US09854717B2

A charger cooling air source selection method includes cooling a vehicle battery charger by opening an outside air vent door in a vehicle and drawing outside air through the outside air vent door; determining whether the outside air vent door will close; and if the outside air vent door will not close, establishing and maintaining positive air pressure in a cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of a recirculation door in the vehicle.
US09854716B2

A system and method of controlling a cooling fan in an information handling system is disclosed. A fan request signal is received from a component of an information handling system and a determination is made regarding whether the component is configured to operate with a cooling fan. If the component is configured to operate with the cooling fan, the fan request signal is transmitted to the cooling fan. If, on the other hand, the component is not configured to operate with the cooling fan, a revised fan request signal is generated and transmitted to the cooling fan.
US09854713B2

A cooling system is provided which includes, for instance, a coolant supply manifold, a multifunction coolant manifold structure, and multiple cooling structures. The multifunction coolant manifold structure includes a coolant-commoning manifold and an auxiliary coolant reservoir above and in fluid communication with the coolant-commoning manifold. The multiple cooling structures are coupled in parallel fluid communication between the coolant supply and coolant-commoning manifolds to receive coolant from the supply, and exhaust coolant to the coolant-commoning manifold. The coolant-commoning manifold is sized to slow therein a flow rate of coolant exhausting from the multiple cooling structures to allow gas within the exhausting coolant to escape the coolant within the coolant-commoning manifold. The escaping gas rises to the auxiliary coolant reservoir and is replaced within the coolant-commoning manifold by coolant from the auxiliary coolant reservoir.
US09854707B2

A heat exchanger system may have a base, a mounting apparatus for attaching the base to a device, a gasket shelf for placing a gasket, a dissipation member for dissipating heat, and heat generator attachment sites for absorbing heat. A mounting apparatus may have finger-like extensions which flex and draw the base into contact with an underlying electronic device from which the system conducts heat. A base may also have an integrated heat pipe clamp attachment forming an aperture in the base into which a heat pipe may extend and may be clamped in thermal communication. The dissipation device may be a series of fins and troughs and a fan may direct air over the dissipation device to cool the apparatus.
US09854699B2

An insert element for frameworks, in particular racks, for use in the information and network technology, comprises a plurality of insertion slots, wherein the insertion slots receive insertable cable storage elements each accommodating a cable, the two cable ends of which are guided to the outside via openings provided in the end face of the cable storage element and can be pulled out of the cable storage element at variable lengths.
US09854685B2

A camera module includes an image sensor IC including terminal electrodes, and a circuit board on which the image sensor IC is mounted. The circuit board includes mount electrodes to which the terminal electrodes are ultrasonically welded, a flat film member provided with the mount electrodes, and a base member to which the flat film member is bonded. An elastic modulus of the flat film member is higher than that of the base member.
US09854679B2

A cable termination is disclosed that includes a cable with a first and a second insulated conductor positioned in a shield, the cable further including a drain wire. The cable is mounted on a circuit board that includes a first pad and a second pad that are respectively soldered to the first and second conductors. A ground via is positioned in front and between the first and second pads and the drain wire is inserted into and soldered to the ground via.
US09854678B2

An electronic device is provided which includes a printed circuit board (PCB) including a non-conductive layer that forms at least a portion of a first surface, and a conductive layer arranged between the first surface and a second surface, an electronic component arranged on a first area of the first surface of the PCB, a conductive shield structure arranged on the PCB to cover the first area and the electronic component on the PCB, a support structure connected to the PCB and including a first part that faces a portion of one side of the conductive shield structure, and a cable extending along the one side of the conductive shield structure, inserted between the support structure and the portion of the one side of the conductive shield structure, and including at least one conductive line and an insulation layer that covers the at least one conductive line.
US09854673B2

An example device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure includes a grip to secure the device to an expansion card. The grip includes an upper grip portion to receive a fastener, and a standoff formed by a lower grip portion. The standoff is to establish a standoff distance between the expansion card and the mainboard when the device is secured to the expansion card and fastened to the mainboard.
US09854670B2

Provided are a transparent electrode and a production method thereof, the transparent electrode using metal nanowires and/or metal nanotubes as conductive components, and showing favorable surface flatness, conductivity, and light transmittance. A transparent conductive ink is prepared by dispersing metal nanowires and/or metal nanotubes in a solution formed by dissolving a thermoset or thermoplastic binder resin having no fluidity within the range of 5 to 40° C. to a solvent, the content of the binder resin being 100 to 2500 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the metal nanowires and/or metal nanotubes. An electrode pattern having a desired shape is printed on a substrate with the transparent conductive ink, and pulsed light is irradiated to the printed electrode pattern, to thereby obtain a transparent electrode having a surface resistance of 0.1 to 500Ω/□ and a surface arithmetic average roughness Ra satisfying Ra≦5 nm.
US09854669B2

A printed wiring board includes a first insulating layer, a first conductor layer formed on first surface of the first insulating layer, a second conductor layer formed on second surface of the first insulating layer, a first via structure formed in the first insulating layer such that the first via structure is connecting the first and second conductor layers, a second insulating layer formed on the second surface of the first insulating layer such that the second conductor layer is embedded into the second insulating layer, a third conductor layer formed on the second insulating layer, and a second via structure formed in the second insulating layer such that the second via structure is connecting the second and third conductor layers. The second conductor layer includes a dedicated wiring layer which transmits data between two electronic components to be mounted to the first surface of the first insulating layer.
US09854667B2

A display unit includes: a display section (11) having flexibility; and a bending control section (12a, 12b) configured to limit a movable shaft in bending the display section (11) to one direction in a display surface and allowed to maintain the display section (11) in an arbitrary bending state.
US09854664B2

An assembly for providing electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and for dissipating heat from electronic components. The assembly including: a metallic frame including a wall extending upwardly from a circuit board; an EMI shield having a top with holes and having sidewalls that surround the top, extend downwardly, and are attachable to the wall of the frame in a first latched position and in a second, un-latched position; a layer of thermally-conductive, viscous heat sink grease on the top of the EMI shield and filling holes in the top of the EMI shield, heat sink grease in the holes being in direct physical contact with the top surface of the at least one electronic component when the EMI shield is in the second, un-latched position; and a heat sink on top of and in direct physical contact with the heat sink grease on top of the EMI shield.
US09854663B2

A radio frequency module includes a plurality of insulating base material layers made of a thermoplastic resin defining a multilayer circuit board and including a cavity inside thereof, an IC chip disposed in the cavity and including a noise generation source, and planar ground conductive bodies provided in the multilayer circuit board. The planar ground conductive bodies are disposed on a layer not exposed to the inner surface of the cavity, and include inter-layer connection conductive bodies protruding in the direction of the noise generation source from the planar ground conductive bodies.
US09854658B2

An extreme ultraviolet light generation apparatus may include: a chamber in which extreme ultraviolet light is generated when a target is irradiated with a laser beam inside the chamber; a target supply part configured to supply the target into the chamber; and a target collector configured to collect the target which is supplied by the target supply part but is not irradiated with the laser beam in a collection container, by receiving the target on a receiving surface having a contact angle of equal to or smaller than 90 degrees with the target.
US09854652B2

Lighting apparatuses have a first communication mode in which the lighting apparatuses and a first or second communication terminal mutually transmit and receive a command and a second communication mode in which the lighting apparatuses forming a mesh network mutually transmit and receive the command. Among the lighting apparatuses that receive the command originating from the first communication terminal in the second communication mode, the lighting apparatuses that are not in communication with the second communication terminal in the first communication mode execute the command received in the second communication mode. On the other hand, the lighting apparatus that is in communication with the second communication terminal in the first communication mode maintains a current operating state without executing the command received in the second communication mode.
US09854646B2

A method and a device for the reduction of margins of the light image of a headline, and the headline incorporating the device, is provided, having a reflective diaphragm which is adapted to be shifted in a light axis direction within adjustment limits of a longitudinal position. The margins of the light image can be detected by an optical colour-sensitive photometric sensor, and colour characteristics of the light image margins can be evaluated by identifying a current position of the reflective diaphragm. The reflective diaphragm can then be fixed in the longitudinal position corresponding to selected colour characteristics of the light image margins. The reflective diaphragm can also be adapted to be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the light axis direction.
US09854645B2

Intelligent lighting is provided to motorists traveling down a stretch of road by sequentially turning on adjacent lighting devices in a lighting segment only when required, such as when vehicles are approaching the lighting devices, and turning off the lighting devices or decreasing a light intensity output of the lighting devices to a predefined minimum lighting intensity output level when no vehicles are present. In addition, which bulb to use in a multi-bulb lighting device is determined, as well as the optimal lighting intensity level of the selected bulb. Further, it is determined which lighting devices in a lighting segment may be turned off or dimmed while maintaining a predefined minimum safe light/brightness level along a pathway associated with the lighting segment.
US09854639B1

An angle adjustment mechanism for LED bar lighting includes a lamp body, two end covers arranged two ends of the lamp body along an axial direction thereof, two lamp frames respectively mounted on the two threading pipes, two wheel gears respectively fixed on the two lamp frames, two outer end caps fixed and covered on the two end covers, respectively, and at least two stopping plates respectively received in the two lamp frames. Each of the two end covers includes a threading pipe extending along the axial direction of the lamp body. Each of the two wheel gears includes a plurality of gear teeth taken along a radial direction thereof and rotating around the threading pipe. Each of the stopping plates provides at least one stopping tooth which is coupling to the gear teeth.
US09854630B1

A flicker-free dimming circuit for non-point light source has a TRIAC module, an input module, a conversion module and an output module. The TRIAC module adjusts the voltage phase of an external power supply for the input module to export an input voltage, and the conversion module in a boost circuit structure is provided with a conversion coil and a converter to receive and raise the voltage value of the input voltage to a voltage value of an operating voltage and then supplies the operating voltage to the output module. The output module adopts a fly-back circuit structure and induces the operating voltage to form a driving voltage in a constant value and then outputs the driving voltage to a lamp with a relatively wide light source area. In this way, the panel lamp can meet high safety standards and enhance its product adaptability and competiveness.
US09854626B2

The invention relates to a combination of an electrical heating element and a heat dissipater to be heated thereby; the heating element comprises a substrate, an insulating layer located on the substrate and a thick film conductor located on the insulating layer, wherein the second side of the metallic substrate is in contact with the heat dissipater, comprising a layer of metallic material on its face towards the heater and wherein the substrate is brazed to the heat dissipater and the surface of the heating element over which the thick film conductor extends, is substantially equal to the surface of the heat dissipater. The brazing leads to a permanent contact between the heating element and the heat dissipater, so that the possible tendency for warping as caused by the heating and cooling cycles will be withstood.
US09854619B2

A random access method and an apparatus of a terminal for performing random access procedure to multiple base stations in parallel in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system supporting dual connectivity are provided. The method includes determining whether a first preamble transmission to a first cell of a first base station is overlapped with a second preamble transmission to a second cell of a second base station in a time domain, determining, when the first preamble transmission is overlapped with the second preamble transmission in the time domain, whether a sum of transmit powers calculated for the first and second preamble transmissions is greater than a maximum allowed transmit power of the terminal, and controlling, when the sum of the first and second preamble transmit powers is greater than the maximum allowed transmit power, the transmit power calculated for the second preamble transmission.
US09854611B2

For group network acquisition, systems, apparatus, methods, and program products are disclosed. The apparatus may include a radio transceiver for communicating on a mobile communication network, a processor, and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. In one embodiment, the processor detects a connection status of the radio transceiver and forms a group with a communication device based on the network status. In a further embodiment, the processor attempts network acquisition for the group during an assigned connection period and ceases network acquisition attempts during an unassigned connection period.
US09854602B2

The disclosure describes procedures for allocating network resources for a mobile device communicating within a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. The mobile device can be configured to decode a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), acquire first and second physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) decode indicators from a payload of the same PDSCH communication, decode a PDCCH for downlink control information (DCI) associated with a first application data type based on the first PDCCH decode indicator a second application data type based on the second PDCCH decode indicator. The first PDCCH decode indicator can identify an upcoming LTE subframe where the mobile device is required to decode the PDCCH for DCI associated VoLTE resource assignments and the second PDCCH decode indicator can identify an upcoming LTE subframe where the mobile device is required to decode the PDCCH for DCI associated with high bandwidth best effort (BE) data resource assignments.
US09854601B2

A method, device and system provide improved throughput for network subscriptions in multi-SIM, multi-standby wireless devices by triggering false or fake NAK/Tx messages prior to the tune-away. The technique includes receiving and decoding communications from a node at a user equipment during a first subscription communication mode; in response to a communication from the node to the user equipment after a certain time period prior to a tune away period in which the user equipment communicates in a second subscription communication mode, communicating a fake NACK message from the user equipment to the node; and after the tune away period ends, receiving communications at the user equipment from the node and responding with an ACK message.
US09854596B2

The hidden node problem can be avoided by scheduling stations in different sectors to perform transmissions during different time periods. Sectorized scheduling can be communicated to stations through transmission of beamformed beacon signals at the beginning of respective time periods. For instance, a first beamformed beacon signal may be transmitted to stations in a first sector at the beginning of a first time period, while a second beamformed beacon signal may be transmitted to stations in a second sector at the beginning of a second time period.
US09854595B2

A method and a network node (110; 400) for scheduling of resources to radio bearers associated with wireless devices (120, 121, 122) served by a base station (110) in a cell (115). The network node (110, 400) and the base station (110) operating in a wireless communications system (100) applying carrier aggregation. A first group of one or more of the wireless devices (120, 121) is served in the cell (115) as primary serving cell and a second group of other one or more of the wireless devices (122) is served in the cell (115) as a secondary serving cell. The network node (110, 400) assigns higher priority to respective radio bearer associated with the first group than to respective radio bearer associated with the second group based on that the second group is served in the cell (115) as a secondary serving cell. The network node (110, 400) then schedules (302) the resources to the radio bearers based on the assigned priorities. Simple implementation and efficient utilization of benefits from carrier aggregation are enabled.
US09854592B2

Various examples describe systems and methods for dynamically and simultaneously assigned channels among multiple nodes in a network that communicates using multiple communication protocols. Aspects of the exemplary examples may include a wireless hub comprising an RF front end receiver that can capture, demodulate and decode a pre-defined band in its entirety. The wireless hub can include one or more medium access control algorithms for assigning channels for multiple nodes to access the predefined band while reduces contention between the nodes that are communicating with the wireless hub.
US09854589B2

Interference mitigation (e.g., interference suppression and/or interference cancellation) in a wireless communications system may include interference alignment techniques. Interference alignment may be performed to concurrently mitigate the effects of multiple types of interference (e.g., inter-cell interference and intra-cell interference). Interference management using interference alignment may enhance spectral efficiency in an interference-limited communications system, such as a wireless communications system (e.g., a cellular system). Interference alignment techniques may be applied to a homogeneous wireless communications system (e.g., including one or macro base stations). Interference alignment techniques may be applied to a heterogeneous wireless communications system (e.g., including one or macro base stations and one or more overlaid low-power nodes, such as small cells, remote radio heads (RRHs), or the like).
US09854581B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for determining an emotional characteristic associated with a user according to biologic information received from a mobile communication device, receiving, from the mobile communication device, availability information associated with the user, modifying a first version of a media selection according to the emotional characteristic of the user to generate a second version of the media selection, and transmitting the second version of the media selection to the mobile communication device associated with the user for presentation at the mobile communication device. The modifying can include selecting, for inclusion in the second version of the media selection, a first portion of the first version of the media selection corresponding to the emotional characteristic. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09854563B2

Technologies are generally described for a bandwidth control scheme. In some examples, a transmitter device configured to transmit information via a wireless connection may include a baseband signal processor configured to process the information to generate a baseband signal with a baseband bandwidth; a modulator configured to modulate a radio frequency (RF) signal with an RF bandwidth based on the baseband signal; and a controller configured to adjust at least one of the baseband bandwidth and the RF bandwidth based on a movement of the transmitter device relative to a position of a receiver device configured to receive the RF signal.
US09854561B2

[Object] To achieve more flexible DRX.[Solution] Provided is a communication control apparatus including: a selection unit configured to select a paging segment from a plurality of paging segments that are repeatedly present during a period having a length of a first discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle for a terminal apparatus; and a control unit configured to perform paging for the terminal apparatus during the selected paging segment if performing the paging. The length of the first DRX cycle is not divisible by a length of each of the plurality of paging segments.
US09854559B2

The disclosure relates to a method, device, and non-transitory computer-readable medium for pushing user information. The method includes obtaining a first identity (ID) of a first user equipment (UE) through short distance communication; searching a first database to obtain first user information corresponding to the first ID, the first database including user information corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of UE IDs; and outputting a push notification including the first user information.
US09854558B2

The present invention provides methods for a high-resolution active RTLS tag location determination system that provides for <1 ns TOA accuracy and resolution and significantly reduces the channel effects of multipath interference, even in low SNR applications. To accomplish these objectives, the present invention provides for an iterative and adaptive windowing function in each of the receivers of a receiver grid that captures multiple reflections of multiple transmissions from each of the associated target RTLS tags. The adaptive windowing function is used in conjunction with an asynchronous transmit and receive clock function that effectively increases resolution of TOA detection to levels less than the minimum detection window width associated with each of the receivers in the receiver grid.
US09854553B2

A method of detecting a synchronization switching pulse using a power detector in a time division duplexing (TDD) system includes receiving an input signal, detecting a power level associated with the input signal using a digital power meter, and determining a configuration associated with the input signal. The method also includes determining that a pulse width associated with the input signal is greater than a threshold, determining an offset associated with a special subframe configuration, and generating an estimated sync pulse. The method further includes forming a regenerated sync pulse, determining an error between the estimated sync pulse and the regenerated sync pulse, determining that the error is less than a threshold, and providing a lock detect.
US09854552B2

Techniques are disclosed relating to detection of wireless signals. In some embodiments, a method includes generating an autocorrelation result for a training field in a received wireless message, generating differentiation information based on the autocorrelation result, and determining that one or more signal recognition criteria are met. In some embodiments, the signal recognition criteria include a first criterion that a first peak in the differentiation information satisfies a first threshold for at least a first time interval. In some embodiments, the signal recognition criteria include one or more additional criteria, including a second criterion that a second peak in the differentiation information satisfies a second threshold for at least a second time interval, wherein the first and second peaks have different polarities and/or a third criterion that the first peak corresponds to an autocorrelation result value that is below a particular autocorrelation threshold.
US09854546B2

A global navigation satellite system (“GNSS”) positioning method is provided, based upon a GNSS radio signal that comprises a navigation message transmitted as a succession of data packets. Each data packet is present in the GNSS radio signal as a sequence of symbols obtained by application of a code preceded by a synchronization symbol header. The data packets are organized internally into data fields. At least certain data packets of the succession of data packets contain a synchronization bit field translated by application of the code into a synchronization symbol pattern.
US09854538B2

The objective of the invention is to suppress, in a case of applying the RRH system in an environment having a plurality of cells (multi-cellular environment), the reduction of the throughput of the whole system. A base station, in the RRH system in which a plurality of antenna ports are dispersively placed in each of a plurality of cells, comprises: a selection unit that selects antenna ports, to which user terminals are to connect, from among the antenna ports of the cells in which the user terminals are existent; and a power setting unit that controls the transmission powers of the antenna ports. The selection unit and power setting unit set predetermined conditions for the target SINRs(t) of the user terminals and the transmission powers of the antenna ports, and select the antenna ports for the user terminals and control the transmission powers of the antenna ports such that the smallest one of the values of the SINRs of the user terminals of the plurality of cells is maximized.
US09854532B2

A method performed in a network node. The method includes the network node receiving a report regarding a traffic load of at least one network cell of a plurality of network cells. The method further includes the network node determining whether the traffic load of the at least one network cell is greater than an average traffic load of the plurality of network cells. The method further includes the network node adjusting a power of a reference signal based on said determining. The method also includes the network node transmitting the adjusted reference signal in the at least one network cell.
US09854524B2

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a base transceiver station having a first set of antennas and a second set of antennas geographically separated from the first set of antennas transmits a reference signal to a first device, and receives feedback from the first device. The feedback represents information that can be used to construct a weight adjustment vector. The base transceiver station selects a precoding vector from a codebook based at least in part on the feedback received from the first device, calculates the weight adjustment vector based at least in part on the feedback, and applies the weight adjustment vector to the selected precoding vector to provide an adjusted precoding vector. The base transceiver station then may transmit data to the first device using the adjusted precoding vector.
US09854511B2

A cell-search method for a cellular communication device capable of communicating via a first radio-access technology, RAT, in a first frequency band, and via a second RAT in a second frequency band, which is in a higher frequency region than the first frequency band is disclosed. The method comprises performing a first cell search in the first frequency band in order to detect a first cell of the first RAT. The method further comprises, if such a first cell is detected, synchronizing to the first cell, without registering to the first cell, determining a reference frequency error estimate between a local reference frequency of the cellular communication device and reference frequency of the first cell, and thereafter performing a second cell search, based on the reference frequency error estimate, in the second frequency band to detect a second cell of the second RAT. A corresponding cellular communication device, computer program product, and computer-readable medium are also disclosed.
US09854510B2

This disclosure relates to techniques for dynamic selection of connection attempt throttling algorithms based on user context. According to some embodiments, a wireless device may monitor certain current conditions of the UE, such as battery level, user activity level, motion level, and/or other conditions. Depending at least in part on the current conditions of the UE, cellular connection attempt parameters may be selected. In some conditions the cellular connection attempt parameters may be selected such as to allow more aggressive pursuit of cellular connectivity, while in other conditions the cellular connection attempt parameters may be selected such as to allow less aggressive pursuit of cellular connectivity.
US09854508B2

An IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) network contains at least one of (A) a discovery function (2) for providing ISIM (IP Multimedia Subscriber Identity Module) discovery information to the mobile device (1) and (B) a provisioning function (2, 5, 6) for providing, in response to a request from a mobile device, an ISIM to the mobile device (1). Where the IMS network contains the discovery function, the discovery function is adapted to provide ISIM discovery information to the mobile device, and where the IMS network contains the provisioning function, the provisioning function is adapted to provide an ISIM to the mobile device (1).
US09854507B2

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatuses related to a flexible connectivity framework. A device may cause to send a discovery request seeking a service. The device may identify a discovery response received from a computing device advertising the service. The device may cause to send a connectivity information request to the computing device. The device may identify a connectivity information response including one or more session information received from the computing device.
US09854506B2

Methods and devices are described for forwarding, managing, and/or detecting timing information for device-to-device discovery. Timing information may be received from a base station. A timing signal including the timing information may be transmitted. The timing signal may be transmitted during a sub-frame reserved for device-to-device discovery. Timing information for a base station may be transmitted to a user equipment (UE). Instructions to transmit a timing signal including the timing information during a sub-frame reserved for device-to-device discovery are also transmitted to the UE. Information indicating a timing of sub-frames reserved for device-to-device discovery by a neighboring base station may be received from a serving base station. A timing signal may be detected during at least one of the sub-frames reserved for device-to-device discovery. The timing signal may include timing information for the neighboring base station.
US09854502B2

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for supporting an IOPS and notifying the IOPS status. In one aspect of the present invention, a method for supporting an Isolated E-UTRAN Operations for Public Safety (IOPS) in a wireless access system, the method performed by a User Equipment (UE) in a RRC connection mode and comprises steps of receiving a radio resource control (RRC) connection release message including a release cause field and an IOPS extended wait time field for restricting an initial access procedure; and releasing the RRC connection mode when the release cause field indicating an IOPS situation has been occurred, wherein the IOPS extended wait time field is configured to an Extended Wait Time (EWT) field indicating a time duration restricting the initial access procedure or to a Further Announcement field indicating the initial access procedure is restricted until a further announcement is received.
US09854498B2

A method and apparatus are disclosed for enabling very high throughput (VHT) communications. A wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU) may receive, from an access point (AP), a management frame comprising VHT capabilities information. The VHT capabilities information may comprise an indication of support for reception via non-contiguous channels. The WTRU may transmit, on a condition that reception via non-contiguous channels is supported, at least one data packet, to the AP, via multiple non-contiguous channels. The multiple non-contiguous channels may be used simultaneously.
US09854486B2

Example embodiments presented herein are directed towards a user equipment, and corresponding methods therein, for handling a cell change from a first cell to a second cell in a wireless communications network. Some example embodiments may also be directed towards the user equipment altering a duration of a measurement time over which at least one measurement is performed, and altering a measurement bandwidth of the at least one measurement. The alterations may be performed based on associated bandwidths of the first and second cells. Other example embodiments may be directed towards a network node, and corresponding method therein, for sending, to the user equipment, a notification of a cell change and information associated with the cell change. Example embodiments may further comprise the network node receiving measurement data of at least one measurement performed over an altered measurement bandwidth and an altered duration of measurement time, where the alterations are based on the information associated with the cell change.
US09854466B2

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for managing a monitoring task, the method comprising: receiving, by a gateway, monitoring configuration information transmitted by a machine to machine (M2M) service platform or M2M application server, wherein a management parameter for managing a monitoring task is carried in the monitoring configuration information; managing the monitoring task by the gateway according to the management parameter. The effect that the gateway can effectively manage the monitoring task is achieved.
US09854464B2

A user equipment (UE) in a mobile communication system is described. The UE includes a long term evolution (LTE) transceiver for receiving configuration information from a network, and a processor for detecting an in-device coexistence (IDC) condition according to the configuration information and initiating a transmission of information on the detected IDC condition to the network. The information on the detected IDC condition comprises frequency information, and the transmission is initiated after the UE has failed to resolve the detected IDC condition on its own.
US09854457B2

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for managing communications in a wireless communications system. An inter-access point communications link between a first access point and a second access point is established. At the first access point, one or more performance statistics from the second access point are received via the inter-access point communications link. Communication to or from a mobile device via the first access point and the second access point, is managed based at least in part on the received performance statistics.
US09854454B2

Embodiments of the present application relate to a matching method. The method includes: selecting, by a base station, a remote electrical tilt unit and sending instruction information to a signal transmitter, where the instruction information is used to instruct the signal transmitter to connect to an antenna radio frequency port corresponding to the remote electrical tilt unit and enable the signal generator to generate a signal. The method also includes receiving, by the base station, the signal when the signal reaches the antenna radio frequency port through a signal coupling unit and is sent by using the antenna radio frequency port. The method also includes selecting, by the base station, a target sector according to a background noise value of each base-station radio frequency port.
US09854451B2

Disclosed is a method of optimizing tilt angle of antennas of a plurality of cells in a wireless cellular system. The method comprising the steps of autonomously determining focal point of each cell of the plurality of cells whose angle of tilt is to be optimized; determining jointly optimal tilt values of the antennas of the plurality of cells based on the determined focal points; and configuring the tilt angle of the antennas of the plurality of cells based on said optimal tilt values.
US09854448B2

A device enabling a frequency band shared between wireless communication of a cellular system and other wireless communication to be more appropriately used in the cellular system. The device includes a control unit configured to occupy a frequency band shared between wireless communication of a cellular system and other wireless communication for the wireless communication of the cellular system during a first period and release the frequency band from the wireless communication of the cellular system during at least a second period corresponding to the first period.
US09854442B2

A system and method of controlling access to a vehicle network that includes a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) communicating over the network. The method carried out by the system operates a network of ECUs that include at least first and second ECUs in communication with each other over the network. The first ECU may be an external access point which can establish communication with an external device. The first ECU provides the external device with limited privilege access to the network. The method further includes detecting unauthorized escalated privilege access of the first ECU, and in response to the detection, at least partially restricting use of the first ECU as the external access point, thereby preventing external devices from using the first ECU for the limited privilege access to the network.
US09854430B1

A real time digital transmission system that, in order to substantiate the identity of a signatory that has affixed an electronic signature to a device carried by the signatory to a plurality of disparate remote geographical locations, (1) transmits data defining time/date related events immediately on the occurrence of the events, the events including article events, location-derived events, visual events, audio events, optical machine-readable data events, and signature events, and (2) creates an evidentiary record of each event including the time and date of occurrence of each event.
US09854428B2

Function-control instructions for controlling a function or feature of a device can be created remotely, locally, or both. A device can receive a function-control instruction or a function-control instruction embedded in received content. Additionally, or alternatively, a function-control instruction can be created locally based on user information or calibration information. Function-control instructions can be passed to an instruction execution application that interprets the function-control instruction. The instruction execution application can pass instructions, based on the function-control instruction, to the device for implementation.
US09854426B1

A user device installs a third-party companion application with a primary software development kit (SDK) for cellular service activation on a wearable device, the wearable device including a third-party device application having an embedded SDK for the cellular service activation. The user device receives user input to initiate the cellular service activation for the wearable device and solicits, via the primary SDK, user input for account settings associated with the cellular service activation. The user device obtains, via the primary SDK and from a network device, activation parameters, associated with the wearable device, for the cellular service activation. The user device forwards, via the primary SDK and to the embedded SDK of the wearable device, the activation parameters, which the embedded SDK uses to request cellular activation.
US09854416B2

Technology for a mobile station (MS) operable to communicate with a packet switched (PS) based short messaging service (SMS) in a wireless network is disclosed. The MS can process a request message for transmission to a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN). The request message can include an information element (IE) that indicates whether the MS is configured to support the PS based SMS. The MS can process an accept message received from the SGSN. The accept message can include an IE that indicates whether SMS via GPRS is supported by the wireless network.
US09854409B2

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus receives, from a second UE, a first signal including a first expression code associated with the second UE, and determines at least a second expression code using the first expression code, the at least a second expression code associated with the second UE.
US09854408B2

Embodiments herein describe a system that includes an autonomous vehicle (referred to herein as a drone) which is controlled by a self-organizing network (SON) to expand the capabilities of a cellular network in real time. In one embodiment, the SON monitors the cellular network and identifies congestion or capacity issues where the cell towers covering the geographic region may be unable to satisfy the large number of requests for data by the users in the region. Once a congestion or capacity issue is detected, the SON determines whether dispatching a drone access point (AP) may improve or resolve the issue. In one example, the drone AP is an autonomous vehicle that includes a radio that permits the drone to serve as a mobile cell site for the cellular network.
US09854399B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a ProSe information transmission method, a terminal, and a communications device, where the method includes: acquiring, by a second terminal, a fourth code word broadcast by a first terminal, where the fourth code word is a code word that is allocated to the first terminal by a first ProSe entity; sending, by the second terminal, a first message to a second ProSe entity when the fourth code word matches a prestored code word, where the first message carries the fourth code word and a first application identity; receiving, by the second terminal, a second message sent by the second ProSe entity, where the second message carries a second identity; and discovering, by the second terminal, a first application user according to the second identity. The present invention is applicable to the communications field.
US09854393B2

Partially reduces performance or features of a user's electronic device if the user does not comply with an agreement. An agreement may specify tasks or activities to be performed, such as homework or chores, or required results such as grades. Partial throttling of the device when the user is not in compliance with the agreement may include for example disabling a subset of the apps or services on the device, slowing down the device or selected applications, denying access to selected information sources, limiting audio volume or display resolution, or limiting time on activities such as web browsing. The device may remain usable, but with reduced features or performance. Throttling actions may also be based on location, schedule, or environmental conditions. The system may reward compliance with the agreement by increasing performance, by re-enabling previously disabled applications, or by providing direct rewards such as money or credits.
US09854390B2

Various embodiments are generally directed to cooperation among networked devices to obtain and use a multiple-frame screenshot. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a processor circuit executing a sequence causing the processor circuit to receive a signal conveying a context data; retrieve an aspect of a current context of the apparatus; compare the aspect to the context data; determine whether a context defined as appropriate exists to engage in interactions with one or more other computing devices through a network based on the comparison, the interactions comprising providing a network service to the one or more other computing devices; and engage in the interactions with one or more computing devices through the network when the appropriate context to engage in the interactions exists. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein.
US09854371B2

Method and apparatus for measuring a Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) may include determining position and orientation of an object relative to an audio signal generating device having a first known position and orientation, based on tracking information indicating position and orientation of the object. Movement data indicating direction of movement to position the object at a target position and orientation in relation to a predetermined position and orientation of the audio signal generating device may be generated, according to the relative position and orientation of the object. When the object is determined to be at the target position and orientation, the HRTF may be determined based on detection at the object of an audio signal from the audio signal generating device at the first known position and orientation while the object is at the target position and orientation.
US09854368B2

A method of operating a hearing aid system using adaptive time-frequency analysis in order to provide improved noise reduction and enhanced speech intelligibility, and a hearing aid system (100, 200) comprising an adaptive filter bank.
US09854367B2

A high sensitivity microphone may include a sound detecting module including a vibration film and a fixed film, a power source circuit supplying a power source to the sound detecting module through a switch control of a first switch applying a first bias and a second switch applying a second bias, a detecting circuit removing a noise included in a first capacitance signal and a second capacitance signal that are differential input from the sound detecting module, according to a switch control of a third switch inputting the first capacitance signal in conjunction with the first switch and a fourth switch inputting the second capacitance signal in conjunction with the second switch, and a switch controller performing a first switch mode linking the first switch and the third switch and a second switch mode linking the second switch and the fourth switch for differential input and output of the microphone.
US09854363B2

A loudspeaker system for a vehicle includes a loudspeaker array including a plurality of electroacoustic sound transducers that can be controlled individually, such that a user-specific audio signal can be reproduced for different users at different listening positions in a vehicle interior of the vehicle via the plurality of electroacoustic sound transducers. Here, the loudspeaker array or a sound outlet of the loudspeaker array is arranged in particular between at least two of the listening positions in the vehicle interior, i.e. for example between the driver and the passenger seat.
US09854360B2

A MEMS microphone which is able to be set to different modes of operation is proposed that requires one single pin to apply an external clock frequency to the microphone. The applied clock frequency is selected according to a desired mode of operation and the microphone detects the applied frequency and sets the mode of operation.
US09854356B2

A headset having a talk-through microphones incorporates an audio circuit that disconnects or compresses a signal representing sounds detected by the talk-through microphones in response to the audio circuit detecting the onset of a peak in the signal that exceeds a predetermined voltage level, and that does so with a rate of change in voltage level that exceeds a predetermined rate of change in voltage level. The duration of the disconnection or compression may be controlled by a timing circuit set to a predetermined period of time that may be retriggerable while amidst the predetermined period of time.
US09854353B2

An omni-directional ported speaker including a cabinet which has a space, a first opening, and a second opening, and a first cover member connected to the cabinet, where the space of the cabinet is for disposing a driver that includes a diaphragm portion disposed within and closing the second opening of the cabinet, where the first cover member has a first duct and a plurality of second ducts, and the first duct and each of the second ducts has two openings, one of the two openings of the first duct is coupled to one of the openings of the second ducts, and the other opening of the first duct is disposed proximate to the driving portion of the driver and the first duct is arranged along the direction from the first opening toward the second opening of the cabinet, and the other openings of the second ducts are arranged in the cover member, where the first duct and the second ducts delimit a first angle, and each of the second ducts delimit a second angle between adjacent second ducts.
US09854352B2

A speaker device with an acoustic tuning assembly can adjust sound in variety. The acoustic tuning assembly includes a main body and a housing receiving the main body. The main body receives an acoustic unit, and includes a first sound chamber and an upper peripheral wall. The housing defines a plurality of through holes. The upper peripheral wall defines a plurality of match holes. The housing can be rotated relatively to the main body to make the through holes of the housing overlapped partially or completely with the match holes to form a plurality of overlap holes, or make the through holes of the housing non-overlapping with the match holes. Therefore, sound from the acoustic unit can be transmitted through the first sound chamber and selectively through the overlap holes.
US09854351B2

A speaker device includes a housing, first speaker unit disposed at a front surface of the housing, a second speaker unit disposed at the front surface, a first passive radiator disposed at the front surface, a second passive radiator disposed at a rear surface of the housing, and at least one structure disposed inside the housing, where the one of the at least one structure is disposed between the first passive radiator and the second passive radiator and disposed to form a gap, through which air flows, between the structure and at least one of the housing, the first speaker unit, the second speaker unit, and another of the at least one structure.
US09854346B2

In some embodiments, a protective, sound absorbing, and/or decorative device and/or a plurality thereof can be attached and/or coupled to one or more earpiece portions of a headphone and/or earphone device. For example, in certain embodiments, one or more caps can be configured to be attached and/or coupled to one or more earpieces of headphones and/or earphones to provide additional protection for the earpiece portion from damage, such as scratches, to provide an additional layer of sound absorbing, and/or to provide means for displaying one or more graphics as determined by a user.
US09854343B2

Headset assemblies and headset connectors are provided. Headset connectors can include a magnetic mating face and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed within the mating face. Engaging assemblies and engaging connectors are also provided. The engaging connectors can include a housing having a mating side, a magnetic array structure, and a plurality of spring biased contact members. The magnetic array structure can be fixed within the housing and house a plurality of spring biased contact members. The spring biased contact members can include tips that extend out of the mating side. The tips can electrically couple with electrical contacts in a headset connector.
US09854342B2

An in-ear earphone featuring a housing, an audio output device carried in the housing, a hollow elongated stem formed integral with the housing and a toroidal-shaped ear dome. The stem having a first output end extending therefrom and being audibly coupled at a second input end to the output device. The ear dome integrally formed on the output end of the stem.
US09854337B1

A method for constructing an AWG based non-blocking optical multicast switching network, comprising constructing a non-blocking optical copy network via a wavelength replication module and an arrayed waveguide grating recursively and constructing a non-blocking optical multicast switching network via cascading a data copy network with a point-to-point switching network. The number of active optical devices required for constructing an N×N optical switching network with r input/output ports and with each port carrying m wavelengths is just O(N logm N), realizing system scalability and saving hardware cost and power consumption. By splitting the routing path of the multicast network into a routing path with O(1) complexity in the copy network and a routing path in a point-to-point unicast switching network, the routing complexity of the multicast switching network is equivalent to that of a unicast switching network.
US09854332B2

Methods and devices are provided to facilitate acquisition of information associated with a multimedia content through embedded watermarks. One such method includes obtaining a server code for embedding into a content. The server code identifies a particular domain name registered to a registrant entity and provides a mapping to an Internet address of a metadata server. Upon receiving an indication that a trigger event is associated with a particular segment of the content, a first watermark payload is formed and embedded in the content. The watermark payload includes the server code, an interval code and a first trigger value. The interval code identifies the particular content segment and the first trigger value indicates that additional information associated with the particular segment is. Detection of the first trigger value from a subsequently distributed content enables a query to the metadata server for acquisition of metadata.
US09854329B2

In one aspect, an example method involves accessing data representing a program schedule of a media program, wherein the program schedule comprises first text. The method also includes selecting second text from among the first text. The method further includes transmitting, via a communication network, an instruction configured to cause the selected second-text to be added to an electronic dictionary of a closed-captioning generator.
US09854327B2

Methods and systems for performing non-linear optimization of reach are described herein. The methods and systems may be used to compute the reach associated with different advertisement campaigns involving different combinations of spots. The method includes computing probabilities that a user will access a certain spot. The method includes retrieving a weight associated with the targeted user demographic. The method includes computing a first reach value using a first non-linear function, and a second reach value using a second non-linear function. The method includes comparing the two reach values to each other and to a predetermined reach threshold. The higher reach value larger than the predetermined reach threshold is selected and information associated with the selected reach value is provided to the user.
US09854325B2

Electronic modules in a vehicle may communicate over an Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) network. The modules normally cooperate to send and receive streams of data with a specified quality of service as AVB streams. When conditions are present in which an AVB-quality stream cannot be sent over the network, the modules can communicate with certain limp-home functionality. Sending modules may send streams of data without a stream reservation as multicast messages. Receiving modules may be configured to receive the multicast messages. Network bridge modules may be configured to enable a Talker Pruning feature to facilitate handling of the multicast messages.
US09854324B1

Systems and methods are described for automatically enabling subtitles based on a user profile when a language is spoken with an accent a user has difficulty understanding. For example, a media guidance application may detect a first plurality of user interactions of the user while the given language is being spoken with the accent. Based on the first plurality of interactions, the media guidance application may calculate a first value associated with a user specific level of difficulty indicating how difficult it is for the user to understand the language when spoken with the accent. If the first plurality of user interactions are not being performed again, the media guidance application may update the user specific difficulty with a second value that is lower than the first value. The media guidance application may automatically generate for display subtitles for a media asset based on the user specific level of difficulty.
US09854312B2

Techniques are described that allow DVR users to create program shortcuts to different types of media content from content providers. A program shortcut comprises a reference to another media content. A user may generate a shortcut so that the user may easily find and return to media content without performing a new search. In addition, techniques may be used to automatically generate program shortcuts for a user based at least in part to user-indicated preferences or actions. Shortcuts may be generated to media content that is related to a preferred genre or media type specified by a user. Shortcuts may also be generated to content that is determined to be similar to content that is often viewed or recorded by the user.
US09854311B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling Internet users to schedule recordings of electronic programming content. One method includes displaying on a web page, over the Internet, a user interface element associated with an advertisement for electronic programming content; wherein selection of the user interface element, by a user of a web browsing device, initiates a recording device of the user, separate from the web browsing device, to schedule a recording of the electronic programming content. Another method for enabling Internet users to request television content includes displaying on a web page, over the Internet, a user interface element associated with an advertisement for television content; wherein a user's selection of the user interface element initiates a request for the advertised television content from a carrier that provides television service to the user.
US09854307B2

A multimedia program recording schedule manager for DVR systems is described. In a first embodiment, for example, a method implemented by one or more server computing devices, the method comprising: receiving input selecting a particular DVR system; receiving input selecting a particular multimedia program for the particular DVR system to record on a repeat basis; adding the particular multimedia program to a server-side instance of a repeat recording schedule for the particular DVR system; and synchronizing the server-side instance of the repeat recording schedule with another instance of a repeat recording schedule for the particular DVR system resulting in the addition of the particular multimedia program to the other instance of the repeat recording schedule. In one embodiment, the other instance of the repeat recording schedule for the particular DVR system is a data component of the particular DVR system.
US09854306B2

Systems and methods for aiding user content navigation are described. An exemplary system may include an electronic device configured to receive audiovisual content and/or user inputs. The electronic device may additionally include one or more outputs coupled with a display device. The electronic device may further include one or more processors as well as memory, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause them to perform one or more navigation functions to receive a channel change command to adjust from a first channel to a second channel. The one or more processors may further be caused to determine that the second channel is presenting advertising content instead of program content, and determine that a third channel is presenting program content. The one or more processors may further be caused to adjust the output to the third channel.
US09854303B2

In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems query a social graph for social content associated with particular media content, present a content visualization graph for display on a display device, determine a plurality of interesting points of the particular media content based on an amount of social content generated, and provide indications on the content visualization graph of at least some of the determined plurality of interesting points. The content visualization graph provides a visual indication of particular points within the particular media content that the social content was generated. Determining the plurality of interesting points includes determining a respective amount of social content generated for each of a plurality of time periods and selecting, as the plurality of interesting points, a pre-determined number of the plurality of time periods that have the largest amount of generated social content.
US09854296B2

A distributed system architecture is described for control of a Set Top Box (STB). The architecture employs server software implemented as JSON middleware, and provided on the STB 32 as a local server, as well as on a Tooling Device 34 and a Control Application 36. The distributed system facilitates communication with the STB over a data network such as the internet. A remote client device running a browser 30 can interact with the STB 32 to access STB functionality 32.
US09854293B2

A system or method selects among multiple tuners to tune a particular channel. A request is received to tune a first channel. In response to this request, a first tuner is assigned to tune the first channel. A request is received to tune a second channel. If the program tuned by the first tuner is not being recorded, the first tuner is assigned to tune the second channel. If the program tuned by the first tuner is being recorded, the second tuner is assigned to tune the second channel.
US09854287B2

An apparatus of processing a digital service signals and a method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes a PDI module configured to receive a PDI table, wherein the PDI table includes at least one question element having attributes of a PDI question, wherein the PDI table further includes a table Id field identifying the PDI table, a table version field indicating a version of the PDI table and a time field indicating a date and a time of the most recent change to the PDI question and extract the PDI question from the at least one question element, wherein each of the at least one question element has a different type, a PDI answer module configured to receive a PDI answer according to the extracted PDI question, a filtering module configured to receive a filtering criteria information and filter contents of the digital service signal by comparing the filtering criteria information against the received the PDI answer and a content storing module configured to download the filtered contents, wherein the type of the at least one question element indicates a type for the PDI question with one of an integer answer, a Boolean answer, a selection answer, a text answer and an answer with no PDI question.
US09854284B2

Systems and methods that may facilitate synchronizing the presentation of a program on multiple devices are disclosed. Synchronization information related to a program may be exchanged via a two-way communications channel. Amounts by which each device may delay its presentation of a program may be calculated and/or exchanged.
US09854276B2

The present technology relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program, which enable processing to be performed by absorbing a protocol difference when data is exchanged using different protocols. A first processing unit that processes data with a first device that performs identification of content; and a second processing unit that processes data with a second device that performs reproduction of content, and processes data with the first processing unit, are provided. Identification of content is performed based on ACR (Automatic Content Recognition), for example, the first device is an ACR server, and the first processing unit is able to work as an ACR client that communicates with each of a plurality of ACR servers that performs ACR using a different protocol. The present technology is applicable to a protocol conversion gateway.
US09854272B2

A method of decoding an enhanced video stream composed of base layer video access units and enhancement layer video access units, each access unit comprising a plurality of syntax structures, includes passing the syntax structures of the base layer access units to a base layer buffer, passing syntax structures of the enhancement layer access units to an enhancement layer buffer, outputting the syntax structures passed to the base layer buffer in a predetermined sequence, outputting the syntax structures passed to the enhancement layer buffer in a predetermined sequence, and recombining the sequences of syntax structures output by the base layer buffer and the enhancement layer buffer respectively to form a complete enhanced access unit, composed of base layer syntax structures and enhancement layer syntax structures in a predetermined sequence.
US09854270B2

An apparatus configured to code video information includes a memory unit and a processor in communication with the memory unit. The memory unit is configured to store video information associated with a first video layer having a current picture. The processor is configured to process a first offset associated with the current picture, the first offset indicating a difference between (a) most significant bits (MSBs) of a first picture order count (POC) of a previous picture in the first video layer that precedes the current picture in decoding order and (b) MSBs of a second POC of the current picture.
US09854267B2

A picture decoding method is provided for decoding coded picture data. The decoding method includes decoding coded picture data to obtain a first transform block and an adjacent second transform block in a reconstructed picture having a plurality of blocks forming a moving picture image. The decoding method also includes determining whether the first transform block is located inside a motion-compensation block in which the second transform block is located. The decoding method further includes performing a filtering on pixels in a block boundary between the first and second transform blocks when the first transform block is located outside the motion-compensation block in which the second transform block is located, and performing no filtering on the pixels in the block boundary between the first and second transform blocks when the first transform block is located inside the motion-compensation block in which the second transform block is located.
US09854257B2

The image decoding method includes determining a context for use in a current block to be processed, from among a plurality of contexts, wherein in the determining: the context is determined under a condition that control parameters of a left block and an upper block are used, when the signal type is a first type; and the context is determined under a third condition that the control parameter of the upper block is not used and a hierarchical depth of a data unit to which the control parameter of the current block belongs is used, when the signal type is a third type, and the third type is one or more of (i) “merge_flag”, (ii) “ref_idx_I0” or “ref_idx_I1”, (iii) “inter_pred_flag”, (iv) “mvd_I0” or “mvd_I1”, (v) “intra_chroma_pred_mode”, (vi) “cbf_luma”, and (vii) “cbf_cb” or “cbf_cr”.
US09854250B2

A method performed by an apparatus for intra-predicting a current block in the unit of subblocks, comprises: determining an intra prediction mode of the current block among a plurality of intra prediction modes; identifying the subblocks split from the current block; and sequentially reconstructing the identified subblocks using an intra prediction mode identical to the determined intra prediction mode of the current block, wherein a subblock to be reconstructed is predicted using at least one pre-reconstructed neighboring subblock in the current block.
US09854249B2

The present invention relates to a method and device for sharing a candidate list. A method of generating a merging candidate list for a predictive block may include: producing, on the basis of a coding block including a predictive block on which a parallel merging process is performed, at least one of a spatial merging candidate and a temporal merging candidate of the predictive block; and generating a single merging candidate list for the coding block on the basis of the produced merging candidate. Thus, it is possible to increase processing speeds for coding and decoding by performing inter-picture prediction in parallel on a plurality of predictive blocks.
US09854247B2

A moving image compression device has an obtaining unit, an image conversion unit, and a compression processing unit. The obtaining unit obtains a RAW moving image having plural frames associated in an order of imaging, the frames having pixels of three different color components which are disposed periodically according to a color array with two rows and two columns. The image conversion unit separates, in a target frame, a first pixel group corresponding to a first color component of odd rows and a second pixel group corresponding to the first color component of even rows, and alternately arrays, in a time base direction, a first image including the first pixel group and a second image including the second pixel group. The compression processing unit performs inter-frame prediction coding compression on the first image and the second image.
US09854245B2

Provided are a method and an apparatus for coefficient scan on the base of a partition mode of a prediction unit. The method comprises the steps of: determining a scan method on the basis of a partition mode of a prediction unit; and encoding the information about the scan method, wherein the scan method is determined, on the basis of RDO (Rate Distortion optimization), from among the extracted candidate scan methods which have been extracted with consideration of the shapes of the partitions of the partition mode.
US09854241B2

Disclosed is method of decoding, from a video bitstream, a transform unit containing at least one chroma residual coefficient array associated with a single chroma channel. The method determines a size of the transform unit related to a hierarchical level of the transform unit in a corresponding coding unit, and identifies a maximum number of inverse transforms according to the determined size. The method decodes from the video bitstream the at least one chroma residual coefficient array using the identified maximum number of transforms, selects an inverse transform for the decoded chroma residual coefficient arrays, the inverse transform being selected from a predetermined set of inverse transforms, and applies the selected inverse transform to each of the chroma residual coefficient arrays to decode chroma residual samples for the chroma channel of the transform unit. A similar encoding method is also disclosed.
US09854238B2

In a video encoding apparatus, an encoder for encoding a first region of a picture includes: an inhibited block identifying unit which identifies a first inhibit target sub-block that is contained within the first region and that may select a motion vector of a referenced block contained in a second region of an already encoded picture, the second region being a region encoded by another encoder, as a prediction vector for the motion vector of the first sub-block when an inter-predictive coding mode is applied; and a predictive encoding unit which uses a motion vector other than the motion vector of the referenced block as the prediction vector when encoding a second inhibit target sub-block by using the inter-predictive coding mode, wherein the second inhibit target sub-block is a sub-block that contains the first inhibit target sub-block and at which the inter-predictive coding mode is applied.
US09854233B2

An apparatus for processing a video, a method of driving the apparatus for processing the video, and a computer readable recording medium are provided. The apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store a plurality of set values corresponding to at least one factor used for a quality measurement of a communication signal line, and a controller configured to transmit a plurality of test signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of set values to a signal receiver connected to the communication signal line and receive a plurality of regression signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of transmitted test signals from the signal receiver. The controller determines a set value of the factor based on the plurality of received regression signals and transmits a signal to the signal receiver based on the determined set value of the factor.
US09854232B2

A receiving device performs an action that results in a corrective measure being taken to address a picture quality issue detected in real time in the frames currently being displayed on a television or other device. The receiving device or a remote system compares indications of video frames currently being displayed to stored video frames for that program to detect macroblocking or a frozen video frame. The macroblocking or a frozen video frame may also or instead be detected by image analysis of the frames currently being displayed. If macroblocking or a frozen video frame is detected in the frames currently being displayed, the set-top box may switch to an alternative video source, change to a standard definition channel broadcasting the same video program or perform other corrective actions.
US09854231B2

A silicon photomultiplier includes a plurality of microcells providing a pulse output in response to an incident radiation, each microcell including circuitry configured to enable and disable the pulse output. Each microcell includes a cell disable switch. The control logic circuit controls the cell disable switch and a self-test circuit. A microcell's pulse output is disabled when the cell disable switch is in a first state. A method for self-test calibration of microcells includes providing a test enable signal to the microcells, integrating dark current for a predetermined time period, comparing the integrated dark current to a predetermined threshold level, and providing a signal if above the predetermined threshold level.
US09854229B2

A three-dimensional image processing apparatus and a method for controlling a location of a sweet spot for displaying a multi-view image are disclosed. A receiver receives a multi-view image including a plurality of view images. A controller detects a plurality of users from an image obtained by taking a watching zone, acquires user location information indicating locations of the plurality of detected users, calculates distance information indicating a distance between the detected users by using the acquired user location information, and controls a location of a sweet spot for viewing the plurality of view images on the basis of the calculated distance information and a length of a dead zone of the multi-view image.
US09854224B2

Images can be processed using an image processing apparatus including: an image data obtaining section that obtains at least two pieces of parallax image data from an image capturing element that includes color filters and opening masks so that one color filter and one opening mask correspond to one of at least a part of photoelectric conversion elements and outputs the at least two pieces of parallax image data; and a correcting section that corrects color imbalance of a corresponding pixel caused between the at least two pieces of parallax image data, based on at least one of a position of the at least a part of photoelectric conversion elements in the image capturing element and an opening displacement of the opening mask.
US09854222B2

A method for estimating the image depth map of a scene, includes the following steps: providing (E1) an image, the focus of which depends on the depth and wavelength of the considered object points of the scene, using a longitudinal chromatic optical system; determining (E2) a set of spectral images from the image provided by the longitudinal chromatic optical system; deconvoluting (E3) the spectral images to provide estimated spectral images with field depth extension; and analyzing (E4) a cost criterion depending on the estimated spectral images with field depth extension to provide an estimated depth map.
US09854221B2

Methods and systems obtain data representative of a scene across spectral bands using a compressive-sensing-based hyperspectral imaging system comprising optical elements. These methods and systems sample two modes of a three-dimensional tensor corresponding to a hyperspectral representation of the scene using sampling matrices, one for each of the two modes, to generate a modified three-dimensional tensor. After sampling the two modes, such methods and systems sample a third mode of the modified three-dimensional tensor using a third sampling matrix to generate a further modified three-dimensional tensor. Then, the methods and systems reconstruct hyperspectral data from the further modified three-dimensional tensor using the sampling matrices and the third sampling matrix.
US09854217B2

A mobile terminal configured to process images, the mobile terminal comprising: a camera configured to capture images; an image sensor configured to acquire an image signal of an object in an image captured via the camera; an infrared sensor configured to detect an infrared signal reflected from the object; a controller configured to utilize the image sensor to: determine whether flicker is generated; and detect information related to a light source contributing to the generated flicker based on the detected infrared signal; and an image processor configured to perform white balance of the acquired image, the white balance performed based on the detected information if flicker is generated, and provides an effective white balancing method according to types of peripheral light sources through flicker analysis based on the image sensor and the infrared sensor.
US09854214B2

Some embodiments provide for a modular video projector system having a light engine module and an optical engine module. The light engine module can provide narrow-band laser light to the optical engine module which modulates the laser light according to video signals received from a video processing engine. Some embodiments provide for an optical engine module having a sub-pixel generator configured to display video or images at a resolution of at least four times greater than a resolution of modulating elements within the optical engine module. Systems and methods for reducing speckle are presented in conjunction with the modular video projector system.
US09854211B2

A wearable camera system includes a wearable camera, an in-car recorder, and an in-car camera. One of the in-car recorder and the wearable camera transmits video recording starting information including information indicating that video recording has been started to the other of the in-car recorder and the wearable camera when one of the in-car recorder and the wearable camera starts the video recording. The other of the in-car recorder and the wearable camera starts video recording after the video recording starting information is received.
US09854208B2

A system and method for detecting an object of interest. An embodiment of a system or method may include receiving an indication an object of interest is present in a first area; obtaining, at the first area, a first set of unique characteristics of a respective set of mobile communication devices; receiving an indication the object of interest is present in a second area; obtaining, at the second area, a second set of characteristics of a respective second set of mobile communication devices; and associating a unique characteristic of a mobile communication device with the object of interest based on the first and second sets of characteristics.
US09854197B2

The present invention provides methods and systems for a television protection and carrying device that includes a television protection and carrying device that includes a top portion with a base portion, a first end, a second end, and two sides, and a bottom portion with a first end, a second end and two sides. A receptacle disposed within each side of the bottom portion for receiving the second end of the top portion for selectively securing the top portion to the bottom portion, and a television is positioned within the top portion.
US09854194B2

The invention concerns a structure of a CMOS active pixel, comprising a semi-conductive substrate (1) of a first type, at least one first photodiode operating in photovoltaic mode comprising a photovoltaic conversion area (2) defined by a doped area of a second type forming a PN junction with the substrate, said first photodiode re-emitting photoelectric charge carriers collected by the PN junction during the exposure of said first photodiode to a light, at least one second photodiode operating in integration mode and reverse-biased, said second photodiode comprising a charge accumulation area (3) defined by a doped area of the second type forming a PN junction with the substrate, said charge accumulation area being exposed to the charge carriers from the photovoltaic conversion area (2) in order to accumulate such charge carriers.
US09854191B2

There is provided a solid-state image sensor including a pixel circuit including a plurality of pixels and imaging a subject, a peripheral circuit provided in a vicinity of the pixel circuit and performing operation in regard to imaging, and a connection element electrically connecting, in initialization of the pixels, elements in the pixels to which a predetermined voltage is applied for initializing the pixels to the peripheral circuit with the predetermined voltage.
US09854190B2

An image sensor with an array of pixels is provided. In order to determine failure of transient signal generation circuitry within the image sensor, monitoring circuitry may be used to capture and adjust transient signals as the signals are being transmitted. The transient signals may be voltage booster signals that are generated by booster circuitry to adjust row control signal levels to be below the ground reference voltage or above the supply reference voltage before providing them to the array of image sensor pixels. The captured and adjusted transient signals may be multiplexed and transmitted through a common buffer circuit. The method of shifting/adjusting the captured voltages may also apply to static signals. The multiplexed adjusted signals may be converted from digital signals to analog signals with digital-to-analog conversion circuitry. The digitized signals may be transmitted to host circuitry for processing which may include pass/fail testing.
US09854185B2

An imaging system for a vehicle may include a first image capture device having a first field of view and configured to acquire a first image relative to a scene associated with the vehicle, the first image being acquired as a first series of image scan lines captured using a rolling shutter. The imaging system may also include a second image capture device having a second field of view different from the first field of view and that at least partially overlaps the first field of view, the second image capture device being configured to acquire a second image relative to the scene associated with the vehicle, the second image being acquired as a second series of image scan lines captured using a rolling shutter. As a result of overlap between the first field of view and the second field of view, a first overlap portion of the first image corresponds with a second overlap portion of the second image. The first image capture device has a first scan rate associated with acquisition of the first series of image scan lines that is different from a second scan rate associated with acquisition of the second series of image scan lines, such that the first image capture device acquires the first overlap portion of the first image over a period of time during which the second overlap portion of the second image is acquired.
US09854184B2

An imaging pixel may have a fully depleted charge transfer path between a pinned photodiode and a floating diffusion region. A pinned transfer diode may be coupled between the pinned photodiode and the floating diffusion region. The imaging pixel may be formed in upper and lower substrates with an interconnect layer coupling the upper substrate to the lower substrate. The imaging pixel may include one or more storage diodes coupled between the transfer diode and the floating diffusion region. The imaging pixel may be used to capture high dynamic range images with flicker mitigation, images synchronized with light sources, or for high frame rate operation.
US09854161B2

A photographing device may include two or more lenses having different view angles, and a processor configured to detect a first subject using images acquired from the lenses and to generate a notification signal based on whether or not a second subject approaches the view angle of a first image including the first subject among the acquired images.
US09854159B2

An image system including a display device, an image sensor, a face detection engine, an eye detection engine and an eye protection engine is provided. The image sensor captures an image. The face detection engine recognizes a user face in the image. The eye detection engine recognizes user eyes in the image. The eye protection engine turns off the display device when the user eyes are recognized in the image but the user face is not recognized in the image.
US09854152B2

The present invention relates to an auto-focus system and method based on a sensor, using hierarchical extraction and motion estimation for an image. The auto-focus method may include the steps of: (a) extracting a phase difference image from a sensed image; (b) extracting a robust feature image which satisfies a preset reference with respect to noise and out-of-focus blur, from the phase difference image; and (C) estimating a motion vector for lens shift from the feature image.
US09854151B2

The present invention provides an imaging device and a focusing control method capable of enhancing accuracy of moving subject estimation while reducing the computation of the moving subject estimation used in a case of continuously performing focusing with respect to the moving subject. A system control unit (11) predicts a subject distance in an imaging process of a third frame from information about subject distances obtained in an imaging process of a first frame and an imaging process of a second frame, calculates an error with respect to the predicted subject distance from information about a maximum error with respect to a focus lens position to be calculated, and performs lens driving based on a predicted focus lens position instead of a focusing control based on the predicted subject distance in a case that the error of the subject distance is large.
US09854146B2

A pair of pupil regions of an exit pupil, through which light beams received by a pair of photoelectric conversion units included in a pixel portion of a first image sensor respectively pass, are overlapped. A pair of pupil regions of an exit pupil, through which light beams received by a pair of photoelectric conversion units included in a pixel portion of a second image sensor respectively pass, are overlapped. A second base length, which is a distance between centroids of the pair of pupil regions corresponding to the pair of photoelectric conversion units included in the pixel portion of the second image sensor, is longer than a first base length, which is a distance between centroids of the pair of pupil regions corresponding to the pair of photoelectric conversion units included in the pixel portion of the first image sensor.
US09854143B2

Present embodiments may provide for a mobile device and an optical imaging lens thereof. The optical imaging lens may comprise an aperture stop and five lens elements positioned sequentially from an object side to an image side. Through controlling the convex or concave shape of the surfaces of the lens elements and designing parameters satisfying at least one inequality, the optical imaging lens may exhibit better optical characteristics and the total length of the optical imaging lens may be shortened.
US09854140B2

An imaging lens includes an aperture stop and first to sixth lens elements arranged from an object side to an image side in the given order. Through designs of surfaces of the lens elements and relevant optical parameters, a short system length of the imaging lens may be achieved while maintaining good optical performance.
US09854129B2

A scheduler of an image processing apparatus allocates processing of control programs of the image processing apparatus to a plurality of cores when it is determined that a processor is mounted to a peripheral unit. The scheduler allocates a control program of the peripheral unit and a program related to a control program for the peripheral unit among the control programs of the image processing apparatus to at least one core among the plurality of cores and allocates remaining control programs among the control programs of the image processing apparatus to remaining cores among the plurality of cores when it is determined that a processor is not mounted to the peripheral unit.
US09854124B2

An image forming apparatus includes a receiving processing portion, a first printing processing portion, and a second printing processing portion. The receiving processing portion is configured to receive an operation for designating a designation page to which a predetermined printing condition is to be applied, of a document including a plurality of pages. The first printing processing portion is configured to print a partial document including the designation page, of the document. The second printing processing portion is configured to print a remaining document obtained by excluding the partial document from the document, in accordance with a predetermined confirmation operation after the printing by the first printing processing portion.
US09854122B2

An image forming apparatus includes a state management unit that shifts an authentication state from a non-login state to a login state, a storage unit that stores setting information, and a data management unit that, in a case where a free space of the storage unit is less than a threshold value, deletes the setting information stored in the storage unit at a timing of shifting from the non-login state to the login state and secure a free space greater than or equal to the threshold value in the storage unit.
US09854114B2

A display device includes a display portion, a display processing portion, a detection processing portion, and a replacement processing portion. The display processing portion displays a plurality of pieces of character information as a list in a display area set in the display portion. The detection processing portion detects specific character information from among the plurality of pieces of character information displayed by the display processing portion, the specific character information being character information whose display size exceeds a size of the display area. The replacement processing portion, when the detection processing portion detects the specific character information, replaces each instance of a specific word among words included in the plurality of pieces of character information displayed by the display processing portion, with an abbreviation of the specific word, the specific word being a word included in the specific character information detected by the detection processing portion.
US09854111B2

The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer program products for biological inventory tracking using cloud services and mobile devices. According to one method, information is input from a mobile device about a specimen sample. The information includes an image of the specimen sample captured using the mobile device including an identifying indicia. The information is uploaded and stored in an encrypted format accessible to authorized and verified users. At least one characteristic of the specimen sample is determined based on the information. Tracking and status information, as well as notifications or reminders, regarding the specimen sample are provided in real-time or near real-time to the mobile device.
US09854110B2

In a network environment, an e-mail to which an image obtained by a scanner (image obtaining device) is attached is stored in a folder on a Web mail service, not via a terminal. Therefore an application is prepared such that management and communication between a terminal, an MFP (scanner) and an e-mail service are executable via themselves. As a result, the e-mail to which the image obtained by the scanner is attached can be stored on the Web mail service, not via a terminal only by operating the application without setting up a driver of the scanner MFP to the terminal.
US09854106B1

Provided is support server 1 that is an image forming device installation support server. Location information acquiring part 100 inputs location information 200 from terminal 2. Place information acquiring part 110 obtains place information 210 including a nearby building and street in an address corresponding to location information 200 obtained by location information acquiring part 100. Image forming device information acquiring part 120 obtains image forming device information 220 including the installed location and printing number of sheets of a nearby image forming device in the address corresponding to location information 200 obtained by location information acquiring part 100. Scoring part 130 calculates suitability score 250 as a new print shop's installation location from place information 210 and image forming device information 220. Suitability score outputting part 140 outputs suitability score 250.
US09854100B2

The disclosure relates to a method and device for call forwarding. The method comprises: receiving a calling number of an incoming call; forwarding or holding the calling number according to a preset multi-call forwarding rule. The disclosure increases the call forwarding flexibility of mobile terminals such as mobile phone, and provides convenience to users.
US09854084B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for managing alarms and notifications pursuant to contextual cues pertaining to the persisting relevance or utility of such alarms and notifications. The systems and methods involve receiving, at a local computing device comprising an output device, the output device configured to output at least one of visual, aural, and tactile output, input instructing the output device to provide output in the form of a notification at a predetermined time. The systems and methods further involve receiving contextual information at a notification manager, analyzing the contextual information at the notification manager, and cancelling, suppressing, or replacing the notification at the local computing device based on the analysis of the contextual information.
US09854083B2

An information processing system includes at least two terminals connected with a first network; and an information processing apparatus (IPA) connected with a second network, and with the first network via a relay device. The first terminal obtains device information about devices on the second network, receives a selection among the devices, and transmits a request for outputting data on the selected device to the IPA. The second terminal obtains the device information, receives the selection of the device, transmits a request for obtaining data on the selected device to the IPA, and obtains the data output by the selected device. The IPA obtains the requests for the outputting and the obtaining, respectively, requests the selected device to execute the outputting and the obtaining, receives the data provided by the selected device, to provide it to the second terminal.
US09854081B2

A wearable device can facilitate automatic adjustment of a volume control and/or other settings of a host device based on properties of the ambient environment. For example, when a host device generates an audible alert, a wearable device can sample the ambient sound to detect a distinct contribution corresponding to the audible alert; if the contribution is outside acceptable levels, the wearable device can notify the host device to adjust the alert volume and/or other alert characteristics. Adjustments to host-device settings can also be made based on comparing audio signals collected by the host device and the wearable device.
US09854080B2

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a speakerphone configuration for audio and/or video conferencing that includes a cavity underneath the speakerphone where cable ports are arranged. The arrangement of the cable ports are such that when a power plug is installed in the speakerphone, a telecommunication port is blocked, and vice versa. In addition, the port arrangement allows cables to attach to opposite walls in the cavity such that cables run parallel to each other within the cavity. The disclosed speakerphone may be daisy-chained together and function as a single unit. Therefore a speakerphone according to the disclosure may function as either a master unit, a mid unit, or an end unit in a string of speakerphones depending on how the speakerphone is wired. The port arrangement in the cavity increases ease for setup and daisy-chaining of multiple speakerphone units.
US09854068B2

A system and method for providing a dynamic invocation and service interface for use in a middleware or other environment. At the service-side, messages can be inserted into an inbound processing chain. After service-side inbound processing, messages are given to the user via a provider request function. The user gives a response by using a provider response function that inserts messages into a service-side outbound processing chain. After service-side outbound processing, messages are given to the user's service response transport. On the client side, the user can insert messages into the outbound processing chain using a dispatcher request. After client-side outbound processing, messages are given to the user's client request transport. This decouples message processing from the transport and makes the message processing asynchronous in nature. When the response is received, a user uses a client response transport function to insert the response into the client-side inbound processing chain.
US09854061B2

A system comprises a processor configured to subscribe to a broadcast of vehicle-related state changes. The processor is also configured to detect at least one vehicle-related state change in the broadcast that triggers an application launch and launch an application corresponding to the detected vehicle related state change.
US09854059B2

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request for the client device to access a communication network. The request includes data identifying the client device based on an intermediate device certificate signed by one or more of the computing devices. The method also includes associating the request with a user profile of a social-networking system; and granting the client device access to the communication network based at least in part on the association of the request to the user profile.
US09854052B2

A computer implemented method may include requesting details of an object and attachments associated with the object. The attachment details for each attachment may include an attachment name and an attachment ID. In response to a selection of an attachment associated with the object, a determination may be made as to whether a cache already includes the selected attachment. If the cache includes the selected attachment, the selected attachment may be retrieved from the attachment cache. If the cache does not include the selected attachment, the attachment may be downloaded using an attachment URL. The attachment URL may be requested and generated based on the attachment ID. The downloaded attachment may also be stored in the attachment cache.
US09854051B2

A local server is configured to communicate with a plurality of computing devices within a local network. The local server comprises memory for storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions. The instructions cause the processor to dynamically establish a connection with one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the connection identifying the one or more of the plurality of computing devices as data relays; receive data traffic from one or more of the plurality of computing devices within the local network, the data traffic to be communicated to a destination server; transmit the data traffic to the data relays for communication to the destination server via a communication network; receive response data traffic from the data relays; and transmit the response data to the one or more of the plurality of computing devices within the local network.
US09854048B2

A Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Management and Orchestration (MANO) data communication system drives an NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) to support a Network Service (NS). The NFV MANO system exchanges hardware trust data with a hardware-trusted subsystem in the NFVI to maintain hardware trust with the NFVI subsystem. The NFV MANO system exchanges NS data with an operations system and responsively exchanges network data to drive the NFVI to execute a Virtual Network Function (VNF) externally to the hardware-trusted subsystem to support the NS. The NFV MANO system also exchanges trust data for the NS with the operations system and responsively exchanges network data with the hardware-trusted subsystem to drive the subsystem to execute the VNF to support the NS.
US09854047B2

A processing device receives a request from a client for a specific service. Responsive to determining that the specific service is not running, the processing device converts a previously instantiated generic service into the specific service. To perform the conversion, the processing device assigns the generic service from a service pool for the specific service and renames the generic service based on a name of the specific service. The processing device additionally queries a directory service for specific service logic associated with the specific service. The processing device receives at least one of the specific service logic or a reference to the specific service logic from the directory service, and updates the generic service to include at least one of the specific service logic or the reference to the specific service logic.
US09854035B2

A method, system and computer program product for maintaining state synchronization of an application between computing devices and maintaining state synchronization of common information between different applications. A server receives a request from a client device to access a shared state scope. A shared state scope is a data store that physically resides on the server, where the data store stores state information. The state information stored in these scopes can be shared among multiple instances of an application residing on multiple client devices. Furthermore, the state information may include common information that is shared among different applications. Upon the server providing access to the requested scope, the server receives an update to the state information stored within the requested scope from the requesting client device. The server then notifies other client devices regarding the update to the state information that have access to the shared state scope.
US09854029B1

Described are techniques for performing statistical hypothesis experiments and determining user responses that do not match an assigned treatment. One of multiple experiment states may be assigned to a set of client devices. Response data that includes indications of the experiment state that was executed may be compared to the assigned experiment state to determine allocation matches and allocation mismatches. The allocation mismatches may be separated based on the assigned and executed experiment states to determine mismatches caused by preexisting content stored on a client device and mismatches caused by other experiment parameters.
US09854025B2

A method for soliciting and creating collaborative content items is disclosed. The method includes identifying contacts of a target user, the contacts each having an affinity score with the target user that exceeds an affinity score threshold value, soliciting, from each of the identified contacts, a content item curated by the identified contact to convey a personalized message to the target user corresponding to an event unique to the target user, receiving the content items from at least a subset of the identified contacts, and providing a collaborative content product comprising the received content items to the target user.
US09854012B2

A contents sharing network is provided. An operating method of a control device includes determining a current state of possible states in a contents sharing process over a network; and displaying an icon indicating the current state among a plurality of predefined icons. The states are defined as a combination of at least one item of network connection, device discovery, a type of the discovered device, the number of the discovered devices, and existence of an available additional service.
US09854008B2

The present invention provides a real time communication method, a terminal device, an RTC server and an RTC system. The method includes: receiving, by a first terminal, call request information that is sent by another terminal to the first terminal and forwarded by an RTC server and, where the call request information carries a unique identifier of a WEB-based RTC application of a terminal sending the call request information; and determining, by the first terminal, whether to accept a call request according to the unique identifier of the WEB RTC of the terminal sending the call request information, if yes, sending request information for opening the WEB-based RTC application to the RTC server, and after receiving information of the WEB-based RTC application returned by the RTC server, communicating, by using the WEB-based RTC application, with the terminal sending the call request information.
US09854006B2

An interaction router includes a computerized server executing a routing engine stored on a machine-readable medium, an interface at the server receiving information from an interaction switching element, the information regarding an interaction received at the switching element to be routed, an interface at the server to a wide area network (WAN), a function of the routing engine judging if one or more business-logic determinations are to be made to select a routing destination for the interaction, and a function for controlling the switch to route the interaction. If if one or more business-logic determinations are to be made, the routing engine requests the business-logic determination from a remote server over the WAN, and upon receiving the determination from the remote server, uses the determination in controlling the switching element to route the interaction.
US09854004B2

Methods and devices are disclosed for managing Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service registration on a wireless communication device having at least one SIM that supports IMS services. The wireless communication device may access network operator policies stored in the SIM(s), and identify enabled IMS services for each SIM. The wireless communication device may also identify, based on the accessed network operator policies, a registration type for each enabled IMS service on each SIM, determine whether to perform a single registration or a dual IMS registration for each of the at least one SIM, perform the determined registration using the accessed network operator policies, and maintain registration of the enabled IMS services for each SIM.
US09854000B2

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying unusual behavior with respect to a handshake between a first endpoint and a second endpoint that are included in a network, and determining whether the unusual behavior with respect to the handshake indicates presence of malicious software. The method also includes identifying at least one of the first endpoint and the second endpoint as potentially being infected by the malicious software if it is determined that the unusual behavior with respect to the handshake indicates the presence of malicious software.
US09853999B2

Methods, systems, and computer-readable mediums are described herein to provide context-aware knowledge systems and methods for deploying deception mechanisms. In some examples, a deception profiler can be used to intelligently deploy the deception mechanisms for a network. For example, a method can include identifying a network for which to deploy one or more deception mechanisms. In such an example, a deception mechanism can emulate one or more characteristics of a machine on the network. The method can further include determining one or more asset densities and a summary statistic. An asset density can be associated with a number of assets connected to the network. The summary statistic can be associated with a number of historical attacks on the network. Using at least one or more of the one or more asset densities, the summary statistic, other information associated with the network, or a combination thereof, the method can further include determining a number of deception mechanisms to deploy, and deploying the number of deception mechanisms.
US09853991B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for identifying malware attacks collects data traffic information. A system receives data traffic information indicative of communications between computers within a network and computers external to the network. The system parses the data traffic information to identify communication links between the computers within the network and computers external to the network. The system can generate communication link profiles for each of the computers within the network. The system can then group computers within the network into computer clusters based on similarities between the communication link profiles for each computer. The system can identify computer clusters having anomalous communication patterns as being indicative of a malware attack.
US09853980B2

A method is provided for configuring access to a network, to authorize an access to the network for at least one invited terminal associated with an invited user. The method is implemented by a first network access management module associated with a host user. The method includes: receiving, from a terminal associated with the host user, an offer to share the access to the network intended for the invited user, the users being connected via a social network; obtaining, from a second network access management module associated with the invited user, information identifying the invited terminal; obtaining, from the network, configuration information allowing access to the network by the invited terminal, following a sending, to the network, of an access configuration request comprising the identification information; and sending, to the second management module, configuration information intended for the invited terminal allowing it access to the network.
US09853971B2

Techniques for securing communications between fixed devices and mobile devices. A mobile device management server mediates communications between the fixed device and mobile device. The mobile device management server enrolls mobile devices and then assists with pairing the mobile devices to fixed devices in an out-of-band manner. This enrollment, coupled with out-of-band pairing, improves the speed and security of authenticating communication between fixed and mobile devices. If the mobile device has appropriate capabilities, the mobile device management server may request that the mobile device obtain and verify biometric data from a user prior to enrollment and performing authentication procedures.
US09853969B2

Conventional Bluetooth low energy (or like personal wireless network) controllers cannot resolve private addresses without some calculation from a host processor but leaving the host processor on or awaking it from a sleep each time a non-trusted device attempts to connect wastes power. Hostless private address resolution allows a host controller to enter a sleep state off while the Bluetooth controller advertises its device name, primary services, rejects connection requests from non-trusted devices with public and private addresses, and awakens the host controller upon a connection request from a trusted client device with a public or private address. Not only does this approach reduce power consumption by allowing the host processor to remain in the sleep state it simultaneously ensures security by allowing the private address resolution to remain active on the Bluetooth controller.
US09853968B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing an unregistered user with access to a network in a secure and efficient manner. A random, on-demand password is generated and the password is associated with an account that permits the user to access the network for a single session only. The account is also associated with a specific IP address. Entry of the password permits access to the network on the IP address associated with the account. At the conclusion of the single session, the password is disposed of such that it will no longer enable access to the network. An access point associated with the network can also be configured to collect marketing information by pairing the IP address with a virtual IP address, in which a user's demographic information is embedded. Such configuration can be used to aggregate data concerning the network activities of users with similar demographic characteristics.
US09853967B2

A passphrase is assigned to an end user device for use in authenticating the end user device for a network using SAE. An identification of the end user device is determined during an authentication process. The passphrase assigned to the end user device is determined at a network side using the identification of the end user device. A shared secret is generated using the passphrase. Whether the end user device has generated the shared secret is determined. The end user device is authenticated for the network, if it is determined that the end user device has generated the shared secret.
US09853951B2

Systems and methods for providing services are disclosed. One aspect comprises authenticating a user associated with a first service, receiving a selection of a second service, generating an opaque identifier associated with the user and the first service, wherein the opaque identifier facilitates the anonymous collection of data relating to the second service. Another aspect can comprise transmitting the opaque identifier to the second service, and receiving data relating to the second service.
US09853950B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for protecting user privacy in, for example, online advertising environments. The method includes receiving data related to a user in a first communication session between a host server and a client device, and generating a user profile associated with the user. The method further may include encrypting the user profile to produce encrypted user profile data and generating a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted user profile data. Thereafter, either the decryption key or a portion of the encrypted user profile data may be transmitted to the client device and then deleted from host server before ending the first communication session. The method further may include establishing a second communication session between the host server and the client device and retrieving the transmitted content. Then targeted advertising may be provided by decrypting the encrypted user profile data.
US09853947B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure help protect network devices from unauthorized access. Among other things, embodiments of the disclosure allow full access to application servers and other network devices that a client is allowed to access, while preventing all access (or even knowledge) of network devices the client is not allowed to access.
US09853942B2

A method for balancing load among firewall security devices (FSDs) is provided. According to one embodiment, imminent shutdown of a first cluster unit of an HA cluster of FSDs is gracefully handled by a switching device. A load balancing (LB) table, forming associations between hash values output by the LB function and corresponding ports of the switching device to which the cluster units are coupled, is maintained. The first cluster unit is coupled to a first port. Responsive to imminent shutdown of the first cluster unit: (i) a second cluster unit, coupled to a second port, is selected to perform security services on traffic sessions handled by the first cluster unit; and (ii) the LB table is updated by replacing reference(s) to the first port with reference(s) to the second port. Security services for subsequently received network traffic associated with the traffic sessions is performed by the second cluster unit.
US09853941B2

Systems and methods are described for conducting work flows by an SIEM device to carry out a complex task automatically. According to one embodiment, an SIEM device may create a work flow that includes multiple security tasks that are performed by one or more security devices. When a security event is captured or the work flow is scheduled to be executed, the SIEM device starts the work flow by scheduling the security tasks defined in the work flow. The SIEM device then collects results of security tasks performed by the one or more security devices.
US09853937B1

In general, techniques are described for steering data traffic for a subscriber session from a network interface of a wireless access gateway to an anchoring one of a plurality of forwarding units of the wireless access gateway using a layer 2 (L2) address of the data traffic. For example, a wireless access gateway for a wireless local area network (WLAN) access network is described as having a decentralized data plane that includes multiple forwarding units for implementing subscriber sessions. Each forwarding unit may present a network interface for sending and receiving network packets and includes packet processing capabilities to enable subscriber data packet processing to perform the functionality of the wireless access gateway. The techniques enable steering data traffic for a given subscriber session to a particular one of the forwarding units of the wireless access gateway using an L2 address of the data traffic.
US09853933B2

The method including receiving, at a first node of a plurality of computing nodes, a message ownership migration request for a first message. The message ownership migration request can originate from a second node of the plurality of computing nodes. The first node can be an owner of the first message in a first instance of a message queue at the first node. The first message can be published from a first publisher to the message queue at one of the nodes of the plurality of computing nodes. The first message in the first instance of the message queue at the first node can be replicated at a second instance of the message queue at the second node. A first subscriber can be subscribed to the second instance of the message queue at the second node. The method also can include designating the second node as a new owner of the first message such that the first node is no longer the owner of the first message. The method further can include sending a message ownership migration notification for the first message from the first node to each of the other nodes of the plurality of computing nodes. The message ownership migration notification can identify the second node as the new owner of the first message. Other embodiments are provided.
US09853928B2

Disclosed are various examples for providing secure access to email resources. Email resources associated with client devices may be identified, and resource rules associated with the email resources may be identified. A determination of whether the email resources satisfy the resource rules may be made. If the email resources do not satisfy the resource rules, the email resources may be modified based at least in part on the resource rules
US09853926B2

A method and server are provided for sending a secure message from a first computing device to a second computing device. A first computing device sends an encrypted, secure message a message server. The message server processes the secure message to unencrypt and separate the secure message contents into two or more separately downloadable message parts. The server sends a complex link to the second computing device, or sends a complex link to the first computing device for sending to the second computing device. When the complex link is selected by a user of the second computing device the server transmits a first part of the message to the second computing device. After transmitting the first part, the server then separately transmits a second part of the message to the second computing device.
US09853924B2

A first instance of a messenger application having a plug-in communicates with a second instance of the messenger application lacking the plug-in. The plug-in provides enhanced functionality to the first instance of the messenger application, while also providing corresponding functionality to the second instance, which lacks the plug-in. For example, the plug-in may provide rich, non-thread-native content to the first instance, while also providing corresponding thread-native content to the second instance. As another example, the plug-in may obtain data from the second instance and provide tailored advertisements to the second instance based upon that data. As another example, the plug-in may obtain location data from one or more of the instances and provide access to location-specific services that take the location data into account.
US09853922B2

A virtual area has a spatial visualization and includes zones that are associated with respective geometric boundaries located in relation to the spatial visualization. Realtime data stream connections between sources and sinks of network nodes in the zones of the virtual area are administered to provide a wide variety of virtual area applications, including virtual area applications that implement spatial rules for one or more synchronous conferencing services (e.g., instant messaging, such as text chat, audio conferencing, video conferencing, application sharing, and file sharing).
US09853910B2

A contents reproduction apparatus has a contents buffer, a contents reproduction unit, a navigation function unit that provides guide in a route to a destination, an output switching unit that selects first audio data outputted from the contents reproduction unit or second audio data outputted from the navigation function unit and outputs the selected audio data to outside, and a streaming control unit that sets a buffer size that is a target value of the data amount of contents data to be accumulated in the contents buffer and controls the contents reproduction unit and the output switching unit. When the data amount of contents data accumulated in the contents buffer is less than the buffer size, a reproduction operation of the contents reproduction unit is stopped in a period in which the second audio data are outputted to outside.
US09853903B1

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for enabling simultaneous redirection and load-balancing of data packets to network elements in a network environment. In one embodiment, a data packet is received at a network element. The network element identifies a traffic bucket corresponding to the data packet. The traffic bucket includes a matching criterion that identifies a subset of network traffic to map to a node. The data packet is redirected, based on the traffic bucket, from a first address contained in a field of the data packet to a second address that corresponds to the node. The data packet is forwarded to the second address.
US09853894B2

Tunnels are established between nodes along a packet transfer route in a communication network so that a packet is transferred from a first relay node to a second relay node via one or more intermediate relay nodes using the established tunnels. An intermediate relay node receives, from an adjacent downstream relay node, a reply message storing relay-node addresses identifying the downstream relay node and at least one intermediate relay node between the downstream relay node and the first relay node. The intermediate relay node establishes a tunnel to the downstream relay node in association with the relay-node address of the downstream relay node, updates the reply message by removing the relay-node address of the down stream relay node from the reply message, and transfers the updated reply message to an adjacent upstream relay node along the packet transfer route.
US09853890B2

A method for communication includes configuring a router to forward data packets over a network in accordance with Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) labels appended to the data packets. At least first and second entries, corresponding to respective first and second labels, are stored in a Next Hop Label Forwarding Entry (NHLFE) table in the router, such that each of the first entries contains a respective pointer to at least one of the second entries. Upon receiving in the router a data packet from the network, a first entry is selected from among the first entries in the NHLFE table and, responsively to the pointer in the first entry, a second entry is selected. The respective first and second labels from the selected first and second entries are pushed onto an MPLS label stack of the data packet.
US09853882B2

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives a switchover policy for a particular type of traffic in the network. The device determines a predicted effect of directing a traffic flow of the particular type of traffic from a first path in the network to a second path in the network. The device determines whether the predicted effect of directing the traffic flow to the second path would violate the switchover policy. The device causes the traffic flow to be routed via the second path in the network, based on a determination that the predicted effect of directing the traffic flow to the second path would not violate the switchover policy for the particular type of traffic.
US09853881B2

In one embodiment, an autonomous system border router (ASBR) advertises a same forwarding label for received advertised routes of a merging context that were advertised with a same forwarding label for the ASBR to use when sending corresponding packets. An ASBR receives via a routing protocol from a particular router in the same autonomous system, a plurality of same-labeled received routes advertised with a same first forwarding label within a merging context. In response to each of the plurality of same-labeled received routes having the same first forwarding label to use to forward packets to the particular router and being in the same merging context, the ASBR determines a merged forwarding label and advertises to a peer ASBR in another autonomous system (AS) each of the plurality of same-labeled received routes with the merged forwarding label for the peer ASBR to use to forward packets to the ASBR.
US09853880B2

Exemplary methods at a content centric networking (CCN) gateway located at an autonomous system (AS), wherein the CCN gateway is communicatively coupled to a CCN domain name system (DNS) server, include receiving, on a first face, a first interest message comprising of a first content name identifying a first content being requested by the first interest message. The methods include in response to determining the first content is not located at the AS, determining a first remote AS name that identifies a first remote AS where the first content is located, generating a first 2-level (2L) content name comprising of the first remote AS name and the first content name, forwarding the first interest message comprising of the first 2L content name, and in response to receiving a first content object (CO) message comprising of the first 2L content name and the first content, forwarding the first content.
US09853876B1

A method for identifying a network application. The method includes analyzing metadata and source code of a network application to extract a set of application tokens, generating an index document of the network application based on the set of application code tokens, wherein the index document is included in a library of index documents corresponding to a number of network applications, extracting a set of packet header tokens from a packet header of a packet in a flow, comparing the set of packet header tokens to the set of index documents to generate a number of match scores, wherein each match score represents a similarity measure between the set of packet header tokens and one index document, and determining, based on a highest match score corresponding to a particular network application, that the flow is generated by the particular network application.
US09853870B2

A controller network device, in a network control layer of a service provider network, receives one or more parameters for providing particular services over a service provider network and provides, to a forwarding network device in a network resources layer of the service provider network, a capabilities query. The capabilities query includes a feature type identifier for a feature required to support the parameters. The controller network device receives, from the forwarding network device, a response to the capabilities query, wherein a format for the response is one of a binary response format, a conditional response format, or a value response format. The controller network device compiles the response with responses from other forwarding network devices to define a network map for supporting the particular services.
US09853869B1

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for instructing a virtual network function (VNF) to operate in accordance with one of a plurality of function definitions. In use, a virtual service including a plurality of VNFs is identified, the virtual service being a virtual service in a Network Function Virtualization (NFV-based) communication network, and at least one of the plurality of VNFs being capable of operating based on any one of a plurality of function definitions. Additionally, information associated with a current operation of the virtual service is received. Furthermore, it is determined which one of the plurality of function definitions the at least one of the plurality of VNFs is to operate, based on at least one of a plurality of policies and the information. Moreover, the at least one of the plurality of VNFs is automatically instructed to operate in accordance with the determined one of the plurality of function definitions.
US09853867B2

Aspects of the invention may involve systems and methods. A system may score the experience of accessed services. The system may include a probe connected to a telecommunications network and configured to transmit metrics at regular intervals. The system may also include a network monitor configured to: receive data from the probe, transform the received data into key performance indicators, generate a set of key quality indicators based on the key performance indicators, categorize one or more subscribers, and calculate a Quality of Experience index based on the categorized subscribers.
US09853847B2

In a wireless OFDM multi-carrier communication system, a mobile station obtains measurement result of a first received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a first preamble signal transmitted from a base station over a first radio frequency (RF) carrier. The mobile station also obtains signal offset information between the first RF carrier and a second RF carrier of the base station. In response to the measurement result and the signal offset information, the mobile station estimates a second RSSI of a second preamble signal transmitted by the base station over the second RF carrier without performing scanning over the second RF carrier. In one novel aspect, the mobile station identifies a carrier group containing multiple carriers that belong to the same base station. Measurement optimization, initial cell selection and cell reselection optimization, report reduction, and other carrier group based optimization can be achieved in the multi-carrier system based on identified carrier group.
US09853845B2

Apparatuses, methods, and computer readable media for indicating a communication and information in a signal field are disclosed. A high-efficiency wireless local area network (HEW) device comprises circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry may be configured to: generate a HEW packet comprising a legacy signal (L-SIG) field, where the L-SIG field comprises a plurality of subcarriers, and an R-L-SIG field, where the R-L-SIG field comprises a repeat of the plurality of subcarriers partitioned into a plurality of groups, and where information is encoded into one or more groups of the plurality of groups by a same modulation to each subcarrier partitioned into the corresponding group. A HEW device comprising circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry may be configured to: receive a L-SIG field; receive a R-L-SIG field; and determine whether the R-L-SIG field is a repeat of the L-SIG field with piggybacked information.
US09853835B2

A user equipment configured to operate in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. The user equipment comprises transceiver circuitry that operates the user equipment in either of two modes, the two modes comprising: i) a first mode in which the transceiver circuitry performs packet data services in the LTE network and performs voice calls in the LTE network using a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service; and ii) a second mode in which the transceiver circuitry performs packet data services in the LTE network and performs voice calls in a legacy network. The user equipment also comprises a controller that compares a link quality associated with a radio link to the LTE network to at least one threshold value and, in response to the comparison, controls switching the user equipment between the first mode and the second mode. The controller switches the user equipment from the first mode to the second mode if the link quality falls below a first drop threshold value associated with an RSRP value or an SINR value. The controller switches the user equipment from the first mode to the second mode if the link quality falls below the first drop threshold value for more than a drop period of time threshold value.
US09853828B2

A terminal control apparatus and a central control apparatus may control at least one terminal device that consumes energy in an energy management system while obtaining the same effect as when virtual equipment is used. A first terminal control apparatus may receive a control command related to a first terminal device from a central control apparatus or a second terminal control apparatus included in the energy management system. The first terminal control apparatus may determine whether the first terminal device matches the first terminal control apparatus, and selectively transmit the control command to a third terminal control apparatus or selectively control the first terminal device according to the control command, based on the determination.
US09853819B2

At least one node in a distributed hash tree verification infrastructure is augmented with an identifier of an entity in a registration path. A data signature, which includes parameters for recomputation of a verifying value, and which is associated with a digital input record, will therefore also include data that identifies at least one entity in the hash tree path used for its initial registration in the infrastructure. An uppermost value of the hash tree verification infrastructure is entered as, or as part of, a transaction in a blockchain.
US09853816B2

A message to be signed and a base name point derived from a direct anonymous attestation (DAA) credential may be provided to a device. A signed version of the message and a public key value associated with the base name point may be received in response. Thereafter, the DAA credential may be determined to be valid based on the signed version of the message.
US09853815B2

A password verifying method includes the following steps: providing a plurality of interactive regions in which several known password characters are arranged and shown randomly, at least one interactive region containing at least two characters; accepting selection of one of said plurality of interactive regions by a user, and after selection of one of the interactive regions by the user, randomly re-distributing said several known password characters into said interactive regions for subsequent selection by the user; and comparing characters contained in a predefined password sequence with characters contained in the interactive regions selected by the user, and outputting a signal representing a successful password verification when each character contained in the password sequence is identical to corresponding ones of the characters shown in respective ones of the interactive regions selected by the user.
US09853809B2

Described herein is a combination of mixed-signal hardware and software that is capable or realizing hybrid chaotic oscillators that can be tuned digitally. This includes the type/class of chaotic oscillator, initial conditions, nonlinear elements, thresholds, nonlinear event surfaces, delays, etc. At the same time, tunable methods of how to use the chaotic oscillator information to encrypt and decrypt both analog and digital information is presented. This will make the secure information not vulnerable by digital information compromises or hardware breach.
US09853806B2

System, methods and apparatus are described that facilitate transmission of data, particularly between two devices within an electronic apparatus. A first transition may be detected in a signal carried on a data lane of a data communications link or carried on a timing lane of the data communications link and an edge may be generated on a receiver clock signal based on the first transition. Data may be captured from the data lane using the receiver clock signal. The timing lane may carry a clock signal, a strobe signal or another signal providing timing information. The strobe signal may transition between signaling states when no state transition occurs on any of a plurality of data lanes at a boundary between consecutive data periods.
US09853799B2

A radio communications method, includes carrying out, by a transmitter: generating or receiving digital symbols to be transmitted; generating, every S digital symbols generated/received (with S integer higher than three), a corresponding multi-mode digital signal; generating a multi-frame digital signal comprising successive, non-overlapped time frames, each of which has the predefined time length and carries a respective multi-mode digital signal generated; and transmitting a radio frequency signal carrying the multi-frame digital signal. The radio communications method further includes carrying out, by a receiver: receiving the radio frequency signal transmitted by the transmitter; processing the received radio frequency signal to obtain a corresponding incoming digital signal; performing, on the basis of the incoming digital signal, carrier synchronization, clock synchronization, and frame synchronization; and extracting, on the basis of the carrier, clock and frame synchronizations.
US09853797B2

Apparatus and methods for time division multiplexing of radio frequency channels in unlicensed radio frequency bands by a wireless device in communication with a cellular wireless network are disclosed. The wireless device obtains, from an eNodeB, a configuration for carrier aggregation using a primary component carrier (PCC) in a licensed radio frequency band and at least one secondary component carrier (SCC) in an unlicensed radio frequency band. The configuration information specifies an “on” time period and an “off” time period for a repetitive time division cycle to use the at least one SCC in the unlicensed radio frequency band. During an “on” time period, the wireless device can transmit or receive using the PCC and the at least one SCC, as scheduled by the eNodeB. During an “off” time period, the wireless device can transmit or receive using the PCC and not using the at least one SCC.
US09853794B2

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for indicating a type of response for acknowledging a protocol data unit. One example method for wireless communications by a first apparatus generally includes transmitting a physical layer convergence protocol (PLCP) protocol data unit (PPDU) to a second apparatus and setting at least one bit in a PLCP header of the PPDU to indicate a type of response expected from the second apparatus responsive to the transmitted PPDU.
US09853791B2

A first communication device transmits a first control frame to multiple second communication devices via a wireless communication medium, wherein the first control frame i) indicates to other communication devices that the wireless communication medium is reserved for a first time period, and ii) indicates that the second communication devices are requested to simultaneously transmit respective second control frames to the first communication device via the wireless communication medium, wherein the second control frames are to include information indicating to other communication devices that the wireless communication medium is reserved for a second time period that is a subset of the first time period.
US09853788B2

A technique of operating a wireless communication device includes receiving an assigned starting point index and an assigned reference signal bandwidth for a reference signal. The reference signal is then transmitted multiple times, beginning at an initial resource block that is associated with the assigned starting point index and in accordance with the assigned reference signal bandwidth, across a shared channel.
US09853777B2

A method for optimizing cell selection in a Dual Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Dual Standby (DSDS) device is provided. The method includes selecting at least one candidate neighbor cell for a first SIM from a mapping table of the DSDS device, the at least one selected candidate neighbor cell corresponding to a cell currently serving a second SIM, wherein the first SIM is out of service and the second SIM is in service, and camping the first SIM onto the at least one selected candidate neighbor cell.
US09853776B2

A method for correcting errors in a multiple antenna system based on a plurality of sub-carriers and a transmitting/receiving apparatus supporting the same are disclosed. The method includes determining a phase shift based precoding matrix phase shifted at a predetermined phase angle, initially transmitting each sub-carrier symbol to a receiver in a packet unit by using the phase shift based precoding matrix, reconstructing the phase shift based precoding matrix to reduce a spatial multiplexing rate if a negative reception acknowledgement (NACK) is received from the receiver, and retransmitting the initially transmitted sub-carrier symbol by using the reconstructed phase shift based precoding matrix or by changing the phase shift based precoding matrix using offset information fed back from the receiver or random offset information.
US09853772B2

Methods and systems for intelligent network checksum processing are disclosed. A method for intelligent network checksum processing may include receiving a data unit at a receiver network element sent from a sender network element, determining a success count of the sender network element, determining whether to perform a checksum validation at the receiver network element, wherein the determining may include skipping the checksum validation if the success count of the sender network element is greater than the predefined threshold success count, and performing the checksum validation if the success count of the sender network element is not greater than a predefined threshold success count, incrementing the success count of the sender network element if the checksum validation is performed and the checksum validation is successful, and resetting the success count of the sender network element if the checksum validation is performed and the checksum validation is unsuccessful.
US09853770B2

System and method embodiments are provided for a receiver for circularly convolved signals. In an embodiment, a universal decoder for a circularly convolved signal includes a first decoder configured to decode the circularly convolved signal; a second decoder configured to decode a plurality of symbol lengths signal from a first portion of the circularly convolved signal, wherein the plurality of symbol lengths signal is time aligned with the circularly convolved signal before passing through the second decoder; and an adder component configured to sum a first decoder output coming from the first decoder and a second decoder output coming from the second decoder to produce a symbol value from which a log likelihood ratio (LLR) output is obtained.
US09853767B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for determining a nonlinear characteristic and a system. The method for determining a nonlinear characteristic includes: determining a correction factor of a nonlinear item of a nonlinear model of a system to be measured according to an input and/or a parameter of the system to be measured; correcting the nonlinear item of a nonlinear model of the system to be measured by using the correction factor; and obtaining a nonlinear characteristic of the system to be measured according to the corrected nonlinear model. The nonlinear characteristic allows the input and/or the parameter of the system to be corrected to produce a corrected output. With the embodiments of the present disclosure, the nonlinear characteristic of the system to be measured under different inputs and/or parameters may be estimated, and accuracy of the estimation and applicability are improved.
US09853762B2

Systems and methods of sharing optical spectrum between a plurality of users of a submarine optical system includes receiving one or more optical signals from the plurality of users of the submarine optical system, wherein each of the plurality of users are assigned a slice of optical spectrum on the submarine optical system; monitoring each of the one or more optical signals to determine compliance with one or more constraints; and adding the one or more optical signals to the submarine optical system if compliant with the one or more constraints.
US09853761B2

This disclosure relates to wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) passive optical networks (PON), and the transmission of point-to-point and broadcast or multicast channels from an optical line transmitter (OLT) to an optical network unit (ONU). There is provided a WDM PON (100) comprising: an OLT (105) coupled to a plurality of ONU (110a, 110b) using an optical fiber network (160); the OLT (105) having one or more WDM transceivers (115a, 115b) each arranged to receive multi-cast and point-to-point channels and wherein the or each WDM transceiver (115a, 115b) is arranged to transmit a said channel to a respective said ONU (110a, 110b) using a respective dedicated wavelength (λa, λb); an input channel switch (130a, 130b) associated with the or each WDM transceiver (115a, 115b) and arranged to selectively couple the input of the WDM transceiver to the multi-cast channels and the point-to-point channels (140,135); wherein the selected multi-cast or point-to-point channels are directly converted to the respective dedicated wavelength.
US09853754B1

A satellite monitoring system is disclosed. The system may monitor various downlink signals of various satellites. In response to user queries, the system may provide diagnostic and other data related to the characteristics of the downlink signals. In this manner, an independent verification and validation of downlink signal characteristics may be performed. Moreover, the system may take various actions in response to detected anomalies related to the characteristics of the downlink signals, such as automatically generating alerts for users and/or activating an uplink facility, such as a backup uplink facility and/or providing control signals to user devices, such as antenna controllers, to reorient user antennas in response to the characteristics of the downlink signals.
US09853752B2

Embodiments of a method and a system for generating a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value that corresponds to a radio frequency (RF) signal are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for generating an RSSI value that corresponds to an RF signal involves obtaining an attenuation factor code in response to applying an automatic gain control (AGC) operation to the RF signal, obtaining an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) code in response to applying an ADC operation to a signal that results from the AGC operation, and combining the attenuation factor code and the ADC code to generate an RSSI value. Other embodiments are also described.
US09853747B2

The present disclosure relates to a pre-5th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates Beyond 4th-Generation (4G) communication system such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). An apparatus includes at least one transceiver, and at least one processor, coupled to the at least one transceiver, configured to determine at least one terminal having a value lower than or equal to a threshold among terminals in a coverage of the base station, the value indicating a signal quality, to identify another value for indicating interference in the coverage, to identify a resource pool allocated for the determined at least one terminal and shared with neighboring base stations around the base station based on determining that the another value exceeds another threshold, and to transmit a message for instructing to modulate a signal to be communicated via the identified resource pool based on a frequency and quadrature-amplitude modulation (FQAM) scheme in the neighboring base stations.
US09853744B2

The systems and methods described herein include releasable storage devices that can surface with data. The devices include data storage, an antenna, battery and means to propel the device to the surface or into the atmosphere. In certain embodiments, it is a USB memory stick, a battery, suitable buoyancy, and an antenna. In certain embodiments, the systems and methods described herein include a rocket to boost the system out of the water to a higher altitude. Once the system is airborne, it can transmit data to a ship or satellite via radio communications, via other line of site methods such as optical, or may be captured by an aircraft such as a UAV.
US09853734B1

Apparatus and method for digital signal constellation transformation are provided herein. In certain configurations, an integrated circuit includes an analog front-end that converts an analog signal vector representing an optical signal into a digital signal vector, and a digital signal processing circuit that processes the digital signal vector to recover data from the optical signal. The digital signal processing circuit generates signal data representing a signal constellation of the digital signal vector. The digital signal processing circuit includes an adaptive gain equalizer that compensates the signal data for distortion of the signal constellation arising from biasing errors of optical modulators used to transmit the optical signal.
US09853720B2

The present specification provides a method by which a user equipment (UE) simultaneously accesses a plurality of cells. The simultaneously access method can comprise the steps of: setting connections with a first cell of a frequency division duplex (FDD) scheme and a second cell of a time division duplex (TDD) scheme; and transmitting and receiving a control signal and data to and from the first cell of the FDD scheme and the second cell of the TDD scheme. Here, an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe for the first cell of the FDD scheme can be temporally divided according to the TDD scheme and provided to the UE.
US09853714B2

A method of controlling data communication in a communications network having a plurality of remote input units providing data and a plurality of subscriber units utilizing at least some of the data. The data from the remote input units may be formatted into a format suitable for subscriber units, and/or may be processed to be useful to the subscriber units. The formatted and/or processed data is then provided over the communications network to the subscribing units.
US09853700B2

An object of the present invention is to generate a soft estimation value where missing of bit information is avoided and to implement turbo equalization processing in a wireless transmission apparatus and a wireless transmission system where termination processing is not performed in an error correction coding part and interleave processing over frames is performed. A wireless transmission system of the present invention includes a transmission apparatus and a reception apparatus. The transmission apparatus includes an error correction coding unit, a first interleave unit, a second interleave unit, and a digital modulation unit. The reception apparatus includes a unit that detects a reception signal, a demapper unit, a second deinterleave unit, a unit to store a received bit logarithm of likelihood ratio in a frame buffer, a frequency interleaver data extraction part that extracts data of a predetermined period, a decoding part, and a hard decision part.
US09853698B2

Radio frequency (RF) front end circuitry includes RF filtering circuitry with first multiplexer circuitry and second multiplexer circuitry. The first multiplexer circuitry is used to pass primary RF transmit and receive signals within one or more frequency division duplexing (FDD) operating bands and diversity multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) receive signals within one or more time division duplexing (TDD) operating bands between transceiver circuitry and one or more antennas. The second multiplexer circuitry is used to pass primary RF transmit and receive signals within the one or more TDD operating bands and diversity MIMO receive signals within the one or more FDD operating bands between the transceiver circuitry and the one or more antennas.
US09853690B1

Methods, systems, and computer program products for generating high resolution inferences in electrical networks are provided herein. A computer-implemented method includes collecting multiple items of data from one or more data sources arising from a power distribution network, wherein the multiple items of data comprise (i) one or more levels of temporal resolution and (ii) one or more levels of spatial resolution; determining a network topology of the power distribution network based on identification of one or more connections between each of multiple components within the power distribution network; and generating a power flow estimate for one or more nodes within the power distribution network at a pre-determined level of spatio-temporal resolution, wherein said generating comprises applying a model to (i) the multiple items of collected data, (ii) the determined network topology, and (iii) one or more relations constraining the power flow estimate at the pre-determined level of spatio-temporal resolution.
US09853688B2

A bicycle component is basically provided with a controller, a first connection part and a second connection part. The first connection part is connected to a first transmission path configured to transmit electromagnetic waves. The second connection part is connected to a second transmission path configured to transmit electricity. The controller is configured to establish a communication path with other bicycle components through the first transmission path by communicating with the other bicycle components via the second transmission path.
US09853682B2

A communications module includes a front-end module including a common port configured to be connected to an antenna, a reception port configured to pass a reception signal, and a transmission port configured to pass a transmission signal, and a high frequency switch circuit connected to the reception port and/or the transmission port and configured to change signal routes for signals passing through the front-end module, wherein the front-end module is configured to amplify communications signals of different communications standards.
US09853681B2

A user equipment device (UE) may be configured to collect first performance information from antennas of a first plurality of antennas. The first plurality of antennas may be coupled to a first radio of the UE that may be configured to perform wireless communications according to a first RAT. The UE may determine, based on at least the first performance information, a highest performing antenna of the first plurality of antennas to use for communications according to the first RAT. Additionally, the UE may determine, also based on at least the first performance information, a first antenna of a second plurality of antennas to use for communications according to a second RAT. The second plurality of antennas may be coupled to a second radio of the UE that may be configured to perform wireless communications according to the second RAT.
US09853679B2

A radio frequency (RF) MEMS resonator is embedded in an active positive feedback loop to form a tunable RF channel-selecting radio transceiver employing a super-regenerative reception scheme. This transceiver harnesses the exceptionally high Q (around 100,000) and voltage-controlled frequency tuning of a resonator structure to enable selection of any one of among twenty 1 kHz wide RF channels over an 80 kHz range, while rejecting adjacent channels and consuming <490 μW. Such transceivers are well suited to wireless sensor node applications, where low-power and simplicity trump transmission rate. Electrical stiffness-based frequency tuning also allows this same device to operate as a frequency shift keyed (FSK) transmitter, making a complete transceiver in one simple device. Finally, the geometric flexibility of resonator structure design should permit a large range of usable RF frequencies, from the presently demonstrated 60.6-MHz VHF, all the way up to UHF.
US09853677B2

A system includes an antenna, and a contactless component for receiving and/or transmitting information via the antenna according to a contactless communications protocol. An inductive-capacitive network is connected between the antenna and the contactless component and includes a configurable filter for filtering electromagnetic interference. A processor modifies an impedance of the configurable filter for filtering electromagnetic interference to control frequency tuning of the antenna.
US09853669B2

The present invention provides for a modular radio frequency communications assembly including a radio frequency hub and one or more radio frequency modules. Each radio frequency module includes a power and data interface for receiving power from and exchanging data with a modular radio frequency hub and a processor and memory for providing at least one of change a communications frequency, increase communications bandwidth, or add security using the one or more antennas and the power and data interface. The radio frequency hub includes two or more communications interfaces for connecting to two or more radio frequency modules, wherein each of the communications interfaces have the same physical and electrical configuration; A shared data and power interface for sharing data and power among the two or more radio frequency modules. A bus distributes data and power among the two or more radio frequency modules. One or more antenna interfaces are located on the RF hub or the RF modules for connecting radio frequency antennas.
US09853654B2

In one embodiment, a method for converting an input digital signal into an analog signal is provided. The method comprises modulating the input digital signal into a modulated digital signal, and converting the modulated digital signal into the analog signal using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The modulation shapes quantization noise of the DAC to place a notch at a frequency within an out-of-bound frequency band to reduce the quantization noise within the out-of-bound frequency band.
US09853649B2

A novel and useful apparatus for and method of software based phase locked loop (PLL). The software based PLL incorporates a reconfigurable calculation unit (RCU) that is optimized and programmed to sequentially perform all the atomic operations of a PLL or any other desired task in a time sharing manner. An application specific instruction-set processor (ASIP) incorporating the RCU includes an instruction set whose instructions are optimized to perform the atomic operations of a PLL. The RCU is clocked at a fast enough processor clock rate to insure that all PLL atomic operations are performed within a single PLL reference clock cycle.
US09853648B2

A compensation apparatus including a primary circuit and a compensation circuit is provided. The primary circuit provides a first voltage, a second voltage, and a first current flowing through a first inductor. The primary circuit includes the first inductor and a function circuit generating an input signal. The first inductor is coupled between a first terminal with the first voltage and a second terminal with the second voltage. The compensation circuit includes a second inductor and a current source circuit. The second inductor is coupled between a third terminal with a third voltage and a fourth terminal with a fourth voltage. The current source circuit outputs a second current flowing through the second inductor. The current source circuit adjusts a frequency of the input signal. The primary circuit and the compensation circuit are coupled via the first inductor and the second inductor.
US09853637B1

Switch devices using switch transistors with dual gates are provided. The dual gates may be controlled independently from each other by first and second gate driver circuits.
US09853636B2

A semiconductor apparatus includes an internal circuit connected to a first power line to which a first power voltage is applied; a transistor including a first terminal, which is connected to a node to which an input voltage is applied, a second terminal connected to the internal circuit, and a control terminal to which a control voltage is applied; and a voltage control circuit, which is connected to the node, generating the control voltage. Further, the voltage control circuit includes a step-down circuit generating an internal voltage by lowering the input voltage applied to the node, and a switching circuit, which is connected to the first power line, generating the control voltage based on the first power voltage and the internal voltage.
US09853627B2

A crystal resonator includes: lower glass plates on which first electrodes are formed so as to extend from side surfaces to a bottom surface of the lower glass plates; a crystal plate which is provided over the lower glass plates and on which second electrodes to be coupled to the first electrodes are formed on a surface in contact with the lower glass plates; and an upper glass plate which is provided over the crystal plate; wherein the side surfaces of the lower glass plates on which the first electrodes are formed are provided with a protrusion that extends in parallel with a top surface and the bottom surface of the lower glass plates and that extends from one end to the other end of each of the side surfaces, and wherein the first electrodes are formed on the side surfaces that include surfaces of the protrusion.
US09853621B2

A transformer filter arrangement including a transformer having a first winding and a second winding is provided. Both of the first and the second windings are located between an outer border and an inner border, which is inside the outer border. The transformer filter arrangement further includes at least one reactive sub circuit, each including at least one inductor. The first winding of the transformer is divided into a plurality of winding segments. At least a first one of the at least one reactive sub circuit being connected in series with the winding segments of the first winding between two such winding segments, and having at least one of the at least one inductor located inside said inner border.
US09853617B2

A programmable-gain amplifier includes: two complementary cross-coupled transistor pairs mutually coupled with each transistor in one pair having a current flow path cascaded with a current flow path of a respective one of the transistors in the other pair. First and second coupling points are formed between the pairs; with first and second sampling capacitors coupled thereto. First and second input stages have input terminals to input signals for sampling by the first and second sampling capacitors. Switching means couple the first and second input stages to the sampling capacitors so the input signals are sampled as sampled signals on the sampling capacitors. The switching means energizes the complementary cross-coupled transistor pairs so the signals sampled on the sampling capacitors undergo negative resistance regeneration growing exponentially over time to thereby provide an exponential amplifier gain.
US09853613B2

Provided herein are apparatus and methods for protecting radio frequency (RF) amplifiers from overdrive. In certain configurations, an RF amplification system includes a plurality of RF amplification stages including a first amplification stage and a second amplification stage subsequent to the first amplification stage in a signal path. The first amplification stage includes a first stage field-effect transistor (FET), and the second amplification stage includes a second stage FET and a gate-to-drain feedback circuit electrically connected between a gate and a drain of the second stage FET. The RF amplification system further includes an overdrive detection circuit that senses a drain current of the first stage FET to detect when an overdrive condition is present, and that decreases an impedance of the gate-to-drain feedback circuit in response to detection of the overdrive condition such that a gain of the second stage FET is reduced.
US09853608B2

Disclosed is an envelope tracking (ET) system having a transmit (TX) section, a power amplifier (PA), a fast switched-mode power supply (Fast SMPS), and control circuitry. The TX section receives an input signal and provides a modulated signal to the PA. The TX section also generates an ET signal based on a modulation envelope of the modulated signal. The TX section provides an envelope control (EC) signal based on the ET signal to modulate a supply signal provided to the PA by the Fast SMPS. The control circuitry provides a transmit TX gain signal and an ET gain signal to the TX section based on a PA temperature signal, a TX temperature signal, a target power signal, a measured power signal. The control circuitry is configured to maintain the efficiency and linearity of the PA over a wide operating temperature range.
US09853606B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first transmission power mode configured to transmit by a first power, and a second transmission power mode configured to transmit by a second power smaller than the first power, the semiconductor integrated circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first transistor configured to receive and amplify a transmission signal in the second transmission power mode, and an attenuator including a resistor element and a switching element, provided between an output of the first transistor and an output terminal, configured to control attenuation of an output signal of the first transistor.
US09853602B2

For use in professional audio amplifier applications, high current charge pump circuits including charge circuits and dynamic release circuits are connected between respective storage capacitors and the audio power amplifier output. The charge circuits charge their storage capacitors when an output signal swing of the power amplifier is below a corresponding predetermined positive and negative threshold. The dynamic release circuits release power from their charged storage capacitors to dynamically vary the voltage levels of their positive and negative power supply rails in direct relation to the output signal swing of the power amplifier, preferably at unity gain. Multiple positive and negative power supply rails at different voltage levels can be used with cascaded multi-stage dynamic release circuits to maximize system efficiency. The charge and dynamic release circuits can be connected between their storage capacitors and a buffer amplifier which also receives the power amplifier audio input.
US09853593B2

A bracket for coupling frames of solar panels includes a spacer for positioning between frames. An elongated body passes through a slot in the spacer and is positionable within channels formed in the frames. A clamp secures to the spacer and is biased toward the slot and elongated body, such as by means of a spring. The clamp defines seats for receiving portions of the frames of the solar panels. Sloped portions on end portions of the clamp facilitate insertion of the frames between the elongated body and the clamp. Another type of bracket includes a spacer and clamp, the spacer having protuberances for insertion into channels in the frames. A flange extends from the spacer such that it extends between the frames when the protuberances are positioned within the channels. An L-foot or other fixture may secure to the flange to secure the solar panels to a structure.
US09853590B1

An electrical motor controller changes the PWM frequency that is used by a motor driver to form the fundamental frequency and voltage magnitude for the electrical power delivered to an electrical motor. The electrical motor controller compares a signal generated by a first sensor that indicates an output speed of the motor to a predetermined speed threshold and compares a signal generated by a second sensor that corresponds to phase currents in the electrical motor to a predetermined motor power threshold. These comparisons are used to set the PWM frequency for the motor driver. The PWM frequency either corresponds to a frequency in a humanly imperceptible audio range or to a frequency that is in a humanly perceptible audio range.
US09853580B2

A method to reduce acoustic noise in a cooling fan motor is disclosed. The method includes reducing the slew rate of a PWM (pulse width modulation) voltage waveform applied to energize a coil of the fan motor. This slew rate reduction results in lower mechanical vibrations and acoustic noise in the fan motor. In one embodiment, the slew rate reduction is performed during startup of the fan motor, when the motor is spinning slowly and there is little air flow noise. In another embodiment, the slew rate reduction is not performed during high speed operation of the fan motor, when the fan motor is spinning very fast and air flow noise masks the motor noise. In one embodiment, there is variable slew rate control depending on the speed of the fan motor.
US09853578B2

An ultrasonic generator that is capable of increasing output sound pressure is provided.An ultrasonic generating element is accommodated in an accommodation space that is formed by a first case member and a second case member. The ultrasonic generating element is secured to the first case member via a plurality of first supporting members. The first supporting members are provided so that, in a first acoustic path that includes a space formed between a bottom surface of the ultrasonic generating element and a top surface of the first case member and that extends to sound-wave emission holes, a transverse section of the acoustic path has a portion that becomes smaller than another portion thereof.
US09853572B2

A bridge leg switching a DC voltage to produce an AC voltage at its output terminal for supply to an inductive load. The bridge leg has first, second, third, and fourth switch assemblies, and at least a first inductive element. The first and second switch assemblies are serially connected between the bridge leg input terminals, the bridge leg output being formed at a point of interconnection of the first and second switch assemblies. The third and fourth switch assemblies are serially connected between the bridge leg input terminals, the inductive element being connected between a point of interconnection of the third and fourth switch assemblies and the bridge leg output. The third and fourth switch assemblies are controlled such that reverse current through either of the first or second switch assembly is reduced compared to bridge leg output current prior to the moment the bridge leg output is switched.
US09853571B2

The present invention discloses a secondary control method and apparatus of parallel inverters in a micro grid, comprising: generating frequency and amplitude of fundamental voltage in the voltage instruction of inverter by droop control according to output voltage and output current of inverter to obtain a fundamental voltage instruction value; extracting voltage values and current values of a first and second AC signals from output voltage and output current of inverter, generating frequency instruction values of the first and second AC signals by droop control to obtain voltage instruction values of the first and second AC signals; regulating the output voltage of inverter according to the voltage instruction value of the first AC signal, the voltage instruction value of the second AC signal and the fundamental voltage instruction value.
US09853559B2

Disclosed herein is a power conversion device including a storage and a power conversion controller. The storage stores multiple values, each correlated to a disturbance that causes distortion in a current to a power converter, in association with a phase angle of a voltage of an AC power supply. The power conversion controller controls ON/OFF operations by using the values stored in the storage to compensate for a manipulated variable of control performed by the power converter in association with the phase angle of the voltage of the AC power supply.
US09853555B2

A universal power adapter includes a power converter configured to generate an output power based on a switching frequency of the power converter. The universal power adapter also includes a frequency controller operatively coupled to the power converter and configured to control the switching frequency of the power converter. The universal power adapter further includes a switch capacitor circuit having a plurality of capacitive elements, operatively coupled to the power converter. The switch capacitor circuit is configured to switch between the plurality of capacitive elements. The universal power adapter also includes a capacitance controller operatively coupled to the switch capacitor circuit and configured to control the switch capacitor circuit to control switching between the plurality of capacitive elements to maintain a control parameter within a threshold range of.
US09853550B2

A power converter for converting DC power to DC power includes an inverter stage having two or more switched inverters configured to receive DC power from a source and produce a switched AC output power signal. A transformation stage is coupled to receive the switched output power signal from the inverter stage, shape the output power signal, and produce a shaped power signal. A rectifier stage having two or more switched inverters coupled to receive the shaped power signal and convert the shaped power signal to a DC output power signal is included. A controller circuit is coupled to operate the power converter in a variable frequency multiplier mode where at least one of the switched inverters is switched at a frequency or duty cycle that results in an output signal having a frequency that is a harmonic of the fundamental frequency being generated by the power converter.
US09853539B1

A switch control circuit may be utilized for a sequence of switching events occurring in an order of a first event, a second event, a third event, and a fourth event: the first event to activate the first switch and deactivate the second switch wherein an inductor current increases during the first event and has a positive value at an end of the first event, the second event to deactivate the first switch and activate the second switch wherein the switch control circuit maintains the current above zero during the second event, the third event to activate the first switch and deactivate the second switch, and the fourth event to deactivate the first switch and activate the second switch wherein the current decreases to a value below zero at an end of the fourth event and when the current reaches zero, a zero crossing time point is defined.
US09853533B2

A circuit arrangement including a first branch, a second branch and a switching feedback structure is provided. The switching feedback structure may be coupled to the first branch and to the second branch. The switching feedback structure may be configured to adjust a current in the second branch to track a current in the first branch.
US09853520B2

A molded motor 100 includes a molded stator formed by providing a molding resin to a stator, a rotor inside the molded stator, a pair of bearings supporting a rotor shaft of the rotor, and an insulating bracket fitted in an inner circumferential part of an opening formed at an axial end of the molded stator to surround and support an outer ring of the bearing with a concave part formed at a center, and formed of an insulating resin.
US09853518B2

This cantilevered-shaft electric motor has no bearing on the load side, and since there also is no end bracket, which is present in ordinary electric motors, the internal stator and rotor are in an unprotected state in a bare state. The present invention provides a cantilevered-shaft electric motor that prevents damage to the stator and rotor during transport, causes handling properties during transport and during coupling to a load side to be favorable, and prevents contaminants from infiltrating. The cantilevered-shaft electric motor is provided with: a stator that is affixed at the inner diameter side of a housing; and a rotor that is rotatably borne disposed facing the inner peripheral side of the stator. The cantilevered-shaft electric motor has a structure such that the rotor is provided with a bearing at the reverse side from the load and the shaft at the load side is supported at an apparatus side. The cantilevered-shaft electric motor is characterized by being provided with a partition plate having a hole through which the rotary shaft penetrates at the load side of the rotor, the partition plate being provided with: a role as an affixing jig that supports the rotary shaft in a manner so that the rotor does not contact the stator during transport; and a role as a protective member that prevents the infiltration of contaminants from the outside.
US09853515B2

A ring element includes a convex, in particular rounded, surface element for arrangement on at least one axial end region of a winding section of an electric motor rotor. The surface element provides a minimum radius curvature for supporting an inner layer of a rotor winding on the winding head. An insulating lamination element for an electric motor rotor onto which a rotor winding is intended to be wound includes the ring element. An electric motor, in particular a universal motor, includes a rotor with a rotor winding having the ring element. An electric machine tool, in particular a handheld electric machine tool such as an angle grinder, a drill, a saw or the like, includes the electric motor.
US09853510B2

An interior permanent magnet motor includes a stator and a rotor rotatably arranged so as to be opposed to the stator. The rotor includes a rotor core having a plurality of magnet insertion holes formed therein, into which corresponding permanent magnets are respectively inserted. The plurality of permanent magnets and the plurality of magnet insertion holes are each formed into an arc shape that is convex toward a center side of the rotor. When a shortest distance between the adjacent magnet insertion holes is defined as an inter-pole shortest distance (L), a ratio of the inter-pole shortest distance (L) to an outer diameter (D) of the rotor is 0.035≦L/D≦0.045.
US09853508B2

A synchronous reluctance motor includes: a rotor shaft; a rotor core fixed to the rotor shaft and on which a plurality of flux barriers are formed; a stator core on which a plurality of protruding stator teeth are formed; and multiphase armature windings of a plurality of poles wound around the plurality of stator teeth. The flux barriers include a plurality of first flux barriers formed to be spaced out in the circumferential direction from each other and extend in a radial direction, and a plurality of second flux barriers formed in each of circumferential angular regions sandwiched between the first flux barriers to form a curved surface convex toward the center of the rotation-axis and to spread and be spaced out in the circumferential direction from each other.
US09853497B2

A battery system having at least one battery string of more than two batteries connected in series, a charge equalization circuit, and a relay matrix. The plurality of battery strings each comprise more than two batteries connected in series and are connected in parallel. The charge equalization circuit is capable of equalizing the charge on any pair of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings. The relay matrix is operatively connected between the charge equalization circuit and the plurality of battery strings. Based on at least one of a voltage and a current of any one of the batteries, the relay matrix is operated such that the charge equalization circuit is connected across any one of the pairs of series connected batteries in any one of the plurality of battery strings.
US09853493B2

A diode is provided in a first supply route for the electric power from an AC adaptor, rectifies the current from the AC adaptor and, at the output side thereof, is connected to a second supply route for the electric power from an AC adaptor. A detecting unit is connected to the input side of the diode in the first supply route and, based on the voltage that is input from the first supply route, detects whether the AC adaptor is connected. A resistance control unit reduces the combined resistance between the ground and the input side of the diode when the temperature of the device, including the diode, is equal to or more than a predetermined temperature.
US09853490B2

A distributed power system including multiple (DC) batteries each DC battery with positive and negative poles. Multiple power converters are coupled respectively to the DC batteries. Each power converter includes a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal and a fourth terminal. The first terminal is adapted for coupling to the positive pole. The second terminal is adapted for coupling to the negative pole. The power converter includes: (i) a control loop adapted for setting the voltage between or current through the first and second terminals, and (ii) a power conversion portion adapted to selectively either: convert power from said first and second terminals to said third and fourth terminals to discharge the battery connected thereto, or to convert power from the third and fourth terminals to the first and second terminals to charge the battery connected thereto. Each of the power converters is adapted for serial connection to at least one other power converter by connecting respectively the third and fourth terminals, thereby forming a serial string. A power controller is adapted for coupling to the serial string. The power controller includes a control part adapted to maintain current through or voltage across the serial string at a predetermined value.
US09853488B2

Systems and methods for charging electric vehicles and for quantitative and qualitative load balancing of electrical demand are provided.
US09853486B2

A resonant wireless power receiver circuit includes an adjustable impedance matching circuit and a receiver circuit, the impedance matching circuit and the receiver circuit in combination receive a wireless power and generate a resonant output. A rectifier is coupled to the combination of the adjustable impedance matching circuit and the receiver circuit to rectify the resonant output to generate a rectified output. The impedance of the adjustable impedance matching circuit is controlled by a feedback control circuit such that the load impedance of rectified output is regulated at a pre-determined impedance value, or the voltage of the rectified output is regulated at a pre-determined voltage value.
US09853485B2

A metamaterial system of a wireless transmission apparatus comprises a metamaterial layer. The metamaterial layer comprises an array of unit cells wherein each of the unit cell comprises a surface having a metal patch with an aperture. The aperture is defined such that a periphery of the aperture is within a periphery of the surface by a spacing distance and an element is disposed within the aperture. The metamaterial system further comprises at least one input RF port placed on a backing layer disposed below the metamaterial layer such that there is no short-circuit between the conductive backing layer and the metamaterial layer; and at least one set of vias connecting the array of unit cells with the at least one input RF port.
US09853484B2

The present invention pertains to a mobile terminal charging device, and a vehicle using the same, and the objective of the present invention is to reduce user discomfort. In order to achieve this objective, the present invention moves a charging coil (8) from a charging position to a standby position by means of motors (28, 33) when charging is complete, or when charging is discontinued. The speed when the charging coil (8) is thus moved from the charging position to the standby position is lower than when the charging coil (8) is moved from the standby position to the charging position, and operating noise at the time can be minimised.
US09853475B2

There are provided methods, devices, and systems relating to discharging thyristor-switched capacitors. For example, there is provided a method for discharging a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a third capacitor. Each of the capacitors is coupled to respective phases of a transmission line. The first capacitor and the third capacitor are each coupled to their respective phase of the transmission line via a pair of anti-parallel thyristors, and the second capacitor is coupled directly to another phase of the transmission line with no thyristors therebetween. The method can include determining whether an angle of a voltage on the transmission line is within a threshold angle. Further, the method can include discharging the first, second, and third capacitors when the angle is within a threshold angle and the threshold angle is any value from a predetermined set of threshold angles.
US09853474B2

A battery pack and a driving method thereof are disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes outputting first data at the first rack BMS, determining whether a response to the first data has been received, and driving the first rack BMS based on whether the response has been received.
US09853466B2

A method and system for charging a rechargeable battery, such as a Lithium based battery, by applying a voltage charge signal, and monitoring a battery charging current and a varying internal resistance of the rechargeable battery and changes in open circuit voltage of the rechargeable battery. The voltage charge signal is dynamically established as a function of the varying internal resistance of the rechargeable battery during charging and the changes in open circuit voltage of the rechargeable battery. The voltage charge signal is a function of a state of charge (SOC) of the rechargeable battery.
US09853464B2

An energy storage system includes: a plurality of slave power controllers connected to respective battery modules; and a master power controller configured to transmit a first signal to the plurality of slave power controllers and transmit a second signal for controlling synchronizations of the plurality of slave power controllers to the plurality of salve power controllers according to a reception time at which each of the plurality of salve power controllers receives the first signal.
US09853454B2

A redox battery energy storage system including multiple energy storage stacks having multiple reactor cells is disclosed. Each of the energy storage stacks may include an integrated DC/DC converter configured to convert an output voltage of the stacks to a higher output voltage. The output of the DC/DC converts may be coupled in parallel to an energy storage system output bus. By configuring the energy storage system in this manner, inefficiencies and losses caused by shunt electrical currents in the systems may be decreased.
US09853453B2

A wind park control system for controlling wind turbines of a wind park during a plant controller handover is provided. A plurality of plant controllers compute control values on the basis of system input data, which plant controllers are realized to operate in parallel. One of the plant controllers operates as an active plant controller for computing control values for controlling the wind turbines. One further plant controller operates as a standby plant controller. An output means continually issues control values to the wind turbines of the wind park. A handover arrangement for handing over control from the hitherto active plant controller to an operative standby plant controller is provided such that that standby plant controller then assumes the function of active plant controller. Further, a wind park, a method of controlling a wind park, and a method of performing a plant controller handover in a wind park are provided.
US09853445B2

A systems and methods for monitoring an electrical power distribution grid including a plurality of sensor devices forming a sensor wireless network are disclosed. Each sensor device monitors and measures attributes of line current for an associated electrical power distribution line at a selected location. A sensor device detects a fault on the branch of the power grid, determines if the one of the plurality of sensors is at a tail end, sends a fault detected message to an adjacent upstream sensor, or otherwise sends a sleep command to an adjacent downstream sensor from the tail end sensor to disable transmission.
US09853443B2

A first switch for connection in a first circuit path between a PV panel string and an inverter in a power system, and a second switch for connection in a second circuit path across an output of the PV panel string, are normally closed and open, respectively, during non-fault operation of the power system. Both series and parallel arc faults in the power system can be extinguished by further control of the switches. Arc fault detection could be based on probabilistic frequency analysis of current or power flow measurements in the PV panel string, current or power imbalance, interruption in communications with the PV panels, or combinations of these techniques.
US09853439B2

A light emitting device includes a series connection unit constituted of N light emitting elements, a light emitting element driving circuit having an output terminal connected to an anode of the series connection unit, N short-circuit switches respectively connected in parallel to the light emitting elements, and a switch control unit arranged to control on and off of the short-circuit switches. A ground fault detection circuit, which detects a ground fault of the light emitting device, includes a reference voltage source arranged to generate a reference voltage, and a comparator arranged to compare the anode voltage of the series connection unit with the reference voltage. The reference voltage has a value smaller than the product of an on-resistance of one of the short-circuit switches and output current of the light emitting element driving circuit.
US09853434B2

A cable hanger includes: a base with a front wall having locking projections and a rear wall having an opening; a pair of arcuate front arms mounted to front locations on the base, the front arms extending laterally from opposite sides of the base and having first locking features; and a pair of arcuate rear arms mounted to rear locations on the base, the rear arms extending laterally from opposite sides of the base and having second locking features. The front and rear arms on one side of the base are mounted in back-to-back relationship, and the front and rear arms on the opposite side of the base are mounted such that they are in back-to-back relationship. The locking projections of the base are insertable into the opening. The first locking features of the front arms are interlockable with the second locking features of the rear arms.
US09853432B2

An electrical junction box includes an insulating substrate, a bus bar that is bonded to the insulating substrate, and a reinforcement plate that is bonded to a region of the insulating substrate to which the bus bar is not bonded. The reinforcement plate includes a through hole that allows passage of a shaft portion of a screw. A heat-dissipating member is stacked on a surface of the reinforcement plate opposite to the insulating substrate, and includes a screw hole into which the screw is screwed. A retaining member retains the respective positions of the insulating substrate, the bus bar, and the reinforcement plate, and the reinforcement plate includes an engagement portion that aligns the through hole and the screw hole by engaging with the retaining member.
US09853428B2

The present invention is directed to a cable routing system with a bracket that joins adjacent cable trays. The bracket includes a main body with upper members, a bottom member and sides. The upper members have a space therebetween to retain transverse wires of adjacent cable trays. The sides include generally C-shaped arms extending from the sides of the main body and along the back of the main body. When the bracket is secured to the adjacent cable trays a longitudinal wire of each cable tray is positioned between the upper members and the sides of the main body.
US09853415B2

A semiconductor laser device of the present disclosure includes a cooling plate, an insulating sheet, a first cooling block, and a first semiconductor laser element. The conductive cooling plate includes a water supply passage and a drain passage. The insulating sheet is provided to the cooling plate, and includes a first through hole connected to the water supply passage and a second through hole connected to the drain passage. A first cooling block is provided to the insulating sheet, includes therein a first tube connected to the first through hole and the second through hole, and is electrically conductive. The first semiconductor laser element is provided to the first cooling block. The first semiconductor laser element includes a first electrode, and a second electrode opposite to the first electrode. The first electrode is electrically connected to the first cooling block, and the cooling plate is at a floating potential.
US09853413B2

An airport runway approach lighting apparatus is disclosed. According to one embodiment. the airport runway approach light includes a visible light source configured to emit a visible light brain and an infrared light source configured to emit an infrared beam. A first lens is attached to the visible light source to change the visible light beam emitted from the visible light source to a desired visible light beam pattern. The infrared light source includes a plurality of semiconductor laser diodes distributed on a surface of a laser diode chip in an array.
US09853406B2

A ground structure for a motor including: a housing having a flange protruded upwardly from the outer periphery of an opening formed on the top surface thereof; a bearing cover having a coupling groove formed along the outer periphery of the underside thereof to inserted the flange of the housing thereinto; a stator core fixedly disposed to the inside of the housing and having a plurality of teeth on which a coil is wound formed annularly along the inner periphery thereof; and a connector having one end coupled to the flange of the housing in such a manner as to be brought into contact with the coupling groove of the bearing cover when the bearing cover is coupled to the top end periphery of the housing and the other end passed through the housing in such a manner as to be brought into contact with the stator core.
US09853402B2

An interconnect device can be aligned in a first plane and can include a printed circuit board having a tongue portion and a pin portion. The pin portion can include a plurality of pins extending away from the printed circuit board. The interconnect device can be configured to electrically couple with a main logic board aligned in a second plane. In particular, the plurality of pins can be inserted into corresponding electrical contact locations within the main logic board to form a biplanar connection. The biplanar connection can be made in way that minimizes signal loss for high speed data transfers.
US09853400B1

A plug comprises power contacts and a trip jumper having jumper contacts configured to make a trip connection, during a plugging action with the plug and a receptacle, with mating trip contacts in the receptacle. When the receptacle is connected to electrical power during the plugging action, a current over the trip connection can cause disconnection of a receptacle power contact from the power. A receptacle comprises receptacle power contacts and a trip circuit having receptacle trip contacts configured to make a trip connection, during a plugging action with the receptacle and plug, with mating trip contacts in the plug. When the receptacle is connected to electrical power during the plugging action, a current over the trip connection can cause disconnection of power to a receptacle power contact. A system can have an electrical device with a line cord connected to the plug.
US09853375B2

A pin attach converter for coupling an electrical contact to a printed circuit board may include a compliant region having a first length adapted to traverse an aperture in a printed circuit board and provide mechanical and electrical registry with at least one wall of the aperture. The pin attach converter may also include an adapter region coupled to the compliant region, and having a cavity with a second length and adapted to receive the electrical contact, where the second length extends along a same longitudinal axis as the first length, and the cavity is adapted to provide mechanical and electrical registry with the electrical contact.
US09853374B2

An electrical cable clamp for releasably securing an electrical cable to a part includes a pair of clamp members, a pair of opposed contact surfaces and a spring. Each of the clamp members comprises a handle portion and a jaw portion. Each of the contact surfaces is attached to a different one of the jaw portions. One or both of the contact surfaces is formed by an electrically conductive member. The clamp members are pivotally connected to allow movement of the clamp members between a closed position in which the clamp members collectively form an electrically insulating external surface encasing the electrically conductive member, and an open position in which the contact surfaces are separated from each other and exposed to receive the part therebetween. The spring biases the clamp members towards the closed position.
US09853372B2

A tip end conductor for an inner conductor of a coaxial cable, comprising a first portion engaging a first region of the outermost tip to mechanically engage the inner conductor and a second portion, axially inboard of the first portion, engaging a second region of the outermost tip to electrically engage the inner conductor. The first and second portions define first and second diameter dimensions, respectively, wherein the first diameter dimension is less than the second diameter dimension, and wherein the first portion of the tip end conductor includes a mechanically irregular surface for being press fit onto, and producing, a mechanical interlock along a first region of the terminal end of the inner conductor.
US09853370B2

A one-piece metallic connector is configured to receive a fastener and has features that grip and electrically bond two conductors as they are clamped together when the fastener is tightened. The connector's generally U-shaped body has first and second legs, a bight portion joining the legs and an opening in each leg through which a single mounting fastener can extend. When installed with the outside of one leg abutting one conductor, another conductor is clamped between the legs. At least one outer projection (tooth) on the outer face of one leg engages the conductor to which the connector is mounted. At least one inner projection (tooth) on the same leg engages the conductor clamped between the legs. A recess on the inner face of the distal portion of the other leg is configured to cradle the clamped conductor.
US09853347B2

A handrail mountable wireless components installation apparatus and related method of installation are disclosed. The apparatus/method includes a shell having two parts, a wireless components housing and a lid; and a chassis for the fixedly but detachable mounting within the shell of the wireless electronic components necessary to provide a WiFi signal, as for example a router and an antenna, the chassis equipped with two sets of brackets. One set of brackets provides the anchoring means for the fastening of the lid onto the housing. The second set of brackets allows the enclosure to be mounted on the handrail. Optionally, the chassis is provided with a mounting plate for the mounting of a router and an opening capable of accommodating an antenna without impeding the flow of the antenna signal. Optionally, the weather resistant handrail mountable wireless components installation apparatus also comprises a gasket.
US09853343B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a coupler including a receiving portion that receives a first electromagnetic wave conveying first data from a transmitting device. A guiding portion guides the first electromagnetic wave to a junction for coupling the first electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium. The first electromagnetic wave propagates via at least one first guided wave mode. The coupling of the first electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium forms a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium via at least one second guided wave mode that differs from the at least one first guided wave mode. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09853342B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a connector that includes a first port configured to receive electromagnetic waves guided by a first dielectric core of a first transmission medium. A waveguide is configured to guide the electromagnetic waves from the first port to a second port. The second port is configured to transmit the electromagnetic waves to a second dielectric core of a second transmission medium. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09853340B2

The present disclosure relates to coupled slow-wave transmission lines. In this regard, a transmission line structure is provided. The transmission line structure includes a first undulating signal path formed from first loop structures. The transmission line structure also includes a second undulating signal path formed from second loop structures. The second undulating signal path is disposed alongside of the first undulating signal path. Further, a first ground structure is disposed above or below either one or both of the first undulating signal path and the second undulating signal path.
US09853334B2

A battery module of the present invention is adaptable to be utilized in various configurations including and not limited to an overlapping battery cell packaging configuration and a vertical stack battery cell packaging configuration used in an automotive and non-automotive applications. The battery module has a plurality of battery heatsink assemblies with the cells disposed therebetween. A plurality of rods extend through the each heatsink assemblies to secure the heatsink assemblies and the cell with one another to form the battery module.
US09853331B2

A battery module comprises a plurality of electrically interconnected battery cells, a module cover, and a battery cell monitoring unit. The battery cells include at least one terminal cover. The battery cell monitoring unit is positioned on an inner face of the at least one terminal cover.
US09853330B2

A sensor for detecting leaked cooling fluid in a battery pack or container. The sensor is part of a sensor wire, where one end of the wire is electrically coupled to the positive terminal or the negative terminal of the battery pack and the other end of the wire is positioned at a location where the leaked cooling fluid may accumulate. A fault isolation detection circuit monitors a voltage output from the sensor and determines that there is a cooling fluid leak if the measured voltage potential is greater than a predetermined voltage threshold.
US09853323B2

A positive electrode for a lithium-ion secondary battery includes a positive electrode particle including a positive active material including a lithium salt, and a coating layer including an amorphous carbonaceous layer on a surface of the positive active material, and a sulfide solid electrolyte contacting the coating layer, wherein the sulfide solid electrolyte includes a solid sulfide.
US09853317B2

A bilayer complex proton exchange membrane and a membrane electrode assembly are provided. The bilayer complex proton exchange membrane includes a first complex structure and a second complex structure. The first complex structure includes 0.001-10 wt % of a graphene derivative with two dimension configuration, and 99.999-90 wt % of organic material. The organic material includes polymer material having sulfonic acid group or phosphate group. The second complex structure includes 0.5-30 wt % of inorganic material and 99.5-70 wt % of organic material, wherein a surface area of the inorganic material is 50-3000 m2/g, and the organic material includes polymer material with sulfonic acid group or phosphate group.
US09853314B2

Flow field plates in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells can be subject to ice blockages in certain areas during freeze start-up, e.g. the backfeed ports and slots used in some flow field plate designs which connect an outlet plenum channel for a reactant to its outlet. By incorporating a similar and adjacent relief backfeed port, slot and plenum channel arrangement in which the relief plenum channel is separated from the outlet plenum channel by a landing, a relief outlet for the reactant is provided through the adjacent gas diffusion layer.
US09853309B2

A method of manufacturing a fuel cell which enables organic matter of both an anode thereof and a cathode thereof to be removed efficiently is provided. A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, comprising a preparation step of preparing a fuel cell comprising a stack of a plurality of unit cells, each including polymer electrolyte and a catalyst layer, and a removal step of removing organic matter from the fuel cell, is provided. This removal step comprises: a first step of maintaining a voltage of the fuel cell at 0 V so as to desorb organic matter from the catalyst layer; a second step of raising a temperature inside the fuel cell so as to evaporate the desorbed organic matter; and a third step of exhausting the evaporated organic matter from the fuel cell.
US09853302B2

An electrochemical cell has at least one plate element which can be cooled by a liquid coolant, such as water. The plate element has a surface that can be wetted for the purpose of cooling with the coolant. The surface of the plate element in the electrochemical cell is configured such that a contact angle between the surface and the liquid coolant is less than 90°. In the method for producing the electrochemical cell an additional method step is carried out which influences the wettable surfaces of plate elements for cooling with coolant and by which a contact angle between the surface and the coolant is decreased.
US09853299B2

Discloses is a porous separator for a fuel cell. The porous separator includes a flow plate and a flat plate. The flow plate includes a first flow surface upwardly inclined and having a first plurality of flow apertures and a second flow surface downwardly inclined and having a second plurality of flow apertures that are repeatedly arranged along a longitudinal direction of the flow plate. The flow plate is disposed between a gas diffusion layer of a fuel cell and a flat plate to seal the flow plate and create a flow path for hydrogen or air therein.
US09853294B2

A secondary battery includes an electrode assembly having a relatively large capacity due to reducing a width of an uncoated portion and increasing a width of a coated portion by improving welding strength through a combination of ultrasonic welding and laser welding, and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method of the secondary battery includes preparing at least one electrode assembly including an uncoated portion, provisionally welding the uncoated portion by ultrasonic welding, coupling a current collector having an elastic property to the provisionally welded uncoated portion, and welding the uncoated portion and the current collector by laser welding.
US09853286B2

A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is represented by a general formula of LixNiyM1-yO2 (where M includes at least one metal element selected from Co and Mn, 0.1≦x≦1.2, 0.3
US09853284B2

The loss of sulfur cathode material as a result of polysulfide dissolution causes significant capacity fading in rechargeable lithium/sulfur cells. Embodiments of the invention use a chemical approach to immobilize sulfur and lithium polysulfides via the reactive functional groups on graphene oxide. This approach obtains a uniform and thin (˜tens of nanometers) sulfur coating on graphene oxide sheets by a chemical reaction-deposition strategy and a subsequent low temperature thermal treatment process. Strong interaction between graphene oxide and sulfur or polysulfides demonstrate lithium/sulfur cells with a high reversible capacity of 950-1400 mAh g−1, and stable cycling for more than 50 deep cycles at 0.1 C.
US09853275B2

An example separator includes a spacer section that fits between a first battery cell and a second battery cell, a projection from the spacer section that contacts a structure to limit upward movement of the spacer section, and a restraining tab from the spacer section that limits upward movement of the first battery cell, the second battery cell, or both relative to the spacer section.
US09853266B2

The present disclosure provides a vent and a cap assembly of a power battery. The vent comprises a vent body and a vent body protective sheath having a wall portion and a hollow portion, the vent body is fixedly connected to a lower portion of the wall portion and sealing the hollow portion from below, an upper portion of the wall portion is fixedly connected to a cap plate for sealing a vent hole. The cap assembly of the power battery comprises a cap plate provided with a vent hole and an electrolyte-injection hole; a first electrode post connected to the cap plate; a second electrode post connected to the cap plate; and a vent fixedly provided to the vent hole; wherein the vent is the above vent.
US09853257B2

A battery tray and battery container including the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the battery tray includes an upper plate defining a plurality of openings each configured to accommodate a battery. The battery tray also includes a plurality of lower surfaces respectively corresponding to the openings and a plurality of lateral surfaces respectively connecting the openings in the upper plate to the lower surfaces. The upper plate, the lower surfaces, and the lateral surfaces are formed as a single piece.
US09853255B2

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to membrane electrode assemblies. The membrane electrode assembly may include at least one gas-diffusion layer having a first side and a second side, and particle cores adhered to at least one of the first and second sides of the at least one gas-diffusion layer. The particle cores includes surfaces adhered to the at least one of the first and second sides of the at least one gas-diffusion layer and surfaces not in contact with the at least one gas-diffusion layer. Furthermore, a thin layer of catalytically atoms may be adhered to the surfaces of the particle cores not in contact with the at least one gas-diffusion layer.
US09853253B2

A secondary battery includes a can having an opening at one end, an electrode assembly accommodated in the can through the opening, a cap plate that seals the opening, and an insulation plate below the cap plate. The can includes: a first surface that is convex; a second surface that faces the first surface and is concave; a third surface that is curved and connected to the first surface and the second surface to form a bottom surface; a first connection portion that connects the first surface and the third surface and has a round form having a first radius of curvature; and a second connection portion that connects the second surface and the third surface and has a round form having a second radius of curvature. At least one of the first radius of curvature and the second radius of curvature varies along a length of the third surface.
US09853251B2

An array substrate, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel and a display device are provided. The array substrate includes a base substrate; a plurality of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) elements disposed on the base substrate; and a non-conductive layer in contact with the OLED elements, heat-conducting particles being doped in the non-conductive layer.
US09853249B2

A display device includes a reflecting layer. A display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a lower substrate; an upper substrate facing the lower substrate; a thin film transistor on the lower substrate; and a first reflecting layer on a first surface of the upper substrate, the first surface facing the lower substrate, in which the lower substrate and the upper substrate include a display area for displaying an image, and a peripheral area outside the display area, and wherein the first reflecting layer is at the peripheral area, at display area, and at an area adjacent an edge of the upper substrate.
US09853247B2

Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide a device with a base having an opening, and a plurality of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) disposed on a plurality of substrates and arranged in a light directing structure onto the base, where the opening of the base is a light exit aperture of light output by the plurality of OLEDs.
US09853246B2

A stretchable display device includes a stretchable substrate, at least a portion of which is stretchable in at least one direction, a plurality of light emitting units formed on the stretchable substrate, the light emitting units being spaced apart from each other, the light emitting units each including a pixel electrode, an emission layer, a common electrode, and a common wiring electrode conducted to the common electrode, and a plurality of encapsulations covering and protecting the plurality of light emitting units, respectively.
US09853227B2

Compounds are provided that comprise a ligand having a 5-substituted 2-phenylquinoline. In particular, the 2-phenylquinoline may be substituted with a bulky alkyl at the 5-position. These compounds may be used in organic light emitting devices, in particular as red emitters in the emissive layer of such devices, to provide devices having improved properties.
US09853226B2

A low-molecular-weight fused polycyclic heteroaromatic compound includes a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1A, a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1B, or a combination thereof. The fused polycyclic heteroaromatic compound has a compact planar structure in which five or more aromatic rings are fused together, and thereby exhibit higher charge mobility, and furthermore, enables the use of a deposition process or a room-temperature (about 20 to about 25° C.) solution process when applied to devices, therefore realizing improved processibility.
US09853223B2

A compound of the embodiment includes the structure represented by the following general formula (1). In the general formula (1), R1 to R4 respectively independently represent a hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl group, a fluoroalkyl group, or an aryl group.
US09853220B2

Light-emitting devices comprising light-emitting diodes are described herein. These devices may include a substrate, a reflective anode, a hole-injection layer, a hole-transport layer, an emissive component, an electron-transport layer, a cathode, an enhancement layer, and a light-scattering layer. The emissive component may include first and second fluorescent light-emitting layers with an intervening phosphorescent light-emitting layer or first and second phosphorescent light-emitting layers with an intervening fluorescent light-emitting layer.
US09853218B2

A polymer compound has a repeating unit represented by general formula (1): wherein R1a represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, a monovalent aromatic heterocyclic group or an aralkyl group, each possibly substituted and the same or different; and X1a represents a group selected from formulae (1a) to (1c).] wherein R1c represents an aryl group or a monovalent aromatic heterocyclic group, possibly substituted; and R1d to R1f represent each independently an alkyl group, an aryl group, a monovalent aromatic heterocyclic group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an aralkyl group, an arylalkoxy group, a substituted amino group, a substituted carbonyl group, a substituted carboxyl group, a fluorine atom or a cyano group; and the pairs R1d and R1e, R1f and R1g, R1d and R1f, and R1e and R1g may be mutually linked to form a ring together with a carbon atom to which they are linked.
US09853217B2

A charge-transporting varnish which contains a charge-transporting substance containing fluorine atoms, a charge-transporting substance containing no fluorine atoms, a dopant substance composed of a heteropolyacid, and an organic solvent. The charge-transporting substance containing fluorine atoms is a polymer which is obtained by condensing a triaryl amine compound, an arylaldehyde compound containing fluorine atoms, a fluorene derivative having a carbonyl group and a carbazole derivative having an alkyl group or an alkyl group containing an ether structure in the N-position, and which has a weight average molecular weight of 1,000-200,000. The charge-transporting substance containing no fluorine atoms is an oligoaniline compound. A thin film formed from this charge-transporting varnish is capable of providing an organic EL element having excellent luminance characteristics and durability even in cases where the thin film is used as a single layer between a positive electrode and a light emitting layer in such a manner that the thin film is in contact with the positive electrode and the light emitting layer.
US09853212B2

Methods, devices, and systems associated with oxide based memory can include a method of forming a resistive switching region of a memory cell. Forming a resistive switching region of a memory cell can include forming a metal oxide material on an electrode and forming a metal material on the metal oxide material, wherein the metal material formation causes a reaction that results in a graded metal oxide portion of the memory cell.
US09853201B2

A piezoelectric MEMS microphone comprising a multi-layer sensor that includes at least one piezoelectric layer between two electrode layers, with the sensor being dimensioned such that it provides a near maximized ratio of output energy to sensor area, as determined by an optimization parameter that accounts for input pressure, bandwidth, and characteristics of the piezoelectric and electrode materials. The sensor can be formed from single or stacked cantilevered beams separated from each other by a small gap, or can be a stress-relieved diaphragm that is formed by deposition onto a silicon substrate, with the diaphragm then being stress relieved by substantial detachment of the diaphragm from the substrate, and then followed by reattachment of the now stress relieved diaphragm.
US09853195B2

A light-emitting device includes a semiconductor light-emitting element, for example, a light emitting diode. A first metal member includes a first metal plate and a first metal layer between the semiconductor light-emitting element and a first surface of the first metal plate. An insulating layer contacts a second surface of the first metal plate. The second surface is in a second plane that intersects a first plane of the first surface.
US09853181B2

A method for preparing silicon substrate having average crystallite size greater than or equal to 20 μm, including at least the steps of: (i) providing polycrystalline silicon substrate of which average grain size is less than or equal to 10 μm; (ii) subjecting substrate to overall homogeneous plastic deformation, at temperature of at least 1000° C.; (iii) subjecting substrate to localized plastic deformation in plurality of areas of substrate, called external stress areas, spacing between two consecutive areas being at least 20 μm, local deformation of substrate being strictly greater than overall deformation carried out in step (ii); step (iii) being able to be carried out subsequent to or simultaneous to step (ii); and (iv) subjecting substrate obtained in step (iii) to recrystallization heat treatment in solid phase, at temperature strictly greater than temperature used in step (ii), in order to obtain desired substrate.
US09853167B2

It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device with good electrical characteristics and a display device including the semiconductor device as a switching element. In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a needle crystal group provided on at least one surface side of the oxide semiconductor layer grows in a c-axis direction perpendicular to the surface and includes an a-b plane parallel to the surface, and a portion except for the needle crystal group is an amorphous region or a region in which amorphousness and microcrystals are mixed. Accordingly, a highly reliable semiconductor device with good electrical characteristics can be formed.
US09853159B2

A method of forming a semiconductor device that may include etching source and drain portions of a fin structure of a first semiconductor material selectively to an underlying semiconductor layer of a second semiconductor material, and laterally etching undercut region in the semiconductor layer underlying the fin structure. The method may further include filling the undercut region with a first conductivity type semiconductor material, and forming a second conductivity type semiconductor material for a source region and a drain region on opposing sides of the channel region portion of the fin structure.
US09853150B1

A method of fabricating epitaxial gate dielectric includes forming a SrxBayMzTiO3 gate dielectric on a fin, and 0≦x, y and z≦1, x+y+z=1, and M is calcium or magnesium. One of x and y is not 0. The SrxBayMzTiO3 gate dielectric includes a plurality of SrxBayMzTiO3 dielectric films. Each of the SrxBayMzTiO3 dielectric films has different ratio of x, y, and z. The fin is then oxidized to form a silicon oxide in between the SrxBayMzTiO3 gate dielectric and the fin. A dielectric layer is disposed on the SrxBayMzTiO3 gate dielectric. Subsequently a metal gate layer is deposited on the dielectric layer.
US09853149B1

The present disclosure relates an integrated circuit (IC) and a method for manufacturing same. A polysilicon layer is formed over a first region of a substrate and has a plurality of polysilicon structures that are packed with respect to one another to define a first packing density. A dummy layer is formed over a second region of the substrate and has a plurality of dummy structures that are packed with respect to one another to define a second packing density, where the first packing density and second packing density are substantially similar. An inter-layer dielectric layer is formed over the first region and second region of the substrate. Dishing of at least the second region of the substrate concurrent with a chemical-mechanical polish is generally inhibited by the first packing density and second packing density after forming the inter-layer dielectric layer.
US09853142B2

In one implementation, a method for fabricating a trench FET includes providing a semiconductor substrate including a drain region and a drift zone over the drain region, forming a plurality of depletion trenches over the drain region, each of the plurality of depletion trenches having a depletion trench dielectric and a depletion electrode, and forming a respective bordering gate trench alongside each of the plurality of depletion trenches, each bordering gate trench having a gate electrode and a gate dielectric.
US09853137B2

A method for forming a semiconductor device comprises implanting a defined dose of protons into a semiconductor substrate and tempering the semiconductor substrate according to a defined temperature profile. At least one of the defined dose of protons and the defined temperature profile is selected depending on a carbon-related parameter indicating information on a carbon concentration within at least a part of the semiconductor substrate.
US09853121B2

A method of fabricating a transistor includes doping non-overlapping first, second, and third wells in a silicon layer of a substrate. The substrate, second and third wells have a first type of conductivity and the first well and silicon layer have a second type of conductivity. First and second insulating layers are thermally grown over the second well between the first well and the third well, and over the third well, respectively. A gate stack is formed over the first insulating layer and the third well. A first source region having the second type of conductivity is formed in the third well. A gate spacer is formed, a fourth well having the first type of conductivity is doped in the third well between the second insulating layer and the gate spacer, a second source region is formed over the fourth well, and a drain is formed in the first well.
US09853119B2

Monolithic integration of low-capacitance p-n junctions and low-resistance p-n junctions (when conducting in reverse bias) is provided. Three epitaxial layers are used. The low-capacitance junctions are formed by the top two epitaxial layers. The low-resistance p-n junction is formed in the top epitaxial layer, and two buried structures at interfaces between the three epitaxial layers are used to provide a high doping region that extends from the low-resistance p-n junction to the substrate, thereby providing low resistance to current flow. The epitaxial layers are lightly doped as required by the low-capacitance junction design, so the buried structures are needed for the low-resistance p-n junction. The high doping region is formed by diffusion of dopants from the substrate and from the buried structures during thermal processing.
US09853118B2

In accordance with an embodiment, a diode comprises a substrate, a dielectric material including an opening that exposes a portion of the substrate, the opening having an aspect ratio of at least 1, a bottom diode material including a lower region disposed at least partly in the opening and an upper region extending above the opening, the bottom diode material comprising a semiconductor material that is lattice mismatched to the substrate, a top diode material proximate the upper region of the bottom diode material, and an active diode region between the top and bottom diode materials, the active diode region including a surface extending away from the top surface of the substrate.
US09853113B2

A semiconductor device includes a first planar semiconductor (e.g., silicon) layer, first and second pillar-shaped semiconductor (e.g., silicon) layers, a first gate insulating film, a first gate electrode, a second gate insulating film, a second gate electrode, a first gate line connected to the first and second gate electrodes, a first n-type diffusion layer, a second n-type diffusion layer, a first p-type diffusion layer, and a second p-type diffusion layer. A center line extending along the first gate line is offset by a first predetermined amount from a line connecting a center of the first pillar-shaped semiconductor layer and a center of the second pillar-shaped semiconductor layer.
US09853110B2

One illustrative method disclosed includes, among other things, forming a gate contact opening in a layer of insulating material, performing at least one etching process through the gate contact opening to remove a gate cap layer and to expose the gate structure, selectively growing a metal material that is conductively coupled to an upper surface of the gate structure such that the grown metal material contacts all of the sidewalls of the gate contact opening and an air space is formed between a bottom of the grown metal material and a conductive source/drain structure, and forming one or more conductive materials in the gate contact opening above the grown metal material.
US09853105B2

A semiconductor device and method of formation are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first active area over the substrate, a second active area over the substrate, a graphene channel between the first active area and the second active area, and a first in-plane gate. In some embodiments, the graphene channel, the first in-plane gate, the first active area, and the second active area include graphene. A method of forming the first in-plane gate, the first active area, the second active area, and the graphene channel from a single layer of graphene is also provided.
US09853102B2

A tunnel field-effect transistor and method fabricating the same are provided. The tunnel field-effect transistor includes a drain region, a source region with opposite conductive type to the drain region, a channel region disposed between the drain region and the source region, a metal gate layer disposed around the channel region, and a high-k dielectric layer disposed between the metal gate layer and the channel region.
US09853095B2

A display device includes a first pixel and a second pixel arranged in a first or a second direction, each of them has a pixel electrode, a contact hole under the pixel electrode, a bank on the pixel electrode, and an opening provided in the bank and on the pixel electrode. A first imaginary line connecting the center of the contact hole of a first pixel and the center of the contact hole of a second pixel is substantially parallel to the first direction or the second direction, a second imaginary line connecting the center of the opening of the first pixel and the center of the opening of the second pixel is substantially parallel to the first direction or the second direction, and each of straight-line sides of the openings of the plurality of pixels has an angle with respect to both of the first and the second direction.
US09853090B2

Three-dimensional (3D) non-volatile memory arrays having a vertically-oriented thin film transistor (TFT) select device and methods of fabricating such a memory are described. The vertically-oriented TFT may be used as a vertical bit line selection device to couple a global bit line to a vertical bit line. A select device pillar includes a body and upper and lower source/drain regions. At least one gate is separated horizontally from the select device pillar by a gate dielectric. The gates overlie the global bit lines with one or more insulating layers therebetween to provide adequate isolation between the gates and the global bit lines. Processes for fabricating the vertical TFT select devices utilize a gate dielectric and optional dielectric bases to provide isolation between the gates and bit lines.
US09853086B2

In described examples, an embedded thermoelectric device is formed by forming isolation trenches in a substrate, concurrently between CMOS transistors and between thermoelectric elements of the embedded thermoelectric device. Dielectric material is formed in the isolation trenches to provide field oxide which laterally isolates the CMOS transistors and the thermoelectric elements. Germanium is implanted into the substrate in areas for the thermoelectric elements, and the substrate is subsequently annealed, to provide a germanium density of at least 0.10 atomic percent in the thermoelectric elements between the isolation trenches. The germanium may be implanted before the isolation trenches are formed, after the isolation trenches are formed and before the dielectric material is formed in the isolation trenches, and/or after the dielectric material is formed in the isolation trenches.
US09853083B2

An image-sensor structure is provided. The image-sensor structure includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and including a sensing area, a first metal layer formed above the first surface of the substrate and surrounding the sensing area, and a protection layer formed above the first surface of the substrate and overlying the sensing area and a part of the first metal layer to expose an exposed area of the first metal layer. The exposed area includes a first portion having a first width, a second portion having a second width, a third portion having a third width and a fourth portion having a fourth width.
US09853081B2

A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer; an insulation member layer formed on the first semiconductor layer; a transistor disposed in an upper portion of the insulation member layer; a first interlayer insulation film covering the transistor; a layered member including a wiring layer formed on the first interlayer insulation film and a second interlayer insulation film; and a first penetrating electrode penetrating through the insulation member layer, the first interlayer insulation film, and the layered member. The first penetrating electrode is electrically connected only to the first semiconductor layer.
US09853078B2

A wafer level curved image sensor may include a substrate having a central region, a peripheral region, and an edge region, the peripheral region being formed between the central region and the edge region, supporting patterns formed over the substrate, first fixed patterns formed between the supporting patterns, and an image sensing chip formed over the supporting patterns. The supporting patterns and the first fixed patterns, in combination, form a planar lower surface and a concavely-curved upper surface. The image sensing chip has a curved lower surface and a curved upper surface.
US09853076B2

A back side illumination (BSI) image sensor with stacked grid shifting is provided. A pixel sensor is arranged within a semiconductor substrate. A metallic grid segment is arranged over the pixel sensor and has a metallic grid opening therein. A center of the metallic grid opening is laterally shifted from a center of the pixel sensor. A dielectric grid segment is arranged over the metallic grid and has a dielectric grid opening therein. A center of the dielectric grid opening is laterally shifted from the center of the pixel sensor. A method for manufacturing the BSI image sensor is also provided.
US09853075B2

An image sensor is provided. The image sensor includes a substrate, a first interlayer insulating layer, a first metal line, and a shielding structure. The substrate includes a pixel array, a peripheral circuit area, and an interface area disposed between the pixel array and the peripheral circuit area. The first interlayer insulating layer is formed on a first surface of the substrate. The first metal line is disposed on the first interlayer insulating layer of the pixel array. The second interlayer insulating layer is disposed on the first interlayer insulating layer wherein the second interlayer insulating layer covers the first metal line. The shielding structure passes through the substrate in the interface area wherein the shielding structure electrically insulates the pixel array of the substrate and the peripheral circuit area.
US09853072B2

Provided are a solid-state imaging element, which suppresses occurrence of a dark current and a white spot and even suppresses occurrence of a residual image, and a manufacturing method for the solid-state imaging element. A solid-state imaging element (1) is provided with: a gate electrode (4) above a substrate (2); a charge storage region (5) formed at a position inside the substrate (2) and apart from a top surface (2a) of the substrate (2); a read region (6) formed at a position inside the substrate (2) and on the opposite side to the charge storage region (5) with the gate electrode (4) interposed therebetween; a channel region (7, 8) formed inside the substrate (2) and immediately below the gate electrode (4); and a shield region (9) and an intermediate region (10) formed inside the substrate (2) and between the top surface (2a) of the substrate (2) and the charge storage region (5). The intermediate region (10) is formed at a position inside the substrate (2) and between the channel region (7, 8) and the shield region (9), and is in contact with each of the channel region (7, 8) and the shield region (9), and a concentration of first conductive type impurities in the intermediate region (10) is lower than a concentration of the first conductive type impurities in the shield region (9).
US09853069B2

An object is to establish a processing technique in manufacture of a semiconductor device in which an oxide semiconductor is used. A gate electrode is formed over a substrate, a gate insulating layer is formed over the gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor layer is formed over the gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer is processed by wet etching to form an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, a conductive layer is formed to cover the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, the conductive layer is processed by dry etching to form a source electrode, and a drain electrode and part of the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer is removed by dry etching to form a recessed portion in the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer.
US09853062B2

A display panel includes a plurality of display elements disposed in a matrix manner, signal input parts to which signals to be supplied to the plurality of display elements are input, and a plurality of signal wirings which connect the plurality of display elements and the signal input parts, wherein the signal wirings includes a lead-out wiring part in which a wiring interval nearer the signal input parts and a wiring interval nearer the display elements are different from each other, and at least a part of the signal wirings in the lead-out wiring part is provided with a plurality of meander wiring parts whose wirings are meandered, wherein the signal wirings include a meander wiring part nearer the signal input parts, and at least one meander wiring part having a larger amplitude of the meander wiring than the meander wiring part nearer the signal input parts, and the amplitude of the meander wiring in the at least one meander wiring part is determined by matching with a wide wiring interval in the lead-out wiring part.
US09853061B2

The present invention discloses a display device and a manufacturing method thereof. The display device comprises an array substrate and a color filter substrate arranged opposite to the array substrate, wherein the surface of the array substrate is provided with a lining layer and a conduction layer; and the lining layer uplifts the conduction layer till the conduction layer is in contact with the color filter substrate, so that the conduction layer conducts the array substrate and the color filter substrate. Compared with a conduction structure of the existing technology in which a connector and a conductive adhesive are combined, the conduction structure of the present invention saves the material cost, reduces the machining difficulty, increases the rate of good products and finally greatly reduces the production cost, is simultaneously applicable to a narrow-bezel design of the display device and meets the aesthetic demands of users.
US09853056B1

A set of silicon fins for n-type FinFET devices and a set of silicon germanium fins for p-type FinFET devices are provided on a strain relaxation buffer (SRB) substrate. Each fin in the set of silicon fins is cut forming a set of cut silicon fins having a set of vertical faces at a fin end of a respective cut silicon fin. Each fin in the set of silicon germanium fins is cut forming a set of cut silicon germanium fins having a set of vertical faces at a fin end of a respective silicon germanium fin. A set of tensile dielectric structures is formed. Each of the tensile dielectric structures respectively contact the vertical faces of respective fin ends of the cut silicon fins to maintain tensile strain at the fin ends of the set of cut silicon fins. A set of compressive dielectric structures are formed. Each of the compressive dielectric structures respectively contact the vertical faces of respective fin ends of the cut silicon germanium fins to maintain compressive strain at the fin ends of the set of cut silicon fins. Another aspect of the invention is a device which is created by the method.
US09853042B2

The semiconductor device includes a stacked structure having alternately stacked conductive patterns and interlayer insulating patterns, a through-hole passing through the stacked structure, a channel pattern formed in the through-hole and protruding from an inside of the through hole over the through-hole, and a capping conductive pattern formed to be in contact with the protruded channel pattern and have a width greater than the through-hole.
US09853033B2

A memory device includes an array of memory cells. At least one of the memory cells includes a plurality of transistors with vertical-gate-all-around configurations and a plurality of active blocks. A portion of one of the active blocks serves as a source or a drain of one of the transistors. The active blocks in any adjacent two of the memory cells are isolated from each other.
US09853028B1

A method for reducing parasitic capacitance of a semiconductor structure is provided. The method includes forming a fin structure over a substrate, forming a first source/drain region between the fin structure and the substrate, forming first spacers adjacent the fin structure, forming second spacers adjacent the first source/drain region and recessing the first source/drain region in exposed areas. The method further includes forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) region within the exposed areas of the recessed first source/drain region, depositing a bottom spacer over the STI region, forming a metal gate stack over the bottom spacer, depositing a top spacer over the metal gate stack, cutting the metal gate stack, forming a second source/drain region over the fin structure, and forming contacts such the STI region extends a length between the metal gate stack and the first source/drain region.
US09853025B1

A semiconductor device having an integrated thin film metallic resistor device which is formed by a process which includes depositing a conformal layer of insulating material on a substrate, wherein the conformal layer of insulating layer is formed with an initial thickness T, applying a surface treatment to a surface of the conformal layer of insulating material to convert the surface of the conformal layer of insulating material to a layer of conductive metallic material of thickness T1, which is less than T, and forming device contacts to portions of the layer of conductive metallic material. The layer of conductive metallic material and the device contacts form a thin film metallic resistor device. As an example, the conformal layer of insulating material includes Ta3N5, and the layer of conductive metallic material that is formed by the surface treatment includes TaN.
US09853022B2

A method is provided for forming a metal-insulator-metal capacitor in a replacement metal gate module. The method includes providing a gate cap formed on a gate. The method further includes removing a portion of the gate cap and forming a recess in the gate. A remaining portion of the gate forms a first electrode of the capacitor. The method also includes depositing a dielectric on remaining portions of the gate cap and the remaining portion of the gate. The method additionally includes depositing a conductive material on the dielectric. The method further includes removing a portion of the conductive material and portions of the dielectric to expose a remaining portion of the conductive material and a remaining portion of the dielectric. The remaining portion of the conductive material forms a second electrode of the capacitor. The remaining portion of the dielectric forms an insulator of the capacitor.
US09853021B1

A method for fabricating semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a first fin-shaped structure on a substrate; forming a shallow trench isolation (STI) adjacent to the first fin-shaped structure; and forming a gate structure on the first fin-shaped structure and the STI. Preferably, the gate structure comprises a left portion and the right portion and the work functions in the left portion and the right portion are different.
US09853017B2

Disclosed herein is a light emitting device package and a light emitting device package module. The light emitting device package includes: a base including a cavity; a first light emitting device disposed in the cavity, the first light emitting device including a first light emitting element configured to produce light having a first peak wavelength and a first fluorescent layer covering a top and side surfaces of the first light emitting element; and a second light emitting device disposed in the cavity, the second light emitting device including a second light emitting element configured to produce light having a second peak wavelength and a second fluorescent layer covering a top and side surfaces of the second light emitting element, wherein the first fluorescent layer is configured to convert the light having the first peak wavelength of the first light emitting element to light having a third peak wavelength, and the second fluorescent layer is configured to convert the light having the second peak wavelength of the second light emitting element to light having a fourth peak wavelength.
US09853003B1

A fan-out semiconductor package includes: a first connection member having a through-hole; a semiconductor chip disposed in the through-hole of the first connection member and having an active surface having connection pads disposed thereon and an inactive surface opposing the active surface; an encapsulant encapsulating at least portions of the first connection member and the inactive surface of the semiconductor chip; and a second connection member disposed on the first connection member and the active surface of the semiconductor chip. The first connection member and the second connection member include, respectively, redistribution layers electrically connected to the connection pads of the semiconductor chip, and the first connection member includes a coil pattern layer electrically connected to the connection pads of the semiconductor chip.
US09852999B2

A semiconductor structure includes filled dual reinforcing trenches that reduce curvature of the semiconductor structure by stiffening the semiconductor structure. The filled dual reinforcing trenches reduce curvature by acting against transverse loading, axial loading, and/or torsional loading of the semiconductor structure that would otherwise result in semiconductor structure curvature. The filled dual reinforcing trenches may be located in an array throughout the semiconductor structure, in particular locations within the semiconductor structure, or at the perimeter of the semiconductor structure.
US09852997B2

Methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. In an example, a method of dicing a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits involves forming a mask above the semiconductor wafer, the mask composed of a layer covering and protecting the integrated circuits. The mask is then patterned with a rotating laser beam laser scribing process to provide a patterned mask with gaps, exposing regions of the semiconductor wafer between the integrated circuits. The semiconductor wafer is then plasma etched through the gaps in the patterned mask to singulate the integrated circuits.
US09852988B2

A bonded device structure including a first substrate having a first set of conductive contact structures, preferably connected to a device or circuit, and having a first non-metallic region adjacent to the contact structures on the first substrate, a second substrate having a second set of conductive contact structures, preferably connected to a device or circuit, and having a second non-metallic region adjacent to the contact structures on the second substrate, and a contact-bonded interface between the first and second set of contact structures formed by contact bonding of the first non-metallic region to the second non-metallic region. The contact structures include elongated contact features, such as individual lines or lines connected in a grid, that are non-parallel on the two substrates, making contact at intersections. Alignment tolerances are thus improved while minimizing dishing and parasitic capacitance.
US09852983B1

A fabricating method of an anti-fuse structure, comprising: providing a substrate having a first conductive plug and a second conductive plug separated from the first conductive plug; forming an amorphous silicon layer on the substrate, wherein a portion of the amorphous silicon layer overlapping the first conductive plug is defined as a first region, and a portion of the amorphous silicon layer overlapping the second conductive plug is defined as a second region; performing an implantation process to the first region and the second region, wherein the first region has a higher doping concentration than the second region; forming a titanium nitride layer on the amorphous silicon layer; and patterning the titanium nitride layer and the amorphous silicon layer.
US09852982B1

Device structures for an anti-fuse and methods for manufacturing device structures for an anti-fuse. The anti-fuse includes a first terminal comprised of a fin. The fin includes a section with an edge and inclined surfaces that intersect at the edge. The anti-fuse further includes a second terminal covering the edge and the inclined surfaces of the fin, and an isolation dielectric layer on the inclined surfaces and the edge of the fin. The second terminal is separated from the edge and inclined surfaces of the fin by the isolation dielectric layer. The edge and inclined surfaces on the firm may be formed by oxidizing an upper section of the fin in a trench to form an oxide layer, and then removing the oxide layer to expose the edge and inclined surfaces.
US09852977B2

This disclosure provides a package substrate which includes a rigid dielectric material layer, a first wiring layer having at least one first metal wire formed on the rigid dielectric material layer, and a first flexible dielectric material layer formed on the first wiring layer.
US09852973B2

A manufacturing method of a package substrate is provided. The method includes forming a first circuit layer on a carrier. A passive component is disposed on the first circuit layer and the carrier. A dielectric layer is formed on the carrier to embed the passive component and the first circuit layer in the dielectric layer. A second circuit layer is formed on the dielectric layer. The carrier is removed from the dielectric layer. A manufacturing method of a chip package is also provided.
US09852971B1

An interposer includes an interconnection structure and a redistribution layer. The interconnection structure includes a metal layer, at least one metal via and an isolation material. The metal layer defines at least one through hole having a side wall. The at least one metal via is disposed in the through hole. A space is defined between the at least one metal via and the side wall of the through hole, and the isolation material fills the space. The redistribution layer is disposed on a surface of the interconnection structure and is electrically connected to the metal via.
US09852967B1

A lead frame structure of a light emitting diode includes a ceramic bed, a metal layer and a plastic seat. The metal layer has a first metal circuit area, a second metal circuit area, a gap dividing the first metal circuit area and the second metal circuit area, and a metal ring surrounding the first metal circuit area, the second metal circuit area and the gap. The plastic seat has a hollow function area. The first metal circuit area, the second metal circuit area and a part of the metal ring expose the function area to make the metal (circuit) layer of the function area has no gap to avoid excess glue. This can efficiently accomplish to increase intensity, quality and reliability of the packaged products.
US09852963B2

A microprocessor assembly adapted for fluid cooling can include a semiconductor die mounted on a substrate. The semiconductor die can include an integrated circuit with a two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional circuit architecture. The assembly can include a heat sink module in thermal communication with the semiconductor die. The heat sink module can include an inlet port fluidly connected to an inlet chamber, a plurality of orifices fluidly connecting the inlet chamber to an outlet chamber, and an outlet port fluidly connected to the outlet chamber. When pressurized coolant is delivered to the inlet chamber, the plurality of orifices can provide jet streams of coolant into the outlet chamber and against a surface to be cooled to provide fluid cooling suitable to control a semiconductor die temperature during operation.
US09852962B2

A waterproof electronic device includes: an electronic component module having an electronic component including a semiconductor element, a heat dissipating member provided on the electronic component in a thermally conductive manner, and an insulating material that surrounds the electronic component in such a manner that one surface of the heat dissipating member is exposed; and a waterproof film that is formed at least on whole surfaces in regions of the electronic component module that are to be immersed in a coolant.
US09852961B2

A packaged semiconductor device includes a semiconductor component, first and second heat dissipation means disposed between the semiconductor component and the first and second main faces, respectively, encapsulated by an encapsulant, the shape of the packaged semiconductor device being non-rectangular cuboid.
US09852953B2

A method of manufacturing a memory device includes an nMOS region and a pMOS region in a substrate. A first gate is defined within the nMOS region, and a second gate is defined in the pMOS region. Disposable spacers are simultaneously defined about the first and second gates. The nMOS and pMOS regions are selectively masked, one at a time, and LDD and Halo implants performed using the same masks as the source/drain implants for each region, by etching back spacers between source/drain implant and LDD/Halo implants. All transistor doping steps, including enhancement, gate and well doping, can be performed using a single mask for each of the nMOS and pMOS regions. Channel length can also be tailored by trimming spacers in one of the regions prior to source/drain doping.
US09852951B2

The present invention relates generally to semiconductors, and more particularly, to a structure and method of minimizing shorting between epitaxial regions in small pitch fin field effect transistors (FinFETs). In an embodiment, a dielectric region may be formed in a middle portion of a gate structure. The gate structure be formed using a gate replacement process, and may cover a middle portion of a first fin group, a middle portion of a second fin group and an intermediate region of the substrate between the first fin group and the second fin group. The dielectric region may be surrounded by the gate structure in the intermediate region. The gate structure and the dielectric region may physically separate epitaxial regions formed on the first fin group and the second fin group from one another.
US09852949B2

A wafer is divided into device chips each of which is surrounded by a mold resin. The wafer has a plurality of devices arranged like a matrix with a spacing having a predetermined width, the front side of each device being covered with the mold resin, the spacing being filled with the mold resin to form a street between any adjacent ones of the devices. The wafer processing method includes a division start point forming step of forming a division start point along each street at the lateral center of the mold resin filling the spacing and a dividing step of applying an external force to the wafer after performing the division start point forming step, thereby laterally dividing each street into two parts at the division start point to obtain the device chips divided from each other, each device chip being surrounded by the mold resin.
US09852947B1

A method includes etching a dielectric layer to form an opening, with a component of a transistor being exposed through the opening. A spacer layer is formed, and includes a horizontal portion at a bottom of the opening, and a vertical portion in the opening. The vertical portion is on a sidewall of the dielectric layer. An isotropic etch is performed on the spacer layer to remove the horizontal portion, and the vertical portion remains after the isotropic etch. The remaining vertical portion forms a contact plug spacer. A conductive material is filled into the opening to form a contact plug.
US09852942B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, a stacked body, and a plurality of columnar parts. The stacked body is provided on the substrate. The stacked body includes a plurality of electrode films stacked separately from each other. The plurality of columnar parts is provided in the stacked body. Each of the plurality of columnar parts includes a semiconductor pillar extending in a stacking direction of the stacked body, and a charge storage film provided between the semiconductor pillar and the stacked body. The plurality of electrode films includes a first electrode film provided in upper layers of the stacked body and a second electrode film provided in lower layers of the stacked body. A thickness of the first electrode film is thicker than a thickness of the second electrode film. The first electrode film is provided with a void.
US09852941B2

A circuit structure that includes a plurality of stacked conductor layers separated from each other by respective dielectric layers. The conductor layers may include a first set of conductor layers made of a first type conductor material and a second set of conductor layers made of a second type conductor material different from the first. A pair of conductor posts may traverse the stacked conductor layers. A first post may be electrically connected to the first set of conductor layers and electrically insulated from the second set of conductor layers. A second post electrically connected to the second set of conductor layers and electrically insulated from the first set of conductor layers.
US09852940B2

A silver-containing solderable contact on a semiconductor die has its outer edge spaced from the confronting edge of an epoxy passivation layer so that, after soldering, silver ions are not present and are not therefor free to migrate under the epoxy layer to form dendrites.
US09852935B2

A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a first radial axis; a second SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a second radial axis, the SCARA arms having a common shoulder axis of rotation; and a drive section coupled to the SCARA arms is configured to independently extend each SCARA arm along a respective radial axis and rotate each SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation where the first radial axis is angled relative to the second radial axis and the end effector of a respective arm is aligned with a respective radial axis, wherein each end effector is configured to hold at least one substrate and the end effectors are located on a common transfer plane.
US09852924B1

A method for reducing sidewall roughness in an etch layer below a first mask with sidewall roughness in a processing chamber is provided. Sidewalls of the first mask are smoothed, comprising, flowing a processing gas into the processing chamber and forming the processing gas into an in situ plasma in the processing chamber with sufficient energy to sputter and smooth sidewall roughness of the first patterned mask. The etch layer is etched through the first patterned mask.
US09852923B2

A hard mask layer is deposited on a feature layer over a substrate. The hard mask layer comprises an organic mask layer. An opening in the organic mask layer is formed using a first gas comprising a halogen element at a first temperature greater than a room temperature to expose a portion of the feature layer. In one embodiment, a gas comprising a halogen element is supplied to a chamber. An organic mask layer on an insulating layer over a substrate is etched using the halogen element at a first temperature to form an opening to expose a portion of the insulating layer.
US09852906B2

It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device which includes a thin film transistor having stable electric characteristics. It is another object to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device at lower cost with high productivity. In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which includes a thin film transistor where a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region using an oxide semiconductor layer, a source region, and a drain region are formed using an oxide semiconductor layer, heat treatment for reducing impurities such as moisture (heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation) is performed so as to improve the purity of the oxide semiconductor layer.
US09852905B2

The present disclosure is directed an apparatus for regulating gas flow in a deposition chamber during a deposition process. The apparatus includes an interior wall that forms an accommodating portion that accommodates a wafer support structure and an exterior wall disposed opposite the interior wall. The apparatus further includes an upper surface, coupled to both the interior wall and the exterior wall, that has a plurality of openings therethrough. The plurality of openings are configured to distribute a flow of gas originating above the apparatus when the apparatus is positioned over a gas outlet port of the deposition chamber.
US09852895B2

A mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising an on trap and a fragmentation device. Ions are fragmented in the ion trap to form first generation fragment ions. The ion trap has a relatively high mass cut-off. The first generation fragment ions are then transferred to a fragmentation device which is arranged to have a substantially lower low mass cut-off. The first generation fragment ions are fragmented within the fragmentation device any may optionally be stored in an ion accumulation region prior to being passed to a mass analyser for subsequent mass analysis.
US09852891B2

A method for efficient plasma etching of surfaces inside three-dimensional structures can include positioning an inner electrode within the chamber cavity; evacuating the chamber cavity; adding a first inert gas to the chamber cavity; regulating the pressure in the chamber; generating a plasma sheath along the inner wall of the chamber cavity; adjusting a positive D.C. bias on the inner electrode to establish an effective plasma sheath voltage; adding a first electronegative gas to the chamber cavity; optionally readjusting the positive D.C. bias on the inner electrode reestablish the effective plasma sheath voltage at the chamber cavity; etching the inner wall of the chamber cavity; and polishing the inner wall to a desired surface roughness.
US09852882B2

A magnet having an annular coolant fluid passage is generally described. Various examples provide a magnet including a first magnet and a second magnet disposed around an ion beam coupler with an aperture there through. The first and second magnets each including a metal core having a cavity therein, one or more conductive wire wraps disposed around the metal core, and an annular core element configured to be inserted into the cavity, wherein an annular coolant fluid passage is formed between the cavity and the annular core element. Furthermore, the annular core element may have a first diameter and a middle section having a second diameter, the second diameter being less than the first diameter. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US09852881B2

In order to allow detecting backscattered electrons (BSEs) generated from the bottom of a hole for determining whether a hole with a super high aspect ratio is opened or for inspecting and measuring the ratio of the top diameter to the bottom diameter of a hole, which are typified in 3D-NAND processes of opening a hole, a primary electron beam accelerated at a high accelerating voltage is applied to a sample. Backscattered electrons (BSEs) at a low angle (e.g. a zenith angle of five degrees or more) are detected. Thus, the bottom of a hole is observed using “penetrating BSEs” having been emitted from the bottom of the hole and penetrated the side wall. Using the characteristics in which a penetrating distance is relatively prolonged through a deep hole and the amount of penetrating BSEs is decreased to cause a dark image, a calibration curve expressing the relationship between a hole depth and the brightness is given to measure the hole depth.
US09852878B2

A surface processing apparatus is an apparatus which performs surface processing on an inspection object 20 by irradiating the inspection object with an electron beam. A surface processing apparatus includes: an electron source 10 (including lens system that controls beam shape of electron beam) which generates an electron beam; a stage 30 on which an inspection object 20 to be irradiated with the electron beam is set; and an optical microscope 110 for checking a position to be irradiated with the electron beam. The current value of the electron beam which irradiates the inspection object 20 is set at 10 nA to 100 A.
US09852872B2

Provided is a low-cost magnetron that is excellent in productivity without any adverse effect on characteristics.Two large and small strap rings 11 (11A and 11B) are only disposed at lower ends, or input sides, of a plurality of vanes 10 (10A and 10B) in the direction of a tube axis m. Diameter Rip of a protruding flat surface 41 of an input side pole piece 18 is larger than diameter Rop of a protruding flat surface 40 of an output side pole piece 17. Therefore, it is possible to provide a practical magnetron without a significant decrease in productivity or characteristics from a conventional one, while cutting costs by reducing the number of parts with the use of two strap rings on one side.
US09852868B2

In a chip fuse, a heat-storing layer is formed on an insulated substrate, a fuse film is formed on the heat-storing layer, and a protective film is formed on the fuse element section. The chip fuse includes surface electrode sections on both ends in the length direction of the chip fuse and a fuse element section between the surface electrode sections. In this chip fuse, a rectangular bank section is formed over the heat-storing layer and the surface electrode sections to surround the fuse element section, and a first protective layer is formed on the inner side of the bank section. In addition, during the bank formation process, a sheet-like photosensitive-group-containing material is laminated on the fuse element section, surface electrode sections, and heat-storing layer, and the sheet-like photosensitive-group-containing material is exposed to ultraviolet light and developed to form the rectangular bank section.
US09852863B2

A safety switch for monitoring an access of an automation system includes a stationary part and a movable part. The safety switch has a first housing part having an elongate shape and a second housing part having a shape form-fitted with respect to the first housing part. The first housing part and the second housing part each have magnets. The first housing part is arranged in a fixed position in the stationary part of the access and the second housing part is arranged in the movable part of the access such that the magnetic elements are located opposite one another in a closed state of the access, the magnetic elements are magnetically effective together with one another, and a magnetic retaining force can be measured. The first housing part has a signal receiver and an evaluation unit and the second housing part has a signal transmitter, or vice versa.
US09852855B2

Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
US09852841B2

A coil structure includes a conductor band and a first insulating plate. The conductor band turns around a coil axis in such a manner that the conductor band folds at a plurality of portions which form a plurality of folded portions. The first insulating plate includes a first edge portion which abuts along at least one of the plurality of folded portions. At least part of the conductor band is wound around the first insulating plate.
US09852839B2

Disclosed herein is a coil component that includes: a drum core that includes first and second flange portions having wire connection portions and a winding core portion located between the first and second flange portions; a coated conductive wire that is wound around the winding core portion, each end of the coated conductive wire being connected to respective one of the wire connection portions; and a resin coating layer that covers at least the coated conductive wire located in a first layer in the winding core portion.
US09852834B2

An adjustable solenoid assembly with an adjustable threaded pole having an interference fit section to be used with a complementary threaded receiver (e.g., the bore of the top plate) with an interference fit section. The adjustable threaded sections are used to pull or push the interference fit sections together and allow for precise locating of the interference fit sections and adjustment. The threaded pole may be used to set and maintain a precision working air gap between the pole piece and the plunger of the electromagnetic solenoid assembly. The interference fit holds the pole piece into location while still allowing the solenoid to be adjustable without a loss in flux density.
US09852831B2

This superconducting magnet includes: a superconducting coil that is formed by winding a first superconducting wire rod; a second superconducting wire rod, which is disposed by being thermally in contact with and electrically insulated from the superconducting coil, and which has a superconducting transition temperature that is lower than that of the first superconducting wire rod; voltage terminals that are disposed at a plurality of areas of the second superconducting wire rod; a voltmeter connected to the voltage terminals; and a switch circuit connected to the voltmeter. The switch circuit interrupts a current when receiving an output from the voltmeter, the current being one that is to be supplied to the superconducting coil.
US09852829B2

Provided are a metal nitride material for a thermistor, which exhibits high reliability and high heat resistance and can be directly deposited on a film or the like without firing, a method for producing the metal nitride material for a thermistor, and a film type thermistor sensor. The metal nitride material for a thermistor consists of a metal nitride represented by the general formula: TixAly(N1-wOw)z (where 0.70≦y/(x+y)≦0.95, 0.45≦z≦0.55, 0
US09852827B2

A novel data cable achieves good transmission quality in automotive Internet applications. The data cable has a transmission core with only a single stranded conductor pair or four conductors stranded together to form a quad. The transmission core is surrounded by a jacket having a high air content. The jacket may be a foamed sheath, or alternatively at least one spacer element that defines an annular sheath space with air gaps around the transmission core.
US09852825B2

Provided are: a conductive composition containing a conductive polymer (A) satisfying the below-mentioned condition (i), and a compound (B) having at least 3 hydroxyl groups, and having a pH at 25° C. of a 1 mol/L aqueous solution of no greater than 9.0; a conductive composition that further contains a water-soluble polymer (C) having a hydroxyl group; and a solid electrolytic capacitor having a solid electrolytic layer containing the composition. Condition (i): the volume-average particle size of the smallest particle distribution containing the smallest peak exhibited by the particle size among at least one peak obtained by measuring the particle distribution by means of a dynamic light scattering method using a conductive polymer solution containing 1% by mass of the conductive polymer being less than 26 nm.
US09852820B2

A nuclear steam supply system utilizing gravity-driven natural circulation for primary coolant flow through a fluidly interconnected reactor vessel and a steam generating vessel. In one embodiment, the steam generating vessel includes a plurality of vertically stacked heat exchangers operable to convert a secondary coolant from a saturated liquid to superheated steam by utilizing heat gained by the primary coolant from a nuclear fuel core in the reactor vessel. The secondary coolant may be working fluid associated with a Rankine power cycle turbine-generator set in some embodiments. The steam generating vessel and reactor vessel may each be comprised of vertically elongated shells, which in one embodiment are arranged in lateral adjacent relationship. In one embodiment, the reactor vessel and steam generating vessel are physically discrete self-supporting structures which may be physically located in the same containment vessel.
US09852818B2

Illustrative embodiments provide a reactivity control assembly for a nuclear fission reactor, a reactivity control system for a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a nuclear fission traveling wave reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a method of controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, methods of operating a nuclear fission traveling wave reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a system for controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a method of determining an application of a controllably movable rod, a system for determining an application of a controllably movable rod, and a computer program product for determining an application of a controllably movable rod.
US09852808B2

A memory testing circuit and method are disclosed, the redesigning of a memory to be tested through incorporation therein a testing circuit includes a self-test circuit incorporating a decoder circuit, and a VPPIO I/O module incorporating an encoder circuit and having multiple functions including digital I/O, high analog voltage I/O and current I/O. An oscillator module embedded in the multiplexer circuit provides a clock signal for the testing. The VPPIO I/O module is configured to convert, by the self-test circuit, a stimulating input from a single signal pin to a parallel signal recognizable by the memory and an analog voltage/current signal, thereby accomplishing proper testing of the memory. This enables a single signal pin to test all functions of one memory, thereby increasing the number of memory dies on a wafer tested in parallel by a test instrument and reducing the testing time per wafer as well as testing cost.
US09852799B2

Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for managing configuration parameters for non-volatile data storage. A control module is configured to manage differences in one or more storage characteristics for blocks of a non-volatile memory medium within one or more established limits. A block classification module is configured to group blocks of a non-volatile memory medium based on one or more other storage characteristics. A configuration parameter module is configured to use a configuration parameter for at least one group of blocks based on a grouping. A configuration parameter update module is configured to update a configuration parameter for at least one group in response to a change in one or more managed storage characteristics.
US09852797B2

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.
US09852790B1

A resistive processing unit (RPU) includes a circuit including at least two current mirrors connected in series, and a capacitor connected with the at least two current mirrors, the capacitor providing a weight based on a charge level of the capacitor. The capacitor is charged or discharged by one of the at least two current mirrors.
US09852772B2

For playing an interactive audiovisual movie, a movie episode data object which comprises a plurality of audio/video segments, separate audio tracks, and playback instructions is stored (51) in a data store of a computerized playback device. The playback device retrieves (52) the playback instructions and, in accordance with the playback instructions, retrieves (S31) and plays (532) audio/video segments, generates (535) interface elements for receiving from a user decision commands while playing the audio/video segments, and retrieves (S31) and plays (S32) further audio/video segments depending on the user decision commands. The playback device further retrieves (S33) one of the separate audio tracks and plays (S34) the separate audio track uninterruptedly while playing an end of a first audio/video segment and a start of a second audio/video segment which is played subsequently to the first audio/video segment. Thus, an audio track is played uninterruptedly across the boundary of two consecutive audio/video segments.
US09852770B2

Technologies for generating a media compilation include comparing video metadata associated with a video to audio metadata associated with a plurality of digital songs to determine one or more matches between the compared metadata. The metadata defines various characteristics of the corresponding video and digital songs, and each match is indicative of a similar characteristic of the video and a corresponding digital song. One or more sync points are generated based on the determined matches and one or more songs are selected based on the sync points. The sync points may be prioritized based on the characteristics associated with the sync point and/or the degree of similarity. The video and the selected digital song(s) are subsequently compiled based on the associated sync points.
US09852761B2

A method is performed at a multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface. User selection of an audio or video file to be sent in an electronic message is detected. In response to detecting a first input by the user, an audio or video file editing interface is displayed. The editing interface comprises: a time bar, a user-adjustable begin-edit icon, and a user-adjustable end-edit icon. The distance between the user-adjustable begin-edit icon and the user-adjustable end-edit icon is constrained to be equal to or less than a distance that corresponds to a predefined maximum allowable size for the file. In response to detecting a second input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface, at least one of the begin-edit icon and the end-edit icon is adjusted in the audio or video file editing interface. The audio or video file is edited to a shorter.
US09852758B1

In an approach for preventing damage to a tape library, a processor receives a first sensor reading, wherein the first sensor is located within a tape library. A processor receives a second sensor reading, wherein the second sensor is located external to the tape library. A processor determines that the second sensor reading is greater than or equal to the first sensor reading. A processor receives an indication that a door to the tape library is open. Responsive to receiving the indication that the door to the tape library is open, a processor disables a fan.
US09852755B2

This thin film magnetic head includes a magnetic pole including an end surface exposed on an air bearing surface, and a contact detection section including a magnetic material layer provided near the air bearing surface, and a magnetic-domain stabilizing structure stabilizing a magnetic domain structure of the magnetic material layer.
US09852754B1

Apparatus and method for managing a data storage device during extended idle conditions of the data storage device in which host access commands are not being received or serviced. In some embodiments, upon detection of an idle condition, a control circuit identifies a selected data transducer of the data storage device and a corresponding initial radial position of the data transducer with respect to an associated rotatable data recording surface. The control circuit performs a serpentine seek operation during the idle condition to gradually advance the selected data transducer in a selected radial direction across the data recording surface beginning at the initial radial position and ending at a final radial position. The serpentine seek operation prevents the transducer from being maintained in a stationary position during the idle condition, reducing the likelihood of damage through thermal asperity contact events, lubrication disturb, wear, etc.
US09852751B2

This thin film magnetic head includes: a magnetic pole including an end surface exposed on an air bearing surface; and a heating element including a first branch and a second branch and configured to heat a vicinity of the magnetic pole. The first branch and the second branch each expand along a stacking surface and are coupled in parallel to each other. The stacking surface intersects the air bearing surface.
US09852747B1

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a first module having a plurality of first write transducers, and a plurality of second modules each having a second write transducer. Planes of deposition of write gaps of the second write transducers are oriented at an angle of greater than 4 degrees relative to planes of deposition of write gaps of the first write transducers. An apparatus according to another embodiment includes a plurality of first modules each having a first write transducer, and a plurality of second modules each having a second write transducer. Planes of deposition of write gaps of the second write transducers are oriented at an angle of greater than 4 degrees relative to planes of deposition of write gaps of the first write transducers.
US09852732B2

A method of operating a communication system includes generating a transcript of at least a portion of a conversation between a plurality of users. The transcript includes a plurality of subsets of characters. The method further includes displaying the transcript on a plurality of communication devices, identifying an occurrence of at least one selected subset of characters from the plurality of subsets of characters, and querying a definition source for at least one definition for the selected subset of characters. The definition for the selected subset of characters is displayed on the plurality of communication devices.
US09852720B2

Disclosed are devices and methods for reducing resonant vibrations in impact tools. The embodiments disclosed herein include the use of certain particles positioned within an impact tool, such as a drumstick, for converting the energy of vibration to heat energy resulting from collisions between the particles.
US09852711B2

A content receiver may establish a communication connection with an entertainment system component. Utilizing the communication connection, the content receiver may control the entertainment system component in order to synchronize user interfaces the content receiver is operable to provide with user interfaces the entertainment system component is operable to provide. Hence, the user interfaces provided by the various entertainment system components may more closely resemble user interfaces of the content receiver, reducing user confusion. The content receiver may synchronize such user interfaces by altering software of the entertainment system component. In altering the software, the content receiver may replace or modify the software to change one or more aspects of one or more entertainment system user interfaces to that of one or more aspects of a content receiver user interface. The aspects may include visual properties, audio properties, and so on.
US09852708B2

A scan line to which a selection signal or a non-selection signal is input from its end, and a transistor in which a clock signal is input to a gate, the non-selection signal is input to a source, and a drain is connected to the scan line are provided. A signal input to the end of the scan line is switched from the selection signal to the non-selection signal at the same or substantially the same time as the transistor is turned on. The non-selection signal is input not only from one end but also from both ends of the scan line. This makes it possible to inhibit the potentials of portions in the scan line from being changed at different times.
US09852699B2

A backlight unit includes a power converter which generates a light source power voltage at a first node in response to a voltage control signal, at least one light emitting diode string which is connected between the first node and a second node and receives the light source power voltage through the first node, and a controller connected to the second node where the controller detects current of a detection node varying based on a duty ratio of the power control signal, and controls current flowing through the second node when the detected current is greater than a reference value.
US09852691B2

A display device, system having the same, and pixel are disclosed. In one aspect, the display device includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels and a plurality of wireless power receivers. The display device also includes a wireless power transmitter configured to generate and wirelessly transmit power to the wireless power receivers. Each of the wireless power receivers is configured to wirelessly receive the power from the wireless power transmitter and provide a first power supply voltage to the pixels. The display device further includes a power supply configured to generate an initial power supply voltage and provide the initial power supply voltage to the wireless power transmitter.
US09852688B2

A pixel including an organic light-emitting diode, a capacitor, a first transistor including a gate electrode connected to a second node, a first electrode connected to a first source voltage line, and a second electrode configured to output a current corresponding to a voltage applied to the second node, a second transistor including a gate electrode connected to a first scan line, an electrode connected to a data line, a third transistor including a gate electrode connected to the first scan line, a first electrode connected to the first transistor, and a second electrode connected to the first transistor, a fourth transistor including a gate electrode connected to a second scan line, a first electrode connected to the first transistor, and a second electrode connected to an initialization voltage line, and a fifth transistor including a gate electrode and an electrode connected to an emission control line.
US09852687B2

A display device comprising pixel circuits arranged in a matrix, in which each of the pixel circuits includes: an EL element; a capacitor for storing voltage; a drive transistor that provides, to the EL element, a current corresponding to the voltage stored in the capacitor to cause the EL element to emit light; a voltage supplier that applies a reference voltage to the drive transistor in an initialization period, and applies a reverse bias voltage to the drive transistor in a predetermined period before the initialization period, the reference voltage being higher than a threshold voltage of the drive transistor and providing a forward bias between the gate and source electrodes of the drive transistor, the initialization period being a period for initializing the pixel circuit, the reverse bias voltage providing a reverse bias between the gate and source electrodes of the drive transistor.
US09852668B2

An apparatus and related methods includes a base attached to an upright structure (such as a street light pole), a mounting bracket that releasably engages the base while supporting a hanging banner, and an install adapter that releasably holds the mounting bracket and banner until the mounting bracket attaches to the base. A removal adapter facilitates disengaging the mounting bracket and banner from the base. The mounting bracket and install adapter (and removal adapter) are attached to a pole and engage (and disengage) remotely and without using separate fasteners, thus allowing a worker to install (or remove) banners high on the upright structure while standing on the ground. The base and mounting bracket have tapered shapes that wedgingly engage, secured by a spring-biased friction retainer. The install adapter and removal adapter have structures that facilitate remote install and removal of the mounting bracket from the base.
US09852665B2

A receipt and label roll comprises a core and a web having a longitudinally-extending axis and wound on the core along the axis. The web includes (i) a substrate having a front side and a back side opposite the front side, (ii) a thermally-sensitive coating disposed on the front side of the substrate, (iii) adhesive disposed on a portion of the back side of the substrate along the web axis, and (iv) a release coating disposed on the front side of the substrate along the web axis to prevent the adhesive from sticking to the front side of the substrate when the web is wound on the core. The web further includes (v) a longitudinal weakened structure extending along a direction parallel to the web axis and dividing the web into a first web portion on which the adhesive is disposed and a second web portion which is substantially devoid of adhesive.
US09852662B2

A beverage identification device is provided and generally has an identification member, a rotation member rotatably attached to the identification member, and an attachment mechanism extending from the identification member.
US09852655B2

Systems, methods, and products for language learning that may determine a level score of a learner based upon responsive inputs received from the learner during sessions. A pedagogical value threshold is determined based upon the level score of the learner and a resource difficulty score of a resource containing text having one or more words. Each word having a word difficulty score satisfying the pedagogical value threshold is stored into a non-transitory machine-readable storage media keyword store.
US09852648B2

A method of automated domain knowledge structure generation includes crawling learning materials. The method may include extracting structural information from the learning materials. The method may include extracting knowledge points from the learning materials. The method may include inferring dependency relationships between the knowledge points. The method may include aligning one or more of the knowledge points with one or more of the learning materials. The method may also include generating a domain knowledge structure. The domain knowledge structure may include the extracted knowledge points organized at least partially according to the inferred hierarchy and dependency relationships. The extracted knowledge points may include the aligned learning materials.
US09852634B2

In one example embodiment, an operator alertness monitoring system may include a proximate condition monitor that is configured to issue an alert to direct an operator's attention to a detected hazardous condition, and an operator alertness monitor that is configured to detect the operator's physical reaction to the issued alert and instruct the proximate condition monitor to respond to the operator's detected physical reaction to the issued alert.
US09852630B2

A distributed remote sensing system including at least one gateway, at least one sensing device and a communication interface providing radio frequency communication through a shared frequency scheme between each sensing device and one of the at least one gateway and between each sensing device and another of the at least one gateway through a different frequency scheme.
US09852629B2

Methods and systems are provided herein for tracking vehicles' locations within a parking area. A vehicle identifier may be assigned to a vehicle entering the parking area. A plurality of light sensors may be employed in the parking area to guide the vehicle to an unoccupied parking spot and/or to determine where the vehicle is ultimately parked. In some embodiments, the plurality of light sensors may each be configured to receive and retransmit locally, e.g., to neighboring light sensors, the vehicle identifier on detection of physical presence of the vehicle. In this manner, the vehicle identifier “travels” with the vehicle among the plurality of light sensors to the vehicle's final parking spot. A driver later reclaiming a vehicle may provide a vehicle identifier to a parking kiosk, which may provide output indicative of the vehicle's location in the parking area.
US09852628B2

A vacant parking spot notification system for a vehicle includes a controller that, in response to receiving a user initiated signal indicative of the user's intent to cause a parked vehicle to vacate a parking spot and confirmation that operating parameters reflective of vehicle departure are present, broadcasts geographic coordinates of the vehicle.
US09852625B2

A method is provided for providing a tutorial message to a driver in a vehicle using an in-vehicle tutorial system including a multimodal user interface. The method includes assigning an area of improvement, including at least one tutorial task, to the tutorial system, identifying a driving context for which a tutorial task is to be performed, based on the tutorial task and the driving context, selecting a tutorial message encouraging a desired driving behavior, and providing the selected tutorial message to the driver using the multimodal user interface.
US09852624B2

A driver safety system includes traffic signals communicating with a municipal controller via a first network and user devices communicating with a third party controller via a second network. Communications from the first network are provided to the second network via a repeater server providing one-way communications to avoid the possibility of hacking devices on the first network.
US09852621B2

A tool for a crossing aid on a mobile device. The tool determines a unique ID associated with a crossing signal, wherein determining the unique ID associated with the crossing signal includes scanning a machine-readable tag of the crossing signal via near field communication. The tool searches for a wireless access point (WAP) having the unique ID. The tool determines whether the WAP having the unique ID is found. Responsive to determining that the WAP having the unique ID is found, the tool determines haptic feedback.
US09852618B2

A keycode data structure includes a device type byte, a set of keycodes, system code information, a system data byte, a protocol pointer that points to a protocol table and a number of flagbytes that are used to index a particular key among the keycodes. The keycode data structure also contains a plurality of keycode data structure pointers (KDSPs). Keycode data structures are linked together using KDSPs. A special value in the keycode data structure is used to indicate that the keycode data structure contains multiple KDSPs. The number of pointers is stored in a particular location of the keycode data structure.
US09852617B2

The present invention relates to an inverter device. Regard to the problem in the traditional convert device that the user is difficult to obtain the information shown on the display panel in time; the state of the inverter can not be switched remotely after the user leaves; discharging or early switching-off caused by missing battery information; and the draught fan can only be at the state of ‘full-speed-start’ or switch-off, the invention provides an inverter device, it is configured with an extensible flexible wire to fix the display panel of the inverter to the place the user wants to for getting the information of the inverter in time; by virtue of wireless transmission, user can control the state of the inverter remotely; by adding a test module to the inverter device, it avoids the waste of electricity which is caused by the discharging of the battery-to-convert and switching off.
US09852613B2

A method and monitoring center for monitoring occurrence of events in a monitored area, where a monitoring equipment displays information that reflects sensor data reported from sensors in the monitored area. When the monitoring center detects an abnormal event, it identifies a set of sensors which are potentially impacted by the event, and triggers the sensors to enter a vigilance state of elevated operation and to deliver enhanced sensor data. Further, a representation of the abnormal event is auto-zoomed on the monitoring equipment based on the enhanced sensor data from the sensors to increase resolution of the displayed representation.
US09852611B2

The problem of the vulnerability of an alarm system when its communication with an alarm central is lost or nonexistent is solved by maintaining a monitoring channel with the alarm system. A server establishes and maintains the communication channel with the alarm system via an interface module connected to the alarm system, and if the alarm system is unable to communicate with an alarm central receiver, or if the first communication channel is closed, then the server connects to one or both of the alarm central receiver and a user's phone, so as to communicate a message thereto indicative of a breach or failure of the alarm system. The alarm system is connected to the alarm central through the monitoring server which then acts as a gateway.
US09852605B2

Systems and methods of adjusting a pre-alarm time are provided, including detecting, by a sensor, an entry into a building by a person and generating detection data according to the detected entry. A processor communicatively coupled to the sensor adjusts a pre-alarm time according to the detection data. An alarm is output, by an alarm device communicatively coupled to at least the processor, according to the detection data and the adjusted pre-alarm time.
US09852602B2

Methods and a computing device are disclosed. A computing device may aggregate a number of inputs indicative of a presence or an absence of a human being within a proximity of the computing device. A source of at least one of the inputs may be a human presence sensor. A source of other inputs may provide an indication of the presence of a human being with corresponding estimated probabilities or corresponding estimated reliabilities which may provide an estimate of an accuracy of respective indications. In some embodiments, if any of the number of inputs indicate the presence of a human being, the computing device may determine that a human being is present. In other embodiments, if a corresponding estimated probability or reliability of an input is less than a predetermined value, then the input may be discarded when determining whether a human being is present.
US09852595B2

A monitoring support apparatus which supports a monitoring system using a comparison method for real time and archived film and/or photographs. It relates to image capturing devices and, particularly, to an image capturing device which can automatically compare photographs and/or film and compare the differences in a selected time or an archive to a present situation. This relates to systems for video viewing/monitoring films or photographs and determining what changes have occurred. The process comprises: a general Flicker Process: Step 1: Establish Photograph/Film baseline; Step 2: Select comparison Photograph/Film Future or Past; Step 3: Time Lapse between the baseline and a comparison frame; Step 4: Contrast Base and Comparison Selected Computer App/Streaming/etc.; Step 5: Flash/Color/Highlight/“Box-In”/Ghost etc. differences; Step 6: Record/Save Contrasted Comparison; and Step 7: Take Action: Report, Respond, Call Authorities, or other.
US09852591B1

An alarm extension system that takes an interior alarm condition and extends it to the exterior of a structure. In various embodiments, the present invention is a system and method that links to an existing alarm (smoke detector, burglar alarm, etc.) and activates a flashing mode in one or more exterior lights or an exterior siren. Thus, during an alarm condition within the house or other structure, a neighbor or anyone passing by can become aware of the alarm condition. This method of signaling thus alerts many in the surrounding area of a situation within the building that may require emergency assistance.
US09852585B2

A system providing a community award to player is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines and a system controller. Each gaming machine is configured receive a wager from a respective player and responsively initiate a game. The system controller is coupled to each of the gaming machines and includes a database with a community awards list including a plurality of total award probabilities, each total award probability associated with a corresponding number of players. The system controller is then configured to detect a triggering condition; responsively determine a number of players playing the plurality of gaming machines; determine a total award probability as a function of the determined number of players and the community award list; and provide a community award to at least one of the plurality of players as a function of the determined total award probability.
US09852583B2

Methods of administering wagering games may involve accepting a base game wager from a player to participate in a base game. The base game may involve presenting one or more lammers in response to an occurrence of one or more chance events, acceptance of one or more player instructions affecting game play of the base game, or the occurrence of the one or more chance events and the acceptance of the one or more player instructions affecting the game play of the base game in response to the occurrence of the one or more chance events. A side wager may be accepted from the player before any qualifying lammers can be presented. The side wager may be resolved by determining whether any qualifying lammers have been presented. A payout on the side wager may be paid to the player in response to a presence of at least one qualifying lammer.
US09852582B2

Systems and methods provide a comp policy associated with a game of chance. A gaming device includes a processor programmed to provide the game of chance to a player. A first computing device is configured to implement the comp policy that includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one comp eligibility criterion for determining whether the player is eligible for the at least one comp. The player accrues progress towards meeting the at least one comp eligibility criterion at an accrual rate. A second computing device is coupled to the first computing device. The second computing device is configured to transmit data to said first computing device to adjust the accrual progress.
US09852576B2

A gaming device configured to operate in a marketing mode or a standard gaming mode dependent upon the determination of whether the user is a preselected user or not.
US09852574B2

In various embodiments, the present disclosure generally relates to gaming systems and methods which utilize a symbol matrix or symbol field in conjunction with a movable symbol display window to randomly select different subsets of symbols from the symbol matrix and provide different awards to players based on such selected symbol subsets.
US09852572B2

Methods and apparatuses for increasing the leak-resistance of cryptographic systems are disclosed. A cryptographic token maintains secret key data based on a top-level key. The token can produce updated secret key data using an update process that makes partial information that might have previously leaked to attackers about the secret key data no longer usefully describe the new updated secret key data. By repeatedly applying the update process, information leaking during cryptographic operations that is collected by attackers rapidly becomes obsolete. Thus, such a system can remain secure against attacks involving analysis of measurements of the device's power consumption, electromagnetic characteristics, or other information leaked during transactions. Transactions with a server can be secured with the token.
US09852571B2

This paper sheet processing device is provided with a casing (10), an intake unit (20), an identification unit (60), a second transportation unit (50) for transporting sheets of paper substantially horizontally, a plurality of collection units (80, 90) for collecting the sheets of paper transported by the second transportation unit (50), and vaned rollers (81, 91) provided correspondingly with respect to the collection units (80, 90). With regards to any two of the collection units (80, 90) that are adjacent to one another, the direction of rotation of the vaned roller (81) corresponding to one of the collection units (80, 90) and the direction of rotation of the vaned roller (91) corresponding to the other collection unit (80, 90) are opposite each other.
US09852569B2

An apparatus for conveying money items, which is configured to singulate money items during conveyance, sense characteristics of money items during conveyance and eject money items from a conveyor.
US09852568B2

An apparatus and method for checking value documents, in particular bank notes, and a value-document processing system having at least one sensor for capturing an electromagnetic radiation. Transmitted by a value document and generating corresponding first sensor signals and for capturing an electromagnetic radiation remitted by the value document and generating corresponding second sensor signals, and an evaluation device for checking whether the value document has a foreign object. In particular adhesive tape, taking into account the first and second sensor signals which correspond to the electromagnetic radiation respectively transmitted or remitted in the region of the edge of the value document. The apparatus and method prevent a deformation in the region of the edge of a value document from being identified as a foreign object.
US09852567B2

Provided is a housing with at least two doors for locking respective housing openings, comprising: a locking unit, which, for each of the doors, has a respective locking-element module with at least one locking body and with a locking drive for actuating the locking body, wherein the locking drive for the locking-element modules has a common drive element, which can be moved and moves the locking body/bodies for just one of the doors into an unlocking setting and, in a second adjustment position, moves the locking bodies for all of the doors into an unlocking setting; or locking units, wherein one or more respective locking units can be activated for unlocking the associated door of the at least two doors of the housing, and respective locking units can be activated for unlocking all of the associated doors of the at least two doors of the housing.
US09852565B2

A method for operating a locking system comprising an electronic key and an electronic lock and a central unit which in locking operation is used locally separately from the electronic key and the electronic lock, wherein in the method an external authorization code is generated by the central unit by means of an authorization code determination program, the external authorization code is transferred to the electronic key and the external authorization code is saved in a memory by the electronic key, wherein, on interaction of the electronic key with the electronic lock, the external authorization code is read out from the memory by the electronic lock and is checked by a processor of the electronic lock in that, using an internal authorization code determination program, the processor itself determines an internal authorization code and compares it with the external authorization code received by the electronic key and wherein, in the event of the determined internal authorization code being identical to the transferred external authorization code, the processor permits an opening process.
US09852563B2

A method to learn and then pair with a pre-installed access control system of a vehicle is discussed. Communication is exchanged between the access control system and a backend cloud-based system. Required data of the access control system including its particular authentication code is extracted by a learning device. A vehicle matching data is sent to the backend cloud-based system and the vehicle is registered with the backend cloud-based system. The learning device is registered to the access control system in accordance with learning procedures implemented in the vehicle as remote entry key. The learning device is coupled to a Radio Frequency signal transmitter that has Application-Specific Integrated Circuits to generate stable RF signals at multiple frequency wavelengths. Registration of learning device includes, receiving a first access control telegram message, transmitting the first access control telegram message to the access control system, pairing the learning device with the access control system.
US09852562B2

Systems and methods for providing redundant access control systems with removable wireless buttons are disclosed. According to some embodiments of the invention, the systems and methods include a smart lock with a button that is enabled to communicate to a network device, a central access server, or an administrator device. When a user requests access to the lock, the removable wireless button communicates the request to the network device, administrator device, or central access server. The removable wireless button is configured to communicate directly to the central access server and the administrator device, or indirectly through a network device. The button may be detached from the cylinder and docked onto a recharge station. In some embodiments, the removable wireless button includes an inertial module motion sensor that determines whether a door is open or closed.
US09852556B2

A dynamic entrance controlling system (1) includes two wireless signal receiving devices (11), an image capturing device (12) and a host (13). The two wireless signal receiving devices (11) respectively sense a target (2) entering a restrained area and obtain an ID information (ID1) of the target (2), and the host (13) determines a moving direction of the target (2) according to the order of the two wireless signal receiving devices (11) of obtaining the ID information (ID1). If the moving direction matches with a certain condition, the host (13) reads internally a pre-stored image information (I1) of the target (2) according to the ID information (ID1), and triggers the image capturing device (12) to capture a real-time image information (I2) for the target (2). Next, the host (13) compares the two image information (I1, I2) in order to recognize an identity of the target (2).
US09852551B2

A system for programmatically determining location information in connection with a transport service is disclosed. A driver can operate a driver device and can be assigned to provide a transport service for a user. Based on the current location of the driver device with respect to the pickup location for the user, and based on when the driver provides input indicating that the transport service has begun, the system can identify a previous location of the driver device as a start location of the transport service.
US09852546B2

Aspects of the present invention provide computer systems, apparatuses, computer-executable methods and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media for receiving gesture input via virtual controls. Examples include a computer-implemented method that includes receiving data indicating a physical environment state, processing the data to determine a physical position of at least one user, determining at least one physical anchor position within the physical environment state, mapping the physical anchor position to a virtual anchor position within a virtual environment state, wherein the virtual environment state includes a plurality of virtual coordinate positions that map to at least a portion of the physical environment state, determining a particular virtual coordinate position for at least one virtual control from the plurality of virtual coordinate positions, and instructing a display device configured to display the virtual environment state to display the virtual control at the particular virtual coordinate position.
US09852542B1

In one general aspect, a method can include accessing, from a database, a plurality of user-specified planar indicators within a real-world space where the plurality of user-specified planar indicators can be associated with a plurality of images of an object and identifying planar locations for the plurality of images within the real-world space. The method can include accessing, from the database, a plurality of model planar indicators within a model space where the plurality of model planar indicators can be associated, during modeling of the object as a three-dimensional model within the model space, with a plurality of locations of a plurality of image capture devices associated with the plurality of images. The method can also include aligning, at a computing device, at least a portion of the plurality of model planar indicators with at least a portion of the plurality of user-specified planar indicators.
US09852540B2

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for generating a lighting value based on a number of lighting factors. A lighting accelerator first converts an ambient portion, a diffuse light portion, and a specular light portion of the lighting factors into the log domain. Then, data combination units operate on the lighting factors after they have been converted. Then, the lighting factors are converted back from the log domain using anti-log processing. Converting the lighting factors into the log domain is accomplished by using a series of linear equations using coefficients that are all based on powers of two, and are therefore easily calculable. Further, while in the log domain, the specular light portion of the lighting factor is operated on by a special purpose multiplier that uses a truncated partial product tree, saving area and power with only a negligible amount of error.
US09852532B2

A projection device and an information processing method are described. The projecting device includes a display image generation unit for generating a plurality of frames of the continuous images to be displayed; a light source unit for receiving the plurality of frames of the continuous images to be displayed generated by the display image generation unit and forming a corresponding set of the light rays sequentially; a light path transformation unit having N kinds of optical states, N is the natural number greater than 1; a projecting unit for projecting the light rays inputted to it to the first to Nth projection regions; and a control unit for controlling the light source unit so that the images to be displayed are switched in a predetermined frequency, and for controlling the light path transformation unit so that the N kinds of optical states are switched in the predetermined frequency.
US09852531B2

A method for controlling an electronic apparatus includes determining representative colors of pixels of a received image frame; calculating input dynamic ranges for respective representative colors based on brightness information of the received image frame; expanding a dynamic range for the representative colors based on at least one of the brightness information of the received image frame and display characteristics of the electronic apparatus; and outputting an image frame having adjusted brightness based on the expanded dynamic range.
US09852520B2

A method and apparatus are provided for implementing reduced video stream bandwidth requirements when remotely rendering a complex computer graphics scene. Complexity of a scene is reduced at a server, prior to rendering a video stream that comprises the scene and transmitting the video stream to a client. Reducing the complexity of a scene at the server includes adjusting predefined scene configuration parameters. The order and degree to which predefined scene configuration parameters are adjusted is based upon a required stream bandwidth reduction to be made.
US09852514B2

Disclosed is a method for measuring movement and/or deformation of a study part subjected to an external stress, the method implementing a color digital image acquisition device and image correlation unit. The method includes: acquisition (250) of a plurality of color digital images of the surface of the study part by way of the color digital image acquisition device during the application of an external stress on the study part, and processing (260) of the color digital images acquired in the step of acquisition of a plurality of color digital images so as to highlight contrasting details on variable scales.
US09852511B2

A method for detecting and tracking a target object is described. The method includes performing motion-based tracking for a current video frame by comparing a previous video frame and the current video frame. The method also includes selectively performing object detection in the current video frame based on a tracked parameter.
US09852508B2

The present disclosure relates to a image data generating method and device. The device may be configured to obtain a plurality of frames of images of a scene including at least one object, each of the plurality of frames of images is associated with a character distance of a plurality of character distances of the electronic device. For each of the plurality of frames of images, device may determine a target image area, wherein the target image area is an image area on which an object in the scene is sharply focused; and set a focus area in the target image area. Finally, the device may generate an all-focused image by combining the plurality of frames of images, wherein each of the at least one object is sharply focused.
US09852505B2

A system is disclosed that includes an intubating scope and image capture device configured to capture one or more images of an interior of a subject's throat during swallowing of bolus. The system also includes a computing device configured to receive the captured one or more images. The computing device is also configured to analyze the image(s) to measure an amount of tissue covered by bolus in the one or more images. Further, the computing device is configured to present information indicating the measure of the amount of tissue covered by bolus.
US09852492B2

Briefly, embodiments of methods and/or systems of detecting and image of a human face in a digital image are disclosed. For one embodiment, as an example, parameters of a neural network may be developed to generate object labels for digital images. The developed parameters may be refined by a neural network to generate signal sample value levels corresponding to probability that a human face may be depicted at a localized region of a digital image.
US09852487B1

A method includes providing a processor and receiving a request to inspect property for sale. The method also includes establishing an audio-visual remote presence connection between at least one buyer and at least one agent, transmitting a plurality of purchase information to at least the buyer, and receiving a plurality of buyer requests for additional information. The method further includes generating, using the processor, a response to at least one of the plurality of buyer requests for additional information and delivering the response to the buyer.
US09852486B2

A monitoring device, system and method are provided for in-home/on-premises monitoring of usage of utilities, such as electricity and other services. The monitoring device receives information from a smart meter, and displays usage through a display, illuminating an area using a color indicative of the current cost of consumption, and varying the illuminated area at a rate indicative of a rate of consumption or other metric, the varying of the illuminated area simulating movement in the display. The display provides a consumer with “at a glance” visual information on current usage. Optionally a digital display screen provides detailed alphanumeric and graphical information, through a number of selectable display modes. One or more devices may be networked, and interface directly or indirectly with a transceiver of a smart metering system, or a retrofit transceiver for a conventional meter. Monitoring of other utilities and services may alternatively or additionally be provided.
US09852466B2

Approving a group purchase request for a group of articles. A sub-group of articles is selected, wherein a unique article approval index is assigned to each of the articles and a highest article approval index is determined among the unique article approval indexes of the articles of the group, wherein the article of the group is selected into the sub-group if the article of the group complies with at least one of following article selection criteria: the unique article approval index of the article of the group is above a predetermined approval index threshold and the unique approval index of the article of the group is equal to the highest article approval index; approving the group purchase request for the group if the group purchase request for the sub-group is approved; and rejecting the group purchase request for the group if the group purchase request for the sub-group is rejected.
US09852459B1

The present disclosure provides a system and method for analyzing customer communications to provide better customer service including generating customer related data from communications of a customer by at least one sensing device located in a venue, transmitting the generated customer related data to an analysis engine, determining based on an analysis of the customer related data a customer experience, identifying at least one suggestion to provide better customer service including the identification of a representative of the venue that the analysis engine has determined can assist the customer, and receiving the at least one suggestion including an indication that the representative should assist the customer from the analysis engine by a computing device associated with the representative of the venue.
US09852453B2

Personalized messages are generated from a message template with high throughput by transforming data sources of the message template to key-value data structures that are stored in-memory and performing data look-ups using the in-memory key-value data structures.
US09852449B2

A mobile computing device includes a processor, a display coupled to the processor, a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store user-specific data, and a location-determining circuit configured to determine the location of the portable electronic device. The processor is configured to provide advertisement data on the display based upon the location of the portable electronic device and the user-specific data.
US09852436B2

Systems and methods for determining whether a point-of-interest (POI) corresponds to a tourist location are provided. A method includes receiving a set of assessments for the POI. Each assessment in the set of assessments includes an associated user account. Each assessment in the set of assessments includes a web-based assessment or an in-person assessment of the POI by the associated user account. The method also includes, for plural assessments in the set of assessments, determining whether the associated user account is a tourist user account or a local user account. The method also includes determining a touristiness value for the POI based on a number of in-person assessments including an associated tourist user account, a number of in-person assessments including an associated local user account, a number of web-based assessments including an associated tourist user account, or a number of web-based assessments including an associated local user account.
US09852433B2

Systems and methods are provided for reducing consumer electronic device returns. According to various aspects, a server receives (505) usage data of an electronic communication device by a consumer. The server examines (510) existing usage indicating correlations between various usage factors of additional devices and return incidents of the additional devices, and calculates (515) individual probabilities of return for the various usage factors and a total probability of return for the electronic communication device. In embodiments, if any of the individual probabilities or the total probability meets or exceeds a threshold probability, the server contacts (535) at least one of the electronic communication device or the consumer.
US09852429B2

A method or system that receives a product definition that includes a feature family having data defining one or more product features. The product definition including one or more corresponding rules defining one or more relationships between one or more product features. The method or system receiving input selecting one or more feature families of interest. The method or system identifying the one or more rules that provide a relationship connecting the one or more feature families to the selected feature families of interest. The method or system converting the identified rules to one or more positive logic rule groups. The method or system generating one or more global representations of the product definition by interacting the one or more positive logic rule groups to produce a result that defines the relationship between the interacted positive logic rule groups and storing the results that are determined as being valid.
US09852419B2

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing Near Field Communications. In certain embodiments, an Android mobile operating system based mobile device is configured with software that, when executed by one or more processors, determines whether the mobile device is to perform an NFC communication with a contactless payment terminal (CPT) using a secure element associated with an NFC controller included in the mobile device. Based on the determination, the mobile device is configured to execute software that performs communications with the CPT using the NFC controller.
US09852413B2

Terminals connected to a POS terminal can execute appropriate processes using functions of a browser. A POS system 1 has a first tablet terminal 101 that runs a browser; a second tablet terminal 102 that runs a browser; and a POS control device 11 that is communicatively connected to the first tablet terminal 101 and the second tablet terminal 102, and has a communication unit 20b that sends data received from the browser running on the first tablet terminal 101 to the browser running on the second tablet terminal 102.
US09852411B2

Disclosed is a card payment apparatus. An aspect of the present invention is directed to provide a card payment apparatus, which is accessed to a portable communication apparatus or a computer without a card terminal, and then, performs a payment process by using a contactless card or a contact card.
US09852409B2

Systems and related methods facilitating interactions between a merchant device, a central system and a consumer device are discussed herein. Wallet identifying data may be used to secure messages between the consumer device and the merchant device over a wireless link. For example, the merchant device may include circuitry configured to wirelessly receive the wallet identifying data from a consumer device and to transmit the wallet identifying data to the central system. In response, consumer identifying data associated with the wallet identifying data may be received by the merchant device from the central system. In some embodiments, the consumer identifying data may be associated with a unit of location, such as a dine-in location at a restaurant, to facilitate consumer service.
US09852404B2

Techniques are provided which engage users and increase social interaction in group buying. Methods and systems may target users with a first advertisement comprising one or more proposed deals based at least in part on the users' electronic calendar entry information. The advertisements may be served and displayed in the users' electronic calendars. Users' responses to the proposed deal may be tracked. Users may be targeted and served with additional advertisements based at least in part the users' responses to the proposed deal included in the first advertisement and the calendar entry information. Users may forward the advertisements to other individuals to encourage them to participate in the proposed deals in order to receive additional discounts.
US09852387B2

An approach relating to providing a user an ability to place sites into multiple categories and providing applications an ability to query a configuration for members of the categories. The approach not only may provide a user an ability to easily create, deploy, modify and monitor a multi-site enterprise hundreds and thousands of remote building management system site controllers and allow the user to establish each site within the context of a single enterprise group, but it may also incorporate where the site controllers can be identified, sorted or managed within multiple categorical groupings. For example, categorical groupings may facilitate managing the configurations at the sites, applying an operational setting by selecting a logical category, applying common operating parameters to multiple sites, and so forth.
US09852379B2

Systems and methods described herein utilize supervised machine learning to generate a figure-of-speech prediction model for classify content words in a running text as either being figurative (e.g., as a metaphor, simile, etc.) or non-figurative (i.e., literal). The prediction model may extract and analyze any number of features in making its prediction, including a topic model feature, unigram feature, part-of-speech feature, concreteness feature, concreteness difference feature, literal context feature, non-literal context feature, and off-topic feature, each of which are described in detail herein. Since uses of figure of speech in writings may signal content sophistication, the figure-of-speech prediction model allows scoring engines to further take into consideration a text's use of figure of speech when generating a score.
US09852371B2

A method and system for analysis of data, including creating a first node, determining a first hyper-cube for the first node, determining whether a sample resides within the first hyper-cube. If the sample does not reside within the first hyper-cube, the method includes determining whether the sample resides within a first hyper-sphere, wherein the first hyper-sphere has a radius equal to a diagonal of the first hyper-cube.
US09852361B1

Image backup using a trained image classifier is disclosed. In various embodiments, an image classifier is applied to a plurality of images to identify one or more images to be included in a save set of images. The save set of images are selectively stored to a second location according to one or more policies.
US09852356B2

A system and method that allows the capture of a series of images to create a single linear panoramic image is disclosed. The method includes capturing an image, dynamically comparing a previously captured image with a preview image on a display of a capture device until a overlap threshold is satisfied, generating a user interface to provide feedback on the display of the capture device to guide a movement of the capture device, and capturing the preview image with enough overlap with the previously captured image with little to no tilt for creating a linear panorama.
US09852352B2

Provided are a system and method for determining a color of a foreground and a computer readable recording medium therefor. The system includes: at least one processor configured to implement a motion detector which detects a motion region from an image; and a color determiner which determines the color of the foreground in the motion region based on a difference between colors of the motion region and colors of a surrounding region of the motion region, for displaying the determined foreground color with the foreground at a display device.
US09852347B2

A parking guide system, including: a memory which stores camera parameter information and design reference information; a travelling detecting unit which measures travelling information; an image receiving unit which sequentially receives a first image taken before travelling and a second image taken after the travelling from a camera; a characteristic point extracting unit which extracts and matches characteristic points commonly included in the first and images; a homography calculating unit configured to calculate a first homography based on the camera parameter information, the design reference information, and the travelling information, and calculate a second homography that is a homography between the first image and the second image based on coordinates of the characteristic point; and an error calculating unit which calculates a third homography that is a homography for correcting an image according to a result of a comparison of the first homography and the second homography.
US09852342B2

An automated surveillance system is disclosed in this specification. The system comprises a computing system arranged to receive a plurality of surveillance feeds from a surveillance network and detect characteristics of the surveillance feeds that are indicative of categorized events. Each of the surveillance feeds has a geospatial reference tag that identifies the origin of content contained within the feed. The surveillance system determines a response reaction to detected events and identifies potential response units in the vicinity of the surveillance location using the geospatial reference tag.
US09852330B1

Systems and methods for realizing practical applications of high speed digital image correlation (DIC) for dynamic quantities of interest are provided. In particular, a series of images are captured for a component of interest in which a non-filtered sensor and an analog low-pass filtered sensor are included within the region of interest for the series of images. Displacement signals are obtained for the component of interest, the non-filtered sensor, and the analog low-pass filtered sensor by applying digital image correlation processing to the series of images, which may also be wavelet filtered. Dynamic quantities of interest may be generated and derived from the displacement signals after having been wavelet filtered. Such dynamic quantities of interest based on the wavelet filtered DIC-derived displacement signal may be compared to sensor-derived dynamic quantities of interest to determine if aliasing is or is likely to be present.
US09852327B2

A system facilitates automatic recognition of facial expressions or other facial attributes. The system includes a data access module and an expression engine. The expression engine further includes a set of specialized expression engines, a pose detection module, and a combiner module. The data access module accesses a facial image of a head. The set of specialized expression engines generates a set of specialized expression metrics, where each specialized expression metric is an indication of a facial expression of the facial image assuming a specific orientation of the head. The pose detection module determines the orientation of the head from the facial image. Based on the determined orientation of the head and the assumed orientations of each of the specialized expression metrics, the combiner module combines the set of specialized expression metrics to determine a facial expression metric for the facial image that is substantially invariant to the head orientation.
US09852319B1

Techniques are provided to estimate the location of an RFID tag using tag read information, such as a tag read count or a tag read rate, and an opportunity metric, such as an inventory cycle duration, inventory cycle rate, or inventory cycle count. A tag tracking system determines read information for a tag in a zone and an opportunity metric associated with the tag and the zone. The tag tracking system then computes a success rate based on the tag read information and opportunity metric, and uses the success rate to estimate the location of the tag.
US09852318B2

A system having a UHF RFID transceiver is adapted to communicate exclusively with a single electro-magnetically coupled transponder located in a predetermined confined transponder operating region. The system includes a near field coupling device comprising a plurality of lines connected in parallel with an unmatched load. The near field coupling device may be formed, for example on a printed circuit board with a plurality of electrically interconnected traces and a ground plane. The system establishes, at predetermined transceiver power levels, a mutual electro-magnetic coupling which is selective exclusively for a single transponder located in a defined transponder operating region. Also included are methods for selective communication with the transponder in an apparatus such as a printer-encoder.
US09852314B1

An approach is provided for controlling access to contents displayed on a mobile device. Based on a security rule, the contents are divided into first and second sets. A first user is authorized to access the first set and not authorized to access the second set. The first set is displayed on a physical, transparent, touch functionality-enabled first layer of a display of the mobile device. The second set is displayed on a physical, opaque, touch functionality-lacking second layer of the display. A security level of a second user is determined after the first user stops using and the second user starts using the mobile device. Based on the security level, the contents are modified so that item(s) are removed from the first set and placed in the second set and/or other item(s) are removed from the second set and placed in the first set.
US09852309B2

A system and method may obtain a connection profile, the connection profile including at least one rule related to at least one PII data element; associate the connection profile with a network connection; receive a data unit transmitted over the network connection, the data unit including at least a portion of the PII data element; and, based on the rule, perform at least one of: blocking transmission of the data unit, modifying the data unit, forwarding at least a portion of the data unit to a selected destination, storing the data unit, storing metadata related to the data unit, and reporting an event related to the data unit. A system and method may associate the connection profile with a set of connection. A system and method may automatically modify a set of connection profiles based on an event.
US09852300B2

The invention includes systems and methods to asymmetrically encrypt audit logs, store a limited period of the encrypted audit logs, periodically send the encrypted audit logs to a central location for storage and further process in order to provide tamper-proof evidence of an activity. The system comprises a secure audit client enabled to perform various activities. A secure audit manager logs such activities in an audit log for uploading to a secure audit server. The secure audit server receives the audit logs from the secure audit manager. Finally a secure audit log consumer requests audit log data from the secure audit log manager to review the secure audit log.
US09852299B2

The present disclosure is directed to a protection scheme for remotely-stored data. A system may comprise, for example, at least one device including at least one virtual machine (VM) and a trusted execution environment (TEE). The TEE may include an encryption service to encrypt or decrypt data received from the at least one VM. In one embodiment, the at least one VM may include an encryption agent to interact with interfaces in the encryption service. For example, the encryption agent may register with the encryption service, at which time an encryption key corresponding to the at least one VM may be generated. After verifying the registration of the encryption agent, the encryption service may utilize the encryption key corresponding to the at least one VM to encrypt or decrypt data received from the encryption agent. The encryption service may then return the encrypted or decrypted data to the encryption agent.
US09852293B2

For an antivirus scan during a data scrub operation, an antivirus scan is concurrently performed as an overlap with the data scrub operation, wherein the data scrub operation periodically inspects and corrects memory errors. The antivirus scan concurrently performing as an overlap with the data scrub operation is increased if a reduction in disk access by a host application is detected. A number of antivirus scan input/output (I/O) operations and data scrub I/O operations is reduced.
US09852291B2

Disclosed are a computer system, a signature verification server, a method of supporting signature verification by a computer system, and a method of verifying signature. Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a technology of misdiagnosis verification of signature used for a malicious code diagnosis, and more particularly to technologies which derive a result of performance of a malicious code diagnosis simulation on signature in a multi-user computer environment to use an actual client antivirus software and thus can overcome physical, spatial, and temporal limitations of conventional signature misdiagnosis verification by pre-distributing preliminary application signature in a state where misdiagnosis verification has not been completed to a plurality of user computers to reflect the preliminary application signature to a malicious code diagnosis on files stored in the plurality of user computers and performing misdiagnosis verification on the preliminary application signature based on information collected in connection with a result of the diagnosis.
US09852282B2

A non-transitory memory storing a digital signature of a consumable product where the digital signature indicates that an identifier and host device setting data are from a trusted source.
US09852280B2

An authentication scheme in which an instance of a designated element is shifted to proximity with a designated target to gain access a device may be enhanced by creating conditions that allow for either the designated element or the designated target to be different for each instance of authentication. In one embodiment, a secondary display portion may be used to provide an indication of a dynamic designated element. In another embodiment, a secondary display portion, in combination with a tertiary display portion, may be used to provide an indication of a dynamic designated target.
US09852279B2

A device for removing security on content using biometric information includes a memory configured to store content on which security has been set based on first biometric information of a user; and a controller configured to obtain second biometric information of the user, which is of a different type than the first biometric information, and remove the security on the content based on the second biometric information, in response to a user input for executing the content.
US09852274B2

A device may receive and store first device information (first information), associated with a media client device (media client), and a first security key (a first key) from a content provider network (CPN); and may receive a provisioning request from the media client, including second device information (second information), based on the media client detecting an absence of a physical network connection to receive media content. The device may compare the first information and the second information and may request a second security key (a second key) based on the first information matching the second information. The device may receive the second key from the media client and may compare the first key and the second key. The device may enable the media client to establish a secure connection to the CPN, via a network associated with the device, based on the first key matching the second key.
US09852272B1

Provided herein are various systems and methods for improved report interaction and generation. A computing system receives selection of an exam for display on a display device, either from a user or as automatically determined by a computing device. The computing system may then determine an exam characteristic associated with the exam, such as an exam type. A data structure storing associations between exam characteristics and respective report packages, each of the report packages comprising a parent report and one or more child reports, may be accessed in order to select a report package associated with the determined exam characteristic. The child reports of the selected report package, which are configured to receive input from a user of the computing system that is usable in automatically generating content of the parent report of the selected report package, may be selectively displayed on the one or more displays.
US09852258B1

Disclosed is an approach to implement a requirements-driven analog verification flow. Disparate islands of verification tasks are performed with individual cellviews to be set into an overarching and closed loop verification flow context for a project or a complex verification task.
US09852254B2

On-chip data transport network architectural units are assigned preferred placement locations based on architecture-level constraints. The preferred placement locations are used to generate placement constraints for a place and route tool. The placement constraints are applied to cells that are synthesized from each architectural unit. Constraints are blockages, fences, regions, and guides. Preferred placement locations are mapped to grid elements. Each grid elements defines a cell placement constraint.
US09852248B2

An integrated-circuit design tool system capable of minimizing a plasma induced charging effect to a transistor in a plasma-based process performed for a dielectric layer on a metal layer comprises a pre-processing unit, a charging evaluator engine, a charging eliminator engine, a post-processing unit, and a non-transitory computer readable medium.
US09852240B2

Systems and methods for gas turbine operational impact modeling using statistical and physics-based methodologies are disclosed. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a method can include receiving, by one or more processors, operational conditions data associated with a hardware component of a gas turbine; based at least in part on the operational variation data, applying, by one or more processors, statistical methods to establish an operational profile of the hardware component; receiving, by one or more processors, operating parameters and operational conditions data associated with the hardware component; based at least in part on the operating parameters and the operational conditions data, applying, by one or more processors, physics-based methods to establish an operational impact factor of the hardware component; and based at least in part on the operational profile and the operational impact factor determining, by one or more processors, a probability of a failure of the hardware component within a time period.
US09852239B2

A method and apparatus for prediction of community reaction to a post for an online social community is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a proposed post as input to a generated prediction model prior to the proposed post being posted to an online social community; predicting a community reaction to the proposed post using the prediction model; and displaying the predication, wherein the prediction comprises a sentiment score and at least one of a number of responses, a number of responders to the post, a longevity of the post, or a half-life of the post.
US09852230B2

Systems and methods for sending asynchronous messages include receiving, using at least one processor, at a node in a distributed graph, a message with a first value and determining, at the node, that the first value replaces a current value for the node. In response to determining that the first value replaces the current value, the method also includes setting a status of the node to active and sending messages including the first value to neighboring nodes. The method may also include receiving the messages to the neighboring nodes at a priority queue. The priority queue propagates messages in an intelligently asynchronous manner, and the priority queue propagates the messages to the neighboring nodes, the status of the node is set to inactive. The first value may be a cluster identifier or a shortest path identifier.
US09852228B2

Methods, systems, and apparatus to constrain a search are described. A selection of one or more items of a search result set by a user may be obtained. One or more attributes of the one or more selected items may be evaluated. One or more filters are identified based on the evaluated attributes.
US09852226B2

Architecture that enables search engines to meet user expectations for search results (e.g., questions-answers) by improving on result consistency. This is attained by declining to answer queries when it is known by the system that the system is unable to answer more or equivalently prominent queries in the same query class in a vast majority of cases. To achieve consistency, queries are categorized into classes and then the queries of a specific class are segmented into clusters. The answer density in each cluster is then computed to determine the consistency of that class of queries. Clusters with a relatively low answer density are then suppressed to improve consistency for the user.
US09852224B2

A method for promoting preferred content in a search query is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a search result set of content items from a corpus of content items, the search result set responsive to a search query and comprising a rank of the content items, identifying content items in the search result set, the identified content items comprising at least a preferred content item uploaded by a user, adjusting, by a processing device, a position of the preferred content item with respect to a position of a claimed content item in the rank of the content items within the search result set, the claimed content item claimed by the user.
US09852217B2

A method comprising: receiving a multiplicity of videos from a source; for each video: receiving meta data related to the video; extracting from the video a video frame containing computer code; identifying a region of interest (ROI) within the video frame; performing OCR of the ROI to extract a code segment; analyzing the code segment by: semantically analyzing the code segment to obtain a first rank, structurally analyzing the code segment to obtain a second rank, and analyzing the meta data to obtain a third rank; and combining the first rank, second rank and third rank into a total rank associated with the code segment; receiving a query; matching the query to each code segment to identify matching code segments and associated videos; and providing the associated videos in accordance with total ranks associated with the matching code segments.
US09852210B2

Arrangements described herein relate to collaborative environments and, more particularly, to use of a microblog to enhance communication in an organization. The present arrangements can include receiving from a first user a first microblog entry into a microblog, identifying at least one keyword associated with the first microblog entry, and assigning to the at least one keyword a tag creating an association between the at least one keyword and at least one data repository. The arrangements further can include establishing bidirectional integration between the microblog and the at least one data repository of information related to the tag creating the association between the at least one keyword and the at least one data repository.