US08146131B2

A method of producing an audio/video format recording in a venue includes correlating multiple unique viewing position in the venue to viewers. An event is then recorded the venue that viewers are attending. Multiple custom versions of recordings or productions are created corresponding to the viewers. Such custom versions are then made available to corresponding viewers.
US08146126B2

A request for information (RFI) system is provided for use in communications networks including broadcast networks and the internet. In one implementation, a viewer of a cable television network enters an RFI input (1) to a digital set top box using a user remote. Based on this RFI input, the digital set top box transmits a data request (2) to an RFI data center. The RFI data center also receives asset data (3) from an asset database so as to associate the RFI input (1) with a particular asset. An RFI request (4) can then be transmitted to the appropriate asset provider. The asset provider can then provide a report such package of assets or follow-on information (5) back to the RFI data center. The RFI data center may then, in turn, provide the package of assets or follow-on information to a user data terminal, for example, of the cable television network viewer, via access through a web-portal or e-mail (6). The digital set top box may also record inputs from the user to verify consumption of assets and track data requests. Using this information, the RFI data center or an RFI platform may credit value to a rewards account established for the network user based on the user's verified consumption of assets and/or data requests. Further, the RFI data center or RFI platform may be used to collect consumer behavior information, including purchasing decisions made by the user after consumption of assets, and correlate the consumer behavior information with the user's verified asset consumption.
US08146117B2

A program guide system is provided in which an interactive television program guide that is implemented at least partially on user television equipment receives program listings data and real-time data such as sports scores, news data, and the like. The real-time data may be stored in a database maintained by the program guide, so that the program guide may access the stored real-time data at a later time. Updated program listings information may be provided to the program guide as part of the data stream in which the real-time data is provided. Unique keys may be generated for the program listings data and real-time data associated with each live event. The keys may be compared at the program guide to determine which program listings correspond to which items of real-time data. A controllable ticker may be displayed on top of a television program on the user television equipment. The controllable ticker may be sponsored. Different types of real-time data may be assigned different expiration times. When data has expired it may be removed from the database.
US08146116B2

A disk device includes a turntable which is rotationally driven and, for placing a disk thereon, a clamper for rotatably holding the disk between the turntable and the clamper, a loading mechanism for carrying the disk inserted to between the turntable and the clamper, a clamp arm which includes a clamper holder for rotatably holding the clamper by a claw fitted to the hook with a clearance and an arm unit disposed pivotably on a pivot shaft positioned apart from the clamper holder, the clamp arm moving the clamper between a disk pressing position and a retreat position, and a clamper restricting member including a resilient portion capable of contacting a part of the clamper on the side opposite to the side of the clamper moved to the retreat position and on a side apart from the pivot shaft of the arm unit.
US08146111B2

Making a service implementation accessible for a client application in a service oriented architecture. The method may include extracting an interface definition language file from the service implementation, which defines the interface information to be provided by the client application to access the service implementation during runtime. The method may further include extracting a server-side mapping file from the service implementation, which defines how the interface information provided by the client application is mapped when accessing the service implementation during runtime.
US08146096B2

A method and system for processing Web service messages within an object oriented runtime environment is described. In one embodiment, the method includes steps for invoking a single instance of a state-less protocol for processing inbound and outbound flows of Web services messages. After determining Web services messages have been received out of order, processing of the outbound flow of any remaining messages is suspended until a complete set of messages is received. The messages are rearranged into proper order before completing processing of the outbound flows of the remaining messages.
US08146081B2

In a virtual machine system, a plurality of guest OSes are time-divisionally executed under virtual machine execution environments provided by a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The VMM specifies a group of guest OSes that intercommunicate with each other via a communication interface provided by the VMM. Then, the VMM sets a quantum in an execution schedule of each guest OS which are included in the plurality of guest OSes and included in the specified group of guest OSes shorter.
US08146080B2

In a computing environment, an association and layout of virtual machines exist as a system of multiple applications instantiated for a common computing goal, such as providing a data center with an email system for an enterprise. In that every application need not always be operational or have applicability in every scenario, applications are only instantiated upon actionable requests for various services. Representatively, a communication channel is initialized between at least two applications, but instantiation of one of the applications is delayed until an actionable request between the applications occurs. In this manner, policy or governance can be enforced and/or computing resources can be conserved. Various features relate to defined incoming and outgoing connectors of virtual machines of the applications and their functional interaction to satisfy initial connectivity issues and to later instantiate needed applications. Libraries, software program products, and policy management are other features, to name a few.
US08146072B2

One aspect of the invention is a method for updating the version of software resident on a computer that includes providing a kiosk in a public place. A communication path is established between the kiosk and a computer to be tested. It is determined, using the kiosk, whether at least one program resident on the computer is a preferred version.
US08146070B2

Inter-procedural strength reduction is provided by a mechanism of the present invention to optimize software program. During a forward pass, the present invention collects information of global variables and analyzes the information to select candidate computations for optimization. During a backward pass, the present invention replaces costly computations with less costly or weaker computations using pre-computed values and inserts store operations of new global variables to pre-compute the costly computations at definition points of the global variables used in the costly computations.
US08146046B2

A design structure including design data describing a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a first semiconductor chip and a second semiconductor chip. The first semiconductor chip is on top of and bonded to the second semiconductor chip. The first and second semiconductor chips include a first and a second electric nodes. The second semiconductor chip further includes a first comparing circuit. The semiconductor structure further includes a first coupling via electrically connecting the first electric node of the first semiconductor chip to the first comparing circuit of the second semiconductor chip. The first comparing circuit is capable of (i) receiving an input signal from the second electric node directly, (ii) receiving an input signal from the first electric node indirectly through the first coupling via, and (iii) asserting a first mismatch signal in response to the input signals from the first and second electric nodes being different.
US08146045B1

A method for optimizing a high-level circuit architecture for an integrated circuit is described. Descriptions of components of the circuit architecture and optimization goals for the components are received. At least one stopping criterion for the cost functions is received. Implementations for the components are iteratively generated to provide a system from a combination of the implementations. The implementations of the components are iteratively optimized until the at least one stopping criterion is satisfied. The optimizing includes obtaining estimation models for determining cost estimates for the implementations and iteratively optimizing the implementations responsive to the cost estimates.
US08146033B2

A monitor position determining apparatus includes an acquiring unit that acquires design data concerning circuit elements arranged in a layout of a semiconductor device and for each of the circuit elements, yield sensitivity data indicative of a percentage of change with respect to a yield ratio of the semiconductor device; a selecting unit that selects, based on the yield sensitivity data, a circuit element from a circuit element group arranged in the layout; a determining unit that determines an arrangement position in the layout to be an installation position of a monitor that measures a physical amount in the semiconductor device in a measurement region, the arrangement position being of the circuit element that is specified from the design data acquired by the acquiring unit and selected by the selecting unit; and an output unit that outputs the installation position determined by the determining unit.
US08146026B2

A mechanism is provided for simultaneous photolithographic mask and target optimization (SMATO). A lithographic simulator generates an image of a mask shape on a wafer thereby forming one or more lithographic contours. A mask and target movement module analytically evaluates a direction for mask and target movement thereby forming a plurality of pairs of mask and target movements. The mask and target movement module identifies a best pair of mask and target movements from the plurality of mask and target movements that minimizes a weighted cost function. A shape adjustment module adjusts at least one of a target shape or the mask shape based on the best pair of mask and target movements.
US08146017B2

Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer-readable media are provided herein for declarative data binding and data type propagation in a remote workflow schedule authoring system. According to one method, a user interface is provided for binding a parameter in a workflow action rule to a data value provided by a data source. The user interface may include a control for specifying a data source and a data field to which the parameter should be bound. The parameter is bound to the data source and data field selected using the user interface. If the data type of the selected data source is identical to the data type of the parameter, an internal lookup may be performed to retrieve the data value. Otherwise, the data type of the parameter may be propagated to the data source during lookup of the data value.
US08146015B2

The subject invention relates to systems and methods that enable dynamic programming and execution of an electronic communications dialog. In one aspect, a configurable messaging system is provided. The system includes a configuration file to describe interface options of a computerized dialog session, wherein the configuration file specifies interface activities and state transitions between the interface options within the configuration file. A state controller executes the interface options during communications activities with the dialog session. The configuration file can also describe prompt elements to solicit information from users or applications.
US08146005B2

A capture system captures detectable attributes of a user. A differential system compares the detectable attributes with a normalized model of attributes, wherein the normalized model of attributes characterize normal representative attribute values across a sample of a plurality of users and generates differential attributes representing the differences between the detectable attributes and the normalized model of attributes. Multiple separate avatar creator systems receive the differential attributes and each apply the differential attributes to different base avatars to create custom avatars which reflect a selection of the detectable attributes of the user which are distinguishable from the normalized model of attributes.
US08146003B2

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates entering a character via an input device. An interface can receive a portion of input data from an input device, wherein the input data is at least one of an analog input from an analog directional input associated with the input device or a button input from a button associated with the input device. An enhanced input component can utilize a user interface (UI) overlay corresponding to the input device to select a character in which the UI overlay includes a segmented ring with each sector having two or more characters. The enhanced input component can enter a character for data entry based upon an analog directional input that selects a sector on the segmented ring and a button input that selects a corresponding character within the segment.
US08145997B2

In a personal computer, a personal digital assistant or any other information processing device that includes a display screen and a digitizer tablet, thereby accepting handwritten input from a user, a method for simultaneously performing multiple handwritten searches. From handwritten input provided by the user, the method automatically determines that multiple search commands have been given by the user, detects multiple search items specified by the user and simultaneously performs the searches. For each of the multiple search items, the method may assign a weight to each of the multiple search commands based upon the size and position of the corresponding search command. The method also permits the user to delete one or more of the search commands from the simultaneous performance of the multiple searches.
US08145995B2

Mobile devices enabled to support resolution-independent scalable display of Internet (Web) content to allow Web pages to be scaled (zoomed) and panned for better viewing on smaller screen sizes. The mobile devices employ software-based processing of original Web content, including HTML-based content, XML, cascade style sheets, etc. to enable Web page content to be rapidly rendered, zoomed, and panned. Moreover, the rendered displays provide substantially the same or identical layout as the original Web page, enabling users to easily navigate to selected content and features on literally Billions of Web pages. User input schemes include tap-based context zooming that enables users to selectively zoom in on objects including columns, images, and paragraphs by simply tapping on them. Display lists may also be employed to provide further enhancements in rendering speed. Additionally, hardware-based programmed logic may be employed to facilitate various operations.
US08145992B2

Systems and methods are described that facilitate validating electronic document conversion chain design in real time, as a designer edits a conversion chain that converts a document collection between formats. Waypoints are inserted into the document conversion chain by associating validation specifications with selected conversion components in the chain. AS the conversion chain is executed on a document collection, the validation specification is executed on all documents in the collection when a selected conversion component is executed. Validation results are returned to indicate to the designer which documents were successfully converted by the component and which were not. The designer can then modify the conversion chain, which is re-executed, and validation results are again presented to the designer for comparison to the pre-modification validation results. The designer can then approve or reject the modification(s) depending on whether document validation is improved thereby.
US08145988B2

Provided are a system, method and article of manufacture for validating an expected data output of an application under test. A first table comprising named columns populated with the expected data output and a second table comprising named columns associated with the expected data output of the named columns of the first table are retrieved. The named columns of the first table are compared with the named columns of the second table. An alert is generated in response to detecting a difference between a characteristic of a named column of the first table and a characteristic of a named column of the second table.
US08145985B2

In a data processing system processing circuitry executes a plurality of data processing instructions. A unified cache memory stores data and instructions processed by the processing circuitry. The unified cache memory has a plurality of sets, each set having a plurality of ways, each with one or more information fields. Cache memory control circuitry has a control register for controlling allocation of each way of the plurality of ways for one of: (1) a first type of information; (2) a second type of information; or (3) both the first type of information and the second type of information. The cache memory control circuitry further individually controls a selection of a type of error detection among a plurality of types of error detection for each way of the unified cache memory based upon the allocation control indicated by the control register.
US08145978B2

A system and method are provided for efficiently initializing a redundant array of independent disks (RAID). The method monitors host write operations and uses that information to select the optimal method to perform a parity reconstruction operation. The bins to which data access write operations have not occurred can be initialized using a zeroing process. In one aspect, the method identifies drives in the RAID array capable of receiving a ‘WriteRepeatedly’ command and leverages that capability to eliminate the need for the RAID disk array controller to provide initialization data for all disk array initialization transfers. This reduces the RAID array controller processor and I/O bandwidth required to initialize the array and further reduces the time to initialize a RAID array. In a different aspect, a method is provided for efficiently selecting a host write process for optimal data redundancy and performance in a RAID array.
US08145973B2

In order to correctly perform error analysis, test, or the like, a 64B/66B converter of a PCS processing unit of a transmitter conforming to 10 GBASE-R PHY performs 64B/66B conversion on data on a block basis that is transmitted over four lanes, the block being formed of two columns. In the conversion, when a control signal inputted via a control signal input terminal indicates a normal operation mode, if an error code in a block to be converted is detected by an error detector, error expansion that replaces all 8 bytes of data in the block with an error code /E/ is performed. In contrast, when the control signal indicates an analysis mode, the error expansion is not performed even if an error code is detected by the error detector.
US08145970B2

Data puncturing ensuring orthogonality within communication systems. Puncturing is employed within communication systems to ensure orthogonality (or substantial orthogonality) of various transmissions between communication devices within communication systems. Any of a variety of types of signals can be employed herein including uncoded signals, turbo encoded signals, turbo trellis coded modulation (TTCM) encoded signals, LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) encoded signals, and a RS (Reed-Solomon) encoded signals, among just some types of signals. A first transmission can be made from a first communication device to a second communication device, and the second communication device can sometimes request a subsequent transmission (e.g., a re-transmission) from the first communication device to the second communication device. Oftentimes, different information is sent from the first communication device to the second communication device within the subsequent transmission. Herein, each of these transmissions can be ensured to be orthogonal.
US08145965B2

A test apparatus for testing a device under test includes a capture memory that stores thereon an output pattern received from the device under test, a header detecting section that reads the output pattern from the capture memory and detects a portion matching a predetermined header pattern in the output pattern, and a judging section that judges whether the output pattern is acceptable based on a result of comparison between a pattern, in the output pattern, which starts with the portion matching the predetermined header pattern and a corresponding expected value pattern.
US08145963B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a first clock domain having a plurality of first flip-flops which is configured to operate with a high-speed clock; a second clock domain having a plurality of second flip-flops, composed of a third flip-flop and a plurality of fourth flip-flops, which is configured to operate with a low-speed clock; and a test clock supplying section configured to supply, at a time of delay fault test for the second clock domain, a test clock based on the high-speed clock to the third flip-flop to which data from the first clock domain is input, and not to supply the test clock to the plurality of fourth flip-flops.
US08145960B2

Data storage control circuitry for controlling storage and retrieval of data in a data store in which data is stored in data blocks. A group data store stores data by grouping together blocks that have at least one faulty bit into groups of at least two blocks. For each group of blocks at least one of the blocks has a non-faulty bit for each of the bit locations in the blocks. A selector data store stores indicators for each group indicating which bits of the blocks within a group are the non-faulty bits. When storing data to a data block within a group, the data is stored in each of the blocks within the group. When retrieving data from a data block within a group, the data is read from respective bits of the blocks within the group as indicated by the indicators.
US08145959B2

A test system includes a computer and an interface device for accessing a scan chain on an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) under test. The computer includes a memory that contains application software that when executed by the computer quantifies soft errors and soft error rates (SER) in storage elements on the ASIC. The interface device receives commands and data from the computer, translates the commands and data from a first protocol to a second protocol and communicates the commands and data in the second protocol to the ASIC. A method for measuring SER in the ASIC includes baseline, comparison, and latch up accesses of data in a scan chain in the ASIC. Between accesses, the ASIC is exposed to a neutron flux that accelerates the occurrence of soft errors due to ionizing radiation upon the ASIC.
US08145942B2

According to one embodiment, a debugging tool includes a processor and logic, that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to: receive a Volume Table of Contents (VTOC)/INDEX data set for a first VTOC/INDEX data of a remote system, create second VTOC/INDEX data (which is a replicated version of the first VTOC/INDEX data of the remote system) from the VTOC/INDEX data set, execute a second scenario (which is a replicated version of a first scenario that was executed on the remote system using the first VTOC/INDEX data that caused the error) using the second VTOC/INDEX data to reproduce an error, and set up trace points in the second VTOC/INDEX data to start a debugging session while executing the second scenario using the second VTOC/INDEX data. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are also described according to various other embodiments.
US08145939B2

Various embodiments herein include at least one of systems, methods, and software to detect and reduce messages from network entity management clients that are not utilized by a network management system. Once identified, the network management system may send a command to the network entity management clients to no longer send particular message types to the network management system. The network management system may also, or alternatively configured to take no action when such messages are subsequently received.
US08145933B2

A power control circuit includes an input/output controller hub (ICH), and first to third metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). A drain of the first MOSFET is connected to a standby power source through a first resistor. A gate of the first MOSFET is connected to a sleep control terminal of the ICH through a second resistor. A drain of the second MOSFET is connected to the drain of the first MOSFET through a third resistor. A gate of the second MOSFET is connected to a general purpose input/output terminal of the ICH through a fourth resistor. A source of the third MOSFET is connected to the standby power source. A gate of the third MOSFET is connected to the drain of the second MOSFET. A drain of the third MOSFET is connected to a power terminal of an onboard network interface card.
US08145926B2

In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes running a cooling fan within a computer at low speed while the computer is in low temperature operations (e.g., idle). The operation of the cooling fan may reduce processor (CPU) temperature enough to decrease processor leakage power, offsetting the power consumption of the fan, and possibly resulting in a net system power reduction. The benefit at the platform level increases further when considering the low efficiency of voltage regulation (VR) in this lower power regime, and potentially reductions in other components (e.g., graphics processor). The optimal fan speed is the speed at which the overall system power is reduced the most (e.g., processor power savings is greater than fan power utilized). The optimal temperature may be determined dynamically during operation or may be determined in manufacturing and applied statically during operation.
US08145922B2

A system and method for discovering a cable type and resistance for Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications. Cabling power loss in PoE applications is related to the resistance of the cable itself. A PHY can be designed to measure electrical characteristics (e.g., insertion loss, cross talk, length, etc.) of the Ethernet cable to enable determination of the cable resistance. The determined resistance can be used in powering decisions and in adjusting power budgets allocated to power source equipment ports.
US08145919B2

A power supply module removably disposed within an automated data storage and retrieval system. An automated data storage and retrieval system which includes one or more power supply modules removably disposed therein. An accessor movably disposed with an automated data storage and retrieval system comprising a gripper mechanism which can be releasably attached to a power supply module. A method to supply power to an automated data storage and retrieval system. A method to monitor the operation of a power supply module removably disposed within an automated data storage and retrieval system.
US08145916B2

A finger sensing apparatus may include an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, an array of finger sensing elements on the IC substrate, and encryption circuitry on the IC substrate cooperating with the array of finger sensing elements for encrypting a user template comprising finger template data and at least one user credential. The at least one user credential may enable another device, such as a host platform, to perform at least one protected operation.
US08145909B1

In one example embodiment, a method is illustrated that includes parsing seed data from digital content, the seed data identifying a signing entity, transmitting identifier data to the signing entity identified by the seed data, transmitting content information relating to the digital content to the signing entity, and receiving digitally signed content information relating to the digital content, the digitally signed content information signed by the signing entity. In another example embodiment, a method is illustrated as including parsing seed data from digital content, the seed data identifying a signing entity, transmitting identifier data to the signing entity identified by the seed data, receiving a credential from the signing entity, the credential used to sign the digital content, and signing the digital content using the credential.
US08145908B1

A method and mechanism for protecting a website against defacement are provided. A content owner may associate content with a digital signature. The digital signature allows a recipient of the content to verify that the content originated from the content owner, and that the content has not been defaced. The digital signature may be comprised within the content, or stored external to the content, e.g., in a repository accessible to a Web cache server serving the content. To construct the digital signature, initially, the content owner creates a content validity value for a portion of content, the content validity value is encrypted to create the digital signature. The Web cache server may use the digital signature to determine whether the content has been defaced.
US08145906B2

Provided is a binding update method in MIPv6 which includes: a first step of generating, with a mobile node, a HoTI (Home Test Init) message and transmitting the HoTI message to a corresponding node; a second step of generating a CoTI (Care of Test Init) message and transmitting the CoTI message to the corresponding node; a third step of generating, with the corresponding node, a HoT (Home of Test) message and transmitting the HoT message to the mobile node; a fourth step of generating a CoT (Care-of Test) message and transmitting the CoT message to the mobile node; a fifth step of generating, with the mobile node, a BU (Binding Update) message and transmitting the BU message to the corresponding node; and a sixth step of verifying, with the corresponding node, the BU message and transmitting a BA (Binding Ack) message to the mobile node.
US08145901B2

The invention provides a method and system for a network which includes a plurality of nodes, preferably routers, a shared network segment for communication between the nodes, and several multicast channels in the shared network segment on which the nodes, preferably routers, can send multicast messages to the other nodes. A specific multicast channel is provided on which the nodes can send specific start multicast messages to other nodes, wherein a node which starts a protocol application, preferably a routing protocol application such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol, is adapted to send a multicast start message on the specific multicast channel. Another node, preferably a router, receiving this start message is adapted to validate the authenticity of the start message and to send a response message.
US08145889B2

A data processor or a data processing system used in compatible modes among which the number of bits of an address specifying a logical address space varies at the time of referring to a branch address table by extension of displacement of a branch instruction. At the time of generating a branch address of a first branch instruction, the data processor or the data processing system optimizes a multiple with which a displacement is multiplied in accordance with the number of bits of an address specifying a logical address space, adds extended address information to the value of a register, and refers to a branch address table with address information obtained by the addition. The referred information is used as a branch address. A multiple with which the displacement is multiplied can be changed in accordance with the mode.
US08145888B2

A data processing circuit has an execution circuit (18) with a plurality of functional units (20). An instruction decoder (17) is operable in a first and a second instruction mode. In the first instruction mode instructions have respective fields for controlling each of the functional units (20), and in the second instruction mode instructions control one functional unit. A mode control circuit (12) controls the selection of the instruction modes. In an embodiment, the instruction decoder uses time-stationary decoding of the selection of operations to be executed by the execution circuit (18) and the selection of destination registers from the set of registers (19). Mode switching is a more efficient way of reducing instruction time for time stationary processors than indicating functional units for which the instruction contains commands. When instructions are scheduled, constraints are preferably imposed on operations for which operation selection and destination register selection are included on different sides of an instruction mode change. Such operations are avoided in an embodiment. In another embodiment, selected operations are scheduled for which operation selection and destination register selection are included on different sides of an instruction mode change. When an instruction containing a jump is encountered, the mode control circuit sets the instruction mode for subsequent instructions in conformity with information provided by the execution of the jump command.
US08145887B2

A method, system, and computer program product are provided for enhancing the execution of independent loads in a processing unit. A processing unit detects if a long-latency miss associated with a load instruction has been encountered. Responsive to a long-latency miss, the processing unit enters a load lookahead mode. Responsive to entering the load lookahead mode, the processing unit dispatches each instruction from a first set of instructions from a first buffer with an associated vector. The processing unit determines if the first set of instructions from the first buffer have completed execution. Responsive to completed execution of the first set of instructions from the first buffer, the processing unit copies the set of vectors from a first vector array to a second vector array. Then the processing unit dispatches a second set of instructions from a second buffer with an associated vector from the second vector array.
US08145886B2

An information processing equipment comprises: a processor configured to refer to a function information indicating an assigned function and to execute a firmware code corresponding to the function information; and a memory in which the firmware code and the function information are stored. The information processing equipment further comprises a function change module configured to rewrite the function information.
US08145884B2

A fork instruction for execution on a multithreaded microprocessor and occupying a single instruction issue slot is disclosed. The fork instruction, executing in a parent thread, includes a first operand specifying the initial instruction address of a new thread and a second operand. The microprocessor executes the fork instruction by allocating context for the new thread, copying the first operand to a program counter of the new thread context, copying the second operand to a register of the new thread context, and scheduling the new thread for execution. If no new thread context is free for allocation, the microprocessor raises an exception to the fork instruction. The fork instruction is efficient because it does not copy the parent thread general purpose registers to the new thread. The second operand is typically used as a pointer to a data structure in memory containing initial general purpose register set values for the new thread.
US08145882B1

A system implemented in hardware includes a main processing core decoding instructions for out of order execution. The instructions include template based user defined instructions. A user execution block executes the template based user defined instructions. An interface is positioned between the main processing core and the user execution block. A computer readable medium includes executable instructions to describe a processing core supporting execution of a proprietary instruction set and decoding of customized instructions that adhere to a specified pattern. The specified pattern includes a source, a destination and a latency period. A user execution block is connected to the processing core to execute the customized instructions.
US08145881B2

A data processing device comprising a multidimensional array of coarse grained logic elements processing data and operating at a first clock rate and communicating with one another and/or other elements via busses and/or communication lines operated at a second clock rate is disclosed, wherein the first clock rate is higher than the second and wherein the coarse grained logic elements comprise storage means for storing data needed to be processed.
US08145873B2

A data management method for network storage system that said network storage system includes a storage network, a cluster of storage servers that provide data storage services for application servers connecting to the storage network and storage space corresponding to each storage server, setting a core manager in storage server, said core manager centralizing the metadata of all storage servers in a common storage space; separating the metadata from said storage servers to make a storage server become a storage manager and the storage spaces corresponding to each storage server form the common storage space, allocating the storage space of metadata in said common storage space, and managing the corresponding relationship between metadata and said storage manager.
US08145872B2

Database partition monitoring and dynamic logical partition reconfiguration in support of an autonomic self-tunable database management system are provided by an automated monitor that monitors one or more resource parameters in a logical partition running a database application in a logically partitioned data processing host. The monitor initiates dynamic logical partition reconfiguration in the event that the parameters vary from predetermined parameter values. In particular, the monitor can initiate removal of resources if one of the resource parameters is being underutilized and initiate addition of resources if one of the resource parameters is being overutilized. The monitor can also calculate an amount of resources to be removed or added. The monitor can interact directly with a dynamic logical partition reconfiguration function of the data processing host or it can utilize an intelligent intermediary that listens for a partition reconfiguration suggestion from the monitor. In the latter configuration, the listener can determine where available resources are located and attempt to fully or partially satisfy the resource needs suggested by the monitor.
US08145870B2

The present invention provides an improved method, system, and computer program product that can optimize cache utilization. In one embodiment, a kernel service creates a storage map, and sending said storage map to an application. In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of the kernel service creating the storage map may further comprise the kernel service creating a cache map. In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of the kernel service creating the storage map may further comprise the kernel service creating an indication of one or more storage locations that have been allocated to store information for the application. In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of the kernel service creating the storage map may further comprise the kernel service creating the storage map in response to receiving a request for the storage map from the application.
US08145867B2

A non-volatile memory device is operated by outputting data in response to an alternating sequence of first and second edges of a read control signal, respectively. A determination is made whether the read control signal and a write control signal are in synchronization at one of the first edges. Output of the data is stopped at the second edge that follows the one of the first edges of the read control signal if the read control signal and the write control signal are in synchronization at the one of the first edges.
US08145861B1

A method for managing data transfer from at least one input tape to an output tape begins by opening the output tape. For each input tape, the input tape is opened and directory information about the opened input tape is gathered. Data is read from the opened input tape, the data is encrypted, the encrypted data is written to the output tape, and the input tape is closed. The directory information for each input tape is written to a directory file on the output tape and the output tape is closed.
US08145859B2

Techniques for managing memory usage of a processing system by spilling data from a memory to a persistent store based upon an evict policy are provided. A triggering event is detected. In response to the triggering event and based on the evict policy, it is determined whether data from the memory of the processing system is to be spilled to the persistent storage. The determination is made by comparing a level of free memory of the processing system with a threshold specified by the evict policy. The data is evicted from the memory.
US08145857B2

The control device has a fetching unit, a virtual drive creation unit, and an access control unit. The fetching unit fetches, from the external storage device, attribute information relating to data stored in the external storage device. The virtual drive creation unit creates, in the control device, a virtual drive for storing the fetched attribute information. The access control unit controls access to the virtual drive and the external storage device. When an instruction relating to the attribute information is input, the access control unit accesses the virtual drive to fetch the attribute information. When an instruction to read the data from the external storage device is input, the access control unit accesses the external storage device to reads the data. When an instruction to write new data to the external storage device is input, the access control unit accesses the external storage device to write the new data.
US08145855B2

A non-volatile memory in which data is randomized before being stored in the non-volatile memory to minimize data pattern-related read failures. Randomizing is performed using circuitry on the memory die so that the memory die is portable relative to an external, off-chip controller. Circuitry on the memory die scrambles user data based on a key which is generated using a seed which is shifted according to a write address. Corresponding on-chip descrambling is also provided.
US08145850B2

A method and system for visualizing a SAN is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for visualizing a SAN includes scanning SAN components in the SAN to determine respective types of the SAN components and connectivity information between the SAN components. The method also includes generating a hierarchically-laid-out SAN graph by determining respective positions of the SAN components in the SAN based on the types of the SAN components and the connectivity information. The method further applying a force-directed model to the hierarchically-laid-out SAN graph to generate a SAN topology layout, wherein attractive and repulsive forces between the SAN components are tuned based on the types of the SAN components and the connectivity information. In addition, the method includes displaying the SAN topology layout on the display area of a display device in a management station coupled to the SAN.
US08145842B2

To enhance capacity expansion property of a storage system for providing a thin provisioning volume, this invention provides a computer system including: a first storage system; and a second storage system for providing a second volume to the first storage system. The first storage system is configured to: define at least one first volumes; define a first storage pool including the defined first volume and the provided second volume; provide to the host computer a first thin provisioning volume that is recognized as a volume having a capacity equal to or larger than that of storage areas assigned from the first storage pool. The first thin provisioning volume is thus assigned with both storage areas of the first volume and storage areas of the second volume, which are included in the first storage pool.
US08145835B2

A controller for a disk drive including a buffer memory controller and a processor. The buffer memory controller is configured to receive a first write operation and a second write operation in a first order, store the first write operation and the second write operation in a buffer memory, and transfer write data corresponding to the first write operation and the second write operation in a second order that is different than the first order in response to a single command. The processor is configured to arrange the first write operation and the second write operation in the second order and issue the single command according to the second order.
US08145822B2

One aspect relates to a computer system including a first data processing unit, a second data processing unit and a data transmission/memory device. The data transmission/memory can transmit sets of data from the first data processing unit to the second data processing unit. The data transmission/memory device includes a first memory region and a second memory region.
US08145806B2

Techniques are provided for managing, within a storage system, the sequence in which I/O requests are processed by the storage system based, at least in part, on a one or more logical characteristics of the I/O requests. The logical characteristics may include, for example, the identity of the user for whom the I/O request was submitted, the service that submitted the I/O request, the database targeted by the I/O request, an indication of a consumer group to which the I/O request maps, the reason why the I/O request was issued, a priority category of the I/O request, etc. Techniques are also provided for automatically establishing a scheduling policy within a storage system, and for dynamically changing the scheduling policy in response to changes in workload.
US08145804B2

A bi-endian multiprocessor system having multiple processing elements, each of which includes a processor core, a local memory and a memory flow controller. The memory flow controller transfers data between the local memory and data sources external to the processing element. If the processing element and the data source implement data representations having the same endian-ness, each multi-word line of data is stored in the local memory in the same word order as in the data source. If the processing element and the data source implement data representations having different endian-ness, the words of each multi-word line of data are transposed when data is transferred between local memory and the data source. The processing element may incorporate circuitry to add doublewords, wherein the circuitry can alternately carry bits from a first word to a second word or vice versa, depending upon whether the words in lines of data are transposed.
US08145793B1

A distributed transformation network provides delivery of content from a content publisher to a content recipient. Content from the content publisher is received at an entry node of the distributed transformation network and transmitted to a transformation node in the distributed transformation network. The content is transformed according to publisher, recipient or network administrator specifications and transmitting to delivery nodes which deliver the transformed content to the content recipient. The published content may be in an XML-based format and transformed into an XML-related format or any other structured language format as desired in the provided specification.
US08145792B2

A method, a system and a terminal for processing data, wherein the data is transmitted from the external memory device being part of a system, to the terminal, wherein the data content is recognized by means of the new field added to the application area data file and basing on that, directed to an application area specific handler, where a new media type is generated by concatenating a identification of the data to a public and registered application area specific media type, and used to get the user application for the content and a directory where the content is saved to.
US08145789B1

A cluster console user interface provides a single console control point for a network device cluster comprising a first switch device, a plurality of active routers, one or more standby routers, and a second switch device. Using the cluster console, a network administrator can perform various operations with respect to the cluster as a whole, without knowing identity information for particular network routers serving as active or standby, or for the switch devices.
US08145786B2

Buffering messages by receiving a message from a messaging client, writing the message to a logically-contiguous write-available region of a message buffer starting at a logically next write-available location within the write-available region, updating a head index to indicate a head boundary between a logically last message in the message buffer and a logically next write-available location in the message buffer, defining a packet including the message within the message buffer, transmitting a packet that includes a logically first message in the message buffer, and updating a tail index to indicate a tail boundary between a new logically last write-available location in the message buffer and a new logically first message in the message buffer.
US08145784B2

A distributed network management system that utilizes policy rules in rendering management decisions. The system includes a policy console that populates and manages network policies in a policy repository. Various network devices coupled to the policy repository download policy rules relevant to the devices for managing network elements associated with each network device. Each network device includes a policy decision module for rendering management decisions for its network elements based on the retrieved network policies. Each network device further includes a policy enforcement module for enforcing the management decisions and controlling the associated network elements based on the policies.
US08145776B1

The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.
US08145773B1

A method, system, and computer readable media are provided for managing multiple HTTP cookies that are present in a wireless communication system. When a secure or non-secure HTTP cookie is formed, a time of creation for that HTTP cookie is also created as part of the cookie header. Therefore, when a wireless device makes a subsequent communication to a web based server, the gateway compares the creation time for multiple HTTP cookies that are present, and only forwards the most recently created HTTP cookie to the web based server. This avoids invalidating a session as a result of receiving multiple conflicting HTTP cookies from the same wireless device.
US08145772B2

The application describes a method for sending data which involves the reception by a communication device of a first piece of information which represents the first change in a data record and of a first data change indicator associated with the first change in the data record, making by the communication device of a second change in the first changed data record to generate a second changed data record, the ascertainment by the communication device of a second data change indicator based on the first data change indicator, and sending by the communication device of a second piece of information which represents the second change in the first changed data record to produce the second changed data record, and of the second data change indicator.
US08145763B2

At least one guest system, for example, a virtual machine, is connected to a host system, which includes a system resource such as system machine memory. Each guest system includes a guest operating system (OS). A resource requesting mechanism, preferably a driver, is installed within each guest OS and communicates with a resource scheduler included within the host system. If the host system needs any one the guest systems to relinquish some of the system resource it currently is allocated, then the resource scheduler instructs the driver within that guest system's OS to reserve more of the resource, using the guest OS's own, native resource allocation mechanisms. The driver thus frees this resource for use by the host, since the driver does not itself actually need the requested amount of the resource. The driver in each guest OS thus acts as a hollow “balloon” to “inflate” or “deflate,” that is, reserve more or less of the system resource via the corresponding guest OS. The resource scheduler, however, remains transparent to the guest systems.
US08145756B2

In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method of this embodiment provides receiving indication of an event at a platform operating in shared address mode, the platform having an auxiliary entity, in response to the indication of the event, switching operation of the platform to multi address mode by acquiring a second address, and assigning the second address to the auxiliary entity, and receiving one or more packets directed to the second address.
US08145740B1

A computing system includes a physical server having a single instance of an operating system; and a plurality of virtual environments running on the physical server and directly supported by the single instance of the operating system. Each virtual environment responds to requests from users and appears to the users as a stand-alone server having its own instance of the operating system. Each virtual environment has a plurality of objects associated with it and supported by the operating system. Some of the objects are private and other objects are shared between multiple virtual environments. One virtual environment cannot access private objects of another virtual environment.
US08145735B2

A portable computer-readable media device and method of use enable automatic configuration of a computing device, such as a conventional network device or a thin client device, for operation in a network. Configuration information, including network settings and security information, is incorporated in an XML file written to the portable media device while it is installed in a first device. This configuration is then automatically transferred to a second device by installing the portable media device in the second device. The second device then writes device information, incorporated in an XML file, to the portable media device, to be uploaded to the first device.
US08145732B2

A method is described in which, in response to notice of a configuration event yet to happen within a network that is part of a link-based computing system, a component within said link based computing system: a) identifies networking configuration information changes to be made by components within the link-based computing system; and, b) sends instances of program code to each one of the components. Each instance of program code is to be executed by a specific component that it was sent to. Each instance of program code is customized to implement the particular one or more networking configuration information changes to be made at the specific component it was sent to.
US08145729B2

A Read-only storage device having network interface, a system including the device, and a method of distributing files over a network. The storage device comprises a processor communicably connected to a computer interface, a network interface, and a storage means. The processor communicates with a computer and a file server through the computer interface and the network interface, respectively. The computer may request a file from the processor and the processor responds by either (1) providing the requested file to the computer on a read-only basis if the file is cached on the storage means, (2) obtains the file from the file server if the file is available from the file server, caches the obtained file on the storage means, and provides the obtained file to the computer on a read-only basis, or (3) returns a file unavailable notice to the computer.
US08145726B1

Method and apparatus for Web resource validation. Embodiments may provide a Web resource validation service for validating Web services and Web sites in general. Embodiments may be implemented internally in a Web entity's architecture and/or exposed externally as a Web service. In embodiments, a client configures a call to the Web service or Web site under test according to a Web resource validation service (WRVS) request schema that specifies validation requirements. The client then submits the WRVS request to the Web resource validation service. The Web resource validation service calls the Web service or Web site under test as specified in the WRVS request, and validates the response received from the Web service or Web site under test as specified in the WRVS request. Results of the validation are returned to the client formatted according to a WRVS response schema.
US08145724B1

A data structure embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for configuring connections from a local workstation between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system. The data structure provides for such configuration by allowing the user to specify the host system, specify a host directory path within the host file system, and specify a mapping between a file within the host directory path on the host file system and a file on the local file system. After such configuration, the user may access the host file system file in the same manner as a local file system file. The data structure can encode information describing a file system connection between a local system and a host system in a metalanguage format comprising one or more tags, each tag having an identifier and a set of one or more attributes, wherein the encoded information comprises a file system connection descriptor which can be parsed according to the metalanguage tags.
US08145720B2

Inconveniences in switching from one Internet service provider (ISP) to another ISP are remedied by providing streamlined approaches that facilitate the migration from one ISP to another ISP. In one embodiment, user information is validated prior to migrating from the old ISP to the new ISP, thereby ensuring proper transfer of information from the old ISP to the new ISP.
US08145709B2

A communications system may include an application server and at least one communications device for processing requests from one another. The communications device may process requests using an HTTP client application, for example. Furthermore, the system may also include an HTTP server for interfacing the HTTP client application with the application server. The HTTP server and the HTTP client application may format requests to be communicated therebetween via the Internet in an HTTP format, and each may provide additional state information with the HTTP formatted requests recognizable by the other for authenticating the application server and the HTTP client application to one another. Furthermore, the HTTP client application may request a first universal resource locator (URL) from the HTTP server for accepting work requests from the application server, and a second URL different from the first URL for responding to work requests from the application server.
US08145708B2

Various embodiments can provide a virtual online robot (bot) or security agent. The agent or guardian can monitor on line conversations and can act to intervene in an event a conversation's content meets certain definable criteria that indicates that the content might be inappropriate or possibly harmful or risky. In at least some embodiments, the agent or guardian is configured to utilize natural language processing techniques to evaluate the context of a conversation across its span and/or conversations across individual users. Using natural language processing techniques, the agent or guardian can then present notifications or warnings to individual users (or others) when a particular conversation or portion thereof is deemed problematic.
US08145705B1

A system, method, and computer-readable medium for recording and replaying a web browsing session. A presenter client presents a web browsing session to an attendee client via a network. The web browsing session is viewed at the attendee client and recorded by the presenter client. A control server that is connected to the presenter client and the attendee client via the network enables the presenter client to control the web browsing session at the attendee client, and a playback client that is connected to the control server via the network requests playback of the recorded web browsing session from the control server. The recorded web browsing session is then replayed at the playback client.
US08145704B2

A method of generating media programming includes the steps of providing by an aggregator to a client a list of feeds; receiving by the aggregator from the client a selection of one of the feeds; receiving by a publisher from the aggregator the feed selection; and providing to the client media programming based on a publisher-initiated feed responsive to the feed selection and including media elements selected and concatenated with the feed responsive to the client information.
US08145696B2

A method for storage for complex numbers that employs a shared exponent field is disclosed. Rather than each floating point component of an complex number having its own distinct signed mantissa and exponent fields, each component includes a distinct signed mantissa field and shares an exponent field, thereby increasing the possible size of each distinct signed mantissa field by as much as one half the number of bits formerly employed to store a single distinct exponent field.
US08145686B2

Methods and computer-readable media for maintaining transactional link-level consistency between a database and a file system. A file system change is logged in a record of a database log and a file corresponding to the file system change is created in a file system folder. During a restart recovery process, an analysis operation and a conditional redo operation are performed based on the database log, and a conditional redo operation and an undo operation are performed based on the files in the file system folder. An undo operation is then performed based on the database log.
US08145685B2

An integration server system for mapping data objects on a database schema offers a strongly-typed model API, complex constraint management, and association balancing. The integration server system also has improved performance through optimized handling of ordered associations of data object and of string-valued attributes. The integration server system comprises a database schema configured to store a set of data object instances. A metadata model represents a configuration of the set of data object instances in the database schema. A model application programming interface provides a client application with access to the set of data object instances, and a metadata application programming interface provides a client application with access to the set of data object instances via the metadata model.
US08145683B2

A data structure is for storing data including a number of files which each have a file header and a file body. The file header of a respective file contains general information with respect to the respective content of the respective file body of the respective file. Further, the file header of a respective first file additionally contains context information with respect to at least one further file, the file body of which exhibits a material reference to the content of the file body of the respective first file. The file structure and a method are proposed for creating and storing a file which allow an observer to determine in a particularly simple manner the volume and content of the information relevant for the file.
US08145682B2

A query log includes a list of queries and a count for each query representing the number of times that the query was received by a search engine. In order to provide differential privacy protection to the queries, noise is generated and added to each count, and queries that have counts that fall below a threshold are removed from the query log. A distribution associated with a function used to generate the noise is referenced to determine a distribution of a number of times that a hypothetical query having a zero count would have its count exceed the threshold after the addition of noise. Random queries of an amount equal to a sample from the distribution of number of times are added to the query log with a count that is greater than the threshold count.
US08145672B2

The present invention is a method for clustering data points. The method represents data-points as vertices of a graph (a well-known mathematical construct) with distance-weighted arcs (lines joining each paid of points). The method then involves sorting the arcs in increasing order of their weights and adding them in ascending order, at each stage determining the number of connected components in the graph and the length of the longest added edge. The longest edge is a measure of the quality of the clustering (low values are good), and the connected components are the clusters.
US08145664B2

There is provided a method and system for case-specific information retrieval from a medical database system. The information to be retrieved comprises at least two categories, clinical guidelines related information and patient related information. The method comprises the steps of accessing a database for retrieval of the clinical guidelines related information and accessing a database for retrieval of the patient related data; matching the accesses; displaying the retrieved clinical guidelines related information and the patient related information and the matched pairs of accesses.
US08145661B1

Disclosed herein are a method, system, and computer-readable storage medium with instructions for recommending locations to a user. Preferred criteria may be selected by the user, for example, or a third party, and provide objective or subjective information that the user is seeking in a location. Embodiments may include compiling objective information with the location and comparing the objective information to preferred criteria. A user's profile may be compared to an other person's profile, where the other person's profile is associated to the location. A location may be recommended to the user if the objective information correlates to the preferred criteria and if the other person's profile correlates to the user's profile. Subjective information associated with the location may be provided to the user along with the recommended location. Furthermore, a location may be recommended to the user if the subjective information correlates to the preferred criteria.
US08145654B2

Systems and methods are provided for document searching. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method provides keyword searching. The method may receive a plurality of noisy keywords for a document collection. A server may generate tokens for a plurality of keywords in the document collection and merge the tokens to create an index. A search query may be received. The search query may include at least one search phrase. For the at least one search phrase, an indication may be received from a user specifying to perform one of a noisy phrase search or a noiseless phrase search. The method may search the index for the at least one search phrase based on the indication received from the user.
US08145651B2

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for determining whether a developed application associated with an on-demand database service will operate properly with at least one other application. These mechanisms and methods for providing such determination can enable embodiments to ensure that new versions of developed applications will operate in the same application environment of a previous version. The ability of embodiments to make such determination may lead to an improved application migration development/runtime framework, etc.
US08145650B2

The present invention related to monitoring internet traffic for illegal Intellectual Property transfers, viruses, criminal and other illegal activities. It also assists the Internet search engine providers in generating fast and accurate responses to Internet Recipient (IR) database queries. A massively parallel network of processing units residing within a single programmable ASIC device assures speeds in excess of 100 Gigabits/second.
US08145648B2

A computing system creates and stores semantic metadata on content, such as videos, that enables efficient searching of the content. The existing metadata of a video file, for example, is examined and a keyword list is created. The processes used to derive the keyword list may depend on the type and format of the existing metadata. The keywords from the list are compared against external structured knowledge data sources that are topic oriented. Based on these comparisons and the matches found, semantic data, including topic, topic type, and attribute data are inserted into a topic table. This uniform and structured table is stored on the computing system and is efficiently searchable for finding relevant videos and for finding relationships between videos.
US08145639B2

System, methods, computer program product, and web site for evaluating a patent document have been disclosed. The patent document is characterized by patent indices arranged into a hierarchy, each index reflecting a different aspect of the patent document. The indices are transformed into an integral Patent Quality index of the patent document according to a non-linear transformation, which satisfies certain predetermined rules and boundary conditions. A bias associated with an expert, influencing the evaluation of a patent is taken into account. A corresponding method for determining a monetary value of the patent document is also described. The system for patent evaluation comprises a Patent Quality and Monetary Value processing unit for implementing the methods, and respective input and output data means, including graphical user interface. An Artificial Intelligence system for analyzing and interpreting patent indices and a Visualization unit for color-coded visualization of the results of evaluation are also provided.
US08145628B2

An article of manufacture for processing rule sets and, more particularly, for processing abstract rule sets. One embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, performs operations for managing execution of an analysis routine. The operations comprise accessing an analysis routine configured to process one or more inputs. The analysis routine is defined by at least one abstract rule set having one or more abstract rules each having a conditional statement and a consequential statement. The operation further comprises determining, from the retrieved analysis routine, a predefined validating condition that needs to be satisfied by at least one of the inputs, and validating a particular data value defining the at least one of the inputs on the basis of the predefined validating condition. If the particular data value is not validated, a predefined action configured to avoid execution of the analysis routine on invalid inputs is performed.
US08145623B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for query ranking based on query clustering and categorization, are disclosed. In one aspect, search queries are selected and grouped into one or more clusters. A representative query is selected for each cluster. Each cluster is associated with a respective representative category. A rank is assigned to each cluster based on a cluster popularity score of the cluster and a category popularity score of the cluster's representative category. The selected representative queries are presented in order according to the ranks of their respective clusters.
US08145620B2

Media and methods are provided for creating and operating a keyword expression language. Syntax is generated as an abbreviation to represent a list of keywords. The syntax is executed as part of the keyword expression language to provide keywords. The syntax includes tokens that substitute for groups of information. Advertisers generate syntax which is subsequently used by a third-party to match to search queries and ads. The third-party may also generate keywords to match to the search queries and ads. The keywords are used to trigger advertising over the Internet.
US08145599B2

A system and method for managing an on board entertainment system is disclosed. The system and method can wirelessly receive music files from a computer and store those music files on an on board unit associated with a motor vehicle. The system and method can also include provisions to associate music information with a received music file and can include provisions to manage the music collection on board a motor vehicle.
US08145598B2

Methods and systems are disclosed that relate to single instance storage of asset parts utilizing a back reference count associated with each asset part. Entries in a journal associated with the asset parts reflect the intention to increment or decrement an asset part's back reference count. The journal may be used to maintain an accurate and reliable reference count for asset parts replicated across multiple disk drives in a distributed storage system, where the replication is structured to reduce the risk of data loss in the event of a disk drive failure. The journal entries may comprise generation numbers used to maintain a back reference count associated with an asset part and to verify a back reference count associated with an asset part.
US08145595B2

Activities within a workflow are either data management activities (DMAs) or non-DMAs. A workflow is typically carried out by a system by executing one activity after the other. This can, however, be very time consuming. A method and system are provided for optimizing a group of activities (GOA) comprising a DMA, whereby the GOA is comprised in the workflow to improve the overall performance. The method determines the DMAs, and for each DMA, a data level statement (DLS). The GOA is determined and a process graph model (PGM) is determined from the GOA so that the DLS is comprised in the PGM and the semantics of the PGM are identical to those of the GOA. The PGM is optimized for which an optimized GOA is determined. The semantics of the optimized GOA are identical to those of the GOA. In the workflow, the GOA is replaced by the optimized GOA.
US08145593B2

Exposing functionality from a line of business application as a web service. A method includes receiving user input requesting information about objects exposed by a line of business application. Metadata is gathered about a first set of objects exposed by the line of business application. The metadata is returned to the user. User input is received selecting a second set of objects from among the first set of objects to be exposed as a web service. A web service model is constructed that exposes the second set of objects. The web service model includes a service description, metadata map, and configuration information. The web service model is published to allow for web service clients to access the second set of objects by accessing the web service model. The web service can then be used to translate messages between a line of business application and one or more web service clients.
US08145575B1

A method for peer-to-peer sharing of job applicant verification data over a network includes a computerized central exchange that interfaces with requesters, providers, and job applicants. The exchange manages the interactions of each requester, provider, and job applicant by providing access to a communication channel depending on the classification of requester, provider, and job applicant. The communication channel may be an online interface, a facsimile interface, or an electronically stored data interface. Data stored in the database is used in completing subsequent verification requests involving that job applicant and provider. Job applicants may review and place holds on verification data before the data are transmitted to the requester. The exchange tracks the status of the verification transaction from the time of its receipt to its final disposition and may send a notice to the requester, provider, or job applicant that informs the recipient as to the status of the request.
US08145569B2

A role associated with one or more parties involved with a purchase transaction is received. A routing rule associated with the purchase transaction is also received, the routing rule defining how the purchase transaction is routed among the one or more parties. The purchase transaction is processed based on the role of each party and the routing rule.
US08145564B1

A recurring automatic payment date may be set for an insurance policy premium based on customer preference. A server may receive a customer-specified day of a month and/or a request for bimonthly withdrawals, such as may be entered via a user interface on an insurance company webpage. The customer specified day(s) may be analyzed against data associated with the insurance policies to determine whether the day is disallowed. The day may be disallowed, for example, because it would result in falling behind an earned premium curve and thereby require a double bill or short bill to stay ahead of the earned premium curve.
US08145561B1

A credit card fraud reduction system is disclosed. The system comprises a computer system and an application. The application, when executed on the computer system, applies increased credit card fraud prevention procedures to use of an electronic credit card application in a mobile electronic device, based on a changed communication usage pattern of the mobile electronic device.
US08145558B2

A system and methods for processing and charting security exchange trading and market information shows security traders if current transactions originated as buy orders or sell orders, and simultaneously indicates traded quantity. Security exchange trading information is received that includes the price, volume and time of each trade. In addition, security exchange market information is received from buyers, specifying bide prices and quantities, and from sellers, specifying asking prices and quantities. The security exchange trading and market information is processed simultaneously and displayed as a continuously updated real-time chart depicting the exchange auction process whereby buyers and sellers agree to trade at specified prices, including details of individual transactions. The chart is formed by plotting each trade at the price traded, and for each plot point shows a distinctive icon indication whether the transaction was initiated by a buyer or seller.
US08145557B2

A bid/offer spread market is presented that allows a trader to increase liquidity in traded items. A bid/offer spread market maker may make a bid/offer spread market. This bid/offer spread market may be made available to any market participant. In response to the spread market, an aggressor may respond to a bid or an offer with a hit or a take, respectively. In response to the hit or the take, the aggressor or bid/offer spread market maker, respectively, may create a separate underlying market using the selected (bid or offer) spread within a specified amount of time. The other party, a bid/offer spread trader, may trade on the quoted price within a specified amount of time, at which point a trade has occurred.
US08145554B2

An account coordination system includes an Internet-connected server executing software from a non-transitory, machine-readable medium. The software provides direct linking between the server and two or more financial enterprises hosting each at least one financial account for a specific user and having an interactive interface through which the user may interact with his/her account, direct linking between the server and one or more third-party enterprises providing interactive interfaces through which the user may access and interact with one or more of the financial accounts at the financial enterprises, and tracking functionality whereby the server tracks activity by the user at any of the interactive interfaces through which the user may interact with one of the financial accounts. The server propagates any change made in an account by the user at any one of the interactive interfaces to the sites hosting the other interactive interfaces.
US08145550B2

A data mining device, method, and apparatus configured to associate customer exclusive data from a payment card or device after a financial transaction. A financial transaction processing system comprises a report distribution management system, a data relationship manager, and a customer exclusive data association database. The report distribution management system receives financial transaction data. The data relationship manager determines an issuer associated with the financial transaction data, queries a subscription database for subscription data associated with the issuer and a core database for the issuer processing parameters. The processing parameters are applied to the financial transaction data and the subscription data. A customer exclusive data association database is updated with the financial transaction data once the processing parameters are applied.
US08145548B2

A novel vending machine system integrating a food storage container and a high speed stored energy cooking oven capable of cooking foods in under one minute such as that further described by U.S. Provisional Application 60/822,028 filed on Aug. 10, 2006 as well as co-pending application “Wire Mesh Thermal Radiative Element and Use in a Radiative Oven” filed on Dec. 30, 2008 by De Luca. The invention disclosing a novel configuration for the oven incorporating storage, a system allowing for the proper cooking of items and food positioning, an activation system, and an invoicing system.
US08145546B2

An inventory-tracking unit associated with a storage unit holding items to be dispensed includes a card reader to read an access card issued to a user and a recorder to record data from items removed from the storage unit. A processor communicates with a sensor in the storage unit and with the card reader and recorder. The sensor provides item data to the processor that is associated with items removed from the storage unit. The processor compares item data received from the sensor with the data recorded by the recorder to detect coincidence. The processor generates a transaction upon coincidence of item data received from the sensor with the recorded data. A communications interface transmits the transaction to a remote site.
US08145536B1

A computer-implemented system and method for an airline to enhance customers' experience. A computer-implemented service is operated that delivers to a customer an option to upgrade on up to n of m selected products, where n is less than m. Information is recorded in a data store, pertaining to said option. In addition, a system is operated to define each of the n chosen products, whereby after each of the n chosen products is defined, the customer can be upgraded to said chosen product. The information pertaining to said defined products is recorded in a data store.
US08145535B2

A computer-implemented system and method to provide options on products to enhance customers' experience. A computer-implemented system is operated that delivers to a customer an option to utilize up to n of m selected products, where n is less than or equal to m. Information is recorded in a data store, pertaining to said option. In addition, a system is operated to define each of the n chosen products, whereby after each of the n chosen products is defined, the customer can utilize said chosen product. The information pertaining to said defined products is recorded in a data store.
US08145534B2

Online birthday register software system, allowing a user to register his personal information including birth date online. The system allows a user to search for and select gifts by category and sub category and provides a method for the user to select gifts and to print customized gift certificates. The gift certificates and proof of birth date can be presented to participating businesses for redeeming free or discounted gifts. The software system provides a method for participating businesses to monitor the birthday register site for user gift selection and buying activities. The facilitator of the online site has the ability to monitor the certificate activity of the users so that the facilitator can charge participating businesses a referral fee for each gift certificate. The software system is capable of matching zip codes of registered users to zip codes of local businesses.
US08145532B2

Sharing media content between entities. A computing device detects and connects to another computing device within a predefined proximity. Media content items and associated metadata are selected and exchanged between the connected computing devices. A subsequent purchase opportunity is provided to the users to purchase the exchanged media content items.
US08145526B2

The computer-based method and system shares revenue with a content provider and registered users. A web page has supplied electronic content and ads with displays and hyperlinks to a corresponding advertiser designated web site. Associated sales referral fees are tracked based upon user click throughs. The content provider is incentivized because the system shares the associated sales referral fees with him based upon factors such as frequency of posting content, quality rankings by users, gross value referral fees, and page user-visitors. Registered user-visitors are incentivized by providing each with N quality ranking tokens and by sharing the referral fees with users who post tokens on content. The QA ranking formula accounts for the quantity of posted tokens, the sequential order of posting, the number of user-visitors, and the referral fee to the content provider. The fees are paid to debit card, credit card, or cell phone account payment processors.
US08145507B2

A quantitative system and method that employs data sources external to an insurance company to generate a statistical model that may be used to more accurately and consistently predict commercial insurance profitability (the “predictive statistical model”). The system and method are able to predict individual commercial insurance policyholder profitability on a prospective basis regardless of the internal data and business practices of a particular insurance company.
US08145501B1

The method and system provides a single-role pharmacy product filling workflow that coordinates filling and inspection to increase the accuracy and consistency of released pharmacy products.
US08145498B2

In a multi-channel encoder generating several different parameter sets for reconstructing a multi-channel output signal using at least one transmission channel, the data stream is written such that the two parameter sets are decodable independently of each other. Thus, a multi-channel decoder is enabled to skip a parameter set which is marked as optional and/or has a higher version number when reading the data stream and still to perform a valid multi-channel reconstruction using a data set marked as mandatory or a data set having a sufficiently low version number. This achieves a flexible encoder/decoder concept suitable for future updates characterized by backward compatibility and reliability.
US08145486B2

Acoustic models to provide features to a speech signal are created based on speech features included in regions where similarities of acoustic models created based on speech features in a certain time length are equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Feature vectors acquired by using the acoustic models of the regions and the speech features to provide features to speech signals of second segments are grouped by speaker.
US08145482B2

Methods and apparatus for the enhancement of speech to text engines, by providing indications to the correctness of the found words, based on additional sources besides the internal indication provided by the STT engine. The enhanced indications comprise sources of data such as acoustic features, CTI features, phonetic search and others. The apparatus and methods also enable the detection of important or significant keywords found in audio files, thus enabling more efficient usages, such as further processing or transfer of interactions to relevant agents, escalation of issues, or the like. The methods and apparatus employ a training phase in which word model and key phrase model are generated for determining an enhanced correctness indication for a word and an enhanced importance indication for a key phrase, based on the additional features.
US08145471B2

A method for simulating a hardware failure in a virtualization environment includes determining a location of an instruction pointer for a particular operating system operating in the virtualization environment; determining an address of a memory location containing an invalid instruction; and writing the address of the memory location containing the invalid instruction in the location of the instruction pointer.
US08145467B1

Method and apparatus for profiling a hardware/software embedded system are described. In one example, a hardware co-simulation interface is generated between a programmable logic device (PLD) configured with the embedded system and a computer based on a plurality of events. The embedded system in the PLD is simulated. During the simulation of the embedded system, occurrence of at least one event is detected to produce profiling data. The profiling data is stored into shared first-in-first-out (FIFO) logic of the PLD and the computer. The profiling data is retrieved from the shared FIFO logic at the computer.
US08145464B2

Techniques relating to an oilfield application for performing at least one oilfield operation are provided. The oilfield application is provided with a plurality of oilfield application modules, an application shell for defining an oilfield application, an adapter for encapsulating at least one of the oilfield application modules for compatibility with the application shell, and integration services for integrating the application modules into the application shell. Each of the oilfield application modules performs at least one task of an oilfield operation. The application shell is adapted to selectively receive the oilfield application modules. The loading services load the application modules into the application shell, the loading services initializing the application modules. The integrating services integrate the application modules for operability with the application shell whereby the at least one oilfield operation is enabled.
US08145461B2

A method for verifying an inertial unit for a moving body, the unit being mounted on a movement simulator, and the method includes: theoretical modeling of the inertial unit on the movement simulator, supplying theoretical inertial data representing measurement inertial data deemed to be measured by the inertial unit; simulation modeling including modeling of the inertial unit in a real navigation environment, the simulation modeling being fed with control commands and supplying simulation inertial data representing output data from the inertial unit in real navigation environment; calculating control commands as a function of the measurement inertial data, the simulation inertial data, and the theoretical inertial data; and validating the inertial unit by comparing the path of the moving body with a reference path.
US08145460B2

While a recording mode is being set, a manipulation log about a manipulation target virtual object is recorded in a memory (S301, S302). After the recording mode is canceled, a virtual element as a collision determination target with respect to the manipulation target virtual object is selected from a plurality of virtual elements existing in the same virtual space as the manipulation target virtual object based on the manipulation log (S303). Collision between the manipulation target virtual object and each of at least one selected virtual element is determined (S304). The collision determination result is output (S305).
US08145458B1

An automated approach is provided for evaluating stress upon analog components embedded in a digital electronic circuit design. The approach includes establishing a computer readable circuit definition of the digital electronic circuit design. The circuit definition is then partitioned into a plurality of circuit portions, which are re-defined to form a plurality of analog topologies. The analog topologies are adapted for automatic analog simulation one independent of the other, with all digital components substituted by at least one subcircuit including instantiation of a corresponding input output (IO) buffer model. Automatic analog simulation is carried out upon the analog topologies to generate simulated results data, which are automatically postprocessed to generate worst-case stress measurement data for one or more critical components identified in the analog topologies.
US08145454B2

A method and apparatus for improving the fatigue life of a wobblefram utilized in a micro switch. The flexible circular wobblefram can be formed with a fixed edge and a solid center region utilizing a punch and die at elevated temperatures. An external lever can be attached to the solid center region of the wobblefram. The lever can be loaded and actuated to transmit motion from outside of the micro switch to a sealed internal mechanism in order to perform a switching function. Circular and/or sinusoidal shaped corrugations can then be added to the wobblefram and evaluated for performance utilizing a finite element analysis (FEA) model. The FEA model can precisely evaluate and optimize profile, number and height of the circular and/or sinusoidal corrugations. Such a wobblefram with circular and/or sinusoidal corrugations can achieve higher lifetime without affecting the operating characteristics of the micro switch.
US08145449B2

A system management apparatus includes a countermeasure-result evaluating unit that evaluates whether a countermeasure taken by a countermeasure taking unit has been solved, and that stores the result of evaluation in a countermeasure database to reflect the result to a criterion for selecting the countermeasure by a countermeasure determining unit next time.
US08145435B2

System for analyzing a polynucleotide-containing sample using real-time amplification and monitoring. The system includes a computer or processing device with software for performing a vector analysis of growth curves. The vector analysis advantageously simplifies polynucleotide quantitation by circumventing the need to establish thresholds used for calculating initiation of the growth phase, or to calculate derivatives.
US08145432B2

A simulation system that increases a polymer molecule binding prediction speed on a parallel and distributed computer system is provided. The simulation system determines a decomposition width that decomposes a search region of polymer molecule by means of translational operation and rotational operation and the number of searches in the decomposed regions into which the search region is decomposed, determines the number of decomposed regions into which the search region is decomposed, determines the number of computing units to which the decomposed regions are to be allocated, allocates the decomposed regions to the respective computing units, determines search points within the decomposed regions, transmits data of the search points to a computing unit that computes the binding energy and the energy gradient vector, performs communication control that receives data associated with the binding energy and the energy gradient vector from the computing unit, and determines the local minimum value of the binding energy in the decomposed region and the minimum value in the search region, thereby making it possible to determine the convergence of the binding energy.
US08145424B2

A method for establishing a geographic boundary and monitoring an object within the boundary is provided. At least one first entity provides a second entity a request to form the geographic boundary and monitor the object within the boundary. The request may include parameters including at least a first set of coordinates of a geographic location associated with the geographic boundary to be formed. The method includes determining if the parameters provided include additional sets of coordinates for additional geographic locations associated with the geographic boundary to be formed. A footprint of the geographic boundary is selected dependent on whether the parameters provided include additional sets of coordinates. A rectangular footprint may be selected if the parameters include additional sets of coordinates and the coordinates form an isosceles triangle. The method includes forming the geographic boundary having the selected footprint. The object may be monitored within the geographic boundary.
US08145423B2

A navigation device and a route guiding method. The route guiding method includes: displaying a current map including a position indicator; displaying a related map that corresponds to the current map; and displaying the current map after a set period of time has elapsed. The set time period can be set by a user. Therefore, the travel simulation of the route from the current position to the a location desired by a user may be displayed, or the route may be zoomed in or out to be displayed, based on settings input by a user, and thus the user can travel safely.
US08145419B2

A mobile object position estimation apparatus mounted in a mobile object includes a first estimation mechanism for estimating the mobile object position based on the outputs from an inertial navigation sensor device (acceleration sensor, and yaw rate sensor, or the like) mounted on the mobile object, a storage for storing map information including at least node information, a second estimation mechanism for estimating the mobile object position based on a predicted path of traveling of the mobile object predicted from the node information, and a synthesis mechanism for determining the final estimated mobile object position by synthesizing the mobile object position estimated by the first estimation mechanism and the mobile object position estimated by the second estimation mechanism.
US08145418B2

Systems and methods for determining magnetic heading information for a vehicle. In one example, the system identifies at least one polar exclusion area based on predefined rate-of-change of magnetic variation (magvar). Locally stored magvar information is retrieved based on received vehicle position information that is outside the polar exclusion areas. Magnetic heading is determined based on the retrieved magvar information, the received position information, and the received true heading information. In another example, the magnetic heading is determined based on the retrieved magvar and magvar rate-of-change information, on the received vehicle position and true heading information, and on the received date information. In another example, the magnetic heading is determined based on the received vehicle position, true heading, and date information, and on the magvar retrieved from a world magnetic model utilizing stored model coefficients.
US08145415B2

A method using airport surveillance data to output a location of a delay and an amount of time a vehicle is subjected to the delay during a movement of the vehicle between two locations, the delays being observed in the surveillance data as a knot of several data points. A first method is used to identify proposed knots based on distances between individual data points within the data. A second method is used to identify proposed knots based on the speed of the vehicle. Another method can be used to separate proposed knots have been incorrectly joined together. This method performs the separation by arranging the data points into a two-dimensional grid to form clusters of grid cells having data points. The location of the individual cells is then analyzed to determine whether clusters should be separated. Each of the remaining clusters defines a hold where the vehicle is delayed.
US08145409B2

A method for determining degradation of an exhaust gas sensor positioned in an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is provided. The method includes sensor response durations to rich-to-lean and lean-to-rich transitions, as well as the symmetry of sensor response durations and delays to such transitions.
US08145404B2

A standard cam phasing OCV may be employed as a virtual check valve to choke the backflow of oil during negative cam torque conditions, including execution of a duty cycle command in an event-based manner. Normally, OCV duty cycle commands are made on a time basis, but for VCV the duty cycle output change must be synchronized with engine events. A method is disclosed for calculating and delivering the VCV duty cycle so that both time-based and event-based controls are maintained and work together. Phase alignment of response time of the OCV solenoid is based upon cam target wheel edges and is event-based. An initial phase rate vs. phase angle is monitored by the Engine Control Module (ECM). Adjustment of the phase angle is provided to achieve maximum cam position phase rate.
US08145399B2

Method and arrangement for providing an electronic gear shift selector associated with an automatic mechanical transmission for a heavy vehicle. The gear shift selector includes a toggle switch for asserting at least one gear shift request, a counter receiving the at least one gear shift request, and a time delay for preventing communication of the at least one gear shift request from the counter until a predefined time period has passed. A method for communicating a collective gear shift request to a gear box includes asserting one or more gear shift requests with a gear shift selector, communicating the gear shift requests to a counter, determining the collective gear shift requests occurring within a predefined time period, communicating the gear shift requests occurring within the predefined time period to a gearbox.
US08145393B2

A system, and method of use thereof, that employs short distance communications signals, thereby limiting and localizing the dissemination area for such signals, for interactively coordinating crop material transfer operations between a harvester and a grain transport, including the automated conduct of an unloading operation, including commencement of the actual unloading of the grain through continuation of such unloading to termination of such unloading, which system and method of the present invention employs operating systems in the harvester and grain transport that so operate to become electronically linked to one another to thereafter operate in unison with one another to effect and control the conduct of the crop material transfer operation between the harvester and grain transport, with each of such operating systems having associated therewith a short range communications system for the transmission and receipt at close range of electronic data signals, such operating systems, when appropriately electronically linked to one another, being operable in conjunction with one another to exchange information, to maintain a communications link therebetween, and to automatedly coordinate and effect various activities of the harvester and grain transport as a crop material transfer operation is effected and proceeds.
US08145377B2

A system and method for determining work procedures through correlated symptoms are provided. The system made up of a diagnostic authoring apparatus for constructing and managing a diagnostic database. Information is stored in the diagnostic database that identifies vehicles that have the tendency to display certain symptoms in correlation with particular problems. These problems in the vehicles generally have a common solution for that type of vehicle. The problem may be common enough to check for a symptom preemptively, possibly before the vehicle owner is aware of it, or even prior to the manifestation of the symptom. The problem may warrant action taken to fix or avoid the problem. The system and method may associate and mark a problem with a preemptive symptom so a vehicle service/repair professional may be presented with the proper way to handle the associated problem for a particular vehicle.
US08145376B2

The system includes a road scenario sensor, a vehicle control unit, and a computer processing unit. The road scenario sensor detects upcoming road scenarios for the system vehicle. The computer processing unit receives an input from the road scenario sensor and determines a upcoming driving event based upon the detected upcoming road scenarios. The computer processing unit compares the upcoming driving event with an ideal emissions model having acceptable emission thresholds to determine an adaptive driving strategy. The adaptive driving strategy configures the system vehicle to reduce emissions for the upcoming driving event. The adaptive driving strategy optionally includes an optimal acceleration rate and/or an optimal power management strategy. The optimal acceleration rate is based upon the required speed of the vehicle at the upcoming driving event and the distance from the vehicle to the upcoming driving event, and the ideal emissions model having acceptable emission thresholds.
US08145360B2

A system for the remote control of a plurality of control units (A11 . . . A1n . . . An1 . . . Ann) for irrigation devices is described; the system includes a data processing device (1, B1 . . . Bn) for setting data regarding the duration and frequency of the irrigation periods of the irrigation devices associated to the control units and their position in time. The data processing device (1, B1 . . . Bn) includes a database (11) with archives containing the list of the control units of the plurality and data regarding their operation.
US08145355B2

A coordinated joint control system for controlling a coordinated joint motion system, e.g. an articulated arm of a hydraulic excavator blends automation of routine tasks with real-time human supervisory trajectory correction and selection. One embodiment employs a differential control architecture utilizing an inverse Jacobian. Modelling of the desired trajectory of the end effector in system space can be avoided. The disclosure includes image generation and matching systems.
US08145348B2

A tool selection method, for a machine tool, comprising the steps of identifying the maximum tip distance (D2) of a currently selected tool (141), a next designated tool (142) and an intermediate tool (143) disposed therebetween; moving a tool rest (10) in the +(plus)X-axis direction after a machining by the currently selected tool (141) is completed until the tip of the currently selected tool (141) is spaced from a workpiece (W) along the X-axis by a distance provided by adding a clearance distance (E) to a difference between the maximum tip distance (D2) and the tip distance (D3) of the currently selected tool (141); moving the tool rest (10) in the +(plus)Y-axis direction until the tip of the next designated tool (142) is aligned with the rotation center axis (12a) of the workpiece (W) in the X-axis direction; and moving the tool rest (10) in the −(minus)X-axis direction.
US08145340B2

A virtual model of an intraoral cavity is provided, wherein this process is initialized by a dental clinic, and the design and manufacture of a suitable dental prosthesis for the intraoral cavity is shared between a dental lab and a service center.
US08145339B2

As an interrupt start button is depressed while control, under which product wafers Wp and dummy wafers Wd are transferred in an order defined in a normal transfer pattern, is repeatedly executed, a decision is made based upon wafer transfer history as to whether or not the most recent transfer pattern cycle has ended. If the cycle is determined to have ended, the operation immediately proceeds to the subsequent cycle to transfer interrupt wafers Wf and Wd in an order defined in the interrupt transfer pattern achieved by replacing Wp in the normal transfer pattern with Wf, whereas if the cycle is determined to be incomplete, the wafer transfer based upon the normal transfer pattern is carried on until the cycle ends and then the operation proceeds to the next cycle to transfer Wf and Wd in the order defined in the interrupt transfer pattern.
US08145332B2

An apparatus includes a vehicle and a media player/recorder physically connected with the vehicle. The media player/recorder includes a wireless receiver to receive a signal representing media data, a storage device to store the media data, a storage controller to retrieve the media data from the storage device, and an output circuit to output the media data. The storage device stores a list of identifiers of desired media selections. The wireless receiver receives a signal representing an identifier of an offered media selection. The storage device stores the offered media selection when the identifier of the offered media selection corresponds to the identifier of one of the desired media selections.
US08145329B2

A method and system for combining a feedback control and a feedforward control in a linear MPC to minimize effect of model uncertainty. An externally computed feedforward signal, which is more accurate and reliable, can be utilized in association with the MPC, A steady state relation between system parameters can be determined in order to compute the feedforward signal for a set of actuators associated with a non-linear system. A feedback MPC controller can then be designed. A state observer can be configured as an unknown input observer to estimate the effect of the feedforward signal. A strategy for manipulating the constraints of the MPC feedback signal can be implemented. A resulting control action for the actuators can be provided as a sum of corresponding feedback and feedforward signal while ensuring the constraints satisfaction.
US08145328B2

An effective non-intrusive data-based monitoring method may reduce the cost of control loop performance maintenance by screening and short-listing those control loops or valves that need maintenance. The invention comprises a data-based, model-free, non-invasive method that can automatically detect and quantify stiction present in control valves. The method does not require the implementation of any additional valve travel test or, as commonly known, bump test of the control loop. The method may detect and quantify stiction using controlled variable (pv), controller output (op) and set point (sp) data. It does not require valve positioner (mv) data.
US08145325B2

A mouth cleaning device includes a head portion provided with bristles and an electrode; and a grip portion provided with an electrode. Further, the mouth cleaning device includes a boosting circuit for boosting an output voltage of a battery serving as a power source and applying the boosted voltage to the electrodes of the head portion and the grip portion; and a current limit circuit for limiting a current flowing from one electrode to the other via a human body.
US08145323B2

An implantable medical electrical lead for electrical stimulation of body tissue that includes at least one electrode; a lead body; and at least one modifiable portion wherein the at least one modifiable portion can exist in both a deflated configuration and an inflated configuration, and wherein the inflated configuration exhibits a greater resistance to movement of the lead within the body tissue than does the deflated configuration. Kits, systems, and methods of using the leads are also included.
US08145322B1

The invention involves a flexible circuit electrode array device comprising: a polymer layer; wherein the polymer layer includes one or more metal traces, an electrode array; one or more bond pads; and the electrode array is located on the opposite side of the polymer layer.The invention further involves a method for backside processing of a flexible circuit electrode device, comprising: applying polymer film on a substrate; processing the front side; releasing the polymer film from substrate; flipping over the polymer film and fixing it onto the substrate; processing the backside; and final releasing of the polymer film from the substrate.The invention further involves a method for backside processing of a flexible circuit electrode device, comprising: processing the front side without releasing the polymer; processing the backside by sacrificial substrate method, or by laser drilling method; and releasing the polymer film from the substrate.
US08145314B2

Exemplary septum assemblies include first and second housing components each defined by at least an inner surface, at least one sealing strip disposed at least partially on at least one of the inner surfaces of the housing components, and a compression member at least partially surrounding the housing components.
US08145310B2

Cardiac devices and methods discriminate non-captured intrinsic beats during evoked response detection and classification by comparing the features of a post-pace cardiac signal with expected features associated with a non-captured response with intrinsic activation. Detection of a non-captured response with intrinsic activation may be based on the peak amplitude and timing of the cardiac signal. The methods may be used to discriminate between a fusion or capture beat and a non-captured intrinsic beat. Discriminating between possible cardiac responses to the pacing pulse may be useful, for example, during automatic capture verification and/or a capture threshold test.
US08145308B2

A medical device and method for determining a parameter for delivery of a predetermined pacing therapy that includes a plurality of electrodes to deliver a pacing therapy, including the predetermined pacing therapy, and a control unit to control the timing of the delivery of the pacing therapy, including the predetermined pacing therapy, by the electrodes. A processor generates a first template in response to the pacing therapy being delivered to only one of a right ventricle and a left ventricle, and a second template in response to the pacing therapy being delivered to only the other of the right ventricle and the left ventricle, and determines the parameter in response to a comparing of subsequently delivered pacing therapy to the first template and the second template.
US08145307B2

A method and apparatus for detecting a cardiac event in a medical device determine an activity level count from an activity sensor signal for each of a number of time segments, store an activity level count for each of the time segments in a histogram, and accumulate the stored activity level counts to determine a percentage of time segments having an activity level count above a given activity level count.
US08145306B2

A method to optimize CRT therapy using ventricular lead motion analysis, either radiographically or with three dimensional electromagnetic mapping, to determine whether focal dyssynchrony is present at baseline, and whether biventricular pacing improves synchronicity and fractional shortening, and if no improvement is evidenced, changing the timing offset, pacing configuration and/or repositioning the ventricular leads to optimize effectiveness of CRT therapy. Various uses of this method include: diagnostic, with temporary leads to determine presence or absence of dyssynchrony and response to pacing; and therapeutic, to guide lead placement and programming during implant of CRT, and to optimize reprogramming of CRT during follow-up.
US08145301B2

Systems and methods are described for classifying a cardiac rhythm. A cardiac rhythm is classified using a classification process that includes a plurality of cardiac rhythm discriminators. Each rhythm discriminator provides an independent classification of the cardiac rhythm. The classification process is modified if the modification is likely to produce enhanced classification results. The rhythm is reclassified using the modified classification process.
US08145300B2

A biphasic pulse delivery circuit for a defibrillator includes two capacitors, a first one of which is charged and delivers the first phase of the biphasic pulse and a second one of which is charged and delivers the second phase of the biphasic pulse. At least a portion of the charge on the second capacitor is provided by the current flow through the patient during delivery of the first pulse phase. Switches are provided for initiating the first phase, initiating the second phase, and terminating the second phase. In an illustrated circuit a shunt circuit path is provided to at least partially charge the second capacitor from the first capacitor prior to delivery of the second phase of the biphasic pulse. The inventive circuit can be controlled entirely with switching devices that only need to be closed during pulse delivery.
US08145297B2

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for assessing the reactivity observable in a certain physiological signal, especially the EEG signal, of a comatose subject. In order to obtain an objective and a reliable measure of the reactivity automatically and without the presence of a trained EEG specialist, a time reference corresponding to a stimulus is detected and the physiological signal data obtained from the subject is aligned with the time reference. Two sets of values are determined for a measure indicative of the amount of irregularity in the physiological signal data, both sets including at least one value of the said measure and having defined positions with respect to the time reference in time domain. Based on the two sets, the apparatus determines whether reactivity is present in the physiological signal data.
US08145290B2

The invention relates to a method for identifying the location at least one treatment channel from a group of a plurality of treatment channels as wells as a system for effecting radiation treatment on a pre-selected anatomical portion of an animal body.According to the invention the identifying method being characterized by the steps of A selecting at least one of said plurality of treatment channels; B reconstructing the actual location of said selected treatment channel relative to said animal body; and C comparing said reconstructed location said pre-planned plurality of locations. Furthermore the system according to the invention is characterized in that identifying means are present for identifying the location of at least one treatment channel from said group of said plurality of inserted treatment channels and comparing said identified location with one or more of said pre-planned locations present in said treatment plan.
US08145287B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure include an optical probe capable of communicating identification information to a patient monitor in addition to signals indicative of intensities of light after attenuation by body tissue. The identification information may indicate operating wavelengths of light sources, indicate a type of probe, such as, for example, that the probe is an adult probe, a pediatric probe, a neonatal probe, a disposable probe, a reusable probe, or the like. The information could also be utilized for security purposes, such as, for example, to ensure that the probe is configured properly for the oximeter, to indicate that the probe is from an authorized supplier, or the like. In one preferred embodiment, coding resistors could be provided across the light sources to allow additional information about the probe to be coded without added leads. However, any device could be used without it being used in parallel.
US08145284B2

A portable terminal includes a first casing having a first wiring board, a first operation portion, and an accommodating portion opened in its peripheral surface, and a second casing configured to be accommodated in the accommodating portion through the opening and having a second wiring board and a second operation portion. A casing movement guiding/supporting mechanism is interposed between one side portion of the first casing and that of the second casing in one direction intersecting a moving locus of the second casing between a retracted position and an extended position in relation to the accommodating portion, and supports the second casing to be movable linearly between the retracted and extended positions. The second casing is selectively locked at the retracted position by a locking mechanism. A battery for supplying electricity to the wiring boards is accommodated in an accommodating chamber in at least one of the casings.
US08145280B2

A portable electronic device includes a cover, a main body rotatably connecting to the cover, and a bracket received in the cover. The bracket includes a holding member and a connecting member extending from the holding member. The holding member is used for holding the lens. The connecting member includes a buffer mounted between a joint section of the cover and the main body. The buffer can slow down the abrasion between the cover and the main body.
US08145277B2

A system and method for extending alerts for a wireless device. A media player equipped with a wireless ringer is linked with a media player through a wireless connection. Playback of media content on the media player is interrupted to play an alert in response to the wireless ringer receiving an indication of an incoming communication from the wireless device. The alert is played on the media player in response to interrupting playback of the media content in order to inform a user of the incoming communication.
US08145272B2

Techniques are provided herein to estimate channel information based a received burst that is comprises of consecutive transmissions. Each transmission comprises a plurality of data subcarriers and a plurality of pilot subcarriers on a radio frequency (RF) channel, wherein locations of the pilot subcarriers in the consecutive transmissions are different. Channel information at the pilot subcarriers is computed for each transmission in the burst. A time variation parameter and a frequency variation parameter of the channel for the burst are computed using the channel information at the pilot subcarriers for the transmissions in the burst. Channel information for at least one data subcarrier of a transmission in the burst is computed by interpolation and/or extrapolation of the channel information at the pilot subcarriers using the time variation parameter and the frequency variation parameter. The channel information for the remaining data subcarriers is computed by interpolation and/or extrapolation using the estimated channel information at the pilot subcarriers and the at least one data subcarrier.
US08145260B2

A terminal device includes a call control unit configured to process a phone call with a recipient, an application control unit configured to control execution of an application program, a determination unit configured, when the application control unit issues an instruction to start the application program during a call processing by the call control unit, to determine whether the speech communication quality will be degraded, and a transmitting unit configured, when determined that the speech communication quality will be degraded, to transmit an alert message for warning of the degradation of speech communication quality to the recipient.
US08145250B2

Disclosed is a method for enabling a terminating-side PoC client to open a PoC session by using a pre-established session, and to maintain the pre-established session when the terminating-side PoC client terminates the open PoC session, and a PoC system and a PoC user equipment (UE) for implementing the same. To this end, a REFER BYE message is used to terminate the PoC session while keeping the pre-established session maintained. The REFER BYE message must include information, such as pre-established session parameter information, a session ID, etc. In order to obtain the session parameter information, when the PoC session is opened by means of the pre-established session, a specified condition is determined in the terminating-side PoC client and a PoC server, and the pre-established session parameter information is stored in each PoC client and a PoC server acting as a participating PoC function according to a result of the determination. Also, the REFER BYE message is transmitted from the PoC client to the PoC server, and the PoC server receives the REFER BYE message, checks the contents of a header in the received message, and terminates the PoC session while keeping the pre-established session maintained when a specified condition is satisfied.
US08145244B2

A method and system are presented for sensing a physical position of a cordless handset with respect to a base unit. A dataset of measured line currents may be initialized. A line extension may receive a number for use in determining the position of an associated cordless handset. Stored on-base-unit and off-base-unit line currents may be accessed. A determination may be if the cordless handset is positioned on the base unit, and in response to a determination that the handset is in contact with the base unit, a desired task may proceed.
US08145239B2

Devices and methods are disclosed which relate to the gathering and recording of network availability and attributes in a location in order to define location based services. Registration logics onboard mobile communications devices collect network data as they roam inside and outside of their home cellular network. The registration logic sends this data to a registry in the form of a data message. The registry is updated by each instance of a received message. The aggregation of this data allows the system to adaptively learn about network availability in geographic locations. The data collected may also assist in the recovery of lost or stolen phones since the phone location is frequently updated.
US08145238B2

One illustrative embodiment takes the form of a system for locating wireless transmitters employing an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) digital modulation scheme. The OFDM scheme comprises transmitting signal components over narrowband frequency channels spanning a wideband channel. The system includes a first receiving system configured to receive a fraction of the signal components transmitted by a first wireless transmitter to be located in a fraction of the narrowband frequency channels, and to process the fraction of the signal components to derive location related measurements. The system further includes at least a second receiving system configured to receive the fraction of the signal components transmitted by the first wireless transmitter, and to process this fraction of the signal components to derive location related measurements. The system also includes a processing system configured to use location related measurements from the first and second receiving systems to compute the location of the wireless transmitter.
US08145234B1

A geographic cell identification (cell ID) database is updated on the fly as, for example, roaming user equipment (UE) reports its location during Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) operations. The cell ID database relates network locations to corresponding geographic locations. The cell ID database is used to retrieve a corresponding geographic location in response to the network location at which the UE reports being located. If it is found that the cell ID database does not contain the network location reported by the UE, the geographic location of the UE can be estimated using information in the reported network location, such as Mobile Network Code, Mobile Country Code, Local Area Code and Cell ID. The geographic location can then be used to obtain A-GPS assistance data for the UE. Once assistance information has been provided to the UE and the UE has determined its geographic location, the cell ID database can be updated with the determined geographic location.
US08145226B2

A base station (200) has an information acquiring unit (224) for acquiring information indicating an upper limit of a value based on the current consumption of a wireless communication terminal and the number of first frequency bands requested by the wireless communication terminal, a band number determining unit (221) for determining the number of second frequency bands to be assigned to the wireless communication terminal based on the acquired information indicating the upper limit of current consumption and a band number setting unit (222) for setting the number of first frequency bands to the number of frequency bands to be assigned to the wireless communication terminal when the number of first frequency bands is equal to or less than the number of second frequency bands and setting the number of second frequency bands to the number of frequency bands to be assigned to the wireless communication terminal when the number of first frequency bands is greater than the number of second frequency bands.
US08145224B2

Disclosed is a method of transmitting common control information by a base station in a communication system including a first communication system and a second communication system different from each other. In the communication system, a frame for carrying the common control information includes an uplink sub-frame and a downlink sub-frame, each of which includes a resource allocation area for the first communication system and a resource allocation area for the second communication system. The method includes: configuring the common control information to be received by a mobile station belonging to the second communication system; and transmitting the common control information through the resource allocation area for the second communication system included in one of the uplink sub-frame and the downlink sub-frame.
US08145210B2

A system and method are described whereby an enhanced handoff scheme provides for monitoring of mobile device conditions and network conditions associated with a current access network attachment, as well as with a plurality of access networks on a preferred access network list, to proactively initiate a handoff operation, thereby preserving the QoS constraints necessary for seamless delivery of IP multimedia services. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of access networks is connected to an IMS core network, whereby a policy function receives quality of service constraints associated with the launched application from the mobile device and orders a list of preferred access networks accordingly. Preferably, the policy function selects an appropriate access gateway associated with a target access network based at least in part on the mobile device conditions reported by the mobile device and the access network conditions monitored by the policy function.
US08145200B2

An apparatus and method are provided for configuring unique profile settings for multiple services associated with an application in an electronic device. A profile system is provided having multiple programmable profile settings and a default profile setting for the application. Service records are received at the electronic device for each of the multiple services. The multiple services register with the profile system using a unique ID for each of the service records and include data for identifying the default profile setting for the application. Initially, the default profile setting is assigned to each of the multiple services. Subsequently, the multiple programmable profile settings are assigned to respective ones of the multiple services.
US08145194B2

In a wireless device monitoring system including a mobile telephone and an authentication apparatus, a controller of the authentication apparatus repeatedly executes a distance detection processing based on a received level of a received wireless signal and an authentication processing based on authentication data included in the received wireless signal continuously at a first communication interval T1 and a second communication interval T2, respectively, and outputs an alarm signal or executes a predetermined control processing when a true counterpart electronic apparatus is not present or when the true counterpart electronic apparatus is apart from the electronic apparatus by a distance longer than the predetermined threshold distance. When a first communication time T11 for the distance detection processing is shorter than a second communication time T12 for the authentication processing, the T1 and the T2 are set to satisfy T1
US08145191B2

An apparatus and method is provided to prevent contactless portable electronic consumer devices such as an RF identification device (RFID), tokens, mini-cards, key fobs, cellular phones, smart card, etc. from being wirelessly interrogated. In one embodiment, a decoy circuit capable of detecting wireless interrogation signals transmitted to a contactless portable consumer device is used to prevent one or more interrogation devices from interrogating an authentic circuit in the contactless portable consumer device.
US08145186B1

The present invention provides a method, system, and software product for assessing the performance of at least one telecommunications service area wherein the method comprises providing for the telecommunications service area performance information comprising service area rate of blocked calls, service area rate of dropped calls, and service area number of attempted calls. Additionally, the performance information for the service area to generate a Performance Value therefore. The present invention further comprises comparing the Performance Values of at least first and second service areas to provide a basis for making decisions regarding maintenance, repair, or replacement activities of hardware and software relating to a service area.
US08145183B2

Provided is an emergency locator system adapted for GPS-enabled wireless devices. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is and Location Based Services (LBS) are used to determine the exact location of a user and communicate information relating to the emergency status of that location. The user initiates the locator application via a wireless device and their physical location information is automatically transferred to a server. The server then compares the user's location with Geographic Information System (GIS) maps to identify the emergency status associated with their location. Once the server has calculated the current emergency status, the information is automatically returned to the user, along with emergency instructions.
US08145179B2

Techniques for detecting and demodulating data transmissions in wireless communication systems are presented. In one aspect, a decision-directed detector detects for data transmissions in a received signal by utilizing received data symbols as well as received pilot symbols. The decision-directed detector may be designed to perform differential detection in the frequency domain or coherent detection in the time domain, and may be used with multi-carrier modulation (e.g., OFDM). In another aspect, an adaptive threshold is used to perform detection of received data transmissions. A threshold may be determined for each data transmission hypothesized to have been received. The threshold may be computed, for example, based on the signal plus noise energy of the hypothesized data transmission.
US08145176B2

A front end and a high frequency receiver (1) provided therewith are described, which front end comprises a quadrature low noise amplifier (2-1, 2-2) as a low noise amplifier. A high isolation between local oscillators (6-1, 6-2) and quadrature mixers (3-1, 3-2) is achieved thereby, reducing a DC offset at mixer outputs (7, 8). The quadrature low noise amplifier may be implemented as a differential class AB cascade arrangement of MOST or FET semiconductors (15). A low distortion receiver (1) having a high linearity is the result.
US08145174B2

An orthogonal cross-polarization interference compensating device for solving the problem in which integration contents of an integration circuit are indefinite when a control loop is cut. An orthogonal cross-polarization interference compensator generates a compensation signal for compensating phase noise included in an own polarization signal. A demodulator compensates for orthogonal cross-polarization interference based on the compensation signal for the phase noise included in the own polarization signal. An error detector generates an error signal indicating phase difference between the own polarization signal compensated by the demodulator and a proper own polarization signal. A phase noise phase detector generates a differential signal indicating phase difference between the own polarization signal and other polarization signals based on the compensation signal and the error signal. An integration circuit integrates the differential signal and generates an integration signal. An infinite phase-shifter adjusts the compensation signal based on the integration signal. A control circuit determines whether or not orthogonal cross-polarization interference is present based on the compensation signal adjusted by the infinite phase-shifter, and adjusts the integration value indicated by the integration signal to be a predetermined value when there is no orthogonal cross-polarization interference.
US08145171B2

A clock clean-up phase-locked loop (PLL) that may reduce spurs and improve performance of a receiver is described. In one exemplary design, an integrated circuit includes a PLL and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The PLL receives a first clock signal generated with a fractional divider ratio and having spurs due to abrupt frequency jumps. The first clock signal may be generated by a fractional-N frequency synthesizer external to the integrated circuit. The PLL generates a second clock signal with an integer divider ratio and having reduced spurs. The ADC digitizes an analog baseband signal based on the second clock signal and provides digital samples. The integrated circuit may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), which may observe less spurs coupled via the substrate of the integrated circuit due to the use of the PLL to clean up the first clock signal.
US08145168B2

A DC offset of a VGA is measured by selecting a ground contact of a switch. Then, the gain of the VGA is set at an appropriate value, monitoring contacts of the switch are successively selected, and the output values of an ADC for the respective cases are measured with the input to a DAC set at zero. Then, the DC offset of the VGA is removed, the DC offset value of each circuit block, such as DAC, in a transmitting part is calculated, and parameters are set so that the DC offset value of each circuit block is minimized.
US08145163B2

A method of detecting a received signal, which is received by a receiving side of a communication system, is disclosed. The present invention includes comparing signal quality relevant information of the received signal to a prescribed reference value, selecting a pre-processing scheme to be applied to the received signal according to a result of the comparing step, and detecting a signal by applying the selected pre-processing scheme to the received signal. Thus, a pre-processing scheme for received signal detection can be differently applied according to a size of quality relevant information of a received signal. Accordingly, the present invention lowers a false alarm probability and/or a miss occurrence probability of the received signal, thereby raising a signal detection probability.
US08145159B2

Some embodiments discussed relate to an apparatus comprising a power amplifier module. The power amplifier module includes a plurality of sensors, and a first digital communication port configured to provide a monitor signal from at least one of the plurality of sensors. The apparatus includes a transceiver module coupled to provide an signal to an input of the power amplifier the transceiver module including a second digital communication port configured to receive the monitor signal from the first digital communication port, a processing unit configured to generate at least one of a bias control signal and a back-off signal dependent upon the monitor signal, and a power controller to receive the at least one of bias control signal and the back-off signal and provide at least one further input signal to the power amplifier based on at least one of the bias control signal and the back-off signal.
US08145157B2

This disclosure is directed to techniques for increasing the power efficiency of a modulator.
US08145155B2

A passive mixer include a switching architecture configured to generate differential in-phase (I) and differential quadrature-phase (Q) signals using differential components of the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) signals operating on transitions of an approximate 25% duty cycle signal.
US08145153B2

The invention relates to a method and a system for calibrating an analogue I/Q-modulator (2) of a transmitter (3), wherein a calibration signal (s(tk)) is transmitted and an in-phase signal (sI(tk)) and a quadrature-phase signal (sQ(tk)) of the calibration signal (s(tk)) are adjusted by at least one predetermined compensation coefficient (C, D, E) in two calibration steps in at least one compensation measurement set (un, Vn, Wn), whereby: —in a first calibration step, the calibration signal (s(tk)) is adjusted by a first complex compensation value (Cn,1, Dn,1, En,1) and an output signal of the detector circuit (20) is correlated with a harmonic (H1, H2) of said calibration signal (s(tk)) to yield a first complex compensation measurement result (un,1, Vn, 1, Wn,1), —in a second calibration step, the calibration signal (s(tk)) is adjusted by a second complex compensation value (Cn,2, Dn, 2, En,2) and the output signal of the detector circuit (20) is correlated with said harmonic (H1, H2) of said calibration signal (s(tk)) to yield a second complex compensation measurement result (un,2, Vn,2, Wn,2), —a next optimum compensation value (Cn, Dn, En) of the complex compensation coefficient (C, D, E) is determined on said complex compensation values (Cn1, Cn,2, Dn,1, Dn, 2, En,1, En,2) and said complex compensation measurement results (un,1, Un,2, Vn,1, Vn,2, Wn,1, Wn,2).
US08145145B2

A self-evaluating process control transmitter system includes a transmitter configured to capture output data from an integral sensor, and a transmitter memory integrally disposed with the transmitter. The transmitter memory is configured to store a plurality of sets of the output data thereon, including an initial as-built data set, and at least one subsequent data set. A self evaluation module integrally disposed with the transmitter, in communication with the transmitter memory is configured to identify one or more variations between the as-built data set and at least one subsequent data set.
US08145133B2

A method of sharing spectrum with a legacy communication system includes acquiring spectrum correlation of the legacy communication system, and generating a transmit waveform based on the spectrum correlation. Unlike conventional cognitive radios that utilize spectrum holes only, the proposed method can also utilize spectrally correlated frequency components where primary-user signals are present.
US08145132B2

A method and apparatus for reducing frequency space from code space search is disclosed in a wireless network. The method and apparatus reduces the frequency space without compromising the probability of detection, so that user equipment can expedite system acquisition and reduce power consumption. To reduce the frequency space, the described aspects note that the power spectral density of the WCDMA signal is essentially flat within the channel bandwidth. By capturing in-phase quadrature samples and doing frequency domain analysis of the signal in bandwidth around the center frequency, to the described aspects can eliminate some channels from the WCDMA code space search during frequency scan.
US08145130B2

A portable electronic device includes a short distance wireless communicating module and a warning unit. The short distance wireless communicating module is used to establish short distance wireless communicating network with another portable eletronic device and monitor whether the other portable electronic divice is out of wireless network range. The warning unit electrically connects with a short distance wireless communicating module to send out an alarm if the portable electronic device is out of wireless network range.
US08145128B2

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method capable of achieving closed loop MIMO communications, using reduced feedback, without a loss in system performance. In one embodiment of the present invention, a phase-rotated right handed singular vector matrix is derived from an estimation result of a MIMO channel (steps 231 and 232). Then, a coefficient are fed back (step 235). The coefficient is associated with an element in the phase-rotated right-handed singular vector matrix.
US08145123B2

A beam forming apparatus of a satellite is configured to: define a perimeter of a coverage area, and define a coordinate grid of a polar coordinate system so as to divide the coverage area into a plurality of small areas; calculate coordinates of borders between basic cells in a Cartesian coordinate system, the basic cells being shaped into regular hexagons arranged to be in contact with one another along their sides and at their vertices or into circles circumscribing the regular hexagons; define a plurality of new cells by converting, through coordinate transformation, the coordinates of the borders between the basic cells in the Cartesian coordinate system into coordinates of borders in the polar coordinate system; and set amplitudes and phases to the plurality of antenna devices that are suitable to form a plurality of beams in respective directions of the plurality of new cells.
US08145121B2

The embodiments relate to a wireless communication system that counts UEs using an MBMS. The wireless communication system is connected with a UE through a radio link, and includes a Node B and a controlling radio network controller (CRNC). The Node B receives sequence setting information on a sequence included in a preamble transmitted from the UE network manager. The CRNC controls the Node B, detects a sequence according to whether to use an MBMS based on the sequence setting information, and performs a counting process for counting UEs based on whether the UE uses the MBMS.According to the embodiments, counting of UEs using an MBMS can be performed by using a predetermined sequence. Particularly, the counting process can be simplified by reducing complexity in access probability management of a network manager, thereby increasing efficiency in data transmission by reducing signaling for random access probability and omitting a random access probability calculation process.
US08145120B2

An apparatus, system, method and computer program product for providing a user of a terminal with broadcast services. A terminal controller is configured to use data forming the whole of or part of an electronic service guide, and store information concerning the accessibility of services. That information is used to then generate a list of selectable services available to the user. A user interface presents at least part of the list in a selectable manner. Service accessibility display options are included either as a setting in the terminal or as a user input. Subscribed services are presented to the user on a display differently than non-subscribed services. If a non-subscribed service is selected, payment data is retrieved from the terminal and a suitable subscription is purchased without significant user involvement. The purchase of a subscription results in the terminal receiving subscription data, which is then stored for future use.
US08145117B2

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit that is configured to fix a developing material on a sheet; a plurality of a pair of rollers that discharge the sheet conveyed from the fixing unit; and a sheet detection unit that detects the sheet conveyed from the fixing unit, the sheet detection unit comprising an actuator for detecting the sheet conveyed from the fixing unit, wherein the actuator of the sheet detection unit is disposed between the fixing unit and the plurality of the pair of the rollers on a conveyance path and is disposed within a width of one of the rollers when viewed from a sheet conveyance direction.
US08145107B2

An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer belt to which an image is transferred; a belt tension roller around which the transfer belt is looped; a transfer roller that includes a shaft and a recessed portion which is formed in an axial direction of the transfer roller and has a first edge formed in an opening edge in one side of a rotation direction of the transfer roller and a second edge formed in an opening edge in the other side opposite to the one side; and a support member that is arranged in the shaft of the transfer roller.
US08145102B2

A developing device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus of a premix developing system, with which developer splashed by the transport member is not discharged from the device, fluctuations of the amount of developer discharged to the outside are not produced, and the output image quality is stable. This developing device is provided with a pocket part, which is installed in a depressed manner facing the outside in relation to the transport route formed by the transport member, and into and out of which part of the developer transported in the transport route flows. This pocket part is provided with a discharge port for discharging developer to outside the device when the surface of the developer flowing into the pocket part exceeds a specified height.
US08145085B2

The image forming apparatus includes a transfer device, an applying circuit, a computation circuit, and a controller. The applying circuit applies transfer bias voltage to the transfer device. The computation circuit derives relational expressions (a linear expression and a quadratic expression) according to control signal value calculating zones (a linear-expression and a quadratic-expression computing zones). Each relational expression shows relationship between the control signal value (PWM_Duty) for the applying circuit and the transfer current It generated by the transfer bias voltage. The control signal value calculating zones are divided by a preset control signal value (computation changing Duty). Then, the computation circuit calculates a target control signal value that corresponds to a target transfer current value using the derived expressions and according to the calculating zone.
US08145083B2

The present disclosure relates to a method, system and apparatus for calibrating toner measurement in an image forming device. A toner patch is deposited onto a control surface, the toner patch reflecting light in a plurality of wavelengths in the infrared spectrum. A toner patch sensor emits light at the plurality of wavelengths in the infrared spectrum onto the toner patch. The amount of incident light reflected from the toner patch at the plurality of wavelengths from the emitted light is measured, and used to generate measured signals indicative of the reflectivity of the toner patch. An operating parameter of the image forming device is adjusted based upon the measured signals.
US08145073B2

Systems and methods are described that facilitate using end-user feedback to automatically distinguish between a normal behavior and a device failure which can be a hard failure (e.g., a device malfunction) or a soft failure. For instance, upon detection of a usage switch from a first device to a second device by a user, a survey message is sent to the user to solicit information regarding the reasons for the switch. If the switch was triggered by a device malfunction, the detected device failure is verified and an alert is sent to an administrator and/or potentially impacted users. If the switch was triggered by the user's need for functionality (e.g., color printing, collation, etc.) not provided by the first device, which is otherwise functioning properly, then the detected failure is determined to be a failure and the failure detection algorithm is updated accordingly.
US08145062B2

Optical amplification by combining two or more optical signals from separate optical fibers, amplifying the combined signal using an optical fiber, and separating the amplified signals into their constituent optical signals. The separated optical signals may then be sent further in the direction they had been heading before combination. This allows multiple optical signals to be amplified using a single optical amplifier, perhaps even in a single optical fiber. Although not required, the two optical signals may even be travelling in different directions.
US08145057B2

A method for localizing an optical network termination (ONT) of a passive optical network is disclosed. The passive optical network comprises an optical line terminal (OLT) and an optical distribution network (ODN) having a plurality of optical links. The ONT is connectable to the OLT by a given optical link of the optical distribution network. The method includes the steps of detecting that the ONT has been connected to the OLT by an optical link of the optical distribution network; determining length information indicative of a length of the optical link; comparing the length information with a reference length information indicative of a length of the given optical link; and if the length information matches the reference length information, localizing the ONT by confirming that it is connected to the OLT by the given optical link.
US08145055B2

In a PON, at the time of ranging, an OLT (a master station) measures an optical level of a signal from at least an ONU (a slave station) capable of communicating at plural transmission speeds. The OLT determines the transmission speed applied to the ONU according to the measured level. Incidentally, the ONU may measure an optical level of a ranging request signal and determine the transmission speed. At a normal operation, when the OLT sends information of plural different transmission speeds to the ONU, a timing when a next frame reaches and transmission speed information are notified to the ONU. Based on the timing, the ONU receives only data of the transmission speed that can be handled. Besides, the OLT switches the transmission speed to receive data based on a grant designation transmitted from the plural ONUs to the OLT.
US08145052B2

An aperture controlling system includes a CMOS image sensor, a brightness encoder, an aperture and an aperture driving circuit. The brightness encoder is used for extracting brightness information sensed by the CMOS image sensor and converting the brightness information into digital codes. The aperture driving circuit includes a D/A converter, a motor coil driving circuit, an environment sensing module, a benchmark voltage generator and a motor. The motor is mechanically connected to the aperture. The motor coil driving circuit includes a voltage comparator. The input and the output of the D/A converter are respectively coupled to the brightness encoder and the inverting input of the voltage comparator. The input and the output of the benchmark voltage generator are respectively coupled to the environment sensing module and the non-inverting input of the voltage comparator. The output of voltage comparator is connected to the motor.
US08145044B1

An air ammonia heater and vaporization chamber system utilizing a contiguous vaporization chamber having an inlet for receiving dilution air, which is passed across at least one heating element integrated into the vaporization chamber to heat and pre-heat the vaporization chamber. Aqueous or anhydrous ammonia is injected from at least one ammonia injector, which is integrated into the vaporization chamber, into the heated dilution air. The heated ammonia/air mixture may then be passed through a bed of packing prior to being released from the vaporization chamber. The bed of packing maintains the heated, homogenous ammonia/air mixture at a minimum temperature of 350° F. to ensure the air/ammonia mixture does not condense. The air ammonia heater and vaporization chamber system may be used in the vaporization and bleeding of ammonia with air for NOx reduction in the flue gas from heat recovery steam generation systems, packaged boilers, simple cycle catalyst systems or fired heaters.
US08145027B2

Disclosed is an improved, single-mode optical fiber possessing a novel coating system. When combined with a bend-insensitive glass fiber, the novel coating system according to the present invention yields an optical fiber having exceptionally low losses.The coating system features (i) a softer primary coating with excellent low-temperature characteristics to protect against microbending in any environment and in the toughest physical situations and, optionally, (ii) a colored secondary coating possessing enhanced color strength and vividness. The secondary coating provides improved ribbon characteristics for structures that are robust, yet easily entered (i.e., separated and stripped).The optional dual coating is specifically balanced for superior heat stripping in fiber ribbons, with virtually no residue left behind on the glass. This facilitates fast splicing and terminations. The improved coating system provides optical fibers that offer significant advantages for deployment in most, if not all, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTx) systems.
US08145025B2

A single-mode optical fiber includes a central core, an intermediate cladding, a depressed trench, and an external optical cladding. The central core has a radius r1 and a positive refractive index difference Δn1 with the optical cladding. The intermediate cladding has a radius r2 and a positive refractive index difference Δn2 with the optical cladding, wherein Δn2 is less than Δn1. The depressed trench has a radius r3 and a negative index difference Δn3 with the optical cladding. At a wavelength of 1310 nanometers, the optical fiber has a mode field diameter (MFD) between 8.6 microns and 9.5 microns and, at a wavelength of 1550 nanometers, the optical fiber has bending losses less than about 0.25×10−3 dB/turn for a radius of curvature of 15 millimeters. At a wavelength of 1260 nanometers, attenuation of the LP11 mode to 19.3 dB is achieved over less than 90 meters of fiber.
US08145022B2

An optical-fiber cable includes an adhesive material that adhesively couples a water-swellable element to a plurality of optical fibers.
US08145020B2

A semiconductor device includes a direct light-triggered thyristor triggered by an optical gate signal, a first optical fiber connected to the direct light-triggered thyristor and through which the optical gate signal is transmitted, a second optical fiber used to extend the first optical fiber, and a inter-optical-fiber relaying unit configured to connect the first optical fiber to the second optical fiber and to input the optical gate signal output from the second optical fiber to the first optical fiber.
US08145013B1

A multi-purpose scaler utilizes a vertical scaler module and a moveable horizontal scaler module to resample a video signal either vertically or horizontally according to a selected scaling ratio. The moveable horizontal scaler module resides in one of two slots within the multi-purpose scaler architecture to provide either horizontal reduction or horizontal expansion as desired. The multi-purpose scaler is arranged to scale the video using non-linear 3 zone scaling in both the vertical and horizontal direction when selected. The multipurpose scaler is arranged to provide vertical keystone correction and vertical height distortion correction when the video is presented through a projector at a non-zero tilt angle. The multi-purpose scaler is also arranged to provide interlacing and de-interlacing of the video frames as necessary.
US08145002B2

An encoding device includes a color component separating unit for separating an input bit stream for the respective color components, a block dividing unit for dividing an input color component signal into blocks to generate a signal of an encoding unit area, a predicted image generating unit for generating a predicted image for the signal, a determining unit for determining a prediction mode used for encoding according to a prediction efficiency of the predicted image, a prediction error encoding unit for encoding a difference between the predicted image corresponding to the prediction mode determined by the determining unit and the input color component signal, and an encoding unit for variable length-coding the prediction mode, an output from the prediction error encoding unit, and a color component identification flag indicating the color component to which the input bit stream belongs as a result of the color component separation.
US08144995B2

A method and system for automatically analyzing and searching a database of images or other digital content includes a process for analyzing images to identify portions capable of receiving text. In one implementation user input is received, where the user input helps construct a profile matrix representing image features desired by the user. The constructed profile matrix is compared to profile matrices of the database of images, and images are retrieved with profile matrices corresponding to the constructed profile matrix.
US08144993B2

A medical image processing method for image processing of a medical image picking up an image of a living mucous comprises a boundary information detecting step for detecting boundary information corresponding to a boundary portion of a living mucous from the medical image and a mucous feature detecting step for detecting presence of a living mucous with a different feature on the basis of the boundary information detected at the boundary information detecting step.
US08144990B2

A method performed by a mobile terminal may include receiving an image that includes text, translating the text into another language and superimposing and displaying the translated text over the received image.
US08144988B2

In a document-image-data providing device, a document image inputting unit is configured to input document image data. An area recognition unit is configured to recognize respective areas of document image elements which constitute the document image data. An element data extracting unit is configured to extract, when a document image element of the document image data is selected in an information processing device, element data of the selected document image element from the document image data, based on a corresponding one of the recognized areas. An element data providing unit is configured to provide the extracted element data to the information processing device.
US08144985B2

A method for high dynamic range compression uses a modified cumulative histogram as a compression curve. This curve is computed from the cumulative histogram of the image with constraints that the local derivative on the curve does not exceed a certain limit. The limit is fixed along the curve or the limit is variable, taking into account noise characteristics at various pixel values. To provide appropriate detail preservation, a smoothing filter is used to separate the image into an illumination image, referred to as a base image, and a detail image, and the compression curve is applied to the base image only. The compression method provides high dynamic range compression of the image while preserving the global contrast perception. Conventional global algorithms for high dynamic range compression are not capable of achieving this result. The proposed high dynamic range compression method also minimizes noise amplification while lightening the dark areas during image compression.
US08144984B2

This invention more effectively suppresses color fringing in a color image by image processing. An image processing method includes estimating the degree of color fringing in a color image based on the color image that is generated by photo-electrically converting an object image and formed from a plurality of color planes. The method also includes removing from the color image the estimated degree of color fringing.
US08144983B1

The present disclosure includes systems and methods relating to preserving color representations during color transformation processes. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a method that includes receiving a mathematical model for use in transforming color data from one color space to another color space and generating a substantially invertible approximation of the mathematical model that conforms to a defined color management system architecture.
US08144979B2

A computerized method and apparatus to analyze color contrast are provided. In an example embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided that comprises executable instructions. When executed, the instructions access data associated with a visual representation including text and perform optical character recognition on the visual representation to identify at least one character of the text. Further color data is extracted from a first area and a second area, the first area forming part of the at least one character and the second area external to the at least one character; and calculate a color contrast value based on the first and second areas. The instructions to access the data, perform the optical character recognition, extract the color data and calculate the color contrast are performed sequentially and automatically by a processor without human intervention.
US08144975B2

In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for determining illumination information in an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of identifying depth information in the image, identifying spatio-spectral information for the image, as a function of the depth information and utilizing the spatio-spectral information to identify illumination flux in the image.
US08144972B2

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a printed circuit board and an apparatus for manufacturing the same; and, more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a printed circuit board and an apparatus for manufacturing the same capable of improving the degree of matching between contact holes and pads by correcting exposure position data of an exposing process for forming the pads according to positions of the contact holes.
US08144964B1

A method for localizing hard objects in soft tissue utilizing a computer based system includes receiving ultrasound data from an ultrasound scanner and converting on the computer based system the ultrasound data into a reflectivity image. The method also includes selecting voxels from the reflectivity image that exceed an adaptive threshold, locating disjointed voxel clusters formed by the selected voxels, and outputting to an external processor locations of the voxel clusters that form a desired shape to an external processor.
US08144938B2

A biological information acquisition device that acquires information from a biological body by irradiating the biological body with light, the device comprises: a light source irradiating the biological body with light; a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of passed light and reflected light from the biological body irradiated with light by the light source; and an inhomogeneous neutral density filter disposed on the plurality of light receiving elements and in a light path of one of passed light and reflected light. An optical transmittance of the inhomogeneous neutral density filter is set so that intensity of each light component received by light receiving elements is evened out as a whole.
US08144936B2

The present application relates to a method, apparatus and programmable product for verifying print quality of a document assembled on a document manufacturing device. In particular, a system and related method for performing print quality assessment of the document in real-time during manufacture of the document are provided. The present teachings allow for identification of the inherent qualities or pre-existing print markings of the document as a separate process from that of a process for identification and verification of markings applied onto the document by the print operation. In this way, a determination of print quality may be determined irrespective of the influence of the inherent qualities or pre-existing print markings.
US08144933B2

A motion information obtaining step successively obtains motion information from a motion sensor. An imaging information obtaining step successively obtains imaging information from an imaging means. An invalid information determination step determines whether the imaging information is valid information or invalid information for predetermined processing. A motion value calculation step calculates a motion value representing a magnitude of a motion of the operation apparatus in accordance with the motion information. A processing step executes, when the imaging information is determined as the invalid information in the invalid information determination step and when the motion value calculated in the motion calculation step is within a predetermined value range, predetermined processing in accordance with most recent valid imaging information among valid imaging information previously obtained.
US08144928B2

A method includes a pixel-value correction step that causes an average and variance of pixel values in a second subregion inclusive of a first subregion inclusive of being formed of only one pixel in a comparison image resolved into pixels to match with an average and variance of pixel values in a subregion corresponding to the second subregion on a reference image similarly resolved into pixels, thereby to execute calculation that corrects the pixel value of each pixel in the first subregion in the comparison image by recognizing each of subregions to be the first subregion, the subregions being obtained when the comparison image is divided into the subregions respectively inclusive of being formed of only one pixel; and a change determination step that determines the presence/absence of a change in the object by comparing the reference image with a post-correction comparison image acquired through the pixel value correction step.
US08144923B2

A system and method are described for inserting a watermark in encoded content, including receiving encoded content, receiving at least one pre-processed watermark unit and replacing directly a number of bits starting at a position in the encoded content with an alternative value, wherein the alternative value has embedded therein watermark signals, wherein the alternative value is selected from among a plurality of alternative values specified in the at least one said watermark unit. An apparatus and method for generating watermark units are also described including selecting a position where a value in encoded content is to be replaced by an alternative value and calculating a plurality of alternative values for each selected position. Further a system and method for replacing a watermark in encoded content are also described including receiving encoded content, receiving at least one pre-processed watermark unit and replacing a number of bits starting at a position in the encoded content with a value, wherein the value is specified in the at least one watermark unit.
US08144917B2

The present invention relates to a dynamic type unit with a multiple magnetic field system, and more particularly, to a dynamic type unit including a magnet, a diaphragm and a moving coil such as a microphone or a speaker, wherein an auxiliary magnet is mounted around a main magnetic field formed by the magnet so as to form an auxiliary magnetic field to thereby correct a waveform of each individual distorted frequency generated from the microphone or the speaker, which results in realization of the best sound whose quality is closest to that of an original sound.
US08144914B2

A wireless earphone includes a first answering member and a hanging member. The first answering member includes a base, a microphone and a head phones device. The first answering member is disposed at one end of the hanging member and is configured for being detachably mounted on a portable electronic device. The microphone is disposed at the distal end of the first base. The earphone is disposed at the other end of the first base adjacent to the hanging member. The invention also includes a portable electronic device using the wireless earphone.
US08144911B2

A garment with a speaker function is provided. The garment includes a garment body, a bag, and an electret speaker. The bag disposed on the garment body includes a sound-absorbing layer. The electret speaker, disposed in the bag, gives off sounds to a first direction and a second direction at the same time. The sound-absorbing layer absorbs the sound of the second direction. Therefore, the present invention not only provides convenience to the user, but also enhances the acoustic quality of the electret speaker.
US08144899B2

An acoustic transducer comprises a substrate, a membrane configured to move relative to the substrate, a number of supports configured to suspend the membrane over the substrate, a first group of projections extending from the membrane, and a second group of projections extending from the substrate, the second group of projections being interweaved with and movable relative to the first group of projections, wherein each projection of one group of the first group of projections and the second group of projections is composed of a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and a dielectric layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, and each projection of the other one group of the first group of projections and the second group of projections is composed of a third conductive layer.
US08144886B2

Microphones arranged in an array shape along a longitudinal direction are respectively formed in both the longitudinal side surfaces of a housing 2 with substantially an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape, and speakers arranged in an array shape along the longitudinal direction are formed in a lower surface. The speaker array forms sound emission beams based on sound emission directivity set according to a conference environment. On the other hand, when the microphone array forms sound collection beams by sound collection signals collected, a talker direction is detected from these beams and an output sound signal corresponding to this direction is formed and also is reflected on setting of the sound emission directivity. Also, when there are plural input sound signals, the sound emission directivity is set according to a use situation of the plural input sound signals.
US08144885B2

A sound insulating device used to carry out audio testing of a mobile phone is provided. The sound insulating device includes a sound speaker, a sound receiver, a clamping platform clamping the mobile phone thereon and a sound insulating chamber. The sound insulating chamber receives the sound speaker and the sound receiver and the clamping platform therein. The sound insulating chamber is enclosed by several sound insulating boards. Each sound insulating board includes a sound absorbing layer, a cushion layer and an aluminium-alloy layer combined together. The cushion layer is sandwiched between the absorbing layer and the aluminium-alloy layer.
US08144882B2

The invention relates to a method for automated tuning of a sound system, the sound system comprising delay lines, equalizing filters, and at least two loudspeakers, the method comprising the steps of reproducing a useful sound signal through the loudspeakers, measuring sound pressure values at at least one location, providing a target transfer function for tuning the delay lines and the equalizing filters of the sound system, the target transfer function representing a desired transfer characteristics of the sound system, adjusting the delay of the delay lines, and adjusting amplitude responses of the equalizing filters such, that the actual transfer characteristics of the sound system approximates the target function.
US08144880B2

An audio amplifier includes a plurality of sub-audio amplifier sets, a clock source, and a speaker. When the audio amplifier is under an audio amplify mode, the plurality of sub-audio amplifier sets is operated under a synchronic operating frequency with a same clock signal generated by the clock source. When the audio amplifier is under a self-oscillation mode, the clock signal is isolated from being input to the plurality of sub-audio amplifier sets. A higher distortion is prevented by repeatedly charging and discharging an oscillating capacitor of a sub-audio amplifier in a sub-audio amplifier set.
US08144874B2

A system and method comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for authenticating and encrypting and decrypting information transferred over a public network between a client application program running in a client computer and a server application program running in a server computer and a directory service application program running in a server computer. A method for obtaining a session master key by an application from a server includes sending an open request to the server for the session master key and receiving a first reply by the application from the server with a first portion of the session master key. The first reply identifies a directory server from which a second portion of the session master key may be obtained. The application sends an open request to the directory server specified by the server in the first reply for the second portion of the session master key and receives it from the directory server. The session master key is generated by the application using the first portion of the session master key received from the server and the second portion of the session master key received from the directory server.
US08144872B2

A system and method for generating analog-digital mixed chaotic signal and an encryption communication method thereof are provided. In the system and method, the complementarity between continuous chaotic systems (12, 22) and digital chaotic systems (11, 21) are reasonably utilized. In specific, the digital chaotic systems, which are separated from each other, control the local continuous chaotic systems respectively, so as to enable the continuous chaotic systems, which are also separated from each other, to stably and synchronously work for a long time. Thus, there is no need to transmit the synchronizing signal, and as a result the anti-attack capability is increased effectively. Further, the continuous chaotic systems disturb the local digital chaotic systems to prevent the digital chaotic systems from degradation. This compensates the drawbacks of digital chaotic systems.
US08144869B2

A content protection system prevents illegal key acquisition, without checking uniqueness of device keys. The content protection system includes a key data generation apparatus and a user terminal. The key data generation apparatus converts first key data, which is for using content, based on a predetermined conversion rule, thereby generating second key data, encrypts the second key data using a device key held by valid terminals, and outputs the encrypted key data. The user terminal obtains the encrypted key data, decrypts the encrypted key data using a device key held by the user terminal, thereby generating second key data, converts the second key data based on a re-conversion rule corresponding to the conversion rule, thereby generating the first key data, and uses the content with use of the generated first key data.
US08144865B2

A method for protecting an execution, by an integrated circuit, of a ciphering and/or deciphering algorithm taking into account data and at least one valid key and performing several iterations of the same calculation, including at least one execution of an iteration with the valid key between several executions of the same iteration with the invalid keys obtained by applying at least one non-linear one-way function to the valid key.
US08144862B2

A method and apparatus for use in suppressing acoustic echo in a target speech signal being transmitted through a packet-based communications network uses frame energy estimation applied to the target speech signal and to a reference speech signal. The method or apparatus estimates one or more reference speech energy levels in one or more reference packets based on one or more of the speech parameters generated by the speech encoding of the reference signal; estimates a target speech energy level in a target packet based on one or more of the speech parameters generated by the speech encoding of the target signal; compares the target speech energy level to one or more reference speech energy levels; and detects an echo in the target speech signal based on the comparison of the target speech energy level to the one or more reference speech energy levels.
US08144861B2

A method of signal communication includes receiving a selection signal, and selecting a selected frequency range used for a multi-carrier signal communication from a set of predetermined frequency ranges for signal communication depending on the selection signal. The set of predetermined frequency ranges includes a first frequency range and a second frequency range including the first frequency range.
US08144851B2

To update phone book data (identification information necessary for connection to one's own apparatus stored in communication partner information storing means of a communication partner) of a communication apparatus easily, inexpensively, quickly, and reliably.
US08144850B2

A method, system, and program for logging calls according to call context are provided. A context for a call is detected, where the context include information such as the parties to a call, whether a backup party is accessed, where the call is on behalf of another, the locations of the parties to the call, the subject matter of the call, tariffs applied during the call, billing for telephone services accessed during the call, and orders placed during the call. At least one context based logging request valid for the context for the call is accessed from among multiple context based logging requests stored for multiple parties. Parties requesting logging may include parties to the call, on behalf of parties, third parties, and guardians. The context is logged according to the context based logging request.
US08144839B2

The present invention concerns a method for determining a sequence of services linked to a conversation in which a user (12) takes part from a communication system (1), as well as the associated communication system (1). According to the invention, the method includes the following stages: retrieval (E2) of all the expressions used during the conversation; semantic analysis (E31) of the expressions retrieved; selection (E32) of a plurality of services from a list of services previously saved, based on at least said semantic analysis, with each service of said list able to be launched from said communication system (1); contextual analysis (E33) of the expressions used during the conversation; determination of a sequence of said services selected based on the contextual analysis; display (E4) on said communication system (1) of the sequence of services selected.
US08144829B2

A general imaging scheme is proposed for applications of CBCT. The approach provides a superior CBCT image quality by effective scatter correction and noise reduction. Specifically, in its implementation of CBCT imaging for radiation therapy, the proposed approach achieves an accurate patient setup using a partially blocked CBCT with a significantly reduced radiation dose. The image quality improvement due to the proposed scatter correction and noise reduction also makes CBCT-based dose calculation a viable solution to adaptive treatment planning.
US08144822B2

A noise power estimation apparatus is disclosed. The noise power estimation apparatus includes: a part for calculating correlation between a received signal and a pilot signal so as to obtain a received power of the pilot signal for each path; a part for removing a multipath interference component from the received power of the pilot signal by using a predetermined power ratio between the pilot signal and a data signal so as to obtain a corrected received power of the pilot signal; a part for estimating an estimated total power of the pilot signal and the data signal included in the received signal based on the corrected received power and the predetermined power ratio; and a part for subtracting the estimated total power from a total power of the received signal so as to obtain a noise power.
US08144810B2

An interface between an RF processing section and a baseband processing section supports general purpose message transmission as well as satellite positioning system signal sample transmission between the RF processing section and the baseband processing section. The interface includes a bi-directional message serial interface and a data serial interface. The complexity of the data serial interface may be minimized by using a single data bit signal line in the data serial interface.
US08144803B2

A method for inverting telecommunication channel distortion by adaptive wavelet lifting. The distortion signal is analyzed using wavelet lifting and the inverse filter is computed. Coefficients of the inverse filter are used to either compute a transmission pre-filter or to update the transmitted message.
US08144802B2

Digital data encoding and decoding method and system is provided. The data encoding includes encoding a frame signal into a bit stream, including detecting a specific bit pattern in the bit stream when the frame signal is present, generating a control signal in respect to the specific bit pattern, and encoding the bit stream into one or more marks and one or more spaces so that encoded data include a unique encoding pattern for the frame signal. The data decoding includes detecting at least one of mark and space from encoded data, recovering a bit stream from the encoded data when the at least one of mark and space is present, detecting a specific bit pattern associating with a frame signal from the encoded data when the at least one of mark and space is present, and recovering the frame signal from the encoded data.
US08144801B2

An approach for reliably communicating over a satellite in support of a communication service including, for example, as direct broadcast satellite and data service, is disclosed. An input message is encoded, yielding a structured Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) coded message. The coded message is modulated according to a high order modulation scheme that has a signal constellation representing more than two symbols per signaling point—e.g., 8-PSK (Phase Shift Keying) and 16-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). The system includes a transmitter configured to propagate the modulated signal over the satellite. The above approach is particularly applicable to bandwidth constrained communication systems requiring high data rates.
US08144795B2

A method of transmitting space-time coded data in a wireless communication system having a plurality of antennas is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes allocating data symbols combined with complex weights to at least two transmit antennas during at least one specified time slot, and transmitting the data symbols combined with complex weights to a receiving end via the at least two transmit antennas during the at least one specified time slot.
US08144794B2

An efficient optimal maximum-likelihood output detector reducing the complexity of demodulation/decoding computations in multiple-input multiple-output communication systems. A plurality of received signals may be combined into a plurality of combined received signals by multiplication of a matrix representing the plurality of received signals with another matrix that meets certain conditions. The plurality of combined received signals may then allow for slicing operations as well as calculation of distance metrics with significantly reduced complexity.
US08144791B2

An apparatus, method, and medium for video synchronization are provided. The apparatus may include a PTS register storing a presentation time stamp (PTS) of a picture to be reproduced and skip enable flag information indicating whether the picture can be skipped, by using a position of the picture in a video decoder buffer in which pictures to be decoded are stored; and a controller controlling the picture reproduction by skipping, repeating, or reproducing the picture with reference to the PTS and the skip enable flag information stored in the PTS register.
US08144784B2

Particular embodiments include a method, an apparatus, and logic embodied in tangible computer-readable medium that when executed carries out a method of encoding an ordered sequence of quantized transform coefficients of a block of image data. One embodiment is a context adaptive variable length coding method that includes position coding the positions of zero-valued and non-zero valued coefficients by either a mixed method that encodes either the run length of zeroes preceding a non-zero coefficient or the run length of nonzero-valued coefficients preceding a zero-valued coefficients. Another includes position coding that uses a variable length code for two parameters respectively indicating the number of zero-valued coefficient positions and nonzero-valued coefficient positions still to be coded.
US08144780B2

A processing device and method are provided for capturing images, via an image-capturing component of a processing device, and determining a motion of the processing device. An adaptive search center technique may be employed to determine a search center with respect to multiple equal-sized regions of an image frame, based on previously estimated motion vectors. One of several fast block matching methods may be used, based on one or more conditions, to match a block of pixels of one image frame with a second block of pixels of a second image. Upon matching blocks of pixels, motion vectors of the multiple equal-sized regions may be estimated. The motion may be determined, based on the estimated motion vectors, and an associated action may be performed. Various embodiments may implement techniques to distinguish motion blur from de-focus blur and to determine a change in lighting condition.
US08144775B2

A motion estimation method and device are provided for processing images to be inserted, between a preceding original image and a following original image, into a sequence of determined images. Each image is divided into pixel blocks and a motion vector is associated with each block of a processed image. Motion vectors associated with respective blocks of the image are processed and motion vectors associated with respective blocks of a preceding processed image (spatial and temporal motion vectors) are selected with respect to a current block of an image being processed. Candidate motion vectors are generated from the motion vectors selected. One vector is elected from among the candidate vectors. Information associating the elected vector with the block is stored. A temporal motion vector is selected only if it satisfies a determined selection criterion based on the orientation of the motion vector.
US08144761B2

A pulse transmission method for transmitting data by using pulse signals, each having a predetermined pulse width; defining a symbol time at least N times the predetermined pulse width, N being at least 2; defining a basic delay time calculated by dividing the predetermined pulse width by a predetermined integer; placing the pulse signals in the symbol time by delaying the pulse signals by an integral multiple of the basic delay time from start of the symbol time, the number of the pulse signals being k and 0≦k≦N being satisfied; and transmitting the pulse signals.
US08144745B2

Provided is a radio communication device which can make Acknowledgement (ACK) reception quality and Negative Acknowledgement (NACK) reception quality to be equal to each other. The device includes: a scrambling unit (214) which multiplies a response signal after modulated, by a scrambling code “1” or “e−j(π/2)” so as to rotate a constellation for each of response signals on a cyclic shift axis; a spread unit (215) which performs a primary spread of the response signal by using a Zero Auto Correlation (ZAC) sequence set by a control unit (209); and a spread unit (218) which performs a secondary spread of the response signal after subjected to the primary spread, by using a block-wise spread code sequence set by the control unit (209).
US08144742B2

To provide a surface emitting laser device including a substrate; an optical resonator arranged on the substrate, the optical resonator including a lower multilayer reflector and an upper multilayer reflector; a strained active layer arranged in the resonator, the strained active layer having a multiple quantum well structure formed with a quantum well layer and a barrier layer; and a current confinement layer arranged on an upper side of the strained active layer, the current confinement layer including a selectively oxidized portion, where the current confinement layer is arranged at a position where a strain in the selectively oxidized portion influences the strained active layer.
US08144736B2

A fire alarm network fiber optic multiplex modem includes plural local interfaces, a fiber optic interface, a multiplexor, a fiber optic modem, and a demultiplexor. The multiplexor combines data received at the local interfaces into an outgoing data stream. The fiber optic modem transmits, at a first wavelength, the outgoing data stream to the fiber optic interface and receives, at a second wavelength, an incoming data stream via the fiber optic interface. The demultiplexor separates the incoming data stream into separate data streams, and forwards each of the separate data streams to its corresponding local interface.
US08144735B2

Techniques for transmitting signaling information for broadcast and multicast services are described. A base station transmits signaling information for each service in accordance with a schedule that includes a repetition period and a modification period. The signaling information is sent in each repetition period to allow wireless devices to quickly obtain this information. Changes to the critical signaling information are permitted at the start of each modification period, which is an integer multiple of the repetition period. Whenever the critical signaling information for a given service is changed in a given modification period, a notification indicator for the service is set in an entire preceding modification period to inform the wireless devices of the impending change. The wireless devices can detect the notification indicator being set in the preceding modification period and can retrieve the updated critical signaling information in the following modification period.
US08144728B2

The present invention relates to a method and system for providing access to a cellular network (8), wherein a terminal device (1) is connected to an access device (2) according to access specifications of a broadband access network (12) which is not specifically designed to be used as a part of cellular network (8). The terminal device (1) indicates to the access device (2) that it wishes to be connected to the cellular network (8), and a session or call and a radio bearer is setup between the terminal device (1) and the cellular network (8). To achieve this, a service node (5) provided in the cellular network (8) requests a suitable access bearer from the access network (12) and the access device (2) sets up a corresponding access channel towards the terminal device (1). The terminal device (1) then associates the access channel to the correct radio bearer by using a corresponding identification. Thereby, service functions of the cellular network, e.g. UMTS services, can be distributed via any access network and existing broadband or high-speed access networks can be implemented in new cellular network structures. A huge capacity enhancement can thus be offered to the network operators of the cellular network without any standardization effort or license fee and at very small investment and maintenance costs.
US08144725B2

Methods and apparatus that enable a wireless femtocell to operate in its designated frequency so as to minimize interference between the wireless femtocell and neighboring base stations (and other femtocells or nomadic cells). In one exemplary embodiment, the femtocell cell comprises a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) femtocell which has the ability to scan the air interface in a manner similar to that associated with a UE in order to identify unallocated resources within the wireless network, and subsequently request access for the unallocated resources. Business methods useful in combination with the aforementioned methods and apparatus are also disclosed.
US08144720B2

A base station in an OFDMA system which determines a modulation and coding scheme to use for a packet of a certain size to be transmitted by a Mobile Station. The base station schedules transmissions by mobile stations and transmits packets. The base station includes a processing unit which determines a number of time-frequency resources required to transmit the packet for a modulation and coding scheme, determines an SINR based on the number of time-frequency resources used and available power at the mobile station, determines a transmission rate as a ratio of the packet size transmitted to the number of time-frequency resources used, sets a rate to zero if the determined SINR is lower than a threshold SINR required for the modulation and coding scheme, and selects the modulation and coding scheme with a highest transmission rate. The base station includes a memory storing modulation and coding schemes.
US08144719B2

A system includes multiple input ports that forward received data (e.g., data packets) to each of multiple queues. Data received at the input ports of the system can be somewhat random or “bursty” at times. That is, the input ports can receive data at a variable bit rate or unspecified bit rate from an internal system source or an external source such as an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server or SCSI disk array. The queues output data at a constant bit rate. A two-dimensional scheduler associated with the system forces random inbound server traffic from the input ports to adhere to a QoS (Quality of Service) agreement such that the random nature of the inbound traffic does not negatively affect the deterministic guarantees of existing server traffic output from the queues. In other words, techniques herein ensure adherence to QoS requirements among the data flows, without overflowing the queues.
US08144716B2

An intelligent router takes the place of a conventional SCCP relay in a wireless network. The intelligent router automatically provisions and updates subscriber information in a network file.
US08144713B2

Virtual dedicated voice connections between parties to a packet-switched system can be created by reserving capacity for such connections in the packet-switched system. The capacity reservable by any one party is limited to prevent over-subscription of resources in the packet switched. The system incorporates a call admission control processor for controlling access to the packet-switched call routing system such that a voice call attempt is successful only if capacity for such a dedicated connection has previously been reserved. The capacity reserved for the virtual connections is made available for use by other traffic when not required for voice sessions.
US08144705B1

A device may include multi-bank static random access memory (SRAM) logic that receives multiple addresses from a packet processor, and provides the multiple addresses to multiple SRAMs. The SRAM logic also reads intermediate data and final data from the multiple SRAMs using the provided multiple addresses, provide a next address to the multiple SRAMs for each of the intermediate data, and transmits each of the final data to the packet processor.
US08144700B2

In a method for operating a network having a primary station and at least two secondary stations, the primary station communicates with the secondary stations. The secondary stations communicate with one another via cross communication in the form of telegrams which are generated in the context of communications cycles.
US08144696B2

A selection method implemented as an algorithm in a mobile management entity (MME) operating in a communications network. The method includes receiving a unique identifier of a subscriber operating within the network and determining, based on the unique identifier, whether the subscriber has full circuit switching fallback (CSFB) capability or has only packet switching (PS) capability. When it is determined that the subscriber has full CSFB capability, a mobile switching center server (MSS) is selected based on original tracking area matrices and/or tracking area identity-location area identity mapping defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). When it is determined that the subscriber has only PS capability, an MSS is selected from a group of MSSs having CSFB support only for short message service (SMS) delivery.
US08144685B2

In order to solve problems arising when a communication system such as a wireless LAN is constructed as a decentralized distributed type network without a relationship of control station and controlled stations such as a master station and slave stations, in a wireless communication system composed of a plurality of communication stations without a relationship of control station and controlled stations, respective communication stations transmit beacons with information concerning a network written thereon with each other to construct the network, and it becomes possible to make sophisticated judgment such as communication states of other communication stations by those beacons.
US08144684B2

Systems and methods for bridging packet flows to bypass call legs and/or tunnels are provided. A tunnel initiator, which can be an access gateway, a foreign agent, and a mobility anchor point, for example, provides a bypass for certain packets that have a destination serviced by the same tunnel initiator. The bridge allows the packets to bypass a backhaul loop and reduces latency and frees bandwidth for other purposes in the network. The bridging can be implemented in a tunnel initiator for mobile to mobile packet flows, mobile to land line packet flows, and land line to mobile packet flows. Route optimization can also be provided in certain embodiments.
US08144682B2

A method and apparatus for generating and use of a position location reference signal that allows a receiver to receive position location signals from relatively weak signal generators when in the presence of a strong signal source. The position location reference signals from multiple sources can be synchronized to occur within a scheduled time slot of a time division multiplexed communication system. During the scheduled time slot, each signal source can configure a transmission that includes a media access control address that corresponds to a value reserved for position location signals. Each signal source also configures the transmission to include a position location reference signal that corresponds to the signal source. The position location signals from each of the signal sources is positioned to occur at a time within the data portion of the scheduled time slot that no neighboring signal source transmits its corresponding position location signal.
US08144680B2

Methods and apparatus are presented for conducting communications using a shared communication medium. A message is sent over the shared communication medium. The shared communication medium is organized to include an allocation of node identification signal space and an allocation of data transmission signal space. The allocation of node identification signal space includes a plurality of node identification segments. The allocation of data transmission signal space includes a data transmission segment. The message includes a node identification portion and a data transmission portion. The node identification portion is transmitted in the allocation of node identification signal space and occupies a node identification segment. The data transmission portion is transmitted in the allocation of node identification signal space and occupies the data transmission segment.
US08144673B2

Methods and systems of employing a dedicated device for position estimation by a WLAN-based positioning system. A device estimates the position of itself in response to gathering wireless signal information from WLAN access points (APs). The device includes a receive-only WLAN radio module for receiving WLAN signals transmitted by WLAN APs in range of said device, extraction logic for extracting information from said received WLAN signals to identify the WLAN APs; and logic to cooperate with a WLAN-based positioning system to estimate the position of the device based at least in part on the extracted information identifying the WLAN APs in the range of said device. In other embodiments, the radio module includes a transmitter but one which is only capable of transmitting probe requests.
US08144671B2

In a wireless network that includes a plurality of nodes, a method of communicating a message from an originating node, intended for receipt by a destination node, via one or more intermediate nodes, includes the steps of: (a) communicating with just a single node within the communications range of the originating node—including sending the message and the known network pathway—if a network pathway to the destination node is known by the originating node, the single node being the first intermediate node identified in the known network pathway; and (b) communicating with one or more first intermediate nodes within the communications range of the originating node—including sending the message—if a network pathway to the destination node is unknown by the originating node.
US08144668B1

The present invention considers a direct sequence spread spectrum system wherein every user employs the same spreading code. In a preferred embodiment, received signal is correlated with the training signal. Peaks of correlator output are used to identify the delays corresponding to the significant multipath components. The delays that are within a predetermined number of chips of each other are associated with a hypothesized user. In an alternate embodiment, a user separation technique is used which is based on the observation that after the training period, different users send uncorrelated data. In another alternate embodiment, linear minimum mean squared error (LMMSE) based correlators locked to individual users are employed. These correlators only provide multipath components of their corresponding users as output.
US08144666B2

Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) offers multiplicative spectral efficiency gains in wireless networks. An adaptive SDMA beamforming technique is capable of increasing the traffic throughput of a sector, as compared to a conventional tri-cellular arrangement, by between 4 and 7 times, depending on the environment. This system uses an averaged covariance matrix of the uplink signals received at the antenna array to deduce the downlink beamforming solution, and is equally applicable to Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems. A scheduling algorithm enhances the SDMA system performance by advantageously selecting the users to be co-scheduled.
US08144665B2

A resource release control method, a communication system, and a device are configured to delete a bearer context on an original-side heterogeneous-system management network element (NE) even if a target-side management NE does not support interaction with a serving gateway (S-GW) and does not support an idle mode signaling reduction (ISR) mechanism. The resource release control method includes: acquiring version information of a target-side management NE, when a user equipment (UE) activating an ISR mechanism is handed over from an original-side network to a target-side network; and deleting a bearer of an original-side heterogeneous-system management NE, if the version information indicates that the target-side management NE does not interact with an S-GW and does not support the ISR mechanism. Meanwhile, a communication system and a relevant device are also provided.
US08144663B2

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a radio cell change of a communication terminal from a first radio cell to a second radio cell, wherein the first and the second radio cell is controlled by at least one base station of a mobile communication system. The present invention further provides a base station and a communication system comprising a plurality of base stations and a communication terminal adapted to execute the control method. To overcome negative impacts of data loss and delay during a cell change procedure the protocol context of a retransmission protocols are transferred from a source base station to a target base station upon an cell change of a communication terminal in issue.
US08144662B2

An apparatus and method for maintaining information during neighbor list updates comprising acquiring information of a first plurality of GSM neighbor cells; recording and keeping the information for a time period T; receiving a second plurality of GSM neighbor cells; comparing the second plurality of GSM neighbor cells with the first plurality of GSM cells in the record; if a GSM neighbor cell from the second plurality of GSM neighbor cells is not in the record, gathering information pertaining to the GSM neighbor cell; and if at least one GSM neighbor cell from the second plurality of GSM neighbor cells is in the record, determining if the age of the information pertaining to the at least one GSM neighbor cell is less than the time period T and if less than T, locating the at least one GSM neighbor cell.
US08144658B2

Techniques to mitigate inter-cell interference using joint time and frequency division are described. A frequency band is divided into multiple non-overlapping frequency subbands. The transmission timeline is divided into Tin and Tout time intervals. Data is exchanged with users in at least one inner region of a cell on the entire frequency band in the Tin time intervals. Data is exchanged with users in multiple outer regions of the cell on the multiple frequency subbands in the Tout time intervals. The frequency band may be partitioned into three frequency subbands. Data may then be exchanged with users in first, second and third outer regions on first, second and third frequency subbands, respectively. The regions in which the users are located may be determined based on pilot and/or other measurements.
US08144656B2

The radio base station includes: a step of making a comparison between transmission format identification information received from the mobile station and transmission format identification information based on a data amount calculated in a step of calculating the data amount of uplink user data; and a step of retransmitting a calculated scheduling grant if the radio base station determines, based on the comparison result in the step of the comparison, that a data amount indicated by the transmission format identification information received from the mobile station is larger than the data amount calculated in the aforementioned step.
US08144655B2

A method for scheduling broadcast messages to transmit system information is disclosed. This method for scheduling broadcast messages having system information classifies a plurality of system information into one or more groups. For example, the system information may be control information for a network entry and initialization of a mobile station, or a burst profile. Then, the scheduling method allocates different numbers of transmission times to the individual groups, and determines transmission start times of system information of the individual groups according to the allocated transmission times.
US08144653B2

A method and apparatus for preventing a plurality of stations in a wireless local area network (WLAN) where a plurality of high throughput (HT) stations and a plurality of 802.11 legacy stations coexist from colliding are provided. The method includes generating a data frame having an HT format by inserting information indicating that a medium will be unavailable until the reception of an acknowledgement (ACK) frame is concluded into a physical layer (PHY) header having a format that can be interpreted by both the HT stations and the legacy stations; transmitting the data frame; and transmitting a reset frame which resets network allocation vectors (NAVs) of a plurality of stations which have heard the data frame, and has a format that can be interpreted by both the HT stations and the legacy stations. The apparatus includes a data frame generation unit; a reset frame generation unit; and a transmission unit.
US08144650B2

A method of services request in a packet switched telecommunications network comprising a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) arranged for communication with a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN). During activation of a subscriber session, receiving by the GGSN, from the SGSN in an Update PDP Context Request message, data comprising both 1) an Internet Protocol (IP) address and user plane tunnelling endpoint identifier (TEID) for a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and 2) an IP address and user plane TEID of the SGSN; the GGSN nominally utilizes the IP address and TEID of the RNC for the subscriber session. If an error indication is received by the GGSN indicating that the RNC has restarted, it discards the IP address and TEID corresponding to the RNC and utilizes the IP address and TEID corresponding to the SGSN, whereby the GGSN and SGSN can maintain the subscriber session in the event of an RNC restart.
US08144633B2

A method and system for designating an aural position of an audio stream in a collaboration environment. A plurality of icons corresponding to participants are displayed in a user interface. A moderator may move the icons from a first position in the user interface to a second position in the user interface. Upon moving an icon from a first position to a second position, an aural position identifier corresponding to the second position is generated and sent to a conference processor. The conference processor uses the aural position identifier to generate an outgoing audio stream that aurally positions the audio stream generated by the participant corresponding to the icon at the aural position. The outgoing audio stream is provided to the moderator, who uses a multi-channel capable device to perceive the audio stream at the designated aural position.
US08144631B2

In one embodiment, a method includes sending, from an originating gateway device (OGW) to a terminating gateway device (TGW), a setup message for setting up a call on a primary bearer channel (B-channel) of an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). The OGW interconnects with a first Internet Protocol (IP) video endpoint, and the TGW interconnects with a second IP video endpoint. In response to an alerting message sent from the TGW, the OGW initiates procedures for synchronizing a plurality of secondary B-channels between the OGW and the TGW prior to the call entering into a connect state. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.
US08144624B2

Presented is a method and system for determining network topology of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in a Wide Area Network (WAN). The method includes obtaining a list of CE (customer edge) routers in a network, obtaining a list of prefixes advertised by each CE router, iterating, for each prefix, the list of prefixes advertised by all CE routers, verifying, in case a potential hub CE router already exists, whether the second CE router and the potential hub CE router are same, marking, in case a potential hub CE router does not exist, the second CE router as the potential hub CE router, and marking, if there exists a potential hub CE router that advertises every other prefix in the network, the potential hub CE router as hub site and other CE routers as spoke sites.
US08144620B2

A method and system for implementing a network connection service is provided. In the invention, the port information of the network ingress node and the network egress node is registered with the directory server or configured manually. During the establishment of the network service connection, a request for establishing the network connection service between the source user node and the destination user node is initiated, and the directory server is queried in response to the request to obtain the connection and adaptation mode for establishing the network connection service, which is supported by both the network ingress node and the network egress node, and the network connection is established and the adaptation configuration is performed according to the connection and adaptation mode to establish the network connection service.
US08144610B2

The present invention relates to wireless communications. More especially it relates to wireless packet data communications. Particularly it relates to latency reduction by distinguishing connection initiation of circuit switched and packet switched connections, respectively.
US08144604B2

A method and system for establishing multiple channels between nodes each having a single radio interface in a mesh network supporting multiple channels are provided. Each node in the mesh network initially generates a neighbor node table, taking into account at least one traffic channel temporarily established for data transmission to a neighbor node. The neighbor node table is updated when a traffic channel is established for data transmission to the neighbor node, and the neighbor node table is updated according to channel use information of the neighbor node received from the neighbor node or channel use information of a node two hops away.
US08144600B2

In one embodiment, wireless access point management is optimized. The data bandwidth and/or processing requirements for data indicating operation of the access point is baselined. For example, air quality or interference measurements are made at the access point on a regular basis. The interference measurements over one or more periods, such as one period of 24 hours, provide a baseline. Rather than transmitting and processing the subsequent measurements that are normal or within the baseline, a lack of information or data requiring less bandwidth than the measurements communicates to a controller or server that the measurements are normal or within the baseline.
US08144599B2

The invention concerns binary class based analyzing and monitoring. Data relating to indicators relating to at least one of: a communications network resource, a communications network service, and a service provided over a communications network, is collected. Value ranges of the indicators are divided into value range classes, and a binary code is assigned to each class. The collected data is classified by translating each piece of the collected data into the binary code assigned to its associated value range class. The classified data is monitored for changes. The invention allows significantly faster analyzing and monitoring of a communications network, network resources, network services and services provided over the network.
US08144597B2

A method selects a path for forwarding a data packet in a wireless communication system. A system capacity versus delay impact curve is calculated for a direct path to mobile station. The direct path has a capacity cost based on communication quality of a direct link between a base station and the mobile station. This curve is shifted by a predetermined time corresponding to an additional delay over a relay path to produce a projected capacity curve for the relay path having a second capacity cost determined according to a combined measure of signal quality of multiple links in the relay path. The second capacity cost is multiplied by a capacity cost ratio to produce a relay capacity curve. The direct path or the relay path is selected based on a comparison of the system capacity versus delay impact curve and the relay capacity curve according to a QoS requirement.
US08144593B2

Methods and apparatus for efficient routing in communication networks. In an aspect, a method is provided for traffic routing between first and second nodes in a communication network. The method includes detecting traffic transmitted between the first and second nodes, transmitting a request to a mobility agent associated with the first node to request authorization for a route optimization between the first and second nodes, receiving a response that authorizes the route optimization, and establishing an optimized route. In an aspect, an apparatus includes detector logic for detecting traffic transmitted between the first and second nodes, transmitting logic for transmitting a request to a mobility agent associated with the first node to request authorization for a route optimization between the first and second nodes, receiving logic for receiving a response that authorizes the route optimization, and connection logic for establishing an optimized route.
US08144591B2

Systems and methods for reducing latency in call setup and teardown are provided. A network device with integrated functionalities and a cache is provided that stores policy information to reduce the amount of signaling that is necessary to setup and teardown sessions. By handling various aspects of the setup and teardown within a network device, latency is reduced and the amount of bandwidth needed for setup signaling is also reduced.
US08144578B2

A common communication network with line- and packet-switching control is provided, with telecommunication services such as call-forwarding, being carried out by means of a link between a control device and a communication network. At least partially synchronized control is provided for both the line-switching and the packet-switching part of the communication system, and carries out the telecommunication services.
US08144577B2

A technique efficiently manages bandwidth (BW) registration for multiple spanning tree options in a computer network. According to the novel technique, an entry bridge determines multiple spanning tree paths to other bridges of the network (namely, one or more available spanning trees rooted at one or more bridges of the network) and determines a utilized (registered) BW on each of those paths. Upon receiving a request to initiate BW registration for a data flow to a destination end point, e.g., from an application source end point, the entry bridge selects one of the spanning tree paths to utilize for the data flow. Selection of the spanning tree path from among the multiple available paths may be based on (i) available bandwidth of the paths, (ii) a shortest of the paths, and (iii) a lowest bridge identifier ID for the bridge root for the path. The entry bridge sends a registration message for the data flow towards the destination end point along the selected spanning tree path. If successful, the data flow is transmitted on the selected path. If not, the entry bridge attempts to register the data flow on a next best alternate spanning tree, e.g., until a successful registration or until a determination that no further alternate spanning trees exist.
US08144571B2

A method for transmitting/processing data in a wireless communication system, and a transmitter are disclosed. A method processing method for data transmission at a transmitting side of a wireless communication system employing multiple carriers comprises performing a symbol mapping process on a binary data sequence, and generating a symbol sequence, converting the symbol sequence into a time-domain symbol using a plurality of sub-carriers having a variable sub-carrier spacing therebetween, and adding a cyclic prefix to the time-domain symbol.
US08144565B2

An optical head and an apparatus using the optical head are shown. The optical head includes a light-emitting element, a first polarized light diverging element for transmitting the light beam of a first polarization direction and reflecting the light beam of a second polarization direction orthogonal to the first polarization direction, a second polarized light diverging element for transmitting or reflecting the light beam of the first polarization direction, a converging element for converging the light beam on an information recording medium, a reflection element for reflecting a first reflected light beam reflected on the information recording medium and reflected on or transmitted through the second polarized light diverging element, and a detection element for detecting a second reflected light beam reflected on the reflection element and transmitted through or reflected on the second polarized light diverging element.
US08144551B2

A battery charger includes: a resume information table for storing resume information about contents to be started to be reproduced with a portable player being connected to the battery charger; a writing unit that writes resume information about a tune being reproduced just before the portable player is disconnected from the battery charger into the resume information table; and an instructing unit that reads the resume information stored in the resume information table when the portable player is connected to the battery charger, and transmits an instruction for reproducing a specified tune to the portable player.
US08144541B2

A method for adjusting a reference voltage is provided, including: decoding a default code configured in a reference voltage register in a chip to obtain an actual reference voltage; comparing the actual reference voltage with a benchmark value to obtain a deviation value between the two; configuring an adjustment code according to the deviation value; and, burning the adjustment code into a nonvolatile storage medium. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for adjusting a reference voltage. Thus, adjustment on the reference voltage of the chip is standardized and costs of the chip's application schemes are saved. A method and apparatus for obtaining a reference voltage are also provided, and thus stability of the circuit's working is improved and costs of the chip's applications are decreased.
US08144539B2

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory core unit including a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells and a sense amplifier to sense and amplify data of the plurality of memory cells, and a self refresh control unit to apply at least one first core voltage to the memory core unit and to control a self refresh operation to be performed at every first self refresh cycle, in a first self refresh mode, and to apply at least one second core voltage to the memory core unit and to control the self refresh operation to be performed at every second self refresh cycle, in a second self refresh mode. In the semiconductor memory, a level of the at least one first core voltage is higher than that of a corresponding one of the at least one second core voltage, and the first self refresh cycle is shorter than the second self refresh cycle.
US08144532B2

A memory cell is provided at an intersection of a word line and a bit line. A sense amplifier circuit senses and amplifies a signal on the bit line. Replica circuits include a replica cell configured to retain certain data fixedly. A signal detection circuit detects an output signal that rises up at the latest timing among output signals output from the plurality of replica circuits respectively and outputs a detection signal. A delay circuit delays the detection signal. The sense amplifier circuit is activated based on the delayed signal.
US08144524B2

To include a plurality of pad groups each including a first data I/O pad, a first power supply pad, a second data I/O pad, and a second power supply pad arranged in order in an X direction. The first data I/O pad is connected to a first data I/O buffer, and the second data I/O pad is connected to a second data I/O buffer. The first power supply pad supplies a first power supply potential to the first and second data I/O buffers, and the second power supply pad supplies a second power supply potential to the first and second data I/O buffers. The first data I/O pad included in each of the pad groups is adjacent to the second power supply pad included in other pad group or any one of a plurality of power supply pads not included in any one of the pad groups.
US08144515B2

A flash storage system accesses data interleaved among flash storage devices. The flash storage system receives a data block including data portions, stores the data portions in a data buffer, and initiates data transfers for asynchronously writing the data portions into storage blocks interleaved among the flash storage devices. Additionally, the flash storage system may asynchronously read data portions of a data block interleaved among the storage blocks, store the data portions in the data buffer, and access the data portions from the data buffer.
US08144511B2

Techniques are disclosed herein for programming memory arrays to achieve high program/erase cycle endurance. In some aspects, only selected word lines (WL) are programmed with other WLs remaining unprogrammed. As an example, only the even word lines are programmed with the odd WLs left unprogrammed. After all of the even word lines are programmed and the data block is to be programmed with new data, the block is erased. Later, only the odd word lines are programmed. The data may be transferred to a block that stores multiple bit per memory cell prior to the erase. In one aspect, the data is programmed in a checkerboard pattern with some memory cells programmed and others left unprogrammed. Later, after erasing the data, the previously unprogrammed part of the checkerboard pattern is programmed with remaining cells unprogrammed.
US08144510B1

In a multi-level memory cell, when data to be programmed arrives, the cell is programmed to the lowest-charge state in which any bit position that is being programmed or has already been programmed has the correct value, regardless of the value in that state of any bit position that has not yet been programmed and is not being programmed. The programming of other bit positions based on subsequently arriving data should not then require a transition to an impermissible lower energy state. Although this may result in a transient condition in which some bits have the wrong value, by the time programming is complete, all bits would be expected to have the correct value. A cell may contain any number of bits equal to or greater than two, and programming may be performed cyclically (e.g., from LSB to MSB), anticyclically (e.g., from MSB to LSB), or in any random order.
US08144501B2

An integrated circuit structure includes a static random access memory (SRAM) cell. The SRAM cell includes a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor forming an inverter with the pull-up transistor. The pull-down transistor includes a front gate connected to a gate of the pull-up transistor, and a back-gate decoupled from the front gate.
US08144495B2

The invention relates to a method for producing an electronic circuit, and to an electronic circuit, having at least one organic electrical functional layer and at least one data storage unit, the data storage unit being configured with two electrically conductive layer contacts. The two electrically conductive layer contacts are arranged alongside one another and are electrically conductively connected to one another either by an electrically conductive dry substance or by an electrically conductive solidified substance.
US08144489B2

A converter has at least one phase module, an AC voltage terminal and a DC voltage terminal. A phase module branch is formed between each DC voltage terminal and each AC voltage terminal. Each phase module branch has a series circuit containing submodules which each have a capacitor, a power semiconductor, and submodule sensors for detecting energy stored in the capacitor and with a regulation device for regulating the apparatus in dependence on energy values and predetermined desired values. Therefore unbalanced loading of the energy storage units is avoided. The regulation device has a summation unit for summing the energy values while obtaining branch energy actual values and a device for calculating circuit current desired values in dependence on the branch energy actual values. The regulation device compensates for imbalances in the branch energy actual values in dependence on the circuit current desired values.
US08144487B2

A controller for use in a power converter providing sensing of an isolated output is disclosed. An example controller includes a current controller to be coupled to an energy transfer element and an input of the power converter. A control circuit is included that generates a mode select signal coupled to be received by the current controller. A first, second or third current is enabled in the current controller in response to a selection of a first, second or third mode of operation, respectively, of the current controller by the control circuit. The first current is substantially zero, the second current is greater than the third current and the third current is greater than the first current. A first feedback circuit is coupled to the control circuit and is coupled to generate a first feedback signal representative of an output of the power converter during the first mode of operation after a period of operation of the second mode of operation of the current controller. A second feedback circuit is coupled to the control circuit and is coupled to generate a second feedback signal representative of the output of the power converter during the first mode of operation after a period of operation of the third mode of operation of the current controller. The control circuit is coupled to control selections of the first, second or third modes of operation in response to the first and second feedback signals to control a transfer of energy from the input of the power converter to the output of the power converter.
US08144486B2

In a power converter, a primary coil receives an input voltage, and a switch includes a first electrode, a second electrode coupled to the primary coil, and a control electrode. An output unit includes a secondary coil, and outputs an output voltage. The primary coil and the secondary coil form a transformer, and the input voltage is converted to the output voltage by the transformer. A controller receives a sensing voltage corresponding to a switch current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode of the switch, detects a valley point of a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode of the switch based on the sensing voltage, and transmits a control signal to the control electrode of the switch in accordance with the valley point.
US08144485B2

A DC voltage conversion circuit (20) of the present disclosure includes a power supply (21), a first output (27), a second output (26), a transformer (22), a first voltage-regulating circuit (25), a second voltage regulating circuit (24), and a step-up DC-DC converter (23). The first voltage-regulating circuit includes a transistor (254) having drain and source electrodes, a first capacitor (252) connected between ground and the first output, and a first diode (251). The first output is connected to ground via the anode and cathode of the first diode, the transformer, and the drain and source electrodes of the transistor in series. The power supply is configured to provide a second voltage to the second output via the transformer and the second voltage-regulating circuit in series. The step-up DC-DC converter is configured to regulate voltages of the first and second outputs according to feedback voltages from the first and second outputs.
US08144478B1

A circuit module having a distance compensation element and a method for manufacturing the circuit module. A thinned semiconductor chip is mounted to a top surface of a support substrate. The thinned semiconductor chip has an upper surface that is spaced apart from the top surface of the support substrate by a first distance. A circuit element having an upper surface is mounted to the support substrate, wherein the upper surface of the circuit element is spaced apart from top surface of the support substrate by a second distance. A height compensation element is mounted over the thinned semiconductor chip and attached to the top surface of the support substrate. The height compensation element has a surface spaced apart from the top surface of the support substrate by a distance greater than or equal to the second distance.
US08144474B2

Portable computer structures are provided. The portable computer structures may include connector structures. The portable computer may have a case. A portion of the connector structure may be formed by the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have a circuit board with grounding spring-loaded pins which electrically ground the circuit board to the case of the portable computer. The portable computer may have an optical disk drive that is form fitted to mount to the portable computer case.
US08144466B2

A fan unit holds a cooling fan and is detachable from a main body of an inverter apparatus. The fan unit is provided with a fan-unit retainer plate having keyhole-shaped apertures and provided between an upper case and a lower case. The fan unit is fixed by pressing the fan-unit retainer plate with fixing screws. The fan unit is easily and reliably removed by moving the fan-unit retainer plate without directly moving the fan unit and without removing the fixing screws.
US08144459B2

A heat dissipating system includes an enclosure, a first fan module, a second fan module of a computer power source. The enclosure has a front panel, a rear panel parallel to the front panel, a side panel, and a top panel. The rear panel defines an output vent therein. A disk drive module is disposed on the front panel and near the top panel. A motherboard with a CPU is disposed on the side panel. The first fan module is configured to dissipate heat generated by the CPU. The second fan module is placed on the rear panel and is aligned with the output vent of the rear panel. The top panel defines a plurality of airflow holes corresponding to the disk drive module. The plurality of the airflow holes is capable of allowing air to flow to the disk drive module for heat dissipating.
US08144450B2

The invention relates to a configuration of an electronic apparatus that improves the utilization of the electronic apparatus. The better utilization is achieved by an apparatus including a body, a cover attached to the body, and a display part having a display, the display part being attached to the body and configured to slide between a first position and a second position such that when the display part is at rest in the first position, the cover overlaps at least a portion of the display, and when the display part is at rest in the second position, said portion of the display is visible.
US08144448B2

A control unit has a closed-loop controller which is connected to a regulating electrovalve by way of a feedback branch, forming a closed-loop control circuit, in order to regulate the electrical coil current of the regulating electrovalve. The armature of the electrovalve is used to adjust a desired volume flow in a motor vehicle hydraulic device. The armature of the regulating electrovalve is continuously subjected to an armature oscillation in order to reduce the static friction and/or magnetic hysteresis. Inside the closed-loop controller of the closed-loop control circuit itself, the nominal current, which is supplied to the closed-loop controller on the input side as a command variable, is subjected to a dither signal generated inside the closed-loop controller for producing the armature oscillation, essentially synchronously to the clock cycle of the closed-loop controller.
US08144430B2

Multi-layer ground plane structures and methods of manufacture for integrated lead suspension flexures. A flexure in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes an insulating layer, a plurality of traces on the insulating layer and a stainless steel base layer on the side of the insulating layer opposite the traces. The stainless steel base layer includes one or more void portions with voids in the base layer opposite the insulating layer from the traces and one or more backed portions with the base layer backing the traces. A plurality of first conductive ground planes are located between the stainless steel base layer and the insulating layer opposite the insulating layer from the traces at the backed portions of the stainless steel base layer. A continuous second conductive ground plane is located opposite the insulating layer from the traces at the void portions and backed portions of the stainless steel base layer.
US08144429B2

Embodiments of the present invention help to reduce the resistance variation of the heater provided in order to adjust the flying height of the slider. According to one embodiment, a magnetic head slider has a magnetic read/write device and a heater formed on the trailing end surface of the slider. The heater comprises a heating portion, terminal portions and lead portions. Where a terminal portion overlaps with a lead portion, a diffusion stop film is disposed between them. In addition, a diffusion stop film is disposed between a lead portion and a lower shield seed film (NiFe) under the associated stud. The diffusion stop films and are Ta films with a thickness of 5 nm or preferably at least 10 nm.
US08144418B2

According to one embodiment, a test device for a storage device includes: a module configured to acquire from the storage device a value corresponding to a signal level read from a magnetic disk through a magnetic head of the storage device, at a first timing at which an initial power of 0 or greater is supplied to a heater in the head and at a second timing at which a power to the heater is returned to the initial power after the power to the heater has been increased from the initial power, a periphery of a head element in the head has been expanded by the heater, and the element has been protruded toward a magnetic disk side; and a determiner configured to determine whether plastic deformation has occurred in the periphery of the element based on a difference between the values obtained at the first and second timings.
US08144412B2

A thin film magnetic head includes a medium projection detection mechanism that detects a projection on the surface of a recording medium. The medium projection detection mechanism has a discharging electrode, a capacitor, and an input line and an output line that are connected to the discharging electrode. The discharging electrode is configured to receive a voltage applied through the input line, and the capacitor is configured to store electric charge by the applied voltage. The output line is connected to a projection detection processing system and is connected to the charging electrode and the projection detection processing system to detect the location of the projection that is a detection target by detecting voltage change that is caused by discharging between the discharging electrode and the projection when the projection is detected.
US08144411B2

Multimodal optical imaging is disclosed. Possible devices include a filter assembly that is capable of rotary action during real time image acquisition. Systems are disclosed that include such filter assemblies, which are detachable or integrated in the systems. Various techniques for capturing image targets using multiple light sources such as white light and fluorescent light are also disclosed.
US08144406B2

Thermal management for a solid immersion lens is described. In one example, a system includes a solid immersion lens objective, a solid immersion lens tip assembly optically coupled to the objective, and a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the objective. The system may also or alternatively include a dry purge system coupled between the lens tip assembly and the objective to remove moisture between the lens tip assembly and the objective.
US08144394B2

The invention provides a stereoscopic imaging optical system that has a total optical length short enough to be suitable for use in electron image microscopes. The stereoscopic imaging optical system comprises, in order from its object side, one objective lens DB and a plurality of zoom imaging optical systems ZI. Each zoom imaging optical system ZI comprises, in order from its object side, a positive first group G1, a negative second group G2, an aperture stop AS, a positive third group G3 and a positive fourth group G4. The second group moves for zooming on an optical axis, and the fourth group moves on the optical axis in association with the second group for correcting an image position fluctuation incidental to zooming. Various conditions are satisfied.
US08144388B2

A display apparatus includes: an electrode layer; a display layer that is provided on the electrode layer, and that includes a plurality of containers containing at least one of positively charged first particles and negatively charged second particles; a film provided on the display layer; and a movable electrode portion capable of applying voltage to part of a region of the display layer through the film, the film being a conductive film having lower conductivity in a planar direction than in a thickness direction of the film.
US08144385B2

A multi-state light modulator comprises a first reflector 104. A first electrode 142 is positioned at a distance from the first reflector 104. A second reflector 14 is positioned between the first reflector 104 and the first electrode 142. The second reflector 14 is movable between an undriven position, a first driven position, and a second driven position, each having a corresponding distance from the first reflector 104. In one embodiment, the light modulator has latch electrodes 17 and 143, which hold the light modulator in a driven state. In another embodiment the latch electrodes 17 and 143 are used to alter the actuation and release thresholds of the light modulator.
US08144383B2

A chromatic element includes a sealed enclosure, an isolation layer, a first heating element, a chromatic material layer and a second heating element. The isolation layer is disposed in the sealed enclosure and separates the sealed enclosure into a first chamber and a second chamber. The first heating element is configured to heat the first chamber. The second heating element is configured to heat the second chamber. The chromatic material layer is disposed in one of the first chamber and the second chamber. The chromatic material layer transfers from the first chamber to the second chamber in a gaseous state.
US08144376B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a lensless optical device for acquiring an image. The device can include a light attenuating layer having a plurality of elements, where transmittance of each of the plurality of elements is controllable, and an image detector disposed at a distance from the light attenuating layer, the image detector configured to acquire an image with light that passes through the light attenuating layer. The device also can include a light attenuating layer controller configured to simultaneously control transmittance of each of the plurality of elements independent of each other. Methods of detecting and tracking an object in a scene are also disclosed.
US08144365B2

A color image forming apparatus specifies print mode (media), forms a test image based on gradation levels of a plurality of colors according to the specified print mode (media), and detects the test image with a color sensor. The color image forming apparatus performs gray axis correction calculation based on detection result obtained by the color sensor.
US08144358B1

Imaging devices incorporating semi-volatile NAND flash memory are described herein. According to various embodiments, demonstration page information may be stored in the semi-volatile NAND flash memory, which may be reused and incorporated back into the memory pool after the demonstration page information is no longer needed. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08144349B2

A system for distributing printed documents comprises print device logic comprising a Web Services server, wherein the print device logic is configured to send one or more Web Services messages that indicate attributes of a print device; sender print manager logic comprising a first Web Services client that is coupled over a network to the printer logic; wherein the sender print manager logic is configured to store the attributes, to request print history information from the print device, to determine one or more preferred print devices for one or more users based on the print history information, and to store a mapping of identifiers of the users in association with identifiers of the preferred print devices; wherein the sender print manager logic is configured to select one or more of the preferred print devices based on the mapping, and to initiate one or more print jobs to print a document on the selected preferred print devices.
US08144346B2

A data processing apparatus having a device driver part for controlling a device includes a storing part configured to store device capability data, a receiving part configured to receive a designation of a PrintTicket having setting data indicating control settings used for controlling the device, a determining part configured to determine whether the designated PrintTicket has been fabricated by the device driver part or another device driver part, a first controlling part configured to apply all of the setting data to the control settings in a case where the designated PrintTicket is determined to be fabricated by the device driver part, and a second controlling part configured to compare the device capability data with the setting data and apply at least a part of the setting data to the control settings in a case where the designated PrintTicket is determined to be fabricated by the other device driver part.
US08144338B2

A pattern measurement method includes: acquiring sectional shapes of a first pattern corresponding to process parameters, respectively; using the acquired sectional shapes to calculate predicted spectral waveforms which would be obtained when light is applied to the first pattern, and adding information on the corresponding process parameters to the calculated predicted spectral waveforms, respectively, to form a waveform library; setting a process parameter to obtain a desired shape, and acquiring an actual spectral waveform of a second pattern actually created from the first pattern using the set process parameter; performing waveform matching between the actual spectral waveform and the predicted spectral waveforms to acquire matching scores for respective waveform matching, and calculating an optimum process parameter providing the maximum matching score; generating an optimum pattern sectional shape corresponding to the optimum process parameter to measure the optimum pattern sectional shape.
US08144334B2

An apparatus and method for non-determination of the surface velocity of a target using optical interference and Doppler shifting of the light reflected from the target are disclosed. It may be used to measure small-amplitude, acoustic frequency surface vibrations as well as non-periodic surface vibration.
US08144330B2

The present invention provides a quantitative evaluation method of fouling of antifouling properties, a fouling evaluation apparatus, and a production method of optical members, which can be applied to various members, and haves high reproducibility and enable to detect a subtle difference between fouling, and an optical layered body having a property of preventing fingerprints from adhering, an anti-contamination property and a degree of recovery from fouling, and a display product including the optical layered body. The present invention pertains to an evaluation method of fouling, wherein light is radiated to a test sample and scattered light reflected off or passing through the test sample is detected to evaluate a degree of fouling of the surface of the test sample.
US08144322B2

A spectral characteristic measuring apparatus includes: an illuminating section for irradiating illumination light onto a sample; a spectral section for separating light from the sample irradiated with the illumination light into light rays in accordance with wavelengths; a light receiving section including a plurality of light receiving elements for receiving the light rays separated by the spectral section in accordance with wavelengths, and converting the received light rays into electrical output signals; and a storing section for storing a combined central wavelength of each of the light receiving elements calculated in advance based a spectral intensity distribution of the illumination light.
US08144315B2

An apparatus and method for characterizing the complex coupling coefficient of a multilayered periodic structure either during or after inscription is described. This apparatus is capable of continuously measuring the complex reflectivity at single or multiple wavelengths to a resolution limited by Rayleigh scattering in the waveguide section where the structure is inscribed. The apparatus is also capable of rejecting undesired signals associated with stray reflections in the system and unwanted environmentally induced change in optical path lengths during the inscription procedure. The complex coupling coefficient of the multilayered periodic structure can be derived from the measured complex reflectivity and can reveal errors present in the structure. The complex coupling coefficient can also be used to derive an error signal to enable implementation of a closed loop inscription system capable of inscribing error free multilayer structures.
US08144302B2

A display substrate includes a first metal pattern including a gate line and a signal line, a first insulation layer formed on a substrate where the first metal pattern is formed, a first electrode formed on the first insulation layer, and a second metal pattern including a connecting electrode and a data line. The first insulation layer includes a first opening portion exposing a portion of the signal line. The first electrode corresponds to a unit pixel. The connecting electrode is connected to the first electrode and the signal line through the first opening portion.
US08144300B2

A printed circuit board on which a connector is mounted includes a conductive layer, insulating layers, and a supporting member. A part of the conductive layer is exposed on a top surface of the PCB in order to form a connecting pad portion for connecting the connector. The insulating layers are disposed proximate to both sides of the conductive layer. The supporting member is connected to the conductive layer and covers a surface of a hole formed by opening an orifice through the conductive layer and the insulating layer. The hole is disposed adjacent to the connecting pad portion.
US08144296B2

An array substrate of an in-plane switching liquid crystal display device includes, among other features, a gate electrode and a gate line having a first double-layered structure consisting of a first barrier layer and a first low resistance metallic layer; a data line defining a pixel region with the gate line, the data line having a second double-layered structure consisting of a second barrier layer and a second low resistance metallic layer; a plurality of common electrodes disposed in a direction opposite to an adjacent gate line; a thin film transistor (TFT) near a crossing of the gate and data lines, each of the source and drain electrodes of the TFT having the same double-layered structure as the data line; and a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in an alternating pattern with the common electrodes and disposed in the direction opposite the adjacent gate line.
US08144292B2

The main object of the present invention is to provide a color filter for a transflective type color liquid crystal display which is easily produced and capable of displaying the same color tone with both of a reflecting light and a transmitting light, and shows light scattering in a reflective light region. In order to attain the above mentioned object, the present invention provides a color filter for transflective type color liquid crystal display comprising a transparent substrate and a reflective light coloring layer and a transmissive light coloring layer formed on the transparent substrate, wherein, a convex-concave is formed on a surface of a liquid crystal layer side of the reflective light coloring layer, and an average thickness of the reflective light coloring layer is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the transmissive light coloring layer, and a refractive index difference between the reflective light coloring layer and a layer in contact with the surface of the convex-concave formed side of the reflective light coloring layer, is 0.1 or more. Further, a main object of the present invention is to provide a color filter for transflective type liquid crystal display comprising a transparent membrane pattern region obtained by laminating: a transparent substrate; a transparent membrane pattern layer comprising a transparent membrane formed in a pattern on the transparent substrate; and a coloring layer formed so as to cover the transparent membrane pattern layer.
US08144289B2

The present invention discloses a liquid crystal display panel, a thin film transistors array substrate and curing line structure thereof in use of phase separation alignment (PSA) process. The curing line structure has a contact pad allocated on a periphery area of the substrate, and a transmission line extending from the contact pad, passing over a sealant-distributing area of the substrate, to be electrically connected with at least one common line located on a pixel expression area of the substrate. A predetermined interval is kept between the transmission line and each of the adjacent transmission lines on the substrate to ensure a non-electrical contact between the transmission line and the adjacent transmission lines.
US08144286B2

An LED backlight in which deterioration in in-plane uniformity of brightness is prevented, whose thickness, frame width, and wire length are reduced, and in which wiring can be carried out easily, includes an LED provided on one surface of an LED substrates; the LED substrate is mounted on a chassis panel so that a surface of the LED substrate opposite to the one surface contacts the chassis panel; and the chassis panel has a connection hole provided in a portion of a region of the chassis panel in which region the LED substrate is mounted, which passes through the chassis panel.
US08144282B2

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which includes a pixel electrode and a counter electrode in a pixel formed on a surface of a substrate which faces liquid crystal, the counter electrode is formed below an insulation film, and the pixel electrode is formed above the insulation film, wherein the counter electrode is formed over a whole area of a center except for a slight periphery of at least the pixel, the pixel electrode is constituted of separate pixel electrodes to which a video signal which is supplied to the pixel is inputted through the separate switching elements at the same timing, and the separate pixel electrodes are respectively formed of a plurality of electrodes and the respective electrodes are alternately arranged.
US08144278B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized active matrix type liquid crystal display device that may achieve large-sized display, high precision, high resolution and multi-gray scales.According to the present invention, gray scale display is performed by combining time ratio gray scale and voltage gray scale in a liquid crystal display device which performs display in OCB mode. In doing so, one frame is divided into subframes corresponding to the number of bit for the time ratio gray scale. Initialize voltage is applied onto the liquid crystal upon display of a subframe.
US08144277B2

An operation of floating charged particles and an operation of dispersing charged particles in a liquid crystal layer are controlled by determining strengths of electric fields to be applied to a liquid crystal element in accordance with a state of irradiation of light from a light source of a liquid crystal display device.
US08144274B2

A parallax-barrier comprises a Liquid-Crystal layer (LC layer) including pixels that form a barrier according to a control method. A controller controls the pixels of the LC layer to form a barrier pattern, by turning pixels on or off according to the control method. A lower layer is formed between the LC layer and a display module to dispose the LC layer and controller at a position off the display module by a predetermined distance. An upper layer is formed on the LC layer to dispose the LC layer and controller, and a polarizer on the upper layer, and visualizing the barrier according to the barrier pattern on the LC layer by controlling polarization angle of the light. The light passes through the lower layer, LC layer and upper layer. Stereoscopic images that are rotated in the horizontal/vertical direction can be displayed using the parallax-barrier and stereoscopic image.
US08144270B2

A liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) panel is disclosed. The LCoS panel includes: a substrate having at least one metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor thereon; a pixel electrode array disposed on the substrate; a plurality of color filters with at least two different colors disposed on the pixel electrode array, wherein adjacent color filters comprise a gap therebetween and at least two of the color filters are not coplanar; an inorganic film disposed on the color filters and within the gap; and an organic film covering the inorganic film entirely.
US08144267B2

A display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus does not require a cover structure for enclosing a front peripheral portion of a front panel so that the screen of the display apparatus can be seemed to be large, and the display apparatus can have a neat appearance.
US08144263B2

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method for medium wide angle projection system. An exemplary embodiment of the present technique comprises an imaging system configured to create an image, at least one lens configured to produce a medium wide-angle representation of the image, and an aperture stop positioned to capture the medium wide-angle representation of the image from the at least one lens.
US08144257B2

A method to produce in an area of restricted size in a realistic manner while minimizing perspective distortion and subject distortion a recording of an individual that produces the illusion that the individual is located in a larger area.
US08144253B2

Video upscaling may be performed by effectively combining several different image processing techniques. The video is processed using temporal based motion estimation and subsequently filtered using a spatial filter. The spatially filtered image is sharpened and noise is suppressed. Also, the images in the video are upscaled.
US08144250B2

A microcontroller-based video AGC/sync regulator in which the parameters of various synchronizing signals of several different video formats are incorporated into a user program to generate signals to be processed by other sub circuits that correct and reinforce the AGC levels and sync signals of an incoming video signal is disclosed. The microcontroller-based video AGC/sync regulator is synchronized by the selection and isolation of a reference point of particular qualities that distinguishes itself from any other portion of the video signal. The reference points may be singular or plural in nature and are extracted from the video signal by means of a hybrid and specialized circuit or circuits, an auxiliary microcontroller and/or the system microcontroller. The microcontroller-based AGC/sync regulator is readily adapted for use as a decoder/encoder by altering the user program.
US08144249B2

A multi-slicing horizontal synchronization signal generating apparatus and method is provided. The apparatus includes a slicer, a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO), a first phase detector, a second phase detector and a calibration circuit. The slicer performs edge detection on a video signal having a first horizontal synchronization, and generates a first detection signal and a second detection signal according to a first voltage level and a second voltage level, respectively. The NCO generates a second horizontal synchronization signal. The first phase detector detects a first phase difference between the first detection signal and the second horizontal synchronization signal, and the second detector detects the second phase difference between the second detection signal and a reference time point. The calibration circuit generates a calibration signal according to the first phase difference and the second phase difference. The NCO adaptively adjusts the phase of the second horizontal synchronization signal according to the calibration signal.
US08144244B2

Disclosed herein is an imaging device including: a body portion; a lens mount portion provided on the body portion for mounting a detachable taking lens; a body-side coupler provided in the body portion and adapted to be connected to a lens-side coupler of the taking lens in mounting the taking lens to the lens mount portion, the body-side coupler being rotated in concert with a moving operation of a focus lens provided in the taking lens; and load applying section configured to apply a braking load to the body-side coupler.
US08144242B2

An image sensor holder includes a frame, first and second slidable holders, first and second driving devices, first and second driving arms, and at least two elastic members. The first slidable holder is slidably mounted on the frame. The second slidable holder is slidably mounted on the first slidable holder. The first and second driving devices are separately mounted on the frame. The first driving arm is mounted on the frame and contacts to the first slidable holder and the first driving device by opposite ends thereof. The second driving arm is slidably mounted on the frame extending from the second slidable holder, and contacts the second driving device by an end thereof. The two elastic members are separately positioned between the first holder and the frame and between the first holder and the second holder.
US08144234B2

An apparatus includes an obtaining unit that obtains a captured image containing face detection information related to a face of an object detected during image capture, and information related to a focus detection area utilized during the image capture, an extraction unit that extracts an area based on the information related to the focus detection area and the face detection information from the captured image when the focus detection area is determined based on the detected object's face, and extracts an area based on the information related to the focus detection area from the captured image when the focus detection area is not determined based on the detected object's face, and a display unit that displays a partial area of the captured image on a display device, wherein the display unit displays an image of the extracted area on the display device.
US08144231B2

During framing, an image sensor captures an image of a subject and produces an image signal. The image signal is chronologically retrieved and sent to plural signal processing sections. The signal processing sections concurrently produce frames simulated based on different shooting conditions or different shooting modes. Images of frames are displayed on a screen of a display side by side. When a shutter button is pressed after selecting a desired image, an image is captured for recording under the shooting condition or the shooting mode corresponding to the selected image.
US08144221B2

An apparatus includes an array of color-selective sensors arranged as a plurality of repeating 2×2 unit pixel groups. Each sensor of a unit pixel group of the array is selective for a color including a green component. The unit pixel group includes respective sensors selective for respective first and second colors and two sensors selective for a third color. Signals from the sensors of the unit pixel groups may define a first color signal space, and the apparatus may further include an image processor circuit configured to receive image sensor signals from the array of color-selective sensors and to process the image sensor signals to generate image signals in a second color signal space.
US08144218B2

An image signal processing apparatus including a first corrected tone processing section for performing such a corrected tone process which extends a tone width of a high luminance region or a low luminance region in an image signal, a tone processing section for performing a space-variant tone process for all luminance regions in the image signal, and a second corrected tone processing section for performing a corrected tone process depending on a displaying apparatus.
US08144213B2

A frame brightness detecting unit 15 detects a frame brightness value of each of a plurality of image frames. A flicker spectrum detecting unit 16 detects, from the frame brightness values of 512 frames, spectrum values at frequencies, such as 100 Hz, 200 Hz, and 300 Hz. A brightness estimating unit 17 estimates a brightens value of a light source from the spectrum values. An encoding unit 18 uses a reciprocal of the estimated brightens value to determine a reference frame. The encoding unit 18 also uses the reciprocal in an evaluation function for motion vector estimation. The image frame is encoded using the motion vector.
US08144201B2

This invention discloses a portable computer capable of performing a digital photo frame function under a main-power-off state. The portable computer includes a base, a display device, an image capturing device, an image capturing switch, and a processor. The display device includes a frame pivotally connected to the base. The image capturing device and the image capturing switch are disposed at the frame. The image capturing switch is operated to output a first request signal to the processor. In response to the first request signal, the processor drive the image capturing device to capture a first image under the main-power-off state, and the processor instantly displays the first image on the display device under the main-power-off state.
US08144200B2

Disclosed is a technique for testing liquid crystal display modules which are driven in various image formats or drive frequencies by using one scanning converter, a testing apparatus of a liquid crystal display module, including: a scan box controller configured to provide a menu setting screen for setting a resolution and a drive frequency of a liquid crystal display module; a scanning converter configured to adjust and output a resolution and a drive frequency of an input image signal supplied to the liquid crystal display module according to a setting set by a user on the menu setting screen; and the liquid crystal display module configured to display an image signal of a resolution supplied from the scanning converter.
US08144196B2

The present invention aims to provide a display device that can display relationships between a plurality of users in an easy-to-visually-acknowledge manner.The present invention is a system composed of a data sensing unit 1, a positional relationship detection unit 2, a user groping unit 3, and a positional relationship display unit 4. The user grouping unit 3 groups the users into a plurality of groups based on information pieces relating to positional relationships between the users, which are detected by the positional relationship detection unit 2. Based on information pieces relating to the groups extracted by the user grouping unit 3, the positional relationship display unit 4 arranges and displays the groups on a screen in conformity with a positional relationship between the groups.
US08144183B2

A method for two-way audio-video communications between a first person at an entrance and a second person comprises the steps of detecting, with a proximity sensor located proximate an entrance, the presence of a first person at the entrance and providing real time audio-video communications between the first person at the entrance and a second person using a wireless handheld device. The method includes transmitting video of the first person to the wireless handheld device of the second person, transmitting audio of the first person to the wireless handheld device of the second person, and transmitting audio of the second person to the first person at the entrance.
US08144182B2

Novel tools and techniques for providing video calling solutions. In some such solutions, a video calling device resides functionally inline between a set-top box and a television set. Such solutions can provide, in some cases, high performance video calling, high video quality, simplified installation, configuration and/or use, and/or the ability to enjoy video calling in an inclusive, comfortable environment, such as a family room, den, or media room.
US08144177B2

An image formation apparatus for executing image formation by exposing an image carrier with irradiation light emitted from a laser source on the basis of an input signal to drive the laser source includes a correction amount calculation unit configured to calculate, on the basis of a generated correction pattern, a correction amount to control the ON or OFF timing to drive the laser source, and a signal generation unit configured to generate, on the basis of image data and the correction amount calculated by the correction amount calculation unit, a corrected signal obtained by correcting the input signal to drive the laser source so as to form the image data by controlling the ON or OFF timing.
US08144175B2

Provided is a heating resistor element (1), including: an insulating substrate (9); a heat accumulating layer (10) bonded to a surface of the insulating substrate (9); and a heating resistor (11) provided on the heat accumulating layer (10), in which: on at least one of bonded surfaces (9a) between the insulating substrate (9) and the heat accumulating layer (10), at least one of the insulating substrate (9) and the heat accumulating layer (10) is provided with a concave portion (16) in a region opposed to the heating resistor (11) to form a hollow portion (17); and the hollow portion (17) includes an inner surface on a side of the insulating substrate (9), the inner surface being processed to have surface roughness (Ra) of 0.2 μm or more. Accordingly, heat accumulation in a gas of the hollow portion (17) can be suppressed to improve printing quality.
US08144169B2

An input device for editing a 3D model displayed in a screen is provided. The input device includes a signal transceiver module and a telescopic sensing component. The signal transceiver module communicates with a graphic system to obtain information of the 3D model. The signal transceiver module includes a first and a second transceiver respectively disposed at a first and a second location of the input device for obtaining a plurality of spatial information of the input device. An expansion of the telescopic sensing component reflects the force of the input device applied to the screen, and the length of the input device is adjusted according to the force. The signal transceiver module transmits the expansion and the spatial information to the graphic system to allow the graphic system to generate a virtual object in the 3D model for simulating the state of the input device merging into the screen.
US08144165B2

A color processing apparatus includes an image signal acquisition section, a color conversion matrix storage section, a matrix regularization processing section and a normal color conversion section. The image signal acquisition section acquires an image signal containing a predetermined input color signal. The color conversion matrix storage section stores information of a color conversion matrix which associates the input color signal and an output color signal with each other. The matrix regularization processing section reads the information of the color conversion matrix from the color conversion matrix storage section and converts the color conversion matrix into a nonsingular matrix. The normal color conversion section converts the input color signal acquired by the image signal acquisition section into an output color signal using the nonsingular matrix.
US08144161B2

A texture synthesis device, which has a determinator for determining a prioritization among regions to be synthesized of an area to be synthesized, as a function of image information in an area adjacent to the area to be synthesized, and a synthesizer for synthesizing the regions to be synthesized in an order that depends on the prioritization.
US08144153B1

A computer-implemented method includes selecting a subset of images from a set of captured images. A surface feature of one object is represented in the content of each selected subset image. The method also includes decomposing the surface feature content of each selected image to produce a model of representations of the object.
US08144144B2

A display device according to the present invention includes a switching regulator control circuit formed of TFTs. A digital switching regulator control circuit is composed of an AD converter circuit, a CPU, a pulse generation circuit or the like. An analog switching regulator control circuit is composed of an error amplifier circuit, a triangle wave generation circuit, a PWM comparator or the like. By integrally forming the switching regulator control circuit on a display device, the problem of the conventional portable information equipment as to the reduction in size and weight can be solved.
US08144141B2

A liquid crystal display which may suppress image quality deterioration and enhance image contrast is provided. The liquid crystal display includes: a light source unit including a light source having divided lighting sections and a light source control section; a liquid crystal display panel including pixels and modulating light from the light source; and a display driving section performing a polarity inversion driving based on the inputted video signal. The display driving section corrects the inputted video signal, for each of divided display regions in the liquid crystal display panel corresponding to ON-state divided lighting sections, based on a light control signal from the light source control section, so that a amplitude center potential of the driving voltage with a waveform of alternately-inverting polarity substantially agrees with the common potential. The driving voltage based on a corrected video signal is then applied to the liquid crystal element.
US08144138B2

A liquid crystal display device capable of controlling a viewing angle is disclosed.The liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal panel configured to include a plurality of quad type pixels each consisted of red, green, blue, and viewing angle control sub-pixels; and a timing controller configured to reply to a viewing angle mode selected by a user and apply red, green, and blue data and any one of a wide viewing angle control data, a first narrow viewing angle control data, and a second narrow viewing angle control data to the liquid crystal panel.As such, the LCD device controls a range of viewing angles, thereby allowing the image to be viewed from every direction or not to be viewed from the left and right directions or the upward diagonal directions in the center of the user. In other words, the LCD device can limit the image display according to the positions of the persons adjacent to the user. Therefore, the user using the LCD device can adjust it to freely share information or to limit its range with adjacent persons. Furthermore, the LCD device can enhance information reliability and security.
US08144134B2

A sensing circuit includes: a data generating section for generating data representing the amount of light received by a plurality of optical detection circuits, which are provided in a detection region, for each unit period on the basis of detection signals output from the plurality of optical detection circuits; a setting section for variably setting a differential unit period number which is the number of unit periods between two unit periods having a difference to be acquired; a difference data generating section for sequentially generating difference data between the data, which is generated by the data generating section in the current unit period, and the data, which is generated by the data generating section in the unit period previous to the current unit period by the differential unit period number, for each of a plurality of the unit periods; and an approach detecting section for detecting whether or not an object is approaching the detection region on the basis of the difference data generated by the difference data generating section.
US08144133B2

A display device with touch panel and a fabricating method thereof are provided. The display device with touch panel includes a flexible display panel and a force sensitive touch panel. The force sensitive touch panel is disposed under a portion of the flexible display panel. Since the force sensitive touch panel is only configured under the portion of the flexible display panel, the display device with touch panel may have touching control function and flexibility at the same time.
US08144132B2

A multi-point sensing method used in a capacitive touch panel is disclosed to detect the voltage variation of every electrode patterned on two parallel electrode layers by means of a capacitive sensing circuit, and measure the vertical capacitance at the intersection crossed by the electrodes of the two electrode layers where the voltage variation is detected, and then compare the vertical capacitance thus measured with the initial vertical capacitance at the same intersection before touch, as a result, the intersection corresponding to the measured vertical capacitance can be determined as the touch point when the comparison result shows different.
US08144127B2

An input/output integrated display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a capture device for capturing an image of a user, an information register device for relating users' image information to pen settings information for each scheduled user and registers it, a user identification device for comparing image information of a user captured by the capture device with the users' image information and identifying a user in real time, and a display device for displaying text and lines entered by the user in a display format based on the pen settings information of the user identified by the user identification device on a display screen in real time. With this configuration, a user can be automatically identified, and text and lines are displayed based on the pen settings information of the user.
US08144126B2

An apparatus and method for reducing power consumption of capacitance sensing device in a reduce power mode. In one embodiment, the method includes individually measuring a capacitance on each of a plurality of sensor elements of a device, coupling a group of sensor elements of the plurality of sensor elements together when a presence of a conductive object is not detected on the plurality of sensor elements while individually measuring the capacitance on each of the plurality of sensor elements, and collectively measuring a capacitance on the group of sensor elements. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a processing device, and a plurality of sensor elements that are individually coupled in a first mode and collectively coupled in a second mode.
US08144122B2

A method and system for transmitting data to and from a hand-held host device are disclosed. An accessory device for interfacing with a host device includes a communication channel designed to establish a bidirectional data link between the accessory device and the host device. The accessory device also includes a storage unit communicatively coupled to the communication channel. The storage unit is designed to store various data. In addition, at least a first data is selectively transmitted from the stored data of the accessory device to the host device through the established bidirectional data link.
US08144116B2

An electrophoretic display device includes a substrate, a partition wall disposed on a surface of the substrate, and a liquid layer, disposed in a container defined by the substrate and the partition wall, including electrophoretic particles and a dispersion medium. In addition, a first electrode is formed at a position apart from the partition wall on the substrate, a second electrode is formed along the partition wall, and a voltage applicator applies a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode. At the surface of the substrate defining the container, a resistance layer electrically connecting the first electrode and the second electrode is formed, and the electrophoretic particles in the container are moved between a surface of the partition wall and a surface of the resistance layer to effect display.
US08144109B2

In a light source inverter rectifier circuits are respectively connected to a CCFL in a substantially U-shaped lamp and a CCFL in a substantially U-shaped lamp, and the outputs from the rectifier circuits are fed to a stabilization circuit. Thus, the stabilization circuit monitors an average of currents flowing through the substantially U-shaped lamps. This makes it possible to make uniform the currents flowing through the substantially U-shaped lamps.
US08144105B2

A LCD device includes a LCD module, a thermal sensor, an operating device and a frame memory. The operating device includes first and second comparators, one-dimensional first to fourth lookup tables and an operator. The LCD device further includes a selector/data-generator which differentially generates an overdrive output and a prediction output according to outputs of the first comparator, the second comparator and the operator, depending on one of four conditions including a first condition that a start level and an end level are consistent; a second condition that a level of the output of the operator is greater than a predefined maximum; a third condition that the level is less than a predefined minimum; and a fourth condition that the level lies between the predefined maximum and the predefined minimum.
US08144103B2

A driving circuit of a display device is disclosed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention creates a non-display area on a display section of the display device so that a partial-screen display becomes available. The driving circuit includes a shift register and a signal processing circuit that processes a signal tapped off from the shift register. In partial-screen display, the signal processing circuit interrupts a signal tapped off from a predetermined stage of the shift register. This makes it possible to realize a driving circuit of a display device by which a high-quality display is possible with a small circuit area.
US08144102B2

The present invention provides a memory element includes a thin film transistor configured to have a semiconductor thin film and a pair of gate electrodes that vertically sandwich the semiconductor thin film with intermediary of insulating films therebetween, and a capacitor configured to be connected to a first gate electrode of the pair of gate electrodes, wherein data is stored in the capacitor connected to the first gate electrode, and data stored in the capacitor is read out by controlling a second gate electrode of the pair of gate electrodes.
US08144101B2

A liquid crystal matrix display includes a matrix driver delivering at least a first frame section signal and a second frame selection signal and a first write device and a second write device associated with each pixel element of the matrix, wherein one of the write devices is connected to the associated selection line of the pixel element, and the other is connected to another selection line of the matrix. The write devices have crossed sample and transfer commands, the first frame selection signal causing sampling in the first write device, and contacting of information already sampled in the second write device with the pixel element, the second frame selection signal causing sampling in the second write device, and contacting of information already sampled in the first write device with the pixel element.
US08144099B2

There is provided an liquid crystal display apparatus configured to invert a pixel voltage and a common voltage on a frame to frame basis while setting a transition voltage Vt in such a manner that the polarity of the pixel voltage to be applied to a pixel electrode of each display pixel and the polarity of the common voltage to be applied to a common electrode of a common substrate are differentiated.
US08144098B2

A dot-matrix display data refresh charging/discharging control method and system is proposed, which is designed for integration to a dot-matrix display device for providing a data refresh charging/discharging control mechanism on the dot-matrix display device. The proposed method and system is characterized by the capability of prior to a data refresh action on each pixel, switching the pixel for connection to a voltage-neutralizing point for the purpose of neutralizing the current data voltage charge on the pixel to substantially approach zero voltage level; and subsequently during the data refresh action, charging a new data voltage into the pixel. This feature allows the operation of the dot-matrix display device to have faster speed and low power consumption.
US08144095B2

An image display device applies a higher voltage than the original voltage to the pixel, without causing deterioration of the display quality. The image display device includes a plurality of pixels each including a main capacitive element as a display element performing display operation in accordance with image data supplied to one end thereof. An auxiliary capacitive element has one end connected to the one end of the main capacitive element. A drive circuit drives each of the pixels, while supplying an additional potential to the other end of the auxiliary capacitive element in each of the pixels. The additional potential is individually determined so that a voltage between both ends of the main capacitive element rises higher than an original voltage.
US08144094B2

Liquid crystal display backplane layouts and addressing for non-standard subpixel arrangements are disclosed. A liquid crystal display comprises a panel and a plurality of transistors. The panel substantially comprises a subpixel repeating group having an even number of subpixels in a first direction. Each thin film transistor connects one subpixel to a row and a column line at an intersection in one of a group of quadrants. The group comprises a first quadrant, a second quadrant, a third quadrant and a fourth quadrant, wherein the thin film transistors are formed in a backplane structure adjacent to intersections of the row and column lines. The thin film transistors are also substantially formed in more than one quadrant in the backplane structure.
US08144092B2

An apparatus of processing a signal is provided, which includes: a frame memory storing data for two frames; and a signal processing unit writing data for two rows into the frame memory or reading data for two rows from the frame memory during input of data for one row.
US08144081B2

An electronic device includes a plurality of first wiring lines, a plurality of second wiring lines that intersect the plurality of first wiring lines, a plurality of unit circuits that are disposed so as to correspond to intersections between the plurality of first wiring lines and the plurality of second wiring lines, and a plurality of reference signal lines that supply reference signals to the plurality of unit circuits. Each of the plurality of unit circuits has a driven element that is driven by a driving voltage or a driving current, a driving unit that supplies the driving voltage or the driving current to the driven element, a switching element that controls electrical connection between an input terminal provided in the driving unit and one of the plurality of second wiring lines, and a capacitor element that has a first electrode connected to the input terminal and a second electrode connected to one of the plurality of reference signal lines, and accumulates a charge between the first electrode and the second electrode.
US08144061B2

An antenna device, including a radiating element having a feed portion and a floating conduction member, which is provided between the radiating element and a conduction board having a high-frequency signal source which generates high-frequency signals for supplying to the feed portion, and which is electrically floated.
US08144056B2

A beacon device includes a control circuitry, a window, and a plurality of sets of illumination sources. The window includes a prismatic structure forming a ring from a planar perspective. The prismatic structure defines an inside surface and an outside surface from the planar perspective. The plurality of sets of illumination sources are coupled to the control circuitry. Each set of illumination sources includes a first illumination source disposed proximal to the inside surface of the prismatic structure and includes a second illumination source disposed proximal to the outside surface of the prismatic structure. The control circuitry is to illuminate a first set of the plurality of sets of illumination sources to transmit a signal in a first direction.
US08144050B1

A system for performing radar cross section measurements of a target may include a radar system and an antenna associated with the radar system to transmit signals and to receive reflected signals from the target and a clutter source. An EM tagging device is locatable proximate to the clutter source to spectrally tag the clutter source by causing changes in an electromagnetic signal reflected by the clutter source when a predetermined radar signal transmitted by the radar system is incident on the target, the clutter source and the EM tagging device. A module may identify a spectrally tagged component of reflected signals received by the radar system from the target, the clutter source and the EM tagging device. The module monitors the spectrally tagged component, compensates for variations in an un-tagged component of the reflected signals caused by the clutter source and EM tagging device, and subtracts contamination caused by the clutter source and EM tagging device and their interactions with the target, to provide a radar cross section of the target with reflected signals from the clutter source removed.
US08144046B2

A linearity enhancement circuit is disclosed which includes: a first shift amount creation block creating a first shift amount in keeping with the immediately preceding output code of an n-bit A/D converter; a first shifter circuit bit-shifting input code data by the first shift amount that has been supplied, the first shifter circuit further outputting the bit-shifted input code data; a register storing the output of the first shifter circuit in order to output the stored data as the input code data to the first shifter circuit thereby forming a loop circuit in conjunction with the first shifter circuit, the register further outputting the stored code data as a second shift amount; and a second shifter circuit bit-shifting the output code of the A/D converter by the second shift amount that has been supplied, the second shifter circuit further outputting the bit-shifted output code to an n-bit D/A converter.
US08144044B2

A resistor string type D/A converter in accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes a resistor string, switches, a higher-order decoder, a lower-order decoder, and a conversion unit. The resistor string generates a plurality of analog voltages by dividing a voltage between a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage. Each of the switches is provided for a respective one of a plurality of voltage drawing points. The higher-order decoder generates a higher-order control signal according to the value of higher bits of an input digital signal. The lower-order decoder generates a lower-order control signal corresponding to the value of lower bits of the input digital signal. The conversion unit outputs a voltage between a pair of the analog voltage values obtained through a pair of switches based on the lower-order control signal.
US08144043B2

A signal converting system is described that has a multi-segment digital to analog converter coupled to one or more error shaping loops. Each error shaping loop includes a quantizer with a feedback loop configured to generate a control signal responsive to a stream of symbols and to an error signal. Each error shaping loop also includes an inter-symbol-interference (ISI) shaping loop coupled to receive the control signal and to produce an ISI portion of the error signal that is responsive to inter-symbol transition rate.
US08144042B2

A combinatorial circuit with pre-calculation and having shorter delay is described. The combinatorial circuit uses information available from earlier input signals to pre-calculate intermediate signals, which are used to generate output signals when the last input signal arrives. The combinatorial circuit includes an input calculation block, at least one pre-calculation block, and an output calculation block coupled in series. The input calculation block receives some input signals and generates intermediate signals for the first pre-calculation block. The pre-calculation block(s) receive at least one earlier input signal and generate additional intermediate signals. The output calculation block receives the latest input signal and the intermediate signals from the last pre-calculation block and generates the output signals. The pre-calculation block(s) and the output calculation block may be implemented with simple circuits. In another aspect, a delta sigma (ΔΣ) modulator may use the combinatorial circuit with pre-calculation in order to improve operating speed.
US08144039B2

In one embodiment, a semiconductor integrated device includes a plurality of semiconductor chips each having a first internal circuit and a second internal circuit and being stacked while displaced from each other. The first internal circuit processes a data signal in accordance with a predetermined process. The second internal circuit receives a request signal from a transmission source and determines whether the request signal is a request to itself or not. When the request signal is the request to the second internal circuit itself, the second internal circuit receives a data signal from a transmission source and outputs the data signal to the first internal circuit. When the request signal is not the request to the second internal circuit itself, the second internal circuit transfers the request signal to a transfer destination, receives the data signal from the transmission source and transfers the data signal to the transfer destination.
US08144037B2

Embodiments described herein may include example embodiments of a method, article and apparatus for compressing data utilizing combinatorial coding which may be used for communicating between two or more components connected to an interconnection medium (e.g., a bus) within a single computer or digital data processing system, and/or for communication between computing platforms via a network or other interconnection medium.
US08144032B2

A method of checking the quality of traffic disturbance reporting processes records a total number of traffic disturbance reports generated by a traffic disturbance reporting process, which traffic disturbance reports each relate to at least one defined reporting time period and at least one defined reporting route segment, over a predefined analyzing time period and a predefined analyzing range. A number of reported conditions is formed from the total number of traffic disturbance reports, and a first statistical frequency distribution of the reported conditions is determined. A total number of reference observations are recorded, which each relate to at least one defined observation time period and at least one defined observation route segment, within the analyzing time period and within the analyzing range. A number of actual conditions is formed from the total number of reference observations and a second statistical frequency distribution of the actual conditions is determined. The second statistical frequency distribution is compared with the first statistical frequency distribution, and a quality indicator for the traffic disturbance reporting process is derived from the result of the comparison.
US08144028B2

Systems and methods for communicating data from field devices to data acquisition systems. In at least some exemplary embodiments, a remote process or field controller may obtain data, and send the data to a data cache only if the data has changed from previously sent data. The data acquisition system may poll the data cache for data. Having the remote process controller send only data that has changed allows the communication channel between the data caching system and the remote process controller to have a bandwidth or throughput lower than what may be needed to support the polling of the data acquisition system.
US08144025B2

A current limiting system in accordance with the present invention comprises an accessory or canopy mount device that is permanently installed between a source of electrical power 1 and a track lighting system 2. The system may be installed integrally with a track lighting system to supply power to a plurality of lighting tracks from a plurality of power sources or circuits, as desired by a user or lighting designer. The system may also be configured to be compatible with a wide variety of track lighting system power tracks and is difficult to remove once properly installed, thereby making it tamper-proof.
US08144024B2

An apparatus for sensing leakage current of a battery includes a voltage distribution node installed on a first conductive line connecting both terminals of a battery; first and second switches installed between the voltage distribution node and positive/negative terminals of the battery; an insulation resistance and a current sensing resistance installed on a second conductive line connecting the voltage distribution node to a ground; a DC voltage applying unit for applying positive/negative DC voltage to a ground-side end of the current sensing resistance to induce potential difference between the voltage distribution node and the DC voltage applying node; and a leakage current determining unit for sensing magnitude of electric current flowing through the current sensing resistance according to the induced potential difference in turning-on state of the switches, and then determining leakage current by checking whether the magnitude of electric current is out of standard level over threshold value.
US08144015B2

Detecting the absence of tagged objects near a computing device and attempting to locate the absent, tagged objects using other computing devices in a power-efficient manner. The computing device is monitored for triggering conditions. Upon occurrence of at least one of the triggering conditions, the computing device polls for the tagged objects expected to be proximate to the computing device. By polling responsive to occurrence of the triggering conditions, power consumption by the computing device is reduced. The triggering conditions include, for example, time-based transitions, movement of the computing device, or a geographic location of the computing device. Upon detecting the absence of at least one of the objects, the computing device, or a web service, identifies other computing devices to which the absent object may be proximate. The other computing devices determine whether the absent object is proximate, and notify the computing device.
US08144012B2

A cable installation support system capable of saving the labor of, and speeding up, work and check work while eliminating human error has terminals with a fixed pitch, and a terminal block cover having RFIDs with the same pitch as the pitch of the terminals of the terminal block. A terminal is provided with an R FID reader that reads identification information stored in the RFIDs. Also, in the terminal, identification information in RFID tags attached to core wires of a cable and terminals to which the core wires are attached are associated with each other, and predetermined RFIDs attached to the terminal block cover and the respective terminals of the terminal block are associated with each other. When an RFID tag and an RFID in the terminal block cover are read by the RFID reader, the terminal determines whether or not the core wire is connected to a correct terminal.
US08144002B2

Alarm systems comprises an eye gaze direction detecting part, an obstacle detecting device and an alarm controlling part. The eye gaze direction detecting part determines a vehicle driver's field of view by analyzing facial images of a driver of the vehicle pictured by using a camera equipped in the vehicle. The obstacle detecting device detects the presence of an obstacle in the direction unobserved by the driver using a radar equipped in the vehicle, the direction of which radar is set up in the direction not attended by the driver on the basis of data detected by the eye gaze monitor. The alarm controlling part determines whether to make an alarm in case an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detecting device. The systems can detect the negligence of a vehicle driver in observing the front view targets and release an alarm to prevent the driver from any possible danger.
US08144001B1

The vibrational awakening apparatus provides a pad of resilient material for selective placement and securement atop an existing mattress. The pad contains a plurality of equidistantly spaced apart vibrators and sensors dispersed throughout the resilient material. The controller for the pad is in communication with the vibrators and the sensors. The components of controller in communication are the clock with clock controls, the vibrator control, the buzzer control, the off control, the combined vibrator/buzzer control, and the speaker in communication with the buzzer control. A user can choose vibration only or a combination of vibration and buzzer for awakening. The awakening functions do not turn off until the sensors sense an absence of the user atop the pad.
US08143999B2

In a circuit (3) for a data carrier (1), which data carrier (1) comprise a sensor (2) that is designed for providing a sensor signal (SS) that represents an environment parameter and a communication element (CM) that is designed for the contact-less communication with an interrogator station, first connection elements for connecting the circuit (3) to the communication element (CM) and second connection elements for establishing an electronic connection of the circuit (3) to the sensor (2) are provided, wherein the second connection elements are realized by the first connection elements and wherein the circuit (3) comprises a sensor signal processing stage (11A) designed for receiving said sensor signal (SS) via the first connection element and for processing said received sensor signal (SS).
US08143997B2

A system for providing self-service inventory control comprises at least one RFID antenna mat placed adjacent to a cart with the RFID antenna transmitting and receiving information from a plurality of passive RFID tags within the cart, a connector unit attached to the cart and including a connector a processing unit for determining a position of said connector unit with respect to the processing unit, receiving information from each of the RFID tags, to obtain at least one characteristic information regarding each item and a display unit for displaying the obtained characteristic information.
US08143992B2

A multilayer chip varistor is provided as one capable of suppressing production of cracks and thereby preventing a connection failure between an internal electrode and a through-hole conductor. An internal electrode 21 is so configured as to be curved toward a direction of penetration of a through hole 10 in a connection portion 28 thereof to a through-hole conductor 27. By this configuration, a region T sandwiched between a curved surface 28a of the connection portion 28 and the through-hole conductor 27 is formed in a varistor layer 9 near the connection portion 28. In this region T, a metal concentration thereof becomes higher because of diffusion of metal of the internal electrode 21 and the through-hole conductor 27 into the varistor layer 9, and therefore, after completion of firing, the region T has an intermediate contraction percentage between that of the internal electrode 21 and through-hole conductor 27 and that of the other region of the varistor layer 9. This permits the region T to relax stress near the connection portion 28 where the internal electrode 21, through-hole conductor 27, and varistor layer 9 are congested so as to readily produce cracks.
US08143989B2

This disclosure provides a multilayer inductor that has a built-in coil composed of coil conductors each having a length of one turn and that can suppress the occurrence of delamination. The inductor includes plural laminated magnetic layers. Coil conductors loop along a ring-shaped path each through a length of one-turn on the magnetic layers, and include connection portions including end portions that are located on the loop and connection portions including end portions that are located inside the ring-shaped path. Lands are provided on the insulating layers so as to overlap a region as viewed in plan, and the region is surrounded by the first connection portions and the second connection portions.
US08143986B2

Parasitic capacitance between upper and lower adjacent wirings of an inductor using a multilayer wiring layer in an insulating film formed on a base substrate is reduced. An inductor is characterized by having one go-around of go-around wiring (A-B or B-C) formed in each of at least two of adjacent wiring layers of a plurality of wiring layers 18 placed in an insulating film 17 on a base substrate 16, and in that one end (B) of the one go-around of go-around wiring (A-B and B-C) formed in each of the at least two of wiring layers is connected to each other at a via 2 and the one go-around of go-around wiring (A-B and B-C) formed in each of the at least two of wiring layers is placed at substantially the same position in a surface of the base substrate when viewed from an upper side of the base substrate.
US08143974B2

A coplanar waveguide includes a signal line formed on a major surface of a high-resistivity silicon substrate, a pair of ground conductors placed on opposite sides of the signal line, and a pair of trenches formed in the substrate between the signal line and the ground conductors. Because of the trenches, the attenuation characteristics of the coplanar waveguide are highly uniform, and are comparable to the attenuation characteristics of coplanar waveguides formed on compound semiconductor substrates.
US08143973B2

The elliptical response bandpass filter according to the invention comprises a plurality N of cavities connected in series by means of in-phase coupling loops; the first cavity is in addition connected to the last by a complementary phase-inversion coupling loop in order to generate transmission zeros at determined frequencies.
US08143970B2

Disclosed is a variable phase shifter, the variable phase shifter including: a fixed board which is fixedly provided in a housing, and consisting of a dielectric board, and consisting of a dielectric board, having a second transfer stripline having at least one arc-shaped output micro stripline on one surface; a rotating board rotatably provided within the housing while coming in contact with the one surface of the fixed board, and consisting of a dielectric board, having a second transfer stripline coupled to the arc-shaped output micro stripline on a surface where the rotating board comes in contact with the one surface of the fixed board even when the rotating board rotates; wherein both the sides of at least one output micro stripline of the fixed board are connected to an output port, and the other surface of the fixed board includes an input micro stripline, so that the other surface of the fixed board is electrically connected and receives an input signal.
US08143963B2

A voltage source circuit for a crystal oscillation circuit is provided, in which the voltage source circuit and the crystal oscillation circuit are formed with the same process. The voltage source circuit includes a current source, a first PMOS, a first NMOS and a regulator unit. The current source is coupled between a voltage source and an output terminal, in which the output terminal outputs a reference voltage. Both of the gates and drains of the first PMOS and the NMOS are coupled to each other, and the first PMOS and the first NMOS are coupled between the output terminal and a ground. The regulator unit generates a work voltage to the crystal oscillation circuit as a voltage source of the crystal oscillation circuit according to the reference voltage.
US08143949B2

Several push-pull linear hybrid class H amplifiers are disclosed. A split power rail provides a positive supply rail and a negative supply rail in response to a power supply control voltage. A push-pull amplifier stage is powered by the positive and negative supply rails. The amplifier stage receives an input signal and provides a corresponding amplified output signal. A power supply control circuit provides the power supply control voltage in response to the smaller of the positive and negative supply rails, and the input signal.
US08143928B2

Duty cycle correction systems and methods of adjusting duty cycles are provided. One such duty cycle correction system includes a duty cycle adjustor and a variable delay line coupled to the output of the duty cycle adjustor. First and second phase detectors have first inputs coupled to the output of the duty cycle adjustor through an inverter and second inputs coupled to the output of the variable delay line. The phase detectors cause the delay line to align rising or falling edges of signals at the output of the delay line with rising or falling edges, respectively, of signals at the output of the inverter. The controller simultaneously causes the duty cycle adjustor to adjust the duty cycle of the output clock signal until the rising and falling edges of signals at the output of the delay line are aligned with rising and falling edges, respectively, of signals at the output of the inverter.
US08143924B2

There is provided a circuit whose output is free from high impedance to improve wrong transmission and waveform overshoot, realizing a semiconductor integrated circuit device in which plural channels is integrated with transmitter circuit as unit channel, in the transmitter circuit used in a medical ultrasound system and drives a transducer by voltage pulses having plural positive and negative electric potentials including ground potential. The transmitter circuit includes a conventional pulse generating circuit supplied with positive and negative voltage largest in absolute value, a P-channel analog switching pulse generating circuit supplied with positive voltage being the second largest therein, an N-channel analog switching pulse generating circuit supplied with negative voltage being the second largest, and an N-channel analog switching ground level damping circuit supplied with ground potential. The circuits are connected to output terminal. Switch control signals drive ultrasound transducers by turning on and off the circuits.
US08143921B2

A compare cycle of a comparator includes a precharge phase and a compare phase. During the precharge phase, a node of the comparator is precharged to a defined voltage. In addition, during the precharge phase an input transistor of the comparator is decoupled from the node. During the compare phase, an input voltage is coupled to the node via the input transistor. The input transistor is maintained in saturation during both the precharge phase and the compare phase, reducing switching noise.
US08143920B1

A system includes a current sensor to receive an input signal based on a sense current provided to load circuitry. The current sensor is configurable to generate an output signal from the input signal based, at least in part, on one or more configurable characteristics of the current sensor. The system also includes a processing element to compare the output signal from the current sensor to one or more programmable parameters. The processing element is configurable to direct a current controller to regulate the sense current provided to the load circuitry according to the comparison, and is further configurable to set a configurable parameter associated with the current sense amplifier.
US08143912B2

An impedance adjustment circuit for adjusting a terminal resistance includes a resistance evaluation unit and a terminal resistor unit. The resistance evaluation unit is utilized for evaluating a ratio of an off-chip resistor and a basic resistor to generate a control signal by a successive approximation method. The terminal resistor unit is coupled to the resistance evaluation unit, and is utilized for deciding a number of shunt basic resistors to provide a matched terminal resistance according to the control signal.
US08143909B2

A universal test socket includes a housing frame including a side wall, an inner protruding portion protruding inwardly from the side wall, and a through window formed at a center portion of the housing frame, wherein the through window is surrounded by the side wall, a pin plate assembly coupled to the housing frame and including a pin plate in which a plurality of test pins are arranged and a plurality of guide pins formed on periphery of the pin plate, and a package guide portion coupled to the housing frame and located above the pin plate assembly, a semiconductor package to be tested being mounted on the package guide portion. When the pin plate assembly is coupled to the housing frame, the positions of the test pins arranged in the housing frame are varied according to a rotation angle of the pin plate assembly with respect to the housing frame.
US08143904B2

The present invention provides a reliable, non-invasive, electrical test method for predicting satisfactory performance of electrostatic chucks (ESCs). In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a parameter, e.g., impedance, of an ESC is measured over a frequency band to generate a parameter functions. This parameter function may be used to establish predetermined acceptable limits of the parameter within the frequency band.
US08143903B2

A resonance scanning system and method for testing equipment for electromagnetic resonances uses a resonance detection subsystem with at least one probe to identify at least one of a resonating location, a resonating frequency and a quality factor of a resonance of the equipment and an automatic scanning subsystem to displace the probe to different testing locations of the equipment so that the resonance detection subsystem can determine if any of the different testing locations of the equipment exhibits electromagnetic resonances.
US08143880B2

An electrical current measurement system. A sense impedance and a composite amplifier are in electrical communication and together define a trans-impedance circuit that presents a frequency-compensated impedance lower than the sense impedance to an input electrical current to be measured. A sense amplifier in electrical communication with the sense impedance provides an output indicative of a magnitude of the input electrical current. A current bypass circuit may parallel the trans-impedance circuit and bypass the input electrical current around the trans-impedance circuit when the current reaches a predefined magnitude. The system may be combined with another current sensor to form a dual-range current measurement instrument.
US08143872B2

A power regulator for converting an input voltage to an output voltage includes a pass device, a reference signal circuit and an error amplifier. The pass device receives the input voltage and provides the output voltage at an output terminal of the power regulator. The reference signal circuit coupled to the output terminal is powered by the output voltage to provide a reference signal. The error amplifier coupled to the pass device is powered by the output voltage to compare the reference signal with a feedback signal indicative of the output voltage. The error amplifier can generate a control signal according to a result of the comparison to drive the pass device.
US08143870B2

Methods and apparatus for current sensing according to various aspects of the present invention operate in conjunction with a current sensor adapted to sense the current provided to a load via a transistor. In one embodiment, a power supply includes the current sensor, and supplies the current through a series combination of an inductor and the transistor. The current sensor is adapted to generate the inductor current signal according to a sensed current in the inductor, and may comprise a series combination of a first resistor and a second resistor. The resistive series combination is adapted to be connected in parallel to the series combination of the inductor and the transistor.
US08143868B2

To provide adequate compensation for a wide range of output loads, a low dropout (LDO) regulator has an amplifier, a pass transistor, a voltage divider, a compensation network, and a control circuit. The amplifier outputs a comparison result according to a reference signal and a feedback signal. The pass transistor generates an output current based on the comparison result of the amplifier. The voltage divider generates the feedback signal according to the output current. The compensation network couples the output of the pass transistor to a low-impedance node of the amplifier, and has a compensation capacitor and a variable resistor coupled to the compensation capacitor. The control circuit is coupled to the input of the pass transistor and to the variable resistor for controlling resistance of the variable resistor according to the output current of the pass transistor.
US08143866B2

Herein described is a control device of a device for the correction of the power factor in forced switching power supplies; said device for the correction of the power factor comprises a converter and said control device is coupled to the converter to obtain from an alternating input line voltage a regulated output voltage. The control device comprises generating means associated to a capacitor for generating a signal representative of the root-mean-square value of the alternating line voltage; the generating means are associated to means for discharging said capacitor. The control device comprises further means for discharging the capacitor suitable for discharging said capacitor when the signal representative of the root-mean-square value of the alternating line voltage goes below a given value.
US08143862B2

A circuit for charging a battery pack includes a power converter and a charger controller. The power converter is operable for receiving an input power, and for providing a charging power for charging the battery pack. The power converter provides galvanic isolation between input circuitry and output circuitry of the circuit. The input circuitry shares a first ground potential with the input power, and the output circuitry shares a second ground potential with the charging power. The charger controller in the input circuitry includes a modulator for generating a driving signal to drive the power converter and control the charging power.
US08143853B2

The application relates to a battery including a pack of modules, each containing rechargeable cells in series, the battery including means for measuring the voltage and/or the temperature of at least one module. According to the application, the battery includes means for computing, based on the voltage and/or temperature measured by the measuring means and on a recorded characteristic of the discharge current and/or regeneration current of the battery, a maximum discharge and/or regeneration current limit of the pack. The battery also includes a transmission means for transmitting to the outside the information on the maximum discharge and/or regeneration current limit of the pack.
US08143849B2

A method and system for recharging a battery power supply unit is provided. During the recharging of a battery power supply unit for a bicycle electronic device, the power supply unit is electrically disconnected from the electronic device and receives recharging energy from a first power supply circuit of a battery charger. The battery charger comprises a second power supply circuit which, during the recharging of the battery power supply unit, supplies the electronic device. In such a manner, the first power supply circuit is intended only for recharging the battery power unit and the recharging is hence optimized.
US08143847B2

A battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes: a core pack including a bare cell, and a protective circuit member attached on a side of the bare cell; a housing case for covering at least a portion of the protective circuit member of the core pack, and where a connection part adapted to be connected with an outer electronic appliance is disposed; and a resin-molding part for combining the core pack and the housing case by contacting at least a portion of the core pack and the housing case.
US08143830B2

A blushless direct current (BLDG) motor apparatus includes: a stator which is provided with a plurality of windings corresponding to N phases and wound in parallel independently of each other; a rotor which has a plurality of poles corresponding to the plurality of windings and rotates with respect to the stator by excitation of the windings; a switching unit which is provided in the form of a full H-bridge with respect to each phase, comprises a pair of upper switching devices corresponding to a (+) side of the winding and a pair of lower switching devices corresponding to a (−) side of the winding, and performs a switching operation to supply or not to supply driving power to the winding; a first sensing device which senses the phase of the rotor with respect to the stator to determine whether to turn on or off the upper switching device; a second sensing device which is provided in the latter part than the first sensing device and senses the phase of the rotor with respect to the stator to determine whether to turn on or off the lower switching device; and a controller which uses a partial square wave to drive the upper switching device and the lower switching device on the basis of the sensed phase of the rotor, and controls the lower switching device to be turned off later than the upper switching device by more than a time to exhaust an electric current staying in the winding.
US08143827B2

A drive device having an electric motor with a device for field oriented control of the electric motor and a method for operation thereof is disclosed. An error monitoring of a transducer on the electric motor is achieved by a comparator device for comparing a transducer signal of the transducer on the electric motor with a calculated parameter of the field oriented control, the comparator device recognizing a transducer error and/or a coupling error. The coupling error relates to a coupling for mounting the transducer on the electric motor.
US08143821B2

The present invention discloses that the output end of the bidirectional unequal speed electric motor being particularly used to provide bidirectional rotating input is transmitted to the input end of bidirectional same or different speed change ratio constant directional output transmission device to further provide constant directional rotating output for driving the rotating load, wherein the user can operatively control the driving input direction thereby allowing the bidirectional same or different speed change ratio output transmission device having different speed change ratio to provide constant directional different speed change ratio rotating output in different driving input direction.
US08143790B2

A method for producing light includes introducing an ionizable medium for generating a plasma into a chamber. The method also includes applying at least one pulse of energy to a magnetic core that surrounds a portion of a plasma discharge region within the chamber such that the magnetic core delivers power to the plasma which forms a secondary of a transformer according to Faraday's law of induction. The plasma has a localized high intensity zone.
US08143788B2

An apparatus and method for achieving an efficient central cathode in a Hall effect thruster is disclosed. A hollow insert disposed inside the end of a hollow conductive cathode comprises a rare-earth element and energized to emit electrons from an inner surface. The cathode employs an end opening having an area at least as large as the internal cross sectional area of the rare earth insert to enhance throughput from the cathode end. In addition, the cathode employs a high aspect ratio geometry based on the cathode length to width which mitigates heat transfer from the end. A gas flow through the cathode and insert may be impinged by the emitted electrons to yield a plasma. One or more optional auxiliary gas feeds may also be employed between the cathode and keeper wall and external to the keeper near the outlet.
US08143777B2

An LED lighting unit can be configured to have a high color rendering for which color temperature can adjust itself to be close to a natural color. The LED lighting unit can be composed of three light sources that respectively include a blue LED and a different phosphor. A first light source can emit light having a color temperature located substantially on a blackbody locus, a second light source can emit light having a higher color temperature than that of the first light source and located substantially on the blackbody locus, and a third light source can emit a green or yellow light. A mixture of the light can be located substantially on the blackbody locus by controlling a beam ratio of the mixed light having contiguous wavelength components. Therefore, the LED lighting unit can emit a light having a high color rendering that can maintain a uniform color within a radiation range.
US08143771B2

A filter for a display device includes a base substrate, a shielding film formed based on a single transparent base layer, and an adhesive layer adhering the shielding film onto the base substrate. The shielding film which realizes diverse shielding functions in a single sheet is adhered onto the base substrate through a single process, which serves to improve productivity, reduce manufacturing cost, restrain the occurrence of Haze and improve visibility.
US08143762B2

An elastic wave device that achieves an improved frequency-temperature characteristic and a sufficiently reduced spurious component includes a piezoelectric body including a LiNbO3 substrate, a first dielectric layer including a SiO2 layer, a second dielectric layer, and IDT electrodes disposed at an interface between the piezoelectric body and the first dielectric layer. Each of the IDT electrodes includes a multilayer structure in which a first electrode film including at least one layer including Pt or a Pt-based alloy and a second electrode film including Al or an Al-based alloy are provided. φ and θ of Euler angles (φ, θ, ψ) of the LiNbO3 substrate are in the range of φ=0±about 2° and the range of about 80°≦θ≦about 130°, respectively. ψ is in the range of about 5°≦ψ≦about 30°. The normalized thickness h/λ and ψ satisfy the following expression: h/λ×100≦about 0.0019×ψ2+about 0.0115×ψ+3.0.
US08143758B2

Provided is a winding bobbin with a simple structure, which allows, even when a number of layers formed by winding a conductor is odd, a winding start-side lead wire and a winding end-side lead wire to be led out in the same direction while ensuring a desired outer diameter size of a rotor coil without loosening a tightly wound conductor. The winding bobbin (50) includes a first flange portion (51) and a second flange portion (52) on both sides of a cylindrical winding portion (49). The second flange portion (52) is provided with a second locking portion (58) for locking a winding end portion (45) of the conductor which is wound around the winding portion (49) in an odd number of layers.
US08143752B2

An electric motor has a rotor (52) and a stator (60) equipped with salient poles on each of which is provided a winding (88 to 99), which windings together form a winding arrangement (85′), electrical connecting leads (88′ to 99′) being provided between at least some of the windings. The stator (60) further has electrical connecting elements (108 to 119) that are arranged on at least one insulating carrier (102) and are equipped with contact elements (108″ to 119″) and with mounting elements (108″″ to 119″″), which latter serve for electrical and mechanical connection to the connecting leads (88′ to 99′). The use of a printed circuit board (140) formed with press-fit seats, to receive the contact elements, facilitates rapid, secure and automated connection of stator windings to other circuit parts, which is particularly useful in making low-voltage, high-current motors such as those used in mining.
US08143744B2

At least one aspect is directed to an uninterruptible power supply that includes a first input having an input line connection and an input neutral connection to receive a first input voltage from a first voltage source, a second input to receive a second input voltage from a second voltage source, and a boost circuit configured to provide a positive output DC voltage with respect to the input neutral connection and a negative output DC voltage with respect to the input neutral connection in both a line mode of operation and a backup mode of operation. The power supply also includes a first connection circuit to couple the first input to the boost circuit in the line mode of operation, and a second connection circuit to couple the second input to the boost circuit in the backup mode of operation, the second connection circuit being configured to isolate the second voltage source from the input neutral connection in the line mode of operation.
US08143735B2

The present invention relates to an electric starting device (1) for an internal combustion engine (5), which electric starting device (1) comprises an electric starter (4) and a starter-generator (2) which is assigned to a traction mechanism drive (3). The starting of the internal combustion engine (5) may take place by means of the electric starter (4) or the starter-generator (2) in each case individually or in a combination of the two units. Also provided is a start-stop device of the internal combustion engine (5), in which a controlled supply of power to the starter-generator (2) is provided in synchronization with a start by means of the electric starter (4).
US08143733B2

Nautical torque tidal movement technology provides systems, apparatus and methods for producing nautical torque tidal movement electrical power generation from tidal movement. A system provides for producing electrical power utilizing an arrangement of power generating devices electrically interconnected and operating independently to receive kinetic energy from the movement of water, and to convert energy utilizing a plurality of 1800 RPM accelerator gear boxes mechanically coupled to a large particle of mass traveling at a rate of substantially 1 foot per hour in a substantially vertical direction coupled to one or more torque conversion units. Apparatus and methods further include various configurations of power generating devices, torque conversion units, accelerator gearing boxes, and drive arms that are coupled to a large particle of mass that is a minimum of 200 million tons. Systems and methods also include a nautical torque landlocked design.
US08143730B2

In a semiconductor device, corner portions of a inner insulating film are chamfered, and hence a damage is less likely to reach the corner portion of the inner insulating film, though the corner portion of an outer insulating film is damaged. Therefore, a hermeticity of a semiconductor element can be effectively maintained, and the yield of semiconductor pellets can be improved. Moreover, since it is not necessary to chamfer the corner portion of the outer insulating film, the structure remains simple and the productivity can be improved.
US08143727B2

A semiconductor package and a method of producing the same has a substrate. A first semiconductor chip is coupled to a surface of the substrate. The first semiconductor chip has a first and second surfaces which are substantially flat in nature. An adhesive layer is coupled to the second surface of the first semiconductor chip. A second semiconductor chip having first and second surfaces which are substantially flat in nature is further provided. An insulator is coupled to the first surface of the second semiconductor chip for preventing shorting of wirebonds. The second semiconductor chip is coupled to the adhesive layer by the insulator coupled to the first surface thereof.
US08143726B2

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip, and a micro-chip which is electrically connected to the chip, and includes a thickness which is less than a thickness of the chip.
US08143723B2

A semiconductor device and its manufacture method wherein the semiconductor substrate has first and second insulating films, the first insulating film being an insulating film other than a silicon nitride film formed at least on a side wall of a conductive pattern including at least one layer of metal or metal silicide, and the second insulating film being a silicon nitride film formed to cover the first insulating film and the upper surface and side wall of the conductive pattern. The first insulating film may be formed to cover the upper surface and side wall of the conductive pattern. A semiconductor device and its manufacture method are provided which can realize high integrated DRAMs of 256 M or larger without degrading reliability and stability.
US08143719B2

A die that includes a substrate having a first and second major surface is disclosed. The die has at least one unfilled through via passing through the major surfaces of the substrate. The unfilled through via serves as a vent to release pressure generated during assembly.
US08143710B2

A method of manufacturing a multi-chip package in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are mounted on a single package using a chip-on-chip technique reduces warping due to a difference in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) between a printed circuit board (PCB) and a stacked semiconductor chip. A package on package is manufactured by vertically stacking packages to operate a memory semiconductor chip package and a logic semiconductor chip package in a single system. To improve a non-wet defect of solder balls used to connect packages and minimize the mounting height of the package on package, a protection member formed of an epoxy mold compound (EMC) is formed on the memory semiconductor chip package to only partially expose the solder balls, and the exposed portions of the solder balls are connected to vias formed in a rear surface of the logic semiconductor chip package using a solder ball attaching process.
US08143708B2

An object is to provide a thin and small semiconductor device that has high reliability and high resistance to external stress and electrostatic discharge. Another object is to manufacture a semiconductor device with high yield while shape defects and defective characteristics which are caused by external stress or electrostatic discharge are prevented in the manufacturing process. A conductive shield covering a semiconductor integrated circuit prevents electrostatic breakdown (malfunction of the circuit or damage to a semiconductor element) of the semiconductor integrated circuit due to electrostatic discharge. By providing an antenna on the external side of the conductive shield, a sufficient communication capability is secured. With the use of a pair of insulators which sandwich the semiconductor integrated circuit, a thin and small semiconductor device that has resistance properties and high reliability can be provided. Further, shape defects and defective characteristics which are caused by external stress or electrostatic discharge are prevented in the manufacturing process, so that a semiconductor device can be manufactured with high yield.
US08143703B2

Methods for forming or patterning nanostructure arrays are provided. The methods involve formation of arrays on coatings comprising nanostructure association groups, patterning using resist, and/or use of devices that facilitate array formation. Related devices for forming nanostructure arrays are also provided, as are devices including nanostructure arrays (e.g., memory devices).
US08143697B2

Some embodiments of the invention include thin film capacitors formed in a package substrate of an integrated circuit package. At least one of the thin film capacitors includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a dielectric layer between the first and second electrode layers. Each of the first and second electrode layers and the dielectric layer is formed individually and directly on the package substrate. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08143690B2

Semiconductor device having an on-chip type electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The on-chip type ESD protection circuit may include a first junction diode having a first conductive type region contacting a second conductive type region in a semiconductor substrate, and a first schottky diode having a metallic material layer arranged on and contacting the first conductive type region of the semiconductor substrate.
US08143670B2

Provided is a self aligned filed effect transistor structure. The self aligned field effect transistor structure includes: an active region on a substrate; a U-shaped gate insulation pattern on the active region; and a gate electrode self-aligned by the gate insulation pattern and disposed in an inner space of the gate insulation pattern.
US08143663B2

A non-volatile memory device having a split gate type cell structure, a method for fabricating the same, and a method for fabricating a semiconductor device by using the same are provided. A non-volatile memory device includes a substrate, a plurality of patterned tunnel insulation layers formed on the substrate, a plurality of floating gates formed on the patterned tunnel insulation layers, a plurality of patterned dielectric layers to cover upper portions and sidewalls of the floating gates, a plurality of selection gates formed on sidewalls of the patterned dielectric layers, and a plurality of source/drain regions formed in the substrate exposed at one sides of the selection gates and one sides of the floating gates.
US08143662B2

A semiconductor device comprising a first insulating film provided on a semiconductor substrate in a cell transistor region, a first conductive film provided on the first insulating film, an inter-electrode insulating film provided on the first conductive film, a second conductive film provided on the inter-electrode insulating film and having a first metallic silicide film on a top surface thereof, first source/drain regions formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, a second insulating film provided on the semiconductor substrate in at least one of a selection gate transistor region and a peripheral transistor region, a third conductive film provided on the second insulating film and having a second metallic silicide film having a thickness smaller than a thickness of the first metallic silicide film on a top surface thereof, and a second source/drain regions formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.
US08143650B2

A semiconductor device 1 includes a substrate 2 having on a main surface thereof a central area and a peripheral area which surrounds the central area and is exposed, a semiconductor layer 4 which is formed on the main surface of the substrate 2, is made of a material harder than the substrate 2, is in the shape of a mesa, and has a steep side over the exposed peripheral area, and an insulating film 12S provided on a side surface of the semiconductor layer 4.
US08143647B2

A relaxed InGaN template employs a GaN or InGaN nucleation layer grown at low temperatures on a conventional base layer (e.g., sapphire). The nucleation layer is typically very rough and multi-crystalline. A single-crystal InGaN buffer layer is then grown at normal temperatures. Although not necessary, the buffer layer is typically undoped, and is usually grown at high pressures to encourage planarization and to improve surface smoothness. A subsequent n-doped cap layer can then be grown at low pressures to form the n-contact of a photonic or electronic device. In some cases, a wetting layer—typically low temperature AlN—is grown prior to the nucleation layer. Other templates, such as AlGaN on Si or SiC, are also produced using the method of the present invention.
US08143644B2

A bipolar device includes: an emitter of a first polarity type constructed on a semiconductor substrate; a collector of the first polarity type constructed on the semiconductor substrate; a gate pattern in a mesh configuration defining the emitter and the collector; an intrinsic base of a second polarity type underlying the gate pattern; and an extrinsic base constructed atop the gate pattern and coupled with the intrinsic base, for functioning together with the intrinsic base as a base of the bipolar device.
US08143642B2

The present disclosure provides a light emitting diode. The light emitting diode includes a substrate having a first surface and an opposite second surface. At least one light emitting diode chip is disposed on the first surface of the ceramic substrate. A plurality of thermal metal pads are disposed on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the thermal metal pads are electrically isolated from the at least one light emitting diode chip.
US08143620B1

Systems and methods for adaptively classifying audio sources are provided. In exemplary embodiments, at least one acoustic signal is received. One or more acoustic features based on the at least one acoustic signal are derived. A global summary of acoustic features based, at least in part, on the derived one or more acoustic features is determined. Further, an instantaneous global classification based on a global running estimate and the global summary of acoustic features is determined. The global running estimates may be updated and an instantaneous local classification based, at least in part, on the one or more acoustic features may be derived. One or more spectral energy classifications based, at least in part, on the instantaneous local classification and the one or more acoustic features may be determined. In some embodiments, the spectral energy classification is provided to a noise suppression system.
US08143618B2

A ZnO based semiconductor device includes: a lamination structure including a first semiconductor layer containing ZnO based semiconductor of a first conductivity type and a second semiconductor layer containing ZnO based semiconductor of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, formed above the first semiconductor layer and forming a pn junction together with the first semiconductor layer; and a Zn—Si—O layer containing compound of Zn, Si and O and covering a surface exposing the pn junction of the lamination structure.
US08143614B2

Band-edge aligned carrier blocking layers are introduced into wurtzite or zinc blend Gallium Nitride based diode laser and LEDs in order to prevent thermionic emission and the overflow of carriers at elevated operating temperatures. These blocking layers are located in the direct vicinity of the active zone of the light emitter, and are designed with material composition such that one of the band-edges of the layers is, either partially or fully, aligned with that of adjacent barrier or waveguide layer. This invention proposes GaN based QW structure with a AlGaN(AsPSb) electron-blocking layer on the p-side of quantum well and (InGa)AlN as hole-blocking layer.
US08143613B2

An organic light emitting device having multiple separate emissive layers is provided. Each emissive layer may define an exciton formation region, allowing exciton formation to occur across the entire emissive region. By aligning the energy levels of each emissive layer with the adjacent emissive layers, exciton formation in each layer may be improved. Devices incorporating multiple emissive layers with multiple exciton formation regions may exhibit improved performance, including internal quantum efficiencies of up to 100%.
US08143609B2

A switching circuit includes a plurality of three-terminal PCM switching devices connected between a voltage supply terminal and a sub-block of logic. Each of the switching devices includes a PCM disposed in contact between a first terminal and a second terminal, a heating device disposed in contact between the second terminal and a third terminal, the heating device positioned proximate the PCM, and configured to switch the conductivity of a transformable portion of the PCM between a lower resistance state and a higher resistance state; and an insulating layer configured to electrically isolate the heater from said PCM material, and the heater from the first terminal. The third terminal of a first of the PCM switching devices is coupled to a set/reset switch, and the third terminal of the remaining PCM switching devices is coupled to the second terminal of an adjacent PCM switching device in a cascade configuration.
US08143606B2

An extreme ultra violet light source device of a laser produced plasma type, in which charged particles such as ions emitted from plasma can be efficiently ejected. The extreme ultra violet light source device includes: a target nozzle that supplies a target material; a laser oscillator that applies a laser beam to the target material supplied from the target nozzle to generate plasma; collector optics that collects extreme ultra violet light radiated from the plasma; and a magnetic field forming unit that forms an asymmetric magnetic field in a position where the laser beam is applied to the target material.
US08143604B2

An ion implantation system includes an ion source configured to provide an ion beam, a terminal structure defining a cavity, the ion source at least partially disposed within the cavity, and an insulator system. The insulator system is configured to electrically insulate the terminal structure and is configured to provide an effective dielectric strength greater than about 72 kilovolts (kV)/inch in a region proximate at least one exterior surface of the terminal structure. A gas box insulator system to electrically insulate a gas box of the ion implantation system is also provided.
US08143602B2

The present disclosure provides a maskless lithography apparatus. The apparatus includes a plurality of writing chambers, each including: a wafer stage operable to secure a wafer to be written and a multi-beam module operable to provide multiple radiation beams for writing the wafer; an interface operable to transfer wafers between each of the writing chambers and a track unit for processing an imaging layer to the wafers; and a data path operable to provide a set of circuit pattern data to each of the multiple radiation beams in each of the writing chambers.
US08143590B2

An ion source apparatus has an ion source assembly and a neutralizer. The ion source assembly has a body, a heat-dissipating device, an anode chunk and a gas distributor. The heat-dissipating device has a thermal transfer plate and a first thermal side sheet. The thermal transfer plate has a top, a protrusion and an annular disrupting recess. The protrusion is formed at the top of the thermal transfer plate. The disrupting recess is radially formed around the protrusion. The first thermal side sheet surrounds the protrusion. The gas distributor is mounted securely in the protrusion. Because the protrusion is located between the gas distributor and the first thermal side sheet and the disrupting recess is radially formed around the protrusion, accumulated ions, molecules and deposition film particles are longitudinally disrupted and do not form a short circuit between the gas distributor and the first thermal side sheet.
US08143588B2

A deflector array includes a plurality of deflectors, which deflect charged particle beams, arrayed on a substrate. Each of the plurality of deflectors includes a single opening formed in the substrate, and each of the plurality of deflectors includes a pair of electrodes that oppose each other through the opening and are configured to deflect a single charged particle beam. The plurality of deflectors are arrayed such that a length of the pair of electrodes in a longitudinal direction thereof is not less than a distance between centers of two of the plurality of deflectors that are located nearest to each other. The plurality of deflectors is arrayed to form a checkerboard lattice, and two openings of the two of the plurality of deflectors overlap in the longitudinal direction.
US08143587B2

An intermediate layer is located between a recording photoconductive layer and an electrode, which is either one of a bias electrode and a reference electrode, and which is located on the side at positive electric potential with respect to a charge accumulating section at the time of readout of electric charges of the charge accumulating section. The intermediate layer is an a-Se layer containing, as a specific substance, at least one kind of substance selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal fluoride, an alkaline earth metal fluoride, an alkali metal oxide, an alkaline earth metal oxide, SiOx, and GeOx, where x represents a number satisfying 0.5≦x≦1.5, in a concentration falling within the range of 0.003 mol % to 0.03 mol %.
US08143585B2

A method for underwater packaging of radioactive materials includes creating a vacuum in a cavity of a cleaning device to automatically cause a portion of the cleaning device to move upward to actuate the cleaning device from an open position to a closed position; mounting the cleaning device inside a safe containment area of a transportation and/or storage device; placing the transportation and/or storage device in a pool after filling the safe containment area with water; loading a radioactive material into the safe containment area; closing the transportation and/or storage device using at least one cover; extracting the transportation and/or storage device from the pool; draining the water inside the safe containment area; and creating a pressure differential in the safe containment area to dry the safe containment area, wherein the pressure differential causes the cleaning device to automatically actuate from the closed position to the open position.
US08143579B2

A resistive material for a bolometer, a bolometer for an infrared detector using the material, and a method of manufacturing the bolometer are provided. In the resistive material, at least one element selected from the group consisting of nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) and germanium (Ge) is included in antimony (Sb). The resistive material has superior properties such as high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), low resistivity, a low noise constant, and is easily formed in a thin film structure by sputtering typically used in a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process, so that it can be used as a resistor for the bolometer for an uncooled infrared detector, and thus provide the infrared detector with superior temperature precision.
US08143578B2

A detector for electromagnetic radiation such as millimeter wave and infrared employs a ring-shaped ferroelectric element having a temperature affected by an absorber for the radiation. The dielectric constant of the ferroelectric material is a strong function of the temperature near its Curie temperature. The resonant frequency of the ferroelectric element is detected by applying a swept-frequency signal to the circuit and detecting the frequency which enhances the energy of the pulse. A two-dimensional camera for the radiation employs a two-dimensional array of these ferroelectric resonant circuits and a system for rapidly interrogating their resonant frequencies on a sequential basis.
US08143572B2

The invention proposes a method of tandem mass spectrometry for use in a mass spectrometer having a known characteristic function of the mass-to-charge ratio of the ions to be analysed, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) providing a primary ions source to be analysed, (b) generating a primary mass spectrum of the primary ions, without dissociation, wherein said spectrum contains primary ion peaks of occurrence, (c) from the characteristic function values at the maxima of at least some of said primary mass peaks and from the charge values associated to said peaks, determining correlation laws that all possible multiplets of characteristic function values corresponding to multiplets of charged fragments resulting from the dissociation of parent primary ions of interest corresponding to said primary mass peaks have to meet, (d) concurrently dissociating primary ions of interest associated to primary mass peaks, in order to obtain multiplets of charged fragments from each of said parent primary ions, (e) generating characteristic function values for the dissociated fragments, (f) forming every potential multiplet of said characteristic function values, (g) identifying, from amongst said potential multiplets, the multiplets which meet a proximity criterion in relation to said correlation laws, in order to determine the real multiplets of charged fragments corresponding to the parent primary ions, (h) generating dissociation mass spectra corresponding respectively to the parent primary ions of interest, comprising the peaks associated to the real multiplets of identified fragments.
US08143552B2

A laser beam machining system including a chuck table for holding a work, and a laser beam irradiation unit for irradiating the work held on the chuck table with a laser beam, wherein the laser beam irradiation unit includes: a pulsed laser beam oscillator for oscillating a pulsed laser beam; a condenser for condensing the pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser beam oscillator; a laser beam scanning unit disposed between the pulsed laser beam oscillator and the condenser and operative to deflect the pulsed laser beam to be inputted to the condenser; and a laser beam reshaping unit which ids disposed between the pulsed laser beam oscillator and the laser beam scanning unit and by which the energy distribution of the pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser beam oscillator is reshaped into a top hat shape.
US08143542B2

A keypad assembly is used for an electronic device. The keypad assembly includes a support member, a plurality of key strips and a plurality of elastic members. The support member defines a plurality of openings and a plurality of cantilever plates, each cantilever plate extending into a corresponding opening. The key strips are received in the openings. Each key strip defines a first slot in which each cantilever plate is received. Each elastic member supports one of the key strips and provides a force extending one portion of the key strips out of its corresponding opening.
US08143537B2

A keyboard includes a pressable structure and a plurality of keycaps. The pressable structure includes a flat member and a plurality of elastic members. The flat member defines a plurality of through holes corresponding to the plurality of the elastic members. The plurality of the elastic members is integrated with the flat member as a single element by a double injection process. The plurality of keycaps are resiliently supported by the plurality of elastic members correspondingly.
US08143528B2

A printed circuit board includes a signal layer, an insulation layer, and a reference layer. A transmission line is located on the signal layer. A probing pad is located on the transmission line. Two aligned slots defined in opposite sides of the reference layer leaving a connecting portion. The slots and the connecting portion are in vertical alignment with the probing pad. The signal layer, the insulation layer, and the reference layer are configured in a cascading order. An arrangement of the signal layer in relation to the reference layer including the slots and the connecting portion reduces a capacitance effect caused by the probing pad.
US08143526B2

A flexible printed circuit board includes a differential pair arranged in a signal layer and two sheets defined in a ground layer. The two sheets are apart from each other by a void defined in the ground layer opposite to the differential pair. The differential pair includes a number of section pairs, each of which includes two sections arranged in two transmission lines of the differential pair respectively. The differential pair is equivalent to a low pass filter which includes several capacitors and several inductors. Each of the plurality of section pairs can achieve a desired characteristic impedance by adjusting a distance between each section and a corresponding nearest sheet, and a distance between the two sections of each of the plurality of section pairs.
US08143524B2

The invention relates to an industrial adhesive tape. The tape includes a tape-shaped textile dyed backing and an adhesive coating, in particular a pressure sensitive adhesive coating applied to at least one side of the textile dyed backing. To achieve significantly reduced inherent discoloration or decolorization and also reduced discoloration of the wrapped materials, and hence improved compatibility of the adhesive tape with the materials to be adhered together, such as cablesets, the textile backing is fabricated from spun-dyed threads or fibers.
US08143521B2

A cable trough and system for routing and managing cables associated with equipment that has first cable ports at a first side of the equipment and second cable ports at a second side of the equipment. The trough includes an elongated trough body having a ported side wall constructed to mount at either one of the first and the second sides of the equipment. The ported side wall of the body has one or more first trough cable ports each located and dimensioned to align or interface with a different one of the first equipment cable ports when the ported side wall is mounted at the first side of the equipment, and one or more second trough cable ports each located and dimensioned to align with a different one of the second equipment cable ports when the ported side wall is mounted at the second side of the equipment.
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