. These user identities may be associated with the first messaging service and may be stored in a list associated with the registered user. It is determined if each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second messaging service. If so, a database associated with the second messaging service is populated with the matching user identities. Determining whether a matching user identity exists may be performed, for example, by making character strings comparisons between user identities or using a database that stores a mapping of first messaging service user identities to second messaging service user identities. The mapping database may be generated as corresponding user identities are discovered.
US09749151B2

Methods and computing systems for tunneling in a carrier transport network are described. An Internet Protocol (IP) packet having a destination IP address of a destination cellular site of a cellular cluster is received. A frame is formed with the IP packet placed into a payload portion of the frame. An outer Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag that identifies a network of the cellular cluster to a first carrier network is added to the frame, and an inner VLAN tag that identifies the network of the cellular cluster to a second carrier is added. The first carrier network and the second carrier network are coupled via at least one network-to-network interface. The frame, including the IP packet, is forwarded to a provider edge switch of the first carrier network.
US09749142B2

The invention relates to a method of notifying an Application Function, AF, in a communications network of resource restrictions relating to a communications session. The network includes a Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF, for authorising and controlling flows of data in the session. In the method the AF sends an authorisation request to the PCRF for establishing the communication session. The authorisation request includes an indication that the AF is to be notified of resource restrictions for the data flows in the session. The PCRF notifies the AF of the resource restrictions.
US09749138B2

A method includes encrypting a first plaintext vector using a relational linearity encryption scheme to generate a first linearity ciphertext and using a relational proximity encryption scheme to generate a first proximity ciphertext. The method includes communicating the first linearity and the first proximity ciphertexts to a server. The method includes encrypting a second plaintext vector using the relational linearity encryption scheme to generate a second linearity ciphertext and using the relational proximity encryption scheme to generate a second proximity ciphertext. The method includes communicating the second linearity and second proximity ciphertexts, a relational linearity key, and a relational proximity key to the server. The method includes receiving an authentication signal indicative of a linearity relationship between the first and the second linearity ciphertexts discovered using the relational linearity key and of a proximity between the first and the second proximity ciphertexts detected using the relational proximity key.
US09749131B2

A system, apparatus, method, and machine readable medium are described for authentication with asymmetric cryptography. For example, a method in accordance with one embodiment comprises: generating a challenge at a server; encrypting the challenge at the server using a public encryption key; transmitting the encrypted challenge to a connected device having a first connection over a network with the server; providing the encrypted challenge from the connected device to a user device; decrypting the encrypted challenge using a private encryption key corresponding to the public encryption key to determine the challenge; converting the challenge to a converted challenge, the converted challenge having a different format than the original challenge; receiving the converted challenge at the connected device and providing the converted challenge from the connected device to the server; and validating the converted challenge at the server to authenticate the user.
US09749123B1

A method includes receiving an optical signal through an optical link and determining a receiving power for the optical link. The method further includes comparing the receiving power for the optical link to a first receiving power threshold and transitioning a clock and data recovery circuit form a normal mode to a holdover mode when the receiving power is less than the first receiving power threshold. The clock and data recovery circuit, when operating in the holdover mode, configured to hold a recovered clock to a known-good clock frequency. When the receiving power for the optical link is greater than a second receiving power threshold, the method initiates a transition of the clock and data recovery circuit from the holdover mode to the normal mode and reacquires synchronization between the recovered clock and a current rate of the incoming data stream using the known-good clock frequency.
US09749122B2

Systems and methods of synchronizing a fountain code transmitting end and receiving end. In one embodiment, the fountain code transmitting end includes a first pseudorandom number generator, a second pseudorandom number generator, and a first transceiver. The method includes generating, at the first pseudorandom number generator, a first random number based on a seed. The method further includes generating, at the second pseudorandom number generator, a first plurality of unique random numbers based on the first random number. The method also includes selecting, at the fountain code transmitting end, a first subset of data blocks of a plurality of data blocks based on the first plurality of unique random numbers. The method further includes generating, at the fountain code transmitting end, a first communication block based on the first subset of data blocks. The method also includes transmitting, via the first transceiver, the first communication block and the seed.
US09749118B2

A method for providing bidirectional communication between segments of a home network includes receiving a first communication signal at a first interface of an inter-domain bridge during a first time interval; receiving a second communication signal at a second interface of the inter-domain bridge during the first time interval; generating a superimposed signal of the first communication signal and the second communication signal; and transmitting the superimposed signal through the first interface and the second interface during a second time interval. The second time interval occurs after the first time interval.
US09749113B1

An example embodiment may involve defining a time-division multiplexed, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed wireless air interface containing a primary signaling channel. The primary signaling channel may be formed by a first set of modulation symbols that are allocated to a fixed time position of each time-division multiplexed subframe across a plurality of contiguous subcarrier frequencies. A first set of the subcarrier frequencies may be powered at a first level and a second set of subcarrier frequencies may be powered at a second level. The example embodiment may also involve defining a secondary signaling channel. The secondary signaling channel may be formed in the air interface by a second set of modulation symbols that are allocated to dynamic time positions on the first set of the subcarrier frequencies. The example embodiment may further involve transmitting signaling messages to one or more WCDs via the secondary signaling channel.
US09749110B2

Techniques for presenting communication by two or more stations in a WLAN environment are provided. Specifically, methods are presented, that when taken alone or together, provide a device or group of devices with an efficient way for bandwidth adaptation using echo cancellation. Even more specifically, a narrow-bandwidth transmission can be interrupted in favor of a higher-bandwidth transmission upon one or more secondary channels becoming available or going quiet.
US09749103B2

A method for operating a transmission point with reduced interference includes determining a beamformed signal configuration specified in accordance with configuration information of neighboring TPs, wherein the beamformed signal configuration indicates multiplexed beamformed signals in a spatial domain and at least one of a time domain and a frequency domain, and transmitting beamformed signals in accordance with the beamformed signal configuration, wherein the beamformed signals comprises at least one of beamformed reference signals and beamformed control signals.
US09749083B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a transmission device that includes at least one transceiver configured to modulate data to generate a plurality of first electromagnetic waves. A plurality of couplers are configured to couple at least a portion of the plurality of first electromagnetic waves to a transmission medium, wherein the plurality of couplers generate a plurality of mode division multiplexed second electromagnetic waves that propagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09749080B2

A communication system includes a first multiplexer configured to multiplex a first optical line terminal signal having a first multiplexing group and a second optical line terminal signal having a second multiplexing group into a first multiplexed signal. The communication system includes a second multiplexer configured to demultiplex a second multiplexed signal into a third optical line terminal signal having the first multiplexing group and a fourth optical line terminal signal having the second multiplexing group. Moreover, the communication system includes a third multiplexer optically connected with the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer, the third multiplexer configured to multiplex/demultiplex between a feeder optical signal and the first and second multiplexed signals. The first and second optical line terminal signals include a legacy upstream free spectral range, and the third and fourth optical line terminal signals include a legacy downstream free spectral range.
US09749076B2

The invention provides a method and apparatus for reconfiguring wavelength of the ONU. To be specific, the OLT sends a Deactivate_ONU-ID message to the ONU, the Deactivate_ONU-ID message including a reconfiguration flag, a new receive wavelength assigned for the ONU and a new transmit wavelength assigned for the ONU. After receiving the Deactivate_ONU-ID message from the OLT, the ONU discards the TC layer parameters related to the current wavelength channel, and determines whether the reconfiguration flag included in the Deactivate_ONU-ID message indicates the receive wavelength and the transmit wavelength of the ONU are required to be reconfigured. If so, then the ONU replaces its original receive wavelength and original transmit wavelength with its new receive wavelength and the new transmit wavelength included in the Deactivate_ONU-ID message, and enters initial state; and if not, then the ONU enters initial state directly.
US09749072B2

This disclosure describes a system that implements a multi-channel command and data processing device for multichannel data processing and transmission systems that are designed to connect to different types of data sources and sinks and describes a device configured to implement a novel endpoint parameter management architecture for generic devices. The system uses a multi-channel command and data processing device with one or more inputs and one or more outputs, with a processor and a memory, in communication with a data storage that manages endpoint parameters of one or more input devices and one or more output devices. The system further includes a data terminal and a plurality of endpoints.
US09749069B2

Systems, methods, and devices enable spectrum management by identifying, classifying, and cataloging signals of interest based on radio frequency measurements. In an embodiment, signals and the parameters of the signals may be identified and indications of available frequencies may be presented to a user. In another embodiment, the protocols of signals may also be identified. In a further embodiment, the modulation of signals, data types carried by the signals, and estimated signal origins may be identified.
US09749063B2

Apparatus for generating an RF signal for use in RF signal detection is described. The apparatus comprises at least one processor configured to generate a set of IQ data based on at least one set of weighted IQ data, each set of weighted IQ data having a respective weight and a circuit configured to generate an RF signal using the set of IQ data. The at least one processor is configured to calculate each respective weight in dependence upon location of a signal detector or an antenna associated with the RF signal detector.
US09749062B2

A high-speed optical receiver implemented using a low-speed light receiving element is provided, which is configured to receive an optical signal having a higher transmission rate than that received using a general avalanche photo diode (APD) by expanding a frequency bandwidth using a receiver circuit configured together with an APD in the optical receiver including the APD, an APD bias control circuit, a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for amplifying a signal received from the APD to have low noise, and a post amplifier; and a method of implementing such a high-speed optical receiver.
US09749061B2

A digital signal processor which performs digital signal processing of a digital signal includes a statistical analysis method which calculates a moving average and a standard deviation from the digital signal, performs statistical decision deciding whether or not the digital signal is within a predetermined range obtained from the moving average and the standard deviation, and corrects the digital signal outside the range within the range. Statistical analysis of the digital signal is performed, thereby suppressing transient changes without increasing the number of times of averaging during the digital signal processing.
US09749059B2

According to one embodiment, a current outputting circuit includes an output node, a first circuit outputting a first signal and a second signal based on an input signal, the first and second signals having phases of complementary relationship, and a second circuit outputting an output current from the output node based on the first and second signals. The second circuit includes a first current source with a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal being connected to a first power source, and a first transistor with a third terminal, a fourth terminal and a fifth terminal, the first signal being input to the third terminal, the fourth and fifth terminals sandwiching a first current path controlled by the first signal, the fourth terminal being connected to the second terminal, the fifth terminal being connected to the output node. The second signal is input to the fifth terminal.
US09749055B2

An optical transmitter converts a plurality of transmission signals transmitted via a plurality of lanes into a multi-carrier signal and transmits the multi-carrier signal. The optical transmitter includes: a controller configured to generate allocation information that indicates an allocation of sub-carriers to the plurality of lanes according to a bit rate of the transmission signal of each of the lanes and a possible transmission capacity of each of the sub-carriers; and a signal processor configured to convert the plurality of transmission signals into the multi-carrier signal in accordance with the allocation information generated by the controller.
US09749054B2

Aspects of embodiments relate to an optical transceiver device, comprising: a detection region for detecting light at a first wavelength for down-conversion; and a modulation region for modulating light at a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength, wherein the detection region is substantially transparent to light at the second wavelength and located upstream to the modulation with respect to direction of propagation of first wavelength light incident onto the detection region.
US09749037B2

A demultiplexing apparatus includes a signal receiving unit that receives signals, an analog demultiplexing unit that analog-demultiplexes, in predetermined units of channels, received signals received by the signal receiving unit and generates analog demultiplexed signals, and a plurality of digital demultiplexing units that digital-demultiplex the analog demultiplexed signals in units of sub-channels and generate digital demultiplexed signals. The analog demultiplexing unit controls, concerning the analog demultiplexed signals output to the digital demultiplexing units, a total value of bandwidths in which a signal is present so as to be a predetermined value or less.
US09749028B2

A method and apparatus for feeding back channel information from a first device to a second device in a wireless communication system are provided. The first device estimates channel parameters based on a signal received from the second device, and determines a set of angle parameters indicative of an angle representation of a V matrix, which is the right singular matrix of a singular value decomposition of an estimated channel matrix H. The angle parameters can be derived according to a Givens rotation method or Cosine-Sine decomposition. The first device applies a Trellis Coded Quantization (TCQ) scheme to map the angle parameters to a trellis. A Viterbi algorithm applied to the trellis generates quantized angle parameters which are transmitted to the second device.
US09749026B2

In a base station having a Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) antenna array, the availability of the M-MIMO antenna array is exploited to manage the interference caused by the base station to neighboring cells. In one embodiment, the large number of antenna elements of the M-MIMO antenna array are used to create precise transmit and/or receive spatial nulls at specific User Equipments (UEs) being served by a neighboring cell and/or in select areas of the neighboring cell. Depending on whether the spatial null is partial or full, transmissions by the base station may have reduced or even zero receive power within the neighboring cell.
US09749024B2

Apparatuses, methods and computer readable media for multi-user request-to-send and clear-to-send are disclosed. An apparatus of a high-efficiency wireless local area network (HEW) master station comprising circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry may be configured to: select a first group of stations to transmit a multi-user request-to-send (MU-RTS) transmission to and generate a MU-RTS packet for the first group of stations. The circuitry may be configured to transmit the MU-RTS packet to the first group of stations. The MU-RTS may include a resource map that indicates a subchannel for each of the first group of stations to receive data on and/or a power control indication for at least one of the stations of the one or more stations. The MU-RTS may indicate that some of the first group of stations should transmit a multi-user clear-to-send (MU-CTS) and others of the first group of stations should not transmit a MU-CTS.
US09749021B2

Embodiments of an acoustic feedback suppressor determine the energy in each of a plurality of frequency bands of frames of an audio signal. The energy in each of the plurality of frequency bands is compared to characteristic of human voice to determine that a present frame contains content that is not likely human voice and exhibits a characteristic of feedback. Upon determining that feedback is occurring, an adaptive gain reduction is applied to the band in which feedback is suspected to be occurring.
US09749020B2

An integrated circuit includes multiple quadrangular coils including a first wiring and a second wiring that are alternately connected to each other and formed on different layers in a manner perpendicularly intersecting each other. The coils are partly overlapped with each other in a diagonal direction that connects opposite corners of the coils. The coils preferably have the same structures. A target coil among the coils preferably partly overlaps with another coil among the coils in two diagonal directions that connect opposite corners of the target coil.
US09748995B2

A sensor assembly is provided for a portable electronic device. The sensor assembly includes a proximity sensor and a module including shielding. The proximity sensor is connected to the shielding such that the shielding selectively functions as a sensor electrode for the proximity sensor.
US09748981B2

A radio frequency receiver comprises a plurality of parallel receiving paths, wherein each path can receive a radio frequency signal in one of a plurality of radio frequency bands and amplify the received signal in a low noise amplifier. The amplified signals from the plurality of parallel paths are combined to one combined radio frequency signal in a common summation node and down-converted to a lower frequency signal in a mixer circuit. Each low noise amplifier comprises a low noise transconductance circuit providing a current signal to drive the common summation node, and an automatic gain control circuit in each path compensates for variations in signal strength independently of signal strengths of signals received by the other receiving paths. The receiver is suitable for simultaneous multiple band reception, where received signal strength can vary between the frequency bands.
US09748970B1

A built-in-self-test (BIST) circuit is connected to a processor and a sigma-delta modulator (SDM) and includes an averaging circuit, a reference signal generator, and a comparator. The averaging circuit calculates an average of a sum of a set of bit signals of the SDM output signal over a period of time period, and generates an average SDM signal. The reference signal generator generates a reference SDM signal based on an SDM input signal. The comparator compares the voltage levels of the average SDM and reference SDM signals with a threshold value, and generates a test output signal based on the comparison.
US09748968B1

An extreme index finder and a digital value finding method are provided. The extreme index finder includes a plurality of digital-to-time converters (DTCs) and a first arbiter apparatus. The DTCs respectively receive a plurality of input signals and perform a digital-to-time converting operation on each of the input signals to respectively generate a plurality of time-domain signals. The first arbiter apparatus finds a position of a extreme value in the time-domain signals according to transition speeds of the time-domain signals and compares transition speed of the extreme value with each of the time-domain signals to find an extreme input signal corresponding to the extreme value in the input signals.
US09748961B2

Techniques are disclosed for managing the timing between two asynchronous clocks. The techniques are particularly well-suited for synchronizing the reference clock with the divided clock in a phase coherent DSM PLL application, but can be more broadly applied to any application that includes a need for synchronizing a data bus across a clock boundary. In one example embodiment, the techniques are implemented in a retime word circuit operatively coupled between a DSM and the divide-by-N integer divider of a PLL application. The retime word circuit receives the divide word from the DSM and generates a retimed divide word that can be applied to the divider. The retime word circuit maintains the reference clock frequency throughput, and forces the divide word seen by the divider to change only at end of a given divide cycle.
US09748954B2

A calculation device includes a programmable logic device including a plurality of circuit arrangement areas each to which power supply voltage allowed to be independently controlled is supplied and a calculation circuit coupled to the programmable logic device. The calculation circuit arranges a main circuit that executes specific processing in a first circuit arrangement area included in the plurality of circuit arrangement areas, acquires a second circuit arrangement area in which a sub circuit that executes the specific processing is allowed to be arranged, included in the plurality of circuit arrangement areas and in which the main circuit is not arranged, arranges the sub circuit in the second circuit arrangement area, and causes one of the main circuit and the sub circuit to execute the specific processing.
US09748952B2

Devices and methods are provided that facilitate improved input device performance. The devices and methods utilize a first electrode and a second electrode disposed on a first substrate and a deformable electrode structure. The deformable electrode structure overlaps the first electrode and the second electrode to define a variable capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode that changes with the deformation of the deformable electrode structure. The deformable electrode structure comprises a spacing component configured to provide spacing between the deformable electrode structure and the first electrode and the second electrode. Finally, a transmission component is configured such that biasing the transmission component causes the deformable electrode structure to deform and change the variable capacitance. A measurement of the variable capacitance can be used to determine force information regarding the force biasing the transmission component.
US09748948B2

An emitter switched bipolar transistor circuit includes a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) having a collector coupled to an output terminal, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) coupled to an emitter of the BJT, a bias voltage supply coupled to the base of the BJT, a buffer coupled to the base of the BJT, and a comparator. The comparator includes a first input coupled to the collector of the BJT, a second input coupled to a voltage reference, and an output coupled to an input of the buffer. The comparator is configured to receive a collector voltage of the BJT at the first input of the comparator, compare the received collector voltage with the voltage reference, and cause the buffer to inject a current pulse to the base of the BJT until the collector voltage is less than the voltage reference, indicating the BJT is substantially saturated.
US09748935B2

Examples of a signal calculator include a voltage multiplier and a time divider. The voltage multiplier copies time information corresponding to a first voltage and generates a third voltage using a second current corresponding to a second voltage during a first period corresponding to the copied time information. The time divider generates an output according to a result of comparing a voltage generated by a first current on the basis of a voltage corresponding to a first time with a second voltage corresponding to a second time.
US09748928B1

Digital signal processing (“DSP”) block circuitry on an integrated circuit (“IC”) is adapted for use, e.g., in multiple instances of the DSP block circuitry on the IC, for implementing finite-impulse-response (“FIR”) filters that are dynamically adjustable. Advantages of such DSP block circuitries may include an increase in performance and a reduction in logic and memory usage for multi-standard FIR filters.
US09748919B2

An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, an IDT electrode, and a cover member. The IDT electrode is provided on the piezoelectric substrate. The cover member is provided above the piezoelectric substrate and separate from the IDT electrode. The cover member includes a first cover member and a second cover member. The second cover member is laminated on a side of the first cover member opposite to the piezoelectric substrate. The glass transition point of the first cover member is higher than that of the second cover member.
US09748911B2

A variable gain amplifying circuit incorporates an operational amplifier, an input device, a feedback device, a transconductance circuit, and a dynamic biasing circuit. The operational amplifier has an output terminal providing an amplified difference output signal. The input device has a first terminal receiving a first input signal, and a second terminal coupled to a first input terminal of the operational amplifier. The feedback device is coupled between the first input terminal of the operational amplifier and the output terminal of the operational amplifier. The dynamic biasing circuit generates a bias current according to a set value. The transconductance circuit converts the difference between the first input signal and a second input signal into an analog output current flowing through the feedback device. The analog output current of the transconductance circuit is varied according to the bias current.
US09748906B2

One embodiment is directed to a distributed antenna system comprising a host unit and at least one remote antenna unit that is communicatively coupled to the host unit. The remote antenna unit is configured to perform self-interference suppression processing in an upstream signal path using, as an input thereto, a feedback signal derived from the downstream radio frequency signal radiated from the antenna. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09748897B2

A junction box used for making electrical connections to a photovoltaic panel. The junction box has two chambers including a first chamber and a second chamber and a wall common to and separating both chambers. The wall may be adapted to have an electrical connection therethrough. The two lids are adapted to seal respectively the two chambers. The two lids are on opposite sides of the junction box relative to the photovoltaic panel. The two lids may be attachable using different sealing processes to a different level of hermeticity. The first chamber may be adapted to receive a circuit board for electrical power conversion. The junction box may include supports for mounting a printed circuit board in the first chamber. The second chamber is configured for electrical connection to the photovoltaic panel. A metal heat sink may be bonded inside the first chamber.
US09748887B2

A permanent magnet synchronous motor includes at least two series-connected windings for each phase, and is configured to be driven by selecting the windings using a multi-inverter driving device configured to switch between an inverter for low-speed drive and an inverter for high-speed drive. A ratio of an induced voltage constant of at least one group of windings constituting the windings for the high-speed drive and a d-axis inductance is larger than a ratio of an induced voltage constant of all the series-connected windings to the d-axis inductance.
US09748880B2

A motor control unit having a motor structure that rotates a rotor by voltage excitation includes a photo interrupter, a slit rotation plate, a comparator, and an encoder circuit in order to obtain a position detection signal corresponding to a rotational phase of an output shaft. During a period of time from the motor stopping to the change of the output of an encoder circuit after the supply of a drive voltage waveform, a CPU supplies a drive voltage waveform that is advanced by an advance angle amount that has been set in advance to the motor, and after the change of the output of the encoder circuit, a drive signal by which the advance angle amount is controlled based on the output of the encoder circuit is supplied to the motor.
US09748873B2

One embodiment describes a motor starter, which includes a first single pole switching device that opens to disconnect power from a first winding of a motor; a second single pole switching device that closes after the first switching device opens to connect power to the first winding; a third single pole switching device closes after the second single pole switching device closes to increase power supplied to a second winding of the motor; a fourth single pole switching device that opens after the third single pole switching device closes to disconnect power supplied to a third winding of the motor and to reduce power supplied to the second winding; and a fifth single pole switching device that closes after the fourth switching device opens to connect power to the third winding.
US09748864B2

A power supply circuit includes a power amplifier that receives a direct current (DC) voltage from a first power source. A control signal applied to the power amplifier causes the power amplifier to convert the DC voltage to an alternating current (AC) output signal. The AC output signal is applied to a transformer that includes a first winding, a second winding, and a third winding. The first winding receives the AC output signal and the second winding receives an output current that varies in accordance with the AC output signal to apply current to a load. A rectifier includes a plurality of diodes configured to rectify a voltage across the third winding and clamp the voltage at the load. Return power from the third winding may be returned to the first power source.
US09748860B2

A device includes a transformer configured to supply a pre-charge voltage to a capacitor and a converter configured for coupling to the transformer and responsive to an increasing modulation index. The modulation index increases for a time quanta after the capacitor becomes substantially fully charged and the pre-charge voltage is substantially constant during the time quanta.
US09748852B2

An electrical circuit for providing electrical power for use in powering electronic devices, such as monitors, televisions, white goods, data centers, and telecom circuit boards, is described herein. The electrical circuit includes an input terminal configured to receive an input power signal, an output terminal configured to provide an output power signal, and a plurality of voltage reduction circuit cells coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal. Each of the voltage reduction circuit cells includes a pair of flyback capacitors, a switching circuit, and a hold capacitor. The switching device is configured to operate the corresponding voltage reduction circuit cell at a charging phase and at a discharging phase. The plurality of voltage reduction circuit cells are configured to deliver the output power signal having a voltage level that is less than the voltage level of the input power signal.
US09748851B2

A switching power supply apparatus includes a first series circuit including a third rectifier device and a fourth rectifier device and that is connected between a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal, and a first capacitor a first end of which is connected to a connection node between the third rectifier device and the fourth rectifier device and a second end of which is connected to an end, not connected to the first series circuit, of a first rectifier device or a second rectifier device. The first series circuit and the first capacitor define a snubber circuit.
US09748849B2

Provided is regulation of a line current. The regulation of the line current includes comparing a reference voltage with a line sensing voltage to generate a feedback voltage, and controlling a switching operation of a power switch using the feedback voltage. The reference voltage may be a voltage having a constant level, a voltage which varies according to an output current, or a voltage which follows a sine wave to compensate a power factor. Provided is sensing of an output current. The sensing of the output current includes sensing the output current using a feedback voltage corresponding to a voltage between both terminals of an inductor connected to a power switch, a peak of current flowing through the power switch, and a switching cycle of the power switch.
US09748837B1

Dynamic power management techniques and voltage converter architectures are described to provide a secure and efficient on-chip power delivery system. In aspects of the embodiments, converter-gating is used to adaptively turn individual interleaved switched-capacitor stages of a voltage converter on and off based on workload information to improve voltage conversion efficiency. Further, as a countermeasure against machine learning based differential power analysis attacks, for example, control signals provided to a number of the interleaved switched-capacitor stages are delayed to reduce the risk of low power trace entropy (PTE). A higher PTE value is maintained regardless of the phase difference between an attacker's sampling rate and the operating frequency, providing an additional layer of security.
US09748823B2

A linear actuator, comprising a base housing, a top housing, and a piston assembly. The base housing may include at least one recess configured to restrain at least one magnet in three dimensions and a channel configured to receive a linear guide. The top housing may be fixedly attached to the base housing and may include at least one recess configured to restrain another at least one magnet in three dimensions. The piston assembly may include at least one coil bobbin, a shaft, a linear encoder scale, and a flex cable, wherein the piston assembly may be positioned between the base housing and the top housing.
US09748812B2

Disclosed is a stator of an EPS motor, the stator including a stator core including a plurality of teeth protrusively formed toward a center of an inner circumferential surface, a plurality of coils wound on the teeth at a predetermined counts, an insulator coupled to an upper surface and a bottom surface of the stator core to insulate the coil from the stator core, and an insulation tube situated nearest to a coil wound on an adjacent stator core and inserted into a coil wound on an outmost side of the teeth.
US09748808B2

A rotor core (100, 110) for an electrical motor with a rotational axis (6) and a central opening (200) to take up a shaft (4) of the electrical motor turning around the rotational axis (6), with the central opening (200) having a peripheral edge (201) with at least one attachment section (242), designed for attachment of the rotor core to the shaft by press fit, and at least one centering section (244), wherein the at least one centering section (244) and the at least one attachment section (242) are placed in different sections of the peripheral edge (201) in the circumferential direction (tangentially).
US09748803B2

An electric machine comprise a first carrier having an array of electromagnetic elements and a second carrier having electromagnetic elements defining magnetic poles, the second carrier being arranged to move relative to the first carrier. An airgap is provided between the first carrier and the second carrier. The electromagnetic elements of the first carrier include posts, with slots between the posts, one or more electric conductors in each slot, the posts of the first carrier having a post height in mm. The first carrier and the second carrier together define a size of the electric machine. The magnetic poles having a pole pitch in mm. The size of the motor, pole pitch and post height are selected to fall within a region in a space defined by size, pole pitch and post height that provides a benefit in terms of force or torque per weight per excitation level.
US09748801B2

A capacitive driving system (100) comprises: a supply device (10) comprising a power generator (13), capacitive transmission electrodes (11, 12) and preferably at least one inductor (16) connected in series between the power generator and at least one of said transmission electrodes; at least one load device (20) comprising two capacitive receiver electrodes (21, 22) and at least one load member (23) coupled to said receiver electrodes. For resonant energy transfer, the supply device and the load device have an energy transfer position in which a first one of said transmission electrodes together with a first one of said receiver electrodes defines a first transfer capacitor (31) while simultaneously a second one of said transmission electrodes together with a second one of said receiver electrodes defines a second transfer capacitor (32). At least one auxiliary capacitor (111; 112; 121; 122) is connected in series with inductor and load.
US09748796B2

A multi-port energy storage system includes a bi-directional power conversion circuit, a DC-AC inverter circuit, an electric energy storage facility, a first AC port, a second AC port and an AC switch. The multi-port energy storage system controllably provides various classifications of power supply quality via the first AC port and the second AC port.
US09748793B2

A power input circuit. A wireless power receiver receives power from a wireless power transmitter. A charging circuit is coupled to the battery. A first switch is controlled by a first control signal. A second switch is controlled by the first control signal. A third switch is coupled between the battery and the voltage input terminal and controlled by a second control signal. A fourth switch is coupled between the voltage input terminal and the charging circuit and controlled by a third control signal. A fifth switch is coupled between the wireless power receiver and the charging circuit and controlled by a fourth control signal. When the wireless power receiver receives power, the third switch and the fifth switch are closed to transmit the received power to the charging circuit for charging the battery, and the computer device is powered by the battery.
US09748790B2

In one embodiment, a method includes wirelessly coupling a transmitter to the wireless device; determining a first power transfer value of a signal transmitted from the transmitter to the wireless device with a first transmit impedance; determining a second power transfer value of the signal transmitted from the transmitter to the wireless device with a second transmit impedance; and selecting one of the first transmit impedance and the second transmit impedance based on the first power transfer value and the second power transfer value.
US09748787B2

A portable information handling system manages battery charge to maintain a minimum level that supports boot by disconnecting the battery from a battery discharge path so that battery charge is lost substantially only to self-discharge. The battery automatically reconnects to the battery discharge path if external power becomes available to charge the battery. The minimum battery charge level provides adequate power in combination with the external power to support boot of the portable information handling system to an operational state. A power manager monitors power transition events to track power consumption information that a battery charge manager applies to modify the power transition events if external power and available battery charge are not sufficient to perform the power transition event without modification.
US09748786B2

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a battery stack with a leapfrogging communication network. Each cell stage may include a controller, a transmitter, and a pair of receivers. The cell stage in the battery stack may be coupled to the closest two preceding battery cell stages in the stack. In this manner, each cell stage may be able to determine if a fault is present in an immediately preceding cell stage in the stack by monitoring the first preceding cell stage and the second preceding cell stage. If discharge/charge commands transmitted by the second preceding cell stage are not reaching the battery cell stage at issue, the controller may determine that there is a fault in the first preceding cell stage and discharge/charge the cell stage based on the commands transmitted by the second preceding cell stage.
US09748785B2

A storage status adjusting circuit includes a first switching unit configured to switch between energy accumulation in a first coil and energy release from the first coil to any one of electric storage devices in a first assembled electric storage device having a plurality of the electric storage devices, a second switching unit configured to switch between energy accumulation in a second coil and energy release from the second coil to any one of the electric storage devices in a second assembled electric storage device having a plurality of the electric storage devices, and a changing unit configured to change a potential difference between both ends of the first coil and a potential difference between both ends of the second coil based on storage statuses of the first assembled electric storage device and the second assembled electric storage device, when energy is accumulated in the first coil and the second coil.
US09748783B2

A voltage dedicated charger apparatus includes an AC-to-DC converter circuit, a pair of switches, and a controller block. The AC-to-DC converter circuit converts an AC input voltage to a DC output voltage. The pair of switches is operable to isolate a pair of data ports from the AC-to-DC converter circuit. The pair of data ports includes a DP port and a DN port. The controller block includes a monitor circuit, a transceiver, and a control circuit. The monitor circuit monitors the DP and DN ports of the apparatus. The transceiver receives one or more messages form a charge-receiving device and communicate data to the charge-receiving device. The control circuit controls operation of the pair of switches based on a signal from the monitor circuit.
US09748778B2

A power supply apparatus includes: a connection unit to which a battery pack is connected; a power conversion unit which converts direct current power output from the battery pack via the connection unit into a first power; a power plug which is connected to an external power source; a power supplying unit to which a power receiving unit of the external apparatus is connected to supply the first power output from the power conversion unit or a second power which is the power supplied from the external power source via the power plug; and a switching unit which switches between outputting the first power to the power supplying unit and outputting the second power to the power supplying unit.
US09748775B2

A method providing control power for an electricity network in which at least one energy store supplies energy to the electricity network and/or takes up energy from the electricity network dependent on a frequency deviation from a desired frequency of the electricity network, a deadband being prescribed around the desired frequency. The frequency deviation from the network frequency is measured with greater accuracy than a width of the deadband and a bandwidth within the deadband is chosen dependent on a charging state of the energy store, with control power being provided outside the bandwidth. A device carrying out the method includes at least one energy store and a control system controlling control power of the energy store in an open-loop or closed-loop manner, the energy store being connected to an electricity network such that energy can be fed into the electricity network and can be removed from the electricity network.
US09748765B2

This document describes techniques and apparatuses of load allocation for multi-battery devices. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses determine an amount of load power that a multi-battery device consumes to operate. Respective efficiencies at which the device's multiple batteries are capable of providing power are also determined. A respective portion of load power is then drawn from each of the batteries based on their respective efficiencies.
US09748761B2

An overcurrent detection circuit installed in a host for supplying power to a device is disclosed. The overcurrent detection circuit includes: a detection resistor disposed on a power supply line; a current monitoring unit that compares a detected voltage that is a voltage drop across the detection resistor with a variable threshold voltage and asserts an overcurrent detection signal if the detected voltage exceeds the threshold voltage; and a control unit including a timer. The control unit is switchable among (i) a first state where the threshold voltage is set to a first value that is in accord with a reference value for overcurrent protection, (ii) a second state where the threshold voltage is set to a second value that is greater than the first value, and (iii) a third state where the threshold voltage is set to a third value that is less than the first value.
US09748754B2

A connector plug comprises a hook with flexible edges. The hook has a first beveled surface and a second flat surface. A stopper is coupled to the flat surface of the hook by a first barrel portion of the connector plug. The stopper is coupled to a plurality of ridges with flexible edges by a second barrel portion. The plurality of ridges are also coupled to each other by the second barrel portion. A via extends through the connector plug from one end of the connector plug to the other end of the connector plug.
US09748752B2

An electrical box support is provided for coupling to the side wall of an electrical box to support the electrical box in an opening formed in a hollow core building block. The support has a flange at the front edge and tab at a front edge that clips onto the side wall of the electrical box. A spring member extends from a rear side edge and curls toward the front edge. The spring member has an end that is directed toward the front edge and spaced from the flange a distance to contact the inner surface of the block while the flange contacts the outer surface of the block. The tab at the front edge of the support has a hook for engaging an inner edge of the electrical box to couple the support to the electrical box and to prevent sliding of the support on the electrical box.
US09748749B2

A two-component device for supporting and retaining a cable or wire bundle in a channel comprises support part with a support surface in which is formed an elongate recess for a cable tie. The upper part lifts on to a lower part and it secured to the floor of the channel, by means of rivets or the like. The support part has an integral tie bar extending across the elongate recess. The lower part has a corresponding tie bar extending across it, between opposed side walls of the lower part. With the wire bundle in place, the cable tie is passed around it and through the recess, passing under the respective tie bars and secured at to hold the bundle in place against the support, at the same time holding the two parts of the support together.
US09748745B2

A roller guide for supporting and facilitating the manipulation of cable(s) and wire(s) is presented. The roller guide include a frame and a roller assembly disposed along a length of the frame. The roller assembly includes one or more adjacently disposed roller bearings positioned between at least two stop collars. Each of the roller bearings include a housing disposed in a surrounding relation to a corresponding portion of the frame, and a plurality of rollers rotationally disposed within the housing. The rollers include a convex outer engaging surface structured to substantially matingly align with an inner longitudinal concave surface of the corresponding portion of the frame.
US09748741B2

A spark plug electrode material containing a) 0.7 to 1.3% silicon by weight, b) 0.5 to 1.0% copper by weight, and c) nickel as the balance.
US09748733B2

The semiconductor laser device includes a base member having a recess that opens upward, a semiconductor laser element disposed on a bottom surface of the recess, and a light reflecting member being disposed forward of a light emitting surface of the semiconductor laser element and including a light reflecting surface to reflect laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser element. The semiconductor laser element and the light reflecting member are arranged such that a direction of an optical axis of light that is reflected by the light reflecting member is different from a direction that is perpendicular to a lower surface of the base member.
US09748728B2

Provided is an optical parametric oscillation laser based on I-type quasi-phase matching. The optical parametric oscillation laser comprises a femtosecond laser pumping source (1), an input coupling mirror (3), an Mg:PPLN crystal (4), an output coupling mirror (7) and a beam splitter prism (12), wherein the femtosecond laser pumping source (1) of a synchronous pump, the input coupling mirror (3), the Mg:PPLN crystal (4), the output coupling mirror (7) and the beam splitter prism (12) are sequentially placed. Group velocity mismatching between near-infrared pump light and intermediate infrared signal light in the intermediate infrared optical parametric oscillation laser is eliminated by using the dispersion relationship between the crystal and the temperature and in a manner of adjusting the working temperature of the crystal, so that an optical parametric oscillation process can satisfy phase matching and group velocity matching at the same time, and therefore intermediate infrared ultrashort pulse laser with high power and wide spectrum is obtained.
US09748726B1

This invention describes algorithmic and computational approaches to optimize the design and performance of microresonator based ultra-low noise lasers including a reflector or filter comprised of multiple (≧3) microresonator rings with different ring radii coupled together through bus waveguides. The enhanced reflector/filter design optimization provides more control over the key parameters, including the suppression ratio of unwanted modes over both a wide wavelength range (supporting wide wavelength tunability) and over the narrow range around the laser wavelength (improving laser singlemode and noise performance), while also enabling the design of specific reflector/filter bandwidth and effective length (delay), supporting the design of an ultra-low noise laser with specific operating performance parameters.
US09748724B2

A method of connecting an electric cable to a connector terminal includes arranging a connector terminal in a lower die so that an end portion of the electric cable in which a core wire is exposed from an outer cover is arranged in a barrel portion of the connector terminal, pressing a crimper to the barrel portion to crimp the barrel portion, overlapping the lower die with an upper die to form an injection space around the barrel portion and the end portion of the electric cable, and injecting a resin in an injection space, thereby forming a resin mold that covers and waterproofs the barrel portion and the end portion of the electric cable.
US09748722B2

A termination for electrical cables may include: an outer insulation tubular body having a longitudinal axis; a conductive rod within the body; an elastomeric sleeve within the body and extending about an end portion of the rod; a connecting device within the sleeve, wherein the device is mechanically and electrically connected to the rod and is configured to mechanically and electrically connect to an electrical cable; a conductive tubular element within the body, configured to electrically connect to ground; a semi-conductive element within the tubular element and partially extending inside the sleeve on an opposite side to the rod with respect to the device; and at least one elastic conductive element radially interposed between, and in contact with, the tubular element and semi-conductive element, the at least one elastic conductive element configured to exert elastic force onto the semi-conductive element along at least one radial direction toward the axis.
US09748721B2

A method of fabricating connector terminals, includes (a) preparing a single electrically conductive metal sheet including a plurality of pre-terminals, and a plurality of carriers connecting adjacent pre-terminals to each other, each of the pre-terminals having at one end thereof in a length-wise direction thereof an elastically deformable contact portion, and at the other end in the length-wise direction a first area, a pitch between adjacent contact portions being unequal to a pitch between adjacent first areas, (b) folding each of the first areas around a line extending in a length-wise direction thereof to thereby form a male tab having a predetermined thickness, and (c) removing the carriers out of the metal sheet.
US09748720B2

A transmission shaft set including a plurality of transmission shaft structures is disclosed. Each transmission shaft structure includes a metal pin connecting shaft and a base. The metal pin connecting shaft includes an arc part, a fastening block, a plurality of electrically connecting parts and a plurality of electrically connecting metal pins. The plurality of electrically connecting parts are located on the arc part. The plurality of electrically connecting metal pins are located in the fastening block and electrically connected to the plurality of electrically connecting parts. The base is fastened to the metal pin connecting shaft and includes a fastening groove, at least one fastening part and at least one column. The fastening groove is used for fastening the fastening block. The fastening part is located near the fastening groove. The column is located near the fastening groove and the fastening part.
US09748715B2

The present invention discloses a modular socket panel which includes a bottom layer adapted to be fixed to an embedded case in a wall and adapted to be electrically connected to a power supply provided by the embedded case, and a surface layer adapted to be directly or indirectly connected to the bottom layer in a non-fastening manner. The surface layer provides a power socket, which is electrically connected to the bottom layer. The modular socket panel disclosed in the present invention enables a user to mount a middle layer and the surface layer onto the bottom layer or remove the middle layer and surface layer from the bottom layer without any tool, and also enables the user to mount different middle layers in the modular socket panel when needed to implement different functions, for example adding more intelligent functions.
US09748714B1

The present device is an electrical connector to provide electrical communication between electrical devices. The electrical connector has a reinforced member to protect the electrical connector from external damaging forces. The electrical connector has a shell with a cavity defined by a back wall, four inner side walls and an open front side. The electrical connector has a dielectric tongue which has a plurality of electrical contacts projecting into the cavity. The reinforced member is a stiffener assembly which is fixed to the back wall and aligned with the tongue. The stiffener assembly includes an insulating sleeve and an internal rigid stiffener. The stiffener assembly is fixed with the tongue or as an alternative within the tongue. At least one of the contacts is reinforced with an additional layer of conductive material to provide further protection from damaging external forces when a plug is inserted into the electrical connector.
US09748704B2

A shield connector structure is provided that can increase the precision in the size of a connection portion of a shield electric wire and can improve the water-stop performance of the connection portion without being affected by the tolerance of the external diameter of a shield unit and an external insulating covering of the shield electric wire. A shield connector includes a connection member fixed to an outer surface of a metal case and a shield member connecting the connection member and a shield unit of a shield electric wire, and a shield pipe configured to fix an exposed portion of the shield unit to the shield member. A first tubular unit of the shield member is inserted between the exposed portion of the shield unit and an internal insulating covering.
US09748700B2

A gasket for use with an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding cage for a connector includes a conductive body having an opening configured to receive a first end of the EMI shielding cage near a gasket mating wall incorporated on the EMI shielding cage. The conductive body has a first face designed to face away from the gasket mating wall, a second face designed to face the gasket mating wall, an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter. A plurality of engagement tabs are disposed along the outer perimeter and extend away from the first face. A plurality of spring tabs are disposed along the inner perimeter and extend away from the second face. When the first end of the EMI shielding cage is inserted into the opening of the conductive body and an opening of an optional complementary faceplate with the engagement tabs facing the faceplate and the spring tabs facing the gasket mating wall of the EMI shielding cage, the engagement tabs and the spring tabs cooperatively maintain a predefined separation distance D1 between the gasket mating wall and the optional complementary faceplate.
US09748689B1

Provided are a module assembly, a connector, and an electronic device, the module assembly including a first module that includes a pin configured to selectively protrude from a side thereof, a pin installation portion in which the pin is installed to be movable, and a first magnet configured to attract the pin into the pin installation portion, a second module to be coupled to the first module, the second module including a pin receiver configured to receive the pin when the pin protrudes from the first module, and a second magnet configured to attract the pin into the pin receiver, wherein the second magnet is configured to apply, to the pin, a greater magnitude of magnetic force than the first magnet in a case in which a distance between the first module and the second module is less than a preset distance.
US09748673B1

A terminal block includes: a terminal body with a screw hole for a screw used to connect a wire; and a terminal holder that holds the terminal body and has a substrate facing portion placed facing a first surface of a substrate. The terminal block is attached to the substrate by soldering the terminal body to a conductive pattern of the substrate with the substrate facing portion facing the first surface. The terminal holder has the substrate facing portion at one end in a first direction that becomes parallel to the thickness of the substrate when the terminal block is attached to the substrate. A casing fixing portion equipped with an insertion portion, into which a fastener for fixing the terminal holder to a casing that houses the substrate is inserted, is provided at another end in the first direction of the terminal holder.
US09748670B1

A method for connecting a conductor and a conductor connector accessory includes inserting an end portion of the conductor into an interior of a tube, and inserting the tube into an interior of a barrel. The barrel defines a plurality of radial passages extending between an outer surface of the barrel and the interior of the barrel. The method further includes providing a plurality of lobes, each of the plurality of lobes disposed within one of the plurality of passages. The method further includes inserting the barrel into an interior of an outer shell, and compressing the outer shell, barrel, lobes, tube and end portion together.
US09748667B2

A terminal device includes a first memory that stores a position of each of antennas included in a main body of a terminal device for each of holding manners for the main body of the terminal device, a second memory, a processor coupled to the second memory, configured to detect a holding manner for the main body of the terminal device including the antennas, detect a shape indicating a shadow of an object pointing to a surface of the terminal device, identify a holding hand that holds the main body of the terminal device, based on the detected shape, and switch an antenna which overlaps with the holding hand to another antenna based on the identified holding hand and the position of each antenna stored in the first memory, the antenna corresponding to the detected holding manner.
US09748665B2

Presently disclosed is an antenna system having an array of ridged waveguide Vivaldi radiator (RWVR) antenna elements fed through a corporate network of suspended air striplines (SAS) with an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) ground plane surrounding the ridged waveguide transition. The SAS transfers the electromagnetic energy to the radiating element via the ridged waveguide coupler. The Vivaldi radiator matches the output impedance of the ridged waveguide coupler/SAS to the intrinsic impedance of the surrounding medium. The EBG, which may be comprised of a photonic bandgap material or other metamaterial, allows for better frequency and bandwidth performance in a lower-profile array package, thereby reducing size and weight of the array for applications requiring small size and or low-inertia packaging. In alternate embodiments, radiating elements other than Vivaldi radiators may be used. This configuration also reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process, which in turn lowers cost.
US09748660B2

An antenna includes a grounding portion extending in a longitudinal direction, a radiating portion extending in the longitudinal direction and parallel with the grounding portion, a connecting portion connecting the grounding portion and the radiating portion in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a coaxial cable. The coaxial cable comprises an inner conductor and an outer conductor surrounding the inner conductor, wherein the inner conductor comprises a first feed point connecting the connecting portion and a second feed point connecting the radiating portion, one part of the connecting portion is shortened serving as a shortened section between the first and second feed points.
US09748652B2

An antenna device includes a resin multilayer board in which a plurality of resin sheets are stacked, and a coil conductor provided in the resin multilayer board. A plurality of line portions of the coil conductor are provided on a lower surface of the resin sheet. When a magnetic material core is preliminarily pressure-bonded to the resin sheet, the magnetic material core is fractured along the line portions and cracks occur. Thus, the resin sheet with the magnetic material core in which the cracks have been formed is fully pressure-bonded together with the other resin sheets.
US09748644B2

Described embodiments include an electromagnetic beam steering apparatus. The apparatus includes a first blazed transmission diffraction grating component configured to angularly deflect an electromagnetic beam at a first blaze angle. The apparatus includes a second blazed transmission diffraction grating component configured to angularly deflect an electromagnetic beam at a second blaze angle. The apparatus includes an electromagnetic beam steering structure configured to independently rotate the first blazed transmission diffraction grating component and the second blazed transmission diffraction grating component about a coaxial axis such that an electromagnetic beam incident on the first blazed transmission diffraction grating component exits the second blazed transmission diffraction grating component as a steered electromagnetic beam.
US09748641B2

Disclosed is an antenna device or the like having a split ring resonator that adapts to different frequency bands. An antenna device has a laminated structure that is composed by alternating dielectric layers (DL) (35) and conductor layers (CL) and that includes a plurality of structures each comprising: a first split ring (first SR) (31) that is formed in a first conductor layer (first CL) (36A) extending along one surface of a DL (35), surrounds an opening (2) and has a first split (first SP) (51) formed in a circumferential portion along the opening (2); a second split ring (second SR) (32) that is formed in a second conductor layer (second CL) (36B), which extends along the other surface of the DL (35), in such a manner that the second SR (32) is opposed to the first SR (31), the second SR (32) surrounding the opening (2) and having a second split (second SP) (52) formed in a circumferential portion along the opening (2); a plurality of conductor vias (CVs) (3) that are circumferentially formed at intervals, sandwich the first SP (51) and second SP (52) and electrically connect the first SR (31) to the second SR (32); and a feeder line (4) that is formed in a particular one of the CLs and has one end electrically connected to at least one of the CVs (3) and the other end insulated from the particular CL by a clearance (39) formed in the particular CL along the extending direction of the particular CL.
US09748635B2

An optical component such as a camera, an acoustic component such as a speaker, or other electrical component may be mounted on the surface of an electronic device housing. A window structure may overlap the component. The window structure may be formed form an optically transparent material to allow light to pass or may be formed from an acoustically transparent material to allow acoustic signals to pass. A conductive structure such as a metal member may surround at least part of the periphery of the window structure. The conductive structure may serve as an antenna structure for an antenna. Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry may be coupled to an antenna feed for the antenna using a radio-frequency transmission line. The conductive structure may serve as a cosmetic trim for the electrical component.
US09748634B2

An antenna device includes a first conductor plane and a second conductor plane that face each other. The first conductor plane and the second conductor plane are electrically continuous through a first connection conductor, a second connection conductor, and a chip capacitor. A power feed coil is disposed between the first conductor plane and the second conductor plane. The power feed coil includes a magnetic core and a coil conductor. The coil conductor defines a pattern such that the coil conductor winds around the magnetic core. The power feed coil is disposed at a position closer to the first connection conductor and magnetically couples with the first connection conductor.
US09748629B2

A troposcatter terminal can include a location receiver, a network interface, an antenna control unit, and a motor controller. The location receiver can be configured to receive first current location information associated with a local troposcatter antenna. The network interface can be configured to receive second current location information associated with a distant troposcatter antenna. The antenna control unit can be configured to determine a heading from the local troposcatter antenna to the distant troposcatter antenna, an azimuth angle for the local troposcatter antenna, and an elevation angle for the local troposcatter antenna, the heading, the azimuth angle, and the elevation angle based on the first location information and the second location information. The motor controller can be configured to point the local troposcatter antenna according to the heading, the azimuth angle, and the elevation angle to establish troposcatter communications between the local troposcatter antenna and the distant troposcatter antenna.
US09748627B2

Devices and methods related to directional couplers. In some implementations, a coupler can include a driver arm and a coupler arm implemented relative to the driver arm to detect power of an RF signal. Portions of the driver and coupler arms can form an overlapping region, with at least one of the driver and coupler arms having a non-straight arm shape. The overlapping region can include a non-zero lateral offset between the driver and coupler arms. In some implementations, a coupler can include a driver arm having input and output sides, and a coupler arm having input and output sides and implemented relative to the driver arm to detect power of an RF signal. The coupler can further include a phase-shifting feature implemented with respect to at least one of the driver and coupler arms to reduce phase difference of power ripples associated with the coupler.
US09748622B2

The invention relates to an improved tunable high frequency filter of coaxial construction, characterized, inter alia, by the following features: The high frequency filter comprises an outer conductor housing (24) having an inner conductor (10) and a housing cover (22); the resonator (1) comprises a tuning element (30) arranged opposite the inner conductor (10), which in the housing cover (22) is held position-adjustably in the axial position of the tuning element (30), at least indirectly, and which extends into the internal space of the resonator; the tuning element (30) comprises a dielectric material, or is formed from a dielectric material such that between the outer thread (32) and the inner thread (41), current transitions are avoided.
US09748617B2

The present invention serves to reduce the costs associated with the overall life cycle of storage batteries by performing support so that a plurality of batteries are transferred between and used at a plurality of facilities. This storage battery transfer support device comprises: a collection unit that collects battery information representing the status of each battery used at a plurality of facilities; a battery information storage unit that stores the battery information collected by the collection unit; and a deterioration prediction unit that, on the basis of the battery information stored in the battery information storage unit, predicts deterioration of storage batteries that have been transferred between and used at a plurality of facilities.
US09748616B2

Lithium metal oxides may be regenerated under ambient conditions from materials recovered from partially or fully depleted lithium-ion batteries. Recovered lithium and metal materials may be reduced to nanoparticles and recombined to produce regenerated lithium metal oxides. The regenerated lithium metal oxides may be used to produce rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
US09748615B2

Rechargeable lithium batteries are described comprising an airtight container, electrodes immersed in an electrolytic solution and spaced apart by means of one or more separators, electrical contacts connected to the electrodes and a means for sorbing harmful substances formed of a multilayer polymeric sheet comprised of an inner layer of a polymeric material containing particles of one or more getter materials for the sorption of the harmful substances, and at least one external protective layer of a polymeric material impermeable to the electrolyte, wherein all the polymeric materials are permeable to the harmful substances.
US09748613B2

A lithium-ion battery cell includes a housing with an electrode arrangement and a temperature sensor that is arranged in the interior of the housing. The temperature sensor has an electro-thermal oscillator that converts a temperature into a frequency. A motor vehicle includes the lithium-ion battery cell.
US09748609B2

Electrochemical methods for probing solid polymer electrolyte surface coatings on electrically conducting, active, three-dimensional electrode materials for use in lithium-ion batteries, to quantitatively determine the conformity, uniformity, and the presence of pinholes, and/or other defects in coatings, without requiring the detachment of the coating from the electrode or otherwise inducing damage to the coating, are described. Coated electrodes are submersed in an electrolyte solution containing a redox-active probe species which does not induce electrochemical damage to either the working electrode or the solid polymer electrolyte surface coating. For coated Cu2Sb working electrodes, molecules including a water-soluble redox active viologen moiety have been found to be effective. The current as a function of the applied potential for an uncoated working electrode is used as a baseline for testing solid polymer surface coatings on working electrodes, and the difference in the observed current between the electrodes for a given potential is a quantitative indicator of the ability of the probe species to access the surface of the working electrode through the solid polymer electrolyte coating.
US09748608B2

The present invention relates to a secondary battery, comprising an electrode element comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode placed opposite to each other, an electrolyte, and an outer package housing the electrode element and the electrolyte; wherein the negative electrode is formed by binding a negative electrode active material, which comprises a metal (a) capable of being alloyed with lithium, a metal oxide (b) capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions, and a carbon material (c) capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions, to a negative electrode current collector with a negative electrode binder; and the electrolyte comprises a lithium salt dissolved in a solvent comprising 65 vol % or more of a phosphate ester compound, and more than 0 vol % and less than 20 vol % of a fluorinated carbonate compound.
US09748606B2

Provided are an additive for an electrolyte of a lithium battery; an electrolyte having the same; and a lithium battery using the electrolyte. The additive for an electrolyte of a lithium battery includes a triazine triphosphonate compound.
US09748604B2

Electrolyte compositions for batteries such as lithium ion and lithium air batteries are described. In some embodiments the compositions are liquid compositions comprising (a) a homogeneous solvent system, said solvent system comprising a perfluropolyether (PFPE) and polyethylene oxide (PEO); and (b) an alkali metal salt dissolved in said solvent system. In other embodiments the compositions are solid electrolyte compositions comprising: (a) a solid polymer, said polymer comprising a crosslinked product of a crosslinkable perfluropolyether (PFPE) and a crosslinkable polyethylene oxide (PEO); and (b) an alkali metal ion salt dissolved in said polymer. Batteries containing such compositions as electrolytes are also described.
US09748601B2

A method of manufacturing a lithium ion conductive solid electrolyte includes (a) a step of preparing an object to be processed including a crystalline material, that includes alkali metal other than lithium and whose ionic conductivity at room temperature is greater than or equal to 1×10−13 S/cm; and (b) a step of performing an ion-exchange process on the object to be processed in molten salt including lithium ions.
US09748598B2

A battery pack includes a plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte single cells, each single cell being such that a rolled electrode body is housed in a flat case; a plurality of spacers; and a banding member. The rolled electrode body includes a collector portion, and a power generating portion. Each spacer has a recessed portion provided on at least one surface that faces the adjacent single cell. A side plate of the case that faces the surface of the spacer on which the recessed portion is provided includes a thick portion that contacts the power generating portion of the rolled electrode body inside the case, and a thin portion that is thinner than the thick portion and is continuous with both sides of the thick portion in the rolling axis direction. The surface of the spacer on which the recessed portion is provided abuts against only the thick portion.
US09748593B2

The present invention provides: a polymer electrolyte composition which can achieve excellent proton conductivity under slightly humidified conditions, excellent mechanical strength and excellent physical durability, has excellent practicality, and can be produced using a nitrogen-containing additive, wherein the nitrogen-containing additive can prevent the elution of the additive under a strongly acidic atmosphere during the operation of a fuel cell, has excellent chemical stability so as to tolerate a strongly acidic atmosphere, can be dissolved in various general-purpose organic solvents, has superior processability, can be mixed with an ionic-group-containing polymer, can prevent the occurrence of phase separation during the formation of a film, and can prevent the formation of an island-in-sea-like phase separation structure or the occurrence of bleeding out during the formation of a film; and a polymer electrolyte membrane, a membrane electrode assembly and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, each of which is produced using the polymer electrolyte composition. The polymer electrolyte composition according to the present invention comprises at least an ionic-group-containing polymer (A) and a nitrogen-containing additive (B), said polymer electrolyte composition being characterized in that the nitrogen-containing additive (B) is represented by a specific structural formula.
US09748580B2

Provided is an oxygen reduction catalyst having a high oxygen reduction performance. An oxygen reduction catalyst according to the present embodiment includes a transition metal oxide to which an oxygen defect is introduced, and a layer that is provided on the transition metal oxide and that contains an electron conductive substance. A method for producing an oxygen reduction catalyst according to the present embodiment includes heating a transition metal carbonitride as a starting material in an oxygen-containing mixed gas. In addition, a method for producing an oxygen reduction catalyst according to the present embodiment includes heating a transition-metal phthalocyanine and a carbon fiber powder as starting materials in an oxygen-containing mixed gas.
US09748570B2

The invention relates to cathode materials for Li-ion batteries having a size dependent compositions. The lithium metal oxide powder has a general formula LiaNixCoyMnzM′mO2±eAf, with 0.9
US09748565B2

A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a non-aqueous electrolyte, and a separator, wherein the positive electrode includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode material mixture layer formed on one or both sides of the positive electrode current collector, the positive electrode material mixture layer has a thickness greater than 80 μm per side of the positive electrode current collector, the positive electrode material mixture layer includes a positive electrode active material, the positive electrode active material is composed of secondary particles formed by aggregation of primary particles, the secondary particles have an average particle size of 6 μm or less, and, when diffraction-line integrated intensities of the (003) plane and the (104) plane in an X-ray diffraction chart of the positive electrode material mixture layer are I003 and I104, respectively, the ratio I003/I104 of the integrated intensities is 1.1 or more.
US09748562B2

A negative active material including graphite; silicon nanowires; and silicon nanoparticles, wherein a silicon nanowire of the silicon nanowires and a silicon nanoparticle of the silicon nanoparticles are each disposed on a particle of the graphite to form a composite with the graphite.
US09748558B2

The present invention provides a method for preparing an electrode material, comprising providing an acidic plating bath; adding titanium dioxide in the form of powder, metal salt, and reductant to said acidic plating bath to obtain a precursor; and heat treating said precursor to obtain an electrode material. When the electrode material obtained by said method is applied to batteries, the batteries have not only high capacity, but also long lifetime.
US09748556B2

The present invention relates to a negative electrode material for secondary batteries, comprising graphite; wherein the graphite comprises hexagonal crystal graphite and rhombohedral crystal graphite, and has a low-crystalline carbon coating on a surface thereof; and the graphite has exothermic peaks in the range of 600° C. or lower and in the range of 690° C. or higher in DTA measurement, or the graphite has a full width at half maximum of a (101) peak of the hexagonal crystal graphite of 0.2575° or less in XRD measurement, or the graphite has an absolute value of the difference between the lattice strain obtained from (101) plane spacing of the hexagonal crystal graphite and the lattice strain obtained from (100) plane spacing of the hexagonal crystal graphite of 7.1×10−4 or less in XRD measurement.
US09748545B2

The present invention provides a propylene-based resin microporous film which has excellent electrolyte solution retention property, and can provide a lithium ion battery in which a decrease in discharge capacity is highly reduced even after repeated charge and discharge. The propylene-based resin microporous film is a propylene-based resin microporous film having micropores, wherein a propylene-based resin having a weight average molecular weight of 250,000 to 500,000, a melting point of 160 to 170° C., and a pentad fraction of 96% or more is contained, the surface aperture ratio is 27 to 42%, the ratio of a surface aperture ratio to a porosity is 0.6 or less, and the degree of gas permeability is 50 to 400 s/100 mL.
US09748543B2

Provided are a separator for a nonaqueous cell that has air permeability and is small in thickness while maintaining strength properties; and a nonaqueous cell having this separator. The separator includes a fiber sheet in which a polyvinyl alcohol fiber is incorporated in a proportion of 30% or more by mass (based on the fiber sheet). The fiber has a fiber breaking temperature in heated water of lower than 100° C. and higher than 85° C.
US09748540B2

The present invention aims to provide a power supply apparatus capable of suppressing a short circuit that occurs between adjacent battery cells.The power supply apparatus includes: a plurality of battery cells in which positive electrodes and negative electrodes are provided alternately and inversely with each other; a plurality of bus bars arranged in a straight line so as to series-connect the plurality of battery cells; a sheet-like insulation film disposed on at least one surface side of the plurality of bus bars; and a resin frame for fixing the plurality of battery cells, wherein an insulation portion for insulating the adjacent battery cells from each other is provided on the insulation film or in the resin frame.
US09748537B2

There is provided a highly reliable storage battery apparatus which can diagnose the status of a temperature detection unit and a cooling unit. In the storage battery apparatus comprising a battery module including one or more batteries, a plurality of temperature detection units and a cooling unit cooling the battery module, the temperature detection units measure, at least, the temperature of the cooling medium inputted to the storage battery apparatus, the temperature of the cooling medium outputted from the storage battery apparatus, and the temperature of at least one of the batteries and the battery module.
US09748534B2

When a battery pack is mounted to a battery attachment part, the battery pack is slid in a horizontal direction (a direction substantially perpendicular to an upper-lower direction) with respect to the housing, e.g., along a long longitudinal direction of a battery-side rail part, such that tool-side rail parts of the battery attachment part are introduced into engaging recess portions of the battery pack. Thereby, the elastic members are fitted and compressed in the battery-side rail parts and the tool-side rail parts, so that the elastic members press upwards the battery-side rail part (e.g., the battery pack) and press downwards the tool-side rail parts (e.g., the housing). That is, the elastic members press the battery pack and the housing such that they come close to each other.
US09748533B2

A battery module is provided including a secondary battery unit having a plurality of secondary batteries spaced from each other, the plurality of secondary batteries each including electrode terminals and a safety vent which are arranged on one side of the secondary battery unit; a compression plate wrapping at least a portion of the secondary battery unit and compressing the secondary battery unit together; and an insulation cover covering the electrode terminals and the safety vent, the insulation cover including a duct connected to the safety vent to guide gases exhausted from the safety vent to a first location, and a vent hole member coupled to the duct at the first location.
US09748530B2

An object of the invention is to provide a lid for storage battery, an injection molding method of the lid, a storage battery with the lid, and a terminal section for storage battery, which can save trouble of inserting a nut into a cavity portion of a terminal, and can prevent falling of the nut at the time of connection of an external leading wire. In a lid for storage battery in which a terminal section for storage battery 8 made up of a terminal 4 having a cavity portion, a bushing 6, and a conductive portion 7 joining both is insert-molded in a lid made of synthetic resin, and a storage battery with the lid for storage battery, an anchor portion 4T is projected at a location excluding at least a central portion of a bottom portion 4F of the terminal 4, and a nut is inserted into the cavity portion of the terminal to be fixed. Moreover, in the terminal section for storage battery, the anchor portion 4T is projected at the location excluding at least the central portion of the bottom portion 4F of the terminal 4 (e.g., the U-shaped anchor portion 4T is projected with a U-shaped joining portion 4G interposed).
US09748523B2

An organic light-emitting device includes a substrate, on which a transparent electrode and a further electrode are applied. An organic light-emitting layer is arranged between the electrodes. At least one optical scattering layer is arranged on a side of the transparent electrode facing away from the organic light-emitting layer.
US09748522B2

The invention relates to an illumination system comprising a light emitting device and a beam shaping element for generating an angular distribution of the light emitted from the illumination system. The beam shaping element is configured for recycling at least a part of the light emitted from a light emitting surface of the light emitting device via reflection back towards the light emitting surface. The illumination system further comprises a diffuser arranged substantially parallel to the light emitting surface for diffusing at least part of the recycled light. The diffuser is constituted of a translucent diffuser and/or a diffusely reflective electrode layer of the light emitting device. Limiting the angular distribution by recycling light, using the beam shaping element for recycling light via reflection, reduces glare when the illumination system is used in general lighting applications. The diffuser avoids that the recycled light is confined between the beam shaping element and the light emitting surface of the light emitting element. The recycling is preferably done via total internal reflection at the beam shaping element. The presence of the diffuser improves the efficiency of the illumination system.
US09748517B2

An organic insulating material and a flexible display device are disclosed. The organic insulating material comprises an acrylic polymer having a cinnamoyl moiety.
US09748516B2

An environmentally sensitive electronic device package including a first adhesive, at least one first side wall barrier, a first substrate, and a second substrate is provided. The first adhesive has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first side wall barrier is distributed in the first adhesive. The first substrate is bonded with the first surface. The first substrate has an environmentally sensitive electronic device formed thereon and the environmentally sensitive electronic device is surrounded by the first side wall barrier. The second substrate is bonded with the second surface. A manufacturing method of the environmentally sensitive electronic device package is also provided.
US09748513B2

The invention provides a light emitting device and a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device. The light emitting device comprises a base substrate and a laminated structure formed on the base substrate, the laminated structure including a first electrode, an organic layer and a second electrode which are laminated, the organic layer is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the second electrode is provided with light extraction particles therein. In solutions of the light emitting device and the manufacturing method thereof, and the display device, the metal electrode is provided with light extraction particles therein, the light extraction particles destroy the surface plasma waves generated by the metal electrode, so that light fallen into the surface plasma waves can be extracted, the light extraction efficiency of the metal electrode is increased, and thus the light extraction efficiency of the light emitting device is increased.
US09748504B2

A compound comprising a first ligand LA of Formula I: is described. In Formula I, Z is selected from O, S, and Se; at least one of X1, X2, X3, and X4 is nitrogen, while the remainder are carbon; Y1 and Y2 are independently selected from NR, O, and S; R, RA, RB, and RC are each independently selected from a variety of substituents, and adjacent substitutions in R, RA, RB, and RC are optionally joined to form a fused ring; ligand LA is at least a tridentate ligand coordinated to a metal M; M is coordinated to ring A and to ring B through metal-carbene bonds; and the ligand LA is optionally linked with other ligands to comprise a tetradentate, pentadentate or hexadentate ligand. Formulations and devices, such as an OLEDs, that include the compound with a ligand LA of Formula I are also described.
US09748499B2

An organometallic compound represented by Formula 1 below is disclosed. An organic light-emitting device including at least one organometallic compound represented by Formula 1 is also disclosed.
US09748480B2

Some embodiments include semiconductor constructions having an electrically conductive interconnect with an upper surface, and having an electrically conductive structure over the interconnect. The structure includes a horizontal first portion along the upper surface and a non-horizontal second portion joined to the first portion at a corner. The second portion has an upper edge. The upper edge is offset relative to the upper surface of the interconnect so that the upper edge is not directly over said upper surface. Some embodiments include memory arrays.
US09748477B2

A resistive random access memory device includes a first electrode; a solid metal oxide electrolyte; and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes being respectively arranged on either side of the solid metal oxide electrolyte, the second electrode being capable of supplying mobile ions circulating in the solid metal oxide electrolyte to the first electrode to form a conductive filament between the first and second electrodes when a potential difference is applied between the first and second electrodes. The device further includes an interface layer including a metal oxide, the interface layer extending at least partially onto the first electrode, the solid metal oxide electrolyte extending at least partially onto the interface layer.
US09748476B2

A method for producing a device includes depositing a lower electrode metal and a film whose resistance changes. The film whose resistance changes and the lower electrode metal are etched to form a pillar-shaped phase-change layer and a lower electrode. A reset gate insulating film and a reset gate metal are deposited and etched to form reset gates.
US09748472B2

An electronic device including a semiconductor memory is provided. The semiconductor memory includes an interlayer dielectric layer disposed over a substrate, and having a recess which exposes a portion of the substrate; a bottom contact partially filling the recess; and a resistance variable element including a bottom layer which fills at least a remaining space of the recess over the bottom contact, and a remaining layer which is disposed over the bottom layer and protrudes out of the interlayer dielectric layer.
US09748455B2

To provide a semiconductor element that can have the high adhesion between a substrate made of an oxide or the like and a metal film, a semiconductor element includes a substrate made of an oxide, a semiconductor element structure provided on an upper surface of the substrate, and a metal film provided on a lower surface of the substrate, in which the metal film contains nanoparticles made of an oxide.
US09748454B2

An LED package structure includes a chip carrier and an LED chip. The chip carrier includes a ceramic substrate, a circuit layer, a ceramic reflective plate disposed on the ceramic substrate, and a metal slug. The ceramic substrate has a first thru-hole. A main portion of the metal slug is embedded in the first thru-hole, and partially protrudes from the first thru-hole with a height of 10˜30 μm to define as a protrusion block. An extending portion of the metal slug is connected to the outer edge of protrusion block, and the top surfaces of extending portion and protrusion block are coplanar to define a mounting surface. The ceramic reflective plate has a second thru-hole, and the mounting surface is exposed from the ceramic reflective plate via the second thru-hole. The LED chip is fixed on the mounting surface and is electrically connected to the circuit layer.
US09748453B2

A semiconductor light emitting device includes a substrate formed of a first material; and a convex portion protruding from the substrate and including: a first layer formed of the first material as that of the substrate; and a second layer formed of a second material different from the first material and disposed on the first layer. A second height of the second layer is greater than a first height of the first layer.
US09748447B2

Disclosed is a semiconductor light emitting device including: a plurality of semiconductor layers; and a first electrode which is formed on an exposed region of the first semiconductor layer created by mesa etching portions of the second semiconductor layer, the active layer and the first semiconductor layer, and includes a contact layer in contact with the first semiconductor layer, a reflective layer formed on the contact layer, while facing an exposed region of the active layer created by mesa etching and reflecting light, and an anti-rupture layer formed on the reflective layer.
US09748446B2

Disclosed is a semiconductor light emitting device, including: a plurality of semiconductor layers grown sequentially on a growth substrate; a first electrode part, which is in electrical communication with the first semiconductor layer and supplies one of electrons or holes thereto; a second electrode part, which is in electrical communication with the second semiconductor layer and supplies the other one of electrons or holes thereto; and a non-conductive reflective film, which is formed on the plurality of semiconductor layers for reflecting the light generated in the active layer towards the growth substrate and has an opening formed therein, wherein at least one of the first and second electrode parts includes a lower electrode exposed at least partly through the opening; an upper electrode provided on the non-conductive reflective film; and an electrical connection, which comes into contact with the lower electrode by passing through the opening and is in electrical communication with the upper electrode.
US09748444B2

A light emitting diode includes a substrate, a first semiconductor layer, an active layer, a second semiconductor layer, a first electrode, a second electrode and a carbon nanotube structure. The first semiconductor layer, the active layer, and the second semiconductor layer are stacked on the substrate. The first semiconductor layer is a stepped structure and has a first surface and a second surface lower than the first surface. The first electrode is located on and electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer. The carbon nanotube structure is located on the second surface of the first semiconductor layer and electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer. The second electrode is located on and electrically connected to the carbon nanotube structure.
US09748442B2

Light emitting diodes and associated methods of manufacturing are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a light emitting diode (LED) includes a substrate, a semiconductor material carried by the substrate, and an active region proximate to the semiconductor material. The semiconductor material has a first surface proximate to the substrate and a second surface opposite the first surface. The second surface of the semiconductor material is generally non-planar, and the active region generally conforms to the non-planar second surface of the semiconductor material.
US09748438B2

A nanostructure semiconductor light emitting device includes: a base layer formed of a first-conductivity type nitride semiconductor material; and a plurality of light emitting nanostructures disposed on the base layer to be spaced apart from each other, wherein each of the plurality of light emitting nanostructures includes: a nanocore formed of a first conductivity-type nitride semiconductor material, an active layer disposed on a surface of the nanocore and including a quantum well which is divided into first and second regions having different indium (In) composition ratios in a thickness direction thereof; and a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer disposed on the active layer, and an In composition ratio in the first region is higher than an In composition ratio in the second region.
US09748432B2

The present disclosure provides methods of fabricating a multijunction solar cell panel in which one or more of the steps are performed using an automated process. In some embodiments, the automated process uses machine vision.
US09748431B1

The present application discloses systems and methods for manufacturing large PV sheets and conveying large PV sheets away from the PV manufacturing site while using power from the PV sheet to power the PV manufacturing site.
US09748426B2

A monolithic multiple solar cell includes at least three partial cells, with a semiconductor mirror placed between two partial cells. The aim of the invention is to improve the radiation stability of said solar cell. For this purpose, the semiconductor mirror has a high degree of reflection in at least one part of a spectral absorption area of the partial cell which is arranged above the semiconductor mirror and a high degree of transmission within the spectral absorption range of the partial cell arranged below the semiconductor mirror.
US09748425B2

A photoelectric conversion element includes a PN junction formed from an N-type oxide layer and a P-type oxide layer. The P-type oxide layer is formed from an oxide having a perovskite structure.
US09748421B2

A wafer-scale multiple carbon nanotube transfer process is provided. According to one embodiment of the invention, plasma exposure processes are performed at various stages of the fabrication process of a carbon nanotube device or article to improve feasibility and yield for successive transfers of nanotubes. In one such carbon nanotube transfer process, a carrier material is partially etched by a plasma process before removing the carrier material through, for example, a wet etch. By applying the subject plasma exposure processes, fabrication of ultra-high-density nanotubes and ultra-high-density nanotube grids or fabrics is facilitated. The ultra-high-density nanotubes and ultra-high-density nanotube grids or fabrics fabricated utilizing embodiments of the invention can be used, for example, to make high-performance carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNFETs) and low cost, highly-transparent, and low-resistivity electrodes for solar cell and flat panel display applications. Further, three-dimensional CNFETs can be provided by utilizing the subject plasma exposure processes.
US09748420B2

The present invention relates to an assembling method for a base plate of a concentrated photovoltaic module comprising the steps of: assembling a heat sink on the base plate; and assembling a photovoltaic cell assembly on the heat sink after the heat sink has been assembled on the base plate.
US09748416B2

An optical device including a shaped electrode on a substrate thereof utilizes total internal reflection to provide improved transmission of electromagnetic radiation (‘light’) to the substrate compared to standard electrode designs that involve flat electrode surfaces. Redirection of incident light by a tilted or otherwise shaped contact or material added on the contact provides otherwise reflected light to an open surface region of the substrate. Optional plasmon mediated focusing of incident p-polarized light may be realized.
US09748413B2

In a solar cell module, a plurality of solar cells are provided between a front surface protection member and a back surface protection member and bus bar electrodes 20 of the plurality of solar cells are electrically connected to each other by wiring members. The solar cell module includes an adhesive layer made of a resin 60 containing a plurality of conductive particles 70, the adhesive layer provided between each of the bus bar electrodes 20 and the wiring member 40. Each of the bus bar electrodes 20 and the corresponding wiring member 40 are electrically connected by the plurality of conductive particles 70. The resin 60 covers side surface of each of the bus bar electrodes 20 and configured to bond the wiring member 40 with the surface of a photoelectric conversion body 10.
US09748408B2

The semiconductor drift device comprises a deep well of a first type of electrical conductivity provided for a drift region in a substrate of semiconductor material, a drain region of the first type of conductivity at the surface of the substrate, a plurality of source regions of the first type of conductivity in shallow wells of the first type of conductivity at the periphery of the deep well of the first type, and a deep well or a plurality of deep wells of an opposite second type of electrical conductivity provided for a plurality of gate regions at the periphery of the deep well of the first type. The gate regions are formed by shallow wells of the second type of electrical conductivity, which are arranged in the deep well of the second type between the shallow wells of the first type.
US09748405B2

A method for fabricating a transistor is provided. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate; and forming at least a nanowire suspending in the semiconductor substrate. The method also includes forming a channel layer surrounding the nanowire; and forming a contact layer surrounding the channel layer. Further, the method includes forming a trench exposing the channel layer and surrounding the channel layer in the contact layer; and forming a potential barrier layer on the bottom of the trench and surrounding the channel layer. Further, the method also includes forming a gate structure surrounding the potential barrier layer and covering portions of the contact layer; and forming a source and a drain region on the contact layer at two sides of the gate structure, respectively.
US09748396B2

As source and drain wiring, a base layer and a cap layer are each formed of a MoNiNb alloy film, and a low-resistance layer is formed of Cu. The resultant laminated metal film is patterned through one-time wet etching to form a drain electrode and a source electrode. Cu serving as a main wiring layer does not corrode because of being covered with a MoNiNb alloy having good corrosion resistance. Further, even when a protective insulating film including an oxide is formed by plasma CVD in an oxidizing atmosphere, Cu is not oxidized. With the wet etching, the sidewall taper angle of the laminated metal film can be controlled to 20 degrees or more and less than 70 degrees.
US09748393B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a silicon carbide semiconductor device that reduces a channel resistance and increases reliability of a gate insulating film. The present invention includes a trench partially formed in a surface layer of an epitaxial layer, a well layer formed along side surfaces and a bottom surface of the trench, a source region formed in a surface layer of the well layer on the bottom surface of the trench, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode. The gate insulating film is formed along the side surfaces of the trench and has one end formed so as to reach the source region. The gate electrode is formed along the side surfaces of the trench and formed on the gate insulating film.
US09748391B2

A transistor having a narrow bandgap semiconductor source/drain region is described. The transistor includes a gate electrode formed on a gate dielectric layer formed on a silicon layer. A pair of source/drain regions are formed on opposite sides of the gate electrode wherein said pair of source/drain regions comprise a narrow bandgap semiconductor film formed in the silicon layer on opposite sides of the gate electrode.
US09748390B2

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a NMOS gate structure over a substrate. The method further includes forming an amorphized region in the substrate adjacent to the NMOS gate structure. The method also includes forming a lightly doped source/drain (LDD) region in the amorphized region. The method further includes depositing a stress film over the NMOS gate structure, performing an annealing process, and removing the stress film.
US09748380B1

A vertical transistor includes a fin structure formed on a substrate, a gate structure formed on the fin structure, and a bottom source/drain (S/D) region formed on the fin structure, such that an air gap is formed between the bottom S/D region and the gate structure.
US09748372B2

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes growing a second III-V compound layer over a first III-V compound layer, wherein the second III-V compound layer has a different band gap from the first III-V compound layer. The method further includes forming a source feature and a drain feature over the second III-V compound layer. The method further includes forming a gate dielectric layer over the second III-V compound layer, the source feature and the drain feature. The method further includes implanting at least one fluorine-containing compound into a portion of the gate dielectric layer. The method further includes forming a gate electrode over the portion of the gate dielectric layer.
US09748361B2

An integrated circuit includes at least one transistor over a substrate, and a first guard ring disposed around the at least one transistor. The integrated circuit further includes a second guard ring disposed around the first guard ring. The integrated circuit further includes a first doped region disposed adjacent to the first guard ring, the first doped region having a first dopant type. The integrated circuit further includes a second doped region disposed adjacent to the second guard ring, the second doped region having a second dopant type.
US09748360B2

The present invention makes it possible to improve the reliability of a semiconductor device.In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment, when a resist pattern is formed over a cap insulating film comprising a silicon nitride film, the resist pattern is formed through the processes of coating, exposure, and development treatment of a chemical amplification type resist. Then the chemical amplification type resist is applied so as to directly touch the surface of the cap insulating film comprising the silicon nitride film and organic acid pretreatment is applied to the surface of the cap insulating film comprising the silicon nitride film before the coating of the chemical amplification type resist.
US09748358B2

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises forming a replacement gate structure on a semiconductor layer of a substrate. The replacement gate structure at least including a polysilicon layer. After forming the replacement gate structure, a gate spacer is formed on the replacement gate structure. Atoms are implanted in an upper portion of the polysilicon layer. The implanting expands the upper portion of the polysilicon layer and a corresponding upper portion of the gate spacer in at least a lateral direction beyond a lower portion of the polysilicon layer and a lower portion of the spacer, respectively. After the atoms have been implanted, the polysilicon layer is removed to form a gate cavity. A metal gate stack is formed within the gate cavity. The metal gate stack includes an upper portion having a width that is greater than a width of a lower portion of the metal gate stack.
US09748345B2

Ion implantation or deposition can be used to modify the bulk electrical properties of topological insulators. More particularly, ion implantation or deposition can be used to compensate for the non-zero bulk conductivity due to extrinsic charge carriers. The direct implantation of deposition/annealing of dopants allows better control over carrier concentrations for the purposes of achieving low bulk conductivity. Ion implantation or deposition enables the fabrication of inhomogeneously doped structures, enabling new types of device designs.
US09748344B2

The present invention provides a nitride semiconductor substrate having an initial nitride and a nitride semiconductor sequentially stacked on one principal plane of a base substrate, wherein the nitride semiconductor substrate comprises recesses depressed from an interface between the base substrate and the initial nitride toward the base substrate along one arbitrary cross section; the recesses each have a diameter of 6 nm or more and 60 nm or less and are formed at a density of 3×108 pieces/cm2 or more and 1×1011 pieces/cm2 or less; and the recess preferably has a depth of 3 nm or more and 45 nm or less from the interface between the base substrate and the initial nitride toward the base substrate.
US09748336B2

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a channel region interposed between a first active region and a second active region, and a gate structure formed on the channel region. A first dual-layer source/drain region is on the first active region and a second dual-layer source/drain region is on the second active region. The first and second dual-layer source/drain regions include stacked layers formed of different semiconductor materials. A first extension region is embedded in the first active region and a second extension region is embedded in the second active region.
US09748333B2

A semiconductor pattern structure includes a substrate, an input/output (I/O) region defined on the substrate, a core region defined on the substrate, a dummy region defined on the substrate, and a gate electrode formed on the substrate. The dummy region is formed between the I/O region and the core region. The gate electrode crosses the I/O region and covers a portion of the dummy region.
US09748324B2

Methods of fabricating magnetic core inductors for an integrated voltage regulator are disclosed. In some methods, an insulating layer is attached upon a carrier layer, and the insulating layer is patterned to form a core area and a trench area. A conductive inner core is formed in the core area. A magnetic winding coil is formed in the trench area.
US09748320B2

A thin-film transistor substrate and a display device comprising the same are provided which can improve display quality by reducing or preventing deterioration of the characteristics of thin-film transistors. The thin-film transistor substrate comprises thin-film transistors on a lower protective metal layer. Each thin-film transistor comprises a buffer layer, a semiconductor layer, a first insulating film, a gate electrode, a second insulating film, a source electrode and a drain electrode, and a first electrode. The lower protective metal layer is electrically connected to the gate electrode and overlaps the channel region of the semiconductor layer.
US09748319B2

Disclosed is a display device that may include a thin film transistor array substrate that includes a plurality of first sub-pixels and a plurality of second sub-pixels, wherein one of the plurality of first sub-pixels includes a first emission region and a first non-emission region, and one of the plurality of second sub-pixels includes a second emission region and a second non-emission region; a first bank pattern in the first and second non-emission regions, the first bank pattern including a hydrophilic material; and a second bank pattern on an upper surface of the first bank pattern, the second bank pattern includes a hydrophobic material.
US09748318B2

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device is described that includes a shared cathode between OLED pixels as well as auxiliary lines that are formed between rows and/or columns of the OLED pixels. As the cathode is shared between many if not all of the pixels of display device, resistance within the cathode can affect the brightness of those pixels that are further from the cathode's voltage source. The auxiliary lines serve to counteract the voltage drop caused by this resistance. The auxiliary lines are electrically connected to the cathode in close proximity to individual pixels of the display.
US09748315B2

A flexible display device including a substrate; a driving element layer including a plurality of thin film transistors on the substrate; a display element layer including organic light-emitting diodes electrically connected to the thin film transistors on the driving element layer; a light transmissive layer on the display element layer and configured to adjust a neutral plane of the flexible display device to lie at the driving element layer and the display element layer when the flexible display device is bent; and a back plate film attached to a back side of the substrate and having a cut portion formed in a center region where the flexible display device is bent.
US09748310B2

A method of making a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) device includes depositing a spacer material on an electrode; forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) on the spacer material that includes a reference layer in contact with the spacer material, a free layer, and a tunnel barrier layer; patterning a hard mask on the free layer; etching the MTJ and the spacer material to transfer a pattern of the hard mask into the MTJ and the spacer material; forming an insulating layer along a sidewall of the hard mask, the MTJ, and the spacer material; disposing an interlayer dielectric (ILD) on and around the hard mask, MTJ, and spacer material; etching through the ILD to form a trench that extends to a surface and sidewall of the hard mask and a sidewall of a portion of the MTJ; and disposing a metal in the trench to form a contact electrode.
US09748308B2

A method of fabricating an image system includes forming a first wafer that includes a first semiconductor substrate and a first interconnect layer. A pixel array is formed in an imaging region of the first semiconductor substrate and a first insulation-filled trench is formed in a peripheral circuit region of the first semiconductor substrate. Additionally, a second wafer is formed that includes a second semiconductor substrate and a second interconnect layer. A second insulation-filled trench is formed in a second semiconductor substrate, and the first wafer is bonded to the second wafer. A third interconnect layer of a third wafer is bonded to the second wafer. At least one deep via cavity is formed through the first and second interconnect layers and through the first and second insulation-filled trenches. The at least one deep via cavity is filled with a conductive material to form a deep via.
US09748306B2

Radiation detectors are disclosed. The radiation detectors comprise a substrate and at least one radiation sensitive region on the substrate, the at least one radiation sensitive region comprising an array of elongate nanostructures projecting from the substrate. Methods of manufacture of such radiation detectors are also disclosed.
US09748303B2

A solid-state image pick-up apparatus of an example includes a photoelectric conversion portion, a transfer transistor configured to transfer a charge in the photoelectric conversion portion, and a signal output circuit configured to supply selectively a first voltage to turn on the transfer transistor and a second voltage to turn off the transfer transistor to the transfer transistor. The signal output circuit is configured to supply the second voltage having a voltage value selected from two or more different voltage values based on an output signal from a pixel.
US09748287B2

Disclosed is a power storage element including a positive electrode current collector layer and a negative electrode current collector layer which are arranged on the same plane and can be formed through a simple process. The power storage element further includes a positive electrode active material layer on the positive electrode current collector layer; a negative electrode active material layer on the negative electrode current collector layer; and a solid electrolyte layer in contact with at least the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer are formed by oxidation treatment.
US09748278B2

A technique of operating a device comprising a patterned conductor layer defining source electrode circuitry and drain electrode circuitry for a plurality of transistors; a semiconductor layer providing a respective semiconductor channel for each transistor between source electrode circuitry and drain electrode circuitry; and gate electrode circuitry overlapping the semiconductor channels of the plurality of transistor devices for switching the semiconductor channels between two or more levels of conductance; wherein the technique comprises using one or more further conductors independent of said gate electrode circuitry to capacitatively induce a reduction in conductivity of said one or more areas of said semiconductor layer outside of said semiconductor channels.
US09748275B2

To provide a display device including a flexible panel that can be handled without seriously damaging a driver circuit or a connecting portion between circuits. The display device includes a bent portion obtained by bending an element substrate. A circuit for driving the display device is provided in the bent portion and a wiring extends from the circuit, whereby the strength of a portion including the circuit for driving the display device is increased and failure of the circuit is reduced. Furthermore, the element substrate is bent in a connecting portion between an external terminal electrode and an external connecting wiring (FPC) so that the element substrate provided with the external terminal electrode fits the external connecting wiring, whereby the strength of the connecting portion is increased.
US09748264B1

A semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method are provided. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate, conductive layers, insulating layers, a memory structure including first memory structure clusters and second memory structure clusters, isolation trenches, and common source trenches. The conductive layers and the insulating layers are interlaced and stacked on the substrate. Each first memory structure cluster include first memory structures and each first memory structure cluster include second memory structures. The first and second memory structures penetrate the conductive layers and the insulating layers. Each isolation trench is formed between a first memory structure cluster and a second memory structure cluster. The isolation trenches span horizontally on the substrate in a discontinuous manner separated by gaps. Common source trenches are formed on the substrate that run substantially parallel with the isolation trenches.
US09748257B2

Provided are semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same. The semiconductor devices may include a substrate with a cell region and a peripheral region, a gate stack including gates stacked on the cell region of the substrate. At least one edge portion of the gate stack may have a staircase structure. The semiconductor devices may also include a channel that extend through the gate stack and is enclosed by a memory layer and at least two dummy patterns on the substrate. The at least two dummy patterns may be spaced apart from the gate stack and may be spaced apart from each other.
US09748254B2

The present invention provides a semiconductor device that has a shorter distance between the bit lines and easily achieves higher storage capacity and density. The semiconductor device includes: first bit lines and an insulating layer that is provided between the first bit lines and in a groove. First faces of the first bit lines are aligned on a first line and second faces of the first bit lines are aligned on a second line. A first face of the insulating layer is disposed at a third line that is a first distance from the first line in a first direction and a second face of the insulating layer is disposed at a fourth line that is a second distance from the second line in a second direction.
US09748250B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a structure and method for fabrication of deep trenches in semiconductor-on-insulator structures. An upper portion of the deep trench cavity is formed to expose a sidewall of the buried insulator layer. A protective layer is disposed on the sidewall of the buried insulator layer. Then, the cavity is extended into the bulk substrate. The protective layer prevents over etch of the buried insulator layer during this process. The protective layer is then partially removed, such that the semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) layer sidewall is exposed. The trench is then filled with a conductive fill material, such as polysilicon. The protection of the buried insulator (BOX) layer allows the trenches to be placed closer together while reducing the risk of a short circuit due to over etch, thereby increasing circuit density and product yield.
US09748247B2

A semiconductor device aims to prevent a leak current from flowing between a well and a corner of an active region formed on an upper surface of another well in an SRAM. In a memory cell of the SRAM, a load MOSFET is formed. An end of an active region extending in y-direction is arranged to gradually go away from a p-well as it goes from a gate electrode G2 side to a gate electrode G4 side in such a manner that a distance in x-direction between the end of the active region and the p-well is larger than a shortest distance in the x-direction between the p-well and the active region.
US09748238B2

A semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same, includes first and second gate structures extending in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a dummy gate structure provided between the first and second gate structures, a first source/drain region between the first gate structure and the dummy gate structure, a second source/drain region between the second gate structure and the dummy gate structure, a connection contact provided on the dummy gate structure, and a common conductive line provided on the connection contact. The dummy gate structure extends in the first direction. The connection contact extends in the second direction to connect the first source/drain region to the second source/drain region. The common conductive line configured to a voltage to the first and second source/drain regions through the connection contact.
US09748232B2

A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate having a first source region and a first drain region. The semiconductor device structure includes a first gate over the substrate and between the first source region and the first drain region. The semiconductor device structure includes a first contact structure over the first source region. The first contact structure is electrically connected to the first source region. The semiconductor device structure includes a second contact structure over the first drain region. The second contact structure is electrically connected to the first drain region. The semiconductor device structure includes a conductive layer electrically connecting the first gate to the first contact structure and the second contact structure.
US09748227B2

In some embodiments, a system may include an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may include a substrate including a first surface, a second surface substantially opposite of the first surface, and a first set of electrical conductors coupled to the first surface. The first set of electrical conductors may function to electrically connect the integrated circuit to a circuit board. The integrated circuit may include a semiconductor die coupled to the second surface of the substrate using a second set of electrical conductors. The integrated circuit may include a passive device dimensioned to be integrated with the integrated circuit. The passive device may be positioned between the second surface and at least one of the first set of electrical conductors. The die may be electrically connected to a second side of the passive device. A first side of the passive device may be available to be electrically connected to a second device.
US09748221B2

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device includes two N-metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) elements and a doped region. The two NMOS elements are arranged on a P-substrate, and each NMOS element includes a gate, a source, and a drain. The source and the drain are arranged on two opposite sides of the gate. The doped region is implanted into an outer space of the two NMOS surrounding the two NMOS, and a PN junction is formed by the doped region and the P-substrate.
US09748216B2

A component package and a method of forming are provided. A first component package may include a first semiconductor device having a pair of interposers attached thereto on opposing sides of the first semiconductor device. Each interposer may include conductive traces formed therein to provide electrical coupling to conductive features formed on the surfaces of the respective interposers. A plurality of through vias may provide for electrically connecting the interposers to one another. A first interposer may provide for electrical connections to a printed circuit board or subsequent semiconductor device. A second interposer may provide for electrical connections to a second semiconductor device and a second component package. The first and second component packages may be combined to form a Package-on-Package (“PoP”) structure.
US09748207B2

An electronic circuit structure is formed with first and second dies bonded together. A first active layer is formed in the first die, and a second active layer is formed in the second die. The first and second dies are bonded together, with an isolation capacitor, through which the first and second active layers communicate, disposed between the first and second dies.
US09748187B2

The semiconductor die includes a base body, protruding portions and bonding pads. The base body has sidewalls. The protruding portions are laterally protruding from the sidewalls respectively. The bonding pads are disposed on the protruding portions respectively. The wafer dicing method includes following operations. Chips are formed on a semiconductor wafer. Bonding pads are formed on a border line between every two of the adjacent chips. A scribe line is formed and disposed along the bonding pads. A photolithographic pattern is formed on a top surface of the semiconductor wafer to expose the scribe line. The scribe line is etched to a depth in the semiconductor wafer substantially below the top surface layer to form an etched pattern. A back surface of the semiconductor wafer is thinned until the etched pattern in the wafer substrate is exposed.
US09748181B1

An example apparatus includes a plurality of scribe streets arranged in rows and columns on the surface of a semiconductor wafer; and a plurality of integrated circuit dies arranged in rows and columns and spaced apart by the scribe streets. Each integrated circuit die includes plurality of active areas; a plurality of insulator layers overlying the active areas; a plurality of conductor layers interspersed with and separated by ones of the insulator layers; and a passivation layer overlying a top portion of the uppermost one of the conductor layers. A scribe seal in a scribe region surrounds the periphery of the integrated circuit dies, the scribe seal covered by the passivation layer; and a crack arrest structure is located surrounding and spaced from the scribe seal, and including an opening in the passivation layer that extends to and exposes the upper surface of the crack arrest structure. Methods are disclosed.
US09748175B1

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure is provided. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes forming an organosilicon layer over a substrate and etching the organosilicon layer to have a trench. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure further includes forming a conductive structure in the trench. In addition, the organosilicon layer is made of a material including Si—C bonding and Si—O bonding, and a ratio of an amount of the Si—C bonding to an amount of the Si—O bonding is greater than about 0.2.
US09748171B2

A memory structure is provided. The memory structure includes a first chip. The first chip has an array region and a periphery region. The first chip includes a first stack and a plurality of through structures. The first stack is disposed in the periphery region. The first stack includes alternately stacked conductive layers and insulating layers. The through structures each include an opening, a dielectric layer and a channel material. The opening is through the first stack. The dielectric layer is disposed on a sidewall of the opening. The channel material is disposed in the opening, and the channel material covers the dielectric layer.
US09748162B2

A chip package and a method for forming the same are provided. The method includes: providing a first chip, wherein the first chip comprises a first surface and a second surface, and a first plurality of pads are disposed on the first surface; providing a second chip, wherein the second chip comprises a third surface and a fourth surface, a second plurality of pads are disposed on the third surface; combining the second surface of the first chip and the third surface of the second chip, wherein the second plurality of pads are out of the combination area of the first chip and the second chip; and forming a first insulation layer, wherein the first insulation layer covers the first chip, and is combined with the second chip. Processes of the method are simple, and the chip package is small.
US09748156B1

A semiconductor package includes a cover, a substrate, at least one semiconductor device and at least one corner stiffener. The cover has at least one corner portion. The substrate is in force communication with the cover. The substrate has at least one corner portion. The semiconductor device is present between the cover and the substrate. The corner stiffener is present on at least one of the corner portion of the cover and the corner portion of the substrate.
US09748142B2

A device includes a substrate, insulation regions extending into the substrate, a first semiconductor region between the insulation regions and having a first valence band, and a second semiconductor region over and adjoining the first semiconductor region. The second semiconductor region has a compressive strain and a second valence band higher than the first valence band. The second semiconductor region includes an upper portion higher than top surfaces of the insulation regions to form a semiconductor fin, and a lower portion lower than the top surfaces of the insulation regions. The upper portion and the lower portion are intrinsic. A semiconductor cap adjoins a top surface and sidewalls of the semiconductor fin. The semiconductor cap has a third valence band lower than the second valence band.
US09748140B1

A method for use in manufacturing semiconductor devices includes providing a wafer on a support, covering a central wafer portion of the wafer, and cutting a marginal wafer portion of the wafer from the wafer. According to an embodiment of an apparatus, the apparatus includes a support configured to support a wafer, a masking device configured to cover a central wafer portion of the wafer, and a cutting device configured to cut a marginal wafer portion of the wafer from the wafer.
US09748137B2

Provided herein are methods of depositing void-free cobalt into features with high aspect ratios. Methods involve (a) partially filling a feature with cobalt, (b) exposing the feature to a plasma generated from nitrogen-containing gas to selectively inhibit cobalt nucleation on surfaces near or at the top of the feature, optionally repeating (a) and (b), and depositing bulk cobalt into the feature by chemical vapor deposition. Methods may also involve exposing a feature including a barrier layer to a plasma generated from nitrogen-containing gas to selectively inhibit cobalt nucleation. The methods may be performed at low temperatures less than about 400° C. using cobalt-containing precursors. Methods may also involve using a remote plasma source to generate the nitrogen-based plasma. Methods also involve annealing the substrate.
US09748134B2

A method of making a semiconductor device including forming a first adhesion layer over a substrate. The method further includes forming a second adhesion layer over the first adhesion layer, where the second adhesion layer is formed using an inert gas with a first flow rate under a first RF power. Additionally, the method includes forming a low-k dielectric layer over the second adhesion layer, where the low-k dielectric layer is formed using the inert gas with a second flow rate under a second RF power under at least one of the following two conditions: 1) the second flow rate is different from the first flow rate; or 2) the second RF power is different from the first RF power. Furthermore, the method includes forming an opening in the dielectric layer, the second adhesion layer, and the first adhesion layer. Additionally, the method includes forming a conductor in the opening.
US09748133B2

A method includes defining a metal pattern layer over a first dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer is disposed over an etch stop layer and the etch stop layer is disposed over a second dielectric layer. A spacer layer is grown over the metal pattern layer and the first dielectric layer. A metal trench is formed with a metal width in the first dielectric layer. A via hole is formed with a via width in the second dielectric layer.
US09748130B2

A method includes setting a first tension value of a laminating tape during a standby mode. A second tension value of the laminating tape is set during taping on a wafer. The second tension value is different from the first tension value. A third tension value of the laminating tape is set after taping. The third tension value is different from the second tension value.
US09748123B2

Disclosed are a wafer carrier that keeps wafers under a constant pressure, at any preset value below or above the atmospheric pressure, to prevent wafer contaminations arising from atmospheric exposure in conventional wafer carriers, and also, a wafer transport system and method utilizing the same wafer carrier. The wafer carrier charged with a preset carrier pressure is transported and docked with an airlock of a wafer processing tool comprising the airlock, a vacuum transfer module, and a process chamber. The airlock adjusts, by a gas pump, inner pressure to equate successively with, first, the carrier pressure before opening the carrier door, and next, the vacuum transfer module pressure before opening the latter's door. The wafers are then transferred into the process chamber. After processing, the wafers are transferred back into the wafer carrier and charged with the preset carrier pressure before undocked and transported to the next wafer processing tool.
US09748120B2

An apparatus for treating a disc-shaped article comprises a spin chuck and at least three individually controllable infrared heating elements. The infrared heating elements are mounted in a stationary manner with respect to rotation of said spin chuck. The infrared heating elements are arranged in a nested configuration so as to define individually controllable inner, middle and outer heating zones adjacent a disc-shaped article when positioned on the spin chuck.
US09748114B2

A semiconductor device includes an epitaxy layer formed on semiconductor substrate, a device layer formed on the epitaxy layer, a trench formed within the semiconductor substrate and including a dielectric layer forming a liner within the trench and a conductive core forming a through-silicon via conductor, and a deep trench isolation structure formed within the substrate and surrounding the through-silicon via conductor. A region of the epitaxy layer formed between the through-silicon via conductor and the deep trench isolation structure is electrically isolated from any signals applied to the semiconductor device, thereby decreasing parasitic capacitance.
US09748111B2

A method for fabricating a semiconductor structure includes following steps. First, a first layer, a second layer and a third layer are sequentially formed on the substrate. The second layer is conformally disposed on the top surface of the first layer. The second layer and the first layer have different compositions, and the third layer and the second layer also have different compositions. Then, a planarizing process is performed on the third layer until portions of the second layer are exposed. Afterwards, hydrofluoric acid and aqueous oxidant are concurrently or sequentially provided to the remaining second and third layers. Finally, an etch back process is carried out to remove all the second layer and portions of the first layer.
US09748099B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes modifying a first laser beam from a first laser to form a first linear-shaped laser beam and modifying a second laser beam from a second laser to form a second linear-shaped laser beam. The method further includes overlaying the first linear-shaped laser beam and the second linear-shaped laser beam to form an overlayed linear-shaped laser beam, wherein the overlayed linear-shaped laser beam has a width and a length where the length is ten times or more as large as the width. The method also includes scanning a semiconductor film formed over a substrate with the overlayed linear-shaped laser beam to increase crystallinity of the semiconductor film, and patterning the semiconductor film to form a semiconductor layer which includes a channel formation region of a transistor.
US09748093B2

Aspects of the disclosure pertain to methods of forming conformal liners on patterned substrates having high height-to-width aspect ratio gaps. Layers formed according to embodiments outlined herein have been found to inhibit diffusion and electrical leakage across the conformal liners. The liners may comprise nitrogen and be described as nitride layers according to embodiments. The conformal liners may comprise silicon and nitrogen and may consist of silicon and nitrogen in embodiments. Methods described herein may comprise introducing a silicon-containing precursor and a nitrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region and concurrently applying a pulsed plasma power capacitively to the substrate processing region to form the conformal layer.
US09748091B2

In one embodiment, a substrate treatment apparatus includes a housing configured to house a substrate. The apparatus further includes a chemical supplying module configured to supply one or more chemicals in a gas state to the substrate in the housing, the one or more chemicals including a first chemical that contains a silylation agent. The apparatus further includes a cooling module configured to cool the substrate in the housing while any of the one or more chemicals is supplied to the substrate in the housing.
US09748085B2

A method to measure heat damage of keratin fibers comprising eluting a peptide from a hair sample with an aqueous solution; extracting the peptide using a suitable solvent sample; analyzing the peptide samples with MALDI-MS; resulting in peptide results; identifying presence of a marker peptide and identifying the m/z ratio for the peptide.
US09748081B2

Reliability of a semiconductor device is improved, and use efficiency of a sputtering apparatus is increased. When depositing thin films over a main surface of a semiconductor wafer using a magnetron sputtering apparatus in which a collimator is installed in a space between the semiconductor wafer and a target installed in a chamber, a region inner than a peripheral part of the collimator is made thinner than the peripheral part. Thus, it becomes possible to suppress deterioration in uniformity of the thin film in a wafer plane, which may occur as the integrated usage of the target increases.
US09748074B2

In one embodiment, a data generating apparatus generates data including an irradiation amount of a beam in each pixel for an energy beam writing apparatus. The data generating apparatus includes a target irradiation amount calculating section configured to calculate a first irradiation amount in each pixel, an irradiation amount rounding section configured to round the first irradiation amount based on an irradiation amount control unit and calculate a second irradiation amount, a difference calculating section configured to calculate a first difference between the first irradiation amount and the second irradiation amount, a difference sum calculating section configured to calculate a sum of the first differences in a first group of a plurality of adjacent pixels, and an allocating section configured to allocate an irradiation amount based on the irradiation amount control unit and the sum to a pixel in the first group.
US09748071B2

An electron beam apparatus is disclosed that includes a plurality of current source elements disposed in at least one field emitter array. Each current source element can be a gated vertical transistor, an ungated vertical transistor, or a current controlled channel that is proximate to an optically-modulated current source. The electron beam apparatus includes a plurality of field emitter tips, each field emitter tip of the plurality of field emitter tips being coupled to a current source element of the plurality of current source elements. The electron beam apparatus is configured to allow selective activation of one or more of the current source elements.
US09748065B2

A sealed contact device capable of maintaining a function for drawing a generated arc to disappear rapidly and reliably for a long period. An electromagnetic relay includes a housing, a stationary contact and a moving contact which are disposed opposite to each other in the housing, and a pair of permanent magnets and disposed opposite to the stationary contact and the moving contact. An arc generated between the stationary contact and the moving contact is drawn due to a current conducting between the stationary contact and the moving contact and magnetic forces of the permanent magnets. An arc shield member is disposed in a position in which an arc in the housing is induced.
US09748060B2

A hybrid interrupter member for an electrical circuit, the interrupter member including a static interrupter component and an electromechanical interrupter component. The static component is mounted on a support carrying electrical contacts for the static component, the support being configured, on receiving a command to interrupt, to move in such a manner as to withdraw at least one of the electrical contacts from its respective pin, thereby forming the electromechanical interrupter component.
US09748059B2

A switching device arrangement has a first contact set and a second contact set. The first contact set includes a first electric arc contact element and a first nominal current contact element. The first nominal current contact element can be moved relative to the first electric arc contact element. A first transmission is introduced in a kinematic chain in order to generate a relative movement of the first nominal current contact element and the first electric arc contact element. The first transmission is operationally connected between a stationary counter bearing and the first electric arc contact piece.
US09748051B2

There are provided a row of external permanent magnets and a row of internal permanent magnets; a floating output ring is provided on which is wound a 3-phase coil, between these rows. The floating output ring has no mechanical restraining relationship with any other member in the linear motor). Instead, a controller that controls a PWM inverter that injects AC exciting current into the 3-phase coil brings the central axes of the double cylinder and the floating output ring into coincidence by generating supporting force with respect to the floating output ring by magnetism, by controlling the d axis current component of the exciting current.
US09748049B2

A contact has a flat surface and a side surface that is parallel to the flat surface. At least a part of the side surface is curved so as to swell. At least a part of the contact is able to be elastically deformed in parallel to the flat surface.
US09748043B2

A solid electrolytic capacitor is described which comprises an anode, a dielectric on the anode and a cathode on the dielectric. A conductive coating is on the cathode wherein the conductive layer comprises an exterior surface of a first high melting point metal. An adjacent layer is provided comprising a second high melting point metal, wherein the first high melting point metal and the second high melting point metal are metallurgically bonded with a low melting point metal.
US09748041B2

A dielectric ceramic layer includes main phase grains and a secondary phase. The main phase grains include a perovskite-type compound. The perovskite-type compound includes Zr, Mn and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Ca, Sr, and Ba. In the perovskite-type compound, a molar ratio z between Ti/(Zr+Ti) satisfies 0≦z≦0.2, a molar ratio between Zr/(Zr+Ti) is equal to 1−z, a molar ratio x between Sr/(Ca+Sr+Ba) satisfies 0≦x≦1.0, a molar ratio y between Ba/(Ca+Sr+Ba) satisfies 0≦y≦0.3, a molar ratio between Ca/(Ca+Sr+Ba) is equal to 1−x−y, and a molar ratio m between (Ca+Sr+Ba)/(Zr+Ti) satisfies 0.95≦m<1.03. The secondary phase contains segregated Mn. In a body including the dielectric ceramic layer and an internal electrode alternately stacked, the secondary phase is located inside of a second region and not located inside of a third region.
US09748040B2

An electronic control device for controlling at least one rotatably arranged actuator includes electronic components, such as a device for the contact-free reception of electrical energy and the contact-free reception of signals, a device for generating magnetic fields, and a common housing that encloses the electronic components and assimilates them. The control device is rotatable and designed for attaching on or into a component rotating around a rotational axis.
US09748033B2

An integrated transformer includes a primary inductor and a secondary inductor wherein the primary inductor includes a B turns spiral winding formed by a first metal layer and an A turns winding formed by a second metal layer, wherein the A turns winding formed by the second metal layer and the innermost turns of the B turns spiral winding formed by the first metal layer are substantially overlapped; and the secondary inductor includes a C turns winding at least formed by the second metal layer, wherein the C turns winding formed by the second metal layer of the secondary inductor and a portion of the winding formed by the first metal layer of the primary inductor are substantially overlapped, wherein A is not bigger than B, and A is not bigger than C.
US09748032B2

An inductor array chip includes a magnetic laminated body and a plurality of inductors. The magnetic laminated body includes a plurality of stacked magnetic layers. The plurality of inductors are arranged inside the magnetic laminated body. The inductance of a first inductor differs from the inductance of a second inductor. The inductors include a plurality of coil-shaped conductors and via-hole conductors. The plurality of coil-shaped conductors are arranged between the magnetic layers. The via-hole conductors electrically connect the plurality of coil-shaped conductors. The inductors include a plurality of inductors in which the section sizes of the coil-shaped conductors differ from one another.
US09748030B2

A sintered annular magnet with a radial orientation of a remanent magnetic field, including: a principal annular part made from a ferromagnetic material, that has a first degree of magnetic anisotropy in the radial direction; and an annular reinforcing part fixed to the principal part of the magnet, the reinforcing part being made from same ferromagnetic material as the ferromagnetic material forming the principal part, and that has a second degree of magnetic anisotropy in the radial direction, the first degree being higher than the second degree.
US09748023B2

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a substrate gap supporter. The method includes: a first step of forming metal foils on both sides of an insulating plate; a second step of etching the metal foils to expose the insulating plate so that a plurality of stripes are arranged on both sides of the insulating plate in parallel at constant intervals, wherein the stripes expose the insulating plate at constant widths; and a third step of cutting in direction in parallel with the stripes and in direction in vertical with the stripes along one edges of the stripes to complete the gap supporter.
US09748021B2

A plurality of telecommunications connections are installed in a distribution network by connecting a series of distribution points using a multicore cable comprising a plurality of cores having a common enclosure, some of the cores carrying fiber tubes into which optical fiber may later be introduced, and other cores carrying an electrical power supply. One or more cores may be diverted from a longer cable run to serve a local distribution point by rupturing a web connecting the core to the rest of the cable, thus allowing the remaining cores to be uninterrupted at the point of divergence. An alternative embodiment intended for underground use provides for apertures to be opened in a protective sheath to expose the individual cores required to be diverted to a local distribution point.
US09748020B2

A flex-resistant wire has a conductor portion configured as a multiple-stranded wire. The multiple-stranded wire has a plurality of bunched strands that are twisted together. Each of the bunched strands has a plurality of conductors that are twisted together. In each of the bunched strands, the lay length of the conductors that are twisted together is at least 10 times greater than a strand diameter of the bunched strand but not greater than 47.2 times the strand diameter. The lay length of the bunched strands that are twisted together is at least 5 times greater than a pitch diameter of the multiple-stranded wire but not greater than 30 times the pitch diameter. The lay length of the conductors is smaller than or equal to the lay length of the bunched strands. The flex-resistant wire may be provided as one of the wires forming a wire harness.
US09748016B2

A method of the present invention for producing a carbon nanotube includes: a dispersing step of dispersing a carbon nanotube in a solvent by carrying out a dispersion treatment that brings about a cavitation effect, the carbon nanotube having an average diameter (Av) and a diameter distribution (3σ) that satisfy 0.60>3σ/Av>0.20; and a mixing step of mixing carbon nanotube slurry obtained in the dispersing step with latex.
US09748015B2

The present invention generally relates to deformable polymer composites, and more particularly to, deformable polymer composites with controlled electrical performance during deformation through tailored strain-dependent conductive filler contact. According to embodiments, a deformable elastomeric conductive material includes: an elastomeric polymer matrix; and conductive filler material uniformly dispersed in the elastomeric polymer matrix sufficient to render the material electrically or thermally conductive. The conductive filler material comprises a plurality of substantially non-entangled particles having an aspect ratio sufficiently large to enable the particles to substantially remain in contact and/or in close proximity with adjacent particles so as to maintain conductive pathways in the material when the material is subjected to deformation up to and exceeding 10% strain.
US09748013B2

A scintillator panel includes a support and a scintillator layer, wherein the scintillator layer includes scintillator particles, a binder resin, and a void, and the porosity of the scintillator layer is from 14 to 35% by volume.
US09748004B2

A combined makeup tank and passive residual heat removal system that places a tube and shell heat exchanger within the core makeup tank. An intake to the tube side of the heat exchanger is connected to the hot leg of the reactor core and the outlet of the tube side is connected to the cold leg of the reactor core. The shell side of the heat exchanger is connected to a separate heat sink through a second heat exchanger.
US09748000B2

Provided is a skyrmion memory circuit capable of circularly transferring a magnetic element skyrmion, comprising one or more current paths in a magnet having a closed-path pattern that are provided surrounding an end region including an end portion of the magnet in a plane of the magnet with the closed-path pattern, and applying current between an outer terminal connected to an outer circumferential portion of the closed-path pattern and an inner circumference electrode connected to an inner circumferential portion of the closed-path pattern, transferring the skyrmion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the applied current, and circulating the skyrmion in the magnet with the closed-path pattern.
US09747994B2

A memory system includes first through fifth pins connectable to a host device to output to the host device a first signal through the third pin and to receive from the host device a first chip select signal through the first pin, a second chip select signal through the second pin, a second signal through the fourth pin, and a clock signal through the fifth pin, an interface circuit configured to recognize, as a command, the second signal received through the fourth pin immediately after detecting the first or second chip select signal, and first and second memory cell arrays. The interface circuit and the first and second memory cell arrays are provided in one common package, and is configured to access the first memory cell array when detecting the first chip select signal, and to access the second memory cell array when detecting the second chip select signal.
US09747992B1

A non-volatile memory system includes one or more control circuits configured to read memory cells. The reading of the programmed memory cells includes applying one or more voltages to perform boosting of a channel region associated with unselected memory cells, allowing the boosting of the channel region for a portion of time while applying the one or more voltages, preventing/interrupting the boosting of the channel region while applying the one or more voltages for a duration of time based on position of a memory cell selected for verification, applying a compare signal to the memory cell selected for reading, and performing a sensing operation for the memory cell selected for reading in response to the compare signal.
US09747988B2

When selectively erasing one sub-block, a control circuit applies, in a first sub-block, a first voltage to bit lines and a source line, and applies a second voltage smaller than the first voltage to the word lines. Then, the control circuit applies a third voltage lower than the first voltage by a certain value to a drain-side select gate line and a source-side select gate line, thereby performing the erase operation in the first sub-block. The control circuit applies, in a second sub-block existing in an identical memory block to the selected sub-block, a fourth voltage substantially identical to the first voltage to the drain side select gate line and the source side select gate line, thereby not performing the erase operation in the second sub-block.
US09747986B2

Improved PMOS and NMOS transistor designs for sensing circuitry use in advanced nanometer flash memory devices are disclosed.
US09747984B2

A semiconductor device may include a ZQ calibration circuit, a reference code setting circuit, a variable information generating circuit, and an internal circuit. The ZQ calibration circuit may perform a ZQ calibration operation in response to a ZQ calibration enable signal to generate a ZQ calibration code. The reference code generating circuit may output a predetermined code value as a reference code. The variable information generating circuit may compare the ZQ calibration code to the reference code to generate variable information. The internal circuit may determine operation timings based on a difference between the ZQ calibration code and the reference code.
US09747979B2

A memory array includes a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix, each memory cell including a cell transistor and a variable resistance element connected to an end of the cell transistor, and a cell transistor performance measuring cell including a MOS transistor. The cell transistor performance measuring cell is used to stabilize resistance values in a low resistance state and a high resistance state of the variable resistance element irrespective of variations in the cell transistor and thereby improve read characteristics and reliability characteristics of a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device.
US09747976B2

A charge trapping memristor is disclosed. An example charge trapping memristor includes a first electrode and second electrode configured on opposite sides of a channel to generate an electric potential across the channel, and a charge barrier. The example charge trapping memristor also includes a charge trapping material configured to store and release an electric charge therein, wherein storing and releasing the electric charge changes electrical properties of the channel.
US09747970B2

A refresh circuit is configured to perform a first refresh operation for a plurality of memory banks. The first refresh operation may be performed within a first time period determined according to a first parameter. The refresh circuit may be configured to perform a second refresh operation for a partial number of memory banks among the plurality of memory banks. The second refresh operation may be performed for the partial number of memory banks that have completed the first refresh operation. The second refresh operation may be performed within the first time period.
US09747969B1

Methods, systems, techniques, and devices for operating a ferroelectric memory cell or cells are described. A first ferroelectric memory cell may be used to charge a second ferroelectric memory cell by transferring charge from a plate of first ferroelectric memory cell to a plate of the second ferroelectric memory cell. In some examples, prior to the transfer of charge, the first ferroelectric memory cell may be selected for a first operation in which the first ferroelectric memory cell transitions from a charged state to a discharged state and the second ferroelectric memory cell may be selected for a second operation during which the second ferroelectric memory cell transitions from a discharged state to a charged state. The discharging of the first ferroelectric memory cell may be used to assist in charging the second ferroelectric memory cell.
US09747966B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell; a reference signal generation circuit; a sense amplifier; a first transistor configured to electrically couple the memory cell and a first input terminal of the sense amplifier; a second transistor configured to electrically couple the reference signal generation circuit and a second input terminal of the sense amplifier; a first control circuit configured to supply a voltage to gates of the first transistor and the second transistor; a second control circuit configured to supply a first voltage except 0V to a back gate of the first transistor; and a third control circuit configured to supply a second voltage except 0V to a back gate of the second transistor.
US09747957B1

The disclosure is directed to a system that includes a memory device. The memory device includes a memory system and an energy storage device including a capacitor. The memory storage device includes power delivery circuitry that delivers to the memory system a first power from the energy storage device and a second power from an external power supply coupled to the memory device.
US09747955B2

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a disc drive actuator assembly including an e-block, a plurality of bearings, and one or more heat transfer components. The heat transfer component(s) operates to conductively draw heat from the plurality of bearings through the e-block, and convectively dissipate the heat into an atmosphere in contact therewith. The heat transfer component(s) mitigates temperature rise of the bearings during operation of a disc drive, thereby mitigating bearing lubricant outgassing from within the bearings.
US09747950B2

In one aspect, an example method involves a computing device accessing first data representing a program schedule of a media program; accessing second data representing closed-captioning text of the media program; making a determination that first text of the program schedule has at least a threshold extent of similarity with second text of the closed-captioning text, where a portion of the media program was recorded proximate a time when a portion of the second data representing the second text of the closed-captioning text was generated; using the first text of the program schedule as a basis to select a portion of the program schedule; and responsive to at least the determination, storing third data indicative of a correlation between the selected portion of the program schedule and the recorded portion of the media program.
US09747946B2

A method for communication is described. The method includes providing a channel configured for collecting and editing video associated with a topic. The method includes identifying a plurality of potential parties connected with the topic. The method includes pushing a plurality of invitations to the plurality of potential parties, wherein each invitation comprises a request to join the channel. The method includes receiving a plurality of video feeds on the channel from a plurality of contributors each accepting a corresponding invitation. The method includes editing the plurality of video feeds to generate an edited video.
US09747945B2

A method for creating a content in an electronic device is provided. The method includes acquiring first media data acquired by at least one external electronic device, acquiring second media data on a basis of at least a part of the first media data, recognizing a feature of the second media data acquired by the at least one external electronic device, and creating the content on a basis of at least a part of the feature of the second media data.
US09747944B2

Zeotropic effects are created while an observer experiments with video data and speed controls of a rotary motor. A system facilitates user creation of a customized zoetrope animation disc by enabling a user to take a video of a repetitive motion (e.g., a person doing a jumping jack, a hand opening and closing, a person swinging back and forth on a swing, etc.). The system prompts a user to select a start point and end point to the video. The system further prompts the user to specify a number of frames desired for the animation disc. The animation disc is then printed for use on a rotary motor based on the user input.
US09747940B2

In certain embodiments, an apparatus includes a basedeck; a motor coupled to the basedeck and having a rotatable hub; and first, second, third, fourth, and fifth discs coupled to the hub. Three of the five discs are biased against the hub in a first direction and two of the five discs are biased against the hub in a second direction. In certain embodiments, a method includes biasing at least three discs against a hub in a first direction and biasing at least two discs against the hub in a second direction.
US09747936B1

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, and a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal representing at least one of a shock and a thermal popping affecting the data storage device. The sensor signal is first filtered based on a first frequency range corresponding to the shock to generate a shock signal, and second filtered based on a second frequency range corresponding to the thermal popping to generate a pop signal, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range. The shock signal and the pop signal are individually processed, for example, to log a disturbance event, to abort a write operation, or to generate a feed-forward servo compensation signal.
US09747931B1

In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes an array of magnetic transducers each having: a current-perpendicular-to-plane sensor, shields for providing magnetic shielding, and a stabilizing layered structure between at least one of the shields and the sensor. The stabilizing layered structure includes an antiferromagnetic layer, a first ferromagnetic layer adjacent the antiferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and an antiparallel coupling layer between the ferromagnetic layers. A magnetization direction in the second ferromagnetic layer is opposite the magnetization direction in the first ferromagnetic layer. Each transducer also includes an electrical lead layer positioned between the sensor and the stabilizing layered structure and in electrical communication with the sensor. Each transducer also includes a spacer layer between the respective electrical lead layer and the stabilizing layered structure. A conductivity of the electrical lead layer is higher than a conductivity of the spacer layer.
US09747924B2

In some examples, sound verification may include a speaker device that may be configured to transmit sound at a dynamic volume level and a listening device that may be configured to receive the sound and provide feedback to the speaker device based on the received sound. The primary transceiver device may be further configured to adjust the dynamic volume level based on the feedback provided by the secondary transceiver device.
US09747922B2

A sound signal processing method, the sound signal processing apparatus and the vehicle equipped with the apparatus, in which the sound signal processing apparatus includes a spatial filtering unit configured to obtain a filtered signal including a target signal by a spatial filtering by applying a spatial filter to an input signal, and a mask application unit configured to obtain an output signal by applying a mask to the filtered signal. The mask may be obtained by using a spatial selectivity between the target signal and noise of the target signal.
US09747921B2

A signal processing technique the noise suppressing performance of which is more improved than conventional one is provided. A first component extraction unit 14 extracts a non-stationary component ^φS(A)(ω, τ) derived from a sound coming from a target area and a stationary component ^φS(B)(ω, τ) derived from an incoherent noise from a power spectrum density ^φS(ω, τ) of the target area through processing of time average. A second component extraction unit 15 extracts a non-stationary component ^φN(A)(ω, τ) derived from an interference noise and a stationary component ^φN(B)(ω, τ) derived from an incoherent noise from a power spectrum density ^φN(ω, τ) of a noise area.
US09747919B2

A sound processing apparatus includes a first calculator that calculates first power based on a first signal received by a first microphone that is among the first microphone and a second microphone; a second calculator that calculates second power based on a second signal received by the second microphone; a gain calculator that calculates a gain on the basis of the ratio of the first power to the second power; and a multiplier that processes the second signal using the gain calculated by the gain calculator.
US09747917B2

Methods and systems are provided for receiving desired sounds. The system includes a position sensor configured to determine an occupant position of an occupant engaging in speech within a defined space and transmit the speaking occupant position. A plurality of microphones are configured to receive sound from within the defined space and transmit audio signals corresponding to the received sound. A processor, in communication with the position sensor and the microphones, is configured to receive the speaking occupant position and the audio signals, apply a beamformer to the audio signals to direct a microphone beam toward the occupant position, and generate a beamformer output signal.
US09747916B2

In a CELP-type speech coding apparatus, switching between an orthogonal search of a fixed codebook and a non-orthogonal search is performed in a practical and effective manner. The CELP-type speech coding apparatus includes a parameter quantizer that selects an adaptive codebook vector and a fixed codebook vector so as to minimize an error between a synthesized speech signal and an input speech signal. The parameter quantizer includes a fixed codebook searcher that switches between the orthogonal fixed codebook search and the non-orthogonal fixed codebook search based on a correlation value between a target vector for the fixed codebook search and the adaptive codebook vector obtained as a result of a synthesis filtering process.
US09747912B2

In general, techniques are described for indicating reuse of a syntax element that indicates a quantization mode used when compressing a vector. A device comprising a processor and a memory may perform the techniques. The processor may be configured to obtain a bitstream comprising a vector in a spherical harmonics domain. The bitstream may further comprise an indicator for whether to reuse, from a previous frame, at least one syntax element indicative of a quantization mode used when compressing the vector. The memory may be configured to store the bitstream.
US09747908B2

An audio signal decoding apparatus is provided that includes a receiver that receives an encoded information, a memory, and a processor that demultiplexes low-band encoding parameters, index information, and scale factor information from the encoded information. The processor also decodes the low-band encoding parameters to obtain a synthesized low frequency spectrum, replicates a high frequency subband spectrum based on the index information using the synthesized low frequency spectrum, and adjusts an amplitude of the replicated high frequency subband spectrum using the scale factor information. The processor further estimates a frequency of a harmonic component in the synthesized low frequency spectrum, adjusts a frequency of a harmonic component in the high frequency subband spectrum using the estimated harmonic frequency spectrum, and generates an output signal using the synthesized low frequency spectrum and the high frequency subband spectrum.
US09747902B2

A system for use in assisting a user in a social interaction with another person is provided, the system being configured to determine whether the user recognizes the person and, if it is determined that the user does not recognize the person, to provide information to the user about the person. A corresponding method and computer program product for performing the method are also provided.
US09747900B2

A device performs a method for using image data to aid voice recognition. The method includes the device capturing image data of a vicinity of the device and adjusting, based on the image data, a set of parameters for voice recognition performed by the device. The set of parameters for the device performing voice recognition include, but are not limited to: a trigger threshold of a trigger for voice recognition; a set of beamforming parameters; a database for voice recognition; and/or an algorithm for voice recognition, wherein the algorithm can include using noise suppression or using acoustic beamforming.
US09747892B1

Speech is modeled as a cognitively-driven sensory-motor activity where the form of speech is the result of categorization processes that any given subject recreates by focusing on creating sound patterns that are represented by syllables. These syllables are then combined in characteristic patterns to form words, which are in turn, combined in characteristic patterns to form utterances. A speech recognition process first identifies syllables in an electronic waveform representing ongoing speech. The pattern of syllables is then deconstructed into a standard form that is used to identify words. The words are then concatenated to identify an utterance. Similarly, a speech synthesis process converts written words into patterns of syllables. The pattern of syllables is then processed to produce the characteristic rhythmic sound of naturally spoken words. The words are then assembled into an utterance which is also processed to produce a natural sounding speech.
US09747891B1

A method for recommending the pronunciation of a name includes providing a plurality of audio records wherein the audio records include a set of audio records identifying the pronunciation of a common name. The method also includes analyzing the set of audio records identifying the pronunciation to determine the most frequent common pronunciation of the common name in the set of audio records. Once determined, the most frequent common pronunciation of the common name is presented to an end user.
US09747890B2

Systems and methods automatedly evaluate a transcription quality. Audio data is obtained. The audio data is segmented into a plurality of utterances with a voice activity detector operating on a computer processor. The plurality of utterances are transcribed into at least one word lattice with a large vocabulary continuous speech recognition system operating on the processor. A minimum Bayes risk decoder is applied to the at least one word lattice to create at least one confusion network. At least conformity ratio is calculated from the at least one confusion network.
US09747882B1

A switched reversing configuration control for string instruments connects to a pair of pickup sensors located on an electric string instrument for selectively electrically configuring the pickup sensors between (a) the pair of pickup sensors being coupled with like polarity in one of series or parallel with respect to a pair of output terminals, or (b) effectively coupling only one of the pair of pickup sensors to the output terminals, or (c) the pair of pickup sensors being coupled with opposing polarity in one of series or parallel with respect to the output terminals. An optional reverse polarity passive boost circuit is provided for increasing the output voltage coupled to the output terminals when the pickup sensors are coupled with opposing polarity as compared to the output voltage that would otherwise be provided absent the reverse polarity passive boost circuit.
US09747872B2

This disclosure describes an LED display device. The LED display device includes a transmitter having a memory and a pixel mapping table, a plurality of first receivers coupled to the transmitter, a plurality of second receiver modules, and a plurality of LED driver groups. A unique address is assigned to a data packet with a use of the pixel mapping table. The data packet has a set of field information and the set of field information includes the unique address. Each of the second receiver modules is coupled to at least one of the first receivers and includes a plurality of second receivers. None of the plurality of second receivers comprises a pixel mapping memory. Each of the LED driver groups is coupled to one of the plurality of second receivers and includes a plurality of LED drivers.
US09747865B2

A gamma correction circuit applied to a display device includes a first storage unit, a second storage unit, a first correction circuit and a second correction circuit. The first storage unit stores a first gamma look-up table, and the second storage unit stores a second gamma look-up table. The first correction circuit receives an input signal, and generates an intermediate signal corresponding to the input signal according to the first gamma look-up table. The second correction circuit receives the intermediate signal, and generates an output signal corresponding to the intermediate signal according to the second look-up table to a display panel. The first look-up table is stored to the first storage unit after the display device is powered on.
US09747859B2

A liquid crystal display (LCD) device are disclosed, which reduce power consumption and improve an image quality. The LCD device includes a liquid crystal panel in which a plurality of sub-pixels is defined by intersection of a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and sub-pixels adjacent to each other in a column direction are connected by sharing the plurality of gate lines. A gate driver may sequentially transfer a scan pulse to even-numbered gate lines and then sequentially transferring a scan pulse to odd-numbered gate lines. A data driver may be synchronized with the applied scan pulse in providing data voltage to columns of sub-pixels. The data driver provides the data voltage having different polarities to a neighbor data line during one frame interval such that sub-pixels are driven by a horizontal 2-dot inversion scheme.
US09747851B2

The present invention provides a compensation method of Mura phenomenon. By dividing the LCD display panel into a plurality of display partitions, and selecting a pre-selected pixel dot of a determined position in each display partition and obtaining gray scale compensation data thereof at the respectively selected gray scales, and then, calculating the respective interpolation coefficients of the requested pixel dots in the corresponding display partitions, the compensation data of partial pixel dots in the respective gray scales and the respective interpolation coefficients of the requested pixel dots can be utilized to calculate the gray scale compensation data of all pixel dots in all gray scales. The calculation difficulty is reduced to lower the computation. The consumption of the hardware storage space is decreased and the Mura compensation result can be ensured. The time and effort can be saved and it can be simple and quick.
US09747850B2

To realize a level shift circuit with the small occupation area and capable of performing high-speed operation, a level shift circuit includes an electric potential converting unit that converts a first electric potential of an input signal to a third electric potential and converts a second electric potential of an input signal to a fourth electric potential. A capacitor includes first and second electrodes, the first electrode being electrically connected to the input unit, and the second electrode being electrically connected to an output node of the electric potential converting unit. A buffer unit converts the third and fourth electrical potentials to fifth and sixth electrical potentials, respectively. The capacitor reflects the input signal in the electric potential of the output node of the electric potential converting unit without delay by capacitive coupling, thereby realizing a level shift circuit that is capable of performing high-speed operation.
US09747847B2

Embodiments provide techniques for updating pixels of an electrophoretic display through computational modeling of a current state of each pixel. A model buffer may store data for a modeled current state of each pixel in a display, providing a prediction of a current color state for each pixel based on voltages previously applied to the pixel. Upon receiving a frame to be displayed, including a target state for each pixel, embodiments determine which of a set of voltages (e.g., positive, negative, or neural/zero voltages) optimally alters the state of the pixel to be as close as possible to the target state. These voltage(s) may be applied to each pixel in an iterative manner, with each voltage determined based on the current modeled state of the pixel.
US09747844B2

The disclosure discloses a backlight brightness adjusting method and device and a liquid crystal display device. In the backlight brightness adjusting method, grayscale characteristic values of respective primary colors in an image to be displayed are obtained, that is, contributions of the respective primary colors to an overall grayscale are obtained, to thereby obtain the grayscale contributions of the respective primary colors in the image to be displayed respectively; a backlight value is determined by giving different coefficients to the grayscale characteristic values of the respective primary colors; and finally an output of a backlight driver is adjusted according to the backlight value to thereby adjust backlight brightness.
US09747843B2

A display apparatus includes a de-multiplexer having a number of first switches equal to a number of data lines. Each of the first switches is connected to a first end of a corresponding one of the data lines. The display apparatus also includes a plurality of switch circuits. Each switch circuit includes a plurality of second switches. Each the second switches are substantially in parallel and are connected to a second end of a corresponding one of the data lines.
US09747842B2

An organic light emitting display includes a display panel including sharing pixel groups each including at least one unit pixel, a gate driving circuit generating sensing signals for initializing the unit pixels, and a data driving circuit which generates an initialization voltage to be applied to the unit pixels and outputs the initialization voltage through a plurality of initialization voltage supply channels. When the sensing signals each having a pulse width of N horizontal periods (where N is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2) are shifted while overlapping each other by (N−1) horizontal period, N initialization voltage supply channels are assigned to a plurality of vertically adjacent sharing pixel groups. N sharing pixel groups, being driven to overlap each other in response to the sensing signals, among the vertically adjacent sharing pixel groups are connected to different initialization voltage supply channels.
US09747841B2

An electro-optical device selects a detection target pixel independently and obtains correction data to perform a correction operation. Under a control of the electro-optical device, remaining pixels other than the detection target pixel emit light to display an image.
US09747832B2

An organic light emitting display includes: a data driver configured to supply a data signal to data lines, corresponding to a data enable signal during a driving period in which an image is displayed; and a timing controller configured to supply data and the data enable signal to the data driver, wherein a first data enable signal having a first period and a second data enable signal having a second period differing from the first period are included in the data enable signal supplied during one frame period.
US09747825B2

A flexible display device includes a display panel, at least one inspection part, and a detector. The display panel includes at least one bending portion and a display area. The inspection part is located on the bending portion and bends in a manner similar to the bending portion. The detector applies an inspection signal to the inspection part and receives an output signal from the inspection part. A crack in the inspection part is then determined based on a comparison of the inspection and output signals.
US09747822B2

A rollable display device includes a flexible display panel displaying an image, a housing accommodating the flexible display panel in a rolled state, the housing having a bent opening portion through which the flexible display panel is pulled out, and a grip attached to the flexible display panel, the grip pulling the flexible display panel out of the housing by an external force.
US09747821B2

A three-dimensional artwork device that provides a three-dimensional appearance for providing visual interest. The three-dimensional artwork includes a base layer having an upper surface having artwork thereon. One or more spacers are positioned on the base layer, and one or more art layers are positioned on the spacers. The art layers overhang the edges of the spacers so that the spacers are not visible to an observer. Multiple spacers and art layers can be stacked to provide additional depth. A plurality of LEDs is positioned on the base layer, and are preferably positioned adjacent to the spacers so that the LEDs are not visible by an observer.
US09747820B2

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for displaying illuminated images. In some embodiments a light box is capable of receiving a wide variety of images, which may be changed as desired by a user. The light box may be framed independently for wall hanging or display on a stand, or incorporated within or attached to pieces of furniture, including but not limited to beds, dressers, changing tables, book shelves, chests of drawers, toy chests, and the like. In various embodiments, the light box may include a dimmer, a timed dimmer, a motion sensor, and/or equipment for playing music or generating white noise. In certain embodiments, a single light box may be used, while in other embodiments a plurality of light boxes and/or digital picture frames may be used.
US09747819B2

A display device includes first light emitting devices arranged in a line in a protective member, second light emitting devices parallel to and alternately arranged with the first light emitting devices, and optical member supporters in the protective member between the first and second light emitting devices. Each optical member supporter is positioned at a center of a parallelogram defined by two adjacent first light emitting devices and two adjacent second light emitting devices, and each transparent optical member supporter includes a first surface that faces one of the first light emitting devices and a second surface opposite the first surface that faces one of the second light emitting devices. Each optical member supporter includes a plate portion having the first and second surfaces, and a hook portion that extends through the protective member. A width of the plate portion decreases with increasing distance from the hook portion.
US09747817B2

A foot model having a plurality of segments representing the bones of a human foot. The segments are held together through a series of elastic cords. A portion of the segments contain hollow portions and/or tunnels which the elastic cords are placed in and through. The cords and segments form a first position of the foot model which demonstrates a normal human foot. The cords can be manipulated by pulling and other forces to arrange the segments in a second position. The second position demonstrates a foot ailment or condition such as club foot. The model can be manipulated to regain the first position and any position in between the first and second position.
US09747811B2

A mounting and stabilization system including a base portion and a mounting portion pivotally coupled to the base portion. The base portion and the mounting portion have a closed configuration where the base portion and the mounting portion are generally parallel with each other and an open configuration where the base portion and the mounting portion are generally perpendicular with each other. The system further includes a collapsible container positioned between the base portion and the mounting portion, where the collapsible container is adapted to expand and receive ballast therein when the base portion and the mounting portion are in the open configuration. The collapsible container is adapted to collapse between the base portion and the mounting portion when the base portion and the mounting portion are in the closed configuration.
US09747807B2

A flight display system or method in accordance with this disclosure involves the presentation, on an aircraft, of a “quick preview” notice to airmen (“NOTAM”) display that includes a plurality of stacked flight route portion boxes, each of the plurality of flight route portion boxes pertaining to and being labeled as one of: a departure taxiing portion, a standard instrument departure portion, an en route portion, a standard terminal arrival route portion, an approach portion, and an arrival taxiing portion; each of the plurality of flight route portion boxes graphically displaying flight route symbology pertaining to and labeled as each airport taxiing reference point and/or each aeronautical waypoint that falls within its labeled flight route portion; and wherein at least one of the plurality of flight route portion boxes further graphically displays NOTAM symbology pertaining to at least one of the NOTAMs that are relevant to the flight route.
US09747804B1

A system and method perform object detection-based directional control of light transmission or sound transmission from a moving platform. The method includes receiving information about one or more objects that are proximate to the platform, and processing the information to obtain processed information, the processed information including a location of each of the one or more objects. Determining an importance and urgency among the one or more objects with regard to the light transmission or the sound transmission is based on the processed information. Controlling a light source or a sound source of the platform to respectively perform the light transmission or the sound transmission is based on the importance and the urgency.
US09747797B1

The disclosed embodiments illustrate methods and systems for predicting an availability of a parking spot in a parking area. The method includes generating a first signature for each of one or more first users. The first signature is generated based on at least a first set of data received from at least one or more first sensors in a first user-computing device associated with each of the one or more first users. The method further includes generating a second signature for each of the one or more first vehicles, based on at least a second set of data received from one or more second sensors in a first vehicle-computing device associated with each of the one or more first vehicles. Further, the method includes determining a likelihood of the availability of the one or more parking spots based on at least the first signature and the second signature.
US09747795B1

The present invention provides an alert system for providing protection to the users inside the vehicle from potential intruders and ambushers. The alert system includes a proximity detection unit using microwaves to detect any potential ambusher in the vicinity of the vehicle, an alarm unit raises an alarm to alert the users of the vehicle of the potential ambusher(s), a warning unit to warn the potential ambusher to back away and a remote communication unit to broadcast a signal to a remote location to inform the personnel therein about the potential attack. The alert system also includes means to mitigate false alarms. Further, the alert system is capable to be retro-fitted into existing vehicles.
US09747793B1

Disclosed aspects relate to transportation vehicle traffic management. A traffic controller detects a first traffic state parameter value for a first lane. In response to detecting the first traffic state parameter value, the traffic controller establishes a first broadcast of a first movement value (e.g., speed, acceleration, direction). The first movement value may indicate a first movement pattern for a first set of vehicles in the first lane. In response to establishing the first broadcast of the first movement value, the traffic controller detects a second traffic state parameter value for the first lane. In response to detecting the second traffic state parameter value the traffic controller modifies the first broadcast of the first movement value. The modified first movement value may indicate a second movement pattern for the first set of vehicles in the first lane.
US09747791B2

A method for identifying free spaces (parking not permitted) and/or permitted parking areas, vehicles transmitting pieces of information about possible parking spaces (PPS) to a central computer facility (CCF). Positions of PPS are detected with vehicle surroundings sensors, and the detected PPS are evaluated based on the data collected, a categorization being performed for recording the PPS, with positions, in a CCF database and evaluating the data using a cluster analysis. When the analysis is performed, PPS are assigned to a street portion, a function is assigned to the street portion, which is given by the quotient of the frequency of PPS detections in a certain position along the street portion and the number of vehicle passages through the street portion and a weighting factor from the evaluation. A free space is inferred when the function value is greater than a predefined second limiting value and/or a parking area is inferred when the function value is within a predefined range. Also described is a device for assisting a driver, a central computer facility, and a related computer program.
US09747786B2

A distributed metering platform virtualizes functions of a conventional metrology sensor and separates the virtualized functions from a metrology sensor. One or more virtual meters or applications may be instantiated at a network communication device that is remote from the metrology sensor and processes metrology data received from the metrology sensor. Each virtual meter may include multiple partitioned application spaces that are isolated from one another. In one example, a first application space includes a locked version of code and a second application space includes an unlocked version of code. Furthermore, each virtual meter may be isolated from other virtual meters such that each virtual meter is unable to affect operations and/or data associated with other virtual meters.
US09747781B2

A system and method of initiating a command in a computing system having a processor. A pair of wearable items are detected as being in close proximity and a command interface connected to the processor is activated on detecting that the pair of wearable items are in close proximity. A command is received via the command interface and the command is transferred to the processor.
US09747775B2

A computing device is described that can receive contextual information related to a user associated with the computing device. The contextual information may relate to at least one of a physiological condition of the user at a current time or a type of activity associated with the user at the current time. The computing device can select, based at least in part on the contextual information, a type of alert to output as an indication of notification data. The type of alert may include at least one of an electric stimulus type alert, a shape-memory alloy type alert, and a vibration type alert. Responsive to selecting the type of alert, the computing device can output an alert based on the notification data, the alert being of the selected type of alert.
US09747774B1

A fall detection system for detecting falls off a mobility vehicle includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a processor disposed in the mobility vehicle or a mobile device. The first sensor is disposed on the mobility vehicle and generates a first sensor reading corresponding to movement of the mobility vehicle. The second sensor is disposed in the mobile device and generates a second sensor reading corresponding to movement of the mobile device. The processor is disposed in the mobility vehicle or the second vehicle, wherein the processor performs the following: a) retrieving the first sensor reading and the second sensor reading; b) determining a correlation between the first sensor reading and the second sensor reading and entering into a first mode if the correlation exceeds a minimum correlation threshold, otherwise repeating step a) after a first time period if the correlation is below the minimum correlation threshold; c) determining the correlation between the first sensor reading and the second sensor reading after a second time period, and entering into a second mode if the correlation is below the minimum correlation threshold; d) generating a fall detected signal if the correlation between the first sensor reading and the second sensor reading after a third time period correspond respectively to stationary movement of the mobility vehicle and the mobile device.
US09747769B2

A sensor package is disclosed that includes, a compass, an accelerometer, and an electromagnetic flux tag based open/close sensor. The compass may be activated by a microcontroller in response to an indication of movement detected by an accelerometer. The compass's data may be utilized to determine an orientation for the object such as a door on which the sensor package is situated. The orientation data may indicate that the door is ajar and/or that a second magnetic field is present, suggesting tampering. A notice may be dispatched to a controller for the home security system, a client device, a remote system, etc.
US09747766B2

A merchandise sensor for protecting an item of merchandise displayed on a merchandise display security device from theft includes sensor electronics and a sensor element operably coupled to the sensor electronics. The sensor element provides an output value in an initial stable state before an interaction state and in a subsequent stable state following the interaction state. The sensor electronics compares the output value of the sensor element in the subsequent stable state and the output value of the sensor element in the initial stable state to determine whether a change in the output value indicates an alarm condition. In the event that the output value of the sensor element in the subsequent stable state is not within a predetermined tolerance bandwidth of the output value of the sensor element in the initial stable state, the sensor electronics activates an alarm in response to the alarm condition.
US09747765B1

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to recoilers, merchandise security systems, and methods for displaying and protecting an article of merchandise from theft. In one example, the merchandise security system includes a sensor configured to be secured to the article of merchandise and a base for removably supporting the sensor and the item of merchandise thereon. The system also includes a recoiler operably coupled to the sensor. The recoiler includes a rotatable member defining a helical recess. The system further includes a cable configured to connect to the sensor and to be unwound from and wound on the rotatable member as the cable is extended and retracted. The cable is configured to be extended from the recoiler in response to the sensor being lifted off of the base, and the cable is configured to be retracted into the recoiler in response to the sensor being moved to a seated position on the base. The helical recess is configured to at least partially receive the cable therein as the cable is wound on the rotatable member.
US09747761B2

A flagpole has a main support with an indicator coupled thereto. The indicator may include a pair of flags with an array of holes formed therein. The flagpole includes first securement means disposed on the main support and configured for anchoring the flagpole to a ground surface. The flagpole also includes a second securement means coupled to the main support and configured for anchoring the flagpole to a tree.
US09747754B2

A convertible in-revenue and out-of-revenue gaming system is disclosed that includes a server connected to automatically convert operating modes and control in-revenue and out-of-revenue operation of one or more banks of gaming machines. Additionally disclosed are gaming machines with video cameras connected to provide live video feed to one or more displays, such as during tournament play when live video feed of the players and the player tournament positions may be driven in real-time to an overhead display by the server operating in a tournament controller mode.
US09747750B2

Gaming systems and methods are set forth designed to promote user loyalty with an enterprise. The user obtains a virtual object such as a virtual dog and earns the ability to acquire accessories or upgrades for their virtual dog through interaction with the enterprise. Certain accessories or upgrades may only be acquired or restored at a physical, brick and mortar venue for the enterprise to encourage the user to visit the venue. Acquisition of attributes such as accessories and upgrades may provide a basis for tournaments and prizes. The virtual object may be accessed and displayed at terminals at the venue or at remote devices. Acquisition of virtual objects may be used to qualify the user for a feature such as a progressive jackpot game.
US09747745B2

An electromechanical gaming machine constructed to receive real credits from a user, and having an entertainment game controller connected to a game world controller, and a real world controller which together communicate game world information; receive a request to aggregate information; aggregate game world information, encode and associate it with a transaction identifier; receive a gambling outcome; display gambling outcome; receive a wager request; determine gambling outcome; communicate gambling outcome; determine whether or not to generate an aggregation request; generate an aggregation request; communicate plurality of transaction identifiers; receive game world information and transaction identifier; determine whether the transaction identifier is valid; disaggregate game world information, communicate wager request; receive gambling outcome; and communicate gambling outcome.