US08225414B2
A system and method for controlling use of content in accordance with usage rights associated with the content and determined in accordance with the environment of a user device. A request is received for secure content from a user device and the integrity of the environment of the user device is verified. Appropriate usage rights are retrieved based upon the results of the verification of integrity and the content is rendered on the user device in accordance with the appropriate usage rights.
US08225413B1
In one implementation, a method includes receiving a claim that identifies a first user profile page as allegedly impersonating a second user profile page on a social network, and retrieving first information associated with the first user profile page and second information associated with the second user profile page. The method can also include comparing the first information and the second information to identify indicators of impersonation. The method can further include, based upon the identified indicators of impersonation, determining that the first user profile page is likely impersonating the second user profile page on the social network, wherein first user profile page is determined to be likely impersonating the second user profile page when the first and second user profile pages are determined to be similar to each other; and returning a flag indicating that the first user profile page is likely impersonating the second user profile page.
US08225411B2
Provided is a content management device, which is connected with a plurality of terminal devices for performing a content moving operation while considering the conveniences of the users of the individual terminal devices. The content management device comprises a content storage unit stored with one or more contents, a move information management unit stored with first range information indicating the partial or entire range of the content to be moved, a range information receiving unit for accepting second range information indicating the range requiring the move, from one terminal device, a judgement unit for deciding whether or not the range indicated by the first range information and the range indicated by the second range information overlap at least partially, and a control unit for permitting the required range to be moved to the terminal device, in case the decision by the judgement unit is NO.
US08225402B1
A method for detecting a SQL injection attack comprises a training phase and a detection phase. In the training phase, a plurality of SQL queries is transformed into a respective plurality of SQL token domain queries which are processed using a n-gram analysis to provide a threshold and an averaging vector. In the detection phase, each newly arrived SQL query is transformed into a new SQL token domain query, and the n-gram analysis is applied together with the averaging vector and the threshold to each new SQL token domain query to determine if the new SQL query is normal or abnormal. The detection may be online or offline.
US08225400B2
A device receives an indication of detected attack traffic associated with a network, identifies a victim of the attack traffic, and selects a security platform for processing the attack traffic. The device also advertises a tunnel and routing tag information in the network for the selected security platform, receives the attack traffic via the advertised tunnel, and forwards the attack traffic to the selected security platform for processing. The device further receives processed traffic from the selected security platform, and forwards, via the network, the processed traffic to the victim.
US08225393B2
Provided is an apparatus and a method of restricting an access to an application module of a mobile wireless device. The apparatus for restricting an access to an application module of a mobile wireless device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an access restriction unit for receiving a request for an access to an application module from a basic module, and for restricting the access of the basic module to the application module when a restriction on the access is required. Further included is an access restriction determination unit for determining whether the restriction on the access of the basic module to the application module according to an access environment is required. Also included is an access environment determination unit for monitoring the access environment of the basic module to the application module and for providing the access restriction determination unit with a result of monitoring the access environment.
US08225390B2
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for licensing protected content to application sets. Embodiments of the invention permit a local machine to increase its participation in authorizing access to protected content. For example, an operating system within an appropriate computing environment is permitted to determine if an application is authorized to access protected content. Thus, the application is relieved from having to store a publishing license. Further, authorization decisions are partially distributed, easing the resource burden on a protection server. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention can facilitate more robust and efficient authorization decisions when access to protected content is requested.
US08225388B2
The present invention overcomes deficiencies in the prior art by providing a PIN-based system for managing delivery of privileged information, which utilizes “third-party” authorization. In one embodiment this system includes the use of three separate parties, a First Party, a Second Party, and a Third Party. The First Party initially “registers” with the Second Party by providing self-authenticating core registration information. This registration provides the First Party with a first set of privileges. The First Party may then ask for a PIN number in order to obtain a second set of privileges to observe information provided by the Second Party which is related to a Third Party. In requesting the PIN, the First Party must provide additional registration information (beyond the core information) to the Second Party relating to the Third Party, which the Second Party can authenticate due to an existing relationship which can be checked. The Second Party then forwards the PIN request to the Third Party along with the First Party's basic registration information. A PIN administrator at the Third Party's location can be designated by the First or the Third party. The Third Party then can decide whether to forward the PIN to the First Party. If the PIN is so forwarded, the First Party then may use the PIN to gain the requested additional access privileges. The second set of privileges can be dynamically modified by the Third Party. Although at least three parties can be involved, two of these parties could be the same.
US08225375B2
The invention is to alleviate cumbersome operations of manager such as registration and deletion of authentication information. A card ID read from an IC card is transmitted to an IC card authentication server to obtain a first authentication result, and when the first authentication result indicates a successful authentication, the use of a composite apparatus is permitted. When the first authentication result indicates a failed authentication, an input user name is transmitted to a directory service server to obtain a second authentication result, and, when the second authentication result indicate a successful authentication, the card ID failing the authentication and the user name succeeding in the authentication are transmitted for requesting a registration to an IC card authentication server, which, receiving the request, registers the card ID and the user name in the registration request in combination in an authentication table.
US08225372B2
An approach is provided that uses policies to determine which parental privileges are inherited by the parent's child processes. A parent software process initializes a child software process, such as by executing the child process. The parent process is associated with a first set of privileges. The inheritance policies are retrieved that correspond to the parent process. A second set of privileges is identified based on the retrieved inheritance policies, and this second set of privileges is applied to the child software process.
US08225370B2
A digital broadcast signal processing apparatus for multiplexing on a digital broadcast signal any combination of the GPS position information of a movable body, mapping information generated by the mapping of the position information of the movable body and/or the position information of an imaging apparatus on a map, imaging area information by the imaging apparatus, object information by the imaging apparatus, and the profile information concerning the movable body, and transmitting the multiplexed signal.
US08225366B2
A method and apparatus for integrating a bi-directional control channel into an entertainment display device to deliver content and exchange control information. The system collects request and response information from the entertainment display device. The system also provides format translation of received and collected content to and from a plurality of formats such as N-PCS technology formats and video display formats in such a manner that the integrated system is independent of broadcasters, satellite, IPTV and cable operators. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08225364B2
A method of searching the Internet and a video receiving apparatus, such as an Internet TV, to use the same to enable currently-displayed video to be transmitted to an external apparatus, such as a remote controller, and the video received from the external apparatus to be controlled, thereby increasing user convenience. Specifically, the video captured from the video receiving apparatus is transmitted to the external apparatus which receives coordinate data and performs an operation indicated by a menu of the currently-displayed video corresponding to the coordinate data received from the external apparatus so that websites having menus requiring user control can be used without requiring redesign even if the websites are not designed for use with the video receiving apparatus.
US08225352B2
A viewing recommendation apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire first broadcast program information for each of first broadcast programs to be broadcasted, a storage unit configured to store a plurality of previously broadcasted second broadcast programs in correspondence with second broadcast program information, a calculation unit configured to calculate an urgency in accordance with the first broadcast program information and the second broadcast program information to obtain a plurality of urgencies, the urgency indicating a degree to view a broadcast program earlier, and a generation unit configured to generate a recommendation list of programs to be viewed based on levels of the urgencies.
US08225342B2
Methods and apparatus to collect audience information associated with a media presentation are described herein. In an example method, a first media metering device associated with a media presentation device monitors for a presence of one or more other media metering devices and a monitoring operation of the first media metering device is halted based on the presence of the one or more other media metering devices.
US08225339B1
A head carriage unit in a data storage and retrieval system and method has a substantially planar working surface and multiple heads disposed at the working surface. The head carriage unit is adapted for rotational motion about an axis oriented substantially normal to the working surface. A tape drive unit moves a tape media past the working surface of the head carriage unit, the tape media having a width approximately equal to a width of the working surface of the head carriage unit. The multiple heads record multiple data tracks on or retrieve multiple data tracks from the tape media as the head carriage unit rotates while the tape media moves past the working surface of the head carriage unit.
US08225334B2
Various aspects are disclosed herein for replacing the hardware backing the memory locations associated with a virtual machine with a backing mechanism. The backing mechanism may have the memory locations appear to contain data convenient to the driver in the virtual machine, typically containing what the hardware would have returned if the hardware had been read from. The data image being returned from the memory locations may travel with the virtual machine even if the virtual machine moves to a different physical machine that does not contain hardware equivalent to the hardware that was recently removed from the virtual machine.
US08225327B2
A method and system for providing access to a shared resource utilizing selective locking are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method is provided comprising receiving a request to perform a resource access operation on a shared resource, invoking a first routine to perform the resource access operation, detecting a data processing system exception generated in response to invoking the first routine, and invoking a second routine to perform the resource access operation in response to such detecting. In the described embodiment, the first routine comprises a dereference instruction to dereference a pointer to memory associated with the shared resource, the second routine comprises a lock acquisition instruction to acquire a global lock associated with the shared resource prior to a performance of the resource access operation and a lock release instruction to release the global lock once resource access operation has been performed.
US08225321B2
A method for enforcing a consumption rate limit for a resource in a data processing system includes receiving a first request for consumption of the resource; calculating an accumulated resource availability using the consumption rate limit; in response to a determination that the accumulated resource availability is sufficient to satisfy the first request, satisfying the first request; calculating a residual resource availability; receiving a second request for consumption of the resource; calculating an additional accumulated resource availability using the consumption rate limit unless the residual resource availability is sufficient to satisfy the second request.
US08225311B1
Deploying and distributing content management code is disclosed. A software object class is received at a repository. The software object class is stored at the repository. The software object class is downloaded from the repository to an application server associated with the repository.
US08225309B2
A system and method is disclosed for the uniform installation of one or more of a plurality of heterogeneous operating systems (operating systems) on a predetermined information handling system. A common preinstallation environment (CPE) is implemented, comprising a host preinstallation environment (HPE) and one or more native preinstallation environments (NPEs). If an NPE is not required for installation, an HPE comprising a common, bootable kernel generates a bootable operating system image that is installed on the target system. Otherwise, the HPE creates a deployment partition, where it implements the NPE and generates a metafile describing the hardware drivers supported by the NPE. The HPE then inventories the hardware components comprising the target system and compares the results to the metafile. If all required drivers are accessible, the target system boots to the NPE, which begins native installation of the chosen operating system. Otherwise, the HPE injects the missing drivers into the operating system image generated by the NPE and the resulting operating system image is then installed on the target system. If the HPE cannot inject drivers into the NPE, then a stage handler is implemented to relinquish installation control to the NPE which completes a native installation.
US08225304B2
The subject application is directed to a system and method for providing a subscription service wherein a remote host enables the automatic receipt at a customer site of the most recent updates, patches, or fixes for services the customer site is running. The remote host uses a secured private port to transfer the updates to the subscribed systems. A remote host server searches an update database for updates of the services from a list configured by an administrator. The host server then downloads the updates and notifies the administrator that an update is available. An update script is subsequently generated, allowing the update to be pushed to a subscribing system. The host server the searches a listing of subscribing systems to determine which subscribing systems run a service for which an update is available. The host server, through a private port, uploads the content to the subscribing system automatically. The communication port is a secured port that will require authentication of the host server by the subscribing system prior to uploading.
US08225296B2
A plug-in for execution by an application on a computing device is selected by arranging for a server to iterate through available plug-ins, asking each plug-in in succession if it can better match the criteria required by the application than the previous plug-in. The plug-in having the closest match to the criteria is then executed by the application.
US08225292B2
A method for validating a knowledge package involves generating the knowledge package, where the knowledge package includes guidelines for obtaining and installing software deliverables. The method further involves obtaining the software deliverables based on the guidelines in the knowledge package, performing a test installation of the software deliverables on a managed host, based on the guidelines in the knowledge package, generating an incident report indicating that the test installation has failed, and updating the knowledge package based on the incident report.
US08225288B2
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that tests a software program. During operation, the system creates a behavioral model of the software program using branches, decisions, and options. Next, the system generates a test case from the behavioral model and executes the test case on the software program. Finally, the system analyzes an output of the executed test case to determine a validity of the software program.
US08225284B2
Methods and systems are provided for generating a test bed from an input data set that has multiple data elements. A development program, which includes multiple decision points, is executed using each of the data elements as input to the development program in a sequence. For each decision point, execution of the decision point by at least one of the data elements is identified. Those identified data elements are assigned for identification in the test bed.
US08225274B2
There are disclosed systems and methods for aiding programmers in identifying a location in a program while coding. In an embodiment, the method comprises defining a plurality of sections of code within the program, associating at least one section of code with a background color, and displaying the at least one section of code against the associated background color. Sections of code corresponding to the same module may be associated with the same background color. A user-selectable control may be provided for viewing only those sections of code corresponding to a user-selected module, and upon selection of the module by the user, only those sections of code corresponding to the module may be displayed against the associated background color. A text description may also be associated with each section of code, and the text description may be displayed when a cursor is placed in the section of code.
US08225267B2
A structure analysis apparatus (1) for analyzing structure of a complex material layer containing a plurality of members (2a, 2b) for modeling layout data on a complex material layer, includes: an area setting portion (21) for setting an area to be modeled in the complex material layer; an area dividing portion (22) for dividing the area into a plurality of elements; an area computing portion (23) for calculating, based on an occupancy of each of the plurality of members (2a, 2b) in the area, the number of elements corresponding respectively to the plurality of members (2a, 2b); and an element placing portion (24) for generating a model of the complex material layer by placing the plurality of members (2a, 2b) respectively in the plurality of elements based on the number of the elements corresponding respectively to the plurality of members (2a, 2b).
US08225259B1
A multiple-clock time-multiplexed field programmable gate array (TM-FPGA) includes programmable logic circuitry. A plurality of clock signals within the TM-FPGA couple to the programmable logic circuitry. A user's circuit can be mapped to the programmable logic circuitry without the user's intervention in mapping the circuit to the programmable logic circuitry.
US08225248B2
DFM systems are provided that incorporate manufacturing variations in the analysis of integrated circuits by calculating predicted manufacturing variations on the shapes of interconnects and devices of the drawn layout of a circuit design. The shape variation on interconnects is converted to variations in resistor-capacitor (RC) parasitics. The shape variation on devices is converted to variations in device parameters. The variation in device parameters and wire parasitics is converted to changes in timing performance, signal integrity, and power consumption by determining the impact of device parameter and wire parasitic variations on the behavior of each instance of a standard cell. The results from these analyses are integrated back into the design flow as incremental delay files (timing), noise failures and buffer insertion/driver resizing commands (noise), and leakage power hotspots and cell substitution commands (power consumption).
US08225240B2
Provided is a semiconductor device that can be reduced in size while variation in shape among circuit patterns is reduced. The semiconductor device includes multiple circuit patterns and first dummy patterns. The multiple circuit patterns are disposed at regular intervals, and are used as part of the circuit. The multiple circuit patterns consist of two outermost circuit patterns and the other inner circuit patterns. The first dummy patterns are disposed on outer sides of the two outermost circuit patterns, respectively. The distance between each of the outermost circuit patterns and the corresponding first dummy pattern is equal to a distance between any adjacent two of the circuit patterns. A width of each of the first dummy patterns is smaller than a width of any of the circuit patterns, and is equal to a minimum design rule width, for example.
US08225239B2
Regular layout shapes are placed in accordance with a virtual grate. A determination is made as to whether an unoccupied layout space adjacent to a regular layout shape to be reinforced, and extending in a direction perpendicular to the regular layout shape, is large enough to support placement of a sub-resolution shape. Upon determining that the unoccupied layout space is large enough to support placement of the sub-resolution shape, the sub-resolution shape is placed so as to be substantially centered upon a virtual line of the virtual grate within the unoccupied layout space. Also, one or more sub-resolution shapes are placed between and parallel with neighboring regular layout shapes when windows of lithographic reinforcement associated with each of the neighboring regular layout shapes permit. The sub-resolution shapes may be placed according to a virtual grate, or may be placed based on proximity to edges of the neighboring regular layout shapes.
US08225236B2
A mobile communication terminal and a method of multi-tasking in the terminal are provided. The mobile communication terminal displays a first task display associated with a first application task, receives a request to execute a second application task while the first application task is being performed, and displays a second task display associated with the second application task, wherein the second task display at least partially replaces the first task display, at least a portion of the second task display is identified by an active cursor configured to allow a user to select a function associated with the second application task, and at least one display feature of the active cursor indicates that the first application task is being concurrently performed.
US08225231B2
Systems and methods for enabling users to roam between networking environments are disclosed. In one embodiment, different machine settings may be stored in a memory for different network locations under separate network profiles. In another embodiment, these and other settings may be automatically adjusted upon entering a different location. In one such embodiment, a logical network may be employed to determine which settings are adjusted. Another aspect relates to a graphical user interface to implement the above and other methods of adapting a computing device to different network locations. In one embodiment, a graphical use interface may allow the use to modify which application and which aspects of those applications are displayed on the menu. In still yet another embodiments, a memory can update a network profile as the changes occur. In still yet further embodiments, the user may derive or otherwise create new network profiles from existing network profiles. Another aspect relates to systems and methods that allow a user to configure various settings explicitly for different network locations by means of a consolidated UI.
US08225228B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for collaborative media editing. In one aspect, a method includes presenting, to an originator, an originator interface including multiple media panes; establishing a connection with a collaborator; receiving from the originator a selection indicating an item of media content associated with at least one of the multiple media panes; transmitting to the collaborator the selected item of media content; and enabling inter-user communication relating to the selected item of media content in the originator interface with the collaborator. Further, a connection can be established with a second collaborator, the item of media content can be transmitted to the second collaborator, and communication can occur in the originator interface with the second collaborator.
US08225221B2
A method of constructing a representation of an object having at least one property includes identifying at least one property group associated with the object which has been chosen to represent the object. At least one property of the object belongs to each property group identified as being associated with the object. The method further includes identifying any other object that the object references within a property of an identified property group. An object representation engine retrieves data corresponding to each of the properties belonging to the at least one property group. The engine then represents the object using the retrieved data.
US08225208B2
A presentation application for framing objects, such as images and videos, is provided. Using the presentation application, the user may select a frame from a plurality of available frames. The presentation application may mask portions of the displayed object that would lie outside of the selected frame before displaying the selected frame. The presentation application may provide an interface that allows the user to adjust the size of the frame and the object. The presentation application may automatically adjust the size of the frame when the size of the object is changed, and vice versa.
US08225206B2
A method of operating an entertainment system includes computer-implemented steps including determining an audio/video preference profile of the user. An item of audio/video content that fits the profile but that is not available to the system is identified. The identified item is wirelessly received from a source of audio/video content. The source is external to the entertainment system. The received item is stored in memory within the system. The stored item is retrieved from memory. The retrieved item is played back to a human user of the system.
US08225202B2
A data system has a data structure with a posting corresponding to a set of pieces of content to be served. The posting includes a description of each piece of content including a name, a type, and a location thereof. The posting is presented to a user according to a pointed-to template. The template includes a placeholder within which each piece of content is to be presented, and positioning information setting forth a layout position for each placeholder. The template points to a separate content definition information module that includes content definition information for each placeholder including the name and type of the corresponding piece of content. Such name and type matches a corresponding name and type as set forth in the posting.
US08225199B2
In a medical-image observation apparatus, an image display-area display-control unit causes a display unit to display a main examination area for displaying a thumbnail of a medical image to be read, and an observation-image preparation area for displaying a thumbnail of a medical image selected as a medical image to be used for comparative image reading. After a reading-subject image display-control unit causes the display unit to display a thumbnail of a medical image to be read in the main examination area, upon receiving an operation of moving the medical image of which thumbnail is displayed in the main examination area into the observation-image preparation area, a comparison-subject image display-control unit specifies a medical image to be a comparison subject based on attribution information about the moved medical image, and causes the display unit to display a thumbnail of the specified medical image.
US08225195B1
Links in a system may be displayed at varying prominence based on user interaction with the links. Link paths chosen by users become apparent by virtue of display prominence of the links. A link may be displayed with greater or lesser prominence corresponding to the propensity of users to interact with the link. Prominence values that affect a prominence at which links are displayed may be modified based on user interaction information. Prominence values may further automatically decay, possibly over time or according to user interaction with the links. Using and modifying prominence values in this manner, links that emerge with greater prominence may form one or more “paths” that users can readily follow. Much as in the natural world where pheromones deposited by ants attract other ants to desirable paths, user interaction information can be advantageously used to automatically identify more desirable link paths to a resource.
US08225186B2
The claimed subject matter relates to encoding and decoding information in a wireless communication system using soft-demodulation and interleaving of concatenated code received in a strip channel. A set of symbols is received containing a plurality of information bits, dividing the received set of symbols into a plurality of subsets of symbols, each subset corresponding to the input of an inner code demodulation selecting a set of initial a priori values of the inner code demodulation for each subset of symbols, and demodulating each subset of symbols, using the initial a priori values of the subset of symbols and an inner code generator matrix, to generate a plurality of first soft information values as the output of the inner code demodulation.
US08225167B2
A receiving system and a data processing method are disclosed. The receiving system includes: a receiving unit receiving a broadcast signal including a first group comprising mobile service data, known data and signaling data; a signaling decoder decoding the signaling data from the received broadcast signal; a demodulator demodulating the received broadcast signal based upon the known data; an equalizer channel-equalizing the demodulated broadcast signal based upon the known data; a turbo decoder performing turbo decoding on the mobile service data of the channel-equalized broadcast signal by applying a Serial Concatenated Convolutional Coding (SCCC) mode based upon the signaling data; and an error correction unit performing error correction decoding on the turbo-decoded mobile service data based upon the signaling data.
US08225157B2
The disclosure describes a process and apparatus for accessing devices on a substrate. The substrate may include only full pin JTAG devices (504), only reduced pin JTAG devices (506), or a mixture of both full pin and reduced pin JTAG devices. The access is accomplished using a single interface (502) between the substrate (408) and a JTAG controller (404). The access interface may be a wired interface or a wireless interface and may be used for JTAG based device testing, debugging, programming, or other type of JTAG based operation.
US08225154B2
In an example embodiment there is described herein an apparatus, comprising a device having an input and an output, a controllable selecting device having a first input coupled to input of the device and a second input coupled to the output of the device, and a selection control circuit having a test input for receiving a test signal and a power mode input for receiving a power mode signal. The selection control circuit is coupled to the controllable selecting device and operable to control which input the controllable selecting device selects. The selection control circuit is configured to select the first input to isolate the device responsive to the test signal indicating no testing is being performed the power mode signal indicating a low power mode.
US08225149B2
The present invention provides a semiconductor testing apparatus and method capable of reliably determining whether a semiconductor memory is good or bad. A “1” reading test of each cell corresponding to one bit at a first step is first performed on a memory cell array. “0” writing of each cell corresponding to one bit at a second step and a “0” reading test of each cell corresponding to one bit at a third step are executed on the memory cell array. Thus, the time taken from the supply of power to the start of the “0” reading test of the reference cell at the third step can be significantly shortened. As a result, a defect of a reference bit line due to a breaking or high resistance of a gate of a reference column switch transistor corresponding to a normally ON transistor can be screened.
US08225147B2
Method and apparatus for writing scrambled multi-value data to a physical media and for reading scrambled multi-value data from a physical media, are disclosed. The physical media can be an optical disk. The scrambling can be performed by a multi-valued LFSR scrambler and the descrambling can be performed by a multi-valued LFSR descrambler. Further, the multi-valued data that is scrambled can include synchronization data and/or user data. Error correction coding can be used during the writing process and processing to correct for errors can be used during the reading process. Also, methods and apparatus for synchronizing multi-valued data written to and read from physical media are disclosed. Multi-value correlation methods and apparatus are also disclosed.
US08225139B2
One embodiment provides a system that facilitates the execution of a transaction for a program in a hardware-supported transactional memory system. During operation, the system records a misspeculation indicator of the transaction during execution of the transaction using hardware transactional memory mechanisms. Next, the system detects a transaction failure associated with the transaction. Finally, the system provides the recorded misspeculation indicator to the program to facilitate a response to the transaction failure by the program.
US08225136B2
A control method includes the steps of storing data in a cache; generating parity data corresponding to the data stored in the cache and storing the parity data in a buffer; writing the data stored in the cache and the parity data stored in the buffer into a plurality of the storage units; reading the data and the parity data from the plurality of storage units; checking error over the read out data by using the read out parity data; storing, if an error is detected in the read out data and the read out parity data, data for reading a plurality of data constituting a stripe in each of the plurality of storage units in the buffer, regenerating parity data by using the plurality of data readout from the storage units; and overwriting the plurality of data and the parity data into the plurality of the storage units.
US08225134B2
In one embodiment, an indication of a fault condition is received relating to a first service running on a physical device in a computer network. The first service is associated with a first virtual device context defined on the physical device. Then, the first service is disabled without affecting operation of a second service on the physical device. The second service is associated with a second virtual device context defined on the physical device. In another embodiment, a first virtual device context is created on a physical device in a computer network. Then, a second virtual device context is created on the physical device. The first virtual device context may then be managed independently of the second virtual device context such that resources assigned to a virtual device context are managed without affecting management of another virtual device context.
US08225129B2
A failure recovery framework to be used in cooperative data stream processing is provided that can be used in a large-scale stream data analysis environment. Failure recovery supports a plurality of independent distributed sites, each having its own local administration and goals. The distributed sites cooperate in an inter-site back-up mechanism to provide for system recovery from a variety of failures within the system. Failure recovery is both automatic and timely through cooperation among sites. Back-up sites associated with a given primary site are identified. These sites are used to identify failures within the primary site including failures of applications running on the nodes of the primary site. The failed applications are reinstated on one or more nodes within the back-up sites using job management instances local to the back-up sites in combination with previously stored state information and data values for the failed applications. In additions to inter-site mechanisms, each one of the plurality of sites employs an intra-site back-up mechanism to handle failure recoveries within the site.
US08225126B2
A method comprises a system comprising a host device coupled to a first remote device actively operating according to a state diagram that the host device and all remote devices follow during operation of the system. The method further comprises powering up a second remote device while the host device and first remote device are actively operating according to the state diagram. The second remote device waits for a synchronization point sequence. Upon detecting the synchronization point sequence, the second remote device implements a predetermined feature set and synchronizes itself to the state diagram at a common point as the host device and first remote device.
US08225121B2
Exemplary embodiments of methods and apparatuses to manage a power of a data processing system are described. One or more constraint parameters of a system are monitored. The data processing system is forced into an idle state for a first portion of a time while allowed to operate for a second portion of the time based on the one or more constraint parameters, wherein the system is forced into the idle state in response to comparing a target idle time to an actual idle time. The target idle time of the system is determined, in one embodiment, based on the one or more constraint parameters. The actual idle time of the system may be monitored to take into account interrupts which disrupt an idle time and idle times resulting from no software instructions to execute. The system may be allowed to operate based on comparisons of the target idle time and the actual idle time.
US08225120B2
Snoop response logic on a system bus is configured to detect on the system bus requests to access data at a target address with data exclusivity from at least one of a plurality of wake-and-go engines. The snoop response logic is further configured to determine a winning wake-and-go engine from the at least one wake-and-go engine that obtains a lock on the target address and generate a combined snoop response. The combined snoop response identifies the winning wake-and-go engine. The snoop response logic sends the combined snoop response to the at least one wake-and-go engine on the system bus. Each remaining wake-and-go engine within the at least one wake-and-go engine places an entry in its respective wake-and-go storage array to spin on a lock for the target address.
US08225110B2
An electronic device requires valid control keys to change any usage restriction setting. The device is provided control keys, a secret key, and a signed software object including a batch ID and a hash of the secret key. For each control key, the device generates a cryptographic footprint bound to the device and the secret key. A message authentication code (MAC) of each usage restriction setting is generated, the MAC bound to the device and a control key. To change a usage restriction, the device receives a control key, validates it against the stored footprint, changes the usage restriction settings, and generates a new usage restriction setting MAC. The control key footprints are bound to the secret key, but the device retains only a hash of the secret key.
US08225088B2
An information processing apparatus for controlling use of a content recorded on a disc. The information processing apparatus includes: in reference to a certificate revocation list including invalidation information of a content owner providing the content, a data verification section verifying whether content-owner identification recorded in a content-owner certificate recorded on the disc as a certificate corresponding to the content owner is included in the certificate revocation list, and if included, the data verification section comparing a content-certificate time stamp which is stored in the content certificate recorded on the disc as a certificate corresponding to the content and a CRL time stamp which is invalidation date-and-time information corresponding to the content owner stored in the certificate revocation list; and a content-use control section prohibiting or restricting use of the content if the content-certificate time stamp has date-and-time data not earlier than the CRL time stamp.
US08225086B2
A system that remotely authenticates a command is presented. During operation, an authentication system receives the command from an intermediary system, wherein the command is to be executed on a target system. Next, the authentication system authenticates the intermediary system. If the intermediary system is successfully authenticated, the authentication system authenticates the command using a private key for the authentication system to produce an authenticated command. Next, the authentication system sends the authenticated command to the intermediary system, thereby enabling the intermediary system to send the authenticated command to the target system so that the target system can use a public key for the authentication system to verify and execute the command.
US08225085B2
A secure communication protocol (e.g., SSL) transaction request from a client to a server is intercepted at a client-side proxy communicatively coupled to the client and logically deployed between the client and the server. The client-side proxy initiates a secure connection with the server and passes an attribute (e.g., a cryptographic key) associated with that secure connection to a server-side proxy communicatively coupled to the server and logically deployed between the client and the server. This enables the server-side proxy to engage in secure communications with the server in a transparent fashion.
US08225076B1
A scoreboard memory for a processing unit has separate memory regions allocated to each of the multiple threads to be processed. For each thread, the scoreboard memory stores register identifiers of registers that have pending writes. When an instruction is added to an instruction buffer, the register identifiers of the registers specified in the instruction are compared with the register identifiers stored in the scoreboard memory for that instruction's thread, and a multi-bit value representing the comparison result is generated. The multi-bit value is stored with the instruction in the instruction buffer and may be updated as instructions belonging to the same thread complete their execution. Before the instruction is issued for execution, this multi-bit value is checked. If this multi-bit value indicates that none of the registers specified in the instruction have pending writes, the instruction is allowed to issue for execution.
US08225074B2
In accordance with exemplary implementations, application computation operations and communications between operations on a host processing platform may be adapted to conform to the memory capacity of a parallel accelerator. Computation operations may be split and scheduled such that the computation operations fit within the memory capacity of the accelerator. Further, the operations may be automatically adapted without any modification to the code of an application. In addition, data transfers between a host processing platform and the parallel accelerator may be minimized in accordance with exemplary aspects of the present principles to improve processing performance.
US08225067B2
A multi level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory storage system is provided. A controller of the MLC NAND flash memory storage system declares it a signal level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory chip to a host system connected thereto and provides a plurality of SLC logical blocks to the host system. When the controller receives a write command and a user data from the host system, the controller writes the user data into a page of a MLC physical block and records the page of the SLC logical block corresponding to the page of the MLC physical block. When the controller receives an erase command from the host system, the controller writes a predetermined data into the page of the MLC physical block mapped to the SLC logical block to be erased, wherein the predetermined data has the same pattern as a pattern of the erased page.
US08225048B2
Systems and methods are provided to manage access to computing resources. More specifically, certain embodiments are described in which a resource or resource consumer can engage access controls or request that access controls be engaged if the age of a request exceeds one or more thresholds. For example, a requester may, after the age of a request meets or exceeds a threshold, indicate to a destination that a control should be engaged.
US08225047B2
A memory system includes a controller that reads out, data written in a nonvolatile second storing area, from which data is read out and in which data is written in a page unit, to a first storing area as a cache memory included in a semiconductor memory and transfers the data to the host apparatus. The controller performs, when a readout request from the host apparatus satisfies a predetermined condition, at least one of first pre-fetch for reading out, to the first storing area data from a terminal end of a logical address range designated by a readout request being currently processed to a boundary of a logical address aligned in the page unit and a second pre-fetch for reading out data from the boundary of the logical address aligned in the page unit to a next boundary of the logical address.
US08225044B2
Provide is a storage system including one or more disk drives, and one or more cache memories for temporarily storing data read from the disk drives or data to be written to the disk drives, in which: the cache memories includes volatile first memories and non-volatile second memories; and the storage system receives a data write request, stores the requested data in the volatile first memories, selects one of memory areas of the volatile first memories if a total capacity of free memory areas contained in the volatile first memories is less than a predetermined threshold, write data stored in the selected memory area in the non-volatile second memories, and changes the selected memory area to a free memory area. Accordingly, there can be realized capacity enlarging of the cache memory using a non-volatile memory device while realizing a high speed similar to that of a volatile memory device.
US08225043B1
A method for high performance caching is disclosed. The method generally includes steps (A) and (B). Step (A) may fetch a plurality of reference samples of a reference image from a first circuit to a cache of a second circuit. The cache may include a plurality of cache blocks and a plurality of valid bits. Each of the cache blocks generally corresponds to at most one of the valid bits. A size of the cache blocks may match a smallest read access size of the first circuit. Step (B) may transfer the reference samples having the corresponding valid bit set to valid from the cache to a processor of the second circuit.
US08225042B1
Methods and systems are provided that may include a nonvolatile memory to store information, where the nonvolatile memory has a memory cache to store data corresponding to a received sector write operation, and a main memory comprising at least the designated memory block and a second memory block. A controller may reclaim at least one sector of the designated memory block and performing a write operation to write information from the memory cache in response to the received sector write operation to at least one sector of the second memory block.
US08225036B2
A storage controller that can maintain its performance and reduce power consumption and thereby realize large capacity and low power consumption, and a method for controlling such a storage controller are provided. The storage controller includes a plurality of nonvolatile memory modules having a plurality of nonvolatile memory chips for storing data from a host computer, and a nonvolatile memory control unit for controlling data input to and output from the host computer by controlling a power source for the nonvolatile memory modules. When reading or writing data from or to a designated nonvolatile memory module at a specified time in response to a data read/write request from the host computer, the nonvolatile memory control unit controls the power source for only the designated nonvolatile memory module to be turned on.
US08225031B2
A memory apparatus enable operation which is adapted to environmental conditions. The memory apparatus includes a memory module that can store and incorporate environment-dependent optimal operating parameters. The memory module comprises a plurality of volatile memory devices and one or more non-volatile memory devices that store a plurality of environment-dependent device parameters for a device selected from the plurality of volatile memory devices. The stored parameters enable the selected device to function optimally in multiple environmental conditions.
US08225018B1
An adapter having a plurality of functions and a plurality of ports, in which the mapping between functions and ports is configurable. In certain embodiments, device memory can be programmed with a desired mapping scheme that overrides a default mapping scheme for the adapter. In certain embodiments, device memory can be reprogrammed with a different desired mapping to enable the adapter to dynamically respond to system conditions.
US08225017B1
A high-speed SerDes transmitter which may reduce power supply introduced data dependent jitter. Instead of trying to make the output voltage of a power supply of a pre-driver constant, the output voltage of the power supply is returned to its normal level periodically, e.g., after each bit time to follow the data rate of an input data stream. A complementary pre-driver may be used to create a complementary data stream which may be at the same data rate as the input data rate. The complementary data stream may have a transition when there is no transition between two consecutive bits in the input data stream, but have no transition when there is a transition in the input data stream. As a result, there is a transition at the power supply during each bit time, and the power supply may be drawn back to its normal level during each bit time. Consequently, the power supply variation is periodic at the beat of the input data rate, and the power supply may have the same impact on each data bit. Thus, each bit in the input data stream may see the same level of power supply, and data dependent jitter may be reduced or eliminated.
US08225014B2
The present invention relates to the field of short-rage communication systems. In particular, the present invention relates to radio frequency identification transponders with fixed physical memory capacity having however a flexible virtual memory capacity allowing for providing amounts of data by the radio frequency identification transponders extending the fixed physical memory capacity. Accordingly, a method and a radio frequency identification transponder for continuos data provision by a radio frequency identification transponder is provided. A stream of data is received via a data interface for the transponder and the received data is stored in a transponder memory. Then the stored data is read out form the transponder memory and supplied to a radio frequency interface for being communicated therewith. Next, the memory, which is currently used for storing data, which has been read out previously, is provided afterwards for storing data being received subsequently via the data interface.
US08225011B2
A monitoring apparatus communicatively coupled to one or more devices forming an information processing system manages each of the devices by setting the device to be in any one of monitoring states including a monitoring target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target to be determined if there is a change in resources and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target. The monitoring apparatus newly acquires resource information on a device whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target or the semi-monitoring target, and determines if any of the resources of the device is changed on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired last time, and a determination condition. When determining that any of the resources has been changed, the monitoring apparatus outputs a screen prompting a change of the monitoring state of the device.
US08225008B2
An image display device that controls an external device and a method therefore are provided. The image display device includes an interface unit which is connected to an external device, a determining unit which determines whether another external device that has a control ownership of the external device exists, and a control unit which registers the control ownership of the external device if it is determined that the other external device does not exist. The external device is controlled by registering the control ownership.
US08225005B2
A computer-implemented method for a high speed peripheral component interconnect input/output virtualization configuration creates a set of virtual function path authorization tables, receives a request including a virtual function, from a requester, to provide requested data, and identifies a source address in the source system and a target address in each target system of the target set of systems. A virtual function work queue entry for the source system is created containing the source and the target address and responsive to determining the virtual function is authorized, write the requested data from the source address of the source system through a firewall of an intermediate device into the target address of each target system, wherein the intermediate device is one of a multi-root peripheral component interconnect device and a single root peripheral component interconnect device, and issuing a notice of completion to the requester.
US08225003B2
A personal computer or microchip, comprising: an internal hardware firewall located between and separate from a protected portion and an unprotected portion of hardware of the computer or microchip; the protected hardware portion being unconnected to a network of computers and including a volatile memory and a master control unit and/or a microprocessor; the unprotected hardware portion being located between the internal hardware firewall and the network and including one or more microprocessors and a volatile memory, the unprotected microprocessors being separate from the internal hardware firewall, and the unprotected hardware portion being connected to the network; the internal hardware firewall denying access by the network to the protected hardware portion; and the internal hardware firewall does not control access by the network to the unprotected hardware portion, so that operations conducted by the computer or microchip with the network are conducted in by the unprotected microprocessors in the unprotected hardware portion.
US08225000B2
A method for synchronizing messages between multiple terminals includes: receiving a message state change notification carrying a message state and a message identifier from a first terminal of a user; and sending a message state change notification to the second terminal of the user, according to the message state change notification. A method for synchronizing storage layouts between multiple terminals includes: receiving a storage layout synchronization request carrying a storage directory and/or storage data from a first terminal; sending the storage layout synchronization request to other terminal correlated with the first terminal, so that the other related terminals update the messages or synchronize the media data and/or storage structures. The invention also discloses a server and a terminal for synchronizing messages between multiple terminals. Through the present invention, messages, message states, storage data, and storage structures can be synchronized between multiple terminals.
US08224999B2
Wireless access protocol-capable wireless devices are able to synchronize displayed Web content. A first WAP device requests a synchronized session through the sync Proxy of the network. The sync Proxy, through a WAP Push Proxy, sets up the synchronized session. One or both wireless devices may then request content from a Web site. This content is transmitted from the Web site to the first device, and through a WAP proxy to the second device.
US08224997B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a data transfer network having a server side and a client side, wherein content is sent from the server side to the client side in successive output streams to dynamically create a document on the client side, and the content for different output streams is provided, respectively from different ones of a plurality of originating sources that are located on the server side. One embodiment, directed to a method, includes the steps of intercepting a given output stream, and determining whether or not a debug directive can be inserted into the intercepted output stream, wherein the determination is made in conformance with prespecified lexeme rules associated with the intercepted output stream. Responsive to a determination that a debug directive can be inserted into the intercepted stream, a debug directive is created that contains information identifying the originating source on the server side which provided the content for the intercepted output stream. The method further includes inserting the created debug directive into the intercepted stream at a selected insertion location.
US08224988B2
According to an aspect of an embodiment, a method of relaying by network between a plurality of terminal devices and a relay device, comprising: providing first address information corresponding to a first one of said terminal devices shared between said first terminal device and said relay device; providing second address information used by the other terminal devices than said first terminal device for accessing via said relay device said first terminal device; providing a table of said first address information and said second address information in association with each other at said relay device; and changing the content of said first address information with time, said first address information enabling said relay device to access said first device, said relay device enabling other terminal devices to access said first terminal device by converting said first and second address information in reference to said table notwithstanding changing of the content of the first address information.
US08224984B2
At least first and second terminals are connected to a packet-oriented network, with real-time critical data being transmitted via payload data frames from the first terminal to the second terminal. In cases in which no real-time critical data is available for transmission, fill frames signaling this fact are transmitted at a minimum transmission rate from the first to the second terminal. The transmission quality is determined by taking into consideration the payload data frames and fill frames received at the second terminal within a particular period.
US08224979B2
A system is provided that preserves data privacy for the Individual—I and Private Data Owner (PDO) while granting data access to the User—U and Accessor who need such data to perform their usual and customary business functions. The method and system completely control the User's access to the Private Data Owner's Private Data by replacing Identifying Information for the User—U, Individual—I, Accessor and PDO with pseudonyms. This assures the overall privacy of individuals, throughout the course of collecting, storing, accessing, analyzing and sharing detailed private records among different organizations engaged in providing and/or consuming services and/or products. Access Control Rule Sets (“ACRS”) consist of instructions which prescribe the terms and conditions for permitting Users to access the PDO's Pseudonymized and Actual Private data in accordance with the rules governing their authorization to access such data.
US08224976B2
A network device connects between a client and a server. The network device is configured to store information regarding a capability of the server; receive a first message, from the client, intended for the server; obtain the stored information regarding the capability of the server; generate a second message that includes the information regarding the capability of the server; send the second message to the client; receive a third message from the client; and establish, based on the third message, a connection between the client and the server.
US08224975B1
A method, system and computer program product for establishing communication services using web service operations over a network is presented. An application session can be established, extended and terminated between an event source and an event sink across the network by way of a session service. An addressing service on at least one of said event sink and said event source is used to address services. A multimedia communication services between the event source and the event sink is established by way of an eventing service.
US08224973B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a mobile station to communicate with an application service provider (ASP) in a wireless network using a Universal Services Interface (USI) comprising, memory, one or more processors and a transceiver, to store some or all USI context as required by the ASP and wherein when a user accesses the ASP, the USI client inserts relevant USI context as part of an ASP request message and in order to fetch the USI context of the MS, a USI proxy sends the USI context request to a USI server and the USI server sends a USI context response back to the USI proxy which contains the USI context for the MS.
US08224966B2
A method is disclosed for reproxying connections. According to one aspect, a first connection is established between a client and a proxy device. A second connection is established between the proxy device and a server. The first connection comprises a first endpoint at the client and a second endpoint at the proxy device. The second connection comprises a third endpoint at the proxy device and a fourth endpoint at the server. The first and second connections are unproxied by dissolving the second and third endpoints while maintaining the first and fourth endpoints. After the connections have been unproxied, a packet is received at the proxy device. In response, the first and second connections are reproxied by creating fifth and sixth endpoints at the proxy device, so that the first connection comprises the fifth endpoint and the second connection comprises the sixth endpoint.
US08224965B2
A method for controlled delivery of a service from a server (S) to a client (C), includes the steps of sending a download descriptor, from server (S) to client (C), retrieving of the service by the client, sending of a first type confirmation message by the client, activating the service by the client (C), wherein the service is first transformed within the server (S) into a sequence of individual blocks, wherein download descriptor (descn) and first type of confirmation message (confn) are generated and transmitted per at least one block of said sequence, and wherein the first type confirmation message (confn) is sent upon receipt of said at least one block by said client (C). Further improvements include the activation of block n being started before the total contents of block n being received, the first type of confirmation message (confn) for block n being generated upon the complete receipt of block n, and the download descriptor (descn+2) for block n+2 being generated and transmitted upon receipt of said first type confirmation message (confn) for block n.
US08224961B1
Techniques are described for load balancing subscriber sessions across tunnel termination devices. A network device is described, for example, that includes a tunneling module that load balances subscriber sessions across a plurality of tunnel termination devices based on weightings associated with the tunnel termination devices. The weightings may be assigned to the tunnel termination devices by a user, or may be calculated by the network device based on resource constraints associated with the tunnel termination devices. The network device may calculate the weightings, for example, based on a maximum number of subscriber sessions supported by each of the tunnel termination devices. As one example, the techniques may be applied to load balance Point-to-Point (PPP) subscriber sessions across L2TP Network Servers (LNSs).
US08224959B2
A monitoring system is provided that allows owners of monitoring accounts to share web monitoring data collected under the direction of the monitoring account. Account owners are able to interact with the monitoring system to identify recipient accounts for shared web monitoring data and apply permissions at a granular level so that portions of monitored data can be shared with varying permission levels. Grouping can also be employed by an account owner to facilitate efficient sharing of monitoring data to many recipient accounts. The monitoring system also provides analysis utilities that can be used by a recipient account to aggregate shared with owned data and generate related reports as desired.
US08224958B2
A method and an apparatus to automatically create storage resource management (SRM) paths has been presented. In one embodiment, the method includes monitoring a data storage system to collect configuration data of storage objects in the data storage system and automatically creating a storage resource management (SRM) path for a storage object in the data storage system using at least a portion of the configuration data in response to a user request to scan the storage object.
US08224956B2
A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: selecting at least one hypothesis from a plurality of hypotheses relevant to a user, the selection of the at least one hypothesis being based, at least in part, on at least one reported event associated with the user; and presenting one or more advisories related to the hypothesis. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US08224953B2
The invention is directed to a system and method for displaying data associated with network appliances. Icons may be arranged in a display area in accordance with a characteristic associated with the network appliances. This characteristic may be related to location, alarm state, sensor value, or others. Further, the icons may display visual indication associated with network appliance parameters. Moreover, the icons may be superimposed on a graphical element. This element may be a map, blueprint, image, or plot. Further, a set of historical data may be replayed through the display by altering the visual indications of the icons and the graphical element in accordance with a sequence of values contained in the historical data.
US08224952B2
A communication network is operated by determining whether a network element can be trusted and monitoring traffic associated with the network element based on whether the network element can be trusted. At least some of the monitored traffic may be selected for examination based on the degree of trust for the network element. At least some of the monitored and/or examined traffic is selected to be blocked based on the degree of trust for the network element.
US08224942B1
A number of requests for an alternative network location are identified, where the requests for the alternative network location are generated after failure of one or more previous requests to reach a first, previous network location as a result of a network brownout. It is determined if the number of requests for the alternative network location exceed a threshold value for a period of time, and if so, an alarm is generated.
US08224938B2
A data processing system has a program module for determining a re-distribution of objects, such as database tables, over processing units of a cluster of processing units, such as in a blade computing environment. An estimate of the required duration for applying the re-distribution is calculated in order to facilitate an administrator's decision when to initiate the re-distribution procedure.
US08224927B2
Remote user interfaces for portable media devices provided improved access by accessories to media assets and metadata stored in a database of a portable media device, enhancing a user's ability to control operation of the portable media device using a remote user interface provided by the accessory. In one example, an accessory can determine whether the database of the portable media device was updated while the portable media device was disconnected from the accessory. In a second example, an accessory can create and manage a playlist for the portable media device and can incorporate into the playlist tracks already queued for playback when the accessory connects to the portable media device. In a third example, an accessory can obtain database navigation history and initialize a database navigation interface to match the database navigation history.
US08224921B2
The present invention provides a method involving a femtocell in communication with a secure core network such as an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network. The method includes receiving, from the femtocell and at a first secure entity in the IMS network, a global challenge including information indicating a random number. The method also includes receiving an authentication response computed by a mobile unit based on the random number and the first key known by the mobile unit and not known by the femtocell. The method further includes determining, at the first secure entity, that the random number is a legitimate random number provided to the femtocell by the IMS network.
US08224919B2
An intermediate service provider operates to mediate communications between mobile terminals and various service providers. In one embodiment, the intermediate service provider and a given mobile terminal establish a persistent session supported by a logical communication channel that is used to convey communications for all of the various service applications implemented by the mobile terminal, i.e., a single, multiplexed channel. In another embodiment, common command subsystems are used to support the multiple service applications, thereby reducing overhead resulting from multiple protocol headers. In yet another embodiment, establishment of communications with various service providers begins with a single connection request message that specifies at least two selected service applications such that the intermediate service provider can establish communications with the multiple service providers in response to the single connection request message.
US08224916B2
An apparatus and method for enabling management of contacts is disclosed. The method includes passively recognizing that a plurality of contacts are, as a group, repeatedly sent communications by a member, generating a contacts list including the plurality of contacts based on the passive recognition, enabling the member to associate an identifier with the contacts list, and enabling the member to address future communications to the plurality of contacts, as a group, through use of the identifier associated with the contacts list.
US08224914B2
Methods and systems provide for creating and generating dynamic mailings which include providing for static and dynamic content to be included in a dynamically generated e-mail; establishing filters for determining dynamic content; establishing a generic e-mail including static and dynamic content; selecting dynamic content using the filters; generating a dynamic e-mail based upon the generic e-mail and the dynamic content selected; and transmitting the dynamically generated e-mail.
US08224907B2
Methods and systems for associating one or more fees with transmissions of one or more illusory identification characteristics are provided.
US08224905B2
Spam is identified by computing sender reputation derived from historical activity data across counts for various categories. A spam filter or machine learning system can be trained utilizing pre-categorized data in conjunction with activity data associated with a sender aggregated across at least one time period. This sender activity filter can be employed alone or in combination with other filters to facilitate classification of messages as spam or non-spam.
US08224901B2
A server system runs a bot service that registers an FAQ (frequently asked questions) for a document having an embedded object. The FAQ includes one or more question-and-answer (Q&A) pairs. The bot service receives, from each electronics device that renders a copy of the document, a request from the embedded object for the FAQ registered for the document, and transmits the FAQ to each electronic device from which a request is received. Each electronics device displays the FAQ, including the one or more Q&A pairs, within its rendered copy of the document. Any viewer of a copy of the document with the embedded object can submit a question to the bot service through the embedded object. The bot service uses a messaging service to obtain an answer to the question from an author. The FAQs displayed at the electronics devices are updated to include the new Q&A pair.
US08224899B2
Systems and methods are provided for aggregating a local media collection of a user with one or more shared media collections shared with the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user. In general, one or more shared media collections shared with the user are first discovered. Optionally, the user may select one or more of the shared media collections for aggregation with the local media collection of the user. The shared media collections selected by the user, or alternatively all of the shared media collections, are then aggregated with the local media collection of the user to provide an aggregate media collection for the user.
US08224894B1
A first client device performs a handoff operation to a second client device by transmitting application information, associated with a first application, to the second client device when the first client device is positioned within a predefined proximity of the second client device. The first application has a first client device user interface state when the handoff operation is performed. In response to receiving the application information from the first client device or system, the second client device or system executes a second application corresponding to the first application with an initial user interface state corresponding to the first client device user interface state.
US08224893B2
A system and method for prioritizing components is provided. Components, including at least one requester components and at least two service components are maintained. The components each include a historical context and access information. The requester component requests the historical contexts associated with one or more of the service components. The one or more service components are filtered to determine which of the one or more service components are accessible to the requester component using the access information. The accessible service components for the requester component are prioritized based on the associated historical contexts.
US08224886B2
One aspect of the preferred embodiment relates to an application framework for managing mobile clients and application programs. By utilizing the preferred embodiment, a system administrator may be provided the capability to manage and control multiple devices, directly and indirectly, using push (server-initiated) and/or pull (client-initiated) techniques from a single location. Additionally, the preferred embodiment may be utilized to back up and securely store information on the mobile clients, identify device usage and to deliver files and databases to the mobile clients.
US08224874B2
A computer-implemented method for removing unreferenced data segments from deduplicated data systems may include: 1) identifying a deduplicated data system that contains a plurality of data objects, 2) dividing the data objects within the deduplicated data system into a plurality of data object groups, 3) identifying, within the data object groups, at least one data object group that has changed subsequent to a prior garbage-collection operation that removed data segments that were not referenced by data objects within the deduplicated data system, 4) identifying at least one container within the deduplicated data system that contains data segments referenced by data objects within the changed data object group, and then, for each identified container, 5) removing data segments from the identified container that are not referenced by data objects within the deduplicated data system. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08224873B1
Some embodiments provide a method and system for flexibly managing access to enterprise resources. To flexibly manage security, some embodiments secure the enterprise resources and provide a security access manager (SAM) to control access to the secured resources. The SAM controls access to the enterprise and the secure resources through one or more configurable management modules of the SAM. Each management module of the SAM is configurable to facilitate control over different security services of an enterprise security hierarchy (e.g., authentication, authorization, role mapping, etc.). Specifically, each management module is configurable to leverage security services that are provided by different security systems. In some embodiments, the management module is configured to interface with one or more adapters in order to establish the interfaces, logic, and protocols necessary to leverage the security functionality of such security systems.
US08224872B2
Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for accessing data stored in multiple data sources. Such methods employ an automated software agent to maintain a collection of data sources available for querying. The data sources may all reside within a single local network or may be distributed throughout multiple locations. Generally, the automated software agent searches a given domain for additional data sources according to a defined set of selection criteria. After discovering an additional data source, the automated software agent configures a query application to reflect the availability the additional data source. Further, the automated software agent may periodically evaluate the collection of data sources against the selection criteria and remove those that are either no longer available or no longer satisfy the selection criteria.
US08224871B2
Methods and other embodiments associated with performing an in-memory triangulation of a large data set are described. One example method for performing in-memory triangulation of a large data set includes partitioning a large geographical information data set into a set of stripes and generating, in-memory, a set of local triangulated irregular networks (TINs) corresponding to members of the set of stripes. Information associated with triangles associated with the set of local TINs are stored.
US08224870B1
A system for searching an object environment includes harvesting and indexing applications to create a search database and one or more indexes into the database. A scoring application determines the relevance of the objects, and a querying application locates objects in the database according to a search term. One or more of the indexes may be implemented by a hash table or other suitable data structure, where algorithms provide for adding objects to the indexes and searching for objects in the indexes. A ranking scheme sorts searchable items according to an estimate of the frequency that the items will be used in the future. Multiple indexes enable a combined prefix title and full-text content search of the database, accessible from a single search interface.
US08224867B2
A system and method link one or more disparate datasets with one or more spatial layers to create linked datasets. One or more data attributes common to the dataset and the spatial layer are identified, and the linkage is defined between the dataset and the spatial layer. The spatial layer and the linked data set then may be queried using a single input query. Features from the spatial layer and features from the linked dataset that match the query are generated for display.
US08224863B2
Equivalence class-based method and apparatus for cost-based repair of database constraint violations
Methods and apparatus are provided for identifying constraint violation repairs in data that is comprised of a plurality of records, where each record has a plurality of cells. A database is processed, based on a plurality of constraints that data in the database must satisfy. At least one constraint violation to be resolved is identified based on a cost of repair and the corresponding records to be resolved and equivalent cells are identified in the data that violate the identified at least one constraint violation. A value for each of the equivalent cells can optionally be determined, and the determined value can be assigned to each of the equivalent cells. The at least one constraint violation selected for resolution may be, for example, the constraint violation with a lowest cost. The cost of repairing a constraint is based on a distance metric between the attributes values.
US08224861B2
The minimum value or the maximum value of the index keys of a coupled node tree of a processing source is determined, and the index keys are successively deleted until the index key that is to be the splitting point is reached, the deleted index keys being inserted into the coupled node tree of the processing target, thereby splitting the coupled node tree. Deletion processing is done of one coupled node tree, taking as the processing source in the above-noted splitting method, and insertion processing is done of the other, taken as the processing target, thereby conjoining the coupled node trees.
US08224849B2
An object search system generates a hierarchical clustering of objects of a collection based on similarity of the objects. The object search system generates a separate hierarchical clustering of objects for multiple features of the objects. To identify objects similar to a target object, the object search system first generates a feature vector for the target object. For each feature of the feature vector, the object search system uses the hierarchical clustering of objects to identify the cluster of objects that is most “feature similar” to that feature of the target object. The object search system indicates the similarity of each candidate object based on the features for which the candidate object is similar.
US08224833B2
A search system generates an ordered list of destination targets including identified individuals and data objects, based on applying a user context to an information context and to a connection context. The user context identifies a search context (i.e., the information the user is seeking) relative to an identity of the user, and the information context identifies destinations accessible by the user, including data objects and communications-based actions (e.g., voice over IP telephony calls, instant messaging session transcripts, etc.). The connection context identifies relationships between chosen destinations throughout the system, and the strength of those relationships determined from artifacts of the chosen destinations: the connection context is updated based on artifact detection. The portion of the connection context that is relevant to the user context is used to order the portion of the information context that is relevant to the user context, resulting in the ordered list of destination targets.
US08224825B2
Systems, methods, and devices for sorting and processing various types of graph data are described herein. Partitioning graph data into master data and associated slave data allows for sorting of the graph data by sorting the master data. In another embodiment, promoting a data bucket having a first data bucket size to a data bucket having a second data bucket size greater than the first data bucket size upon reaching a memory limit allows for the reduction of temporary files output by the data bucket.
US08224824B2
The saving device for image sharing saves images offered by a sharer of the images for image sharing and accessibly shares in an album form among at least one share. The device includes a sharee layout storing means configured to store first layout information of a sharee's album, a shared area determining means configured to determine a shared area to be shared in the sharee's album from a sharer's album, and a layout changing means configured to automatically change a layout of the shared area based on the first layout information of the at least one sharee. An image sharing system includes the device, and an image sharing method uses the device.
US08224819B2
An information processing method for an information processing apparatus to process content data, including generating content data information associated with content data; and registering information associated with the content data generated in the content data information generation step, in an edit list indicating a result of editing of the content data. The apparatus makes it possible to manage a large number of image data in the form of an editing result and easily manage a large number of image data having complicated relationships. A clip data detector of an editing apparatus detects clip data including image data and audio data supplied from the outside. The clip data detector extracts meta data associated with detected clip data and supplies it to a sub clip processing unit. A sub clip information generator of the sub clip processing unit generates sub clip information based on the meta data and supplies the generated sub clip information to a sub clip information registration unit. The sub clip information registration unit registers the sub clip information generated by there sub clip information generator in an edit list stored in an edit list memory.
US08224815B2
In an interactive message editing system (10) and method a database (16) contains data representative of a plurality of media objects (19a, 19b, 19c, 19d) and of a plurality of data strings each associated with one or more of the media objects according to a predetermined rank. A memory (14) stores multimedia message data entered by a user and a parser (15) coupled to the memory parses the message data on the fly for identifying successive character strings, each of which is compared with data strings in the database. One or more media objects associated with a data string in the database that at least partially matches a character string are presented on a display device (11) according to the predetermined rank for manual selection by the user. A selected media object is embedded in spatial association with the associated data string.
US08224806B2
Optimized query plans are partitioned into equivalence groups that each include equivalence classes. Each equivalence group corresponds to a particular compiled, normalized, and parameterized query plan prior to optimization. Each equivalence class within an equivalence group corresponds to a different query plan corresponding to the particular compiled, normalized, and parameterized query plan represented by the equivalence group that has been optimized with respect to the selectivity of one or more predicate clauses of the query that is compiled to produce the particular compiled, normalized, and parameterized query plan. Optimized query plans are cached according to their respective equivalence groups and equivalence classes. When a query, similar to a query already compiled, optimized, and cached, is subsequently received and compiled, a selectivity for a predicate of the compiled query is computed, allowing the database management system to retrieve a cached query plan optimized for a similar query with similar selectivity.
US08224804B2
A computing system hosts a plurality of websites, a plurality of external data sources, and a search service. External resources in each of the external data sources are partitioned among a plurality of external partitions. The search service automatically generates an index comprising index entries. The index entries are partitioned among a plurality of index partitions, each associated with one or more of the websites. For each given index partition, the index entries in the given index partition map terms to resources in the given set of resources that contain the terms. The given set of resources includes web pages in a given set of websites associated with the given index partition and external resources in external partitions used by the given set of websites. The search service uses the index entries in given index partition to identify resources in the given set of resources containing query terms.
US08224802B2
A method and a system for providing snippets of source documents of an answer to a fact query are disclosed. Snippets of source documents may be provided in response to a user request for the source documents from which the fact answer to a fact query was extracted. The snippets include the terms of the fact query and terms of the answer. The snippets may be displayed along with Uniform Resource Locators (URL's) of the source documents.
US08224799B2
A method of providing lock-based access to nodes in a concurrent linked list includes providing a plurality of striped lock objects. Each striped lock object is configured to lock at least one of the nodes in the concurrent linked list. An index is computed based on a value stored in a first node to be accessed in the concurrent linked list. A first one of the striped lock objects is identified based on the computed index. The first striped lock object is acquired, thereby locking and providing protected access to the first node.
US08224797B2
A system and associated method for utilizing a record stored in a database. An application requests the record stored in the database to be validated. The method executes a query for retrieval and validation in a unified operation. A set of valid values for an attribute is stored in a configuration table per attribute. The query sets a null value for an attribute in the record that has an invalid value and produces a validated record. The method creates a data object with the validated record. The requester application utilized the data object having a respective value and a corresponding validity flag for each attribute.
US08224789B1
A method to for safely restoring files in a computing system may include: 1) identifying a backup copy of a file, 2) creating a virtualization layer on a storage device in the computing system, and 3) restoring the backup copy of the file to a virtualized location within the virtualization layer. The method may also include determining whether redirecting a call, initially directed to an original location of the file, to the virtualized location would adversely affect the computing system. The method may further include performing, based on the results of the determination, a file-system operation. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable-storage media are also disclosed.
US08224774B1
Subject matter disclosed herein may relate to producing an electronic form with the approximate look and/or feel of a previously existing hardcopy form, including generating a series of objects such as, for example, classes, table structures, metadata, etc., representing the hardcopy form. One or more object-oriented classes may be generated based, at least in part, on a form definition template representing a previously existing hardcopy form.
US08224773B2
A computer-implemented matching service matches users to other users, and/or to user communities, based at least in part on a computer analysis of event data reflective of user behaviors. The event data may, for example, evidence user affinities for particular items represented in an electronic catalog, such as book titles, music titles, movie titles, and/or other types of items that tend to reflect the traits of users. Event data reflective of other types of user actions, such as item-detail-page viewing events, browse node visits, search query submissions, and/or web browsing patterns may additionally or alternatively be considered. By taking such event data into consideration, the matching service reduces the burden on users to explicitly supply personal profile information, and reduces poor results caused by exaggerations and other inaccuracies in such profile information.
US08224755B2
A method for socially derived, graduated access control to a collaboration environment includes calculating a variable reputation score for a user based on a user's actions within a collaboration environment; and dynamically enabling graduated access control to the collaboration environment based on the reputation score.
US08224749B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for processing bills electronically. Generally, a bill is created for a customer using billing information and master data from a biller and master data from a customer. Billing information is received from the biller by a first processing module having access to the master data of the biller. The first processing module generates a bill using the billing information and the master data of the biller. A second processing module having access to the master data of the customer provides customer data to the first processing module. The bill is transformed into a format specified in the master data of the customer by the first processing module if the format of the generated bill is not the format specified in the master data of the customer. The generated or transformed bill is transferred to the second processing module by the first processing module.
US08224748B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a financial account. The disclosed systems and methods may include providing a financial account offer to a customer. The disclosed systems and methods may also include receiving en acceptance of the offer, providing the financial account, setting an account variable equal to a first account value, and monitoring the financial account. The monitoring may further comprise resetting the account variable equal to a second account value when a number of purchase transactions corresponding to a currently monitored time period are less than a threshold value. Furthermore, the account variable may be reset equal to a third account value when the number of purchase transactions corresponding to the currently monitored time period are greater than or equal to the threshold value and a number of purchase transactions corresponding to the previous time period were less than the threshold value.
US08224746B1
A method for processing payment for a purchase transaction includes enabling the provision of a first payments account to an accountholder and enabling a second payments account of the accountholder to be associated with the first payments account. A limit on the number of times the first payment account can be used for making purchase transactions within a determined time period is established. During a purchase transaction being made by the accountholder using the first account, information indicative of the first account and the purchase transaction is received. It is determined whether the limit on the number of times the first account has been used by the accountholder within the determined time period has been reached. When the limit on the number of times the account can be used in the time period has been reached, the second account of the accountholder is used for the purchase transaction.
US08224744B2
Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide for conducting financial transactions over a network. A user requests to execute at least one financial transaction with at least one of a number of parties, each of the parties corresponding to a data processing system on the network. Real-time financial information relating to the financial transaction is obtained, and the user can test and confirm that the financial transaction with the at least one party can take place prior to execution of the financial transaction.
US08224742B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for processing binary options (also referred to as digital options) in existing clearing systems, such as futures clearing systems. The binary option is treated, or processed, similar to standard options on a non-tradeable cash-settled underlying futures contract. A hypothetical instrument, referred to as a book instrument is created to facilitate clearing of the binary option. The book instrument has an expiration date after the expiration of the binary option, such as the day after the expiration of the binary option. For each binary option that expires in the money, a transaction is created for the book instrument future. The underlying book future has an assigned price that is a fixed amount less that the final price for the underlying statistical or actual value of the binary option at expiration. Transactions are loaded in the clearing system and processed and all positions are liquidated. Options exercise and assignment processing is performed in the clearing system as well as an associated clearing firm bookkeeping system.
US08224739B2
Embodiments are directed to systems, methods, and apparatus for allocating goods to bidders in combinatorial auctions. In one embodiment, bids are received in a combinatorial auction and the winner determination problem is modeled as an interval knapsack problem (I-KP) or an interval multiple-choice knapsack problem (I-MCKP), efficient algorithms (both pseudo-polynomial-time exact algorithms and FPTAS) for I-KP (and I-MCKP) are used to compute an allocation of goods to winning bidders.
US08224737B2
Systems and methods are provided for executing a hedge transaction in connection with the execution of a derivative product order in which the price of the derivative product is defined by one or more variables. The hedge transaction may be executed at an exchange or match engine that is different from the exchange or match engine executing the derivative product order. The execution of derivative product transaction may be contingent on the existence of an appropriate hedge transaction. Alternatively, a best efforts approach may be used to fill the hedge transaction order after executing the derivative product transaction.
US08224726B2
A method is implementable in an electronic system coupled to an electronic device, which is, in turn, coupled to a display device. A web page displayable on the display device is served to the electronic device. The displayed web page includes a user interface, which, in turn, includes a frame and at least one stile defining a plurality of panes within the frame. In a first one of the panes, at least one field into which a tax-data provider can input tax data is displayed. In a second one of the panes, information of a first type of a plurality of information types operable to assist the provider in performing a first operation of a set of operations using the user interface is displayed. Input tax data is received from the electronic device.
US08224714B2
Methods and computer storage media for communicating an electronic gift suggestion for a first user to a second user are provided. Accessing an online social network profile for a first user created by the first user in an online social network. Determining one or more gift suggestions for the first user and displaying the one or more gift suggestions in the online social network account of a second user. In some embodiment, the gift suggestions for the first user may be based on the social profile of the first user, based on the social profile of the first user utilizing an electronic gift wish list, or based on sales data of purchasers having similar personal information and purchasing history as personal information accessed from the first user's social profile.
US08224704B2
A system and method for distributing information (collectively the “system”) is disclosed. The system includes category-based, geography-based, and ratings-based attributes to better “focus” the information distributed by the system. In the processing of listing-based attributes (e.g. attributes limited to a particular listing), the system can also be influenced by relationship-based attributes (e.g. attributes between the administrator of the system and the advertisers, and even potentially users).
US08224700B2
This invention is a system and method for managing restaurant customer data elements.
US08224692B2
An improved system and method for pricing of overlapping impression pools of online advertisement impressions for advertising demand is provided. An inventory of online advertisement impressions may be grouped in impression pools according to attributes of the advertisement impressions and advertisers' requests for impressions targeting specific attributes may be received. An optimal price may be computed for each of the impression pools of the inventory of online advertisement impressions using dual values of an optimization program. The values of a dual variable for prices of impression pools on the supply constraints of an objective function for allocating the impression pools may be extracted and iteratively increased on those impression pools which have a dual value greater than the book rate value.
US08224691B1
Information pertaining to products made by manufacturers and sold to consumers through retailers, is distributed to consumers through a communication network that connects consumer communication nodes to a cooperative network site having an accumulation of information about manufacturer product offers and retailer special deals. A consumer can obtain selected items of this information without knowledge of how to reach the cooperative network site, by simply logging in to a manufacturer network site or to a retailer network site. At a manufacturer site, the consumer can obtain a list of local retailers carrying the manufacturer offers and can then select from among the offers and receive complete details of the selected offers. At a retailer site, the consumer can obtain a list of manufacturer offers available at the retailer stores in the consumer's area, and can then select from among the available offers and receive their complete details. An additional feature of the invention makes use of a consumer “personal page,” which is an individualized database in which consumer shopping preferences are defined, both by information that the consumer expressly provides and by the consumer's past shopping activity. Use of the personal page allows the consumer to receive product offers that are more targeted to the individual consumer, thus saving the consumer time and effort. Another embodiment of the invention provides for distribution of a product purchase incentive directly to the consumer in response to his or her selection of an advertising banner displayed on an independent commercial network site.
US08224685B2
The invention provides a personal behavior analysis apparatus capable of statistically analyzing a personal behavior. To analyze personal behaviors, a population data file is provided that stores flow-line data for individual persons as a population acquired by tracking the behaviors of persons within a monitored area. After input of a condition for narrowing down the flow-line data as analysis objects is accepted via a condition input section, the population data file is searched based on the condition and flow-line data meeting the condition is acquired. The acquired flow-line data is stored in a subpopulation data file as a subpopulation. A control section of the apparatus calculates statistics values related to personal behavior analysis using the flow-line data stored in the subpopulation data file and displays them on a display section.
US08224674B2
A method and system for issuing an insurance underwriting instrument using at least one computing processor. The system includes a computer processor and a first and second query-able plurality of memory locations storing data indicative of images of a plurality of forms associated with a particular type of fidelity or surety bond and data indicative of policies respectively. The system further includes a user interface for inputting data indicative of an insurance client and of the fidelity or surety bond. A calculator application is included which automatically calculates a premium for the insurance underwriting instrument based on the input data using the computer processor. The system includes software for selecting a sub-set of the data indicative of the images and software for automatically rendering the bond to be issued using the data of bond customer.
US08224671B2
Computerized methods and systems for creating and documenting protocol orders in a molecular diagnostic laboratory environment are provided. Utilizing the methods and systems described herein, protocol statements may require values to be entered in association therewith prior to permitting access to subsequent protocol orders. Accordingly, more accurate test runs and, consequently, more accurate test results, may be achieved. Additionally, as values associated with protocol statements are electronically captured, in accordance with embodiments hereof, such values may be searched to evaluate trends or identify protocol orders and/or results that may be affected by a later discovered error or the like.
US08224668B2
A shared medical savings system and method are provided that allow a patient to participate in the savings generated by selecting to have a medical procedure performed overseas. The system has one or more computing devices, a link that is capable of connecting the one or more computing devices to a medical shared savings unit that is capable of interacting with the computing devices. An employer uses the computing device to elect to participate in a medical savings plan using a Health Reimbursement Account, a patient using the computing device to select an overseas medical procedure that is part of the medical savings plan so that the savings for the overseas medical procedure is divided between the employer and the patient utilizing a medical savings plan.
US08224667B1
A therapy adherence system is provided. The system comprises at least one computer system, a database, and an application that, when executed on the at least one computer system, receives a message from a home-based patient device containing medication compliance information and physical condition information. The system also compares medication compliance information and physical condition information with a current treatment regimen and historical medication and physical condition information stored in the database. The system also calculates an updated regimen and health risk level based on at least current and historical medication compliance information and physical condition information. The system also notifies an at least one health care provider when health risk level exceeds a threshold. The system also receives response from the at least one health care provider, the response comprising adjustments to the updated regimen and a diagnosis and communicates the updated regimen.
US08224659B2
An audio encoding method and apparatus, and an audio decoding method and apparatus, for processing a death sinusoid and a general continuation sinusoid. Using the unique characteristic of a death sinusoid, in that the death sinusoid has a tendency such that an amplitude component of the death sinusoid is less than that of a previous sinusoid, a method of adding an encoding syntax by distinguishing a general continuation sinusoid from a death sinusoid is provided. That is, when difference coding of the amplitude component of a death sinusoid is performed, the number of bits used when a negative number is coded is less than the number of bits used when a positive number is coded, in a Huffman table. By using this method, a bit rate in an entire coding decreases.
US08224655B2
A system generates an audio challenge that includes a first voice and one or more second voices, the first voice being audibly distinguishable, by a human, from the one or more second voices. The first voice conveys first information and the second voice conveys second information. The system provides the audio challenge to a user and verifies that the user is human based on whether the user can identify the first information in the audio challenge.
US08224652B2
An “Animation Synthesizer” uses trainable probabilistic models, such as Hidden Markov Models (HMM), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), etc., to provide speech and text driven body animation synthesis. Probabilistic models are trained using synchronized motion and speech inputs (e.g., live or recorded audio/video feeds) at various speech levels, such as sentences, phrases, words, phonemes, sub-phonemes, etc., depending upon the available data, and the motion type or body part being modeled. The Animation Synthesizer then uses the trainable probabilistic model for selecting animation trajectories for one or more different body parts (e.g., face, head, hands, arms, etc.) based on an arbitrary text and/or speech input. These animation trajectories are then used to synthesize a sequence of animations for digital avatars, cartoon characters, computer generated anthropomorphic persons or creatures, actual motions for physical robots, etc., that are synchronized with a speech output corresponding to the text and/or speech input.
US08224650B2
Web server controls are provided for generating client side markups with recognition and/or audible prompting. Three approaches are disclosed for implementation of the controls.
US08224640B2
A method and system for generating a patient specific anatomical heart model is disclosed. A sequence of volumetric image data, such as computed tomography (CT), echocardiography, or magnetic resonance (MR) image data of a patient's cardiac region is received. A multi-component patient specific 4D geometric model of the heart and aorta estimated from the sequence of volumetric cardiac imaging data. A patient specific 4D computational model based on one or more of personalized geometry, material properties, fluid boundary conditions, and flow velocity measurements in the 4D geometric model is generated. Patient specific material properties of the aortic wall are estimated using the 4D geometrical model and the 4D computational model. Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations are performed using the 4D computational model and estimated material properties of the aortic wall, and patient specific clinical parameters are extracted based on the FSI simulations. Disease progression modeling and risk stratification are performed based on the patient specific clinical parameters.
US08224636B2
A method and mechanism for implementing a general purpose scripting language that supports parallel execution is described. In one approach, parallel execution is provided in a seamless and high-level approach rather than requiring or expecting a user to have low-level programming expertise with parallel processing languages/functions. Also described is a system and method for performing circuit simulation. The present approach provides methods and systems that create reusable and independent measurements for use with circuit simulators. Also disclosed are parallelizable measurements having looping constructs that can be run without interference between parallel iterations. Reusability is enhanced by having parameterized measurements. Revisions and history of the operating parameters of circuit designs subject to simulation are tracked.
US08224632B2
A system and method of developing better-designed medical devices, particularly cardiovascular stents and endovascular grafts. The system comprises a geometry generator, a mesh generator, a stress/strain/deformation analyzer, and a visualization tool. In one embodiment, the geometry generator receives three-dimensional volumetric data of an anatomical feature and generates a geometric model. The mesh generator then receives such geometric model of an anatomical feature or an in vitro model and a geometric model of a candidate medical device. In another embodiment, the mesh generator only receives a geometric model of the candidate medical device. Using the geometric model(s) received, the mesh generator creates or generates a mesh or a finite element model. The stress/strain/deformation analyzer then receives the mesh, and the material models and loads of that mesh. Using analysis, preferably non-linear analysis, the stress/strain/deformation analyzer determines the predicted stresses, strains, and deformations on the candidate medical device. Such stresses, strains, and deformations may optionally be simulated visually using a visualization tool.
US08224631B2
A method of designing supports for an underground mine opening comprising the steps of: receiving mine slope information including at least one of site location, entry length, entry grade, entry orientation, size of opening, surface topology, adjacent borehole data and rock mechanics test data, historical roof fall height, and expected steel set support capacity; conducting stress and geological condition evaluation of the mine opening using a finite element computer modeling program based on the mine opening information; and designing structural supports for the mine opening utilizing the stress and geological condition evaluation of the mine opening.
US08224629B2
A method for modelling a saturation dependant property in a sample by obtaining a spatially resolved measurement of fluid saturation in the sample; determining a measured value of a saturation dependant property from the measurement; fitting a model to the measured value to obtain a model value for the measured value; and optimising the fit of the model to the measured value by minimizing an error between the model and the measured value where the error is a distance between the measured value and the model value.
US08224626B2
A quality degradation point estimating method for estimating a quality degradation point in a directed link set through which a communication flow passed is provided. The quality degradation point estimating method has: (A) determining a test flow set for estimating a quality degradation point; and (B) estimating the quality degradation point in the directed link set by sending the test flow set to the network. The (A) step includes a step of setting the flow, which passes through a partial set as a part of the directed link set, as the test flow and adding the set test flow to the test flow set. The test flow is sent from the test terminal on the network to a predetermined node in the partial set. A response is obtained at the predetermined node, and the response is sent from the predetermined node to a predetermined terminal.
US08224625B2
Problem diagnostics may be obtained from components that log messages using a unique component identifier which is provided within each message so as to enable routing of callbacks to the component that originated the message. Similarly, problem diagnostics may be obtained from components that generate alerts, where the alerts contain the unique identifier of the component that generated the alert. Each component supports a diagnostic provider interface comprising operations which may be dynamically invoked, for example to solicit information from the component such as its configuration data, its state information, to execute self-diagnostic tests, and so forth. In addition or instead, operations may be provided that can be invoked to cause the component to alter its configuration data (such as notifying the component to change its level of message logging) or its behavior.
US08224621B2
A method for the determination of the time of flight of a signal transmitted between a transmitter (42, 44) and a receiver (44, 42). In one form, the method involves transmitting a first signal and a second signal having a waveform modification introduced at a predetermined point in time of the duration of the second signal; receiving said first and second transmitted signals; determining a point of diversion between the first and second received signals to determine an arrival time of the introduced waveform feature modification at the receiver. In addition, the invention provides an accurate time of flight determination of ultrasonic signals in a flow sensor (24) adapted for a smoke detector system (10).
US08224619B2
A gesture recognition apparatus includes: first and second one-dimensional sensor means for detecting movement corresponding to a motion of an object in a one-dimensional direction along one detection axis and outputting a signal corresponding to the detected movement; a normalization processing means for executing processing of normalization of first and second signals outputted from the first and second one-dimensional sensor means; a phase plane mapping processing means for forming a signal track corresponding to the first and second signals in time series by plotting coordinates on a phase plane using x- and y-coordinate values based on the normalized first and second signals; a correlation coefficient calculation means for calculating a correlation coefficient with respect to the first and second signals using coordinate values forming the signal track; and a motion determination means for determining whether the detected movement is a motion in the first or second direction based on the value of the correlation coefficient.
US08224606B2
A device and method corrects time data based on a clock signal affected by jitter. The error due to jitter in a time measurement of an event in the clock signal is determined at the time of the event or as an average over a number of events. A measurement is made of a time dependent reference variable associated with a long-time constant device, such as a capacitor, which is relatively immune to localized jitter. The measurement may be a reading of the voltage across a charging capacitor. The measured value is compared to an expected value, and the time error is based on the result. The expected value may be stored or calculated from known charging rates of the capacitor. The error due to jitter of a time measurement is approximately linearly proportional to the difference in voltage between the measured and the expected values of the capacitor.
US08224599B2
A system for automatic voltage range measurement borne by an electronic device controls a voltage regulator module (VRM) of the electronic device to output a work voltage equaling a work voltage output by the VRM last time added to or subtracted by a voltage difference. When a determination module determines the electronic device has failed to power on or a test of the electronic device for testing hardware of the electronic device has failed after the electronic device is powered on at a work voltage, a limit value of a voltage range boned by the electronic device is ascertained. The limit value is equal to the work voltage this time subtracted or added by the voltage difference.
US08224587B1
Determining a nutritional diet for a canine or feline companion animal comprises employing a computer; at least one electronic database coupled to the computer; and at least one software routine executing on the computer. First data comprises a relationship between expression data from the genomic map and a physiological condition of the animal, and second data comprises an effect of nutrition on the expression data from the genomic map. Based on said first and second data, a nutritional diet for the canine or feline companion animal is determined.
US08224584B2
System for quantifying analyte polynucleotides employs computer-implemented analysis of real-time amplification data using a calibration curve defined by parametric equations.
US08224583B2
Techniques for medical infusions include determining a first infusion rate for administering a first medication to a patient. A fluid load is determined based at least in part on the first infusion rate. It is determined whether the fluid load exceeds a predetermined threshold based on a fluid maintenance rate. If it is determined that the fluid load exceeds the predetermined threshold, then an action is caused to inhibit administering the first medication to the patient at the first infusion rate.
US08224579B2
The present invention relates to the identification and use of protein expression profiles with clinical relevance to osteoarthritis (OA). In particular, the invention provides the identity of marker proteins whose expressions are correlated with OA, OA subtype, and/or OA progression. Methods and kits are described for using these protein expression profiles in the study and/or diagnosis of OA, in the determination of the degree of advancement of OA, and in the selection and/or monitoring of treatment regimens. The invention also relates to the screening of drugs that modulate expression of these proteins or nucleic acid molecules encoding these proteins, in particular for the development of disease-modifying OA agents.
US08224578B2
The invention relates to a method for optimizing a nucleotide sequence for expression of a protein on the basis of the amino acid sequence of the protein, in which for a particular region there is specification of a test sequence with m optimization positions on which the codon occupation is varied, a quality function being used to ascertain the optimal codon occupation on these optimization positions, and one or more codons of this optimal occupation being specified as codons of the optimized nucleotide sequence. These steps are iterated, with the codons of the optimized nucleotide sequence which are specified in the preceding steps remaining unchanged in subsequent iteration steps. The invention additionally relates to a device for carrying out this method.
US08224577B2
The invention relates to a method for setting up a mobile machine (1), particularly an automatic concrete pump, a mobile crane or a movable elevating work platform. With such a method, the subsurface (28) of a site is analyzed for the properties and/or load-bearing capacity thereof before the machine (10) is positioned there and/or oriented and supported by means of flarable supporting legs (20, 24) in set-up positions (VR, VL, HR, HL) suitable according to the determined subsurface properties and load-bearing capacity. In order to determine an optimized set-up position for the supporting legs (20, 24), geodata (38) of a geographic environment that includes the site is read via a computer in a data memory (44) using a layer of subsurface data (40) that defines the subsurface properties and load-bearing capacity. In addition, the geographic position of the machine (1) and the orientation thereof at the site are determined and linked in the form of a data set that defines at least the geographic set-up positions (VR, VL, HR, HL) of the flared supporting legs (20, 24) to the imported geodata and subsurface data (38, 40). Then, the machine (1) is navigated with the supporting legs (20, 24) into a set-up position that is suited according to the imported geodata and subsurface data.
US08224551B2
When employing an a cruise control system in a commercial or heavy-duty vehicle, an adaptive cruise control (ACC) system (14) is activated upon activation of a vehicle or set-speed cruise control (SSCC) system (16). The ACC (14) remains on, even after SSCC shutoff, to maintain a minimum following distance for a primary vehicle in which the ACC (14) is employed and a forward vehicle. The ACC (14) is deactivated after detection of an ACC shutoff trigger event, which may be driver application of the brakes of the primary vehicle, driver-initiated acceleration for a predefined time period, expiration of a predetermined time period, manual shutoff (e.g., via a switch or button), etc.
US08224548B2
Disclosed is a method of preventing a vehicle in a starting maneuver from rolling in a direction opposite a direction selected to move the vehicle during the starting maneuver. A brake force is built up or maintained on at least one wheel brake during standstill of the vehicle. The method is characterized in that a comparison between an engine rotational speed gradient and an engine rotational speed gradient threshold value as well as a comparison between a pedal travel, by which an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is depressed, and a pedal travel threshold value are performed, and in that the brake force at the at least one wheel brake is reduced when it is established that the engine rotational speed gradient exceeds the engine rotational speed gradient threshold value, and/or the pedal travel, by which the accelerator pedal is depressed, exceeds the pedal travel threshold value. Also disclosed a device that is appropriate to implement the method.
US08224541B2
A hydraulic control device for an automatic transmission that includes a fail-safe function to establish a fail-safe traveling state where a predetermined shift speed is established, and a fail-safe stopping state where the primary pressure to all of the hydraulic servos is cut-off when a failure occurs. The hydraulic control device is able to switch between the fail-safe traveling state and the fail-safe stopping state even after a failure occurs, thereby enhancing a limp-mode function.
US08224538B2
An automatic transmission includes gears, torque-transmitting mechanisms, interconnecting members, an input member and an output member. A method of controlling the automatic transmission includes data acquisition from the output shaft torque sensor, commanding a hydraulic fluid pressure pulse time and a pressure pulse value to engage a first torque-transmitting mechanism, calculating a rate-of-change of a first data output from the output shaft torque sensor, calculating a rate-of-change of a second data output from the output shaft torque sensor, comparing the results of the rate-of-change calculations and adjusting the hydraulic fluid pressure pulse time and a pressure pulse value if the rate of change of the second data output is not equal to the rate-of-change of the first data output.
US08224536B2
The method according to the invention for shift point control in automatic transmissions by means of an electronic control device, which receives a performance requirement value and the vehicle speed as input signals and triggers up-shifts and down-shifts, by means of a functional module. The functional module controls the shift point, by using characteristic shift curves stored in the control device as a function of the performance requirement value and the vehicle speed. When predetermined operating conditions apply, a speed range is defined below a defined vehicle speed, in which range an instantaneous down-shift is performed, which is independent of the currently applicable characteristic shift curve. As soon as the performance requirement value or an operating value proportional to the performance requirement value falls below a threshold, an up-shift subsequent to the down-shift is delayed by a first predetermined time period after the instantaneous down-shift.
US08224534B2
The system and method automatically controls the position of at least one deck plate of a harvesting unit of a corn header so as to increase the width of a stalk receiving channel or reduce pinching forces between the plates when entering a stand of corn to facilitate alignment with the corn rows, and to change the position after a suitable time period or other condition or event, to narrow the channel width and/or increase pinching force, to reduce kernel loss while also monitoring forces exerted against the plates by the stalks and responsively adjusting the plate position for maintaining a desired force on the stalks or width.
US08224531B2
A method implemented in a vehicle, using information representative of an operational state of the vehicle being provided by sensors and a data communication bus. The information is representative of the engagement and disengagement of an exploitation assistance brake (EAB) and a speed of the vehicle and of a pressure on a brake pedal of the vehicle. A cut-off condition (C3) for the thermal engine can be validated when the speed is lower than a predetermined threshold and in the case where pressure is applied on the brake pedal or when the exploitation assistance brake is activated. The system includes at least one sensor for the condition of the exploitation assistance brake.
US08224528B2
A steered shaft of a steered mechanism is rigidly fixed to a vehicle body. Steering-stiffness is reduced by a lowpass filter for filtering a steered angle detected by a steered angle sensor. A deviation between a target steered angle and the filtered steered angle detected by the steered angle sensor is input to a PID control unit. A gain setting unit sets each of gains for PID control at a low value to thereby reduce steering-stiffness. The PID control unit outputs a target current. A drive circuit performs, e.g., PID control of the steering actuator.
US08224521B2
This invention intends to reduce a time difference in information collection time as much as possible in a vehicle installed network system for collecting information on distributed positions within a vehicle. According to this invention, information on a measurement result by a sensor (23) at a time point after a previously-defined time elapses since a specified signal transmitted regularly is received is held in a sensor data storage register (49) on a network (21) installed within a vehicle, capable of broadcasting, achieved according to a communication method in which a transmission right is supplied regularly, and the information is transmitted at a time point when the transmission right is obtained on the network (21). In the vehicle installed network system for collecting information on the distributed positions within the vehicle, the time difference in the information collection time can be reduced as much as possible.
US08224520B2
A failure determination apparatus for a vehicle includes: a failure determination element configured to determine that failure occurs at the vehicle when a state with failure detection continues for a first period, and to determine that the failure is resolved when a state without the failure detection continues for a second period; a notification element configured to notify failure information to an external device when the failure determination element determines that the failure occurs at the vehicle; a repair completion detection element configured to detect completion of repair of the vehicle with respect to the failure; and a short-cut element configured to shorten the second period when the repair completion detection element detects the completion of repair of the vehicle.
US08224519B2
Systems and methods for optimizing the performance of a vehicle under normal operating conditions. A vehicle system adjusts one or more vehicle operating parameters in a closed-loop in response to data received from sensors. A portable vehicle communication interface module is selectively attached to the vehicle without inhibiting normal operation of the vehicle. When connected to the vehicle, the vehicle communication interface module records the adjustments made by the vehicle system in closed-loop operation. These recorded values are then used to update calibration information that the vehicle system uses as default values.
US08224515B2
The present invention has a theme of a mobile body capable of suppressing rapid acceleration along a downward slope at a time of start. The mobile body comprises a driving force generation device which generates a driving force of the mobile body; a power accumulation device capable of supplying a power to the driving force generation device; a fuel cell capable of supplying a power to the driving force generation device; and a control device which controls driving of the driving force generation device. The control device prohibits to start driving the driving force generation device by the power supply of the power accumulation device in a case where the mobile body is positioned on a downward slope when starting the mobile body.
US08224509B2
A system for controlling movements of a vehicle along a guideway includes an array of targets that are mounted on the vehicle, and a series of wayside sensors that are mounted on the guideway. A signal processor monitors the passage of targets past appropriate sensors and uses resultant signals to derive parametric values that are characteristic of the vehicle's movements. The parametric values are then coordinated with a controller for the operation of a linear synchronous motor that propels the vehicle.
US08224508B2
The general field of the invention is that of synthetic vision system SVS type viewing systems, for aircraft, said system comprising at least one navigation database, a cartographic database of a terrain, position sensors, anemometric sensors, sensors for measuring the gradient of said terrain, an electronic computer, a man-machine interface means and a display screen, the computer comprising means of processing the various information obtained from the databases, from the sensors and from the interface means, said processing means arranged so as to provide on the display screen a synthetic image of the terrain comprising a representation of the final destination in the form of an air sock of aeronautical type.
US08224502B2
A method and a device for fault detection in the load path of a spindle actuator which is provided for actuating a high-lift flap of an aircraft, wherein the spindle actuator has a redundant load path which is formed by a spindle and a secondary connection which are connected rotationally fixedly to one another on the driven side and are coupled to the surface to be actuated and which are assigned separate load paths on the drive side, whereof the primary load path contains a primary spindle which is driven by a motor and can be fixed in its rotational movement by a primary brake, and the secondary load path contains the secondary inner connection, which is arranged concentrically in the primary spindle, which can be fixed in its rotational movement by a secondary brake, in which output signals representing the turning position of the spindle are detected and evaluated.
US08224493B2
Various embodiments are described in which different irrigation controllers in an irrigation control system have machine code having a same code base. In one implementation, a first irrigation control unit comprises a processor and a medium storing a first set of machine code to be executed by the processor. The first set is based on a portion of source code on which a second set of machine code stored in a second irrigation control unit is based, and the first and second sets not identical to each other. The first and second irrigation control units are in a predefined hierarchical control relationship. In one variation, the first and second control units have at least related operating systems. In another variation, a central controller includes machine code developed from at least a portion of the same source code as machine code in a remote controller for simulation or execution purposes.
US08224491B2
An HVAC remote control unit for use in an HVAC system is described. In some instances, an HVAC remote control unit may be provided that wirelessly communicates with two or more HVAC controllers and/or other HVAC devices in a zoned HVAC system. When so provided, the remote control unit may be configured to allow a user to select between two or more zones of the zoned HVAC system, and to load one or more of the parameters and/or settings associated with a selected zone via the wireless interface. The remote control unit may be further configured to display at least one of the received parameters and/or settings on a display of the remote control unit, and a user may be allowed to change one or more of the parameters and/or settings that are displayed on the display for a selected zone. The zoned HVAC system may subsequently operate in accordance with the one or more changed parameters and/or settings in the selected zone. In some cases, it is contemplated that the remote control unit may be configured to dynamically change its behavior based on whether a zoned or non-zoned HVAC system is detected. In some instances, most or all functionality of the HVAC remote control unit may be accessible from a single menu level without having to access a sub-menu, but this is not required in all embodiments.
US08224485B2
Presented is a method and apparatus comprising one or more robotic members which are curvaceous or snake-like; having movable shapers through which may pass an articulable column having successive joints formed of alternating ball and socket members. The shapers can be directed up and down the articulable column, to create virtually any radius of curvature, in any direction. The robotic member may also include discrete microelectronic mechanical devices (MEMS) shapers with embedded addressable controllers. Thus the device, with computerized control is capable of negotiating a tortuous path to access the site of a given operation and to retreat along the same path, without injury to the body in which the arm is directed. Once at the work site, the articulating columns, or parts of them, may be put in compression, causing them to become rigid.
US08224483B1
A prescription fill validation system including a pharmacy with an electronic scale and a display unit; a pharmacy server having a database to store information related to a plurality of drugs and programmed to: receive data corresponding to a stock container selected by a user; determine if the stock container selected by the user is the correct stock container to fill the unfilled prescription; compare a weight of a plurality of pills measured at the electronic scale to a standard weight, the standard weight equaling a predicted total weight of the plurality of pills to ensure that a correct number of pills is dispensed; determine if the comparison is within an acceptable range; and generate an automated authorization for the prescription if the stock container selected by the user is the correct stock container to fill the prescription and if the comparison is within the acceptable range.
US08224482B2
An automated pill dispensing system includes an output chute configured to hold pill-containing vials and an optical sensor located at a predetermined location in the output chute. The optical sensor includes an optical emitter and an optical detector configured to be operated cooperatively to output a detection signal indicating a presence or absence of a vial at the predetermined location of the output chute. A controller is coupled to the optical sensor and is configured to receive the detection signal therefrom, detect the presence or absence of the vial at the predetermined location of the output chute in response to the detection signal, and control a next depositing event whereby a next vial is deposited in the output chute responsive to the detection. Related methods of operation are also discussed.
US08224479B2
In a method of sorting mailpieces in a plurality of sorting passes in a sorting machine having accumulation sorting outlets, use is made of a technique for identifying the mailpieces by image signatures derived from the images of the mailpieces. The mailpieces are transferred in trays between two sorting passes. A match between a current fingerprint in the second sorting pass and fingerprints generated in the first sorting pass is searched for in an exploration memory space containing a limited number of fingerprints. The size of this exploration space is optimized by associating the signatures and the trays with designation data indicative of sorting outlets, and with time data delivered by a clock.
US08224478B2
A numerical controller that shortens time required for transferring control of a spindle between control systems. When the spindle control command is included, the command is carried out and information on designation of the spindle, commanded rotational velocity and direction is stored in a case of a velocity control mode, and information on designation of the spindle, commanded rotational position and velocity is stored in a case of a position control mode. When a command to cancel the control of spindle is read, the control of the designated spindle and also the stored information on the control status of the spindle are transferred to the other control system. A command to acquire the control of the spindle is read in a machining program for the other control system, the control of the designated spindle is started by the other control system according to the transferred control status of the spindle.
US08224473B2
An apparatus for monitoring an industrial process comprising a plurality of variables. The apparatus comprises a defining module configured for defining a normal-condition data set may comprise data values of the variables when the industrial process is operating under a normal condition and for defining an abnormal-condition data set may comprise data values of the variables when the industrial process is operating under an abnormal condition; a modelling module configured for modelling a normal-condition model from the normal-condition data set and modelling an abnormal-condition model from the abnormal-condition data set; a plotting module configured for plotting a normal-condition plot from the normal-condition model and plotting an abnormal-condition plot from the abnormal-condition model; and an analysis module configured for analysing live data values of the variables for simultaneous display with the normal-condition plot and the abnormal-condition plot.
US08224471B2
A system, method, and computer program for allocating product structures, comprising the steps of representing a product with at least one product structure; mapping a domain relationship from said at least one product structure; and deriving a fulfilled product structure through said mapping and appropriate means and computer-readable instructions.
US08224463B2
A pacing lead for implantation in a coronary sinus having an opening and a wall defining an interior and presenting a diameter dimension. The pacing lead includes an elongated lead body, a resilient fixation element, and at least one electrode on either the lead body or the fixation element. The fixation element extends from the pacing portion and defines a loop structure laterally adjacent the pacing portion. The loop structure presents a predetermined width dimension greater than the diameter dimension of the coronary sinus, wherein when the loop structure is inserted into the opening of the coronary sinus, the loop structure is laterally compressed by the wall of the coronary sinus and the electrode is biased against the wall of the coronary sinus.
US08224461B2
The embodiments herein relate to an electrode having a porous coating including a fiber mesh, a multi-layer coating, and an outer coating, and a method of making the same. The various electrode coating embodiments include pores in the coating that prevent access by protein or cells while allowing for ion and/or liquid access.
US08224458B2
An implantable medical device, such as a lead or lead extension, includes a body having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion configured to be at least partially received by an apparatus. The device further includes a conductive member at the distal end portion of the body and an electrical contact at the proximal end portion of the body. The electrical contact is electrically coupled to the conductive member and is positioned such that, when received by the apparatus, at least a portion of the apparatus is capable of electrically coupling to the electrical contact. The device further includes a reinforcement member integrated in the body. The reinforcement member: (i) may be located in the body at a location that receives a compressive force when the proximal end portion is received by the apparatus; (ii) may be non-conductive and may be in contact with the electrical contact, and may extend distally within the body from the electrical contact; or (iii) may be located in the body at a location receivable by the apparatus.
US08224457B2
A medical implantable lead has a proximal end and a distal end, and a flexible flat elongate body. The elongate body includes a layer of strip conductors extending along the length of the flat elongate body, a top insulating layer, and a bottom insulating layer. The layer of strip conductors is sealingly enclosed between the top and bottom insulating layers, and at least a major portion of the flat elongate body is twisted into an elongate helical portion having a central cavity extending longitudinally of the helical portion.
US08224455B2
A method and apparatus of treating tissue adjacent a bodily conduit using thermotherapy, while preventing obstructions of the bodily conduit due to edema, includes injection of a drug-encapsulated within a heat-sensitive carrier, such as a liposome, within a region of tissue to be treated. The heat produced by the energy-emitting source heats a portion of the tissue surrounding the bodily conduit to a temperature of approximately 43° C. for a time sufficient to destroy the heated portion of the tissue. In addition, the heat produced by the energy-emitting source activates the heat-sensitive carrier to activate the release of the encapsulated drug and the drug targets the tissue to be heated. The focused energy of the energy-emitting source together with the compression acting on the target area can assist in delivering drugs to the target area so that a natural stent has a long term efficacy.
US08224454B2
The present invention is a method of neural stimulation and more specifically an improved method of providing flexible video/image possessing in a visual prosthesis by providing downloadable video filters. In a visual prosthesis, the input video image will, for the foreseeable future, be higher resolution than the output stimulation of the retina, optic nerve or visual cortex. This is due to limits of electrode array technology and the rapid advancement of video camera technology. It is therefore, advantageous to apply video processing algorithms (filters) to help provide the most useful information to the lower resolution electrode array. Different filters are more effective in different environments and for different subjects. Furthermore, filters will continue to improve over time. Examples of situation dependent filters include reverse image, contrast increasing, edge detection, segmentation using chromatic information and motion detection. Filters loaded in the video processing unit may be selected dynamically to suit the situation or the user's preference. It is therefore advantageous to provide flexibility in applying filters. However, it is also important to maintain the security necessary for a medical device. The present invention provides for an external (not implanted) video processing unit with downloadable video filters.
US08224453B2
A system and method for treating pain without paresthesia by spinal cord stimulation.
US08224449B2
An implantable microstimulator includes an elongate casing, a flap coupled directly to the casing, and electrodes attached to the flap such that the electrodes extend laterally relative to the longitudinal axis of the casing. The electrodes are coupled to active circuitry that is housed within the casing. Due to the lateral arrangement of the electrodes relative to the casing, effective operation of the microstimulator may still occur even after the microstimulator migrates away from the target stimulation site. Since there are not any leads associated with the microstimulator, the entire microstimulator, including the electrodes and the casing, is implanted adjacent to the target stimulation site. The electrodes may be configured for mono-polar or multi-polar stimulation. In one example, the microstimulator includes an insulative coating on the casing and the coating and the flap are contiguous.
US08224446B2
A cardiac electrical stimulation system that enhances the ability of the system to automatically detect whether an electrical stimulus results in heart capture or contraction. The cardiac electrical stimulation system may be utilized, for example, as a cardiac pacer or as a cardioverter defibrillator. The cardiac electrical stimulation system includes an electrical stimulation circuit that attenuates polarization voltages or “afterpotential” which develop at the heart tissue/electrode interface following the delivery of a stimulus to the heart tissue, which thereby allows the stimulation electrodes to be utilized to sense an evoked response to the electrical stimulus. The cardiac electrical stimulation system utilizes the stimulation electrodes to sense an evoked response, thereby eliminating the necessity for an indifferent electrode to sense an evoked response. The present invention allows accurate detection of an evoked response of the heart, to thereby determine whether each electrical stimulus results in capture.
US08224444B2
Apparatus is provided including an electrode device, adapted to be coupled to a site of a subject; and a control unit, adapted to drive the electrode device to apply a current to the site intermittently during alternating “on” and “off” periods, each of the “on” periods having an “on” duration equal to between 1 and 10 seconds, and each of the “off” periods having an “off” duration equal to at least 50% of the “on” duration. Other embodiments are also described.
US08224439B2
An apparatus includes multiple first reservoirs and multiple second reservoirs joined with a substrate. Selected ones of the multiple first reservoirs include a reducing agent, and first reservoir surfaces of selected ones of the multiple first reservoirs are proximate to a first substrate surface. Selected ones of the multiple second reservoirs include an oxidizing agent, and second reservoir surfaces of selected ones of the multiple second reservoirs are proximate to the first substrate surface.
US08224437B2
Systems and methods provide baroreflex activation to treat or reduce pain and/or to cause or enhance sedation or sleep. Methods involve activating the baroreflex system to provide pain reduction, sedation, improved sleep or some combination thereof. Systems include at least one baroreflex activation device, at least one sensor for sensing physiological activity of the patient, and a processor coupled with the baroreflex activation device(s) and the sensor(s) for processing sensed data received from the sensor and for activating the baroreflex activation device. In some embodiments, the system is fully implantable within a patient, such as in an intravascular, extravascular or intramural location.
US08224433B2
A method and system for utilizing neurophysiologic information obtained by techniques such as quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG), electrode recordings, MRI in appropriately matching patients with therapeutic entities is disclosed. The present invention enables utilization of neurophysiologic information, notwithstanding its weak correlation with extant diagnostic schemes for mental disorders, for safer and expeditious treatment for mental disorders, discovering new applications for therapeutic entities, improved testing of candidate therapeutic entities, inferring the presence or absence of a desirable response to a treatment, and deducing the mode of action of one or more therapeutic entities. In particular, methods for effectively comparing neurophysiologic information relative to a reference set are disclosed along with database-based tools for deducing therapeutic entity actions on particular patients such that these tools are readily accessible to remote users.
US08224432B2
An electrophysiology (EP) system includes an interface for operator-interaction with the results of code executing therein. A template model can have channels positioned or repositioned thereupon by the user to define a set-up useful in rapid catheter positioning. Mapping operations can be performed without the requirement for precise catheter location determinations. A map module coordinates EP data associated with each selected channel and its associated position on the template model to provide this result, and can update the resulting map in the event that the channel or location is changed. Messaging and other dynamic features enable synchronized presentation of a myriad of EP data. Additional systems and methods are disclosed herein.
US08224426B2
The present invention uses spectroscopic tissue volume measurements using non-ionizing radiation to detect pre-disease transformations in the tissue, which increase the risk for this disease in mammals. The method comprises illuminating a volume of selected tissue of a mammal with light having wavelengths covering a pre-selected spectral range, detecting light transmitted through, or reflected from, the volume of selected tissue, and obtaining a spectrum of the detected light. The spectrum of detected light is then represented by one or more basis spectral components, an error term, and an associated scalar coefficient for each of the basis spectral components. The associated scalar coefficient is calculated by minimizing the error term. The associated scalar coefficient of the each of the basis spectral components is correlated with a pre-selected property of the selected tissue known to be indicative of susceptibility of the tissue for the pre-selected disease to obtain the susceptibility for the mammal to developing the pre-selected disease.
US08224421B2
A cardiac stimulator has an implantable cardiac lead that carries a temperature sensitive element with a surface thereof in contact with biological matter. The temperature sensitive element emits a temperature signal corresponding to the temperature of biological matter, such as blood, in contact with the surface of the temperature sensitive element. Processing circuitry receives the temperature signal and determines a variability thereof within a selected time interval. A status signal is emitted dependent on this variability.
US08224419B2
In a medical visualization method, wherein: a series of organ slice images are acquired at different points in time by an imaging modality; the acquired organ slice images are stored in an image data memory with information about the series and/or the point in time of the acquisition. A data connection between an input/output device and the image data memory is established and the available series are determined. Series that are specific to the organ are symbolically represented with a display of the availability thereof. The organ slice images associated with a selected series are displayed. An input/output device as well as a computer program product operates according to the method.
US08224418B2
A garment adapted for monitoring a user's heart rate includes material, a transmitter, one or more electrodes, and a power source. The transmitter, electrodes, and power source are integrated with the material. The electrodes and power source are operatively coupled to the transmitter, and the electrodes are responsive to the user's heart rate. The garment is adapted for being worn, washed, and discarded with the electrodes, transmitter, and power source integrated therewith. A method of monitoring heart rate includes integrating a transmitter, electrodes, and power source with a garment, coupling the electrodes operatively to the transmitter, coupling the power source operatively to the transmitter, and adapting the garment for being worn, washed, and discarded with the transmitter, electrodes, and power source integrated therewith.
US08224414B2
The invention relates to a transdermal analyte monitoring system comprising a medium adapted to interface with a biological membrane and to receive an analyte from the biological membrane and an electrode assembly comprising a plurality of electrodes, wherein the medium is adapted to react continuously with the analyte, an electrical signal is detected by the electrode assembly, and the electrical signal correlates to an analyte value. The analyte value may be the flux of the analyte through the biological membrane or the concentration of the analyte in a body fluid of a subject. The medium may comprise a vinyl acetate based hydrogel, an agarose based hydrogel, or a polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG-DA) based hydrogel, for example. The surface region of the electrode may comprise pure platinum. The system may include an interference filter located between the biological membrane and the electrode assembly for reducing interference in the system. The system may comprise a processor programmed to implement an error correction method that corrects for sensor drift.
US08224410B2
An improved diagnostic analyte monitoring device has immovable, rigid sensors connected stationarily to control and measuring means and a flexible surface adhering to the skin and serving for the subcutaneous implantation of the sensors, actuated by means designed for easy handling. Concentration time profiles of endogenous and exogenous analytes measured with the device are used to improve drug treatment modalities on an individualized basis.
US08224407B2
Mobile devices having movable displays and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. A mobile communication device configured in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure, for example, including a first component having a front side and a first periphery edge, and a second component operably coupled to the first component. The second component is rotatably movable about the front side of the first component into at least first, second, and third operating positions. The second component includes a second periphery edge, and the first and second periphery edges remain generally parallel with each other as the second component rotatably moves between the first, second, and third operating positions.
US08224406B2
A portable display device that, in a first configuration, may function as a first type of device, such as a cellular phone and, in a second configuration, as a second type of device, such as a personal computer a split, full size keyboard spanning a display panel. Each keyboard panel may be substantially equal in size to the display panel, and may constitute the left and right hand halves of a standard keyboard. The keyboard panels may be hingably connected to the opposite short sides of the rectangular display panel. The device may further include a numeric keypad, hingably connected to a short edge of either keyboard panel.
US08224398B2
A hands-free telephone conversation apparatus can reduce negative influence of an echo on a sound to be transmitted to a far-end user without deteriorating the sound. When a MPU determines that a mobile phone receives an incoming call, and a user starts to talk on the mobile phone, in accordance with an operation of an input device connected to an in-vehicle bus line, a MPU controls the mobile phone to have the mobile phone output, to the DSP, a sound signal indicative of a sound to be transmitted to the far-end user, and to have a switch select a loudspeaker, installed in an vehicle without being directed to the microphone, as a loudspeaker for outputting a sound received from the far-end user.
US08224384B2
The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer program products for oversubscription of wireless media gateway resources. According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for oversubscription of wireless media gateway resources. The method includes defining at least one per-resource oversubscription factor for wireless media gateway resources required by at least one wireless network connection. The wireless media gateway resources are provisioned for the at least one wireless network connection using the at least one per-resource oversubscription factor. Allocating the wireless media gateway resources to the at least one wireless connection network includes oversubscribing the wireless media gateway resources by an amount based on the at least one per-resource oversubscription factor to increase utilization of the wireless media gateway resources by increasing the number of wireless network connections that the wireless media gateway is capable of serving.
US08224379B2
An integrated device provides functionality of both a PDA and cellular telephone. Features include a power button offering control of both the computing and telephony functions of the device; a lid that turns the device on and off and controls additional telephony functions; a jog rocker that activates the device and is used to select from a variety of menu options; application buttons that offer direct access to applications stored on the device, and which can be configured to operate in conjunction with secondary keys to offer added functionality; a keyboard that enables data input into the device; an automatic word completion function that verifies and corrects a user's typing in real time; and a simplified keyboard navigation system that allows the navigation of menus using keyboard shortcuts.
US08224375B2
A method of conduction transactions at a point-of-sale terminal using a wireless device is disclosed and may include initiating a transaction with the point-of-sale terminal via a wireless link, receiving at least one price from the point-of-sale terminal, determining whether the at least one price satisfies a price warning condition, and transmitting a first audible signal if the at least one price satisfies the price warning condition.
US08224373B2
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, one or more interference over thermal noise (IoT) values may be measured for one or more frequency partitions or a sounding area, or combinations thereof, and a difference between a current IoT value and a previous IoT value may be evaluated. If the difference is greater than or equal to a reset threshold, the current IoT value is broadcast to a mobile station to reset the IoT value. Otherwise an IoT differential value is broadcast to the mobile station to update the IoT with the IoT differential value. The mobile station may then perform open loop power control based on the IoT value for uplink broadcast.
US08224370B2
A method of reducing channel utilization in a vehicle communication network is disclosed. The method includes a step of reducing the transmitting power of messages sent over the vehicle communication network when channel saturation occurs. The method also includes a step of increasing the transmitting period of messages sent over the vehicle communication network when channel saturation occurs. The method further includes steps of modifying the transmitting power and transmitting period of messages according to vehicle speed.
US08224369B2
A disclosed radio communication apparatus includes a precoding unit, a optimum transmit power calculation unit and a transmission unit. The optimum transmit power calculation unit receives the transmit weight related information from the precoding unit and calculates a transmit power level to optimize an objective function in accordance with an interior point method. The objective function results from addition of a barrier function adjusted with a barrier parameter to an original objective function associated with a constrained optimization problem. The original objective function includes a function of respective channel capacities for individual users derived from the transmit weight related information. The optimum transmit power calculation unit adaptively updates a logarithm of the barrier parameter and uses a gradient obtained through a high-order derivative with the logarithm of the barrier parameter to calculate the transmit power level to optimize the resulting objective function.
US08224367B2
Consistent with the disclosed embodiments, a method for evaluating the number of mobile stations in a target group uses a processor to execute instructions to perform the method. The method may initiate a counting event using the processor. In response to the counting event, a counting request message may be transmitted over a first communication channel. The counting request message may comprise a code set. The code set may comprise a plurality of orthogonal codes. In response to the counting request message transmitted, receipt of a first counting response message over a second communication channel may be confirmed. The counting response message may comprise a first code. The first code, consistent with some embodiments, may comprise content corresponding to a portion of the code set. Based in part on confirmation of receipt of the counting response message, the number of mobile stations in the target group may be determined independent of a connection status of each mobile station.
US08224366B2
A system and method enable a wireless device to support simultaneously multiple push-to-talk (PTT) communications and interrupt certain PTT communication with higher priority ones. A user subscribes to multiple PTT communication groups and designates one of the groups as the primary group. The wireless device receives and plays PTT communications from the multiple PTT communication groups and interrupts playing of a PTT communication from a non-primary group if a PTT communication is received from the primary PTT communication group.
US08224365B2
In a wireless communication system where data transmission is performed between a base station and terminals, the base station individually generates, for each terminal, a bit map indicative of scheduling resource numbers to be allocated to terminals to which Localized transmission is applied, based on a resource-number mapping rule defined by providing individual resource block numbers to all resource blocks, taking resource block numbers of resource blocks for Distributed transmission as fixed values, and providing individual scheduling resource numbers to remaining resource blocks for Localized transmission except the resource blocks for Distributed transmission for each of scheduling resources corresponding to the number of aggregation.
US08224364B2
A method of retaining channel use by a secondary system is described. A secondary channel used during periods of normal communication between a secondary transmitter and receiver is split into sub-bands for use during a quiet period containing quiet phases. During the quiet period, while the transmitter communicates with the receiver on one sub-band, the receiver simultaneously senses for incumbent devices on another sub-band, as well as vice-versa. Transmission and sensing do not occur simultaneously on the same sub-band and transmission is limited to only one of the sub-bands. Transmission and sensing are performed by both the transmitter and the receiver on every sub-band over the course of the quiet period. The locations of secondary receivers are determined and employed during scheduling such that devices sufficiently separated from each other transmit during different quiet phases and transmit and sense in sub-bands separated by another sub-band.
US08224362B1
The subject matter of this document can be embodied in, among other things, a computer-method that includes receiving a text message associated with a first telephone number, and establishing a communication session associated with the received text message. The communication session is established by modifying the received text message so that the received text message is associated with a second telephone number that is different from the first telephone number, and subsequent text messages associated with the second telephone number are included as part of the communication session. The method also includes transmitting the text message to a text messaging system, such that the text message appears to have originated from the second telephone number. Upon receiving a text message reply from a user in response to the transmitted text message, the text message reply is associated with the established communication session.
US08224359B2
A device, system, and method are directed towards sending a status of a user in a social network to a recipient. In one embodiment, a status of the user is received over a channel. The channel may include an application protocol. The recipient is selected based on a membership in the social network, a preference of the recipient, or a media format of the status. Another channel is selected based on information about a mode of communication between the recipient and the user and/or another member related to the user in the social network. The status may be modified based on social network information, preferences of a recipient, receiving device information, channel information, or the like. The status is forwarded to the recipient over the other channel. Forwarding may comprise unicasting, multicasting, and/or delaying sending the status until the other channel is available.
US08224352B2
The present invention relates to a method and a system for providing a local private broadcasting service with a mobile terminal. The system for providing a local private broadcasting service with the mobile terminal according to the present invention comprises a broadcasting mobile terminal; a viewing mobile terminal; and a broadcasting relay device which relays a broadcasting content to be streamed down in real time from the broadcasting mobile terminal to the viewing mobile terminal placed in a predetermined broadcasting service area centering on a position of the broadcasting mobile terminal based on a movement of the broadcasting mobile terminal. Thus, the present invention provides a method and a system for providing a local private, broadcasting service through which a mobile terminal user performs a private broadcasting and which has a limited, predetermined broadcasting transmission area based on a position of a broadcasting mobile terminal.
US08224335B2
The present invention relates to communication technology, and in particular, to a method, apparatus and system for supporting distributed IMS charging. The system for supporting distributed IMS charging, comprises: a plurality of nodes, and a index server (101) interconnecting the plurality of nodes, in a network; wherein, a first node (102) sends a charging request to the index server (101), the index server (101) routes the charging request to a second node (103) adapted to charge based on the charging request or returns an address of the second node (103) to the first node (102) and then the first (102) node sends the charging request to the second node (103) with the address from the index server (101); and the second node (103) charges based on the charging request. This invention enables an operator to manage the subscriber's charging location information for distributed charging services in a centralized index server, instead of provisioning the charging locations in each separated IMS charging system. This invention greatly saves the operator's management cost of charging.
US08224328B2
Disclosed is a mobile communication system which includes user equipment, radio base stations which communicate with the user equipment, and an upper level apparatus which communicates with the radio base stations. Each of the radio base stations includes a control unit and an inter-node communication unit. The control unit hands over a communication with user equipment to a hand-over target base station. The control unit prepares a forwarding packet which includes data addressed to the user equipment and is not transmitted and delay value identification information for specifying a delay value of the data that is not transmitted at the time of a hand-over. The inter-node communication unit transmits forwarding packets to a hand-over target base station.
US08224325B2
A resource control method, a relevant device, and a relevant system are disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. The resource control method includes: determining another network suitable for a User Equipment (UE) according to resource information requested by the UE when the UE accesses multiple networks using a same Access Point Name (APN) and sends a resource request in a current network, and notifying information about the determined another network to the UE. By using the technical solutions provided in the embodiment of the present invention, a network-side device can properly control resources.
US08224320B1
Methods and apparatus are provided for dynamically adjusting a search-window size. An active-call state is entered into, and a mobile station is responsively initially operated according to a default-search-window mode. The preferred-signal strength as received at the mobile station, the preferred-signal fading of the mobile station, and the number of sectors in an active set for the mobile station are monitored to: compare the preferred-signal strength to a signal-strength threshold, compare the preferred-signal fading to at least one of a lower-fading threshold and an upper-fading threshold, and determine whether the number of sectors in the active set is exactly one sector or more than one sector. The mobile station is selectively operated in one of the default-search-window mode, a reduced-search-window mode, and an increased-search-window mode in response to the monitored preferred-signal strength, preferred-signal fading, and number of sectors in the active set.
US08224304B2
Methods and systems for disambiguating entries within a contacts listing database of a mobile device detect newly created contact records having a same data element (e.g., a telephone number) and alert the user. Other contact records storing the same data element may be identified. Matching contact records may be grouped and provided a group label so that when a call is received from a member of the group, the mobile device can identify the caller using the group label. Call logs can similarly be disambiguated by informing a user when a call has been made to or received from a number that matches values in data fields of more than one contact record and enabling the user to edit or augment information recorded in the call log to properly reflect the identity of the other party to the call.
US08224296B2
A visual voicemail message may be generated and/or rendered and provided to a mobile device in a format determined based on a characteristic. For example, an identifier of a mobile device may be received. Upon receipt of the mobile device identifier, a characteristic such as a type, a brand, a model, a firmware version, or the like that may indicate a particular format and/or message type capable of being received and/or displayed by the mobile device may be determined. A visual voicemail message may then be generated and/or rendered in the particular format and provided to the mobile device.
US08224292B2
An apparatus and method for sensing a smart card in a dual mode portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of smart card modules including identification information for receiving a specific wireless communications protocol, and at least two communications modules for performing wireless communications according to a connected smart card module among the plurality of smart card modules, wherein any one of the at least two communications modules connected to a smart card module having preset identification information is set as a master device.
US08224284B2
A method and system for providing an emergency contact service are disclosed. The emergency contact system monitors presence off users with respect to various user devices in order to determine at which devices each user is present. An emergency message is then transmitted to devices at which the user is present. The emergency contact service is then capable of receiving a confirmation message to confirm receipt of the emergency message. The emergency contact service can track the users by retrieving location information, such as a GPS location, associated with a device at which a user is present. The emergency contact service can then identify whether a user in is the vicinity of an emergency location, and transmit an emergency message to the user is the user is in the vicinity of the emergency location.
US08224283B2
Methods and apparatus for determining an available FM frequency channel for interfacing with FM modulated output signals from a wireless device are described herein. A SPS receiver, such as a GPS receiver, can determine its position based on conventional techniques. The SPS receiver can determine one or more available FM channels over which audio output may be transmitted. The SPS receiver can use the determined position to access a local data base of available channels. Alternatively, the SPS receiver can use the determined position to access a local database of allocated channels in order to determine one or more available channels. The SPS receiver may display a prompt or message that indicates an FM channel over which output audio is modulated.
US08224279B2
A radio frequency (RF) receiver comprises an analog receiver, a digital processor, and a clock synthesizer. The analog receiver has an input for receiving an RF input signal, and an output for providing a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The digital processor has a first input for receiving the digital IF signal, a second input for receiving a clock signal, a signal output for providing an IF output signal, and a control output for providing a clock control signal. The clock synthesizer has an input for receiving the clock control signal, and an output for providing the clock signal. The digital processor controls a frequency of the clock signal dynamically in response to a channel selection input to reduce interference of sub-harmonics created by the digital processor on the analog receiver.
US08224277B2
An object is to provide a semiconductor device which operates normally even when the communication distance is extremely short, while the maximum communication distance is maintained, and which can make amplitude of a response waveform large even when a large amount of electric power is supplied to the semiconductor device and a protection circuit operates. The object is achieved with a semiconductor device including a first modulation circuit and a second modulation circuit each of which performs load modulation by an input signal, a detection circuit which determines an output signal by electric power supplied externally, a protection circuit which is controlled by the output signal of the detection circuit, and a modulation selecting circuit which switches the first modulation circuit and the second modulation circuit depending on the output signal of the detection circuit.
US08224276B2
A method and circuit for signal processing in a receiver that can be tuned to different carriers, the method determining the energy of the adjacent carriers N+1 and N−1, wherein a carrier N contains a signal of interest and the receiver is tuned to it, from the digital signal, in that the energy value of the carriers N+1 and N−1 determined are compared with a threshold value, and in the case where the threshold value is exceeded, a frequency shift of the signal by +Δf or −Δf is effected in the second method step prior to the filtering, and the frequency shift thus produced is reversed by a frequency shift by −Δf or +Δf prior to the filtering, and the signal is decoded.
US08224271B2
An electronic device (200,300) comprising an antenna arrangement with first and second antenna groups with first (122, 142) and a second (124, 144) radiation elements. The first and second radiation elements in each group have first and second respective polarizations and gain, and said groups also comprise a beam forming network (126, 146) connected to the radiation elements of the group and to an output selector (150). The beam forming network (126, 146) of each antenna group uses the radiation elements (122, 124; 142, 144) in the group to create a radiation pattern (127, 147) with a polarization which is a composite of the first and second polarizations of the elements in the group, so that a first (127) and a second (147) radiation pattern of composite polarization is created. The output selector (150) selects or combines signals received by the two antenna groups as its output.
US08224270B2
Methods, systems, and machine-readable code for optimizing transmit power of a power amplifier using a Vbat monitor are disclosed and may comprise adjusting the gain of gain stages in a transmit path based on a control signal that is a function of a supply voltage signal, among other variables, derived from a supply voltage that may be used to power a transmit path. The supply voltage signal may be received from a power management unit or derived directly from a battery or other supply. The supply voltage signal may be compared to a reference signal, the result of which may be utilized to generate the control signal. The values for the control signals may be determined over a range of supply voltages and stored in a lookup table.
US08224267B2
A radio frequency (RF)-based communication terminal includes a first switching chip, a second switching chip, a comparison module, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a first filter, a power amplifier (PA), a second filter, and a control module. The comparison module compares the power of a radio signal Rx received from a base station with a pre-stored signal and to output a control signal according to the comparison result. The control module controls conductive modes of the first and the second switching chips according to the control signal. In the first conductive mode, a radio signal Tx is sent out from the PA and the second filter. In the second conductive mode, the radio signal Tx is exchanged to send out from the LNA and first filter.
US08224261B2
Method and apparatus for creating a pencil beam using a plurality of small diameter dish antennas. A plurality of small diameter dish antennas are spatially arranged and driven by varying electronic signals in such a way that the plurality of small diameter dish antennas co-operatively produce a pencil beam in the direction of a distant object.
US08224256B2
A wireless field maintenance adapter includes a power source, a controller, a low-power radio-frequency communication module, and a wireless process communication protocol module. The controller is coupled to the power source. The low-power radio-frequency communication module is also coupled to the controller. The wireless process communication protocol module is coupled to the controller. The controller is configured to communicate through the wireless process communication protocol module based on information received from the low-power radio-frequency communication module.
US08224245B2
The IC card is mounted on the read and write device and the first electrostatic induction electrode and second electrostatic induction electrode are formed facing each other. The data signal is outputted from the first transmission and reception circuit to the first electrostatic induction electrode when the data signal is transmitted from the IC card to the read and write device. Then the first electrostatic induction electrode is charged based on the data signal and the electrostatic induction signal of the opposite polarity is induced at the second electrostatic induction electrode. The inverted data signal appears at the second electrostatic induction electrode. The second transmission and reception circuit of the read and write device receives and amplifies the inverted data signal, leading to the non-contact data communication with lower energy consumption and the lower cost.
US08224226B2
A method of increasing productivity in a reproduction apparatus wherein a first print engine and a second print engine are coupled by an inverter and synchronized. Each sheet of a plurality of receiver sheets is selectively printed in an invert mode or a non-invert mode. A difference of a travel time of a first receiver sheet in an invert path through the inverter in the invert mode as compared to a travel time of a second receiver sheet in a non-invert path through the inverter in the non-invert mode is adjusted so that the difference is an integral multiple of a period between the receiver sheets. Frames on a dielectric support member in the appropriate print engine are skipped when switching between invert mode and non-invert mode.
US08224224B2
A cleaning blade for removing fine particles from a cleaning target by contact with the cleaning target, a method of using the cleaning blade, and an image forming apparatus and process cartridge using the cleaning blade. The cleaning blade includes an elastic blade. A leading edge of the elastic blade includes a friction coefficient of 0.5 or less. The cleaning blade also includes a surface layer that covers the leading edge of the elastic blade. A thickness of the surface layer is between 1 to 50 μm at a position 50 μm away from the leading edge, and a hardness of the surface layer is greater hardness than the elastic blade.
US08224223B2
A pressure roller forms a nip for contacting a heating member to pinch and convey a heat recording material. The roller includes a core metal and an elastic layer containing filler. The elastic layer containing the filler includes thermal conductive filler with a length of not less than 0.05 mm and not more than 1 mm with a thermal conductivity λf in the longitudinal direction in a range of λf≧500 W/(m·k), being dispersed in not less than 5 vol % and not more than 40 vol %. The elastic layer containing the filler has a thermal conductivity λy in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to a recording material conveyance direction, of λy≧2.5 W/(m·k) and an ASKER-C hardness of the filler is not more than 60 degrees. A solid rubber elastic layer with a thermal conductivity λ in a thickness direction of not less than 0.16 W/(m·k) and not more than 0.40 W/(m·k) is included.
US08224217B2
A developing unit to develop an image on an image support body and an image forming apparatus employing the same. The developing unit includes a housing to contain a developer having a toner and a carrier, a magnetic cylinder including a catch pole to pick up the developer in the housing and a main pole arranged to face the image support body and to hold the carrier of the developer, a sleeve installed to rotate on the magnetic cylinder and on which a developer layer is formed, a thickness regulating member to regulate a thickness of the developer layer, and a width regulating member to regulate a width of the developer layer on the sleeve.
US08224212B2
A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member and two agitating members. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between the agitating members. The guide has a mountain shape with wide foot portion in a cross sectional shape which is orthogonal to an axial direction of rotating shafts of the agitating members. The agitating members are arranged in such a manner that gaps between respective outermost portions thereof and the inner bottom surface of the housing and the guide become equal to or more than 1.5 mm and less than 3 mm. The agitating members rotate in the same direction respectively as viewing the rotating shafts from a near side in an axial direction. A discharge portion is provided on a downstream side of the developer agitating portion in a developer conveying direction of the first and second agitating members.
US08224208B2
An image forming apparatus is configured to control the timing to switch a development unit by a development rotary after forming an image, based on the size of the image to be formed. Accordingly, if the switching of the development unit is completed within a time period corresponding to a trailing edge margin of an image area, a subsequent color image can be formed without idling an intermediate transfer member, so that the image forming apparatus can suppress or reduce degradation of the throughput.
US08224207B2
A light irradiation element includes a cavity through which light passes and a translucent light conduit bordering the cavity, allowing light to pass therethrough and transmitting the light passed through the cavity, the light irradiation element being disposed along a longitudinal direction of an image bearing body on which an electrostatic latent image is formed and directing the light passed through the light conduit to irradiate the image bearing body.
US08224203B2
A fixing device includes a fixing belt, exercitation coils for induction-heating the fixing belt, power supplies that supply high-frequency power to the excitation coils, an output power detecting circuit that detects output electric energy of the power supplies, a power control circuit that controls the output electric energy of the power supplies, and temperature sensors that detect the temperature of a surface portion of the fixing belt. When electric energy applied to the excitation coils during the power fall reaches minimum power set in advance larger than 0 W, the power control circuit maintains the minimum power while the temperature detected by the temperature sensors is within a predetermined control temperature range and controls output power of the induction heating power supplies to shift from the minimum power to 0 W when the detected temperature deviates from the predetermined control temperature range.
US08224201B2
An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt configured to heat a toner image on a recording material, a heater configured to heat the endless belt, a voltage supplier configured to supply an alternating voltage to the heater, a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the heater, a controller configured to control a ratio of a time during which the voltage is supplied to the heater to a period at which the voltage is supplied to the heater according to the temperature detected by the temperature detector, and a regulator configured to regulate a maximum value of the ratio according to the temperature detected by the temperature detector by varying the voltage supplied to the heater at a predetermined period.
US08224200B2
A color image forming apparatus includes one image bearing member, an image forming unit configured to successively form images with toners in plural different colors on the image bearing member per color, a revolving intermediate transfer member, and a transfer unit configured to successively transfer the images on the image bearing member onto the intermediate transfer member in a superimposed relation in a transfer section. Images are transferred in a superimposed relation by executing control such that, when formation of the next image is not started at a due timing of starting the formation of the next image, a timing at which transfer is started after the formation of the next image and a timing at which a leading end of the previously transferred image reaches the transfer section are matched with each other by temporarily changing the revolving speed of the intermediate transfer member or stopping it.
US08224197B2
An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member driving part that drives a photosensitive member, a counting part that carries out an adding operation when the photosensitive member driving part drives the photosensitive member, and carries out a subtracting operation when the photosensitive member driving part stops the photosensitive member; and a control part that interrupts, when a count value of the counting part becomes equal to or more than a first predetermined value, a printing operation of driving the photosensitive member, forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member, and fixing a toner adhering to the photosensitive member onto a recording sheet, and causes the counting part to start the subtracting operation.
US08224196B2
An image forming apparatus to check an amount of waste toner stored in a waste toner container in stages. The image forming apparatus includes a main body, a waste toner container which is installed in the main body to store waste toner, a light emitting part which emits light to detect an amount of the waste toner stored in the waste toner container, a plurality of light receiving parts which receive the light emitted from the light emitting part, and a light distribution member which distributes the light emitted from the light emitting part to the plurality of light receiving parts. Waste toner detecting regions are respectively defined on light paths between the light distribution member and the plurality of light receiving parts. The waste toner detecting regions are located at different positions along an accumulated direction of the waste toner in the waste toner container. Also, the image forming apparatus has a light path member which extends from the light distribution member such that a first end is connected to the light distribution member and a second end opposes one of the plurality of light receiving parts, thereby additionally determining whether the waste toner container is installed.
US08224195B2
In a method to control a development process and an electrographic process, at least one developer station inks a latent image on a carrier with a toner. The toner is extracted from a mixture of toner and toner particles and wherein first toner is supplied to the mixture. A characteristic value is determined for a status of the mixture from a model calculation in which a toner exchange rate and an operating aging rate are linked. The development process is at least one of monitored, controlled, or regulated depending on the characteristic value. Also in a related method for controlling a development process, a characteristic value is determined for a status of the mixture from a model calculation in which a change of a toner consumption rate for the toner within a time interval during operation of the developer station and a time constant are taken into account. At least one of monitoring, controlling, or regulating the development process depends on the characteristic value.
US08224190B2
Provided is a channel assignment method in a wavelength-division-multiplexed transmission system. The channel assignment method includes obtaining information about signal modulation schemes from a plurality of optical transmitters, and assigning channels to the respective optical transmitters in consideration of the obtained information about the signal modulation schemes. Accordingly, in transmission of channels of different modulation formats, cross phase modulation is minimized, thereby reducing inter-channel interference.
US08224189B1
An apparatus for retro-reflecting electromagnetic energy and a method for producing the same are provided. The apparatus includes a substrate and a plurality of corner mirrors disposed in said substrate. The plurality of corner mirrors may have respective angles of acceptance with respect to the substrate to be operable to retro-reflect the electromagnetic energy within the respective angles of acceptance. The plurality of corner mirrors are arranged to provide a combined angle of acceptance that is greater than any one of the respective angles of acceptance. The apparatus may also include at least one modulator disposed over at least a portion of said plurality of corner mirrors. The modulator is operable to modulate any of said electromagnetic energy received and retro-reflected.
US08224187B2
The main power source unit of an image read-out device supplies power to an laser diode (LD) power supply unit of an electronic cassette through a contact. The LD power supply unit supplies the supplied power to a laser diode (LD), as power used for emitting laser light, and also supplies a portion of the supplied power to an LD power supply unit of the image read-out device through a contact. The power supplied to the LD power supply unit of the image read-out device is supplied as power for emitting laser light to an LD of the image read-out device. When there is a change in the relative position of the casings of the electronic cassette and the image read-out device, the contact and electrical continuation of the contacts breaks and laser light stops being emitted from the LDs.
US08224186B2
A transmission module including an emitter device, a first reflection device, and a second reflection device is disclosed. The emitter device emits a light. The first reflection device reflects the light to generate a first reflected light. The second reflection device reflects the light to generate a second reflected light. The energy of the first reflected light is different from the energy of the second reflected light.
US08224185B2
A USB compatible apparatus for connecting an optical universal serial bus (USB) (or an optical serial bus; OSB) device and an electrical USB device, and a structure of the apparatus are provided. More particularly, a USB compatible apparatus for guaranteeing a connection between an optical USB device for inputting/outputting an optical signal and an electrical USB device for inputting/outputting an electrical signal, for example, signal transmission and reception between an electrical USB device (e.g., an electrical USB memory) and an optical USB device (e.g., a computer) having an optical USB port, and a structure of the USB compatible apparatus (a first exemplary embodiment), and a USB compatible apparatus for guaranteeing signal transmission and reception between an optical USB device (e.g., an optical USB memory) and an electrical USB device (e.g., a portable telephone) having an electrical USB port, and a structure of the USB compatible apparatus (a second exemplary embodiment) are provided.
US08224182B2
Reduction in power consumption at low costs is realized by a system with apparatuses connected with each other.A switch device comprises transmission/reception unit each connected to each of apparatuses through a communication cable for transmitting/receiving a signal to/from each apparatus, and a connection switching unit for switching connection between the apparatuses by switching connection between the transmission/reception unit. Further provided are a reception state monitoring unit for monitoring a signal reception state of the transmission/reception unit, and a transmission stopping unit for executing signal transmission stopping processing according to a monitoring result obtained by the reception state monitoring unit with respect to other transmission/reception unit to which connected through that communication cable is other apparatus having a connection relationship with the apparatus to which the transmission/reception unit is connected through the communication cable.
US08224180B2
A method is provided for protection switching in an optical network. The method may include: (i) establishing a baseline power level for a channel and a threshold value for the channel approximately equal to a predetermined threshold value; (ii) receiving a signal associated with the channel via each of a first path of the optical network and a second path of the optical network; (iii) monitoring a power intensity of the signal received via the first path; (iv) determining an average power intensity of the signal received via the first path based on the monitored power intensity; (v) modifying at least one of the baseline power level and the threshold value in response to a determination that the average power intensity exceeds the baseline power level; and (vi) protection switching from the signal received via the first path to the signal received via the second path in response to a determination that the baseline power level exceeds the power intensity of the signal received via the first path by the threshold.
US08224175B2
A photographic apparatus having ring light module includes a camera, a support base and a plurality of light units. The camera has a lens having an optical axis. The support base is connected to the camera and surrounds the lens. The support base includes an outer peripheral wall, an inner peripheral wall, and a bottom wall connected the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall. The bottom wall and the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall cooperatively define an accommodating groove. The angle between the bottom wall and the inner peripheral wall is an acute angle. The light units are arranged in the accommodating groove and fixed on the bottom wall and emit light beams in an oblique direction with respect to the optical axis.
US08224166B2
A liquid heating bag 50 is proposed, in particular, a blood heating bag, with a flow volume 1 that is formed from at least two flexible plastic foils connected to each other by welding at four delimiting edges 3,4,5,6, has a flat, substantially trapezoidal basic shape that is limited by the delimiting edges 3,4,5,6, and an inlet line opening 10 and an outlet line opening 11 for a liquid to be heated that are disposed at an upper delimiting edge 3 of the delimiting edges 3,4,5,6 to be disposed at the top during liquid heating, wherein the upper delimiting edge 3 extends sufficiently obliquely with respect to its adjacent delimiting edges 4,6 that a gas reception volume 8 is formed in the region of an acute angle of the flow volume 1 subtended between the upper delimiting edge 3 and a delimiting edge 6 adjacent thereto, and a liquid flow guiding seam 13 that is formed by connecting the plastic foils in the region of the flow volume 1 and divides the upper delimiting edge 3 into a lower inlet line opening region and an upper outlet line opening region on the gas reception volume side. A degassing opening 23 is disposed at the upper delimiting edge 3 in the region of the gas reception volume 8 between the outlet line opening 11 and the delimiting edge 6 adjacent to the outlet line opening region.
US08224159B2
A data accessing and reproducing apparatus and method that permits a user to selected desired video clips and perform editing on the clips such that the time needed to display a thumbnail representation is minimized. In an edit mode, thumbnail pictures are arranged and displayed in the order of which edit results are reproduced. These thumbnails may be, for example, a lower resolution, proxy representation of the audio or video data. When data of thumbnail pictures are read from a disc, the data are read in the order of which they have been recorded. The order of which thumbnail pictures are displayed on the screen is different from the order of which they are arranged on the screen, and thus, the seek time for the disc becomes the shortest. Thus, the thumbnail pictures can be displayed at high speed.
US08224158B2
In accordance with one or more embodiments, a method for setting a playback environment for an ENAV recording medium comprises determining availability of additional contents associated with audio/video (A/V) data recorded on the ENAV recording medium, based on data recorded on the ENAV recording medium; loading the additional contents in a temporary storage area; and reproducing the A/V data and the additional contents loaded in the temporary storage area according to the data.
US08224155B2
The present invention relates to a playback apparatus, playback method, a storage apparatus, a storage method, a program, a storage medium, a data structure, and a method of producing a storage medium, capable of controlling non-normal playback operations. In a state in which PlayItem_random_access_flag is set to 0 for PlayItem(1) and PlayItem(3) and an Entry Mark is defined in PLayItem(2) for which PlayItem_random_access_flag is set to 1, if a user operation occurs to request a jump to the Entry Mark in PlayItem(2) when a Clip AV stream pointed to by PlayItem(1) is being played back, the playback position jumps not to the Entry Mark in PlayItem(2) but to the beginning of a Clip AV stream pointed to by PlayItem(2). The present invention is applicable to a playback apparatus and a storage apparatus.
US08224152B2
Apparatus and method for reproducing texts in a digital video device, are discussed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method includes automatically selecting a text conversion table for the digital video device, and reproducing text data stored on a recording medium using the selected text conversion table.
US08224150B2
The present invention provides a recording/reproduction apparatus which can record AV data at a variable rate as well as so as to enable trick plays. This recording/reproduction apparatus reads data from an HDD 8 and carries out a recording/reproduction process for the read data, and it comprises a reproduction means 10 for reading first MPEG data from the HDD 8, an analysis means 30 for obtaining positional information indicating positions of previous and subsequent GOPs of a GOP in the first MPEG data on the basis of the read first MPEG data, a navigation information addition means 6 for adding the positional information in a determined position of the first MPEG data to generate second MPEG data, and a recording means 7 for recording the second MPEG data on an optical disk 9.
US08224145B2
A method for configuring an enclosure used in a communications network is described. The method may include providing a group of pigtails. The method may further include routing the group of pigtails circumferentially around a subscriber termination field, where the group of pigtails is associated with an optical splitter module used to convey optical signals to a destination, and where the routing is performed in a manner that does not substantially obstruct access to at least one of a group of subscriber terminations that are associated with the subscriber termination field.
US08224139B2
Consistent with the present disclosure a compact, integrated tunable filter is provided that can adjust the power levels of optical signals output from an optical amplifier, for example, so that the amplifier has a uniform spectral gain. The tunable optical filter includes a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) having cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers, each of which having corresponding differential optical delays. At least one of the differential optical delays is different than the rest. Alternatively, the differential optical delays are different from one another. Each of the Mach-Zehnder interferometers is connected to one another by a tunable optical coupler. Such a filter has an improved frequency response in that the number of shapes that the transmission spectrum may have is increased. Accordingly, the optical filter may be more finely tuned to more effectively flatten, for example, the output of the optical amplifier. In addition, since the tunable optical filter is realized with a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) component, manufacturing costs can be reduced, and a more compact device can be obtained.
US08224138B2
A dental laser radiation chip includes an optical fiber including a fiber center section having a core and a clad and also including a jacket for covering the fiber center section. The dental laser radiation chip radiates a laser light having a wavelength of around 3 μm. A tip section of the dental laser radiation chip has a shape of frustum tapering forward in an axial direction. The shape of frustum includes a tip face from which forward laser light is to be radiated forward in the axial direction and an inclining side face from which side laser light is to be radiated in a radial direction with respect to the axial direction. The tip face is mirror-surface-finished to have a surface roughness of 0.008 μm. The inclining side face is rough-surface-finished to have a surface roughness of 0.4 μm.
US08224132B2
The invention relates to a device, system, and method for optimizing and altering electromagnetic frequency using Doppler shifts of electromagnetic radiation, and, in particular, optimizing frequency for application to photovoltaic devices and the like. The device comprises a crystal positioned in a channel undergoing a vibration, wherein an interaction between an incoming electromagnetic radiation and the vibration of the crystal optimizes a frequency of electromagnetic radiation. Also, a method comprising providing a channel, at least two parallel walls having an reflective surface; separating an incoming electromagnetic radiation into component frequencies; vibrating at least two parallel walls, wherein parallel walls contain at least one crystal capable of vibration; directing incoming electromagnetic radiation toward at least two parallel walls, wherein contact between incoming electromagnetic radiation and vibration of at least one crystal alters a frequency of electromagnetic radiation toward said optimal frequency.
US08224130B2
A system for generating digital image media volumes includes a digital image terminal for receiving, processing, and transmitting digital image data, and being adapted for processing the digital image data into one or more discrete DICOM-standard data objects. The system further includes a media volume production facility remotely located from the digital image terminal, and communicatively coupled to the digital image terminal via a server-operated computer network.
US08224118B2
Disclosed are a device and a method for displaying a private image on a public display device. Image sequence pattern is generated for the private image and the corresponding masking image. The masking image is made from the dynamic inverse image of the private image, based on the refresh rate of the display device and the image sequence pattern. The masking image can screen the private image more effectively. The private image and the masking image is displayed on the display device according to the image sequence pattern.
US08224108B2
A method of processing a digital image using face detection within the image achieves one or more desired image processing parameters. A group of pixels is identified that correspond to an image of a face within the digital image. Default values are determined of one or more parameters of at least some portion of the digital image. Values are adjusted of the one or more parameters within the digitally-detected image based upon an analysis of the digital image including the image of the face and the default values.
US08224107B2
A system renders a primitive of an image to be displayed, for instance in a mobile 3D graphic pipeline, the primitive including a set of pixels. The system locates the pixels in the area of the primitive, generates, for each pixel located in the area, a set of associated sub-pixels, borrows a set of sub-pixels from neighboring pixels, subjects the set of associated sub-pixels and the borrowed set of pixels to adaptive filtering to create an adaptively filtered set of sub-pixels, and further filters the adaptively filtered set of sub-pixels to compute a final pixel for display. Preferably, the set of associated sub-pixels fulfills at least one of the following: the set includes two associated sub-pixels and the set includes associated sub-pixels placed on pixel edges.
US08224095B2
A document matching process section retrieves a similar image on a basis of the result of a first comparison process for comparing features of a matching key image of first resolution that are stored in a features storage section with features of a matching reference image and the result of a second comparison process for extracting features from a matching key image of second resolution that is stored in an image data storage section and comparing the extracted features with features of the matching reference image that are stored in the features storage section. This allows accurately retrieving a matching reference image similar to the matching key image, even when the matching key image is a zoomed image, an N-up image, or an image of low resolution.
US08224094B2
A method and system for side detection of an undetailed 3D ear impression is disclosed. In order to determine whether a received 3D undetailed ear impression is a left or right ear impression, a local coordinate system of the 3D undetailed ear is defined based on side independent features of the 3D undetailed ear impression. A skeleton (or center spline) of the 3D undetailed ear impression is detected, and it is determined whether the 3D undetailed ear impression is a left or right ear impression based on the skeleton and the local coordinate system.
US08224090B2
According to an aspect of an embodiment, an apparatus for analyzing and determining correlation of information contained in a given form containing blocks, at least one of the blocks containing data indicative of a header, the rest of the blocks containing data in association with header information, comprising: a memory for storing templates having nodes, character data associated with said nodes respectively, and relative position information between said nodes; and a processor for analyzing and determining correlation of the information according to a process comprising: obtaining data contained in said blocks in the given form, determining relative position of said blocks to produce relative position information, analyzing the data obtained from the blocks and the relative position information of the blocks in comparison with the character data and the relative position information of said nodes of said templates, and determining correlation of the data contained in said blocks.
US08224083B2
For a read image having reflection of a light source, which occurs when a document is read, the reflection of the light source of the read image is corrected by the steps of: selecting an RGB color component having minimum average values of each RGB color component of a read image among RGB color components of an read image having reflection of a light source that occurs when a document is read; calculating the amount of change of luminance values of pixels of the read image derived from the reflection, from the values of pixels of the color components selected in the read image; and correcting the reflection of the light source in the read image by correcting the luminance values of pixels of the read image using the calculated amount of the change of the luminance values of the pixels.
US08224079B2
A digital image of the object is captured and the object is recognized from plurality of objects in a database. An information address corresponding to the object is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object.
US08224073B2
A method and system for processing image data provides associated background metadata in a searchable format and reduces file size. MRC techniques are used to process input image data. It is known that the image data may be segmented to generate a background layer representing background attributes of the input image data. A background color value of the background layer is detected, and background metadata representing the color value is generated. The background metadata is associated with the image data (e.g., as a separate file, in the image header, etc.), thereby making the background metadata searchable and reducing the file size of the image data to be stored.
US08224065B2
The present disclosure describes a system and method for transforming a two-dimensional image of an object into a three-dimensional representation, or model, that recreates the three-dimensional contour of the object. In one example, three pairs of symmetric points establish an initial relationship between the original image and a virtual image, then additional pairs of symmetric points in the original image are reconstructed. In each pair, a visible point and an occluded point are mapped into 3-space with a single free variable characterizing the mapping for all pairs. A value for the free variable is then selected to maximize compactness of the model, where compactness is defined as a function of the model's volume and its surface area. “Noise” correction derives from enforcing symmetry and selecting best-fitting polyhedra for the model. Alternative embodiments extend this to additional polyhedra, add image segmentation, use perspective, and generalize to asymmetric polyhedra and non-polyhedral objects.
US08224063B2
An inspection apparatus and method for precisely detect an amount of misalignment of a component mounted on a panel through an adhesive which contains conductive particles. The inspection apparatus detects an amount of misalignment, from a predetermined mounting position, of a component mounted on a surface of a panel through an ACF, and includes: a visible light camera which captures an image of a panel recognition mark formed on the panel and a component recognition mark formed on the component; an obtaining unit which obtains, from the image captured by the camera, positions of feature points of the respective recognition marks; and a calculation unit which calculates an amount of misalignment of the feature point of the component recognition mark in the image captured by the camera from a predetermined position that is determined using the position of the feature point of the panel recognition mark as a reference.
US08224059B2
The method is for intracellular counting and segmentation of viral particles in an image. An image is provided that has a plurality of items therein. A radius range of viral particles is determined. Round items in the image having a radius within the predetermined radius range are identified. Elliptical items that are formable from the predetermined radius range are determined. The round and elliptical items identified into groups are sorted. The viral particles among the round and elliptical items are identified. For example, the method may be used for intracellular counting and segmentation of siRNA treated human cytomegaloviral particles in TEM images.
US08224058B2
A measurement apparatus for enumeration of particles or white blood cells in a sample comprises: a holder, which is arranged to receive a sample acquiring device that holds a sample, an imaging system, comprising a magnifying means and at least one digital image acquiring means, said imaging system being arranged to acquire at least one digital image of the sample, and an image analyser, which is arranged to analyse the digital image for identifying particles or white blood cells and determining the number of particles or white blood cells and which is arranged to analyse the digital image for identifying particles or white blood cells that are imaged in focus, determining types of these particles or white blood cells, the types being distinguished by physical features and determining the ratio of different types of particles or white blood cells.
US08224055B2
A reference image is used to calibrate a subsequent image, such as one obtained during therapy. A number of local histograms are prepared for each image, a transformation is identified that transforms the histograms to be substantially the same and is applied to voxels in the subsequent image. Changes between the reference and subsequent images such as the movement of internal structures will be preserved since the method compares local histograms and this corrects intensities, not shapes. Gently varying artifacts such as the cup artifact will be substantially eliminated. The volume image thus derived can then be used for treatment planning.
US08224051B2
A method for detecting a linear structure in a digital mammographic image, using a processor or computer at least in part, locates at least one microcalcification candidate cluster in the image data and extracts a first region of interest that encloses the at least one microcalcification candidate cluster. The first region of interest is processed to identify feature points that correspond to geometric structures in the first region of interest. A linear detection algorithm is applied by a repeated process that selects a line model from a predefined set of line models and analyzes the line model to determine whether a linear structure is present in the first region of interest.
US08224050B2
A method for creating or calculating panoramic images of the eye fundus particularly from images of a fundus camera. In the method a pre-positioning process is carried out in which a first variable is determined for geometrically associating the images with each other. An anchor image is determined as a reference for the first variables for the geometric association; areas that are associated with each other are determined in the anchor image and the other images by a block-matching algorithm; transformation parameters for a geometric transformation between the anchor image and the other images are determined from the mutual position of the associated areas; and the other images are transformed onto the anchor image by transformation parameters and are superimposed onto the anchor image and among each other.
US08224039B2
A technique for determining a characteristic of a face or certain other object within a scene captured in a digital image including acquiring an image and applying a linear texture model that is constructed based on a training data set and that includes a class of objects including a first subset of model components that exhibit a dependency on directional lighting variations and a second subset of model components which are independent of directional lighting variations. A fit of the model to the face or certain other object is obtained including adjusting one or more individual values of one or more of the model components of the linear texture model. Based on the obtained fit of the model to the face or certain other object in the scene, a characteristic of the face or certain other object is determined.
US08224037B2
A method for face model fitting comprising, receiving a first observed image, receiving a second observed image, and fitting an active appearance model of a third image to the second observed image and the first observed image with an algorithm that includes a first function of a mean-square-error between a warped image of the second observed image and a synthesis of the active appearance model and a second function of a mean-square-error between the warped image of the second observed image and an appearance data of the first observed image.
US08224030B2
The present invention provides a position measuring instrument, comprising a GPS position detecting device 7, an image pickup device 9 for continuously taking a digital image, a laser distance measuring device 8, and a measuring instrument main unit 2, wherein the GPS position detecting device measures positional data at a first point and a second point, the image pickup device continuously takes digital images on sceneries in surroundings during a process where the image pickup device moves from the first point, which is a known point, via the second point to a third point, which is an unknown point, the laser distance measuring device measures a distance to the object of image pickup in parallel to the image pickup by the image pickup device, and the measuring instrument main unit generates tracking point from the image obtained at the first point, sequentially identifies the tracking points from the tracing of points generated on the images to be acquired continuously, calculates three-dimensional positional data of the tracking points of the images acquired at the first point and the images acquired at the second point from the positional data at the first point and the second point, compares the result of calculation with the result of distance measurement by the laser distance measuring device, adopts the result of calculation within a predetermined limit of errors with respect to the measurement results as positional data of the tracking point, and calculates positional data of the third point from the positional data of the tracking point.
US08224029B2
A camera system comprises an image capturing device, object detection module, object tracking module, and match classifier. The object detection module receives image data and detects objects appearing in one or more of the images. The object tracking module temporally associates instances of a first object detected in a first group of the images. The first object has a first signature representing features of the first object. The match classifier matches object instances by analyzing data derived from the first signature of the first object and a second signature of a second object detected in a second image. The second signature represents features of the second object derived from the second image. The match classifier determine whether the second signature matches the first signature. A training process automatically configures the match classifier using a set of possible object features.
US08224028B1
A method for analyzing queues using video analytics is provided. The method includes receiving a video comprising a plurality of images of a scene. The scene includes a queue region and an operation region. The method also includes processing at least a first image of the plurality of images to determine an occurrence of a first event associated with the operation region, and processing at least a second image of the plurality of images to determine an occurrence of a second event associated with the operation region. The method further includes determining an operation time based on an amount of time between the first event and the second event, processing at least a third image of the plurality of images to determine a quantity of entities in the queue region, and determining a wait time based on the operation time and the quantity of entities in the queue region.
US08224025B2
Tracking a group of motion capture markers in a sequence of frames, comprising: establishing a group relationship among a plurality of motion capture markers in a current frame; and labeling the plurality of motion capture markers in the current frame using the group relationship.
US08224017B2
A method of processing images, including: training an image classifier to obtain a trained classifier, the training including: forming multiple prediction error sets from neighboring samples of a set of known images, a prediction error for each pixel of the error sets being formed by subtracting a predicted pixel value from an original value; thresholding the formed prediction error sets; and training the image classifier using the thresholded prediction error sets.
US08224014B2
A loudspeaker mounting assembly includes a frame, a sleeve, and a tilt-angle adjustment mechanism. The frame may include an outer frame, an inner frame rotatable about a frame axis relative to the outer frame, and a frame wall extending away from a rear side. The sleeve is coupled to the inner frame at a pivot axis and is tiltable to a plurality of tilt angles relative to the inner frame. The tilt-angle adjustment mechanism is engageable with the sleeve to enable selection of a desired tilt angle. A loudspeaker may be mounted to the sleeve such that the loudspeaker may be swiveled about the frame axis and tilted about the pivot axis.
US08224009B2
An audio system including an audio power amplifier, a transducer electrically connected to the audio power amplifier, an enclosure coupled to the transducer, and a secondary resonant element coupled to the enclosure. An electrical feedback signal representative of the transducer current is negatively fed back to the audio power amplifier to synthesize a positive output impedance.
US08224008B2
A hearing apparatus includes a charging contact being movable relative to an accumulator and being electrically conductively connected to the accumulator in a first position and less effectively conductively connected thereto in a second position. A spring-elastic element engages with the charging contact in order to push the charging contact into the second position with a predetermined force, so that the charging contact can only be pushed into the first position by overcoming the predetermined force. As a result, the charging contact configuration obtains a switching function, so that electro-corrosion on the charging contacts can be prevented. Therefore, charging an accumulator of a hearing apparatus and in particular of a hearing device using a direct conductive contact is possible, with zero potential of the charging contacts which are accessible from the outside being ensured during normal operation of the hearing apparatus.
US08223999B2
A system and method for speaker configuration in an audio and video housing, wherein the audio and video housing may be supported by stands located on top of a gas pump. The audio and video housing may have an audio and video source, at least one video display, and circuitry to drive the pair of speakers. The speakers may have a covering to provide protection from moisture and foreign particles. The speakers may be positioned to output sound downward directed towards the top of a gas pump. The sound may then be redirected to a first and second listening area.
US08223996B2
A compact moving armature receiver where the diaphragm element is positioned in the air gap of the magnet assembly and where a suspension element is provided for defining the front chamber, the suspension element has a stiffness of at the most 500 N/m. The suspension element and the diaphragm element may be made from the same sheet of a foil, and the suspension element may be formed by bent or curved peripheral parts of the foil.
US08223990B1
This specification describes technologies relating to editing digital audio data. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of receiving an audio signal including audio data in multiple channels; identifying noise in the audio signal including identifying panning information for the audio data in the signal at each of multiple frequency bands; and attenuating the audio data at one or more frequency bands to generate an edited audio signal when the panning exceeds a specified threshold for each of the one or more frequency bands. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
US08223982B2
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for detecting a change in the performance of an audio signal processing path is disclosed. The method comprises: selecting a characteristic of a received audio signal indicative of its energy content; determining first and second predetermined values of the selected energy characteristic at respective first and second audio signal frequency bands; calculating a ratio of the first and second predetermined values for a reference time period and a test time period; and comparing the ratio at the reference time period with the ratio of the test time period to determine a performance change in the audio path.
US08223969B2
A method for secure communications. At least one encryption key can be generated based on a pass-phrase that associates a unique identifier of a client system with a customer. Customer data encrypted with the at least one encryption key can be received such that the customer data is uniquely associated with both the client system and with the customer. The client system cannot decrypt the customer data if the unique identifier of the client system is changed. The client system cannot decrypt the customer data if the customer is changed.
US08223955B2
A method and apparatus turns a typical home telephone system into a platform for delivery of web based content and services. The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a broadband enabled telephone system for the home and a series of web servers that collect, package, and deliver personalized content and services to all of the telephone handsets throughout the home. With this end-to-end solution, any information or services available via the web can be delivered through a broadband enabled telephone system. Through the web, each member of a family can build a profile which defines what information and services they want available through the handset. In addition, each handset can be dynamically personalized for any family member. The color screens on the handsets become windows through which an individual can view and interact with a broad range of content and services. The audio channels thus become an extension of the voice based services, such as messaging and voice chat.
US08223953B2
Directing customer service calls based upon one or more rules incorporating customer information, network status information, service status information, or various combinations thereof. An incoming service call, and a customer identifier for the incoming service call are received. The customer identifier is used to obtain customer information. Network status information is obtained, or service status information is obtained, or network status information and service status information are obtained. One or more rules are retrieved. The one or more retrieved rules are applied to at least one of the obtained network status information or the obtained service status information to automatically direct the incoming call to a help desk agent selected from a plurality of help desk agents.
US08223945B2
A communication system allows a receiving party to request additional time to accept a communication. A telecommunications device of a receiving party detects when the receiving party has indicated a desire for an extended period of time in which to accept an incoming communication. A message is sent to a network communications processor that indicates the receiving party has requested additional time to accept. The network communications processor then processes the communication by resetting or extending a communications availability period associated with the incoming communication.
US08223944B2
Systems and methods are described for improving connection to and management of conference calls. An inference/rules engine and human backed speech interpretation subsystem enable the system to efficiently use knowledge about the call to identify the caller and determine to which conference he or she should be connected. During the conference, a virtual assistant is available to interpret and execute system commands spoken by a caller, such as in a side conference accessed via DTMF tones.
US08223940B2
A communications device capable of communicating via any one of a number of communication modes comprises a mode comparator configured to determine which of the available modes is likely to be most appropriate for selection when initiating communication with a destination call party based at least in part on availability status data representative of a state of availability of the destination call party. The device displays the mode as a suggestion for selection by the user together with an ordered list of available communication modes for use in contacting a particular party, the list being ordered according to the likelihood of communication being successful. The call history for each mode in reaching the party is analyzed and a score calculated for each mode, the scores being relatively weighted according to a set of weighting factors arrived at from considering the current state of availability of the party, for example using presence information, and the inherent intrusiveness of each communication mode from the point of view of the called party.
US08223938B2
A method, system, and computer program product for providing caller identification services to an Internet Protocol-enabled device are provided. The method includes receiving a communication request from a caller device over a voice network, the communication request including a caller party number, mapping a called party number to an Internet Protocol-enabled device address of a called party, and sending the caller party number to the Internet Protocol-enabled device address corresponding to the called party number.
US08223933B2
A line interface unit in which a circuit to detect a calling line and a ring signal includes a connecting unit connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to individually detect the calling line and the ring signal and to commonly use an insulating circuit electrically insulated from PSTN. A circuit to detect the calling line and the ring signal is simply implemented so that economical burden can be reduced.
US08223931B1
Embodiments of the invention provide a system for enhancing user interaction with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) destinations, the system comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising: data encoding a database, the database comprising a list of telephone numbers associated with one or more destinations implementing an IVR; instructions executable by the processor for automatically communicating with at least one user; and instructions executable by the processor to pull at least one menu from the database and display the menu to the at least one user, wherein the menu is associated with a telephone number dialed by the at least one user, and wherein the menu comprises at least one icon.
US08223928B2
A tone signal received in a telecommunications network is bandpass filtered based on an identified type of the received tone signal, providing a bandpass filtered tone signal. The tone signal is also bandstop filtered based on the identified type of the received tone signal, providing a bandstop filtered tone signal. The bandpass filtered tone signal and the bandstop filtered tone signal are analysed and the received tone signal is quantified based on the analysis result.
US08223919B2
The present specification discloses an X-ray scanning system with a non-rotating X-ray scanner that generates scanning data defining a tomographic X-ray image of the object and a processor executing programmatic instructions where the executing processor analyzes the scanning data to extract at least one parameter of the tomographic X-ray image and where the processor is configured to determine if the object comprises a liquid, sharp object, narcotic, currency, nuclear materials, cigarettes or fire-arms.
US08223917B2
A method for controlling a hazardous element in an encapsulating resin of a resin encapsulation semiconductor device includes subjecting the device to qualitative analysis with a fluorescent X-ray analyzer to judge whether the hazardous element is contained in the encapsulating resin, aligning a plurality of devices with each of upper and lower surfaces of the devices brought into a plane, setting the surfaces of the devices to cover a full X-ray irradiation plane and subjecting the devices to quantitative analysis with the fluorescent X-ray analyzer to obtain an analytical value of the hazardous element in the encapsulating resin for upper and lower surfaces of the devices, and judging whether the analytical value of the hazardous element which is less influenced by a coexistent element of the analytical values for the upper and lower surfaces of the devices exceeds a threshold value.
US08223914B2
A spent fuel storage rack 1 according to the present invention is installed in a fuel storage pool of a nuclear facility, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape forming a plurality of lattice-like cells 2a that are configured to separately accommodate a plurality of fuel assemblies in a matrix of rows and columns. As shown in FIG. 1, the spent fuel storage rack 1 includes: a base 17 configured to support lower parts of fuel assemblies, the base 17 forming a bottom surface of the spent fuel storage rack 1; an outer frame 3 located above the base 17, the outer frame 3 forming an outermost periphery of the spent fuel storage rack 1; and a lattice body 2 disposed inside the outer frame 3, the lattice body 2 forming the lattice-like cells 2a. The lattice body 2 includes: a main lattice 4 having a height equivalent to an active length of the fuel assembly; an upper lattice 5 disposed above the main lattice 4 so as to be fitted to an upper end of the main lattice 4; and a lower lattice 6 disposed between the base 17 and the main lattice 4 so as to be fitted to a lower end of the main lattice 4. Thus, the main lattice 4 can be formed without welding, whereby the main lattice 4 can be made of a boron-added stainless steel to which a sufficient amount of boron is added to absorb neutrons.
US08223913B2
A method for measuring high-energy radiation includes applying a voltage pulse to electrodes in an ion chamber filled with a gas capable of forming charged ions by the high-energy radiation; measuring an ion current signal related to ion currents induced by the voltage pulse; and determining a magnitude of the high-energy radiation based on the ion current signal.
US08223911B2
The present invention relates to a phase detector circuit (10) having an RF distribution device (20) which is intended to receive two sinusoidal high-frequency signals (RF, LO) with an input phase difference (φRF(t)−φLO(t)) and comprises two power splitters (21, 22) in order to split the two high-frequency signals (RF, LO) into two respective parts, a self-calibrating phase detector module (30) which is configured to receive one respective part of the two high-frequency signals which have been split, a low-noise phase detector module (40) which is configured to receive the respective other part of the high-frequency signals which have been split, and a complementary filter device (50) which is configured to receive the output signals from the self-calibrating phase detector module (30) and the low-noise phase detector module (40) and to output a signal which indicates the time-dependent input phase difference between the two high-frequency signals (RF, LO).
US08223907B2
A method for deriving interference signals from modulated, digital signals is provided. The receiver end reconstructs the modulated digital signals sent by a transmitter. These reconstructed modulated digital signals are then subtracted from the received modulated digital signals, and the result of the subtraction is used to estimate the interference signals without influence by prior filtering at the receiver end. By way of example, it is possible to demodulate the interference signals estimated at the receiver end in order to ascertain possible unauthorized carrier frequencies which disturb the regular carrier frequencies, even if the interference signals are not completely in the bandwidth of the regular carrier frequency or carrier frequencies.
US08223899B2
Methods and apparatus for initial acquisition gain control in a communication system a method for use in a wireless communication system are disclosed. A disclosed methodology includes measuring the power of a signal received by a transceiver a number of times over a prescribed time period, the signal including a number of symbols. A gain of the transceiver is unidirectionally adjusted when a currently measured power is greater than a previously measured power during the prescribed time period until a maximal power level is measured. By adjusting the gain to accommodate a maximal power value, which is the same as the power level of an acquisition pilot symbol, overshoot and distortion by the transceiver are avoided during initial timing and frequency acquisition. Corresponding apparatus are also disclosed.
US08223888B2
A method and device is provided for the detection of data symbols contained in a received radio signal, whereby each data symbol is allocated transmit-side a symbol value-specific PN sequence of successive PN chips in the chip clock and the PN sequences allocated to the data symbols are offset QPSK modulated. The method of the invention for incoherent detection provides for converting the received radio signal into a complex baseband signal sampled in the chip clock, generating a demodulated signal by differential demodulation of the complex baseband signal sampled in the chip clock, providing the derived sequences, calculating correlation results by correlating the demodulated signal with the derived sequences, and deriving, i.e., detecting, the values of the data symbols by evaluating the correlation results. In this case, each derived sequence is assigned to a PN sequence allocable transmit-side and includes derived chips, whose values in each case correspond to a logic linking of particular PN chips of the PN sequence allocable transmit-side that is assigned the derived sequence. The invention relates furthermore to a corresponding receiving unit.
US08223885B2
A communications device, in one aspect as a portable wireless communications device, includes an in-phase modulator and power amplifier that receives a baseband I signal and modulates and amplifies the I signal. A quadrature modulator and power amplifier receives a baseband Q signal and modulates and amplifies the Q signal. A power combiner sums and outputs the I and Q signals. An I demodulator circuit receives a signal fed back from the I power amplifier and demodulates the fed back signal to produce demodulated I signals. A Q demodulator circuit receives a signal fed back from the Q power amplifier and demodulates the fed back signal to produce demodulated Q signals. A processor compares the digital, baseband I and Q signals with a demodulated I and Q signals to compensate for amplitude, frequency and phase modulation errors.
US08223878B2
When space-time block code signals are to be transmitted, the patterns thereof are changed in accordance with data to be transmitted. This advantageously allows a good-quality data transmission to be achieved by the space-time block code signals. In addition, since data can be transmitted by use of the patterns of the space-time block code signals, the data transmission efficiency can be improved.
US08223875B2
A wireless communication system noncollaborative, multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) space division multiple access (SDMA) system determines subscriber station combining and weighting vectors that yield a high average signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR). Each subscriber station independently transmits information to a base station that allows the base station to determine a weight vector wi for each subscriber station using the determined combining vector of the subscriber station. The ith combining vector corresponds to a right singular vector corresponding to a maximum singular value of a channel matrix between a base station and the ith subscriber station. Each subscriber station transmits signals using a weight vector vi, which corresponds to a left singular vector corresponding to a maximum singular value of a channel matrix between the ith subscriber station and the base station. The base station uses the weight vector wi to determine the signal transmitted by the ith subscriber station.
US08223871B1
A rake receiver having a plurality of rake fingers is adapted based on a plurality of received signals. The plurality of received signals correspond to a single signal transmitted by a single antenna transceiver and received by a multiple antenna transceiver that includes the rake receiver. Each of a plurality of groups of rake fingers corresponds to a single-input, multiple output (SIMO) channel estimate. One coefficient from each of the plurality of SIMO channel estimates is selected, and a transmit steering vector is calculated based on the selected coefficients. The transmit steering vector is applied to a signal to be transmitted by the multiple antenna transceiver to the single antenna transceiver.
US08223868B2
A method of determining a variable quantization step size is disclosed. In the method of determining a variable quantization step size, a channel characteristic parameter is obtained in order to calculate a quantization step size (Δ) used in channel decoding. The quantization step size (Δ) is variably determined based on the channel characteristic parameter. Therefore, the method of determining a variable quantization step size may improve channel decoding.
US08223867B2
A data encoding algorithm can be used (120) to generate overhead bits from original data bits, and the original data bits and overhead bits can be transmitted in respectively separate transmissions (121, 123), if the overhead bits are needed. At the receiver, the original data bits can be determined (125) from the received overhead bits, or the received data bits and the received overhead bits can be combined and decoded together (126) to produce the original data bits.
US08223861B2
A joint carrier synchronization and channel equalization method for OFDM systems, that is suitable for use in a receiver of said orthogonal frequency division multiplexer (OFDM) systems, comprising the following steps: firstly, receiving a reception signal sample of an OFDM symbol, and obtaining simultaneously a phase error and a gain error on each sub-channel in a frequency domain, through outputting a sub-channel signal on each said sub-channel in said frequency domain; next, obtaining an execution carrier frequency offset factor, an execution phase compensation factor, and an execution gain compensation factor based on said phase error and said gain error; and finally, eliminating a phase offset of said reception signal sample of a next symbol in a time domain based on said factors, and compensating a magnitude distortion and a phase distortion on each said sub-channel in said frequency domain for said reception signal of said next symbol.
US08223856B2
A radio communication system includes a transmission terminal and a reception terminal. The transmission terminal divides and outputs transmission data, modulates the output data to a plurality of subcarriers, converts the modulated data to a temporal waveform of a multicarrier signal, and copies divided transmission data a predetermined number of times such that the number of divided transmission data, subsequent to being copied the predetermined number of times, is equal to the number corresponding to the plurality of subcarriers.
US08223854B2
A user equipment (UE) operating in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing communication system transmits Layer 1 and Layer 2 user data non-associated and user data associated control signaling on an uplink by puncturing user data information with the user data non-associated and user data associated control signaling to produce a data stream wherein the control signaling and user data information are multiplexed. The UE then conveys the punctured data stream to a radio access network via an air interface. The communication system further provides for a selection of a coding and modulation for the control signaling based on a modulation and coding scheme of the user data and a transmission scheme that is applied for transmission of the user data information over the air-interface.
US08223849B2
A reference picture information communication interface implemented in a hardware/software integrated H.264 encoder/decoder is provided. The reference picture information communication interface includes a reference state register (RSR) and a reconstruct address register (RAR). The RSR has N bits, wherein N represents the maximum number of reference pictures supported by the H.264 encoder/decoder. The RSR is used by the hardware for notifying a software decoded picture buffer (DPB) controller about a current reference picture existence information. The RAR is used by the software for notifying the H.264 encoder/decoder about an address of a reconstruction information of a currently decoded picture in a memory space.
US08223841B2
A moving picture coding apparatus includes a motion estimation unit (101) for performing motion estimation by fixing the one of two reference pictures as a reference picture indicated by an inputted default reference picture number DefRefNo and a variable length coding unit (107) for performing variable length coding on coded residual data ERes, a prediction type PredType, a reference picture number RefNo2 and motion vectors MV1, MV2 on a block-by-block basis, and outputting them as coded moving picture data Str.
US08223837B2
Learning-based image compression is described. In one implementation, an encoder possessing a first set of learned visual knowledge primitives excludes visual information from an image prior to compression. A decoder possessing an independently learned set of visual knowledge primitives synthesizes the excluded visual information into the image after decompression. The encoder and decoder are decoupled with respect to the information excluded at the encoder and the information synthesized at the decoder. This results in superior data compression since the information excluded at the encoder is dropped completely and not transferred to the decoder. Primitive visual elements synthesized at the decoder may be different than primitive visual elements dropped at the encoder, but the resulting reconstituted image is perceptually equivalent to the original image.
US08223830B2
A system for filtering a data signal includes an input configured to receive the data signal through a transmission medium and a filter configured to remove distortion from the received data signal using equalization coefficients. The system further includes a processing unit configured to determine dynamically the equalization coefficients of the filter without using a predetermined training pattern in the received data signal.
US08223828B2
Methods and systems for minimizing distortions in an analog data signal include equalizing the analog data signal at a receive end. In an embodiment, the invention adapts equalization parameters to a signal path associated with the analog data signal. Adaptive control logic is implemented with analog and/or digital components. In an embodiment, the invention equalizes a discrete-time analog representation of an analog data signal. In an embodiment, the invention digitally controls equalization parameters. In an embodiment, a resultant equalized analog data signal is digitized. In an example implementation, an analog data signal is sampled, a quality of the samples is measured, and one or more equalization parameters are adjusted with digital controls as needed to minimize distortion of the samples. The equalized samples are then digitized. The present invention is suitable for lower rate analog data signals and multi-gigabit data rate analog signals.
US08223824B2
A cable modem is provided. The cable modem may include: a plurality of modulators to generate a plurality of pieces of digital data corresponding to a plurality of independent channels; a plurality of digital upconverters to up-convert a frequency of each of the plurality of pieces of digital data into a predetermined frequency; and a Radio Frequency (RF) processor to channel-bond outputs of the plurality of digital upconverters into at least one channel, and generate an analog output signal, the outputs having the predetermined frequency.
US08223820B2
A technique for receiving a data stream including a spreading sequence packet of information containing a data payload and, in addition to the data payload, packet overhead including at least periodic information and at least one unique section of known coded information that defines a unique position within the packet, includes performing a plurality of processing steps to detect the position of the unique section within the packet of information. The steps include detecting the periodicity of the periodic information in a first processing step; in a second processing step after periodicity in the received data stream has been determined, estimating the position of the unique section within the packet of information; and in a third processing step, correlating the information in the packet of information about the estimated position with the known coded information.
US08223813B2
A compact semiconductor laser pumped solid-state laser device is provided that can suppress unnecessary parasitic oscillation in a microchip and efficiently extract energy. The semiconductor laser pumped solid-state laser device comprises: a solid-state laser core 1 disposed in the center and formed of a laser medium containing neodymium (Nd) as a laser oscillation element; a light guide region 2 integrally formed around the solid-state laser core 1, having approximately rectangular shape with four linear light entrance windows formed on the outer periphery thereof, and containing samarium (Sm) as a laser oscillation element; and a heat sink 4 disposed on one face of the light guide region 2 including the solid-state core 1, wherein laser oscillation is performed by introducing a pumping light 14 through the light entrance windows 3 and propagating the pumping light 14 through the light guide region 2 to pump the solid-state laser core 1, and wherein a laser oscillation light is extracted from the upper face of the solid-state laser core 1 opposite to the face contacting the heat sink 4.
US08223807B2
Techniques for providing an uninterrupted data stream to a mobile node are disclosed. In a first technique, a time stamp is inserted at some point in the wireless network and the time stamp is used along with a tolerance value to determine when to transmit a packet in a data stream. By transmitting the packets at the same adjusted time, transmission to mobile nodes is synchronized. A second technique uses duplication of data stream content to avoid an interruption in the data stream at a mobile node. A third technique uses an error correcting code to avoid interruption of the data stream at a mobile node. A fourth technique uses a sequence number inserted into packets in the data stream at the content server to synchronize transmission to mobile nodes.
US08223802B2
A low complexity primary user detection system is disclosed. Signals are filtered to reduce the number of signals that must be processed. Width and PRI of the signals are used to match a constellation associated with a primary user. If the constellation is matched, communication parameters are adjusted to make way for the primary user.
US08223791B2
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses (radio base station and UE) for enabling a UE to perform a contention-based random access. According to embodiments of the present invention, a non-dedicated random access preamble identifier is determined by a radio base station and the determined preamble is transmitted in a message to the UE which selects a non-dedicated random access preamble based on the received preamble identifier and performs a contention-based random access using the selected preamble.
US08223782B2
A method and apparatus for optimizing the radio bearer setup procedure is provided. Downloading new default configurations allows a mobile terminal to use the default configuration as often as possible for radio bearer setup, thereby precluding the need to broadcast any pre-defined configurations, parameters and identifiers.
US08223766B2
An objective of the present invention is to secure the continuity of the communication between a client device and a standby server device, when a failure occurs and switch to the standby device is performed. A communication processing unit of the client device establishes connection with a plurality of server devices simultaneously by transmitting a UDP packet to the plurality of server devices by multicast. After establishing the connection, data of the application is transmitted by multicast to the plurality of the server devices. In the even of a failure, a standby server device receives the data packet multicast from the client device to continue the inter-application communication.
US08223763B2
A node device in an optical transmission network where a manually set path and an ADP (autonomous decentralized protocol) set path coexist, wherein the manually set path is set by centralized control and the ADP set path is set by autonomous decentralized processing, the node device including: a label memory for storing at least first labels used for manually set paths and second labels used for ADP set paths, wherein the first and second labels previously defined before path setting; and a resource manager for setting a manually set path and an ADP set path by referring to contents stored in the label memory.
US08223758B2
A system, method and node for rate policing of bearers in a network. The method includes the steps of associating individual bearers from a first plurality of bearers with a first bit rate limit and a maximum bit rate, MBR, setting a load level for the first plurality of bearers in the communication network, determining an actual load in the communication network, wherein the actual load depends on the first plurality of bearers, and determining if the actual load is below the set load level. If the actual load is below the set load level the individual bearers from said first plurality of bearers are policed based on the associated MBR for the individual bearers. Else policing of the individual bearers is based on the first limit for the bit rate associated with the individual bearers.
US08223754B2
In one embodiment, an apparatus may receive a call over a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) adapter. The VoIP adapter may be one or more devices that may create and accept VoIP connections over a network, such as the Internet, and that may transmit a call over the PSTN. The apparatus may store a call detail of the received call in a registry service, where the call detail is associated with a node identifier of the apparatus in the registry service. The apparatus may further determine a dial sequence at which the apparatus may be reached over the PSTN based on corresponding call details also stored in the registry service.
US08223750B2
A packet switched telephone system includes a packet switched routing apparatus. The packet switched routing apparatus selectively associates a local telephone number with a phone call based on a called telephone number, and routes the phone call based on the called telephone number. The local telephone number may be substituted for a calling telephone number when the called telephone number corresponds to a predefined number, such as an emergency number. When the called telephone number corresponds to an emergency number, the phone call may be routed with the substituted local telephone number to a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) that services the local area of the subscriber.
US08223742B2
A multicarrier transmitting apparatus capable of providing a fast cell search. A base station apparatus (100), which serves as a multicarrier transmitting apparatus for transmitting frames each including, as synchronization channel sequences, first synchronization sequences (P-SCH sequence) used for timing determinations and second synchronization sequences (S-SCH sequence) different from the first synchronization sequences, comprises a frame forming part (130) that forms frames each including the first synchronization sequence (P-SCH sequence) disposed in each of subcarriers symmetrical with respect to a DC component subcarrier (DC subcarrier) in the frequency direction; and an RF transmitting part (160) that transmits the frames. In this way, a frame receiving end can use a filter having a polarly symmetrical pass-band and needs no frequency shifting process, with the result that the processing amount at the receiving end can be reduced and hence a fast cell search can be achieved.
US08223741B1
Methods, system, and medium are provided for referencing the original source or destination information of data packets on a mobile telecommunications network, including information in inner headers of data packets. The present invention enables monitoring of data traffic, or directing and balancing data packets in a mobile network, based on inner-header information.
US08223718B2
Disclosed is a radio terminal including: a message transmitter-receiver configured to transmit and receive an IEEE 802.21 message using a protocol of a layer lower than an IP layer to and from a target radio base station for handover before an IP address acquisition unit acquires a new IP address; and a quality measurement unit configured to measure a radio communication quality including at least one of transmission delay and jitter in a radio communication path between the radio terminal and the target radio base station by using the IEEE 802.21 message transmitted and received by the message transmitter-receiver.
US08223713B2
A method for transmitting radio resources in a mobile communication system is disclosed. The method includes receiving a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a plurality of UEs and transmitting response information associated with the received preambles over a common channel wherein the plurality UEs can access the common channel and receive corresponding information. If a HARQ scheme is used when a UE transmits data to the eNode-B using uplink radio resources allocated over the RACH, the eNode-B does not pre-allocate uplink radio resources required for re-transmission and performs allocation of radio resources for a first transmission of HARQ. If the re-transmission is required, the eNode-B allocates the radio resources required for the re-transmission with the NACK signal. If re-transmission is not required, the present invention can reduce an amount of wasted radio resources.
US08223711B1
What is discloses is a method of operating a wireless access node controller, where the wireless access node controller is supporting a first communication session with a wireless communication device. The method includes transferring communications of the first communication session for delivery to the wireless communication device over a plurality of forward links, and receiving a user content message of a second communication session for delivery to the wireless communication device. The method also includes determining a weakest of the plurality of the forward links, and transferring the user content message for delivery to the wireless communication device over the weakest of the plurality of the forward links.
US08223709B2
A frequency agile wireless response system and method of retrieving user response data from a plurality of users includes providing a base unit and a plurality of handheld response units, each communicating with the base unit over a wireless communication link using a frequency agile communication protocol. Base signals are sent with the base unit to the response units over the wireless communication link. Response signals are sent from the response units to the base unit over the wireless communication link. The base signals include a master transmission and at least occasionally include an extension transmission. The master transmission includes information establishing a time mark for the response units. The master transmission also includes information enabling the response units to receive any extension transmission associated with that base signal.
US08223704B2
An apparatus and method for assigning subchannels of a transmitter in a communication system. The method includes dividing an entire frequency band into m subcarrier groups; mapping each of the m subcarrier groups to a subcarrier group index, wherein a subchannel includes n subcarriers selected from each of the m subcarrier groups corresponding to a subcarrier group index sequence; determining that a first data is needed to transmit in a first timing point; and assigning a first subchannel in the first timing point using a first subcarrier group index sequence. The first subcarrier group index sequence is different from a second subcarrier group index sequence used for assigning a second subchannel in a second timing point.
US08223701B2
A communication apparatus of the present invention is a communication apparatus which accepts a resource reservation, and includes at least a resource reservation acceptance judging portion for accepting a resource reservation request from a communication apparatus which performs a resource reservation. The resource reservation acceptance judging portion performs acceptance of a reservation based on a resource use probability obtained from a resource reservation state and a resource use state of an own communication apparatus of at least one of the communication apparatuses which perform resource reservations.
US08223692B2
An infrastructure-based mobility determination module (MDM) receives multiple measurement reports from the MS and, for each received measurement report, stores values corresponding to values included in the report that are associated with measurements of parameters associated with received signals, wherein each stored value is stored in association with a wireless access node sourcing the corresponding signal. For each of one or more pairings of received measurement reports, the MDM then determines a signal parameter measurement change value corresponding to a change from the signal parameter measurement values associated with a first measurement report of the pairing to the signal parameter measurement values associated with a second measurement report of the pairing. Based on the one or more signal parameter measurement change values, the MDM determines an average signal parameter measurement change value and, based on the average signal parameter measurement change value, determines a mobility of the MS.
US08223688B2
Multiple channels are aggregated. In an example embodiment, first data is transmitted on a first channel to a wireless device, and second data is simultaneously transmitted on a second channel to the wireless device. The first data and the second data are transmitted in a coordinated manner by aggregating the first channel and the second channel. Various example channel characteristics and combinations thereof are described. Different data allocation options for aggregated channels are described. Other alternative implementations are also presented herein.
US08223671B2
Provided are a network system supporting a spanning tree protocol (STP), a relay apparatus thereof, and a method of creating a spanning tree. Proposed is a method of creating a tree topology, between AVB bridges, using a STP message including a group MAC address which is different from that used in a non-AVB (Audio Video Bridging) bridge (that is, a bridge without the function of AVB), in order to form a minimum number of AVB clouds. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently ensure transmission quality of a multimedia stream such as an AVB stream.
US08223666B2
A method of constructing a forwarding database for a data communications network comprising a plurality of network components and supporting at least first and second topologies having one or more common network components is described. The forwarding database includes a plurality of entries providing forwarding information for data destined for a related network component. The method comprises the step, performed at a constructing network component, of deriving topology dependent forwarding information for data destined for a network component. The method further comprises the step of including the topology dependent forwarding information at the related forwarding database entry.
US08223661B2
A method and system for creating an ethernet-formatted packet from an upstream DOCSIS packet. The upstream packet is first received along with packet characteristic data that is contained in physical layer prepend data and in the packet header. A packet tag is then created, based on the packet characteristic data. The packet characteristic data includes identifiers for the transmitting remote device and the channel over which the transmission is sent. Packet characteristic data also includes information about the physical characteristics of the transmission signal, such as the power level and time offset. The packet characteristic data also includes administrative information, such as the minislot count at which the packet is received and whether the packet was received in contention. The packet tag is appended to the payload of the upstream packet. Also appended to the payload is an encapsulation tag, and source and destination address headers. The result is a packet in an ethernet format. The resulting packet can therefore be sent using the ethernet protocol. The packet includes information that characterizes a DOCSIS packet. In a distributed cable modem termination system, this additional characterizing information can be used by processes further upstream, such as packet classification. An analogous operation can take place with respect to packets going downstream. Here, a DOCSIS packet is formed at an intermediate node, on the basis of a received ethernet-formatted packet.
US08223659B2
A method for setting a path by a base station in a mobile communication system and a system thereof are provided. The base station measures quality of a link directly connected to the mobile terminal using the received signal, if a signal is directly received from a mobile terminal. If the signal is received via at least one relaying node, the base station calculates quality of an entire path determined taking quality of each link into account, depending on the signal received via the at least one relaying node. The base station compares the calculated quality of the entire path with the quality of the directly connected link, and determines an optimal path according to the comparison result. The base station sends a relaying request message to a relaying node corresponding to the optimal path. Upon receipt of a relaying response message from the relaying node, the base station configures new broadcast information and broadcasts the newly configured broadcast information.
US08223657B2
Techniques are provided for selecting one of a plurality of clock signals used to drive a bus of a WLAN-enabled device having a WLAN radio module coupled to the bus and designed to operate over a plurality of WLAN channels. A network infrastructure device, such as an access point or port, is provided that comprises a WLAN radio module, a PCI bus coupled to the WLAN radio module, a look up table (LUT) and a processor. The WLAN radio module designed to operate over a plurality of WLAN channels in a first frequency band. The LUT comprises a plurality of entries. Each entry comprises: a particular one of the WLAN channels and a corresponding one of a first clock signal having a first clock frequency and a second clock signal having a second clock frequency that is to be selected. The first clock signal causes interference at the WLAN radio module when operating over a first subset of the WLAN channels, and the second clock signal causes interference at the WLAN radio module when operating over a second subset of the WLAN channels. The processor selects, from the LUT based on the one of the WLAN channels that has been selected for the WLAN radio module to communicate over, either the first clock signal or the second clock signal that is to be used to drive the bus.
US08223655B2
A system and method for provisioning resources of a packet network, including monitoring at least one network performance information parameter associated with communications of data packets. The at least one network performance information parameter(s) may be compared with at least one respective threshold value indicative of degradation of communications of the data packets. A determination may be made that the network performance information parameter(s) crosses the respective threshold value(s). In response to determining that the network performance information parameter(s) crosses the respective threshold value(s), a network resource may be provisioned to compensate for the degradation of communications of the data packets.
US08223645B2
Disclosed herein is a communication control apparatus including: a bandwidth measuring section configured to measure a physical bandwidth of data communication via a communication channel; and a rate control section configured to set a threshold that does not exceed the physical bandwidth measured by the bandwidth measuring section, cause a rate of the data communication to increase exponentially up to the threshold, and cause the rate to decrease when the rate has reached or exceeded the threshold but not reached the physical bandwidth.
US08223638B2
A high-capacity digital communications system and method of transporting 10 GbE LAN packets between user devices over an OTN network that allows the packets to be transported in a manner that is transparent to the destination device(s) on the network. The digital communications system includes an OTN network, and at least one source device and at least one destination device connected to the network via respective 10Gbase-R interfaces. The system transports 10 GbE LAN data packets over the OTN network by performing decoding on the packets to recover the preamble and variable length data contained in each packet, removing the IPG between successive packets in the stream, encapsulating the packets including the respective preambles and data, and mapping the encapsulated packets to the overhead and payload areas of ODUk frames. The packets are then transported over the OTN network from the source device to the destination device.
US08223636B2
A method, performed in a network element having a control card and a plurality of linecards of processing a plurality of different types of connection setup requests. A latency of processing each of the plurality of the different types of the connection setup requests is determined. A number of connection setup requests to be initiated to be processed by the control card is dynamically adjusted based on the determined latencies of processing each of the plurality of the different types of the connection setup requests. Other methods and network elements are also disclosed.
US08223631B2
Systems and methods to monitor and analyze customer premises equipment downtime in a Voice over Internet Protocol service network are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving an indication of an internet protocol (IP) address change, determining whether a network transaction is a failed network transaction associated with the IP address change, and when the network transaction is a failed network transaction associated with the IP address change, storing the failed network transaction to a database entry associated with the IP address change.
US08223597B2
A magnetic head includes a magnetic head slider; and a laser diode that is positioned on a surface of a side opposite to a substrate of the magnetic head slider and that generates laser light; the magnetic head slider including: a core through which the laser light emitted from the laser diode propagates as propagating light; a cladding that covers the core and that has a refractive index that is smaller than that of the core; a near field light generating means that generates near field light from the propagating light on an air bearing surface; and a main pole for recording that is disposed adjacent to the near field light generating means and of which an edge part is positioned on the air bearing surface. The core includes a reflection layer and a seed layer, the reflection layer has a refractive index smaller than that of the core, and has a reflection surface on which laser light emitted from the laser diode reflects so as to enter the core as the propagating light, and the seed layer is positioned on a back surface of the reflection surface of the reflection layer and suppresses plasmon generation on the reflection surface.
US08223591B2
The device hereof is most preferably an improved performance air gun as sound source for marine seismic exploration for petroleum deposits and it most generally is comprised of, an elongated cylindrical housing bored from each end to a fixed radial wall separating the two bores. The fixed radial wall having a through bore for hollow shaft of air control and release shuttle assembly to reciprocate within. The wall having fixed groove for elastomer shaft seal rings to seal around outside diameter of shuttle shaft and drilled passages for water entry to lubricate shaft seals. Air control end of shuttle assembly having set and release flange and internal bearing. Air release end of shuttle assembly cup shaped air release flange with bearing around outside diameter and seal means. Air control end of cylindrical housing having end cap drilled for air input means. The Air control end cap having bolt on shuttle support shaft with piston rings air input means air valving means and orifice means. The Release air end of cylindrical housing having attachable release air chamber sealing means and two air exhaust ports spaced opposite each other.
US08223590B2
A system and method is provided for using acoustical pulses generated from an airborne laser source to locate objects under water. An array of acoustic sensors, such as passive sonobuoys at the ocean surface, is deployed in known or determinable locations by aircraft. Each area surrounded by acoustic sensors comprises a search cell, within which sonar scattering data can be used to locate objects. Following sonobuoy deployment, the aircraft uses the laser to rapidly generate many laser-acoustic pulse sources within each search cell, which in turn generate spherical acoustic pulses traveling through the water. The acoustic sensors receive the acoustic pulses, either on a direct path or on a scattered path after the pulse strikes an underwater object. The sensors record the acoustic signatures of the received pulses and transmit data of the recorded acoustic pulses to a processor such as processor on a nearby ship. The processor transforms the data of the acoustic signatures, together with data of the known locations of the acoustic sensors and the locations of the laser-acoustic pulse sources, into data of a location of the underwater objects.
US08223589B2
The disclosure provides a gesture recognition apparatus and method. The gesture recognition apparatus includes an ultrasound transmitter, an ultrasound receiver, a dividing module, a computing module, a gesture library, and a recognition module. The dividing module is configured to divide reflected ultrasound signals into a plurality of frames according to time intervals. The computing module is configured to obtain an eigenvalue of each frame. The classifying module is configured to filter the eigenvalues to obtain gesture eigenvalues, and to obtain a matrix of probabilities of the gesture eigenvalues. The recognition module is configured to search reference matrices of probabilities from the gesture library for matching with the matrix of probabilities, and to recognize the gesture eigenvalues as a reference gesture corresponding to the reference matrix of probabilities if the reference matrix of probabilities is found.
US08223579B2
A memory cell of a static random access memory (SRAM) includes a pair of drive transistors, a pair of load transistors, a pair of write-only transfer transistors, a pair of read-only transfer transistors, a pair of read-only drive transistors, and a pair of column selection transistors. The memory cell also includes a word line, a pair of write bit lines, a pair of read bit lines, and a column selection line.
US08223575B2
A multi-level electrical fuse system comprises at least one fuse box having at least one electrical fuse, a programming device serially coupled to the electrical fuse, and a variable power supply coupled to the fuse box and configured to generate two or more voltage levels.
US08223572B2
A memory device for efficient word line, bit line and precharge tracking is provided. The memory device includes a memory array, one or more address decoders, a word line driver, a plurality of sense amplifiers, a reference word line column, a reference bit line column, and a control circuit. The control circuit generates a control signal to perform read and write operations on the memory device. The address decoder selects a bit line and a word line. The selected word line is activated by the word line driver. While the reference word line column is used for vertical tracking of the word line, the reference bit line column is used for vertical tracking of the bit line. The sense amplifiers are activated to read the bit line.
US08223567B2
A memory device utilizes selective precharge and charge sharing to reduce a bit line voltage before accessing a bit cell. A reduction in bit line voltage is achieved by precharging different sections of the bit line to different voltages (e.g., a supply voltage and ground) and using charge sharing between these sections. Read stability improves as a result of the reduction of bit line voltage. The relative capacitance difference between bit line sections determines the bit line voltage after charge sharing. Thus, the memory device is tolerant to process or temperature variations. The bit line voltage may be controlled in design by selecting the sections that are precharged to supply voltage or ground.
US08223550B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory apparatus includes memory cell strings, first and second bit lines, a first buffer, a second buffer, and a controlling unit. The memory cell strings each include memory cells. The first and second bit lines connected to the memory cell strings. The first buffer connects to the first bit line and holds first data. The second buffer connects to the second bit line and holds second data. The controlling unit includes first and second latches and controls timing to output the first and second data according to an internal terminal, a second signal, and a third signal, and transfers a control signal synchronized with the timing of the first and second data to the external terminal. The controlling unit allows the first latch to hold the first and second data, and transfers the first data, and thereafter transfers the second data.
US08223549B2
A programming method and memory structure for preventing punch-through in a short channel source-side select gate structure includes adjusting voltages on the selected and unselected bitlines, and the program, pass, and select gate voltages.
US08223548B2
A memory device (1) includes at least a first semiconductor region (100) having a length, a first surface, and a cross section surrounded by the first surface, a memory means (300) provided on the first surface, and a gate (400) provided on the memory means (300), and an equivalent sectional radius of the cross section of the first semiconductor region (100) is set to be equal to or smaller than an equivalent silicon oxide film thickness of the memory means (300) to realize low program voltage. The equivalent sectional radius r of the cross section is set to be 10 nm or less and the gate length is set to be 20 nm or less so that multi-level interval converted to gate voltage becomes a specific value which can be identified under the room temperature.
US08223541B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory and a writing method thereof are provided for preventing miswriting induced by gate-induced-drain leakage (GIDL). The non-volatile semiconductor memory comprises a non-volatile memory cell array 10 for recording multiple values by setting a plurality of different thresholds to each memory cell transistor that is connected in series between selection transistors Qs1 and Qs2 on two terminals of a selected bit line; and a control circuit 11 for controlling writing of the data from the memory cell array 10. The control circuit 11 records two values for at least a plurality of first memory cell transistors Q0, Q1, Q32 and Q33 respectively adjacent to the selection transistors Qs1 and Qs2 on two terminals of the bit line, and records more than three values for a plurality of second transistors Q2˜Q31 other than the first memory cell transistors.
US08223537B2
The present disclosure includes methods, devices, modules, and systems for sensing memory cells using a state machine. One method embodiment includes generating a first sensing reference according to a first output of a state machine. The method includes bifurcating a range of possible programmed levels to which a memory cell can be programmed with the first sensing reference. The method also includes generating a second sensing reference according to a second output of the state machine. The method further includes determining a programmed level of the memory cell with the second generated sensing reference.
US08223530B2
A variable-resistance memory device includes: memory cells; first wires; a second wire; a drive/control section; and a sense amplifier.
US08223529B2
A resistive memory device includes a resistive memory cell array, an output circuit and an input circuit. The resistive memory cell array includes a plurality of memory cells that are coupled to bitlines. The output circuit generates a sensing output signal during a write operation by sensing a bitline voltage, and generates output data during a read operation by sensing the bitline voltage. The input circuit controls the bitline voltage based on input data for the write operation, and limits the bitline voltage in response to the sensing output signal during the write operation. The memory cells are protected by effectually limiting bitline voltage.
US08223525B2
A non-volatile storage device includes a substrate, a monolithic three-dimensional memory array of non-volatile storage elements arranged above a portion of the substrate, a plurality of sense amplifiers in communication with the non-volatile storage elements, a plurality of temporary storage devices in communication with the sense amplifiers, a page register in communication with the temporary storage devices, and one or more control circuits. The one or more control circuits are in communication with the page register, the temporary storage devices and the sense amplifiers. The sense amplifiers are arranged on the substrate underneath the monolithic three-dimensional memory array. The temporary storage devices are arranged on the substrate underneath the monolithic three-dimensional memory array. The page register is arranged on the substrate in an area that is not underneath the monolithic three-dimensional memory array. Data read from the non-volatile storage elements by the sense amplifiers is transferred to the temporary storage devices and then to the page register in response to the one or more control circuits. Data to be programmed into the non-volatile storage elements is transferred to the temporary storage devices from the page register in response to the one or more control circuits.
US08223522B2
A regulated power supply apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an input power converting circuit for generating a rectified voltage signal, an output power converting circuit comprising a plurality of switching elements, the output power converting circuit coupled to receive the rectified voltage signal, an output power storing element coupled with the output power converting circuit, and an output power bidirectional regulating circuit comprising an integrated circuit coupled with the output power converting circuit, the bidirectional regulating circuit including control signals for operating the switching elements to store power on the output power storing element and to deliver power to an output load from the output power storing element. An integrated circuit controlled regulator circuit is provided for controlling a plurality of switches a boost and buck converter. A method of regulating power supply is also provided.
US08223513B2
An inverter includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit, a direct current (DC) voltage input terminal, a storage capacitor, a first transformer, a soft start circuit, and a first transistor. The PWM circuit includes a first output terminal. The first transformer includes a first primary winding. The first primary winding includes a first terminal and a second terminal capable of being grounded via the storage capacitor. The soft start circuit includes an inductor and a first capacitor. A gate electrode of the first transistor is connected to the first output terminal. A source electrode of the first transistor is connected to the first terminal of the first transformer via the inductor. A drain electrode of the first transistor is connected to the DC voltage input terminal and connected to the source electrode via the capacitor.
US08223510B2
A switching mode power supply and a method of operating the power supply in a power save mode. The switching mode power supply includes a first PWM controller and a second PWM controller that are driven by different driving voltages and control first and the second voltages to be output, respectively, a first transformer that is controlled by the first PWM controller to output the first voltage and having a primary coil, a secondary coil to induce the first voltage, and an auxiliary winding, and a rectifier that rectifies and smoothes a current flowing through the auxiliary winding of the first transformer, generates a power save mode voltage based on the respective driving voltages of the first and the second PWM controllers, and supplies the power save mode voltage to the first and the second PWM controllers. Accordingly, the power save mode is operated using a voltage difference without requiring an extra controller.
US08223509B2
There are provided an integrated transformer in which a power conversion transformer and an inductor for stabilizing output power by the transformer are integrated into one transformer structure, and a power supply using the same. An integrated transformer according to an aspect of the invention includes: a core part including: first and second supports; and first and second outer legs and a center leg provided between the first and second supports, and magnetically connecting the first and second supports to each other, wherein a cross-section of the first and second outer legs and a cross-section of the center leg have a width of the first support and a width of the second support in a longitudinal direction, respectively, and a width of each of the first and second outer legs exceeds 0.5 times a width of the center leg but does not exceed 2 times the width of the center leg.
US08223503B2
The present invention is available for the field of electronic circuit protection, and provides a security cover for enclosing a protective area on the protected PCB and protecting the components in this area. The security cover comprises a flexible PCB that is folded with a receiving space and an opening in a side in the space. The flexible PCB is covered on the protective area of the protected PCB and encloses the components in the protective area. The flexible PCB triggers the related circuits to remove or destroy the information on the components in this protective area in case of physical attack. The present invention is to enclose the key components on PCB via the flexible PCB with the receiving space so as to prevent the key components from being attacked.
US08223497B2
A module for use with an expandable wedge clamp assembly in a chassis channel is provided. The module comprises a first side, a second side, a first extension attached to the first side, and a second extension attached to the second side. The first extension and the second extension are flexible. When the wedge clamp assembly is expanded, the first extension and the second extension flex from a first position to a second position. When the wedge clamp is returned from the expanded position to a relaxed position, the first extension and the second extension return from the second position to the first position.
US08223495B1
Cooling systems for providing cooled air to electronic devices are described. The systems can include large storage tanks or waste treatment systems to improve the efficiency of the plant and reduce impact on the environment.
US08223489B2
An electronic device includes a first main body and a second main body. The first main body includes a first housing, a first magnetic member and a first elastic member. The second main body includes a second housing and a second magnetic member. The second housing is pivotally connected with the first housing. The first elastic member is disposed within the first housing. The first elastic member connecting with the first magnetic member and the first housing makes the first magnetic member floatable within the first housing. The second magnetic member is disposed within the second housing. When the second housing moves close to a surface of the first housing, the magnetic force between the first and second magnetic members is increased, so as to hold the relative position of the first and second main bodies.
US08223486B2
A docking station comprises a sliding member accessible to a user of the docking station and coupled to a post. The station also comprises a locking mechanism configured to couple to a lock and comprising a stop surface and an apparatus capable of physically restraining an electronic device to the docking station. When the locking mechanism and the lock are locked together, and when the sliding member is adjusted from an unlocked status to a locked status, the stop surface is fixed in a locked state, the stop surface thereby fixing the post in a locked position, the post thereby fixing the sliding member in the locked status. When the sliding member is fixed in the locked status, the apparatus physically restrains the electronic device to the docking station.
US08223485B2
A slide mechanism includes a main plate, a slide plate, a locking module, a releasing module and a button. The slide plate is installed on the main plate and slidable relative to the main plate. The locking module locks with the main plate and the slide plate. The releasing module is attached to the slide plate to unlock the locking module. The button operates the releasing module to force the locking module to unlock the slide plate.
US08223480B2
A pendant mounting structure comprises a main body, a hook and two latching elements. The main body includes an upper surface and opposite side surfaces perpendicular to the upper surface and positioned at two side of the main body. The hook protrudes from the upper surface. The latching elements protrude from two sides of the main body. The pendant mounting is separately manufactured and latched to a housing. Thus, when an external force exerted on the hook is more than the structural limit of the hook, the hook could be break to protect the housing from damage.
US08223475B2
A sealed electrical enclosure used in hazardous locations for enclosing circuit breakers having a bottom housing and a top housing with a labyrinth seal or joint formed therebetween, the bottom housing adapted to receive one or more circuit breakers, a first metal bus extending from a point internal to the bottom housing through a first end wall to a point external thereto, and a second metal bus extending from a point internal to the bottom housing through a second end wall to a point external to thereto, where the first and second metal buses are adapted to contact first and second electrical terminals of a circuit breaker when placed within the bottom housing, and a first vent positioned on the top housing for dissipating pressure buildup, wherein the top housing is removably secured to the bottom housing to allow for removal and replacement of a circuit breakers within the housing.
US08223465B2
An embodiment of the invention provides a surge current protection circuit. The surge current protection circuit comprises a peak current detector and a current sensing device. When the peak current detector detects when a surge current has occurred, by monitoring a change in duty cycle on a node of a HS (high side) switch, a LS (low side) switch is activated. The current sensing device senses the current drawn through the LS switch. When the current sensing device senses a current that exceeds a current limit, the HS switch is turned off for a period of time such that the surge current is reduced.
US08223462B2
A magnetic head having an electrostatic shunt structure for preventing damage to the magnetic head during manufacture. A portion of the shunt structure is removed during manufacture, however another portion remains. In order to prevent the remaining portions of the shunt structure from picking up stray magnetic and electromagnetic fields, an electromagnetic shield, is provided between the remaining portions of the shunt structure and the substrate.
US08223454B2
An electronic apparatus 1 in which is mounted an electronic unit having a plurality of heat-generating sections including at least a first heat-generating section and a second heat-generating section includes: a hold frame 9 for holding the electronic unit, a first heat-conducting member 11 for transmitting heat generated by the first heat-generating section, a second heat-conducting member 11 for transmitting heat generated by the second heat-generating section, and a cooling unit 8 for releasing the heat transmitted through the first and second heat-generating sections; in which apparatus, the first heat-conducting member 11 is heat-connected to the cooling unit 8, and the second heat-conducting member 11 is heat-connected to the cooling unit 8 via the hold frame 9.
US08223452B1
A system includes a self-servo-write (SSW) module, a read module, and a write module. The SSW module writes servo spirals on a magnetic medium of a hard disk drive (HDD) via a write head of the HDD. The read module reads the servo spirals via a read head of the HDD and generates read signals. The write module writes non-servo data on the magnetic medium via the write head based on the read signals before the SSW module writes servo wedges on the magnetic medium.
US08223450B2
A method according to one embodiment includes: deciding to perform a refresh operation on a media cartridge having a tape wrapped around a spool; determining which drive of a plurality of drives is available to perform the refresh operation; causing the media cartridge to be mounted to the available drive; causing the drive to unwrap the tape from the spool of the media cartridge to about an end of the tape; and causing the drive to wrap the tape back onto the spool after the unwrapping, wherein at least some data on the tape is overwritten with new data, and a verification operation is performed using the new data.
US08223446B2
A device for the temperature-dependent axial movement of an optical component including a monolithic mounting unit having an outer mounting part forming a fixed holder having an axis and an inner mounting part forming a mount adapted to support the optical component. The mount is movable along the axis. A moving mechanism is connected to the fixed holder and the movable mount. The moving mechanism includes at least one external expansion element including a first material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion and at least one internal expansion element including a second material having a second coefficient of thermal expansion, where the first coefficient of thermal expansion is larger than the second coefficient of thermal expansion. A number of connecting links is disposed in a star-shaped formation and join a respective one of the at least one external expansion element to a respective one of the internal expansion element. Each connecting link is disposed at a prescribed pitch angle with respect to the axis that differs from 90°.
US08223443B2
An imaging system including a back-plane reflector having a concave aspherical reflecting surface and an outer diameter that is no greater than a first distance, with an aperture formed in the back-plane reflector, the aperture for admitting light from a field of view to the imaging system, a fore-plane reflector having a concave aspherical reflecting surface and an outer diameter that is no greater than the first distance, with an aperture formed in the fore-plane reflector, the aperture for discharging the light from the imaging system to an image plane, and a central reflector having a convex aspherical reflecting surface for receiving light from the fore-plane reflector and discharging the light from the imaging system through the aperture in the fore-plane reflector.
US08223442B2
There is provided an objective lens for an optical pick-up. The objective lens is formed to be a single-element plastic lens having a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is configured to have, within an effective diameter, an inflection point at which a second derivative of a sag of the first surface takes a value of 0. Further, the objective lens having a numerical aperture larger than or equal to 0.75.
US08223439B2
An optical system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit, a stop, and a second lens unit. The first lens unit includes a first negative lens having a meniscus shape and a negative refractive power at a position closest to the object side and a negative lens Gn having a negative refractive power at a position closer to the image side than the first negative lens. The second lens unit includes a positive lens Gp having a positive refractive power. A material of each of the negative lens Gn and the positive lens Gp satisfies the following condition: θgF−(−0.001682·νd+0.6438)≧0.01 where “νd” denotes an Abbe number of a lens material and “θgF” denotes a relative partial dispersion with respect to g-line light and F-line light.
US08223435B2
In a zoom lens for projection, a lens group arranged farthest to the reduction side is fixed when the magnification of the zoom lens is changed, and is composed of a negative aspheric lens made of a plastic material having at least one aspheric surface and a positive lens. At least one positive lens arranged on the reduction side of a lens having the smallest effective diameter among lenses composing the zoom lens satisfies the following formula (1): νa>80(here,(dn/dt)<0) (1), where νa: Abbe number of a material forming the at least one positive lens for d-line, and dn/dt: a change in the refractive index of the material forming the at least one positive lens for d-line when temperature changes from 20° C.
US08223431B2
Provided is a reflective screen. The reflective screen can be widely and commercially used, easily manufactured at low costs, and realize a sufficient reflection image. The reflective screen includes a substrate, a light diffusion layer in front of the substrate, a light reflecting material reflecting projection light, a light absorbing material absorbing external light, and a light absorption reflection layer containing at least the light reflecting material and the light absorbing material together. The light absorption reflection layer being disposed in the rear of the substrate.
US08223426B2
A decorative housing (11) for a mobile device (10) includes a first faceted cell (12) having a first angled electro-optic element (14) disposed therein. A second faceted cell (16) is adjacent the first cell (12) and has second angled electro-optic elements (18). A liquid (20) is in fluid communication with each faceted cell (12, 16) and moveable to a first position (22) in response to a first electric field (24) applied to one of the first and second electro-optic elements (14, 18) and moveable to a second position (26) in response to a second electric field (28) applied to the other of the first and second electro-optic elements (14, 18). An electronic modulator (30) is coupled to the first electro-optic element (14) and the second electro-optic element (18) to electronically modulate between the first electric field (24) and the second electric field (28).
US08223425B2
A plasmonic display device is provided that uses physical modulation mechanisms. The device is made from an electrically conductive bottom electrode and a first dielectric layer overlying the bottom electrode. The first dielectric layer is a piezoelectric material having an index of expansion responsive to an electric field. An electrically conductive top electrode overlies the first dielectric layer. A first plasmonic layer, including a plurality of discrete plasmonic particles, is interposed between the top and bottom electrodes and in contact with the first dielectric layer. In one aspect, the plasmonic particles are an expandable polymer material covered with a metal coating having a size responsive to an electric field.
US08223411B2
An image processing system includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire image data; a first determination unit configured to create histograms of colors in the acquired image data, and determine deemed background colors with the use of the histograms; a second determination unit configured to determine a background color based on the deemed background colors; a counting unit configured to count a number of pixels corresponding to character colors in the image data, wherein colors other than the background color are the character colors; and a deciding unit configured to obtain a ratio of the number of pixels corresponding to the character colors to a total number of pixels in the image data, and perform blank page determination on the image data by determining that the image data is blank when the ratio is less than a predetermined value.
US08223407B1
An imaging system that includes a sheet media stack over a recording unit. Image data is generated in response to radiation received from a field of view encompassing sheet media edges of individual media within the sheet media stack. Edges of individual media are detected within the image data.
US08223397B2
A preprocessing unit determines a feature of a brush pattern for each line of a background setting command to set a background, and selects a drawing processing method that enables a high speed drawing process from among a plurality of drawing processing methods based on the determined feature of the brush pattern. A post-processing unit performs a drawing process based on the drawing processing method selected by the preprocessing unit.
US08223395B2
Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for refining text color in a digital image. A pixel of interest from a first plurality of pixels in a digital image may be selected, and the first plurality of pixels may be separated into a second plurality of pixels and a third plurality of pixels based on the color value of the pixel of interest. A refinement color value may be calculated based on the second plurality of pixels when the second plurality of pixels meets a quantity threshold. When the second plurality of pixels does not meet the quantity threshold, the refinement color value may be calculated based on the third plurality of pixels. The refinement color value may be assigned to the pixel of interest.
US08223381B2
An electronic device includes a storage unit that stores therein input data, and a deleting unit that partially deletes the input data when the input data becomes unnecessary. The deleting unit deletes portions of the input data, each having a predetermined size, with predetermined or random spacing between the portions in row and column directions, or deletes only an effective portion of the input data.
US08223379B2
A method includes accessing a cellularly configured printer with a cellular device; and cellularly sending the printer an indication of a resource that is to be printed by the printer, said resource comprising a network-accessible resource that does not reside on the printer and which the printer is to retrieve.
US08223369B2
An information processing apparatus includes a document information storage unit, a progress information identification unit and a progress information storage unit. The document information storage unit stores identification information of a paper document associated with an operation item defined for a case. The progress information identification unit obtains progress information indicating a progress of the operation item based on the paper document identified by the identification information associated with the operation item. The progress information storage unit stores the progress information obtained by the progress information identification unit associated with the operation item.
US08223367B2
Document processing apparatus and method for creating an image of information identifying a document
A document processing apparatus includes: a storage that stores a manner of a document on which a document processing is performed in a series of tasks; a creating unit that creates an instructing image including an image of information identifying the document, an image of the manner, and an image of a first entry column on which an information indicating that a manner of an actual document is different from the stored manner is entered; an output unit that outputs the instructing image; a receiving unit that receives a read-instructing image corresponding to the instructing image, the read-instructing image being read by an image reading device; an extracting unit that extracts first information entered on a second entry column provided in the read-instructing image and second information identifying the document; and a storage that correlates the first information and the second information, and that stores the correlated information.
US08223362B2
This invention provides a first communication apparatus, which makes a facsimile communication via a packet communication network and can describe different contents image header information each including a date, time, source information, destination information, and the like in image data having a predetermined number of pixels upon sending the image data to a plurality of destinations, and a communication method. This invention also provides a second communication apparatus which makes a facsimile communication via a packet communication network and has a first mode in which image header information such as a date, time, source information, destination information, and the like can be described in image data having a predetermined number of pixels and can send the image data, and a second mode in which image data having one of various resolutions and an indefinite number of pixels can be sent.
US08223361B2
The embodiments of the present invention provide for empty object/file detection by classifying an object/file based on a set of classification types, and parsing a portion of the object/file to determine whether the object/file is empty.
US08223359B2
The printing device receives the printing data for confidential printing, and determines an output destination of the printing data received for confidential printing to be either a lockable output bin or a digital output bin. The lockable output bin can be locked and unlocked by a key and the print data can be output to the lockable output bin in a form of being printed on recording medium. The digital output bin holds the printing data and allows the printing data being held therein to be read out for printing when a user is verified. When the lockable output bin is assigned as the output destination and the lockable output bin of the printing device that received the printing data is in an unusable state, another printing device having a lockable output bin that can be used is searched and the printing data is transferred to the other printing device.
US08223351B2
A method of measuring and correcting the Young's Modulus inline to eliminate its impact on image length variation during print runtime. The method includes intentionally perturbing the nominal operating condition of the web printing system which is controlled by the double reflex printing controller. The perturbation creates misregistration in a control target printed image that is detectable by in-situ sensors, from which Young's Modulus is estimated. Specifically, the web tension before the print zone is set differently from the web tension in the print zone to create misregistration. The error is detected by the inline sensors, and it is used to calculate the actual Young's Modulus. The implementation of the method consists of measuring the Young's Modulus at various frequencies. The correct Young's Modulus in then incorporated into the double reflex printing algorithm.
US08223341B2
A resonator fiber optic gyroscope includes a sensing resonator having a first resonance frequency for a first laser beam propagation direction and a second resonance frequency for a second laser beam propagation direction; an intensity modulator coupled to an output of the sensing resonator and configured to modulate the intensity of a signal output from the sensing resonator, wherein the intensity modulator modulates the output signal at an intensity modulation frequency; and resonance tracking electronics coupled to an output of the intensity modulator and configured to demodulate the intensity modulated signal output from the intensity modulator at a resonance tracking modulation frequency to produce a first demodulated signal; the resonance tracking electronics further configured to demodulate the first demodulated signal at the intensity modulation frequency, wherein the intensity modulation frequency is different from the resonance tracking modulation frequency.
US08223331B2
A signal-amplification device for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The signal-amplification device includes a non-SERS-active (NSA) substrate, a plurality of multi-tiered non-SERS-active nanowire (MNSANW) structures and a plurality of metallic SERS-active nanoparticles. In addition, a MNSANW structure of the plurality of MNSANW structures includes a main arm of a plurality of main arms and a plurality of arms of at least secondary order. The plurality of main arms is disposed on the NSA substrate; and, a secondary arm of the plurality of arms is disposed on the main arm. Moreover, a metallic SERS-active nanoparticle of the plurality of metallic SERS-active nanoparticles is disposed on a surface of the MNSANW structure.
US08223327B2
Systems and methods for detecting defects on a wafer are provided. One method includes generating output for a wafer by scanning the wafer with an inspection system using first and second optical states of the inspection system. The first and second optical states are defined by different values for at least one optical parameter of the inspection system. The method also includes generating first image data for the wafer using the output generated using the first optical state and second image data for the wafer using the output generated using the second optical state. In addition, the method includes combining the first image data and the second image data corresponding to substantially the same locations on the wafer thereby creating additional image data for the wafer. The method further includes detecting defects on the wafer using the additional image data.
US08223325B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for measuring an analyte in a medium without exposing the medium to contamination. The systems and methods employ a novel combination of a small sensor device embedded in a Luer cap and capable of wirelessly transmitting data to a reading device.
US08223322B2
A method for measuring visual appearance of birefringent fibers is disclosed. The method involves emitting light, creating N polarization states of the emitted light, wherein the polarized emitted light illuminates the birefringent fibers, thereby generating internal reflection components, external reflection components, and diffusion components of the light, observing the light from the illuminated birefringent fibers, creating N polarization states of the observed light, forming N images of the observed polarized light, each image comprising a plurality of pixels, measuring the intensity in each pixel of the N images, and for each pixel, separating the internal reflection component, the external reflection component, and the diffusion component from the i-th image for the N images, wherein i=1, 2, . . . N and N≧4.
US08223320B2
Provided is an exposing method using a variable shaped beam that may minimize a critical dimension (CD) distribution and a mean to target (MTT) difference generated during a process by correcting CD linearity of the design CD of a circuit pattern, and a pattern forming method using the exposing method. In the exposing method, a determination is made as to whether the design size of a beam shot used to expose a circuit pattern is less than a value, or greater than the value. If the design size is greater than the value, the size of the beam shot may be linearly corrected. When the design size is less than the value, the size of the beam shot may be non-linearly corrected.
US08223317B2
An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to radiant energy includes a holder configured to hold the substrate, a shutter for regulating exposure time for the substrate, and a controller configured to control an operation of the shutter. The controller is configured to control the operation of the shutter based on information having a correlation with intensity of light reflected from the holder and the substrate held by the holder.
US08223315B2
A measuring apparatus for measuring an optical performance of an optical system under test that has a numerical aperture of more than 0.6 at a light exit side, said measuring apparatus includes a numerical aperture decreasing part for decreasing the numerical aperture of a light exited from the optical system under test to 0.6 or less, and a detector for detecting an interference fringes formed by the light that passes through the numerical aperture decreasing part.
US08223314B2
A method comprises determining a first processing center position to calculate a wavefront aberration of an optical system, determining a second processing center position to calculate a wavefront aberration, correcting the first processing center position in a first direction using the second processing center position in the first direction and correcting the second processing center position in a second direction using the first processing center position in the second direction.
US08223304B2
A liquid crystal display device of an in-plane switching mode comprises at least optically anisotropic members (A) and (B) and a liquid crystal cell disposed between a pair of polarizers having absorption axes disposed approximately perpendicularly to each other, wherein nzA>nyA and nxB>nzB (nxA, nxB: refractive indices (n) in the direction of the in-plane slow axis; nyA, nyB: n in the in-plane direction perpendicular to the above direction; nzA, nzB: n in the direction of thickness, each at 550 nm); the in-plane slow axes of (A) and (B) are approximately parallel or perpendicular to each other; and the in-plane slow axis of (A) is approximately parallel or perpendicular to the absorption axis of a polarizer closer to (A). The antireflection property, scratch resistance and durability are excellent, the angle of field is wide, and uniform display of images with great contrast can be achieved at any angle of observation.
US08223302B2
A display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, signal lines, sub-pixels, and at least one thickness adjusting layer. The second substrate is disposed above the first substrate and has a transparent electrode layer thereon. The signal lines are disposed on the first substrate. The sub-pixels are arranged between the first and second substrates. The sub-pixels are electrically connected with the signal lines, and parts of them have at least one transparent area and at least one reflective area. The transparent area has a transparent electrode therein, and the reflective area has a reflective electrode therein, respectively. The thickness adjusting layer is disposed above the reflective electrode and located at the reflective area of the part of the sub-pixels.
US08223300B2
A color filter may include a red pigment as a main component of a pigment, and at least one of a green pigment and a blue pigment as an additional pigment at 0.5-10 wt % among the entire pigment. The color filter may include a green pigment as a main component of a pigment, and at least one of a red pigment, a blue pigment, and a violet pigment at 0.5-10 wt % as an additional pigment among the entire pigment. The color filter may include a blue pigment as the main component of the pigment, and at least one of a red pigment and a green pigment as the additional pigment at 0.5-10 wt % among the entire pigment.
US08223297B2
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a method for fabricating the same, and the liquid crystal display device may be configured by including a light guide plate with a plurality of movement prevention structures at both sides thereof, respectively; a lower cover with opening portions at the positions corresponding to the plurality of movement prevention structures, and on which the light guide plate being disposed; a light source unit disposed at a side of the light guide plate; a support main with insertion portions for inserting and mounting the movement prevention structures at the positions corresponding to the opening portions; a diffuser sheet and an optical sheet disposed on the light guide plate; and a liquid crystal panel disposed at an upper portion of the support main.
US08223294B2
Disclosed is an electronic device which is formed thin while maintaining good display by a liquid crystal display unit. Specifically disclosed is an electronic device wherein a main substrate (130) mounted with an electronic component is so arranged as to face a reflecting sheet (126) which is formed on the back surface of a liquid crystal display unit (110). A flexible substrate (140) arranged between the liquid crystal display unit (110) and the main substrate (130) is connected to a surface (132) of the main substrate (130), which surface (132) is on the side of the reflecting sheet (126). A protective sheet (150) covering the reflecting sheet (126) is interposed between the flexible substrate (140) and the reflecting sheet (126).
US08223292B2
A lighting device 12 in accordance with the present invention is for use with a display apparatus. The lighting device 12 includes a light source 17, a plate shaped chassis 14 that covers the light source 17, and an inverter board 30 attached to the chassis 14. The lighting device 12 is characterized in that, accompanying slide of the inverter board 30 in a direction parallel to the chassis, the inverter board 30 is attached and detached.
US08223268B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a generation unit configured to generate image signals for displaying a plurality of screens on one display surface; an operation signal acquisition unit configured to acquire an operation signal from a user; and a control unit configured to scale a focused one of the plurality of screens, when the operation signal common to the plurality of screens to scale the screen is acquired from the user.
US08223263B2
A digital camera of the present invention includes a microcomputer 110 having a live view mode controlling so that image data generated by a CMOS sensor 133 or image data obtained by subjecting the image data generated by the CMOS sensor 133 to predetermined processing is displayed on a liquid crystal monitor 150 as a moving image in real time, wherein the microcomputer 110 controls so that, when the live view mode is set, the digital camera comes out of the live view mode, and setting information on the digital camera is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 150, in accordance with the manipulation of the manipulation portion 140. Due to this configuration, in a digital camera that includes a movable mirror and is capable of displaying a subject image in a live view through an electronic viewfinder, the operability thereof can be enhanced.
US08223224B2
A zoom lens comprises first and fourth units which don't move for zooming, and second and third units moved during zooming. The first unit includes a front side partial unit which don't move for focusing, a movable partial unit moved for focusing, and a rear side partial unit which don't move for focusing, the rear side partial unit includes positive lenses and one or more negative lenses, and the following conditions are satisfied: −1.2×10−3<(θpa−θn)/(νpa−νn), and νn<30, where νn is the smallest Abbe number of the material of the negative lenses, θn is the partial dispersion ratio of the material of the negative lens of the smallest Abbe number, νpa is the average of the Abbe numbers ν of the materials of positive lenses, and θpa is the average of the partial dispersion ratio θ of the materials of the positive lenses.
US08223223B2
An image sensing apparatus senses first and second images, and produces a merged image by merging the first and second images together. An exposure time for the second image is longer than an exposure time for the first image. By sensing the first image before the second image, the first image is prevented from being sensed during a camera-shake-increase period starting a long time after the input of a image-sensing-start instruction. Also, by waiting for an image-sensing standby time to elapse before sensing the first image, the first image can be sensed during a period of a particularly small camera shake.
US08223220B2
Provided is an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program which can prevent a total processing time from significantly increasing while maintaining precision of image processing at a high level, where an image acquiring section sequentially acquires images generated by imaging a predetermined subject to be imaged; an image processing executing section executes, in each of sequentially-arriving processing periods, image processing on the image acquired by the image acquiring section; a preprocessing execution result output section outputs an execution result of preprocessing performed on the image in part of the sequentially-arriving processing periods, the image having been acquired by the image acquiring section before the part of the sequentially-arriving processing periods; an execution result holding section keeps holding the execution result output by the preprocessing execution result output section at least until the execution result is output next time by the preprocessing execution result output section; and the image processing executing section executes the image processing by applying the execution result held in the execution result holding section to the image acquired by the image acquiring section.
US08223204B2
When maneuvering a vehicle, due to the seated position of the driver, the problem arises that a large portion of the space to the rear of the vehicle to be observed is hidden by the vehicle body itself. Therefore, the vehicle driver is presented with a display of a camera image of the space to the rear of the vehicle with a perspective overlay of the driving path and/or the towing path of the vehicle (1). Said driver support system is configured such that it is also suitable for guiding a vehicle or vehicle combination (1) in which the trailer comprises a plurality of vehicle elements (2, 3) that are bendable relative to one another. In order to detect the steering angle (7) of at least one steerable axis (6) of the vehicle (1), and in order to determine the bending angle (5) between at least two vehicle elements (2, 3) bendable relative to one another, sensors are provided. Using the data regarding the steering and bending angles (5, 7) and taking into account at least the geometry of the vehicle (1), the future driving path of the vehicle (1) is predicted in the processor module for the limits of the driving path and/or towing path and is superimposed on the image data captured by the camera. The image data thus processed is then displayed to the driver of the vehicle (1) on a display as a maneuvering aid.
US08223200B1
Apparatus and methods of evaluating packages are provided. In a vision evaluation system embodiment, the system includes a light source, a first and second camera and a control system. The light source provides polarized backlight. The first camera has a first lens positioned to image the polarized back light. A ninety degree polarized filter is positioned between the first lens of the first camera and the light source. The ninety degree polarized filter is polarized 90 degrees from the polarized back light of the light source. The second camera has a second lens that is positioned near the first lens of the first camera. The control system is coupled to control the first and second cameras to take simultaneous images at a given frequency. The control system is further configured to determine locations to analyze based on image data from the first camera. Moreover, the control system is still further configured to analyze the determined locations in associated image data from the second camera. Packages whose image fails the analysis are removed from a packing line.
US08223196B2
A method for digitally augmenting or enhancing a food product such as the surface or top of a cake or other edible object. The method includes generating an augmentation media file based on a projection surface of the food product such as a digital movie or image that is mapped to the 3D topography of projection surface and that is projected on the food product using a properly aligned projector. Interactivity is provided by having the method include determining a modification or change of the 3D topography of the projection surface and, based upon the modification, generating a modified augmentation media file and operating the projector to use the modified augmentation media file to project a modified projected image on the food product. The method further provides interactivity by detecting a user interaction with the projection surface and generating a modified augmentation media file based on this tracked interaction.
US08223192B2
A method of remotely viewing a video from a selected viewpoint selected by the viewer from a continuous segment, including, recording a video of a subject using at least one depth video camera that records a video comprising a sequence of picture frames and additionally records a depth value for each pixel of the picture frames, recording a video of the subject using at least one standard video camera positioned to record a video at a viewpoint that differs from the viewpoint of the depth video camera, rendering a depth hull that defines a three dimensional outline of the subject being recorded using the depth values recorded by the depth video cameras, providing the recorded video from one or more cameras positioned on either side of the selected viewpoint, incorporating the recorded video from the one or more cameras onto the rendered depth hull to render a viewable video from the selected viewpoint; and displaying the rendered viewable video to the viewer.
US08223190B2
A display apparatus includes: a main information receiver which receives main information; a video processor which processes a main video corresponding to the received main information; a display unit which displays the main video thereon; a sub information communicator which receives sub information comprising at least one of a video, an audio and text through Internet Protocol; and a controller which controls the video processor to process a sub video corresponding to the sub information received through the sub information communicator and display the sub video on the display unit.
US08223188B2
As discussed herein, there is presented a visual communication system, a method of conducting two-way visual communication and an apparatus. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes: (1) a lens substrate having a first array of micro lenses on one side thereof, (2) an optical output substrate having a second array of display pixels and (3) an optical input substrate having a third array of image sensors laterally inter-dispersed with respect to display pixels of the first array and positioned to receive light from the micro lenses of the first array.
US08223180B2
A gamut mapping operation (910) detects in-gamut areas surrounded on at least two sides by out-of-gamut areas, and (920, 940) provides additional reduction of the subpixel values in the in-gamut areas to regain some of the contrast between the in-gamut and out-of-gamut areas. Other embodiments are also provided.
US08223173B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device, comprising a first display and a second display arranged to display a region of the first display at an increased magnification.
US08223170B2
The invention relates to an editing of a digital document containing an image, a text, a pattern and the like on pages constituting the digital document. In response to an operation for deleting an image positioned in a page, such image is not added to another page but is moved to and displayed in an evacuation area provided independently from the page area. In the evacuation area, such image is displayed together with a serial number of the page in which such image was present originally. Thus the page layout is not destructed in pages other than the page of image deletion, and the user can easily confirm later the image existed in such page.
US08223169B2
A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium provides the ability to stabilize a series of two or more still images (i.e., a clip). The clip of image data is obtained. The clip is then analyzed to produce a set of source curves that represent a global movement detected in the clip. Each of the source curves is filtered to compute result curves. The source and result curves are then exposed and displayed to the user who may modify/tweak the curves as desired. Automatically, without additional user input, and without reanalyzing the original clip, the result curves are recomputed based on the user's changes. The original clip is then transformed into a result clip/series based on the source and result curves.
US08223168B2
A method of determining implied sample areas for each data point of each color in a source pixel data specified in a first sub-pixel format is used for sub-pixel rendering an image on a display specified in a second sub-pixel format. Each of the first and second sub-pixel formats comprises a plurality of colored sub-pixels. The method comprises determining a geometric center of each colored sub-pixel of the first format to define a sampling point; and defining each implied sample area by forming lines that are substantially equidistant between the sampling point of one colored sub-pixel and the sampling point of another neighboring same color colored sub-pixel. A similar technique may be used for determining resample areas for computing color values for rendering an image specified in a first sub-pixel format on a display substantially comprising a plurality of colored sub-pixels arranged in a second sub-pixel format.
US08223161B2
An image generation apparatus provides correction for color offsets. Color offsets may be caused by misalignments in laser diodes or optics assemblies in a laser projector. The offsets may be measured during or after manufacture of the laser projector. An image buffer is responsive to the offset data to translate each color plane separately. The image buffer may include separately addressable portions for each color. Further, variable delay elements on the output of the image buffer may provide color offset correction. Interpolation provides further offset correction.
US08223147B1
Method, computer program and system for tracking movement of a subject within a video game. The method includes receiving data from a plurality of fixed position sensors comprising a distributed network of time of flight camera sensors to generate a volumetric three-dimensional representation of the subject, identifying a plurality of clusters within the volumetric three-dimensional representation that correspond to features indicative of movement of the subject relative to the fixed position sensors and the subject, presenting one or more objects as the subject of a video game on one or more three dimensional display screens, and using the plurality of fixed position sensors to track motion of the features of the subject to determine interaction of one or more of the features of the subject and one or more of the one or more objects on one or more of the one or more the three dimensional display screens.
US08223146B2
A unit (110) acquires an image, sensed by an image sensing device (100), of a physical object having an outer appearance that can be expressed by line segments. A unit (120) stores defining data used to classify line segments configuring a 3D virtual object that simulates the outer appearance of the physical object into a plurality of groups and to define respective line segments belonging to the groups. A unit (130) selects one group from the groups one by one without any repetition. The unit (130) projects line segments which belong to the selected group onto a physical space using the defining data used to define that line segments, and the image of the physical space. The unit (130) then updates a position and orientation of the image sensing unit based on the line segments projected onto the physical space and a feature in the image of the physical object.
US08223144B2
A parallelization permission and prohibition management unit of a processor manages the permission or prohibition of the parallelization for each combination of partial spaces in cooperation with another parallelization permission and prohibition management unit of a different processor. Specifically, when any given object is present across the boundary between a first partial space and a second partial space, the parallelization is prohibited between the collision process to be performed by any given processor on the virtual objects in the first partial space and the collision process to be performed by another processor on the virtual object in the second partial space.
US08223143B2
The present invention is an OCT imaging system user interface for efficiently providing relevant image displays to the user. These displays are used during image acquisition to align patients and verify acquisition image quality. During image analysis, these displays indicate positional relationships between displayed data images, automatically display suspicious analysis, automatically display diagnostic data, simultaneously display similar data from multiple visits, improve access to archived data, and provide other improvements for efficient data presentation of relevant information.
US08223141B2
A method is disclosed for loading and modulating the pixels of a display in parallel. The method includes the steps of receiving a plurality of data bits, loading the data bits into the storage elements of single-latch pixels in a plurality of rows of the display within a loading period, turning on a light source prior to the end of the loading period when each of the loaded bits has an assertion time greater than or equal to the duration of the loading period. Alternatively, the method includes turning on the light source following the loading period when each of the bits has an assertion time less than the duration of the loading period. Another method includes modulating the light source on and off to conserve power when the light source is supposed to be turned on. A display driver is also disclosed to perform the inventive methods.
US08223138B2
An active matrix display device comprises a plurality of pixels, and driving circuitry arranged to drive each pixel with a pre-determined drive voltage level during a first phase (41) followed by an overdrive drive voltage level during a second phase (44). A partial frame store is for storing a fraction of the pixel data for the display. Input video data is written into the partial frame store (40) at a first rate and is read out of the partial frame store at a second rate which is greater than the first rate. The data read out of the partial frame store is processed for deriving the overdrive drive voltage level.
US08223135B2
In a touch panel, a rear electrode provided at a rear end of an upper conductive layer is extended so as to surround the circumference of an upper substrate. Derivation sections for applying a voltage are formed at both ends of the rear electrode.
US08223133B2
A capacitive position sensor for determining the position of an object along first and second directions is described. The sensor comprises a substrate having an arrangement of electrodes mounted on a single surface thereof. The electrodes are arranged so as to define an array of sensing cells arranged in columns and rows to form a sensing area. Each of the sensing cell including a column sensing electrode and a row sensing electrode with the column sensing electrodes of sensing cells in the same column being electrically coupled together and the row sensing electrodes of sensing cells in the same row also being electrically coupled together. Row sensing electrodes of sensing cells at opposing ends of at least one of the rows are connected together by an electrical connection made outside of the sensing area so that there is no requirement for electrical connections to cross within the sensing area, thus providing a capacitive position sensor having a sensing area with electrodes on only one side of a substrate.
US08223130B2
A touch-sensitive sheet member contains a first raw material member having predetermined hardness and a second raw material member that presents sense of touch. The second raw material member is disposed in the first raw material member. The second raw material member has hardness different from the hardness of the first raw material member.
US08223126B2
Systems, apparatuses and methods for facilitating input function designation. A function of a device specified via a user input is identified, and one of a plurality of sub-functions of the identified function is activated, based on an associated durational user input. One representative function is a keyguard function, and user invocation of such a keyguard function is recognized, where the keyguard function is associated with at least a normal keyguard sub-function and security keyguard sub-function. A duration of the user input associated with the user invocation of the keyguard function is determined and one of the normal keyguard sub-function or the security keyguard sub-function is activated, depending on the duration of the user input.
US08223125B2
A multipurpose wireless touchpad mouse includes a mouse body, a first button set and a second button set respectively mounted in the top and bottom sides of the mouse body, and a control module mounted in an accommodation chamber inside the mouse body and electrically connected with the first button set and the second button set for sensing the upside-up position or upside-down position of the mouse body by means of a direction sensor and for enabling a changeover switch controller thereof to switch between the first button set and the second button set subject to the upside-up or upside-down position of the mouse body sensed by the direction sensor so that the mouse body can be used with the first button set as a mouse, or used with the second button set as a remote controller, laser pointer, A/V controller, presentation remote controller, direction controller or game controller.
US08223124B2
A computer mouse includes a left key assembly, a right key assembly, a signal processing unit, and a casing. The casing includes a top casing and a bottom casing. The bottom casing includes a bottom convex surface, the contour of the bottom convex surface is an ellipse, the bottom casing defines two first openings in the bottom convex surface, and the two key assemblies are positioned in the corresponding first openings. Each of the left key assembly and the right key assembly includes a hollow receiving column, a movable shaft, an elastic member and a pressure sensor. The movable shaft is received in the receiving columns. The movable shaft and the pressure sensor are spaced from each other via the elastic element. The pressure sensor will generate a corresponding pulse when pressed by the movable shaft. The signal processing unit receives the pulse, and sends a controlling signal.
US08223123B1
Techniques for hardware accelerated caret rendering are described in which a system based caret is emulated using hardware acceleration technology. The hardware accelerated caret can be rendered using dedicated graphics processing hardware to look and feel like a system caret. This can involve using pixel shaders to produce the hardware accelerated caret and a employing a back-up texture to remove the caret after it is drawn and cause the caret to blink. In addition, rendering of the caret can be coordinated with other animations and/or other presentations of a frame buffer to piggy back drawing of the caret onto other drawing operations. This can reduce the number of times the frame buffer is presented and therefore improve performance.
US08223108B2
In an array substrate and a display apparatus having the array substrate, a pixel part includes gate lines, data lines and pixels electrically connected to the gate and data lines. A gate driving circuit is electrically connected to a first end of the gate lines and applies a gate signal to the gate lines. A first inspecting circuit is electrically connected to odd-numbered gate lines of the gate lines and inspects odd-numbered pixels connected to the odd-numbered gate lines. A second inspecting circuit is electrically connected to even-numbered gate lines of the gate lines and inspects even-numbered pixels connected to the even-numbered gate lines. Thus, electrical defects between the pixels may be easily detected, thereby improving the inspectability for the defects of the array substrate.
US08223097B2
A pixel array structure, a flat display panel and a method for driving a flat display panel thereof are provided. The structure of the pixel array structure and the flat display panel is the structure of the half source driving (HSD). Therefore, by skillfully arranging the coupled relationship between each pixel and each data line, the pixel array structure provided in the present invention can be driven by the gate driver directly disposed on the substrate of the pixel array. Accordingly, not only the fabrication cost of the flat display panel can be reduced, but the manner of the timing controller controlling the gate driver and source driver can also be reduced.
US08223096B2
An organic light emitting device including a first pixel, a second pixel and a third pixel displaying different colors from each other according to the present invention, the organic light emitting device includes a reflecting electrode and a translucent member forming a micro-cavity along with the reflecting electrode, wherein a optical path length is an interval between the reflecting electrode and the translucent member, and wherein the light path lengths of at least two pixels among the first pixel, the second pixel and the third pixel are the same.
US08223079B2
An antenna device includes an antenna, the antenna including an antenna element, a circuit board, and a planar metallic holder disposed between the antenna element and the circuit board. The antenna device further includes an antenna case accommodating the antenna, and the antenna case include a top cover and a bottom plate serving as a base. The metallic holder supports the antenna element on the base, and includes a flat-shaped portion mounting a bottom surface of the antenna element and a plurality of tabs extending upwards from peripheral edges of the flat-shaped portion. The plurality of tabs includes a pair of front tabs and a pair of rear tabs, and a distance between the pair of front tabs is shorter than a distance between the pair of rear tabs.
US08223075B2
A multiband antenna includes a base board, a feed member, a first grounding connector, a second grounding connector, a first radio member, a second radio member, a third radio member and a fourth radio member. The feed member, the first grounding connector and the second grounding connector are all electronically connected to the base board. The first radio member is electronically connected to the feed member and the first grounding connector. The second radio member is electronically connected to the first radio member. The third radio member is electronically connected to the first radio member. The fourth radio member is electronically connected to the second grounding connector. In use, the multiband antenna sends/receives wireless signals in different working frequencies by the radio members.
US08223071B2
A handheld electronic apparatus includes a positioning module, a sensing module, a constellation database, and a processing module. The positioning module generates location information associated with the handheld electronic apparatus according to a satellite signal received by the handheld electronic apparatus. The sensing module detects a vertical tilted angle and a horizontal observing direction associated with a positioned state of the handheld electronic apparatus. The processing module retrieves corresponding real-time constellation information from constellation data stored in the constellation database according to timing information, the location information, the vertical tilted angle, and the horizontal observing direction.
US08223064B2
A method of processing an input signal to perform frequency analysis is disclosed. The input signal comprises a desired signal and an interference signal. A crosslation is performed to generate a representation of the frequency content of the input signal. The representation comprises initial crosslation values predominantly corresponding to interference and subsequent crosslation values corresponding to the desired signal. For the crosslation values corresponding to interference, a maximum value and slope are calculated. These are used as parameter indicators of the interference and also to identify which values should be discarded in the processing of the desired signal. With the crosslation values corresponding to interference discarded, the remaining crosslation values are processed to calculate properties of the desired signal.
US08223057B2
A system and methods for synchronizing quantized sampled data in a monitoring device. A variable frequency output signal is coupled to an analog to digital converter. A fixed frequency clock is coupled to the analog to digital converter. The analog to digital converter samples the output signal at a fixed frequency to produce high speed samples. A group of initial high speed samples is stored from the analog to digital converter over a fixed window of time. The group of initial high speed samples is interpolated to produce a group of fewer low speed samples from the initial group of high speed samples over the fixed window of time. The group of low speed samples is stored as a representation of the variable frequency output signal.
US08223054B2
In order to reduce a current mismatch by laying-out the bias circuit of current cells adjacent to each other in a common current centroid manner or connecting the output lines of the current cells in a tournament manner, there is provided a digital-analog converter in which a plurality of current cells are two dimensionally and symmetrically disposed according to a previously determined order, the digital-analog converter including: a first current cell group including a portion of the plurality of current cells; and a second current cell group including the rest of the plurality of current cells, not included in the first current cell group, the outputs of each current cell of the first current cell group being connected to the outputs of each current cell of the second current cell group in a tournament manner, wherein each of the plurality of current cells includes: a switch circuit switching the output and block of a unit current according to an input signal; and a bias circuit mirroring current supplied according to the switching of the switch circuit and converting the current into the unit current, the bias circuit of two current cells adjacent to each other among the plurality of current cells being laid-out in a common current centroid manner.
US08223053B2
A sigma-delta modulator may have a plurality of capacitor pairs, a plurality of switches to couple any pair of capacitors from the plurality of capacitor pairs selectively to an input signal or a reference signal, and a control unit operable to control sampling through the switches to perform a charge transfer in two phases wherein any pair of capacitors can be selected to be assigned to the input signal or the reference signal, and wherein after a plurality of charge transfers a gain error cancellation is performed by rotating the capacitor pairs cyclically such that after a rotation cycle, each capacitor pair has been assigned a first predetermined number of times to the input signal, and has also been assigned a second predetermined number of times to the reference signal.
US08223050B2
In a delta-sigma A/D converter provided with plural channels for converting an analog input signal into a digital signal, an adverse influence of an idle tone is reduced in each channel. The delta-sigma A/D converter comprises: a first quantizer which quantizes and outputs a received signal; a first D/A converter which converts an output signal of the first quantizer into an analog signal, and outputs the converted analog signal; a first operation unit which outputs a signal indicative of a difference of the first analog input signal and an output signal of the first D/A converter; a first integrator which integrates an output signal of the first operation unit and outputs the integrated signal; a first dither circuit which generates a first dither signal; and a second operation unit which adds the first dither signal to the output signal of the first integrator and outputs the added signal to the first quantizer.
US08223039B2
A method and a device for detecting a thrust dissymmetry of an aircraft during a landing are disclosed. The detection device (6) comprises means (7) for detecting, upon a landing, that at least one of the engine control levers occupies an intermediary position comprised between a position threshold and a maximum speed position, as well as at least another engine control lever occupies an idling position, and means (9, 13) for triggering a warning when a landing condition is validated and at least one of the control levers occupies said intermediary position, at least another control lever occupying said idling position.
US08223035B2
A method for start-up and/or operation of a communication system composed of at least one multivariable sensor, at least one converter unit and at least one receiving unit, which are connected with one another via a two-wire line. A wherein a primary measured value in the form of an analog signal and extra measured values in the form of an encoded digital signal modulated on the analog signal are provided from the multivariable sensor via the two-wire line, wherein only analog signals are received by the receiving unit. The extra measured values are scaled in the multivariable sensor into formatted values by means of a conversion algorithm, wherein at least the formatted values are requested and received by the converter unit, and wherein corresponding analog signals of the extra measured values are produced from the formatted values in the converter unit by a fixedly predetermined, unconfigurable, reconversion algorithm. The analog signals of the extra measured values are transmitted via respective separate electrical current lines to the receiving unit.
US08223026B2
A water-absorbent blanket that is located between a roof and the ceiling of a building, such as a residence, to catch and absorb any water that may leak through the roof or which is a result of condensation and prevent that water from reaching a finished ceiling.
US08223025B2
A measurement indicative of a temperature of a computer is received and a thermal health value for the computer is calculated based on the measurement.
US08223024B1
A wearable computer determines unnatural movements of a head-mounted display (HMD) and triggers a locking mechanism. In one embodiment, the wearable computer receives movement data from one or more sensors and determines that the movement of the HMD is unnatural. In one embodiment, the wearable computer receives movement data from one or more sensors and determines that the HMD is being worn by an unauthorized user. In response to determining an unnatural movement and/or an unauthorized user wearing the HMD, the wearable computer triggers a locking mechanism, which can beneficially provide security measures for the wearable computer.
US08223016B2
A capacitive occupant detection system comprises a capacitive sensor and a seat frame located under the capacitive sensor through a seat cushion. The seat frame is electrically connected with the ground potential level of the vehicle. A water proof layer is placed above the seat frame. The water proof layer prevents water from penetrating the seat cushion to reach to the seat frame, even if water poured on the seating part. The water proof layer suppresses resistance decrease of resistive component between the capacitive sensor and the seat frame resulting from water poured on the seat.
US08223013B2
The invention relates to a system and method of a health monitoring network which automates detection of faulty or failed sensors using real-time fault checking on a dynamically registered sensor data stream. The monitoring system and sensor network can provide a one-touch system to notify users when a sensor requires attention, without prior knowledge of the operational characteristics, installation method or configuration of sensors in the network. The network uses a decision engine to assist in maintenance according to a profile based on individual preferences and capabilities.
US08222999B2
A commodity display position alert system includes commodity display shelves set in a selling floor space of a store, an RFID reader provided in each of the commodity display shelves, and a server as a system control unit. The RFID reader reads a commodity code from an RFID tag attached to a commodity. A server compares the commodity code of the commodity and display permission information stored in a database functioning as a shelf-rule storing unit and determines whether the read commodity code is a commodity code of a commodity that should be displayed on the commodity display shelf. When the server determines that a commodity other than the commodity that should be displayed on the commodity display shelf is displayed on the commodity display shelf, the server performs control for outputting a reporting signal for causing the PDA terminal to perform reporting operation.
US08222998B2
In an arrangement and the associated method for the acquisition of data between at least one detection unit E1, E2, En and at least one means RFID1, RFID2, . . . RFIDn arranged in the electromagnetic alternating field EMF1, EMF2, . . . EMFn of the detection unit E1, E2, . . . En, for example an electronic data carrier, the means RFID1, RFID2, . . . RFIDn only submits data of a field intensity threshold value Emax of the electromagnetic alternating field EMF1, EMF2, . . . EMFn is exceeded. The data is received by the detection unit E1, E2, . . . E3. The field intensity of the electromagnetic alternating field EMF1, EMF2, . . . EMFn is designed such that within a predetermined unit of volume VE the field intensity threshold value Emax is exceeded for a predetermined amount of time t.
US08222995B1
Systems, methods, and media are provided for transmitting a message received from a paging network on a paging device to wireless or other electronic devices. The paging device establishes a radio connection with the wireless device and transmits the received messages to the wireless device through the established radio connection. In response to receiving a message from the paging device, the wireless device sends an acknowledgment to the paging network that the message was received and displays the message.
US08222991B2
An electric power supply system includes an electric power reception apparatus and an electric power supply apparatus adapted to supply electric power to the electric power reception apparatus when the electric power reception apparatus is placed on the electric power supply apparatus. The electric power supply apparatus includes a plurality of electric power supply units adapted to supply electric power by electromagnetic induction to the electric power reception apparatus. A selection unit of the electric power supply apparatus selects, from the total plurality of electric power supply units, a plurality of electric power supply units whose location corresponds to a position where the electric power reception apparatus is placed, and a control unit controls the supply of electric power such that electric power is supplied to the electric power reception apparatus from the selected plurality of electric power supply units.
US08222984B2
Two layers of a plurality of rod-like permanent magnets each having a width Wm, a thickness Tm and a predetermined length are aligned on a plane in such a way that they have opposite magnetic pole orientations alternately and are aligned at a fixed pole pitch τp are arranged to be opposed to each other with the magnetic pole orientation of each magnet in one of the layers being identical to that of the opposing magnet in the other layer. The opposing surfaces of the magnets are spaced a distance 2×lg from each other, and a vibrating membrane on which coils each having a conductive pattern are arranged is placed in a gap between any two adjacent rod-like permanent magnets in each of the two layers, where lg is a distance from the vibrating membrane to the surface of a magnet. The arrangement of the rod-like permanent magnets is optimized by using Wm, Tm, τp, and lg.
US08222983B2
A single direct current arc chamber includes a ferromagnetic base having first and opposite second ends, a first ferromagnetic side member disposed from the first end, a second ferromagnetic side member disposed from the opposite second end, a third ferromagnetic member disposed from the ferromagnetic base intermediate the ferromagnetic side members, a first permanent magnet having a first magnetic polarity disposed on the first ferromagnetic side member and facing the third ferromagnetic member, and a second permanent magnet having the first magnetic polarity disposed on the second ferromagnetic side member and facing the third ferromagnetic member.
US08222966B2
A device article and method for an open loop calibrated phase wrapping phase modulator. A tapped delay line may provide a coarse resolution for one or more phases of a signal. A phase multiplexer may receive one or more coarse phases from the tapped delay line and select a coarse phase to send to the digitally controlled delay line. A digitally controlled delay line may provide a fine resolution to the coarse phase from the phase multiplexer.
US08222964B2
In some embodiments, an apparatus and system includes a substrate including outer surfaces, one of the outer surfaces defining a first plurality of electrical contacts, one of the outer surfaces adapted to be mounted to a circuit board and defining a second plurality of electrical contacts adapted to be electrically connected to the circuit board; an integrated circuit die mounted to one of the outer surfaces, and a crystal oscillator mounted to one of the outer surfaces and electrically connected to the integrated circuit die. In some embodiments, a method includes providing a substrate including outer surfaces, one of the outer surfaces defining a first plurality of electrical contacts, one of the outer surfaces adapted to be mounted to a circuit board and defining a second plurality of electrical contacts adapted to be electrically connected to the circuit board; mounting an integrated circuit die to one of the outer surfaces, mounting a crystal oscillator to one of the outer surfaces; and electrically connecting the crystal oscillator to the integrated circuit die.
US08222962B2
A digitally controlled oscillator provides high resolution in frequency tuning by using a digitally controlled capacitive network that includes a tunable capacitive circuit, a first capacitor and a second capacitor. The tunable capacitive circuit generates a variable capacitance according to a digital control word. The first capacitor is coupled in an electrically parallel configuration with the tunable capacitive circuit. The second capacitor is coupled in an electrically serial configuration with a combination of the first capacitor and the tunable capacitive circuit. The first capacitor and the second capacitor are sized such that an effective capacitance of the digitally controlled capacitor network has a step size that is a fraction of a step size of the variable capacitance in response to an incremental change in the digital control word.
US08222959B2
There is provided an amplification control circuit that can adjust the amount of current being supplied to an amplifier according to a reference signal set beforehand. An amplification control circuit according to an aspect of the invention may include: a power supply section supplying a DC power set beforehand to at least one amplifier according to a reference signal set beforehand; a current control section detecting a current being supplied from the power supply section according to a ratio set beforehand and controlling the amount of current being supplied to the at least one amplifier from the power supply section; and a current adjustment section adjusting a level of the current being controlled by the current control section in order to increase or decrease the amount of current being supplied to the at least one amplifier from the power supply section.
US08222949B2
Embodiments of circuits, devices, and methods related to a radio frequency switch are disclosed. In various embodiments, a circuit may comprise a series path including a series transistor to be switched on during a first mode of operation; a shunt path including a shunt transistor to be switched off during the first mode of operation; and a return path including a return transistor to be switched on during the first mode of operation. Other embodiments may also be described and claimed.
US08222935B2
A communication system includes a phase-locked loop that maintains synchronization of a reception signal. The phase-locked loop includes a loop filter that has a circuit configuration m for an m-th order phase-locked loop including a circuit configuration n for an n-th order phase-locked loop (m>n), and a switching section that switches circuit configurations, which are activated in the loop filter, between the circuit configuration n and the circuit configuration m.
