US08256017B2
A calibration leveling system and method are provided which improve printing and imaging at the nanoscale including improved tip-based deposition and nanolithography. The system can include a scanning probe instrument having a video camera with an adjustable lens. The scanner can be coupled to a one or two dimensional array of cantilevers comprising cantilever tips for imaging or printing. The scanning probe instrument has one or more motors for controlling the scanner in the z-axis. The z-axis motors position the scanner so that the cantilever tips are in a level orientation relative to the surface of a substrate. Once the cantilever tips are level with the substrate, the positions of the z-axis motors can be recorded for future reference.
US08256014B2
When a PC 10 connects to a PD 20, the PC 10 decides whether or not the PD 20 holds a group ID and if the PC 10 decides PD 20 holds the group ID, PC 10 decides whether or not the group ID held in the PC 10 and the group ID held in the PD 20 coincide with each other. If the both IDs are not decided that they don't coincide with each other, the PC 10 acquires a device ID corresponding to PD 20 from PD 20 and transfers the device ID and a terminal ID of the PC 10 to a server apparatus 32. Then the PC 10 receives, from the server apparatus 32, a user link completion information representative that an association between first user ID corresponding to the terminal ID and second user ID corresponding to the device ID is completed.
US08256013B1
A method and apparatus for dynamically generating a persona is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving an identity policy, determining a required identity information data set based on the policy, requesting a site reputation, receiving the site reputation, determining a set of site reputation parameters, and generating a persona based on the required identity information data set and the site reputation parameters.
US08256011B2
A media package storing program code, the media package comprising a medium storing a first part of the program code intended to be executed on a processor external to the media package, and a processing device storing a state and a second part of the program code, the first and the second parts of the program code being adapted to interact when executed so as to execute the program code. The processing device comprises a processor for verifying the state and for executing the second part of the program code if the verification of the state indicates that this is authorized; and a first interface for communication with the processor external to the media package. The processing device further comprises a second interface adapted to interact with a state change device in order to set the state from a first state not authorizing execution of second part of the program code to a second state authorizing execution of second part of the program code. The second interface is a Radio Frequency interface adapted to, when the media package is in the first state, interact with at least one anti-theft portal. Also provided is a system.
US08256000B1
A method and apparatus for indentifying Icons whereby a known/clean file Icon database is created that includes Icon image data and/or .ico files associated with known icons of selected applications. The resource section of any file being transferred to, or through, a given user computing system is then stripped and scanned for .ico files and any .ico files identified are extracted. Then for each directory extracted from the identified .ico files, the relevant image data is extracted. The known/clean Icon image data is obtained from the known/clean file Icon database. The extracted relevant image data is then compared with known/clean Icon image data and, if the extracted relevant image data matches with the known/clean Icon image data to a desired level of accuracy, a status of the extracted .ico files, and/or given file, is transformed indicate a status of Icon match.
US08255996B2
A network switch automatically detects undesired network traffic and mirrors the undesired traffic to a security management device. The security management device determines the source of the undesired traffic and redirects traffic from the source to itself. The security management device also automatically sends a policy to a switch to block traffic from the source.
US08255993B2
A computer-implemented method for determining file classifications. The method may include determining identification information of a first file stored on a first computing system. The method may also include querying a second computing system for classification information by sending the identification information of the first file to the second computing system. The first computing system may receive, in response to the query, identification information of a second file. The first computing system may also receive the classification information. The classification information may indicate that the first file and second file are trusted. The first computing system may use the identification information of the second file to determine that the second file is stored on the first computing system. The first computing system may also apply the classification information to the first and second files by excluding the first and second files from a security scan.
US08255984B1
Systems and methods for enhancing security of single sign-on are described. These systems and methods can reduce the amount of sensitive information stored on a client device while still providing single sign-on access to shared resources such as virtual desktops or Terminal Servers. For example, storage of authentication information on client devices can be avoided while still allowing client devices to connect to the shared resources. Instead, such information can be stored at a broker server that brokers connections from client devices to the shared resources. The broker server can facilitate more secure single sign-on by providing a single-use ticket to a client device that authenticates with the broker server. The client device can use this single-use ticket to authenticate with a shared resource.
US08255983B2
A method of operating a user terminal connected to the Internet comprises: prior to sending an email from the user terminal to a recipient, sending an identifier of the email content and a telephone number to a server; receiving a verification code from the server via the Internet; receiving an authentication string from the server via the Internet; including the authentication string and the telephone number in the email; and sending the email to the recipient.
US08255980B2
Systems and methods for managing router configuration devices in a secure data communication network are described herein. An illustrative system includes a plurality of programmed external configuration devices and a configuration device programmer. Each programmed external configuration device contains at least a portion of a definition of a secure data path between a first router and a second router. Each programmed external configuration device can be detachably coupled to a first router to create a secure data path between the first router and a second router. The configuration device programmer writes a secure data path definition into a selected external configuration device if a predetermined number of programmed external configuration devices are coupled to the configuration device programmer.
US08255978B2
The present invention is directed to a method for creating a database of verified personal information. Information regarding individuals is gathered from one or more sources and stored. Authorized individuals request to view the information over a wide area computer network. The authorized individuals are allowed to review selected portions of the gathered information which is presented over the wide area computer network. Commentary from the authorized users on the accuracy of said the information is solicited and included in the database with information. Third parties do not have access to the database of verified personal information but can verify information outside of the database.
US08255977B2
A trusted network connect (TNC) method based on tri-element peer authentication is provided, which includes the following steps. Platform integrity information is prepared in advance. An integrity verification requirement is predefined. A network access requestor initiates an access request to a network access controller. The network access controller starts a mutual user authentication process, and performs a tri-element peer authentication protocol with a user authentication serving unit. After the mutual user authentication is successful, a TNC client, a TNC server, and a platform evaluation serving unit implement platform integrity evaluation by using a tri-element peer authentication method. The network access requestor and the network access controller control ports according to recommendations received respectively, so as to implement mutual access control between the access requestor and the access controller. Thus, the technical problems in the prior art of poor extensibility, complex key agreement process, low security, and that platform integrity evaluation is not peer-to-peer are solved by the present invention. Through the method of the present invention, key management and integrity verification mechanisms of the TNC are simplified, and the range of applicability of the TNC is expanded.
US08255973B2
Systems and techniques are provided for controlling requests for resources from remote computers. A remote computer's ability to access a resource is determined based upon the computer's operating environment. The computer or computers responsible for controlling access to a resource will interrogate the remote computer to ascertain its operating environment. The computer or computers responsible for controlling access to a resource may, for example, download one or more interrogator agents onto the remote computer to determine its operating environment. Based upon the interrogation results, the computer or computers responsible for controlling access to a resource will control the remote computer's access to the requested resource.
US08255971B1
Aspects of the invention relate to a customer authentication system for authenticating a customer making a request related to a customer account. The customer authentication system may include multiple application level data receiving and processing mechanisms for receiving customer requests and collecting customer data. The customer authentication system may additionally include a central authentication system for receiving the customer requests and customer data from the multiple application level data receiving and processing mechanisms, the central authentication system determining, based on authentication policy, whether the collected customer data is sufficient to authenticate each customer in order to fulfill the customer request. The central authentication system may return its conclusions and instructions to the multiple application level data receiving and processing mechanisms. The customer authentication system may additionally include a fraud policy system for centrally managing authentication policy implemented by the central authentication system.
US08255967B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network device to transmit interactive TV services using minimally twisted or non-twisted pair cables including a controller to receive a very high digital subscriber line (VDSL) signal at the minimally twisted or non-twisted pair cable and adapt the VDSL signal for transmission over the minimally twisted or non-twisted pair cable to form an adapted VDSL signal which can subsequently be used for presentation of interactive TV services. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08255959B2
A first playback apparatus instructs a server apparatus to suspend playback of content, and the first playback apparatus stores identification information of the content for which suspension of playback was instructed and suspension information indicating the location at which playback of content was suspended. In response to a request from a second playback apparatus, the first playback apparatus presents the second playback apparatus with the stored suspension information, and the second playback apparatus selects the content, which is to be played back, in accordance with the suspension information presented.
US08255947B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for authenticating local and remote devices associated with a broadcast area. In one embodiment, an authentication server can transmit a unique broadcast identifier to a broadcast system and a local device. The broadcast system can then transmit a broadcast that includes the unique broadcast identifier. Once the local device receives the unique broadcast identifier from the broadcast and the authentication server, it can be authenticated as being in the broadcast area.
US08255940B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for authenticating local and remote devices associated with a broadcast area. For example, in one embodiment, a broadcast station can broadcast a first over-the-air broadcast that includes a token. A local device can scan for and identify the token in the first over-the-air broadcast it receives. The local device can then transmit the received token and user registration to an authentication server. The authentication server can use the token and user registration information to create a unique broadcast identifier. The authentication server can then transmit the unique broadcast identifier to the broadcast station and the local device. The broadcast station then broadcasts a second over-the-air broadcast that includes a unique broadcast identifier. Once the local device receives the unique broadcast identifier from the second over-the-air broadcast and the authentication server, it can be authenticated as being in the broadcast area.
US08255938B2
Signature-based program identification apparatus and methods for use with digital audio and/or video systems are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methods develop signatures of digital audio and/or video content from a digital data stream at two or more sites and compare the signatures to one another to identify the content.
US08255936B2
An objective lens drive apparatus configured to drive an objective lens that focuses a laser beam on an optical disk is disclosed, the apparatus including a holding member that holds the objective lens; at least one pair of drive magnets arranged to face each other at opposite sides of the holding member with respect a tangential direction that is parallel to a tangential line of the optical disk, the drive magnets having protruding end portions that protrude from each side of the holding member with respect to a tracking direction that is parallel to a radial direction of the optical disk; and plural drive coils configured to drive the holding member through interaction with the drive magnets, at least one of the drive coils being arranged on each side of the drive magnets with respect to the tangential direction.
US08255932B1
In one example embodiment, a system and method are illustrated that includes defining an interface that is independent of a management interface associated with a management agent. This interface is configured to instrument a network device component. The system and method also includes generating an API from the interface. The system and method further includes binding the management agent and the API to implement the management interface associated with the management agent.
US08255929B2
A system and method for providing time-sensitive information to a handset using a scrolling ticker. The method includes receiving the time-sensitive information at a server, determining the time period before the next update for a second set of information, and if less than a pre-determined value, then streaming the time sensitive information at the end of the time period to the handset. If the time period is greater that than the pre-determined value, then streaming the time-sensitive information immediately. In an alternative embodiment, a method is provided which includes determining a base schedule for periodically streaming the information to a handset via a scrolling ticker, receiving time-sensitive information relating to an event, determining a second schedule for periodically streaming time-sensitive information related to the event, and streaming the time-sensitive information in accordance with the second schedule during a time period associated with the event.
US08255924B2
The disclosed embodiments include a system and method for providing at least one electronic application to at least one device. In one embodiment, the method includes acquiring device information that relates to the device and determining whether the device supports the at least one application based on the device information. The method may further include generating an electronic message for the device wherein the message contains at least one link for acquiring the at least one application when the device supports the application.
US08255921B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates using a web-based client-server application offline. During operation, the system receives a function call at an object within a browser that is executing on a client, wherein the function call is generated by the web-based client-server application and is directed to a communication layer on the client. Next, the system determines an intended resource for the function call. The system also determines if the function call should be redirected to an alternate resource. If so, the system redirects the function call to the alternate resource. If not, the system forwards the function call to the intended resource. Note that in some embodiments of the present invention, the entire system operates within the context of the browser.
US08255916B2
Apparatus, and an associated method, for facilitating optimization of data center performance. An optimization decision engine is provided with information regarding energy credentials of the power generative facilities that power the respective data centers. The energy credential, or other energy indicia, information is used in an optimization decision. Responsive to the optimization decision, processing allocation is made.
US08255897B2
It is made possible to update software appropriately. When additional software is installed, update management data for the additional software is generated. When the update management data for the additional software is attached to the additional software in advance, that data is used. If the update management data is not attached, cycles for confirming the presence of updates and the like are determined based on the nature of the software, and the update management data is thus generated. Then, the generated update management data is set in an update management table. The presence of software updates is checked for based on the cycles for confirming the presence of updates in the update management table.
US08255877B2
The disclosure relates to a method for managing the triggering of an application in a terminal place in an environment consisting of several access technologies. The disclosure also relates to a mobile telephone type terminal that implements the method. A test mechanism is implemented for at least one application on the basis of information contained in the tested application when a triggering event occurs for an application, thereby making it possible to recognize or deduce the network access technologies supported by the application.
US08255871B1
A method and architecture is described that discovers software application metadata and generates data access applications based on the discovered software application metadata. The discovered metadata along with handcrafted metadata goes through a discovery process and is converted into common, generic abstract metadata objects. The abstract metadata objects then go through an instantiation process to be translated into concrete metadata objects that represent the unique configuration, context and terminology of the source software application. The concrete metadata objects can be generated into numerous forms for the purposes of data access and information sharing. The system also has upgrade protection.
US08255859B2
Multi-voltage circuit design verification segregates design elements into iso-voltage-rail blocks. Information on cross-over connections between the iso-voltage-rail blocks is obtained. Voltage effects are simulated in the circuit design, and, based on the cross-over information, the simulation results are modified. This yields more accurate results of simulations for multi-voltage circuit designs.
US08255848B2
A technique for verification of a retimed logic design using liveness checking includes assigning a liveness gate to a liveness property for an original netlist and assigning a fairness gate to a fairness constraint for the original netlist. In this case, the fairness gate is associated with the liveness gate and is asserted for at least one time-step during any valid behavioral loop associated with the liveness gate. The original netlist is retimed, using a retiming engine, to provide a retimed netlist. The liveness and fairness gates of the retimed netlist are retimed such that a lag of the fairness gate is no greater than a lag of the liveness gate. Verification analysis is then performed on the retimed netlist. Finally, when the verification analysis yields a valid counter-example trace for the retimed netlist, a liveness violation for the original netlist is returned.
US08255844B2
An FPGA-design-CAD interface unit retrieves pin assignment information created by an FPGA-designing CAD apparatus. An FPGA-pin-information managing unit manages the pin assignment information as FPGA pin information. A temporary-library creating unit creates a temporary component shape type library by using the FPGA pin information and outputs the temporary component shape type library in a form capable of being read by a package-designing CAD apparatus to a file.
US08255829B1
Systems and methods provide system level information technology security requirements. A requirements component outputs prompts via a user interface, including questions regarding a type of data associated with a project application, how the project application authenticates and authorizes users, a processing and storage characterization of the project application and corresponding sets of selectable responses. The component receives selections of at least one of each set of selectable responses, identifies a set of security requirements for the project application based on the selections, and outputs the set of security requirements via the user interface to assist an application team in developing the project application. The component may identify a security test associated with at least one of the set of security requirements, and output the identification of the security test. The component may output information associated with a corresponding set of security requirements in response to receiving an audit request.
US08255827B2
Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and graphical user interfaces (GUI's) for interactively presenting features within the panes of a display area rendered in a GUI workspace are provided. Initially, a computing device memory is inspected to discover a profile that accommodates a user-visual pattern. When the profile is not discovered, a default page layout is retrieved and communicated to the display device for presentation within the display area. If the profile is discovered, commonly viewed screen locations, based upon a frequency of eye fixation upon each of the screen locations, are ordered. Contextually relevant features are selected for presentation within the display area. The selected features are ranked based on predetermined criteria and each associated with the commonly viewed screen locations by comparing the ranking with the ordering. A page layout is constructed by spatially placing the features in proximity to the screen locations associated therewith, and is rendered within the display area.
US08255826B2
Methods and apparatuses for resizing buffered windows. In one aspect of the invention, a method to resize a buffered window on a data processing system includes: determining an estimated size for a window which has a first pixel image of a first size buffered in a first window buffer; allocating a second window buffer which is large enough to buffer the window in the estimated size; and buffering a second pixel image of the window in a second size in the second window buffer. In one example according to this aspect, a portion of a frame buffer is updated to the second pixel image to display the window in the second size. A portion of the second window buffer, storing the data that represents the second pixel image, is clipped to update the corresponding portion of the frame buffer.
US08255822B2
Textboxes are provided to support both standard textbox operations and handwriting input. A textbox may be displayed as a standard textbox, receive input from a keyboard, a pointing device (e.g., a mouse), and/or a handheld writing device (e.g., an electronic pen or stylus), and interpret the input to perform standard textbox operations. Based on various user actions, the textbox is displayed as an enlarged textbox that provides a writing surface for receiving input from the handheld writing device that is interpreted as handwriting input. Text is recognized from the handwriting input, and the text from the enlarged textbox is synchronized with the textbox.
US08255818B2
A community accessible via a portal can be provided for maintaining user membership in a collaborative computing environment. Collaboration resources can be displayed on the portal page. Drag and drop functionality can be provided, which enables a community member to drag drop some resource into a target area, thereby causing a computer to execute an action upon the drop. A drag and drop tag library can be provided for allowing a developer to add this functionality to selected resources. For example, a draggable resource tag can be used by the developer to specify the resource displayed on the portal page, that is to be selected and dragged by a user. A resource drop zone tag can specify a particular area on the portal page into which the draggable resource will be dropped. The action can be a Javascript function call, a form or a page flow action initiated upon the drop.
US08255802B2
A method of facilitating navigation of a sequence of source images the method using tokens representing each source image which are scaled versions of each source image and which are arranged adjacently on a display device in a continuous band of token images so that a pointer device can point to a token and the identity of the corresponding image is available for further processing.
US08255797B2
There is disclosed, as an example, an output information generation method in an information processor capable of synthesizing multiple data in insertion areas defined in form information to generate output information, the method comprising: a registration step of registering multiple data with priorities and multiple form information having form information corresponding to the respective priorities in a storage unit; a direction step of directing generation of output information by specifying any of the multiple data and any of the form information stored in the storage unit and directing generation of output information; and a generation step of selecting form information corresponding to the priority of each of the data specified by the direction step and synthesizing the multiple data into the insertion areas in the selected form information to generate output information.
US08255793B2
To provide valuable information regarding a webpage, the webpage must be divided into distinct semantically coherent segments for analysis. A set of heuristics allow a segmentation algorithm to identify an optimal number of segments for a given webpage or any portion thereof more accurately. A first heuristic estimates the optimal number of segments for any given webpage or portion thereof. A second heuristic coalesces segments where the number of segments identified far exceeds the optimal number recommended. A third heuristic coalesces segments corresponding to a portion of a webpage with much unused whitespace and little content. A fourth heuristic coalesces segments of nodes that have a recommended number of segments below a certain threshold into segments of other nodes. A fifth heuristic recursively analyzes and splits segments that correspond to webpage portions surpassing a certain threshold portion size.
US08255792B2
Techniques for providing information about an object through a graphical interface include providing in a document scalable vector graphics (SVG) statements associated with a graphical representation of the object. The SVG statements are bound to a pointer to a resource that includes information pertaining to the object. The pointer to the resource associated with the SVG statements may then be extracted from the document. Information is then retrieved from the resource based on the pointer. The SVG statements may then be modified based on the information. Then a second graphical representation of the object is presented based on the SVG statements after the modifying. The presentation provides information, or control, or both, for the object.
US08255787B2
A request is received via an input device of a computing device for a hypertext link to an item of web content rendered on a display of the computing device. It is determined whether a markup language (ML) document used to render the web content includes an existing page anchor proximate to an item reference within the ML document. The hypertext link is configured based upon the determination of whether the ML document includes the existing page anchor proximate to the item reference within the ML document. The configured hypertext link is returned in response to the request.
US08255784B2
An aspect of the present invention provides an information processing apparatus including a transmission setting accepting unit that accepts transmission setting for an electronic document to be transmitted; a transmitting unit that transmits the electronic document; a setting unit that sets information to be concealed in information used in the transmission; and a log creation unit that creates a transmission log in which the information set by the setting unit is concealed.
US08255775B2
The present invention discloses a candidate list augmentation apparatus with dynamic compensation in the coded MIMO systems. The proposed path augmentation technique in the present invention can expand the candidate paths derived from the detector to a distinct and larger list before computing the soft value of each bit. Consequently, the detector is allowed to deliver a smaller list, leading to reduction in computation complexity. Moreover, an additive correction term is introduced to dynamically compensate the approximation inaccuracy in the soft value generation, which improves the efficiency and performance of the coded MIMO systems.
US08255765B1
A low-density parity check (LDPC) decoder comprises a decoded data stream generator that generates a decoded data stream based on a received data stream and a set of matrix-based codewords. The matrix-based codewords form a LDPC parity check matrix H. A decoder control module at least one of prewrites or replaces a selected portion of at least one of the plurality of codewords with zeros prior to generation of the decoded data stream.
US08255758B2
A method includes receiving an Error Correction Code (ECC) code word, which includes multiple encoded bits that represent data and have a bit order. Multiple subsets of the encoded bits are selected using a selection criterion that does not sequentially follow the bit order. For each subset in at least some of the multiple subsets, the bits in the subset are inverted and the code word having the inverted bits is decoded, so as to reconstruct the data.
US08255754B2
A novel and useful range extension and in-band noise mitigation mechanism that uses conventional CRC error detection codes to correct single and multiple bit errors in packets received over a communications link. The CRC error correction mechanism of the invention is particularly suitable for use with communication protocols with weak error correction capabilities. The mechanism uses the linearity property of the CRC calculation to detect the existence of errors in the received packet. The entire received packet is searched for single bit errors and are corrected in a single cycle. If no single bit errors are found, the mechanism then searches for multiple bit errors. Packet retransmissions are used to detect and mark the location of multiple bit errors. Multiple bit errors are corrected by trying a plurality of hypotheses of single bit error corrections. Each hypotheses pattern is investigated to find matching CRC patterns for correction using the single bit, single cycle CRC error correction method.
US08255752B2
To reduce pseudo errors, a stationary signal is propagated through the circuit to be checked. A combination is extracted in which different asynchronous transfers occur between a transmitting side register and a receiving side register. From the extracted combination of asynchronous transfers, a circuit to be checked is extracted, and a synchronization circuit of a plurality of signals is excluded from the circuit to be checked. A stationary signal is propagated through the circuit to be checked, for each combination among all combinations of logic values “1” and “0” of the stationary signal. It is checked whether or not there exists one asynchronous transmitting side register to which signal change can logically reach, in the combination of logic values of the stationary signal propagated. Based on the result, it is determined whether or not the circuit is appropriate as a synchronization circuit for a single-signal transfer, thereby reducing pseudo errors.
US08255751B2
A device test architecture and interface is provided to enable efficient testing embedded cores within devices. The test architecture interfaces to standard IEEE 1500 core test wrappers and provides high test data bandwidth to the wrappers from an external tester. The test architecture includes compare circuits that allow for comparison of test response data to be performed within the device. The test architecture further includes a memory for storing the results of the test response comparisons. The test architecture includes a programmable test controller to allow for various test control operations by simply inputting an instruction to the programmable test controller from the external tester. The test architecture includes a selector circuit for selecting a core for testing. Additional features and embodiments of the device test architectures are also disclosed.
US08255746B2
A computer system, a control method thereof and a recording medium storing a computer program thereof are provided to recover a program efficiently and be resistant to viruses, worms, and user error. The control method of computer system receives a user's request for a recovery of a program which is installed in a first storage unit. A file system of a second storage unit is determined which stores therein a recovery program corresponding to the program for which the recovery is requested. The recovery program is read from the second storage unit with reference to the determined file system, and the program in the first storage unit is recovered by using the read recovery program.
US08255742B2
Dynamically replicated memory is usable to allocate new memory space from failed memory pages by pairing compatible failed memory pages to reuse otherwise unusable failed memory pages. Dynamically replicating memory involves detecting and recording memory faults, reclaiming failed memory pages for later use, recovering from detected memory faults, and scheduling access to replicated memory pages.
US08255736B2
A peer-to-peer (P2P) system is described herein which has a distributed hash table (DHT) overlay network containing multiple DHT nodes each of which has a complete distributed DHT hash table which contains information identifying a specific range of hashes for each of the DHT nodes such that when anyone of the DHT nodes receives a query asking for a specific key then the queried DHT node interacts with their respective DHT table to determine which one of the DHT nodes is storing the specific key and to forward ‘the query in one network hop to the particular DHT node which is storing the specific key. The P2P system can also implement one or more data-related mechanisms including a bootstrap mechanism, a replication mechanism, an update mechanism and a recover mechanism which enable fault-tolerant DHT nodes.
US08255735B2
A system and method provides for failover of guest operating systems in a virtual machine environment. During initialization of a computer executing a virtual machine operating system, a first guest operating system allocates a first memory region within a first domain and notifies a second guest operating system operating in a second domain of the allocated first memory region. Similarly, the second guest operating system allocates a second region of memory within the second domain and notifies the first operating system of the allocated second memory region. In the event of a software failure affecting one of the guest operating systems, the surviving guest operating system assumes the identity of the failed operating system and utilizes data stored within the shared memory region to replay to storage devices to render them consistent.
US08255731B1
Methods and apparatus that receive, at a wireless device, power through wire or inductive pad are described. The received power is monitored to back up data from the device to a server in a network through an OTA (over the air) wireless interface. The data is transmitted to the server to back up the data on the device. While backing up the data, whether the power has been removed from the device is determined. The backing up of the data in the device can be terminated automatically and without user request, in response to the determination that the power has been removed.
US08255728B2
A computer motherboard includes a number of peripheral device interfaces, first and second voltage output terminals, and a number of power supply circuits corresponding to the S peripheral device interfaces. Each peripheral device interface includes a first power pin and a second power pin. Each power supply circuit includes a delay circuit, and first to third electronic switches. The delay circuit controls the first electronic switch to be turned on after a delay time. The delay times of the power supply circuits are different. The second and third electronic switches are turned on in response to the first electronic switch being turned on. The first voltage output terminal is connected to the first power pin through the second electronic switch. The second voltage output terminal is connected to the second power pin through the third electronic switch.
US08255718B2
A power saving system for a computer incorporating a standby power source includes a setting module, a detecting module and a controlling module. The setting module communicates with the BIOS of the computer and is configured for setting power saving modes on an interface provided by the BIOS for at least one function circuit, during the time the computer powered on. The detecting module is configured for detecting “enable” and/or “disable” signals output from the BIOS. The controlling module includes at least one switching circuit configured for correspondingly interrupting the power supply from the standby power source to one or more of the at least one function circuit after the computer is shut down and the detecting module receives “enable” signals.
US08255717B2
An audio control system and method of an electronic device receives audio streams, but does not play the audio streams when one or more applications are in a mute mode. The system and method mixes the one or more of the audio streams if the volume of the one or more audio streams is not zero, and transmits the mixed audio streams to an audio processor of the electronic device.
US08255715B2
In the process of controlling a plurality of storage devices 190 in any one of a normal mode and a plurality of power-saving modes (such as standby and LRPM), a controller 110 selects the storage devices whose mode should be shifted from the normal mode to any of the power-saving modes; and before shifting to control of the selected storage devices in any of the power-saving modes, the controller calculates time and electric power required to make the selected storage devices return from each power-saving mode to the normal mode; and based on each calculated value, the controller sets a combination of power-saving modes and the number of storage devices that satisfy the return conditions defined by the host timeout period and the supplied power; and then, the controller controls the selected number of storage devices in the set combination of power-saving modes.
US08255707B2
In one embodiment, a method includes powering on a testing system, whereby a unit present signal is included in the system, the unit present signal communicating to a management complex unit (MCU) that a unit under test (UUT) has been inserted into a corresponding architecture, the signal being sent through a relay such that it can be sent or connected at a later time. The UUT is installed in the system and a programming protocol is initiated. The system is then powered off, whereby the unit present signal is set to open and the system is subsequently powered on.When the UUT is plugged in, the MCU does not see it. The system can include a second relay that allows power being fed to the UUT to be broken such that when the UUT is subsequently powered up, the board is reset and not removed from the architecture.
US08255705B2
A tape cartridge is described including tape storage medium maintaining stored encrypted data that can be unencrypted via an encryption key. The tape cartridge also contains a medium auxiliary memory possessing a moniker wherein the moniker identifies the encryption key. The tape cartridge further includes a threshold parameter stored in the medium auxiliary memory wherein the threshold parameter influences a moniker state control, the moniker state control comprises an on state and an off state wherein the off state disables the moniker from identifying the encryption key.
US08255702B1
Techniques of the present invention impede power consumption measurements of an encryption engine on a logic device by running the encryption engine with an independent clock. This clock produces a signal that is decoupled from and asynchronous to clock signals feeding other circuits on the device. The clock feeding the encryption engine is not accessible externally to the device. Circuits may be employed to intentionally slow down or add jitter to one or more of the clock signals.
US08255699B2
A portable data carrier (1) comprises an executable training module (8) which provides in a memory (4, 5) of the data carrier (1) a reference model (10; M) for the biometric recognition of a user of the data carrier (1) by a recognition module (9), whereby a biometric comparison vector (16) which lies within the acceptance range (A) of the reference model (10; M) is accepted by the recognition module (9) as coming from the user. In so doing, the training module (8) defines the reference model (10; M) by model nodes (P, P0-P4) which are formed from biometric reference vectors (17; N) in each case coming from the user, whereby a new model node (P, P0-P4) is added to the reference model (10; M) when the associated reference vector (17; N) lies outside the acceptance range (A) of the reference model (10; M).
US08255697B2
A portable or embedded access device is provided for being coupled to, and for allowing only authorized users access to, an access-limited apparatus, device, network or system, e.g. a computer terminal, an internet bank or a corporate or government intranet. The access device comprises an integrated circuit (IC) providing increased security by bridging the functionality of biometrics input from a user and, upon positive authentication of the user's fingerprint locally to provide secure communication with the said access-limited apparatus, device, network or system, whether local or remote. A corresponding method of using the portable device or the embedded device is disclosed for providing a bridge from biometrics input to a computer locally, into secure communication protocol responses to a non-biometrics network. A method of providing secured access control and user input in stand-alone appliances having an embedded access control or user input device according to the invention is also disclosed.
US08255696B2
Systems and methods facilitate secure one-time-password access to an account in a remote server from an untrusted client. The system consists of an intermediary component whose salient components are a proxy component, a webserver component, and an encryption/decryption component, and it preserves the characteristics of both the server and client. In a man-in-the-middle fashion, the proxy substitutes a one-time password entered at a login interface with a true password, and forwards it to the remote login server. True passwords are encrypted using a seed associated with user identifiers, and a list of one-time passwords is generated/updated and stored on media or transmitted to an electronic device. Substitution takes place by decrypting the one-time password with the seed used for encryption, ensuring the proxy avoids storing the true password.
US08255695B2
An electronic device includes password protected functionality using a password that can be changed by the user. A user-specified password is stored in association with unique version data that is subsequently provided to help user recall of the password associated therewith.
US08255668B2
An interface includes a controller that divides a burst access command into a plurality of command cycles and supplies the plurality of command cycles to a storage device including a plurality of blocks, and a block address converter that outputs an address at a first command cycle of the plurality of command cycles. The address is obtained by shifting at least one bit of an external block address input in response to the burst access command. The address is supplied to the storage device at the first command cycle, and the external block address is supplied to the storage device at a command cycle other than the first command cycle.
US08255667B2
Systems and methods that manage memory are provided. In one embodiment, a system for communications may include, for example, a memory management system that may handle a first application employing a virtual address based tagged offset and a second application employing a zero based tagged offset with a common set of memory algorithms.
US08255660B1
Technologies are described for implementing a migration mechanism in a data storage system containing multiple tiers of storage with each tier having different cost and performance parameters. Access statistics can be collected for each territory, or storage entity, within the storage system. Data that is accessed more frequently can be migrated toward higher performance storage tiers while data that is accessed less frequently can be migrated towards lower performance storage tiers. Each tier can be associated with a range of ILM statistics referred to as the bucket for that tier. A pivot table may be provided that relates the tiers and the buckets. Operations on the pivot table can provide counts of how many territories may be promoted or demoted between any two pairs of tiers.
US08255651B2
High performance, enterprise-level data protection system and method provides efficient block-level incremental snapshots of primary storage devices, and instant availability of such snapshots in immediately mountable form that can be directly used in place of the primary storage device. Related systems and applications are described, including an “Enterprise Image Destination” (EID) for backup images; a mirroring technique whereby a replacement physical primary facility may be created while working with a second storage unit as the primary source file system; and a technique for eliminating redundant data in backup images when multiple systems with partially common contents (e.g., operating system files, common databases, application executables, etc.) are being backed up. A number of examples showing “Fast Application Restore” (FAR) with the use of the invention are also provided.
US08255646B2
This storage apparatus includes a first logical volume migration unit for migrating the logical volume of a first storage area targeted for power source shutdown to a second storage area that is not targeted for power source shutdown based on an external command, and a second logical volume migration unit for migrating an expiration date-defined logical volume from the second storage area to a third storage area of a post-expiration migration destination when the expiration date of the expiration date-defined logical volume set with an expiration date for migrating the logical volume is reached. The first logical volume migration unit balances and migrates the expiration date-defined logical volume to the second storage area by referring to the expiration date of the expiration date-defined logical volume and taking into consideration the migration timing to the third storage area.
US08255638B2
A method and apparatus for supporting cache coherency in a multiprocessor computing environment having multiple processing units, each processing unit having one or more local cache memories associated and operatively connected therewith. The method comprises providing a snoop filter device associated with each processing unit, each snoop filter device having a plurality of dedicated input ports for receiving snoop requests from dedicated memory writing sources in the multiprocessor computing environment. Each snoop filter device includes a plurality of parallel operating port snoop filters in correspondence with the plurality of dedicated input ports, each port snoop filter implementing one or more parallel operating sub-filter elements that are adapted to concurrently filter snoop requests received from respective dedicated memory writing sources and forward a subset of those requests to its associated processing unit.
US08255635B2
According to method of data processing in a multiprocessor data processing system, in response to a processor request to modify a target granule of a target cache line of data containing multiple granules, a processing unit originates on an interconnect of the multiprocessor data processing system a data-claim-partial request that requests permission to promote only the target granule of the target cache line to a unique copy with an intent to modify the target granule. In response to a combined response to the data-claim-partial request indicating success (the combined response representing a system-wide response to the data-claim-partial-request), the processing unit promotes only the target granule of the target cache line to a unique copy by updating a coherency state of the target granule and retaining a coherency state of at least one other granule of the target cache line.
US08255629B2
A storage apparatus receives a first and second access requests for accessing items in a same clock cycle. The apparatus includes two stores, each storing a subset of the plurality of items, the first access request being routed to a first store and the second access request to a second store; miss detecting circuitry for detecting a miss in the accessed store; item retrieving circuitry for retrieving an item whose access generated a miss from a further store; updating circuitry for selecting an item to overwrite in one of the two stores, the updating circuitry being responsive to the miss detecting circuitry detecting the miss in an access to the first or second store and to at least one further condition to update both of the two stores with the item retrieved from the further store by overwriting the selected items.
US08255619B2
A system and a method for emulating a NAND memory system are disclosed. In the method, a command associated with a NAND memory is received. After receipt of the command, a vertically configured non-volatile memory array is accessed based on the command. In the system, a vertically configured non-volatile memory array is connected with an input/output controller and a memory controller. The memory controller is also connected with the input/output controller. The memory controller is operative to interface with a command associated with a NAND memory and based on the command, to access the vertically configured non-volatile memory array for a data operation, such as a read operation or write operation. An erase operation on the vertically configured non-volatile memory array is not required prior to the write operation. The vertically configured non-volatile memory array can be partitioned into planes, blocks, and sub-planes, for example.
US08255617B2
Method and apparatus for maintaining data integrity in a data storage device. In accordance with some embodiments, a memory space has a plurality of garbage collection units (GCUs) each arranged to store user data identified by logical addresses. Each GCU has a metadata region that stores metadata that correlates the logical addresses LBAs with physical addresses and a header region that stores descriptor data that identifies LBAs stored in the associated GCU. A control circuit identifies an error in the metadata from the descriptor data of a selected GCU and rebuilds the metadata to indicate a storage location of a most current version of data associated with a selected logical address.
US08255610B2
Crossbar circuitry has data input and output paths, and at each intersection between a data input and output path, a crossbar cell is provided. A transmission circuit is responsive to a stored routing value to couple a data input path to a selected data output path. Pre-selection circuitry cooperates with the pre-selection circuits of other crossbar cells on the same data output path to use the bit lines of the data output path to compare quality-of-service values associated with multiple asserted transmission requests and to determine a subset thereof which have a highest value of the quality-of-service values. Arbitration circuitry implements a predetermined priority scheme to choose from that subset of requests and to cause the configuration storage circuit of only one crossbar cell associated with the same data output path to have its routing value programmed to the first value, thereby resolving conflict between multiple asserted transmission requests.
US08255604B2
A hypervisor receives an interrupt that includes a target address and, in turn, branches to an administrating interrupt vector. Next, the administrating interrupt vector determines whether to branch to a piggyback interrupt handler corresponding to a piggyback interrupt vector. Based upon the determination, the hypervisor either branches to the piggyback interrupt handler or to an administrating interrupt handler that corresponds to the administrating interrupt vector.
US08255602B2
This disclosure describes a processor system that allows non-real time code to execute normally, while permitting a real time interrupt in hardware or software to execute with minimal added latency.
US08255598B2
Method and apparatus for managing item sequence numbers in an item processing system. The invention provides for overrun prevention and management of item sequence numbers, which form a part of an image key. In example embodiments, a buffer is provided to determine how close a current item sequence number (ISN) is permitted to be to an overrun value. When the current ISN reaches the buffer value, new entries of documents are prevented or at least restricted from being processed. In some embodiments, a “force mode” is provided in which a sorter can be made to start a new entry even if the buffer value has been exceeded. In such an embodiment, the system can be set up so that a hard stop is enforced when the ISN is within a certain range of the overrun value.
US08255597B2
An interface device, such as for a System-on-Chip (SoC) bus, transfers data from an input queue through an output to a target. The interface device includes a buffer network for buffering input data when the target is not available for receiving the data. A multiplexer switches between a first operating condition for directing to the target the data from the input queue, and a second operating condition for directing to the target the buffered data from the buffer network. A finite-state machine selectively switches the multiplexer between the first operating condition and the second operating condition based on an acknowledgement signal received from the target. This indicates the availability of the target for receiving the data.
US08255596B2
Exemplary methods, systems, and computer program product embodiments for migrating existing data from a source storage controller to a target storage controller, each associated with a data processing storage subsystem, using a processor device in communication with a memory device, are provided. The target storage controller is configured with at least one target volume having pass-through support to a source volume of the source storage controller. An input/output (I/O) path to the existing data through the target storage controller is configured. The I/O path is added to an existing I/O path connected to the existing data using an operating system (OS) operational on at least one host in communication between the source and target storage controllers. The OS is adapted for I/O multipath support. Upon completion of data migration, the existing I/O path is removed.
US08255590B2
Even if a write operation onto a storage media on an external storage device is interrupted, consistency of management information on the storage media is improved. An image file transfer device includes a transferor which transfers an image file stored on a storage media to an external device, a retriever which obtains management information in relation to a file system from a storage media included in the external device, before the transfer of the image file by the transferor, a non-volatile storage which stores the management information obtained by the retriever, and a deleter which deletes the management information stored in the non-volatile storage in response to a completion of the transfer of the image file by the transferor.
US08255589B2
A measuring apparatus comprises a receiving device, a processing device and a sending device. The receiving device is adapted to receive at least one telegram fragment, and the receiving device is adapted to determine a destination of the at least one telegram fragment, and depending on the destination of the at least one telegram fragment to set an operating state of the processing device. The receiving device is furthermore adapted, from the at least one telegram fragment, to prepare a telegram block, wherein the processing device is adapted, in a first operating state, to determine a telegram boundary of the telegram block, and to determine a type of the telegram block. The processing device is equipped, in a second operating state, to determine a telegram boundary of the telegram block, and to control the sending device such that the sending device sends a telegram subsequent to the telegram boundary.
US08255586B2
A method of transferring data between a vehicle and a portable terminal and an interface device therefor are provided. According to the method and the device, compatibility can be maintained by normalizing data transfer interface between the vehicle and various portable terminals and an image taken inside or outside the vehicle can be provided to the portable terminal. In addition, interface enabling data communication with a device having an additional function such as an automobile black box can be provided.
US08255575B2
As apparatuses which construct a ring network, a structure including a monitoring apparatus and other relay apparatuses is employed. The monitoring apparatus monitors only a ring status of such a ring network to which the own monitoring apparatus belongs. The monitoring apparatus periodically transmits health check frames from ring ports thereof respectively so as to monitor whether or not the transmitted health check frame has been received by the ring port located opposite thereto. Also, in a structure of a multi-ring network having a shared link, auxiliary health check frames are periodically transmitted from two sets of shared apparatuses respectively with respect to a monitoring apparatus of a shared link non-monitored ring network. The monitoring apparatus also monitors the auxiliary health check frames in combination with the health check frames in order to avoid an occurrence of a loop which bridges a plurality of ring networks.
US08255573B2
This invention relates to provide a communication network system, a gateway, and a data communication method, in which the gateway has an advanced functionality. A person who issues an access request can retrieve a desired access destination easily by the following configuration: functions of routing information providing and authentication processing are added to a gateway that performs protocol conversion between two different communication networks; when an access request is issued from a public communication network such as Internet to a terminal in a local (private) communication network connected to the gateway, a request terminal is authenticated to enable prevention of unauthorized data writing and reading; and an access request user who succeeded in the authentication is provided with an active terminal list comprising accessible terminal information, or with a user condition table.
US08255560B2
A system has a transmitter for transmitting a sequence of packets, the transmitter has a first counter for storing a first sequence number, a first generating unit for generating an error check code for checking an error in each of the packets on the basis of the header and the data in each of the packets and the first sequence number, and a transmitting unit for transmitting each of the packet together with each of the error check code and a receiver has a second counter for storing a second sequence number, a second generating unit for generating an error check code for checking an error in each of the packets on the basis of the header and the data in each of the packets received from the transmitter and the second sequence number and an error check unit for checking an error in the sequence of the packet.
US08255551B2
A method including providing pseudo-streaming media data to a terminal; receiving a transport control protocol (TCP) acknowledgement from the terminal; estimating one or more network conditions of a network based at least in part on the TCP acknowledgement; determining an optimal session bitrate based on the estimated one or more network conditions; and providing pseudo-streaming media data to the terminal based on the optimal session bitrate.
US08255549B2
A method and apparatus for delivering IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having an aggregator element that aggregates a number of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services, and a presentation element that presents a web page with the aggregated IMS services. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08255533B2
A beacon is transmitted and received among a plurality of terminals STA. A terminal STA which transmits the beacon is assigned as a representative terminal MSTA which manages a group, and a terminal STA which receives the beacon is assigned as a belonging terminal SSTA of the group. The representative terminal MSTA obtains identification information from the belonging terminal SSTA and stores the identification information. Then, when receiving an AP beacon from a management terminal AP, the representative terminal MSTA collectively transmits, to the management terminal AP, the identification information of the representative terminal MSTA and the belonging terminal SSTA. The management terminal AP performs an authentication procedure, by using the collectively transmitted identification information, for each of all of the communication terminals which form the group.
US08255527B2
The invention is directed to a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion. The method includes receiving a request to transmit the file, via a streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access, transmitting the advertising portion of the file, receiving a request to transmit a portion of the requested portion of the file prior to completing transmitting the advertising portion of the file, completing the transmission of the advertising portion of the file, and transmitting the requested portion of the file.
US08255525B2
A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for the correlation of network events. A port of a network device is monitored at the physical layer interface for the occurrence of a network event. If detected, a repository of circuit path, network device, and device interface data is queried for information related to the network event and each network device at each hop of the circuit path associated with the event. A user selects time intervals for other network events or alarms occurring before or after the target event. A repository of network event and alarm data is then queried to retrieve all network events or alarms occurring during the selected time interval. Information related to the network events or alarms are then compared to interfaces related to devices that are likewise associated with the circuit path associated with the event.
US08255522B2
A method for detecting events based upon attributes read by a plurality of entities includes receiving data pertaining to the read attributes from the plurality of entities, performing a correlation analysis on the data to identify a number of independent variables existing among the read attributes for each of a plurality of groupings of the plurality of entities in a first hierarchical level of the plurality of hierarchical levels, comparing the identified number of independent variables with a nominal number of independent variables for each of the plurality of groupings in the first hierarchical level, and determining that an event has been detected in response to the identified number of independent variables falling outside of a predetermined value of the nominal number of independent variables for a particular grouping in the first hierarchical level.
US08255521B1
A rich set of data can be acquired by suitable technology, integrated with RSS reader implementations, to better understand the web feed consuming audience. In turn, that data can be applied to help publishers better understand their readership. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to capturing user data, generate predictions on how an article would be received by the readership (preferably before it is published), and automatically create recommendations for use by an author or web publisher on how the article might be edited or “fine tuned” to achieve greater impact. This conserves precious time for publishers by giving predictions and thus helps generate more relevant content for the readership. In one embodiment, we build a profile for each author/publisher over her entire set of published articles. So when a new article is written, it is matched against this author profile and recommendations are made. The rollups are done on all articles published by a single author.
US08255507B2
An exemplary method includes providing, by a web server subsystem, a web-based interface for display on a client device within a domain associated with the web server subsystem, receiving, by the web server subsystem, a request via the web-based interface from an end-user to perform a management activity associated with an active directory object, acquiring, by the web server subsystem, authorization from an object security subsystem to perform the management activity associated with the active directory object, transmitting, by the web server subsystem, the request to a web services subsystem that is independent of the domain associated with the web server subsystem, performing, by the web services subsystem, the management activity associated with the active directory object, and updating in real-time, by the web services subsystem, an active directory maintained by a domain controller subsystem in accordance with the performed management activity. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08255495B1
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for displaying images and contextually relevant content on a digital content platform, such as a web page. In one embodiment, for example, the systems and methods include: (1) providing a publisher of the image with a reference script for publication with the image, wherein the reference script is a computer-readable instruction that causes an end-user device to call to a content server; and (2) configuring the content server to (a) receive a request for content from the end-user device, (b) identify content that is contextually relevant to the image, (c) deliver the content to the end-user device, and (d) deliver a computer-readable instruction that causes the end-user device to perform an animation that modifies the image and displays the content in a spatial relationship with respect to the image as originally published.
US08255488B2
In a server serving as an information distribution apparatus and an information communication terminal, contents are managed by using content identifiers (content IDs) managed as IDs conforming to a rule of uniformity. Particularly, in the information communication terminal, a content ripped from a recording medium such as a CD, and stored in a storage element, such as a had disk drive, is also managed by using a content identifier acquired from the information distribution apparatus. In this way, contents stored in the storage element can be managed by using content IDs each managed as an ID common to the information communication terminal and the information distribution apparatus. In communication between the information communication terminal and the information distribution apparatus, a content identifier conforming to a rule of uniformity is used for identifying a content to which the content identifier is assigned, so that the terminal is capable of downloading the content as well as acquiring additional information relevant to the content from the apparatus.
US08255481B2
There is provided an information delivery device including a command transmission unit configured to accept a command request from a client and to transmit a command corresponding to the command request to a device, an information obtaining unit configured to obtain device information transmitted from the device as a response to the command, and an information storage unit configured to store the device information obtained by the information obtaining unit. The device may further include a judgment unit configured to judge which of current device information obtained by the information obtaining unit and past device information stored in the information storage unit should be provided for a requesting source, the current device information corresponding to device information presently set to the device, and an information providing unit configured to provide one of the current device information and the past device information for the requesting source in accordance with a judgment result of the judgment unit.
US08255480B2
Methods of generating a substitute URL are disclosed. In one implementation, a form is presented by a web server on a web site home page for the submission of a first URL for which a user wishes to generate an alias URL. A second URL is then generated for the URL that is entered in the form. The second URL contains some indication of the web site that hosts the first URL. In a second implementation the substitute URL generation is offered through a link or button on a web page other than the web site home page. The substitute URL is generated for the URL for the web page that hosts the link. In a third implementation, a web site automatically generates substitute URLs.
US08255476B2
A method and system for automatically sharing a tape drive in a heterogeneous computing environment that includes a first computer and second computer. The first computer receives a message that includes a shared tape drive identifier, a source port identifier of the second computer, and a reservation status change for the tape drive. Based on the tape drive identifier, the first computer determines that the tape drive is connected to the first computer. The source port identifier is determined to not identify any host bus adapter installed in the first computer. In response to the first computer determining that the reservation status change indicates a reservation or a release of the tape drive for the second computer, the first computer sets the tape drive offline or online, respectively, in an application executing in the first computer.
US08255475B2
An input/output (I/O) device includes a host interface for connection to a host device having a memory and a network interface, which is configured to receive, over a network, data packets associated with I/O operations directed to specified virtual addresses in the memory. Packet processing hardware is configured to translate the virtual addresses into physical addresses and to perform the I/O operations using the physical addresses, and upon an occurrence of a page fault in translating one of the virtual addresses, to transmit a response packet over the network to a source of the data packets so as to cause the source to refrain from transmitting further data packets while the page fault is serviced.
US08255471B2
A message routing system that allows applications at either end of the system to run as-is without modification. The system functions in a multithreaded environment and is capable of handling complex routing rules and message transformation. It is also capable of learning and executing new routing rules and message transformations in formats previously unrecognized by the system. The system enables precise and reliable logging of messages throughout processing and supports publication of enterprise-wide broadcast messages. The system further preferably employs cooperating inbound and outbound transport processes for consuming, routing, processing, safely storing and publishing messages in batches of logical units of work to ensure that the logical units of work are not lost in system transactions. The system also preferably utilizes a replay server for preserving and replaying messages that might otherwise fail to reach their intended destinations.
US08255460B2
Systems and methods for personalizing marketing dialogues are disclosed. Specifically, embodiments of the systems and methods presented may allow obtain a set of user actions from a participant. The set of user information may include user information, such as demographics, and may also contain event related information, such as a purchase or the user clicking on a link in an email. A program or script may be generated having decision branches. At each decision branch, a first dialogue or a second dialogue may be selected based on the user information. The personalized program or script may be presented to the user based on the user information.
US08255455B2
A method, apparatus, and system are provided for Message Oriented Middleware virtual provider distribution. In one embodiment, MOM nodes are created. An MOM virtual provider from MOM virtual providers is selected for each of the plurality of MOM nodes. The MOM nodes run the MOM virtual providers.
US08255445B2
Apparatus, systems and techniques based on an integer transform for encoding and decoding video or image signals, including apparatus, systems and techniques for deriving an order-16 integer transform from an order-8 integer transform in image and video coding. In some implementations, eight additions and eight subtractions are used to assign the data elements to be transformed to an intermediate matrix; and then two fast algorithms for the computation of the order-8 transform may be applied to the first 8 vectors of the intermediate matrix, and the last 8 vectors of the intermediate matrix, respectively. The derived order-16 integer transform tends to produce small magnitude and high frequency transformed coefficients, and thus achieve high compressibility.
US08255440B1
Methods and apparatus are provided for more efficiently generating logic for implementing Exclusive OR (XOR) expressions. In one example, multiple centroids are generated and associated with main equations. Both the main equations and centroids are XOR expressions. In particular examples, main equations are associated with centroids that are closest in distance. Centroids can be modified to better match an associated subset of main equations. Centroids are generated and associated until the main equations are expressed as centroids and residue.
US08255435B2
The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for detecting memory management anti-patterns. The method comprises: periodically generating census data for at least one object type in a heap; collecting the periodically generated census data for each object type into a time series; analyzing each time series; and classifying each time series into one of a plurality of different categories based on the analysis.
US08255432B2
A schema identifies a field in a document as a key field. Using an XML schema, the key field can be identified by attaching a property to the element or attribute to be used as a key field (if the XML schema standard is modified to support properties). Otherwise, attributes can be used to identify the element or attribute that is to be a key field. Fields can be primary keys, secondary keys, or foreign keys, as supported by data stores. The data store can analyze the schema to determine which fields are key fields. The key fields can be duplicated in the native format of the data store for use in indexing, searching, and other data store functions on the documents. The documents themselves can be stored as objects, into which the data store cannot reach, or can be stored in the native format of the data store, as desired.
US08255429B2
Various embodiments include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures to provide flexibility when configuring systems to new or different processes while not disrupting incomplete processes. Some embodiments include receiving input representative of a configuration change to at least one configuration setting and storing a copy of a setting of the at least one configuration setting from a current configuration to an historical configuration setting storage location. Such embodiments may further include storing the input representative of the configuration change into the current configuration. Following such configuring processes already initiated may be completed according to the copied historical configuration setting and new processes may be initiated according to the new configuration setting. These and other embodiments are described herein.
US08255426B1
Storing data is disclosed. An attribute is included in a combined set of attributes. The combined set of attributes is stored in one or more database locations not specific to any one attribute in the combined set.
US08255424B2
A system, storage medium, and method for structuring data are provided. The system connects to a storage device that stores original data. The method obtains the original data from the storage device, and stores the original data in the form of character strings into a buffer memory according to end of file-line (EOF) tags. The method further constructs data arrays to store the character strings, and arranges each of the data arrays into a data matrix. In addition, the method classifies each of the data arrays in the data matrix according to properties of the character strings, arranges the classified data arrays into a data file, and stores the data file into the buffer memory.
US08255423B2
A system and method for building segmented scorecards for a population is presented. A model of the population is built using a model builder computer, and one or more variables used by the model builder to build the model is stored in a repository. A scorecard is generated for each segment of the population based on the model and using an adaptive random tree computer program. Next, the scorecard for each segment is enhanced using a integer non-linear programming computer program to determine optimal score weights associated with the variables used by the model builder to build the model, and to generate an enhanced segmented scorecard for the population.
US08255414B2
One embodiment selects from a set of query-suggestion pairs a first query and a subset of query-suggestion pairs that each has the first query as its query; computes a Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR) value for each query-suggestion pair from the subset of query-suggestion pairs; ranks the subset of query-suggestion pairs according to their respective LLR values; removes from the subset of query-suggestion pairs all query-suggestion pairs whose LLR values are below a predetermined LLR threshold; computes a Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) value for each remaining query suggestion pair from the subset of query-suggestion pairs; removes from the subset of query-suggestion pairs all query-suggestion pairs whose PMI values are below a predetermine PMI threshold; and constructs a ranked set of suggestions for the first query, wherein the ranked set of suggestions comprises one or more suggestions of the remaining query-suggestion pairs from the subset of query-suggestion pairs.
US08255397B2
A first embodiment of the invention provides a system that automatically classifies documents in a collection into clusters based on the similarities between documents, that automatically classifies new documents into the right clusters, and that may change the number or parameters of clusters under various circumstances. A second embodiment of the invention provides a technique for comparing two documents, in which a fingerprint or sketch of each document is computed. In particular, this embodiment of the invention uses a specific algorithm to compute the document's fingerprint. One embodiment uses a sentence in the document as a logical delimiter or window from which significant words are extracted and, thereafter, a hash is computed of all pair-wise permutations. Words are extracted based on their weight in the document, which can be computed using measures such as term frequency and the inverse document frequency.
US08255396B2
Examples of the present invention include profiling systems that store, manage, and utilize profile information to take predictive or deterministic action. Embodiments of the invention allow the profiling system to be used as a trusted intermediary where the profile owning entity controls access to their profile information across their network of devices and services.
US08255394B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for efficient content indexing of streaming XML document content. A forest generator generates an XML pattern forest from a set of structured index path expressions, the XML pattern forest includes trees and twigs generated from structured index path expressions uniquely associated with a namespace indicator for an XML node. The XML node is identified in a stream of at least one XML document. A comparison module compares the XML node to nodes of trees and twigs of the XML pattern forest. A determination module determines a match between the XML node and an index node in one of a tree and a twig of the XML pattern forest. The index node has a path from an ancestor node to the index node that matches the axis steps of at least one of the structured index path expressions. A storage module stores an index entry for the XML node in response to the determined match, the index entry includes a XML document identifier, an XML node name, a namespace indicator for the XML node, and XML node content.
US08255385B1
Methods and systems for determining an adaptive crawl rate for a Web crawler based on historical publication data from a Web source are provided. A frequency of publication of the Web source is determined over a specified period of time, and an adaptive crawl rate is calculated using the frequency of publication. The Web crawler is then deployed at the calculated adaptive crawl rate.
US08255380B2
An expertise locator enables user defined correspondences between experts and respective certain objects. Each object inherits from classes in a hierarchy. Using the correspondences, a locator processor routine finds a candidate expert about a particular subject area. The candidate expert may be in a correspondence with a certain object whose class is a subclass of the particular subject area. Output may display an indication of the candidate expert, relevant expertise per candidate and/or a list of experts per certain object. In the case of the certain objects being topics, the hierarchy is an ontology of the topics.
US08255379B2
A method described herein includes receiving a query that is configured by an issuer of the query to be utilized to retrieve a portion of local search content, wherein the local search content comprises a first dataset and a second data set, wherein the first dataset comprises a first entity and the second dataset comprises a second entity, and wherein the query comprises a first token and a second token. The method also includes parsing the query such that the first token of the query is mapped to the first entity in the first dataset and the second token of the query is mapped to the second entity in the second dataset. The method also includes returning search results based at least in part upon the parsing of the query.
US08255373B2
Atomic multiple modifications of streams is provided. Streams are selected for the application of an atomic multiple modification. A lock is acquired on the meta-data associated with the streams. Each stream is de-coupled from its name. Multiple modifications are applied to the selected streams. After performing the modifications, names are coupled to the streams. The lock on the meta-data associated with each stream is released.
US08255357B1
Systems and methods of configuration management for enterprise software are disclosed. Some method embodiments comprise: storing updated configuration information for a software tool in a configuration database; periodically accessing the configuration database to retrieve updated configuration information; and when an updated configuration is found, replacing a configuration file for the software tool with an updated configuration file that incorporates the updated configuration information. In some embodiments, an API of the software tool may be automatically invoked to provide the software tool with updated configuration information. Using a separate configuration database in this manner enables a flexible web-based interface for many individuals to configure a shared tool without requiring downtime. Where needed, database access may be limited to authorized users. The configuration information may include user roles, listbox values, menu items, and other parameters affecting the user interface of the software tool.
US08255356B2
An apparatus receives an instruction indicating a time when a query for the data acquisition is to be executed. The apparatus executes the query at the time indicated in the received instruction, and generates a document using data acquired from the execution of the query.
US08255344B2
The systems and methods may include receiving an initial population of parent chromosome data structures, where each parent chromosome data structure provides a plurality of genes; selecting pairs of parent chromosome data structures; applying at least one evolutionary operator to the genes of the selected pairs to generate a plurality of child chromosome data structures; allocating, the generated plurality of child chromosome structures to a plurality slave processors, where each slave processor evaluates one or more of the plurality of child chromosome data structures and generates respective objective function values; receiving objective function values for a portion of the plurality of allocated child chromosome data structures; merging the parent chromosome data structures with the received portion of the child chromosome data structures for which objective function values have been received; and identifying a portion of the merged set of chromosome data structures as an elite set of chromosome data structures.
US08255343B1
A system may track statistics for a number of features using an approximate counting technique by: subjecting each feature to multiple, different hash functions to generate multiple, different hash values, where each of the hash values may identify a particular location in a memory, and storing statistics for each feature at the particular locations identified by the hash values. The system may generate rules for a model based on the tracked statistics.
US08255334B2
The invention relates to a method for providing postal items with postal prepayment impressions, characterized in that data are generated in the customer system that are encrypted in such a manner that the value transfer center is able to decrypt them. To this end, the data are transmitted from the customer system to the value transfer center. The value transfer center then decrypts the data and re-encrypts them with a code not known to the customer system and transmits the encrypted data to the customer system.
US08255331B2
A method for providing curriculum enhancement using a computer-based media access system according to one embodiment is described. The method comprises accessing a playlist assembly component and creating a playlist indicating at least one instance of media. The playlist is then accessed and the instance of media is selected. A usage compliance mechanism then accesses the instance of media in accordance with a usage restriction.
US08255330B2
Various aspects relate to systems, methods or devices for processing overdrafts made by customers. A particular embodiment is directed towards, a system that is configured to receive transaction data from customer-oriented terminals. The transaction data includes requests for monetary transfers on behalf of customers that hold a checking or savings account at a financial institution. In response to receiving the transaction data, the system accesses customer account information, which can include the amount of funds in the checking or savings accounts. The system determines whether sufficient funds exist in the accounts to cover the financial transactions. In response to a potential overdraft of one or more customer accounts, stored customer information is accessed to determine and authorize overdraft deferment eligibility of the customer based upon the stored customer information. The system defers an overdraft fee by providing a grace period during which funds can be transferred to cover the overdraft.
US08255311B2
Methods, systems and computer products are provided for risk evaluation. A computer may assign a risk to an object which has an object estimation-value. The computer may also receive a risk estimation-value for the risk. The computer may re-calculate the object estimation-value based on the risk estimation-value.
US08255306B1
A method of identifying target businesses with above-average potential to achieve a selected financial performance target, in accordance with the principles of one embodiment of this invention comprises identifying a plurality of model businesses which have already achieved the selected financial performance target; identifying financial statistics common to the identified model businesses; and screening target businesses for the financial statistics common to the identified businesses. The financial statistics preferably include: at least one of historic annual sales, annual sales growth rates, and time since found to exceed selected annual sales thresholds, gross margins, SG&D, R & D expense, EBIDTA, cash flow from operations, market capitalization.
US08255292B2
A first computer (e.g., a central server) collects information to be presented to one or more users. The information is organized into a plurality of first web-sites where each of these web-sites is addressable by a unique Universal Resource Locator (URL). A physical location is associated with each of the first web-sites. One of the first web-sites may be provided to a user as a user web-site. When the user or other individual seeks to access the user web-site, links to a plurality of the first web-sites are provided based on a relationship between the physical locations associated with the first web-sites and the physical location associated with the user web-site.
US08255290B2
A system and method are described for managing a contacts database within an online stationery service. For example, a system implemented within an online stationery service according to one embodiment comprises: a stationery service contacts manager to manage a set of contacts data within a stationery service contacts database in response to user input; a stationery personalization engine providing an end user with a set of selectable stationery templates, the stationery personalization engine receiving an indication that an end user has selected a particular one of the stationery templates, and generating personalized stationery with the selected template based on user input; the stationery service contacts manager providing address information for each of a set of user-selected contacts to receive a the personalized stationery by non-electronic mail; and a print module to generate a print job to print the personalized stationery and envelopes containing the address information for the user-selected contacts, the print module transmitting a link to an external print service for uniquely identifying the print job, the external print service accessing the link from the online stationery service using the link; wherein the external print service mails the printed stationery in the printed envelopes on behalf of the end user.
US08255288B1
Item scarcity resulting from a high demand of the item is addressed by providing users a high demand sale process. In some aspects, users may opt-in to purchase the item in a sale by transmitting a mobile message to a host over a mobile device network prior to a sale of the item. If the user is eligible, the host then attempts to purchase the item on behalf of the user once the sale begins.
US08255287B1
A method and apparatus are disclosed for offering and selling items based on a non-public target price. The target price is initially established in advance for a given item and is not known to potential buyers. Offers for the item are accepted and a transaction is completed if an offer exceeds or is equal to the target price. A target price sale may be conducted in conjunction with a traditional auction that includes a reserve price, during which bids are accepted in a traditional manner. The establishment of a target price allows the seller to define an acceptable price in a private sale independent of circumstances, and the non-public nature of the target price allows the seller to control the process. In the case that a traditional auction is also conducted, the existence of both target sale and auction phases can maximize the expected sale price of the item.
US08255286B2
According to the present invention, there is provided a method to facilitate propagating a plurality of transaction listings to a network-based transaction facility. An input interface is presented at a seller application to receive from a user, a plurality of transaction listings, each transaction listing including an associated start time. Also, a data file is composed at the seller application to include the plurality of transaction listings. Moreover, the data file is propagated, using the seller application, from the client computer to the network-based transaction facility.
US08255285B1
A computer-implemented method for proposing a value to a user includes mapping a plurality of factual cost values for an item type according to amount, each of the factual cost values reflecting an amount that won a bidding process for an item of the item type. The method includes identifying an inflection point in the mapping that represents a first factual cost value. The method includes outputting a proposed value for the bidding process to a user, the proposed value generated using the first factual cost value. The method can be implemented using a computer program product.
US08255276B1
A method and system is presented for coordinating the transmission of supplemental digital data to accompany broadcast data, and in particular, analog radio broadcasts, among a plurality of broadcasters. The supplemental digital data may provide information about the particular broadcast data being transmitted (i.e. cut data) or may be supplemental to such data (i.e. news, weather and traffic data). The supplemental digital data to be presented is sorted based on particular algorithms which may take into account broadcaster-specified criteria such as target audience, time of day, type of broadcast data presented, and the like. The supplemental digital data may be audio data, visual data, or audio-visual data for presentation with the broadcast data. The supplemental digital data may further be advertisement data. The advertisement data may be sold by the broadcasters or the party coordinating the IBOC transmission of the supplemental digital data. The supplemental digital data may play simultaneously with muted broadcast data or at a user-specified time.
US08255275B2
System(s) and method(s) to incentivize adoption of time-dependent customized insurance benefit(s) are provided. A provider of insurance benefit(s) incentivizes adoption of the insurance benefit(s) in exchange for knowledge of operation characteristics of an insured entity. Knowledge is cumulative and collected from the insured entity and environment in which the entity operates. Incentivation is accomplished at least in part through generation of incentive offer(s) based on available knowledge, which is associated with an operator of the insured entity rather than with the entity itself. The operator can regulate the scope of exchanged knowledge, and received incentive offer(s) and related content. Incentive offer(s) can be directed to provision of insurance benefit coverage that is adequate to current or nearly current operation condition(s); discounted real-time or nearly real-time insurance benefits; or subsidized service(s). Offered incentives can be afforded at least in part through monetization of available knowledge via commercialization thereof or targeted advertisement.
US08255273B2
A method and a system evaluate a company website's online marketing efficiency on various advertising websites by evaluating both access activities and business activities of users originating from the advertising websites. For each user visiting the company website, the method determines the originating website from which the user enters the company website, and obtains the access activities and the business activities of the user on the company website. The method quantifies the access activities and the business activities of the users who enter the present website from the same originating website to generate evaluation data corresponding to the originating website, and evaluates the company website's online marketing efficiency on the originating website based on the evaluation data of the originating website. Using the disclosed method and system, online marketing efficiency can be evaluated more comprehensively and accurately.
US08255268B2
The present invention improves upon existing systems and methods by providing a passive profile creation method. The data accessible to a financial processor, such as spend level data, is leveraged using sophisticated data clustering and/or data appending techniques. Associations are established among entities (e.g., consumers), among merchants, and between entities and merchants. In one embodiment, a system and method for passively collecting spend level data for a transaction of a first entity, aggregating the collected spend level data for a plurality of entities; and clustering the first entity with a subset of the plurality of entities, based on aggregated spend level data of the first entity is provided.
US08255267B2
A method analyzes preferences of one or more participants. Each of the participants may be presented with a plurality of evaluation items that illustrate various marketing options. Response data from the participants that indicates at least an approach, if any, toward the evaluation items is obtained. An approach entropy value may be generated for the marketing options based on the response data for each participant. A relative preference order for each participant for the marketing options may be determined from the generated approach entropy values.
US08255264B2
A method of measuring the sales performance of a dealer may include determining a propensity to buy score associated with each lead received by a dealer and determining an expected close rate associated with the dealer that may be based on the determined propensity to buy scores. The method may also include determining, by a computing device, an effectiveness rate associated with the dealer that may be based on at least the expected close rate and an actual close rate.
US08255263B2
The invention provides a method of generating a recommendation for a product type. A plurality of product attributes associated with the product type is provided. A sampled set of consumer values is received. At least one user preference corresponding to the product attributes is received. A plurality of consumer values based on the at least one user preference and the sample set of consumer values is calculated, and at least one product recommendation is determined based on the calculated consumer values.
US08255232B2
An audio encoding method previously estimates better initial iterative values of global-gain and scalefactor for avoiding heavy calculation. The estimating process of the encoding method includes calculating the bit allocation of one frequency sample based on a sampling rate, a bit rate, and the number of audio channels according to an input frame, and the psychoacoustic model, searching one frequency sample having the greatest sample energy in each of a plurality of scalefactor bands, quantizing the frequency sample to comply with the bit allocation and to generate a corresponding scalefactor, searching a maximum scalefactor of all scalefactor bands corresponding to the input frame, and setting initial values of scalefactors and an initial value of global-gain for the quantization iterative loop process according to the corresponding scalefactor and the maximum scalefactor.
US08255228B2
An efficient encoded representation of a first and a second input audio signal can be derived using correlation information indicating a correlation between the first and the second input audio signals, when a signal characterization information, indicating at least a first or a second, different characteristic of the input audio signal is additionally considered. Phase information indicating a phase relation between the first and the second input audio signals is derived, when the input audio signals have the first characteristic. The phase information and a correlation measure are included into the encoded representation when the input audio signals have the first characteristic, and only the correlation information is included into the encoded representation when the input audio signals have the second characteristic.
US08255215B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for locating a keyword of a speech and a speech recognition system. The method includes the steps of: by extracting feature parameters from frames constituting the recognition target speech, forming a feature parameter vector sequence that represents the recognition target speech; by normalizing of the feature parameter vector sequence with use of a codebook containing a plurality of codebook vectors, obtaining a feature trace of the recognition target speech in a vector space; and specifying the position of a keyword by matching prestored keyword template traces with the feature trace. According to the present invention, a keyword template trace and a feature space trace of a recognition target speech are drawn in accordance with an identical codebook. This causes resampling to be unnecessary in performing linear movement matching of speech wave frames having similar phonological feature structures. This makes it possible to improve the speed of location and recognition while ensuring the precision of recognition.
US08255207B2
A method and device for concealing frame erasures caused by frames of an encoded sound signal erased during transmission from an encoder to a decoder and for recovery of the decoder after frame erasures comprise, in the encoder, determining concealment/recovery parameters including at least phase information related to frames of the encoded sound signal. The concealment/recovery parameters determined in the encoder are transmitted to the decoder and, in the decoder, frame erasure concealment is conducted in response to the received concealment/recovery parameters. The frame erasure concealment comprises resynchronizing, in response to the received phase information, the erasure-concealed frames with corresponding frames of the sound signal encoded at the encoder. When no concealment/recovery parameters are transmitted to the decoder, a phase information of each frame of the encoded sound signal that has been erased during transmission from the encoder to the decoder is estimated in the decoder. Also, frame erasure concealment is conducted in the decoder in response to the estimated phase information, wherein the frame erasure concealment comprises resynchronizing, in response to the estimated phase information, each erasure-concealed frame with a corresponding frame of the sound signal encoded at the encoder.
US08255202B2
Emulating HDMI-CEC devices, sub networks, or messages, including selecting the properties of an HDMI-CEC device to be emulated from at least two devices representing different functionalities, and initiating spoofed CEC messages. One of the methods includes selecting an initiator CEC logical address to emulate, and initiating a CEC message comprising the selected CEC logical address that is not unregistered logical address and does not represent a functionality of the device that actually initiated the CEC message.
US08255199B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, the performance of an electronic circuit having a clock path between a clock source cell and a clock leaf cell is characterized over a simulation duration, where the clock path has one or more intermediate cells. Variations in the effective power supply voltage level least one intermediate cell over the simulation duration are determined using a system-level power-grid simulation tool. Static timing analysis (STA) software is used to determine cell delays for at least one of the intermediate cells for different clock-signal transitions at different times during the simulation duration. The cell delays are then used to generate one or more metrics characterizing the performance of the electronic circuit, such as maximum and minimum pulse widths, maximum cycle-to-cycle jitter, and maximum periodic jitter.
US08255194B2
A system and method for simulating a physical process in a simulation domain. Dividing the simulation domain into a first sub-domain and a gap region. The gap region defines a region of a specified width between a contact line of a droplet and the first sub-domain. Generating a mesh that represents the first sub-domain as a plurality of elements. The specification of each element includes an integer element number that represents an order of each element. The specified width of the gap region is on the order of half the width of an element in the first sub-domain adjoining the gap region divided by the integer element number. Using the finite element method and the mesh to calculate a state of the droplet at a first point in time. Using a plurality of evolution equations to calculate the state of the droplet at a second point in time.
US08255193B2
Blood flow bypass catheters and methods for the delivery of medium to the vasculature and body ducts
A catheterization device that may be designed by use of an adaptive genetic algorithm computational fluid dynamics approach, as well as other Global Optimization methods that may include simulated annealing, multistart and interval methods, continuous branch and bound methods, evolutionary algorithms, and tabu search and scatter search methods, as well as other available Global Optimization methods that is able to maximize/optimize the dwell time of an infused agent in the vicinity of a vascular lesion. The device may have an internal by-pass channel that allows the blood upstream of the lesion to continue its pulsatile flow through the vessel in the part of it occluded by the lesion, while simultaneously allowing the disbursement and maximal dwell time of an antithrombolytic or other diagnostic or therapeutic agent needed to treat the lesion. Different embodiments of the catheterization device are disclosed and indications for the use of these devices in the treatment of vascular diseases are discussed.
US08255190B2
A system for automatically uploading a constellation module for a motion tracking system is provided comprising a programmable computer system having a first electronically readable storage medium. A motion tracking system is in communication with the programmable computer system, and includes a controller having a second electronically readable storage medium and a plurality of transponders. A configuration module resides on the first electronically readable medium. The configuration module is adapted to communicate with the motion tracking system and includes a first configuration parameter adapted to automatically instruct the second electronically readable storage medium to delete an existing constellation module, a second configuration parameter adapted to automatically acquire a desired replacement constellation module, and a third configuration parameter adapted to automatically transfer the replacement constellation module to the second electronically readable storage medium. A method for using the system is also provided.
US08255184B2
A programming method of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) constructs a polygonal mesh model for a manufactured part according to a point cloud of the manufactured part. Basic measurement elements, relational measurement elements, a part coordinate system, and a collision-free inspection path are obtained according to the polygonal mesh model, so as to generate a measurement program of the CMM.
US08255182B2
Techniques for controlling collection of diagnostic data in a monitored system. A set of flood control rules are configured for the monitored system for controlling the gathering of diagnostic data in the monitored system. The set of flood control rules may include one or more default flood control rules. The set of flood control rules are user-configurable enabling the user of the monitored system to set policies for dynamically controlling gathering of diagnostic data for the monitored system. In one embodiment, diagnostic data gathering is controlled based upon a number of previous occurrences of a condition in some predefined or user-configured time frame that triggers diagnostic data gathering and/or a number of previous executions of an action performed in some predefined or user-configured time frame responsive to the condition in the monitored system.
US08255180B2
The acoustographic dynamic range extending device and method determines thresholds to reach a preset brightness with a test part and without a test part and transforms these thresholds to image data, where the thresholds can be time thresholds obtained with a single driving voltage and can be voltage thresholds obtained with an increasing driving voltage.
US08255173B2
A load is based calibrate on data collected under wide observation conditions and promptly calibrate loads of a plurality of wind turbine blades. A load measuring apparatus is applied to a wind turbine in which a pitch angle of a wind turbine blade is variable. The apparatus includes a sensor for obtaining a distortion of the wind turbine blade; a load calculating unit having a function expressing a relation between the distortion of the wind turbine blade and a load on the wind turbine blade, for obtaining the load on the wind turbine blade by applying to the function the distortion based on measurement data of the sensor; and a calibration unit for calibrating the function based on the measurement data of the sensor obtained in a pitch angle range and a rotational speed range of the wind turbine blade in which a variation between maximum and minimum aerodynamic torques is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
US08255172B2
Random defects and repeaters accommodated on a wafer are detected using slice information obtained by scanning a plurality of wafer slices; analyzing defect information using a first set of filters selected to detect random defects, thereby generating a first set of defects per slice, analyzing the defect information using a second set of filters selected to detect repeaters, thereby providing a second set of defects per slice; analyzing a plurality of the second sets of defects per slice using a third set of filters selected to detect repeater families, thereby providing a set of repeaters per wafer; and optionally combining the set of repeaters per wafer with a plurality of the first sets of defects per slice, thereby generating one or more defect maps indicative of random defects and/or repeaters.
US08255171B2
A method for determining when a ceramic component on a platform should be replaced. The method includes determining parameters for the ceramic component, the parameters include empirically determined a critical stress intensity factor, and a geometry factor for the ceramic component. The method also includes determining a relationship between platform operational parameters to the generation of stress at the surface of interest of the ceramic component, determining an initial crack size of a crack within the ceramic component at installation, tracking operational parameters of the platform throughout a course of usage of the ceramic component, calculating the corresponding stress at the crack location due to the tracked operational parameters, and calculating a numerical solution that illustrates a crack growth rate velocity and tracks a size of the crack over time. The ceramic component is replaced based on the crack growth rate velocity and the size of the crack.
US08255168B2
Products and processes are provided herewith for analyzing octane content in a fuel sample that include the step or steps of receiving an octane measurement of a fuel sample from a octane analyzer, rounding the octane measurement to a nearest recognized octane rating, comparing the rounded octane measurement with a listed octane rating for the fuel sample, and communicating results of the comparison to a user of the octane analyzer. The octane analyzer may be incorporated into a fuel pump or a vehicle. The results of the comparison may also be used to adjust the vehicle operating parameters to account for the actual octane rating of the fuel dispensed into the vehicle.
US08255160B2
A navigation system is described which includes a mobile terminal 100 which has a transmission source receiver 204 for receiving the signals from one or more unsynchronised terrestrial transmission sources 102-105 and a satellite positioning receiver 200 for receiving signals from the satellite or satellites 107-110 of a satellite positioning system. The terminal also has a clock 208. A processor 209 is arranged to acquire a measurement vector having a list of values, each value representing a measurement made by a receiver 200,204, and the terminal clock's bias. It computes a state vector representing the current state of the system, using a previously-determined state vector, the measurement vector, and a dynamic model in order to derive a dynamic navigation solution. The elements of the state vector include (a) in one or more dimensions at least position information of the terminal 100; (b) representations of the bias of the clocks associated with the unsynchronised terrestrial transmission sources 102-105 relative to a given time; (c) the bias of the terminal clock 208; (d) quality indicators indicating the error associated with elements of (a) to (c); and (e) linking indicators indicating the dependency of elements in (a) to (c) on others of those elements.
US08255159B1
A mobile electronic device is disclosed. The mobile electronic device comprises a near-field-communications receiver and an application. The near-field-communication transceiver receives identification information from at least one of a transit vehicle and a transit platform. The application, when executed on the mobile electronic device, receives a transit destination as entered into the mobile electronic device. Based on the identification information and a transit system route map, the application presents a notification on the mobile electronic device that the identification information does not agree with the transit destination.
US08255155B1
A technique of detecting a speed detection of a vehicle using a geographic database (200, 322, 326, 508, 510) of a navigation system (300, 502) has been provided, which obtains a current position of the vehicle (404) and at least one predefined characteristic (418) relating to the current position of the vehicle from the geographic database, sets (420(1)) a sensitivity level to detect a speed detection of the vehicle based, at least in part, on the at least one predefined characteristic.
US08255146B2
A traffic management system (31) is described that combines wireless tracking of motorists (32) with scheduling of time slots for travel on roadways (33) during peak hours. Rewards are given to motorists (32) who travel during allotted time slots thus improving the effectiveness of the system over time. Motorists are tracked using their cellular device to check if a reward can be given or not, based on travel undertaken in the allotted time slot.
US08255143B2
An engine control system for a homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine includes an airflow determination module and a sensor diagnostic module. The airflow determination module generates a first plurality of estimates of airflow into the HCCI engine when the HCCI engine is operating in a first combustion mode, wherein the first plurality of estimates are based on an intake manifold absolute pressure (MAP), a mass air flow (MAF) rate, and a camshaft position. The sensor diagnostic module determines a state of at least one of a first plurality of sensors based on a predetermined threshold and differences between one of the first plurality of estimates and others of the first plurality of estimates, wherein the first plurality of sensors includes a MAP sensor, a MAF sensor, and a camshaft sensor.
US08255140B2
An engine control module includes a power module and a turbine temperature module. The power module controls engine power output based on a turbine temperature. The turbine temperature module determines the turbine temperature based on a turbine inlet temperature. The power module decreases the engine power output when the turbine temperature is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold temperature.
US08255135B2
A control method of shifting gear in an automatic manual transmission having a twin-clutch gearbox to pass from a current gear to a successive gear, the control method including the steps of receiving a command of gear shifting, opening a first clutch associated with current gear, closing a second clutch which is associated with successive gear and starts transmitting a torque after a delay time interval from the start of the closing, and starting the opening of first clutch, thus decreasing the torque transmitted by first clutch itself before second clutch starts transmitting a torque, such that first clutch decreases the torque transmitted to the driving wheels before the second clutch starts transmitting a torque to the driving wheels.
US08255130B2
A closed loop shift control apparatus and method based on friction element load controls a torque transfer phase when shifting from a low gear configuration to a high gear configuration for an automatic transmission system. When pressure actuated friction elements are selectively engaged and released to establish torque flow paths in the transmission, measurements or estimates of torsional load exerted on the off-going friction element are used to predict the optimal off-going friction element release timing for achieving a consistent shift feel. The ideal timing to release the off-going friction element is uniquely defined when torque load exerted onto the off-going friction element becomes substantially zero. An on-coming clutch engagement process is controlled by a closed loop control based on measurements or estimates of on-coming clutch torque capacity for a constant shift feel under dynamically changing conditions.
US08255126B2
An aerator having a flexible frame for use on sloped or undulating ground surfaces of golf courses and other turf. The aerator includes a pair of frame sections linked together at a horizontal pivot axis, one of the frame section supporting a coring head. A ground sensor is pivotably attached to one of the frame sections so that the ground sensor may pivot in response to changes in ground slope and provide output relating to the magnitude of the change. Based on the output, a flex frame actuator pivots the pair of frame sections with respect to each other.
US08255122B2
In an electronic control unit including a master integrated ECU and a slave VSA ECU, the VSA ECU is provided with a request restriction unit which receives a request of the integrated ECU. The request restriction unit prohibits the use of the request and prioritizes the control of the VSA ECU when a direction of vehicle behavior controlled by the request of the integrated ECU and a direction of the vehicle behavior controlled by the VSA ECU itself are different.
US08255110B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a travel locus generating method and a travel locus generating device for generating a travel locus in consideration of a fuel consumption characteristic. The present invention is a travel locus generating device that generates a future travel locus of a vehicle and is characterized by including a restriction condition calculating means for performing a convergence calculation of restriction conditions including at least a condition of a road boundary and an evaluation function calculating means for deriving a travel locus by a convergence calculation using an evaluation function, which includes at least evaluation of a variance of speed, in a state where the restriction conditions of the restriction condition calculating means are satisfied.
US08255108B2
An automotive diagnostic tool and method for accessing user configuration data and retrieving vehicle diagnostic data for read/write mode and storage. The diagnostic tool comprises a processor and a non-volatile memory coupled with the processor for storing data as continuously arranged data. The tool further comprises a main memory coupled with the processor for access and transfer of the data between the main memory and the non-volatile memory. The main memory is configured such that the continuously arranged data can be accessed from the non-volatile memory and stored in the main memory as the read/write data in a file system format. The main memory is further configured such that the read/write data can be transferred from the main memory to the non-volatile memory for storage as continuously arranged data.
US08255097B1
A system and method for managing maintenance activities such as, for example, aircraft maintenance activities, according to which, in several exemplary embodiments, aircraft maintenance requirements are monitored and/or aircraft maintenance resources are assigned.
US08255096B2
Minimizing dynamic structural loads of an aircraft, introduced by an external excitation, which, includes generating a signal (x) indicative of the external excitation; deriving signals (y) of pre-controlling for actuating control elements of the aircraft from the excitation indicating signal (x) in accordance with a pre-controlling rule, so as to reduce the dynamic structural loads introduced to the aircraft; generating an error signal (e, e*) representing performance of said pre-controlling; optimizing the pre-controlling rule by the error signal (e, e*) and/or the excitation indicating signal (x) so as to minimize the dynamic structural loads.
US08255089B2
A dispensing device includes a controller and first and second actuators coupled to the controller and adapted to actuate first and second containers, respectively, to dispense volatile material therefrom. The device further includes a sensor coupled to the controller for detecting an environmental condition. The controller is configured to operate in a first period during which the first and second actuators are inactive, in a second period during which the first actuator is controlled to periodically actuate the first container at a first frequency to dispense volatile material therefrom, and in a third period during which the second actuator is controlled to periodically actuate the second container at a second frequency to dispense volatile material therefrom. If the sensor has detected the environmental condition, the controller is configured to control the first and/or second actuators to periodically actuate the first and/or second containers, respectively, during a fourth period at a third frequency different than the first and second frequencies to dispense volatile material therefrom.
US08255084B2
Provided are a method, medium, and apparatus for docking a mobile robot. The method includes: (a) receiving a docking signal, which is transmitted from a signal transmitting unit, by using a signal receiving unit loaded in the mobile robot while the mobile robot is moving; (b) estimating a range of poses of the signal transmitting unit based on the received docking signal; (c) updating estimated poses of the signal transmitting unit by reflecting the estimated range of poses in a pose estimation algorithm when the pose of the signal transmitting unit, which was estimated using the pose estimation algorithm, exists within the estimated range of poses and adding a new pose of the signal transmitting unit, which is to be estimated using the pose estimation algorithm by reflecting the estimated range of poses, when the pose of the signal transmitting unit, which was estimated using the pose estimation algorithm, does not exist within the estimated range of poses; and (d) attempting to return the mobile robot to a charging station by using a plurality of poses of the signal transmitting unit, which were estimated by repeating operations (a) through (c) and using the pose estimation algorithm, in order of accuracy, until the mobile robot is docked in the charging station.
US08255081B2
Provided are an apparatus and method of calculating the position of a robot, which determine the position of a robot and create a map of the surroundings of the robot which account for the travel state of the robot. The apparatus includes a state variable calculation module which calculates a plurality of state variables regarding a travel state of the robot by using a plurality of Kalman filters; a travel state determination module which determines the travel state of the robot based on the results of the calculation performed by the state variable calculation module; and a state variable update module which updates the state variables according to the result of the determination performed by the travel state determination module.
US08255079B2
A grasp assist device includes a glove portion having phalange rings, contact sensors for measuring a grasping force applied by an operator wearing the glove portion, and a tendon drive system (TDS). The device has flexible tendons connected to the phalange rings for moving the rings in response to feedback signals from the sensors. The TDS is connected to each of the tendons, and applies an augmenting tensile force thereto via a microcontroller adapted for determining the augmenting tensile force as a function of the grasping force. A method of augmenting a grasping force of an operator includes measuring the grasping force using the sensors, encoding the grasping force as the feedback signals, and calculating the augmenting tensile force as a function of the feedback signals using the microcontroller. The method includes energizing at least one actuator of a tendon drive system (TDS) to thereby apply the augmenting tensile force.
US08255077B2
An apparatus for calculating a tool reference plane utilizes a machining plane model and an inversed tool model to create a collection of sphere regions having three dimensional grid points as their center, and identifies a nearest point on each of the model planes from the respective center point of the sphere regions. The positions within the tool reference plane can be accurately identified to the degree of the grid interval of the three dimensional grid points using the machining plane model and the inversed tool model consisting of the collection of sphere regions. By using the nearest point on each of the model planes, the position of the tool reference plane is identified using the accuracy created by the model planes. According to this apparatus, a tool reference plane can be created accurately irrespective of the shape of the machining plane model.
US08255070B2
A method and apparatus for processing a fastener system. A fastener installation tool may be placed on a surface of an object. An elongate structure may be attached to the fastener installation tool and may have a length. A camera may be associated with the fastener installation tool in which the camera may be configured with a focal length corresponding to the length of the elongate structure. The camera also may be configured to capture an image at least a portion of the fastener system when the elongate structure is placed against the surface of the object on which the fastener system is located. The image of the at least a portion of fastener system may be captured.
US08255066B2
In tuning a PID controller for a process in a feedback control system, a method is provided for bringing the system into symmetric self-excited oscillations for measuring the frequency and the amplitude of the oscillations, and tuning the controller in dependence on the measurements obtained. A control algorithm referred to as the modified relay feedback test is introduced into a system in series with a process to generate self-excited oscillations. Tuning includes the steps of selecting a desired gain margin or phase margin, generating oscillations with the algorithm parameter corresponding to a selected gain or phase margin, measurements of the amplitude and the frequency of these oscillations, and computing PID controller tuning parameters. Data and formulas are given for the computation of the specific parameter of the modified relay feedback test and for tuning the parameters of the PID controller. An apparatus for performing the method is disclosed.
US08255064B2
A computer numerical control (CNC) machine includes a case, a communication plug, a first switch, a number of second switches, and a control circuit. The control circuit includes a first switch control unit to receive a first switch signal from the first switch, a second switch control unit to receive second switch signals from the second switches, a control unit, a command signal converting unit, a pulse signal generating unit, and an operation signal output unit. The control unit receives the first and second switch signals, determines the work mode of the CNC machine according to the first switch signal, and convert the second switch signals to command signals. The command signal converting unit converts the command signals into operation signals. The pulse signal generating unit generates pulse signals. The operation signal output unit outputs the operation signals and the pulse signals to the CNC machine via the communication plug.
US08255061B2
A microsystem comprising a substrate having an aperture formed therethrough. The aperture includes a first cross-section and a second cross-section—the first cross-section being smaller than the second cross-section to define a ledge therebetween. A probe member is disposed within the aperture of the substrate, such that a backend of the probe member defines a cross-section that is greater than the first cross-section of the aperture and smaller than the second cross-section such that the probe member engages the ledge. A plurality of probe shanks extend from the probe member. Each of the probe shanks includes a plurality of leads disposed there along. Each of the leads extending from the probe shanks to an opposing side of the probe member.
US08255056B2
A device and method for sensing breathing disorders, irregularities or insufficiencies is provided. One aspect includes sensing a precursor to an onset of a breathing disorder or episode of a breathing disorder and responding to sensing the precursor. Another aspect includes responding to treat the breathing disorder before manifestation of the disorder. Another aspect includes identifying a likelihood of a breathing disorder and responding using the likelihood and other information indicating onset or occurrence of a breathing disorder.
US08255055B2
A medical device includes a pulse generator, an electrode configured to contact tissue in a coronary vessel, a lead comprising a lead conductor, the lead conductor connecting the pulse generator with the electrode, and a filter circuit electrically connected in series between the lead conductor and the electrode. The filter circuit may include a band pass filter that attenuates signals having a frequency other than a natural resonance frequency (e.g. MRI device signals), and the pulse generator may transmit therapy signals to the electrode as a sinusoidal voltage wave at the natural resonance frequency. The filter circuit may include a diode that rectifies the sinusoidal voltage wave before the rectified sinusoidal voltage wave passes to the electrode. In some embodiments, therapy signals may be provided to the electrode through the band pass filter over a natural resonance frequency range.
US08255054B2
An implantable electronic medical device is compatible with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The device has a housing with exterior walls, each formed by a dielectric substrate with electrically conductive layers on interior and exterior surfaces. A series of slots divide each layer into segments. Segmenting the layers provides high impedance to eddy currents produced by fields of the MRI scanner, while capacitive coupling of the segments provides radio frequency shielding for components inside the housing. Electrical leads extending from the housing have a pair of coaxially arranged conductors and traps that attenuate currents induced in the conductors by the fields of the MRI scanner.
US08255052B2
Embodiments of the invention are related to an implantable medical system, amongst other things. In an embodiment, the invention includes a processor, an electrical sensor, and a temperature sensor. The processor is configured to monitor myocardial electrical activity with input from the electrical sensor; identify myocardial electrical activity indicative of an arrhythmia, measure temperature of blood in the coronary venous system with input from the temperature sensor; determine if the arrhythmia is hemodynamically stable or hemodynamically unstable based on the temperature of blood in the coronary venous system, and initiate high-voltage shock therapy if the arrhythmia is hemodynamically unstable. Other embodiments are also included herein.
US08255046B2
Techniques for processing impedance data to provide an early warning for heart failure decompensation are described. An example device may be configured to measure intrathoracic impedance values, and increment an index when a determined impedance is less than a reference impedance. The incrementing may be based on the difference between the reference impedances and the determined impedance. In some examples, the amount of incrementing is reduced based on a variability of the impedances, or increased over time so long as the index remains above a threshold, e.g., zero. In some examples, the manner is which the reference impedances are determined changes over time to, for example, address rapid changes in impedance after device or system implantation. In some examples, the index is compared to a threshold to determine whether to provide an alert. In some examples, two thresholds are used to provide hysteresis.
US08255041B2
A wireless monitoring system and, more particularly, a wireless monitoring system for detecting and transmitting physiological data. The present invention detects physiological data relating to a patient's cardiac activity and respiration rate and transmits the data to a remote base station via telemetry. The base station processes the data so that the data can be display by an ECG monitor.
US08255015B2
A portable electronic device includes a main body and a touch pen. The main body includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. One or more accessories, such as a display and/or camera can be positioned on the first surface. A touch pen includes a support pole and a pivot portion formed on an end of the support pole. The main body defines a sliding groove in the second surface. The pivot portion slidably engages in the sliding groove. When the pivot portion slides to an end of the sliding groove, the main body is capable of being support by the touch pen.
US08255014B2
A mobile terminal includes a base including a plurality of light transmission parts, with at least one light source inside the base. A plurality of light guides may be connected to the plurality of light transmission parts from the outside of the base. Each light guide includes a first surface for reflecting light emitted from the at least one light source, and a first light reflector in a first area which is at least a part of an outer circumference of the base.
US08255010B2
Methods and apparatus for conserving battery power in a mobile device for wireless communication by dynamically adjusting the clock frequency and/or the voltage of the device's processor according to the Media Access Control (MAC) layer state are provided. By using a higher clock frequency and/or a higher voltage for a normal operation state with large amounts of data traffic and lower clock frequencies and/or lower voltages for other MAC layer states (e.g., acquisition, network entry, and sleep/idle states), battery power may be conserved, thereby extending the time in which the device may operate between battery charging cycles.
US08255007B2
An in-vehicle handsfree apparatus connects a handsfree profile (HFP) with a cellular phone, and then connects a service discovery profile (SDF) with the cellular phone to thereby designate a compliance state of the cellular phone with respect to a phone book access profile (PBAP) as a PBAP compliance flag. Then, when a user performs an operation to require an all item transfer to transfer all items of phone book data registered in the cellular phone, the handsfree apparatus refers to the PBAP compliance flag to thereby select and connect either the PBAP or an object push profile (OPP) with the cellular phone.
US08255004B2
Information can be communicated by a temperature change of a communication device equipped with one or more temperature modifying elements. A processor configured by software determines when a temperature change should be generated and accomplishes such a change by controlling the application of power to the temperature modifying element(s). The temperature modifying elements may be electric resistance heating elements, thermoelectric elements, or other elements. Users perceive the temperature change produced by the temperature modifying element(s) when they touch the device. Depending on user settings, the temperature change may communicate specific information to the user. For example, a temperature change may convey information regarding the importance of an incoming telephone call, e-mail message or SMS message, or the importance of an impending calendar event. Using temperature as a communication medium allows the communication device to convey information to a user being notice by others.
US08254998B2
A quantized multi-rank beamforming scheme for multiple-antenna systems such as a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) wireless downlink. User equipment (UE) estimates downlink channel and transmit power and determines rank and power allocations. A quantized beamforming matrix is then determined by the UE using successive beamforming. The UE also determines channel quality indices (CQI) which it feeds-back to the wireless downlink base station along with the index of the quantized beamforming matrix. The base station uses the CQI information to select a UE for scheduling of downlink transmission and the quantized beamforming matrix index received from the selected UE to beamform the downlink transmission to the UE. Base station overhead and is minimized while providing near-optimal performance given the constraints of a limited feed-back channel and computational complexity of the UE.
US08254994B2
A wireless communication receiver includes a main body, a cover detachably assembled to the main body, and an antenna. The cover is slideably connected to the main body by the antenna.
US08254991B1
A method is provided for interfacing with a mobile device. The method includes presenting the active content of the mobile device in association with an external computing device and receiving, on the mobile device, user input from one or more components associated with the external computing device. A system for interfacing with a mobile device is also provided. The system includes one or more proximity control components, one or more translator components, one or more rendering components, and one or more transferring components. A method for communicating active content of a mobile device to an external computing device is also provided. The method includes transferring data containing at least one of display definitions, navigational elements, and active content and presenting the transferred data in association with the external computing device.
US08254980B2
A method, a mobile station and a computer program for controlling uplink transmit power of a mobile station capable of operating with scheduled uplink data transmissions. Uplink transmit power level for the mobile station is updated (304) based on received (303) uplink power control commands. Upon detecting a change (301) in uplink scheduled status for the mobile station, the process of updating (304) the uplink transmit power level is adjusted to account for the detected change in uplink scheduled status.
US08254977B2
A novel MAC algorithm is disclosed having various features for a modern CDMA interference-shared reverse link, including (a) link quality assurance, (b) individual congestion control, (c) variable data rate transition policy, and/or (d) reverse link partitioning. Link quality assurance is provided by monitoring transmission feedback information (ACK/NACK) to indirectly determine the quality of a communication link. Wireless devices are individually targeted to perform congestion control of the reverse link. Variable data transmission rates and discontinuous transmissions are achieved by individual wireless devices that autonomously adjust their transmission rate and transmit power. The reverse link can also be partitioned among the different wireless devices by individually controlling the transmit power of the wireless devices operating on the reverse link.
US08254975B2
According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for controlling uplink access transmissions in a radio communication system, wherein a user equipment determines a delay time for transmitting a signal on an uplink access channel, wherein the delay time is randomly determined based upon a probability distribution that increases in density with increasing delay. According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for controlling uplink access transmissions in a radio communication system, wherein from a base station of the radio communication system, time variable information is signalled in downlink to user equipments located in an area covered by the base station, wherein the information is used to determine delay times for transmitting signals on an uplink access channel and wherein the information varies based upon a probability distribution which increases in density with increasing time.
US08254971B1
A system and method for determining an SMS retransmission schedule is provided. When a special error code is received by an SMSC, the SMSC can calculate the response time. The response time is the time that lapsed between forwarding the SMS message for delivery and receiving an error code. If the response time exceeds a response time threshold, the error code can be considered as falsely generated. A special retransmission schedule can be assigned to the SMS message. If the response time does not exceed a response time threshold, a different retransmission schedule can be assigned to the SMS message.
US08254968B2
A system and method for low overhead paging in a wireless communications system is provided. A method for controller operation includes generating a compressed map, receiving an incoming call intended for a communications device, and broadcasting the compressed map to communications devices served by the controller. The compressed map includes indications of paging groups of the controller.
US08254967B1
Disclosed is a method and apparatus to manage selection of a paging channel in a wireless communication system. When a mobile station powers on in a coverage area having multiple paging channels, the mobile station may apply a hashing algorithm keyed to the mobile station's identifier, to select a paging channel on which to idle. On the other hand, when the mobile station moves from a coverage area having a number of paging channels into a neighboring coverage area having a different number of paging channels, the mobile station may by rote idle on a default paging channel in the neighboring coverage area. In this way, the mobile station can help to avoid an access handoff failure that may arise from the mobile station being busy hashing onto a paging channel when the network transmits an access response message to the mobile station.
US08254964B2
A system and method may include receiving information about a movement of a device from a motion detector of the device, receiving information about ambient sound of the device from a sound receiving portion of the device, receiving information about position of the device, corresponding the movement to a particular type of movement that is distinguished from any and/or all other types of possible movements, corresponding the ambient sound to a specific sound, relating the specific movement and the specific sound to a particular event, and providing a location of the event to a user.
US08254952B2
A wireless telecommunication system includes a telecommunication device emitting signals in an area located in a moving conveyance while the moving conveyance is moving. Information is obtained representative of a destination area of the moving conveyance in which the signals emitted by the telecommunication device in the area located in a moving conveyance are not received. The signals emitted by the telecommunication device are obtained in the area located in a moving conveyance. The obtained signals are emitted in the destination area of the moving conveyance prior to the arrival of the moving conveyance in the destination area.
US08254941B2
An apparatus and method for renewal-based resource allocation in a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) system are provided. A Base Station (BS) allocates resources to a Mobile Station (MS) by resource allocation information. It is determined whether the MS requires continuous resource allocation or whether the MS does not have transmission data temporarily, when a resource allocation duration for downlink resources allocated to the MS has expired. One of resource allocation termination, resource allocation renewal, and temporary resource lending to another MS is performed according to the determination. Information for updating the resource allocation information is transmitted to the MS.
US08254940B2
A method and control node and computer program are disclosed for handling Intelligent Network services associated with a call to a subscriber of a mobile telecommunications network, the network comprising said control node, a HLR and one or more SCPs. Said control node a) sends to said HLR one or more requests for routing information associated with said call; b) receives from said HLR service trigger elements associated with said services; c) uses said trigger elements for invoking said services in said one ore more SCPs; and d) receives from said one or more SCPs information related to said services associated with said trigger elements.
US08254939B2
System and method for combining call records for different protocols into a single combined call record during a call. An embodiment comprises correlating messages having multiple protocol formats, comprising correlating messages complying with a first protocol into a first call record using a first correlation key, correlating messages complying with a second protocol into a second call record using a second correlation key, detecting a key message complying with the first protocol, the key message having a fetch key parameter associated with messages complying with the second protocol, combining data from the second call record into the first call record to create a combined call record, and creating a pointer linking the second call record to the first call record.
US08254938B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method for coordinated multi-cell transmission, a central controller and a User Equipment (UE). In one embodiment, the method includes: determining, by a central controller, at least one candidate cooperating set in a super-cell, wherein each cell in the super-cell belongs to at least one candidate cooperating set, and broadcasting information of the at least one candidate cooperating set determined to all UEs in the super-cell; selecting, by each UE, a candidate cooperating set from the at least one candidate cooperating set as a cooperating set of the UE, and feeding back information of the cooperating set selected to the central controller; and determining, by the central controller, all cooperating sets in the super-cell and UEs participating in cooperation in each cooperating set according to the information of the selected cooperating set fed back by each UE.
US08254933B2
An apparatus and a method for handover between a broadband wireless communication system and a heterogeneous communication system are provided. An operating method of a base station for the handover between a broadband wireless communication system and a and a heterogeneous communication system includes when a terminal enters a border cell, sending a message requesting to measure a signal level of a downlink, to the terminal, when a signal level measured by the terminal falls below a preset threshold, requesting a handover, to a corresponding heterogeneous communication system, over a core network, receiving a message, including channel allocation information for the handover, from the corresponding heterogeneous communication system, and forwarding the message, including the channel allocation information, to the terminal. Hence, when the terminal gets out of the service coverage area of the broadband wireless communication system, it can be handed over to the heterogeneous communication system seamlessly.
US08254926B2
A mobile unit transmits a request for position registration to a network when moving from a first area to a second area. When the number of incoming calls does not exceed a threshold and the number of movements between the first area and the second area exceeds a threshold, a mobile switchboard combines the first area and the second area into an extended area, and informs the mobile unit of the extended area.
US08254918B2
A method for facilitating exchange of one or more signaling messages between a client network and an HSRP network. The method includes identifying by an SPRS router associated with a client network, one or more parameters in the received signaling messages so as to determine from the parameters one or more roaming agreements that are required between the client network and the HSRP network, to allow exchange of the signaling messages. The method further includes facilitating by the SPRS router, exchange of the signaling messages between the client network and the HSRP network via one or more SPRS hubs, when the SPRS router determines absence of the required roaming agreements. The method further includes facilitating by the SPRS router, direct exchange of the signaling messages between the client network and the HSRP network, when the SPRS router determines presence of the required roaming agreements.
US08254904B1
Upon receiving a message, a recipient communication-device usually plays an audible notification (ringtone), which may disturb the receiving user. The purpose of the method is to prevent, by the sender of the message, the possible disturb. The method enables the sender of the message to disable the notification that is played by the recipient communication-device. The method comprises embedding, by the sending user, a predetermined code in a predetermined location in the message and/or in the number of the recipient communication-device (‘predetermined locations’), before sending the message to the recipient communication-device. Then, while delivering the message or upon receiving the message, checking whether the message and/or the number contain the ‘predetermined code’ in the ‘predetermined locations’. In response to finding a presence of the ‘predetermined codes’ in the ‘predetermined locations’, disabling the audible notification.
US08254892B2
Methods and apparatus for providing personalized content to a user of a wireless network include establishing an anonymous user identifier and delivering the user identifier to a content provider. Based on the user identifier, communication with a predetermined data source is established or predetermined data content is selected. In some embodiments, a device identifier is provided in addition to the user identifier and device specific, personalized content is delivered to the user. In one example, a device identifier and a user identifier are based on a mobile station serial number and a subscriber identity module, respectively, and are used in an HTTP header. The anonymous user identifier can be based on a subscriber identity module (SIM) serial number, or a hash of the SIM serial number so that user information such as a user phone numbers is not available to content providers.
US08254885B1
A first authorization system authorizes a mobile device to access over a first wireless network a plurality of services provided by a plurality of service systems. A second authorization system authorizes the mobile device to access the plurality of services over a second wireless network. The second authorization system also transfers location information corresponding to a location of the mobile device to the first authorization system. A first service system of the plurality of service systems provides a first service of the plurality of services. The first service system receives a request for the first service and transfers a request to the first authorization system for the location information. The first service system receives the location information, processes the location information, and selects a positioning satellite based on the location information. The first service system transfers a message indicating the positioning satellite to the mobile device.
US08254884B2
Embodiments described herein address mobile devices with non-secure operating systems that do not provide a sufficient security framework. More particularly, the embodiments described herein provide a set of applications to the device for providing security features to the non-secure operating system.
US08254878B2
A method includes executing a homing application of the handheld wireless communication device for finding at least one personal object coupled to at least one remote wireless device. The homing application includes generating data to present for display on the handheld wireless communication device a graphical user interface that receives an indication of a user to locate the at least one personal object and that generates a location signal in response thereto. The location signal is communicated to an adjunct device via the communication port of the handheld wireless communication device to cause the adjunct device to transmit an RF paging signal to at least one remote wireless device via a short-range wireless transceiver of the adjunct device.
US08254876B1
Systems and methods for a wireless communication network to support dispatch communications with a dispatch communication client located outside of the wireless communication network are provided. The dispatch communication network includes one or more application services gateways (ASGs) for supporting dispatch communication clients located outside of the wireless communication network. Systems and methods for registering, and tracking the location of, dispatch communication clients, located outside of a wireless communication network, with the wireless communication network are provided. Additionally, systems and methods for selecting a dispatch communication gateway, and for allowing a dispatch communication client, located in a private network, to perform voice dispatch communication with a wireless communication network are also provided.
US08254875B2
An emergency call device, system and method for a vehicle is specified in which, on occurrence of a certain event, a data record is generated which thereupon is transmitted during an emergency call. The event may be an external request by an operator or a trigger signal inside a vehicle. In this way, the operator may obtain the most recent information at any time during the emergency call.
US08254871B2
A ring back tone playing method and system, a home location register and a mobile switching center, the method comprises the calling side mobile switching center transmitting a route request message to the called side home location register when the calling side mobile switching center has received the call request transmitted from the calling terminal to the called terminal; the calling side mobile switching center receiving the ring back tone service identifier returned from the called side home location register which instructs that the called side home location register has got the called terminal's absence response message and the called terminal has customized a ring back tone service; the calling side mobile switching center instructing the playing device to play the ring back tone to the calling terminal according to the ring back tone service identifier.
US08254869B2
A communication system is provided and may include a receiver that receives an analog signal, a processor in communication with the receiver that converts the analog signal to a digital signal, a control unit that receives the digital signal and communicates an executable command to a vehicle system, and a communication medium in communication with the processor and the control unit and facilitates communication of the digital signal therebetween. The receiver and the processor may be integrated into an antenna module.
US08254860B2
A transceiver arrangement includes a first receive path with a first connection and a first receive amplifier, and a second receive path with a second connection, a second receive amplifier, and a frequency conversion device. A controllable coupling device is configured to couple an output of the first receive amplifier to an input of the frequency conversion device on the second signal path. Furthermore, the transceiver arrangement includes a control circuit configured to deliver a control signal to the coupling device for combining signals delivered by the first and second receive amplifier in the correct phase based on a signal supplied by the receive paths. This achieves receive diversity wherein, on the one hand, additional external components are no longer necessary and, on the other hand, adequate signal quality is ensured even with a simultaneous transmit process of the transceiver arrangement.
US08254854B2
Improved power amplifiers and related methods using a pulsed load modulation technique that controls the load modulation characteristics in a digital pulsed fashion.
US08254852B2
The present invention relates to food/drink containers combined with audio and video capabilities for inducing eating habits as well as for recreational purposes. According to the present invention, there is provided, a food/drink container including: a closure for closing the container; and an audio unit for playing music, which audio unit is responsive to opening the container, said audio unit module including a speaker.
US08254841B2
A method and system for data communication between a base station and at least one transponder via a high-frequency electromagnetic carrier signal onto which information packets are modulated. Each information packet has a header section, a middle section, and a trailer section. The header section can be provided in a forward link of a data communication between the base station and the transponders for controlling data communication. The header section is used in a return link of a data communication in order to transmit information from the transponder to the base station.
US08254830B2
A data transmission system transmitting data using a relay is provided. The relay selects a transmission terminal from a plurality of terminals connected to a base station. During a first time slot, the base station transmits base station data to the relay and the transmission terminal transmits terminal data to the relay. The relay transmits the terminal data to the base station and transmits the base station data to the transmission terminal during a second time slot.
US08254827B2
A method for multicasting data includes obtaining a set of minimum utility preferences and a utility preference for each user in a multicast group, computing a corresponding probability distπbution of different multicasting data the users are requesting, running a lottery of operating points of the set according to the corresponding probability distπbution, and multicasting the operating point determined from the lottery. For scalable layered data the method includes determining initial utility and payoff parameter for each user for a lowest data layer accommodating all group users, running a lottery for the layer using an initialized probability vector to assign the lowest layer, multicasting the lowest layer, determining new initial utility and corresponding payoff parameter for each remaining group user for a plurality of layers of data, running another lottery according to a determined mixed set probability vector to select a particular layer, and multicasting the particular layer.
US08254823B2
A waste toner storage unit detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus includes a waste toner container and an inner cover integrally attached to the waste toner container. The waste toner container stores waste toner recovered after an image forming process. The inner cover is located at a region of the waste toner storage unit that does not store waste toner.
US08254809B2
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, including: a plurality of electrophotographic photosensitive drums; a transfer unit for rotatably supporting a transfer member for transferring toner images formed on the drums onto the recording medium, the transfer unit being movable, with the transfer member being in contact with at least one of the drums, between a mounting position inside an apparatus main body for mounting the transfer unit to the main body and a removing position outside the main body for removing the transfer unit; and a rotative force generating unit for generating a rotative force for rotating the transfer member in association with the movement of the transfer unit when the transfer unit is moved from the mounting position to the removing position and when the transfer unit is moved from the removing position to the mounting position.
US08254804B2
A method for manufacturing a monolithic sealing member for an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus having the monolithic sealing member are provided. The method includes applying a foamable polyurethane liquid in a portion of a housing in which three or more surfaces meet, molding the foamable polyurethane liquid in a mold and foaming the polyurethane liquid to obtain a polyurethane foam, and hardening the polyurethane foam. The foamable polyurethane liquid may be a one-pack foamable polyurethane liquid or a two-pack foamable polyurethane liquid.
US08254798B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a cartridge attachment portion; an image forming unit; a reading unit; and a control unit. A toner cartridge configured to accommodate toner is removably attached to the cartridge attachment portion. The toner cartridge includes a cartridge mechanism unit mechanically driven and a storage medium for storing torque information including information indicating torque used for a mechanical drive of the cartridge mechanism unit. The image forming unit is configured to print an image on a surface of a printing medium using toner accommodated in the toner cartridge. The reading unit is configured to read the torque information from the toner cartridge attached to the cartridge attachment portion. The control unit is configured to determine a number of printing media to be printed by the image forming unit per unit time, according to the torque information read by the reading unit.
US08254797B2
An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a housing which comprises a housing side opening through which waste toner passes; a plurality of developing units; a plurality of toner cartridges which correspond to the plurality of developing units comprising a first containing unit for containing the toner to be supplied to the toner carrier; wherein at least one of the toner cartridges comprises a second containing unit for containing the waste toner, the second containing unit comprises a cartridge side opening for receiving the waste toner having passed through the housing side opening, and wherein the housing side opening and the cartridge side opening are disposed to be opposite to each other along the substantially horizontal direction.
US08254795B2
A supply control unit is configured to, in a successive image-forming operation, perform a process of successively generating a driving control pattern for a toner supply device based on image information of each page, and synthesizing an unused portion of the driving control pattern which is obtained by eliminating a portion of the driving control pattern already reflected on a driving control of the toner supply device from the driving control pattern generated based on image information of a previous page with a driving control pattern generated based on a subsequent page.
US08254792B2
A system and computer readable medium for a burst mode optical receiver that enables an optical receiver to receive signals from a plurality of optical network units at different optical power levels. In an exemplary embodiment, the system may include a memory that stores a received signal strength indication, and a media access controller communicably coupled to the memory. The media access controller receives a received signal strength indication of an upcoming data stream to an optical network unit, and asserts a signal control voltage during a guard time to an optical receiver to optimize reception of incoming data streams of the optical network unit based upon the received signal strength indication received from the upcoming data stream.
US08254788B2
A method may include generating a signal at an initiating device. A channel in an optical path may be identified, with the optical path including at least two spans. Simulated polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is injected into the signal to generate a test signal. The test signal is transmitted on the channel and received at a destination device. PMD effects in the test signal are compensated, and a measurement of PMD for the test signal is determined based on the compensation, the PMD for the test signal including PMD for the channel and the injected PMD. A measurement of the PMD for the channel is determined based on the PMD for the test signal and the injected PMD.
US08254783B2
Provided is a point-to-multipoint optical communication system capable of extending a transmission distance between a subscriber apparatus and a station apparatus without changing wavelengths of an upstream optical signal and a downstream optical signal, which are used in both of the apparatuses. The point-to-multipoint optical communication system includes, as a basic configuration thereof, an optical network for connecting one station apparatus (1) to a plurality of (n) subscriber apparatuses (4). Among m basic configurations, one station-side wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (22), one optical fiber transmission line (30), and one subscriber-side wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (12) are shared. The point-to-multipoint optical communication system further includes a station-side repeating unit (20) and a subscriber-side repeating unit (10) each including the one wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (22 or 12) and m wavelength converters (21 or 11). An optical signal having a conventionally-used wavelength is used between the station apparatus (1) and the station-side repeating unit (20) and between the subscriber apparatus (4) and the subscriber-side repeating unit (10), and an extensible optical signal, on which wavelength division multiplexing has been performed, is used between the wavelength multiplexers/demultiplexers (12 and 22) via the optical fiber transmission line (30).
US08254779B2
Described herein are systems and methods for a field-configurable optical network terminal (ONT) device at a subscriber to provide one or more communication services to the subscriber. The field-configurable ONT device is of a modular design operable for the insertion of additional communication modules or removal of existing communication modules from the ONT device for scaling the device to increased or decreased communication capacity as desired.
US08254773B2
An image apparatus includes a screen, a detecting unit, a determining unit, an acquiring unit and a control unit. The screen is configured to display an image formed by an optical system and at least one detection position superimposed onto the image. The detecting unit is configured to detect information regarding focus of the optical system at the detection position. The determining unit is connected to the detecting unit and configured to determine whether the information regarding the focus is within a predetermined range. The acquiring unit is connected to the determining unit and configured to acquire first image information at the detection position when the determining unit determines that the information regarding the focus is within the predetermined range. The control unit is connected to the acquiring unit and configured to evaluate arbitrary second image information in the screen using the first image information.
US08254760B2
Background frames can be completed from a collection of frames having foreground objects that are partially obscuring the pixels comprising the background. The special offset of a pixel represented across a collection of frames can be determined based on camera movement data. By determining the relative offset of a pixel represented in a first frame from the same pixel in other frames, pixel values representing a background object can be accumulated to derive a completed background frame.
US08254759B2
A broadcast signal processing apparatus that is capable of recording and reproducing an externally received broadcast signal with respect to a hard disc drive, and which includes a broadcast signal receiving part for receiving a broadcast signal, demodulating and dividing the received broadcast signal into a video and audio signal, a hard disc drive formatted in a file allocation table (FAT) form, and wherein the HDD has a FAT and a data region, and a control part for recording, searching and reproducing the audio and video signals with respect to the HDD based on the FAT file system. When the FAT is updated, the apparatus is further capable of adding a temporary file termination data to an end of the updated data, and converting, corresponding to a recording stop signal, the temporary file termination data into a normal file termination data according to the FAT file system.
US08254756B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed which reduces or removes the effectiveness of commercial skip systems such as presently found in VCRs, PVRs, etc. which are designed to delete commercials from signal material upon playback of a previously recorded version of the signal material. In an embodiment, the effectiveness of the commercial skip system is reduced or removed by adding a flat field of selected signal level to active line portions of video lines of the signal material. Other embodiments modify the normal fade to black signal indicative of a commercial to provide a fade to non-black signal. In further embodiments, a fade to non-black signal is inserted in an overscan area of the signal picture. Still further embodiments modify audio signals or selected signals in the horizontal blanking interval which may be used in commercial skip systems to detect the presence of commercials. Still other embodiments provide techniques for overcoming the commercial skip system altering effects of the previously mentioned embodiments to at least partially restore the commercial skip system, or to enhance the reliability or effectiveness of an existing commercial skip system which has not been altered.
US08254742B2
A splice holder includes a base member and a plurality of high wall pairs on top of the base member each having first and second wall members spaced by a first distance, and adjacent ones of the high wall pairs are spaced by a distance less than the first distance. A first plurality of low wall pairs project from the base member on one side of the high wall pairs, and a second plurality of low wall pairs project from the base member on the other side. The first and second plurality of low wall pairs are shorter than the high wall pairs. The splice holder is configured to support a first level of splices running through the low wall pairs and high wall pairs in between and a second level of splices running through the high wall pair and supported on top of two low wall pairs.
US08254739B2
A bladeless optical fiber cleaver is provided for cleaving an optical fiber connector in a straightforward manner. The bladeless optical fiber cleaver includes a generally planar body that includes a first body portion and a second body portion pivotably coupled to each other, where the second body portion is movable with respect to the first body portion. The fiber cleaver includes a mechanism to create a strain force in a stripped portion of the optical fiber, where the stripped portion under strain is exposed to receive contact from a flexible abrasive material, the flexible abrasive material introducing a flaw in the optical fiber where the cleave takes place.
US08254733B2
An apparatus and method for optically detecting the presence of an analyte in a solution is presented. An embodiment comprises a waveguide resonator that is optically coupled to a fluid in a fluidic conduit so that the resonant wavelength of the waveguide resonator is based on the refractive index of the fluid.
US08254731B2
Disclosed herein is a configuration of a writing volume of a spatial chirographic reader facilitating an on-line method of recognition of handwriting characters. The writing volume may be partitioned by an ink depth into a positioning stereographic hemisphere and an inking stereographic hemisphere. Two projection spheres may be made to intersect on a projection typeface plane forming a disc encapsulating the writing volume. A center of the disc may be a universal reference point for converting handwriting movements of a stylus to inferred rotations. Characters may be mapped to reference rotations, wherein on-line reader data may be compared to effect identification of the characters. Labeling of cardinal positions and graduation of rotation paths may be configured such that inking strokes of a particular writing system may be observable in a minimal number of integer factors of rotation of π radians. An overriding convention of eliminating representations leading to ambiguity may also provide for apparent redundancy of representation by adjustment of the radius of the inferred sphere of rotation and partitioning of the typeface into segments having independent coordinates distinct from the principal axes. Enumeration of writing strokes may be constrained by recording radial torsion components to an inking axis and twist torsion components to a writing plane.
US08254727B2
A method and an apparatus for providing a picture file are provided. The picture file providing apparatus includes a controller which searches for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, and a screen display unit which forms a display screen to display the one or more picture files that were found, in order to provide a user with the direction information included in each picture file. Each picture file includes picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data.
US08254725B2
A device, methods and system for improving the contrast ratio of an image of an optical code captured by an image capture device. A command implemented by the image capture device of the form “shift and add” causes the image capture device to generate a modified row of pixel data having improved contrast from a plurality of pixel rows in the image capture device.
US08254723B2
A computer-implemented method for extracting boundary elements of an object includes receiving measurement data of a point cloud of the object and a maximum edge length of a triangle to form a triangular mesh surface of the point cloud, constructing the triangular mesh surface, and extracting boundary points from the triangular mesh surface. The method further includes grouping the boundary points according to a vector relationship between one boundary point and each of the other boundary points, fitting each group of boundary points to an appropriate boundary characteristic. The appropriate boundary characteristic may be output to a storage system.
US08254720B2
Provided are a scene-transition-image extraction unit that extracts a scene transition image from a sequence of successive images using a predetermined extraction condition, a display unit that displays a near image of the scene transition image, an operation history acquiring unit that acquires image information of an image, for which a predetermined viewing operation is performed, among the near image(s) and history information of the operation, an extraction condition changing unit that changes the extraction condition using the image information and the history information of the operation acquired by the operation history acquiring unit. The scene-transition-image extraction unit re-extracts a scene transition image using the extraction condition changed by the extraction condition changing unit.
US08254713B2
In an image processing apparatus that processes image data containing a distortion of an image pickup optical section, which is obtained by picking up an optical image from a subject through the image pickup optical section giving the distortion, a region selection mode setting section (13b) selectively sets a first region selection mode in which, from a field of view represented by the image data, a selected region is selected which indicates a partial region of the field of view by using an orthogonal coordinate system and a second region selection mode in which, from the field of view represented by the image data, the selected region is selected which indicates the partial region of the field of view by using a polar coordinate system. A distortion correction section (13a) corrects the distortion contained in the image data that corresponds to the selected region selected the first or second region selection mode selected in the region selection mode setting section (13b). A data output section (13d) outputs distortion-corrected data.
US08254707B2
The present invention relates to an encoding apparatus, an encoding method, an encoding program, a decoding apparatus, a decoding method and a decoding program for encoding and decoding efficiently a video signal in interlace scanning. An adder 12 and a subtractor 13 respectively perform addition and subtraction operations on an odd field and an even field of moving image data in interlace scanning. An intra encoder 14 and an intra encoder 15 wavelet transform addition image data and subtraction image data, quantize transform coefficients W, and entropy encode quantization coefficients q. Encoded data output from the intra encoder 14 and the intra encoder 15 is multiplexed into a single encoded stream to be output. Since data with the addition and subtraction operations performed on the odd field and the even field thereof is encoded, dynamic range is doubled while compression efficiency is increased.
US08254705B2
A graphic data encoding method and apparatus generating a bitstream by encoding a header having at least one piece of first information determined in consideration of a predetermined graphic profile from among multiple pieces of encodable first information; and encoding a payload having at least one piece of second information determined in consideration of the predetermined graphic profile from among multiple pieces of encodable second information. A graphic data decoding method and apparatus decode the generated bitstream. Irrespective of the functions that can be performed by the graphic data encoding apparatus and the functions that can be performed by the graphic data decoding apparatus, the graphic data decoding apparatus, which is in accordance with a graphic profile, can completely restore a 3D mesh model described in the bitstream generated by the graphic data encoding apparatus that is satisfactory to the graphic profile.
US08254700B1
An optimized method and system for entropy coding is described. The system may include an input module to receive a digital image, a Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) module to obtain a plurality of DCT coefficients associated with the digital image, a statistics generator to generate statistics associated with the plurality of DCT coefficients, a placement module to store the generated statistics in the plurality of DCT coefficients and entropy coder to generate uniquely decodable (UD) codes for the plurality of DCT coefficients. The entropy coder may utilize the statistics stored in the plurality of DCT coefficients.
US08254698B2
The present invention discloses methods for document-to-template matching for data-leak prevention (DLP), the methods including the steps of: providing a document as a stream of characters; splitting the stream into a plurality of serialized data lines; calculating a hash value for each serialized data line; checking for each hash value in a hash map of a template set; determining a similarity match to a particular template based on a predefined threshold of template hash values, of the template set, being found in the stream; and based on the similarity match, executing a DLP security policy for the document. Preferably, the template set is extracted from documents manually prepared by a security administrator. Preferably, each template in the template set is deduced automatically from a plurality of documents.
US08254689B2
This method includes: extracting a feature vector for an input character from a reading result of the input character; calculating distances between the feature vector for the input character and vectors including average vectors stored in a system dictionary storing, for each character, the average vector and distribution information, and feature vectors stored in a user dictionary; extracting the top N character codes in an ascending order of the calculated distances; obtaining second distribution information for the character codes, which are included the user dictionary and in the top N character codes; calculating, for each of the top N character codes, a second distance with the feature vector for the input character, by using, for the character codes, which are included in the user dictionary and in the top N character codes, the second distribution information; and identifying a character code whose second distance is shortest.
US08254672B2
When priority is placed on a small file size, the number N of kinds foreground identifiers used for identifying color information of respective pixels of a foreground of a color image is reduced to M, which is smaller than N. For this purpose, a foreground identifier corresponding to pixels in number not more than a prescribed number K of pixels is replaced with a background identifier. When M is not more than a prescribed number P, M binary images respectively corresponding to the M kinds of identifiers are generated on the basis of a foreground layer including the M kinds of foreground identifiers, the respective binary images are subjected to lossless compression, and a background layer generated on the basis of the foreground layer is subjected to lossy compression.
US08254663B2
A workpiece inspection apparatus includes a measured image generator unit configured to measure a pattern of a workpiece and generate a measured image; and a comparator unit configured to compare the measured image to a fiducial image, wherein said measured image generator unit includes a light-receiving device having an interconnection of two or more time delay integration (TDI) sensors each being arranged by two or more line sensors each being arranged by two or more pixels, for generating as the measured image an average value of pixel values excluding an abnormal pixel value from pixels of each TDI sensor with respect to a position of the pattern of the workpiece.
US08254659B2
A method comprises projecting a light and shade pattern defined by preset optic parameters through a body, detecting an image of the light and shade pattern through the body to obtain a detected image, processing the detected image to highlight any irregularities of the light and shade pattern in the detected image; an apparatus comprises a light-source for projecting a light and shade pattern defined by preset optic parameters through a body, an image-detecting device for detecting an image of the light and shade pattern through the body to obtain a detected image and a processing device for processing the detected image in such a way as to highlight any irregularities of the light and shade pattern in the detected image.
US08254658B2
Methods, apparatuses, systems, and tangible computer readable media for processing note payables for fraud by searching an image file of a note payable for information in multiple zones on the image file and comparing the obtained information to corresponding information in the issue file that is associated with the note payable. The note payable may be a check and searching of the image file may be done by optical character recognition. However, a user may wish to search an image file of a note payable in multiple zones for desired information.
US08254656B2
A method and system for selective resolution improvement in computed tomography (CT) scanning. The method includes receiving scan data representative of a scanned object from a CT scanner and reconstructing the scan data using a first algorithm to create a first set of reconstructed data. A region of interest is identified within the first set of reconstructed data. A portion of the scan data corresponding to the region of interest is reconstructed using a second algorithm to create a second set of reconstructed data. The first set of reconstructed data and the second set of reconstructed data are combined to create combined reconstructed data.
US08254649B2
The report storage stores an interpretation report that includes patient-identifying information, examination-specifying information, and medical image-specifying information that specifies medical image data. The image data storage stores the medical image data that includes image data and additional information for the image data that includes the patient-identifying information, the examination-specifying information, and the medical image-specifying information. The key image-searching part specifies an interpretation report that includes patient-identifying information specified by a display request for the medical image data and specifies the medical image data using the medical image-specifying information included in the specified interpretation report. The image data-searching part reads the medical image data from the image data storage based on the additional information of the specified medical image data and the display request. The displaying part displays a medical image based on the read medical image data.
US08254645B2
An image processing apparatus includes a holding unit configured to hold, for each combination of a first angle indicating a face direction of a first face image which includes a human face and a second angle indicating a face direction of a second face image which includes a human face, a learning dictionary including information related to positions of feature points associating the first and second face images when a similarity degree between the first and second face images is estimated, a selection unit configured to select the learning dictionary held for each combination in accordance with the combination of the first and second angles, and a similarity degree estimation unit configured to estimate a facial similarity degree between the first and second face images on the basis of feature amounts extracted from the face images corresponding to the positions of the feature points included in the selected learning dictionary.
US08254637B2
Systems and methods for selecting a mask system for a patient are provided. Certain example embodiments include generating 3D contours of patients and selecting mask systems based at least on these contours. These contours may be generated by using, for example, a cushion of translatable pins, a nasal cannular scanning device, and/or a shadow stereopsis sensor. Certain other example embodiments allow images and/or videos to be captured and optionally synchronized. Then, images of various mask systems may be overlaid to determine how well a mask system fits. In still other embodiments, a user can hold a transparency corresponding to a mask design in front of the patient's face to determine how well a mask system fits.
US08254632B2
A method for detecting front headlights and tail lights of a motor vehicle uses a color camera sensor that has a plurality of red pixels, i.e. image points which are only sensitive in the red spectral range, and a plurality of pixels of other colors. In a first evaluation stage, only the intensity of the red pixels in the image is analyzed in order to select relevant points of light in the image.
US08254630B2
A binary mask image for extracting subject is generated by binarizing an image after image-processing (processed image) with a predefined threshold value. Based on an image before image-processing (pre-processing image) and the binary mask image for extracting image, a subject image in which only a subject included in the pre-processing image is extracted is generated by eliminating a background region from the pre-processing image.
US08254629B1
A system identifies a change in a position of an object from a first frame to a second frame from a plurality of frames. The video is comprised of a plurality of frames. In one embodiment, the plurality is at least three frames. The image stability measuring process identifies a change in direction of the change in the position of the object. The change in direction is determined by utilizing a plurality of adjacent frames located near the first frame and the second frame. The image stability measuring process determines an image stability value for a subset of the plurality of frames. The image stability value is calculated based on the change in direction. The image stability measuring process renders a portion of the video within an automatic editing script. The portion of the video is selected based on a preferred image stability value identified within the automatic editing script.
US08254625B2
In a method and system of service management, a radiative sensor is positioned to observe an area of interest. At least one frame of data of the area of interest is electronically acquired from the radiative sensor. The acquired frame of data is electronically processing to determine the presence or absence of at least one object in the area of interest. Based on the presence or absence of the object in the area of interest, (1) an alert is electronically caused to be generated in response to also electronically detecting another object in another area of interest, and/or (2) a timer is electronically caused to initiate or terminate counting a period of time.
US08254620B2
An earphone assembly includes a casing, at least one secondary cable, at least one earphone, and at least one reel mechanism. The casing includes an assembly chamber. The earphone electrically connects to the casing by the secondary wire. The reel mechanism is received in the assembly chamber, and controls a length of the secondary cable extending from the assembly chamber. A portable electronic device using the earphone assembly is also provided.
US08254619B2
An MEM microphone carrier module is composed of a substrate and a cover plate. The substrate includes a space layer, a bottom layer, a recession recessed from a top side of the space layer, and a groove formed in the recession. The bottom layer has a metallic plate defining a predetermined pattern and exposed outside a surface thereof. The bottom layer is a single-layer structure formed by the molding of the metallic plate and the insulating glue, such that the substrate is thinner to need lower production cost and take less assembly time than the prior art.
US08254617B2
Microphone arrays (MAs) are described that position and vent microphones so that performance of a noise suppression system coupled to the microphone array is enhanced. The MA includes at least two physical microphones to receive acoustic signals. The physical microphones make use of a common rear vent (actual or virtual) that samples a common pressure source. The MA includes a physical directional microphone configuration and a virtual directional microphone configuration. By making the input to the rear vents of the microphones (actual or virtual) as similar as possible, the real-world filter to be modeled becomes much simpler to model using an adaptive filter.
US08254616B2
The present invention provides for a microphone. The microphone includes housing, a port disposed in the housing leading to an interior chamber, and a diaphragm with a first side and a second side. The first side of the diaphragm faces the port. The microphone includes a shunt channel from the port to the second side of the diaphragm. The shunt channel receives a wind noise signal to reduce the effects of the wind noise signal on the diaphragm.
US08254611B2
Methods and apparatus for transmitting vibrations via an electronic and/or transducer assembly through a tooth or teeth are disclosed herein. The assembly may be attached, adhered, or otherwise embedded into or upon a removable oral appliance to form a hearing aid assembly. Such an oral appliance may be a custom-made device. The electronic and transducer assembly may receive incoming sounds either directly or through a receiver to process and amplify the signals and transmit the processed sounds via a vibrating transducer element coupled to a tooth or other bone structure, such as the maxillary, mandibular, or palatine bone structure.
US08254610B2
A hearing aid has a housing, a battery compartment, and a locking mechanism for the battery compartment. A shaft which is arranged on the housing or the battery compartment, and a slide having a hole which forms a fit with the shaft, such that the slide can be moved on the shaft in order to lock and unlock the battery compartment in the housing. The hole has a circular cross section, and the shaft has a cross section which is not a circle, with rotational symmetry when rotated through 360°/n, where n is an integer greater than 1. A battery compartment for a hearing aid has a locking mechanism such as this. Because a cross section of said shaft is different from the cross section of the hole in the battery compartment, the shaft is connected to the hole in the battery compartment only at a number of points. This ensures that the slide is held adequately on the shaft even in the event of a production tolerance on the one hand, while, on the other hand, the slide can move on the shaft with little resistance. In a preferred embodiment the shaft is trilobular in cross-section.
US08254609B2
The present subject matter provides method and apparatus for improved microphones sharing an acoustic volume. Some embodiments are useful for hearing assistance devices. Examples of an improved microphone module offering omnidirectional and directional microphone capsules are provided. Different mounting and interconnection embodiments are provided. Different electrical connector embodiments are discussed. Improvements in space and performance, and other efficiencies, are provided by the teachings set forth herein.
US08254608B2
The invention relates to a hearing aid device and a method for manufacturing the hearing aid device. The hearing aid device comprises a housing having an inner surface. The housing has an electrical component therein. A conductive layer is attached on at least a portion of the inner surface of the housing. The inner surface acts as a support for the conductive layer. The electrical component is conductively connected to the conductive layer.
US08254607B2
A hearing aid is provided. The hearing aid has a one- or multi-part carrying hook. The one- or multi-part carrying hook has a tip for connection to a sound tube, the tip being connected integrally to a damper extending across the internal cross-section of the tip, the damper preferably being designed as a membrane.
US08254601B2
An impedance matched connection is provided between a load and a power source that outputs signals within a predetermined frequency range. A coaxial line has a predetermined characteristic impedance, an inner conductor, an outer conductor, and an insulator between the conductors. Each conductor has a first end electrically connectable to output terminals of the power source. A compensation circuit has an adjustable impedance, a first terminal electrically connected to a second end of the inner conductor and to a first terminal of the load, and a second terminal electrically connected to a second end of the outer conductor and to a second terminal of the load. The compensation circuit is adjustable to attain, for a pulse having a rise time/fall time faster than the rise/fall times associated with the predetermined range of frequencies, a combined impedance and load that is substantially equal to the characteristic impedance of the coaxial line.
US08254596B2
System and method for muting an output terminal of an electronic device. In one embodiment, the process for can include receiving one or more signals received by the controller over the first terminal, detecting a mute control signal from the controller and controlling the state of a switch coupled to the output terminal to ground the output terminal based on detecting the mute control signal.
US08254582B2
A system and method for controlling message attachment handling functions on a mobile device is described herein. An attachment handling control can be set to identify one of a number of selected attachment handling control modes. Depending on the attachment handling control mode identified, a request for the attachment structure that includes a decrypted session key for an encrypted message received at the mobile device may or may not be automatically sent to a remote server. This may provide the user with increased control over the content of an encrypted message that the remote server may access when determining the attachment structure for a message.
US08254581B2
A lightweight security framework is disclosed that combines PKI with symmetric key cryptography to exploit the system asymmetry in hierarchical sensor networks. The framework provides protocols for public key exchange, session and group key generation, pair-wise key generation, and network resource protection in a low-cost security architecture. The security framework shifts much of the security-related computational load off of the resource-constrained sensor nodes and on to resource-rich base station nodes. The method is based on the generation and management of two kinds of symmetric keys from a set of bootstrapping asymmetric keys on each node.
US08254575B2
The method to reduce the bandwidth necessary for the renewal of subscription message is achieved using group messages in which each member of the group is associated with a bit of a bitmap. In order to have the maximum members in a group, the size dedicated for the bitmap is determined first by calculating the size remaining after putting the command and other necessary data into the message, and using an iterative process to determine whether the bitmap, once compressed, will fit this remaining size. The iterative process adds a new member into the group, thus increasing the bitmap size, then compresses the resulting bitmap and checks if the compressed bitmap will fit into the remaining size.
US08254569B2
The present invention proposes a Provable Data Integrity (PDI) verifying method, in which data are firstly fingerprinted at a client, and the fingerprints are sent to an archive along with the data; when necessary, the client sends a “challenge” to the archive so as to determine the integrity of the data, and the archive proves the integrity of the data by using the received fingerprints; and finally, the client verifies the integrity of the data based on the output from the archive in response to the “challenge”.
US08254559B2
A method of routing a received incipient transaction to an organization entity includes processing experiential data of a fact collection regarding past transactions, including processing experiential data regarding past transactions involving an initiator of the incipient transaction and experiential data regarding transactions handled by organizational entities. At least one routing rule is evaluated in view of the experiential data processing, to make a routing determination. The incipient transaction is routed, for completion, to one of the organizational entities based on the routing determination. Furthermore, experiential data regarding completion of the incipient transaction, may be fed back to the fact collection.
US08254551B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a quality of service (QoS) using E.164 number mapping (ENUM) data in a communications network. According to one method, a query message including an E.164 number can be received. Next, at least one uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the E.164 number can be located. Afterwards, QoS data corresponding to the at least one URI is subsequently obtained. Further, the query message can be responded to with the URI and the corresponding QoS data.
US08254520B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing method, etc. capable of producing a panorama tomogram with a simple operation whenever required by the operator. The present invention relates to an image processing method for producing a panorama tomogram of the dental arch using the X-ray projection data on the dentomaxillofacial region obtained by the X-ray computer tomography. The image processing method according to the present invention includes the steps of retrieving the dental arch projection data corresponding to the dental arch from the X-ray projection data based on the preset position and shape information to specify the position and shape of the dental arch from the X-ray projection data (S3) and generating a panorama tomogram by executing a predetermined process using the dental arch projection data (S4).
US08254516B2
An outer filter removal tool for a boiling water reactor control rod drive that uses a mechanical advantage obtained through the use of lead screw threads to pull the outer filter off of the control rod drive. Fingers on the tool are closed around the upper flange of the outer filter by sliding a collar over the outwardly biased fingers. A shaft extending through the tool is rotated which in turn extends a push plate against the control rod drive index tube causing the fingers to pull against the upper flange on the outer filter until the filter is freed from the control rod drive. The tool will hold the filter in place until affirmatively released for proper disposal.
US08254513B2
Inter-device adaptable interfacing clock skewing. The invention is operable in either one of both of a transmit mode and a receive mode to perform skewing of a transmitted and/or a received signal. The operational parameters including frequency and phase may be determined during auto detect/auto negotiation, they may be programmed externally, or they may be user selected in various embodiments. A device may include a clock generator, one or more divider, and one or more delay cells internally to the device. If desired, a high frequency clock is generated within the device and then divided down to generate the appropriate clock signal that supports the communication and interaction between multiple devices. Registers and/or pins may be used to select the clock frequency and phase of output clock signals. The present invention supports multiple Ethernet protocols between multiple devices including 10BaseT, 100BaseT, and 1000BaseT.
US08254511B2
This invention relates to an equalization apparatus and an equalization method. A plurality of equalizers is applied to the equalization apparatus to eliminate interferences of multiple clusters in a channel. The weights of the equalizers are calculated under minimum mean square error criterion by gains of delay paths of multiple clusters in the whole channel. Therefore, the interference of different clusters in the whole channel can be greatly eliminated.
US08254509B2
A receiver receives a reception signal subjected to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing modulation or orthogonal frequency division multiple access modulation. The receiver has: an array antenna for receiving the reception signal; adaptive equalizers provided in each of the plurality of antennas, and reducing advanced or delayed waves having a delay time to a main wave in the reception signal; a spatial diversity combining portion which multiplies output signals of the adaptive equalizers by a weighting coefficient and adds the multiplied signals; a weight control portion generating the weighting coefficient; and an equalizer setting unit which estimates an arrival angle and a delay time for each path of the reception signal, and based on the estimation, decides an interference wave to be eliminated by the adaptive equalizers among interference waves, and sets in the adaptive equalizers the delay time of the decided interference wave.
US08254502B2
The present patent application discloses a method and apparatus for decoding, comprising decoding signals iteratively, mutually exchanging extrinsic information, calculating APP LLRs for both systematic and parity bits and making a hard decision after a plurality of iterations is completed based on accumulated soft information. The present patent application also discloses a method and apparatus for post decoding soft interference canceling, comprising generating updated a posteriori probabilities for systematic and parity bits from a turbo decoder, mapping the posteriori probabilities to soft symbols, quantizing the soft symbols, re-encoding a data packet, filtering a chip sequence, reconstructing an interference waveform, and scaling reconstruction filter coefficients using the symbols.
US08254499B2
When a satellite broadcasting receiving device 5 is initially set up, a receivable channel is searched for each satellite. In this search, a wider frequency acquisition range than a frequency acquisition range which is generally used is set for a QPSK demodulation IC 15, while the frequency of a PLL 9 is fixed. Then, in the wider frequency acquisition range, an offset is shifted by a frequency step Fstep′ by using a function for setting a frequency offset, the function being included in the QPSK demodulation IC 15. Thus, a signal search is carried out throughout a reception frequency range.
US08254489B2
A transmission method executed in a multiple input multiple output wireless communication system may include the following steps: receiving a transmitting bit sequence; providing an X level pulse amplitude modulation (X-PAM) signal set, wherein distances between any two adjacent signal points in the X-PAM are the same; generating M signal sets according to the X-PAM signal set, wherein the ith signal set is formed by multiplying the X-PAM signal set with a parameter (1/X)(i−1), wherein i is an integer from 1 to M, and generating a X-PAM signal set joint coding/decoding table according a superposition result of the M signal sets; generating M transmitting bit sub-sequences according to the transmitting bit sequence; generating M transmitting signals according to the M transmitting bit sub-sequences and the X-PAM signal set joint coding/decoding table; transmitting the M transmitting signals to a wireless transmission channel via M transmitting antennae.
US08254485B2
A digital television (DTV) transmitter and a method of processing known data in the DTV transmitter are disclosed. The method of processing known data in a digital television (DTV) transmitter includes generating a known data sequence, trellis-encoding the known data sequence, the trellis-encoded known data sequence having upper, middle, and lower bits, wherein at least one of the upper, middle, and lower bits has an m-sequence property, and mapping the trellis-encoded known data sequence into one of 2-level, 4-level, and 8-level data sequences, wherein the mapped data sequence has substantially an m-sequence property, wherein a data sequence has an m-sequence property when a peak value among auto-correlation values of the data sequence having a length of N is 1 and all the off-peak auto-correlation values are −1/N.
US08254472B2
A communication device includes a storage unit that stores a predetermined eye mask pattern indicating a receivable range, a receiving unit that receives data from the other communication device, a waveform comparing unit for comparing a waveform of the received data with the eye mask pattern to generate comparison result data and a transmission unit for transmitting the comparison result data to the other communication device.
US08254466B2
For reducing the false contour effect the gravity center coding is utilized. However, a GCC with a few number of levels introduces noise in a picture. Therefore, each picture is divided into segments and such GCC is performed only in regions, where the false contour effect is critical. This is the case for skin areas of a picture. Such areas are detected by the color analysis and texture analysis. If this analysis leads to a skin area, a specific false contour mode for data processing is used. Otherwise, a standard mode is employed.
US08254462B2
In a video system, a method and system for block noise reduction are provided. Edge parameters based on spatial variance may be determined to detect vertical edges that may result from block noise. These edge parameters may be determined serially. Once detected, pixels neighboring the vertical edges may be filtered and clamped to determine a vertical block noise reduction difference (BNR) parameter. Similarly, edge parameters based on spatial variance may be determined to detect horizontal edges that may result from block noise. These edge parameters may be determined serially. Once detected, pixels neighboring the horizontal edge may be filtered and clamped to determine a horizontal BNR difference parameter. The vertical and horizontal BNR difference parameters may be utilized to reduce block noise artifacts in the video image.
US08254458B2
A prediction mode is selected in accordance with a type of a moving picture. When an interframe prediction mode is selected as the prediction mode, a motion vector for the moving picture is detected. Motion compensation for the moving picture is performed based on the type of the moving picture, the prediction mode, and the motion vector. A spatial prediction section performs a spatial prediction for the moving picture based on the type of the moving picture and the prediction mode. An orthogonal transformation for a predictive residue signal obtained as a difference between the picture signal obtained by the motion compensation or the spatial prediction and the input picture signal is performed, based on the type of the moving picture and the prediction mode. Variable length encoding for the picture data after the orthogonal transformation is performed, based on the type of the moving picture and the prediction mode.
US08254457B2
A method of processing an interleaved video including a plurality of fields includes receiving a top field and a bottom field successively; selecting one of the top field and the bottom field as a selected field; and generating an interpolated field for replacing an unselected field of the top field and the bottom field, wherein a field motion between the selected field and the interpolated field is less than a field motion between the top field and the bottom field.
US08254441B2
What is disclosed is a method of operating a video system. The method includes, in a video server, monitoring a quality indicator for wireless communications between a wireless communication system and a wireless communication device, transferring reference frames of a video for delivery to the wireless communication device over the wireless communication system if the quality indicator indicates a particular quality level and stopping the transfer of the reference frames if the quality indicator does not indicate the particular quality level, and transferring update frames of the video for delivery to the wireless communication device over the wireless communication system without regard to whether the quality indicator indicates the particular quality level. The method also includes, in the wireless communication device, receiving the reference frames and the update frames of the video over the wireless communication system, and displaying the video.
US08254427B2
A device for controlling an arc furnace installation has an automatic controller (3) wherein a functional unit (6) for furnace control, a functional unit (7) for electrode control and a functional unit (8) for melting control are integrated in the controller (3).
US08254425B1
An optical device having a structured active region configured for selected wavelengths of light emissions.
US08254424B2
Methods for fabricating semiconductors with enhanced strain. One embodiment includes fabrication of a semiconductor device with an epitaxial structure. The epitaxial structure is formed with one or more semiconductor layers. One or more of the layers includes a dopant including small quantities of Al and repeated delta doping during expitaxial growth to form periods where surfaces are group III rich.
US08254423B2
A method of fabricating an (Al,Ga,In)N laser diode, comprising depositing one or more III-N layers upon a growth substrate at a first temperature, depositing an indium containing laser core at a second temperature upon layers deposited at a first temperature, and performing all subsequent fabrication steps under conditions that inhibit degradation of the laser core, wherein the conditions are a substantially lower temperature than the second temperature.
US08254422B2
A microheat exchanging assembly is configured to cool one or more heat generating devices, such as integrated circuits or laser diodes. The microheat exchanging assembly includes a first ceramic assembly thermally coupled to a first surface, and in cases, a second ceramic assembly thermally coupled to a second surface. The ceramic assembly includes one or more electrically and thermally conductive pads to be thermally coupled to a heat generating device, each conductive pad is electrically isolated from each other. The ceramic assembly includes a ceramic layer to provide this electrical isolation. A top surface and a bottom surface of the ceramic layer are each bonded to a conductive layer, such as copper, using an intermediate joining material. A brazing process is performed to bond the ceramic layer to the conductive layer via a joining layer. The joining layer is a composite of the joining material, the ceramic layer, and the conductive layer.
US08254411B2
A data processing system includes a plurality of local hubs each coupled to a remote hub by a respective one a plurality of point-to-point communication links. Each of the plurality of local hubs queues requests for access to memory blocks for transmission on a respective one of the point-to-point communication links to a shared resource in the remote hub. Each of the plurality of local hubs transmits requests to the remote hub utilizing only a fractional portion of a bandwidth of its respective point-to-point communication link. The fractional portion that is utilized is determined by an allocation policy based at least in part upon a number of the plurality of local hubs and a number of processing units represented by each of the plurality of local hubs. The allocation policy prevents overruns of the shared resource.
US08254410B2
In one aspect, the invention provides apparatuses and methods for wirelessly transmitting application data utilizing priority information for each radio link control (RLC) data block transmitted. Advantageously, the application data with a relatively high transmission priority is not substantially delayed by the transmission of application data with substantially lower transmission priorities.
US08254409B2
In one embodiment, a network device may have its network interfaces identified as either network-to-network interfaces (NNIs) configured to communicate with other network devices in a first computer network, or user-to-network interfaces (UNIs) configured to provide service to the first computer network for user devices. Based on determining at least one NNI for forwarding upstream traffic to an aggregation device of the first network that connects the first network to a second network, any NNI that is not used for forwarding upstream traffic is deemed a novel “NNI alternate” (NNI-ALT). The forwarding of traffic at the network device may be controlled to provide user isolation between network devices by denying traffic forwarding between UNIs and NNI-ALTs as well as between NNI-ALTs and NNI-ALTs, while permitting traffic forwarding between NNIs and NNI-ALTs.
US08254407B2
A method for asymmetrical MIMO wireless communication begins by determining a number of transmission antennas for the asymmetrical MIMO wireless communication. The method continues by determining a number of reception antennas for the asymmetrical MIMO wireless communication. The method continues by, when the number of transmission antennas exceeds the number of reception antennas, using spatial time block coding for the asymmetrical MIMO wireless communication. The method continues by, when the number of transmission antennas does not exceed the number of reception antennas, using spatial multiplexing for the asymmetrical MIMO wireless communication.
US08254405B2
A method, program and apparatus for transmitting a signal in a time slot of a channel comprising a plurality of time slots. Using a transmitter having a processor and a power amplifier, the method comprises: retrieving a reference ramp pattern from a memory; determining an output power level for the slot from a plurality of possible output power levels, each requiring a respective corresponding ramp pattern; executing software on the processor to apply a scaling function to the reference ramp pattern in dependence on the determined output power level, thus generating a scaled ramp pattern corresponding to the pattern required for that determined level; supplying the scaled ramp pattern to a control input of the power amplifier, to control the gain of the power amplifier during the time slot; and using the power amplifier, controlled according to the scaled ramp pattern, to transmit the signal in the time slot.
US08254402B2
An HDMI cable carries high speed encoded data which are transmitted differentially over data channels, along with a clock. High-frequency loss and differential skew within a differential signal may be compensated by analog circuits embedded in the cable. These embedded circuits are tuned at production for best performance by observing the quality of the recovered analog signal. The embedded circuits are powered by a combination of power sources, both carried within the cable, and harvested from the high-speed signals themselves. Methods are provided for deskewing, equalizing, and boosting the differential signals in the embedded circuits that are mounted on a PCB.
US08254393B2
A proactive adaptive radio methodology for the opportunistic allocation of radio spectrum is described. The methods can be used to allocate radio spectrum resources by employing machine learning to learn models, via accruing data over time, that have the ability to predict the context-sensitive durations of the availability of channels. The predictive models are combined with decision-theoretic cost-benefit analyses to minimize disruptions of service or quality that can be associated with reactive allocation policies. Rather than reacting to losses of channel, the proactive policies seek switches in advance of the loss of a channel. Beyond determining durations of availability for one or more frequency bands statistical machine learning also be employed to generate price predictions in order to facilitate a sale or rental of the available frequencies, and these predictions can be employed in the switching analyses The methods can be employed in non-cooperating distributed models of allocation, in centralized allocation approaches, and in hybrid spectrum allocation scenarios.
US08254381B2
A message processing engine may intercept outgoing and incoming messages by bridging an interface between a virtual network interface and a physical network interface. The message processing engine may have a raw packet analyzer that may determine if a packet is to be processed based on a policy, and then may decode the packet using a first set of protocols, perform a translation in the decoded state, then encode the packet using the same or a different set of protocols. The message processing engine may be used to perform translations to enable two otherwise incompatible devices to communicate as well as apply various protocols including security protocols to communications with another device similarly configured. In many embodiments, the raw packet analyzer may be a service with administrative privileges, but the decoder, encoder, and translator may be operated with user privileges.
US08254380B2
The system for managing messages transmitted in an interconnect network connecting blocks on a chip comprises agents linked by point-to-point links able to transmit, by static routing, messages comprising a priority information item quantified on N levels. The system comprises at least one agent initiating request messages to at least one recipient agent. A request message comprises a header and, where appropriate, content data. The system comprises means of generating a priority message, to a recipient agent, to which at least on request message has previously been transmitted with no response message received in return.
US08254370B2
A method for redirecting network communication port and a network communication system thereof are disclosed. When a receiving end determines that a communication port needs to be redirected, the receiving end sends a redirected address to a transmitting end via a communication port. The redirected address includes redirected address information of a transport layer. According to the present invention, when the gatekeeper is not able to receive, via a well-known port, some of signaling sent from a node, the gatekeeper can inform the transmitting end to switch the port automatically, allowing thereby the node to continue the previous service. The present invention further allows the node to perform protocol switching automatically.
US08254369B2
A radio communication system includes a terminal and base stations that transmit subframes to and receive subframes from said terminal by means of OFDMA/TDD. The base stations include a first base station and a second base station that is adjacent to the first base station and that establishes frame synchronization with the first base station. The second base station: receives a specific uplink signal contained in an uplink subframe that is transmitted to the first base station from the terminal that is located at the cell boundary of the first base station and the second base station; based on the timing of the reception of the specific uplink signal, estimates the timing of the transmission of the header of uplink subframes transmitted from the terminal; and based on the timing of the transmission of the header of the uplink subframes that was estimated, controls the timing of the transmission of downlink subframes that are transmitted to the terminal.
US08254368B2
A system and methodology that significantly reduces traffic in a backhaul pipe of a femto access point (AP) and organizes content delivery is provided. Specifically, an aggregator/routing platform is employed to connect multiple femto APs in a femto enterprise to a single backhaul network. The aggregator/routing platform collects and analyzes information from the multiple femtos and directly route communication packets to between femto APs within the enterprise when possible, without employing the backhaul network. Content and/or tasks can be internally organized between devices connected to the multiple femtos, without accessing the core network. During internal communication, a control link can preserved and sent to the core network to facilitate billing.
US08254363B2
Extending acknowledgement messages from two states to at least three states is described, whereby such messages constitute a packet quality indication (PQI) reflecting quality or usability of the received signal. In an HARQ system, a transmitting station can flexibly select a better alternative for the next information to transmit on the basis of such PQI. One aspect includes determining how best to correct an unsuccessful packet transmission based on quality information about the specific packet. Implementing apparatus and procedures are described.
US08254361B2
A storage unit stores a preamble signal defined in a legacy system and a preamble signal defined in a MIMO system. A monitoring unit in a transmitting apparatus monitors the existence of any communication apparatus which is not compatible with the MIMO system but accepts the legacy system. A channel characteristics acquiring unit derives the characteristics of a radio channel between the transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus. A selector selects a packet format based on a monitoring result obtained by the monitoring unit. The selector also selects where to place LTS, based on the characteristics of wireless channel derived by the channel characteristics acquiring unit.
US08254358B2
A wireless communications network includes a base station to communicate with plural mobile stations over a wireless link. A broadcast message is sent to the plural mobile stations, with the broadcast message containing an indication for indicating to the plural mobile stations that the mobile stations are to change data rates for transmissions over a reverse wireless link.
US08254350B2
A system for routing packets in an ad hoc wireless network. In response to entering the ad hoc wireless network, location data is broadcast to other nodes within the ad hoc wireless network. Location data is received from the other nodes within the ad hoc wireless network. The received location data is recorded in a routing table. In response to determining that one or more packets need to be transmitted, a best route is calculated to transmit the one or more packets within the ad hoc wireless network using data in the routing table. Then, the one or more packets are transmitted to a node within the ad hoc wireless network based on the calculated best route.
US08254342B2
Provided is a method for determining superframe to efficiently perform beacon scheduling by allocating superframe lengths which are different according to a routing depth of sensor nodes in a ZigBee based wireless sensor network. The method for determining a superframe for beacon scheduling, includes the steps of: receiving a beacon from a neighboring node and grasping information on a superframe used by the neighboring nodes; and determining a transmission time and a length of own superframe based on superframe information of the grasped neighboring node.
US08254335B2
A CIR measuring section 307 measures CIRs of all blocks received and a block selection section 308 makes a threshold decision based on the CIR measurement result and threshold information according to an amount of traffic in the own cell and neighboring cells. As a result of the threshold decision, blocks whose CIRs exceed the threshold are regarded as usable blocks. A CIR averaging section 309 averages the CIRs of the usable blocks and a CQI generation section 310 generates a CQI based on the CIR average value. The CQI generated and selected block numbers are reported to a base station apparatus. This allows the throughput of the own cell and neighboring cells to be improved.
US08254332B2
A method and apparatus are provided for radio access technology (RAT) monitoring, in a wireless system environment having wireless communications equipment and at least two different RATs that coexist for providing to the equipment access to one or more communications networks. The equipment has at least two subsystems, each adapted for establishing and maintaining an active communications connection with a certain one of the different RATs. The equipment selects at least a first RAT, among all the RATs available in a certain geographical area, for establishing the active communications connection, according to a monitored characteristic of the first RAT. The method includes scanning a characteristic of a second RAT available for communication in the geographical area while the equipment maintains an active communications connection with the first RAT, and performing the scanning step when the equipment does not transmit signals through the active communications connection maintained with the first RAT.
US08254331B2
Disclosed is a method and device for managing handoff of an access terminal in a radio access network (RAN). An access terminal may detect a handoff trigger, determine whether there is an ongoing data transfer in progress, determine an amount remaining in the data transfer, compare the amount remaining to a threshold amount, and delay or cancel the handoff if the amount remaining is below the threshold amount. Additionally, the access terminal may consider signal strength of the current (source) coverage area in determining whether to delay or cancel the handoff.
US08254330B1
Methods and systems are provided for expediting call setup in a wireless communication system. A mobile station operating in idle mode and under coverage of a first and second wireless coverage area receives overhead channel data for the first coverage area. The mobile station then detects a trigger to initiate connectivity with the wireless communication system. Responsive to detecting this trigger, the mobile station determines an amount of time until it will receive overhead channel data for the second coverage area and makes a determination of whether this determined amount of time is greater than a threshold. If the determined amount of time is greater than a threshold, the mobile station seeks connectivity via the first coverage area. However, if the determined amount of time is less than a threshold, the mobile station seeks connectivity via the second coverage area.
US08254325B2
Methods and wireless receivers (5) are disclosed for estimating a propagation channel response that includes two closely spaced delays. An exemplary method comprises selecting (720) a plurality of receiver processing delays for sampling the received signal so that that the receiver processing delays span two closely spaced channel response delays, and calculating (730) an average channel coefficient magnitude over at least a first number of time slots of the received signal, for each of the receiver processing delays. The exemplary method further comprises estimating (740) delay timing for each of the two channel response delays, based on the average channel coefficient magnitudes and a multi-delay superposition model for the channel response, and calculating (750) complex channel gains for each of the two channel response delays, based on the estimated delay timings and channel response measurements taken over a second number of time slots that is less than the first number of time slots.
US08254323B2
A method of monitoring a control channel in a wireless communication system includes monitoring a physical down-link control channel (PDCCH) during a monitored duration, wherein the monitored duration is a part of a discontinuous reception (DRX) period, the DRX period specifying the periodic repetition of the monitored duration followed by a non-monitored duration. By monitoring a control channel during a DRX period, battery consumption of a user equipment can be reduced and an operation time of the user equipment can be increased.
US08254320B2
A routing system coupled to a label switching network receives a pool of network addresses allocated to a mobility region in the network, where the pool of network addresses includes a sequence of contiguous network addresses. The routing system stores the pool of network addresses, and allocates a range of mobility labels to the network address pool for use in communicating with mobile nodes in the mobility region.
US08254313B2
When a mobile station (MS) seeks access to a public land mobile network (PLMN) via an unlicensed or generic access networks (GAN) it first registers with a default GAN. If the default GAN is unable to serve the MS at its current location, it redirects the MS to other GANs serving the same of different PLMNs. However, when using the existing registration and redirection process, an MS has no means of knowing what services are provided by a specific combination of GAN and PLMN. In accordance with the present invention this is achieved by indicating for each PLMN and serving GANC an operation mode supported by the GANC. This operation mode being indicative of the interface used for communication between the GANC and PLMN it serves.
US08254312B2
In a communication system using HARQ, the problem of false ACK detection when no ACK/NACK feedback is transmitted is solved sent by varying the reliability of the scheduling information transmitted to the user terminal on a downlink control channel depending on whether the user terminal is expected to use a first or second uplink channel for sending ACK/NACK feedback. When the user terminal is expected to use the first channel to send ACK/NACK feedback, the base station transmits scheduling information to the user terminal with normal reliability. When the user terminal is expected to send ACK/NACK feedback on the second uplink channel, the base station transmits the signaling information to the user terminal with enhanced reliability. The reliability of the signaling information can be increased, for example, by increasing the transmit power on the downlink control channel, increasing the aggregation level, or a combination thereof.
US08254308B1
A method and system for acoustically triggering wireless network communication and reporting. A portable device monitors external audio waveforms comprising broadcast media, to detect at least one predefined acoustic frequency embedded in the waveforms. In response to the detection, the portable device takes an action with respect to a wireless network, preferably relating to the at least one detected acoustic frequency. The invention can be used advantageously to monitor broadcast media consumption.
US08254304B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for increasing data rate in a signal. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a mobile broadcast signal including inner code and outer code information; generating an adjusted mobile broadcast signal by adjusting a bit rate of the mobile broadcast signal through modifying at least one of: a modulation scheme associated with the mobile broadcast signal, the inner code information, and the outer code information; and transmitting the adjusted mobile broadcast signal.
US08254302B2
A user location monitoring unit of a data communication control apparatus monitors a message sent from a wireless device via a repeater. Upon detection of a change in the location of the wireless device, the user location monitoring unit updates the location information in the database and notifies via the Internet a management server of the location change. Upon receipt of the message via the Internet, a destination address confirming and correcting unit of the data communication control apparatus uses the user ID of a destination wireless device as a search keyword to search the database. In turn, the destination address confirming and correcting unit corrects the destination address of the message to the latest address of the pertinent user ID and outputs the corrected message to a received message forwarding unit.
US08254299B2
The invention proposes a method for indicating the validity of physical channels of a control cell and a neighboring cell carrying point-to-multipoint service data in a wireless communication system. The method includes the following steps: generating a message comprising configuration information for each of said channels; including validity information with the message for deriving the validity timing of the configuration information for each of said channels; and transmitting the message to a mobile terminal (10) through the control cell. The invention also proposes a mobile equipment (10) and a Radio Network Controller (111), respectively adapted to implement the above method.
US08254293B2
A network operating center for a network comprising known-location and unknown-location nodes can be configured to receive from each unknown-location node estimates of the distances from that node to each of its neighbor nodes. The network controller can then choose an initial location estimate for each unknown-location node and compute distances from the initial location estimates to the corresponding neighbor nodes. The network operating center can then choose subsequent location estimates of the unknown-location nodes by minimizing an error criterion based on a comparison of the received neighbor node distance estimates with the computed neighbor node distances.
US08254292B2
A method and an apparatus for implementing a storage function in a passive optical network (PON) system. On the basis of a LINK ID held by the data, data requiring storage, e.g. data making exclusive use of a wide bandwidth such as audiovisual data and large-volume data packages, are determined among all the data sent to an optical network unit. These data requiring storage are stored in a storage device installed in the optical network unit. In case the user requests data stored in the storage device, the stored data are transferred directly to the user, without any need to request and send these data for the second time via an IPTV server and the core network. It is possible to avoid duplicate transfers of data, and in particular to avoid duplicate transfers of data making exclusive use of a comparatively wide bandwidth such as audiovisual data and large-volume data packages, to improve the utilization factor of the downlink bandwidth, and to reduce flow congestion and data delays.
US08254287B2
Methods and apparatus for optimal participation of devices in a peer-to-peer overlay network. A method for dynamically configuring a node includes operating on an overlay network using a first participation mode, obtaining at least one configuration parameter, selecting a second participation mode for operation on the overlay network based on local policy and the at least one configuration parameter, and configuring the node to participate on the overlay network based on the second participation mode. An apparatus for dynamic node configuration includes a memory coupled to a processor and configured to operate on an overlay network using a first participation mode, obtain at least one configuration parameter, select a second participation mode for operation on the overlay network based on local policy and the at least one configuration parameter, and configure the node to participate on the overlay network based on the second participation mode.
US08254286B2
Disclosed is a device, system and method for detecting a Network Address Translation (“NAT”) gateway on a network. According to some embodiments of the present invention a detector including a network communication module may transmit one or more interrogation packets to a suspected NAT gateway.
US08254282B2
A system and method for monitoring IP flows in a network is disclosed. A plurality of monitor probes are coupled to links in the network, the monitor probes capture data packets from the links and determine protocols in OSI Layers 3, 4, and 5/7 of the packets. A user interface receives user inputs selecting the links and protocols for analysis. A display is coupled to the monitor probes and the user interface. The display and user interface receiving a user selection of links for analysis and display a first protocol analysis to the user, the first protocol analysis display comprising a pie chart representing all OSI Layer 3 protocols captured on the selected links, a pie chart representing all OSI Layer 4 protocols captured on the selected links, and a pie chart representing all OSI Layer 5/7 protocols captured on the selected links.
US08254280B2
The invention proposes a method for enabling a composing of a set of cells within a coverage area of a radio access network within which the same information is transmitted time synchronously using a modulation and coding scheme common for the cells of the set. The proposed method comprises the following steps performed by a mobile station connectable to the radio access network: identifying one or more pilot signals from respective one or more cells monitored by the mobile station, determining signal and interference contributions from the one or more monitored cells with regard to a particular set of cells, reporting the determined signal and interference contributions towards a network node performing the composition of the set of cells.
US08254271B1
Improved connectivity verification is disclosed. A root in a point-to-multipoint network can establish parameters for a connectivity-verification session with each endpoint in the network. The root then sends verification-request messages to each endpoint in accordance with the parameters. Each endpoint signals an alarm (e.g., sends a reply to the root) if the verification-request messages are not received at the endpoint in accordance with the established parameters. In this manner, endpoints send verification-reply messages to the root much less frequently, greatly reducing the congestion at the root and greatly reducing the chance that the root gets congested or even overwhelmed when the network includes large numbers of endpoints.
US08254270B2
A network device provides a selector list that includes indices of child nexthops associated with the network device, where each of the child nexthops is associated with a corresponding child link provided in an aggregated bundle of child links. The network device also receives an indication of a failure of a child link in the aggregated bundle of child links, and removes, from the selector list, an index of a child nexthop associated with the failed child link. The network device further receives probabilities associated with the child links of the aggregated bundle of child links. Each of the probabilities indicates a probability of a packet exiting the network device on a child link. The network device also creates a distribution table based on the probabilities associated with the child links, and rearranges values provided in the distribution table.
US08254264B1
A method includes sending signals from two nodes to a landmark, identifying common milestones along the routes, and determining distance information from the nodes to at least one of the common milestones. A system includes a program configured to send signals from two nodes to a landmark, identify common milestones along the routes, and provide distance information from each node to at least one of the common milestones, and a program configured to receive the distance information and provide a latency estimate based on the distance information.
US08254262B1
Included are embodiments of a method for routing communication data to a plurality of recorders. At least one embodiment of a method includes passively receiving communication data related to a communication and determining to which recorder the received communication data is to be routed in order to achieve a substantially balanced utilization of the plurality recorders. Other embodiments include routing the communication data to the determined recorder.
US08254260B1
A method and apparatus for addressing a congestion condition in a communication network are disclosed. For example, the method receives an alert for at least one of: a trunk or a Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC), where the trunk or the PVC is associated with a route. The method determines whether the alert is associated with a congestion condition by determining whether a trunk utilization has exceeded a first predetermined threshold for the trunk or for the at least one trunk supporting the PVC. The method then rebuilds the route if the first predetermined threshold is exceeded for the trunk or for the at least one trunk supporting said PVC.
US08254257B2
System and method for location, time-of-day, and quality-of-service based prioritized access control
A priority server for a provider network includes a traffic volume detection module, a traffic analyzer module, and a rules module. The traffic volume detection module receives operational information from the provider network and determines that a host is experiencing a flash event based upon the operational information. The traffic analyzer module determines that the flash event is not a distributed denial of service attack on the host. When it is determined that the flash event is not a distributed denial of service attack, the rules module provides a priority rule to an access router that is coupled to the host. The priority rule is based upon a characteristic of packets routed in the provider network that are associated with the flash event, and the characteristic is determined not solely by information included in the packets.
US08254247B2
A method and apparatus for transmitting a signal in a wireless communication system are disclosed. The signal transmission method includes grouping a plurality of subcarriers included in a first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) symbol within distributed resources into a plurality of subcarrier groups, each subcarrier group having a predetermined number of subcarriers, distributing the plurality of subcarrier groups of the first OFDMA symbol according to a first permutation pattern, transmitting data in the distributed subcarrier groups of the first OFDMA symbol, grouping a plurality of subcarriers included in a second OFDMA symbol within the distributed resources into a plurality of subcarrier groups, each subcarrier group having a predetermined number of subcarriers, distributing the plurality of subcarrier groups of the second OFDMA symbol according to a second permutation pattern, and transmitting data in the distributed subcarrier groups of the second OFDMA symbol.
US08254243B2
A method and application for generating an interleaver or a de-interleaver are described. The method for generating interleaver includes: setting interleaving information of a base interleaver and/or de-interleaving information of a base de-interleaver, and respectively performing a cyclic shift transform on the interleaving information of the base interleaver so as to generate a plurality of different interleavers. Alternatively, the method for generating interleaver includes: deducing from the de-interleaving information to obtain the interleaving information of the base interleaver and performing the cyclic shift on the interleaving information obtained by deduction so as to generate a plurality of different interleavers. The method for realizing interleaving includes: inputting a data frame of each subscriber needed to be interleaved to the base interleaver and performing the cyclic shift on the data frame output by the base interleaver so as to realize interleaving, in which different subscribers correspond to different cyclic shifts. Alternatively, the method for realizing interleaving includes: performing the cyclic shift on the data frame of each subscriber to be interleaved and inputting the data frame after the cyclic shift to the base interleaver so as to realize interleaving, in which different subscribers correspond to different cyclic shifts.
US08254242B2
A system and method for initial ranging in wireless communication systems is provided. A plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) blocks are received by an OFDMA base station transceiver from a plurality of remote user devices in wireless communication with the base station. A ranging subchannel is extracted from the OFDM blocks. The number of active codes in the ranging subchannel is determined, active codes are identified, and carrier frequency offsets (CFOs) are estimated for each active code. Timing delays and power levels for each active code are then estimated. The estimated CFOs, timing delays, and power levels are broadcasted by the base station to the remote user devices, so that the user devices can utilize same to adjust transmission parameters to optimize power levels and synchronize communication with the base station.
US08254238B2
An optical information recording/reproducing device includes a liquid optical element containing a liquid crystal polymer layer in an optical head. A liquid crystal optical element drive unit drives a liquid crystal optical element having a first pattern electrode divided into a plurality of region at one side of the liquid crystal polymer layer in the optical axis direction. The first pattern electrode includes a first region arranged to surround the optical axis and second to ninth regions arranged outside the first regions in such a manner that the circumference is divided eight portions. The liquid crystal optical element drive unit applies an effective voltage to each region. The voltage applied to the respective regions of the pattern region of the liquid crystal optical element is decided in a short time so as to optimize the quality of the reproduction signal.
US08254225B2
The invention relates to a method of writing data to a disc (OD). The method comprised: a) performing a plurality of writing actions in which a plurality of data portions are written to the disc, b) performing a plurality of verification actions in which written data portions are at least partly verified and at least part of the data portions are replaced if needed. The method further comprises a2) performing a decision action for each writing action in which a decision whether or not to perform the verification action for a specific written data portion is taken.
US08254220B2
In an objective lens actuator of an optical disk drive and the like, variations in the fixed end positions of wires serving as suspensions are reduced and tilt characteristics are improved. Terminal plates 20 fixed to a lens holder are tilted relative to wires 13 for supporting the lens holder with elasticity, and are soldered at the edges of the terminal plates 20, so that variations in the fixed end positions of the wires 13 are reduced.
US08254216B2
The content copying system pertaining to the present invention is a content copying system in which multiple devices (11-14) cooperate to copy content to a removable recording medium (31). The first device (11) comprises a writing unit for writing first management data which includes content identifiers (hash1˜hash4) to the removable recording medium (31). A second device (12) storing content pieces (ep2, ep4) copies content pieces (ep2, ep4) corresponding to the content identifiers (hash2, hash4) included in the first management data to the removable recording medium (31). Another second device (13) which has a content piece (ep3) stored thereon copies, to the removable recording medium (31), the content piece (ep3) corresponding to the content identifier (hash 3) written to the removable recording medium (31).
US08254215B1
A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head includes a main pole, a waveguide, and a plasmon generator. The main pole has a front end face including first and second ends that are opposite in a track width direction. An arbitrary cross section of the main pole that passes through an arbitrary point on the front end face and is perpendicular to a medium facing surface and to the track width direction has a length in a direction perpendicular to the medium facing surface. When the arbitrary point on the front end face is located at a center of the front end face in the track width direction, the length of the arbitrary cross section is smaller than that when the arbitrary point is located at the first end and that when the arbitrary point is located at the second end.
US08254209B2
In an acoustic wave sensor for detecting a distance to an object and an orientation where the object is located with using acoustic waves, an acoustic wave generating device generating an acoustic wave by applying thermal impact to the air with no mechanical vibration is used as a wave transmitting device, and an electric capacitance microphone converting variation of pressure due to acoustic wave to variation of an electric signal is used as each wave receiving device. Therefore, dead zone caused by reverberation component included in the acoustic wave transmitted from the wave transmitting device and dead zone caused by reverberation component included in wave receiving signals outputted from the wave receiving devices can be shortened and angular sensitivity of the acoustic wave sensor can be increased, in comparison with a conventional acoustic wave sensor using piezoelectric devices as the wave transmitting device and the wave receiving devices.
US08254206B2
A technique for use in towed-array, marine seismic surveys includes a method and an apparatus. The method includes accessing a set of multicomponent seismic data acquired in a wide tow, marine seismic survey; and interpolating a set of seismic data from the acquired seismic data in the crossline direction such that the combined acquired and interpolated seismic data meet the discrete spatial sampling theory requirements for array detection of broadside seismic signal and the discrimination and suppression of broadside linear noise. In some aspects, the technique includes programmed storage media and/or programmed computers for use in executing such a method. The apparatus is a wide tow array, including a plurality of streamers spaced apart by a cable separation exceeding the maximum cable spacing for array detection of broadside seismic signal and the discrimination and suppression of broadside linear noise as determined by discrete spatial sampling theory.
US08254203B2
The addressing circuit of a semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of register units coupled to an input unit and a plurality of memory cell arrays, wherein the plurality of register units are configured to store inputted data in response to register control signals, and a control unit configured to generate the register control signals, using defect information of respective memory cell arrays, to control whether or not the register units store the inputted.
US08254200B2
An integrated circuit (IC) including a controller integrally formed on a shared die with the IC and method of operating the same to compensate for process and environmental variations in the IC are provided. In one embodiment the IC is comprised of device and sub-circuits, and the method includes: receiving in the IC electrical power and information on at least one of one or more operational parameters of the IC; and adjusting one or more operating characteristics of at least one of the devices and sub-circuits in the IC based on the received information using a controller integrally formed on a shared die with the IC. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US08254197B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array that includes a plurality of memory cells, an SR timer that determines a cycle of self refresh of the memory cell, a refresh counter that generates an internal address signal of the memory cell which is a target of the self refresh, and a circuit that outputs a pulse active signal to continuously execute refresh operation in one cycle of the self refresh.
US08254192B2
A resistance change memory of an aspect of the present invention including memory cells including resistance change memory element, word lines connected to the memory cells, a row decoder which activates the word lines, redundant cells used instead of defective cells, a redundant word line connected to redundant cells, a redundant row decoder which activates the redundant word line, a control circuit in which defect address information indicating the word line connected to the defective cell is stored and which remedies the defective cell, and regions provided in a memory cell array and a redundant cell array and identified based on column address information, wherein the control circuit replaces a part of the word line connected to the defective cell with a part of the redundant word line in accordance with each of the regions, and allows the redundant row decoder to activate the replaced redundant word line.
US08254188B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a mode control circuit configured to output a DLL on signal which is periodically activated during a specific mode; and a DLL circuit configured to delay and lock a clock to generate a DLL clock, and to be periodically turned on in response to the DLL on signal during the start of the specific mode.
US08254185B2
A semiconductor device includes a comparator, an internal voltage generator, a control signal generator, and a selector. The comparator may compare a reference voltage to an internal voltage and output a comparison signal. The internal voltage generator may generate and output the internal voltage in response to the comparison signal. The control signal generator may generate a control signal. The selector may receive first and second target voltages, and select and output one of the first and second target voltages as the reference voltage in response to the control signal.
US08254181B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes; a memory cell array configured into a plurality of memory blocks, a decoder connected to the plurality of memory blocks via a word line, a page buffer connected to the plurality of memory blocks via a bit line, and control logic configured to define a control voltage applied to at least one of the word line and the bit line during a program/verify operation in accordance with a location of each one of the plurality of memory blocks within the memory cell array.
US08254177B2
Multiple programming processes are performed for a plurality of non-volatile storage elements. Each of the programming process operates to program at least a subset of the non-volatile storage elements to a set of target conditions using programming pulses. For at least a subset of the programming processes, a programming pulse associated with achieving an intermediate result for a respective programming process is identified, a pulse increment between programming pulses is decreased for the respective programming process while continuing the respective programming process to program non-volatile storage elements to the respective one or more targets and the identified programming pulse is used to adjust a starting programming voltage for a subsequent programming process.
US08254174B2
Methods for programming memory devices, a memory device, and memory systems are provided. According to at least one such method, bit lines a memory segment are read at substantially the same time by coupling a selected memory segment, and at some of the data lines of any intervening segments, to respective data caches. The bit lines of the unselected memory segments that are not used to couple the selected segment to the data caches can be coupled to their respective source lines. Other methods, devices, and systems are also provided.
US08254166B2
An integrated circuit includes an array of memory cells. Each memory cell includes a diode. The integrated circuit includes a doped semiconductor line formed in a semiconductor substrate. The doped semiconductor line is coupled to a row of diodes. The integrated circuit includes conductive cladding contacting the doped semiconductor line.
US08254158B2
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a non-volatile memory cell array, a write circuit configured to write to the non-volatile memory cell array, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to store at least one erase indicator. The erase indicator is associated with at least a portion of the non-volatile memory cell array and indicates a logic state. The control circuit is configured to control the write circuit to write the logic state indicated by the erase indicator in the non-volatile memory cell array during an erase operation of the associated portion of the non-volatile memory cell array.
US08254152B2
A high-voltage-resistant rectifier with standard CMOS transistors is disclosed in present invention. In a bridge full-wave rectifier comprising four MOS transistors, extra transistors are connected in series between the transistors which endure high voltage and the input to decrease the voltage imposed on the gate of them; moreover, the present invention provides a way to divide voltage imposed between the gate and the source of the said transistors by connecting in series with extra transistors, so it is achieved to implement a high-voltage-resistant rectifier with standard low voltage CMOS transistors without additional process complexity, and decreases manufacture and process costs.
US08254144B2
A circuit board laminated module includes: a first circuit board having a multi-layer structure in which ground layers are provided in a plurality of layers; a second circuit board mounted on the first circuit board; and a semiconductor chip mounted on the second circuit board, wherein in the first circuit board, a noise guiding through via which guides an electromagnetic noise generated in the semiconductor chip to a lower layer side is provided on a side different from a circuit portion or a circuit element desired to be protected against influence of the electromagnetic noise in a surrounding direction of an occurrence place of the electromagnetic noise.
US08254143B2
The present invention discloses a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes one or more board and a backplane. The board includes a connector and a function processing unit circuit connected to the connector. The backplane includes at least one group of board connectors. Each group of the board connectors includes two board connectors that receive signals from different boards. The board connector includes connection terminals connected to the connector on boards. The two board connectors are distributed up and down, and the connection terminals of the two board connectors are distributed symmetrically around a center. The foregoing communication apparatus and backplane are cost-efficient.
US08254134B2
A Secure Digital device including a PCBA having passive components mounted on a PCB using surface mount technology (SMT) techniques, and active components (e.g., controller and flash memory) mounted using chip-on-board (COB) techniques. The components are mounted only on one side of the PCB, and then a molded plastic casing is formed over both sides of the PCB such that the components are encased in the plastic, and a thin plastic layer is formed over the PCB surface opposite to the components. The molded plastic casing is formed to include openings that expose metal contacts provided on the PCB, and ribs that separate the openings. The molded plastic casing defines a pre-molded switch slot that facilitates an insert-in switch assembly process for mounting a write protect switch. The write protect switch includes a movable switch button engaged in the switch slot, and a switch cap secured over the switch slot.
US08254129B2
An electronic apparatus includes: a housing; a circuit board accommodated in the housing; a face mounting component mounted on the circuit board; a heating component mounted on the circuit board; a reinforcing member having a thermal conductivity and configured to reinforce a region on the circuit board on which the face mounting component is mounted; and a radiation unit extended from the reinforcing member and connected thermally to the heating component.
US08254127B2
A heat dissipation module includes a heat sink, a wind-guiding element and a pivot. The wind-guiding element is disposed on the heat sink, and the pivot is connected between the heat sink and the wind-guiding element to allow the wind-guiding element to rotate relative to the heat sink via the pivot. The wind-guiding element can change a direction of airflow to provide an optimal heat dissipation effect. Additionally, an electronic device using the heat dissipation module is also provided. The heat dissipation module can provide superior heat dissipation effect to an electronic component on the electronic device and maintain a normal operation of the electronic component.
US08254125B2
A machine tool with a heat conduction structure comprises a machine tool and a heat dissipation seat installed on the machine tool. The machine tool has a handle. The handle has an accommodation space accommodating a circuit board and having an opening at one end. The heat dissipation seat has a heat dissipation member arranged on the opening and a carrying member connected with the heat dissipation member and extended to the accommodation space. The carrying member carries the circuit board, contacts heat sources of the circuit board, and conducts heat to the heat dissipation member. As the machine tool is exempted from forming heat dissipation holes on the handle, the present invention can effectively prevent dust from entering the handle and damaging the circuit board. Further, the present invention can dissipate heat generated by the circuit board and maintain normal operation of the circuit board and the machine tool.
US08254121B2
A cooler and a display device including the cooler. The cooler includes: a housing; an air blowing unit disposed inside the housing and sucking external air and blowing the external air in the housing, wherein the air blowing unit includes a plurality of groups each including two air blowers; a guide vane disposed above the air blowing unit and to guide air flowed out from the air blowing unit to flow in different directions; and a plurality of auxiliary guide vanes disposed between the air blowing unit and the guide vane, and each disposed in each of the groups each including two air blowers, so as to guide air flowing below the air blowing unit to flow toward the guide vane.
US08254106B2
A mounting apparatus includes a latching member, a fastening tab, a fixing member, and a securing member. The fixing member includes a fixing plate, and a resisting plate extending from a first end of the fixing plate. The securing member includes a fixing board, and opposite clamping boards perpendicularly extending from a top and a bottom sides of a first end of the fixing board. A fixing tab extends from a second? end of the fixing board. A second end of the fixing plate is movably mounted to the clamping boards. The fastening tab is fixed to a distal end of the resisting plate, and operably clamped with the fixing tab. The latching member is rotatably mounted to the second end of the fixing plate, away from the resisting plate, and rotated to engage with or disengage from the clamping boards.
US08254093B2
A sliding mechanism comprises a retaining board, a sliding board, a connecting element, a driving assembly. The connecting element is connected between the retaining board and the sliding board, the connecting element is configured for move a portion of the sliding board away from the retaining board. The driving assembly is mounted on the retaining board and the sliding board, the driving assembly being configured to exert attractive force between the retaining board and the sliding board so as to selectively orient the sliding board relative to the retaining board in a close position or an open position.
US08254092B2
A mounting system for a flat panel display includes a wall interface assembly, a pair of arm assemblies, and a mounting assembly. The wall interface assembly can include a slide plate connected to arm assemblies which enable the arm assemblies and mount assembly to be horizontally shifted without the need to remove the mount from the wall and reattach it. The arm assemblies may be substantially hollow arms having removable covers for storing wires connected to display therein. The mounting assembly can also include a pair of brace arms each having two generally D-shaped members placed back-to-back and slidable relative to each other to enable the mount assembly to be expanded to mount various sized displays without extending beyond the width of the display.
US08254088B2
It is an object to provide gas-insulated switchgear that occupies less installation space, in which the number of bellows to be used can be reduced, and that can minimize a work range in disassembling at addition or accident, and in reassembling. In double-bus gas-insulated switchgear in which a bus-side device is arranged above a breaker to reduce installation space to be occupied, a bellows is arranged between bus-side devices arranged vertically to each other, and under a support frame of the breaker, another support frame that can be separated therefrom is arranged, thereby enabling disassembling of a lower bus-side device alone.
US08254077B2
A solenoid valve driving circuit for a solenoid valve includes a current detector for detecting a current that flows in a solenoid coil, a rate of change over time calculating unit for calculating a rate of change over time of the detected current, and a maintaining state transition determining unit for determining a timing at which transition from a first period to a second period occurs based on the calculated rate of change over time.
US08254071B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of providing 2-stage ESD protection for high-speed interfaces. An aspect of the present invention is to provide an integrated multi-stage ESD/EOS protection solution for such high-speed applications. In one embodiment, the ESD protection device has multiple ESD stages integrated into a single integrated circuit package and is mounted to a printed circuit board in series with a device under protection. In another embodiment the multiple ESD stages integrated into a single integrated circuit package of the ESD protection device are coupled with a series element that isolates a 2nd stage from a 1st stage during an ESD event, thus ensuring that the 2nd stage turns on before the 1st stage, as well as provides for less current in the 2nd stage.
US08254069B2
An ESD protection circuit is described that protects the output transistors of a target circuit, usually an integrated circuit, that has an output enable, OE, or similar control input. An OE signal turns off the output transistors allowing the target circuit output, or outputs, to electrically float. Such a condition is commonly called a three state condition. The inventive protection circuit is not connected to the output directly, it senses an ESD voltage spike at the +Vdd contact to the circuit and produces a timed signal. The timed signal is converted to logic levels and gated with the OE signal (that the system previously provided to the OE control input). The output of gate forms a new OE control input signal that forces the target circuit into its three state condition during the period of the timed signal.
US08254067B2
As recording density of sensors is increased, it is desired to lower the areal resistivity (RA) of TMR sensors. Decreasing RA to 1.0 Ωμm2 or below badly influences the read signal since the interlayer coupling magnetic field (Hint) between the pinned layer and the free layer increases sharply and impedes the free rotation of magnetization of the free layer. According to one embodiment, a tunnel junction type magneto-resistive head solves this problem by having a layered film comprising an underlying layer, a crystalline orientation control layer, an antiferromagnetic layer, a first ferromagnetic layer, an antiparallel coupling layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, an insulation barrier layer, and a third ferromagnetic layer between a lower magnetic shield layer and an upper magnetic shield layer, wherein a crystallographic plane of the antiferromagnetic layer is directed parallel to a film surface by growing the antiferromagnetic layer substantially conformably on the crystalline orientation control layer.
US08254064B2
According to one embodiment, a head gimbal assembly includes a load beam, a metal plate mounted on the load beam and constituting a gimbal includes a limiter portion, a flexure includes a plurality of conductors formed over the metal plate with an insulating layer therebetween, a slider includes a head and mounted on the gimbal, and a positioning reference mark formed on the limiter portion by parts of the conductors and configured to position the slider. The plurality of conductors includes conductors which conduct to the positioning reference mark through the metal plate and constitute an interleaved structure.
US08254047B2
A voice coil motor includes a stationary member and a moveable member. The stationary member defines a central axis. The stationary member includes a first receiving room, four sidewalls surrounding the first receiving room and four guide rails formed on the respective sidewalls and located in the receiving room. The moveable member is received in the stationary frame. The moveable member includes a moveable frame. The moveable frame includes four side surfaces. A plurality of restricting posts extend from each side surface and are aligned in a line parallel to the corresponding guide rail. The restricting posts slidably engage in the corresponding guide rails.
US08254038B2
An optical element is made of a transparent medium that is rotationally symmetric relative to the central axis with a refractive index greater than 1. The transparent medium has a first transmissive surface at the outermost periphery relative to the central axis, a first reflective surface at the side of the central axis relative to the first transmissive surface, a second reflective surface at the side opposite to the image plane relative to the first reflective surface and a second transmissive surface at the side of the image plane relative to the second reflective surface. The flux of light enters and proceeds through the transparent medium via the first transmissive surface, the first reflective surface, the second reflective surface and the second transmissive surface to form an optical path. The optical path is formed only at a side relative to the central axis.
US08254034B1
Fluidic adaptive lens devices containing impermeable elastomer membrane, and systems employing such lens devices, along with methods of fabricating such lens devices, are disclosed. In the embodiments, processes and techniques of creating transparent, impermeable elastomer membranes are disclosed. The membranes thus produced display no or extremely slow permeation for at least one fluid suitable for the fluidic adaptive lenses.
US08254029B2
A surface relief structure includes a recording medium configured to be structurally modified when exposed to interfering and non-interfering portions of radiation beams, the structurally modified recording medium including, when viewed in a two-dimensional cross-section along one of the axes of the recording medium a plurality of equally spaced steps of fine-sized periodicity superimposed upon a plurality of deep depressions of substantially coarse-sized periodicity. The structurally modified recording medium is configured to produce in reflection single and multiple colors in a broad spectral range when illuminated by a source of light.
US08254015B2
Laser systems and methods for providing an output light beam having a target spatial pattern are provided. A light generating module generates an input light beam, whose spectral profile is then tailored by imposing thereon a controllable phase modulation. The obtained spectrally tailored light beam is dispersed, using at least one spatially-dispersive element to provide an output light beam having a spatial profile which is a function of the spectral profile of the spectrally tailored light beam, The phase modulation is selected in view of the spectral profile of the input light beam and of the dispersion characteristics of the at least one spatially-dispersive element so that the spatial pattern of the output light beam matches the target spatial pattern therefor.
US08254009B2
An optically powered optical modulator comprises an optical modulation component, such as an electro-optical modulator, acousto-optic modulator or magneto-optic modulator, in combination with one or two lens assemblies positioned at one or both apertures of the optical modulation component, so that the optical modulator formed by the combination of the lens assembly or assemblies and the optical modulation component has optical focus power.
US08254000B2
A method and system scan an item having at least one color feature using an in-line spectrophotometer of a printing apparatus. The scanning identifies at least one “item color” within the color feature. The item color is stored as at least one custom target color in a computer-readable storage medium of the printing apparatus. The custom target color can be stored with the print job for future reference. At least one print job is processed through a printing engine of the printing apparatus to output at least one printed sheet. During the processing of the print job, the printed sheet is scanned with the in-line spectrophotometer to identify at least one printed color on the printed sheet and the printed color is compared to the custom target color to identify any color difference. The printing characteristics of the printing apparatus are adjusted to reduce the color difference.
US08253992B2
An image copier according to the invention comprises a scanner for reading an image and a printer for forming an image on sheet, and the scanner includes a document table for positioning an original document from which an image is to be read; a document holding cover holding the original document on the original document table and having a light-emitting element for detecting the size of an original document which emits light when the size of the original document is detected, a light source for irradiating the original document with light when an image on the original document is read, a light-receiving element for image reading which receives reflected light from the original document, a controller for the light-emitting element for detecting the size of an original document which controls the light-emitting element for detecting the thickness of the original document, a specific region determination unit for identifying a specific region based on the numbers of pixels in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction of image data, and a background correction unit for performing a process of correcting the background of an image which has been read. In the image copier according to the invention, see-through copying of the bottom side can be suppressed by performing a background correction process after an image is read without blocking a sensor hole of a sensor for detecting the size of the original document from light.
US08253981B2
A reference area around a pixel of interest is set in an image to be processed. It is determined whether a pixel not to be referred exists in the reference area. If the pixel not to be referred exists, the shape of the reference area is transformed based on the pixel. A trapping color for the pixel of interest is decided based on, a first peripheral pixel having a color component that is not included in the pixel of interest among peripheral pixels around the pixel of interest included in the reference area with the transformed shape. The density of the trapping color is calculated based on the peripheral pixels. The pixel value of the pixel of interest is corrected using the pixel of the trapping color having the calculated density in the image to be processed. The image forming unit forms an image having pixels corrected by said correction unit.
US08253980B2
To enable the printing in which it is difficult for the dot to stand out and it is difficult for the gradation sequence properties to be degraded. Therefore, among plural dots each having a different size, the binary processing is carried out by using the same first dot arrangement pattern in regard to the large and medium-sized dots and the binary processing is carried out by using a dot arrangement pattern different from the first dot arrangement pattern in regard to the small-sized dots.
US08253979B2
A method of converting a RIPped K-only page or pixels to composite black in a digital print engine is included which executes the conversion process during current job workflow, while detecting the K-only page or pixels for billing purposes as K-only, and printed out as composite black.
US08253977B2
An image processing apparatus for sharing image processing for an image area by a plurality of processors, analyzes a tendency of compositing input pixel information in the image area, determines a share of tasks to be executed by each of the plurality of processors based on the analysis result, and controls the share of tasks by each of the plurality of processors in accordance with the determined share of tasks. For example, when the plurality of processors include a first processor which executes a generation process of pieces of pixel information for respective layers to be composited, and a second processor which composites the pieces of generated pixel information, the requirement or complexity of a compositing processing, or the size of area in which the compositing processing is performed is analyzed, so as to control the share of tasks or a communication method of the first and second processors.
US08253971B2
In a method for operating at least one machine with a computer, it is possible for at least one task for the production of a printed product to be stored in the computer, which task is processed on the machine. Parameters for setting the machine are stored as parameter sets in templates and relate to one or more production steps. For the purpose of job-specific adaptation, the settings in the templates must be modified. On account of settings which have not been tried and tested and not proven worthwhile, costs arise in terms of quality; in addition the settings can be made only by specialized personnel. To increase quality and to allow less qualified personnel to operate the machines, a parameter set based on rough entered data is compared with templates and that a most similar template be used to set the production step or steps.
US08253970B2
A method and apparatus for a promotional printer for use within a cashless enabled gaming machine or vending machine are disclosed. A promotional printer includes a coupon database describing a stack of coupons that are specified using a template based couponing printer language. A coupon is selected for creation and issued to a user or player based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the promotional printer directly or supplied by a master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to the user or player, the duration of play on a gaming machine, a player classification, the amount of money or credits added to a game, or a random frequency of coupon issuance having satisfied any or all of the aforementioned factors. The promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.
US08253956B2
A method of notifying a print job to safely and conveniently share the print job, a printer and a printing system using the same are provided. The print job information notifying system includes a printer driver transmitting a print job and a designated use information, a print job information storage unit receiving the print job and the designated user information from the printer driver and storing the same, and a print job management unit notifying the designated user that the print job is stored according to contact information if the designated user information includes the contact information of the designated user.
US08253952B2
An image forming apparatus which can suppress disordered printing-out by a user and contribute to a reduction in TCO. A print job received through a network 104 is printed out by printing apparatus 103 that includes a host computer 101 and an authentication server 102. The authentication server 102 acquires limiting information which limits output of the print job. The host computer 101 limits printing setting for the print job in accordance with the limiting information acquired by the authentication server 102.
US08253950B2
A recording material moving device comprises: a position adjuster that moves a recording material in a direction which is parallel to a recording surface of the recording material and orthogonal to a transporting direction, in an upstream side of a recording position along the transport direction of the recording material; a reference position specifying unit that specifies a reference position; a determination unit that determines whether a range of a predetermined width centered on the reference position exceeds a movable range of the recording material within which the recording material can be moved by the position adjuster; and a controller that causes, if the determination unit determines that the movable range is not exceeded, the position adjuster to sequentially move the recording material within the movable range of the predetermined width centered on the reference position each time a condition for moving the recording material is satisfied.
US08253949B2
Methods, apparatus, software, and systems of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology.
US08253947B2
A device for measuring lithography masks is provided, comprising a reticle carrier for the lithography mask to be measured, a measurement objective for reproducing on a detector a section of said lithography mask held by said reticle carrier, a measurement module for measuring the position of said reticle carrier relative to said measurement objective, and a correction module by means of which said reticle carrier can be moved in order to bring it into a predetermined position relative to said measurement objective, wherein said measurement objective and said measurement module are fastened directly to an instrument carrier in a locally fixed manner.
US08253938B2
A method for increasing the throughput, or the precision, or both the precision and the throughput, of a flow cytometer, or of a hematology analyzer employing a flow cytometer, by utilizing the technique of laser rastering. Laser rastering involves sweeping a laser beam across a flowing sample stream in a hematology analyzer. An apparatus suitable for carrying out the method of this invention comprises an optical module comprising a source of light, a scanning device, a lens or system of lenses, a flow cell, detectors, and filters; and an electronic module comprising preamplifiers, analog signal conditioning elements, analog-to-digital converters, field-programmable gate arrays, digital signal processing elements, and data storage elements.
US08253936B2
A system and method for determining a disease state and clinical outcome of a sample. A sample is illuminated to produce Raman scattered photons, the Raman scattered photons are assessed to generate a Raman spectroscopic data set representative of the sample, wherein said Raman spectroscopic data set comprises at least one of: a Raman spectra of the sample and a spatially accurate wavelength resolved Raman image of the sample; the Raman spectroscopic data set is evaluated using a chemometric technique to classify the disease state of the sample as: acute, chronic, incipient, or none. In one embodiment, the chemontric technique is principle component analysis. In another embodiment, the sample is obtained prior to transplantation and analysis can determine the likelihood of rejection by a host.
US08253935B2
The invention has a function of preparing a data base for a relation between a defect shape and an arrangement for the optical system capable of detecting the shape at high sensitivity and automatically adjusting the arrangement for the optical system. As the method of preparing the data base, a method of using optical simulation or an experimental method of using a sample having an optical shape is applied. A pinhole position and a beam size are adjusted automatically so as to attain the optimal arrangement for the optical system to an inputted defect shape based on the data base.
US08253928B2
An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to radiant energy includes: a stage including a chuck, and configured to hold the substrate on the chuck with vacuum and to be moved; a recovery device configured to recover the substrate from the stage; a first detector configured to detect an error of holding of the substrate on the chuck; a measuring device configured to measure an amount of positional deviation of the substrate relative to the chuck; and a controller configured to cause the measuring device to measure the amount of positional deviation in a case where the first detector detects the error, and to control an operation of the stage such that the amount of positional deviation falls within a tolerance based on the measured amount.
US08253926B2
An exposure device for producing semiconductors and liquid crystals has an optical system capable of effectively using light generated without making a hole in a lamp discharge vessel when high energy laser light is supplied to it for emitting light, such as ultraviolet light. The exposure device has a light source for emitting ultraviolet light, a laser device for emitting laser light, an elliptical reflector for reflecting ultraviolet light emitted from the light source, and an optical system for directing light reflected by the elliptical reflector to an article to be treated via optical elements including a collimator lens and an integrator lens, and a beam splitter having a wavelength selecting ability provided in the optical path for light reflected by the elliptical reflector to allow laser light to be incident on the light source from and opening side of the elliptical reflector.
US08253905B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device including a substrate, a first conductive layer disposed on the substrate, a gate insulating layer covering the first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer disposed on the gate insulating layer, wherein the first conductive layer including a first sub-data line and a gate line, the second conductive layer including a source electrode and a common electrode, and the common electrode is disposed opposite to the first conductive electrode, and a method of making the same with five photolithographic and etching processes.
US08253899B2
A birefringent film of the present invention comprises at least one kind of polycyclic compound including a —COOM group (the M denotes a counter ion), wherein an index ellipsoid satisfies a relation of nz>nx=ny. The polycyclic compound includes, for example, acenaphtho[1,2-b]quinoxaline derivative represented by the following general formula (I). The birefringent film of the present invention can be formed thin-type and have a high birefringent index in the thickness direction, since the birefringent film comprises the polycyclic compound.
US08253894B2
An optical element for an illumination device, an illumination device, and a display device using the illumination device is capable of performing surface light emission by utilizing a plurality of light guide members, and suppressing generation of color unevenness.
US08253890B2
A high aperture active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) includes pixel electrodes in respective pixels which overlap adjacent address lines. The color filters are formed on the active substrate in a manner such that the filters also overlap the address lines and function as an insulating layer between the pixel electrodes and address lines in the areas of overlap. Accordingly, line-pixel capacitances are reduced and the resulting AMLCD is easier to manufacture. The total number of process step in manufacturing is reduced, and plate-to-plate (active to passive plate) alignment is much easier and less important.
US08253889B2
The application discloses an array-type light-emitting device comprising a substrate, a semiconductor light-emitting array formed on the substrate and emitting a first light with a first spectrum, wherein the semiconductor light-emitting array comprises a first light-emitting unit and a second light-emitting units, a first wavelength conversion layer formed on the first light-emitting unit for converting the first light into a third light with a third spectrum, and a circuit layer connecting the first light-emitting unit and the second light-emitting unit in a connection form to make the first light-emitting and the second light-emitting unit light alternately in accordance with a predetermined clock when driving by a power supply.
US08253885B2
A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel, a backlight source provided on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel, for irradiating the liquid crystal panel with white light, and an optical film provided between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight source, in which the optical film includes a base material which passes the white light irradiated from the backlight source, a colored layer partially provided on one surface of the base material at the side of the liquid crystal, panel, and a reflective layer provided on another surface of the base material at the side of the backlight source opposite to the colored layer, for reflecting the white light.
US08253884B2
A liquid crystal display device includes an illuminator and a liquid crystal panel for performing displaying by using light which is emitted from the illuminator. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer provided between the pair of substrates, and a pair of alignment films provided on sides of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer. At least one of the alignment films is a photo-alignment film which is imparted with an orientation regulating force through a photo-alignment treatment, and the illuminator includes a light source causing primary generation of at least blue light, among other light which is used for displaying.
US08253878B2
An adjustable support apparatus for an LCD monitor is provided. The support apparatus includes a receiving bracket, a cover secured to the receiving bracket, and a sliding member received between the receiving bracket and the cover. The sliding member is capable of sliding relative to the receiving bracket and the cover. A securing member is slidably attached to the cover. An elastic positioning member is secured to the cover. A plurality of positioning grooves is defined in the sliding member, and the securing member biases the positioning members to engage in one of the positioning grooves.
US08253864B2
A device for receiving broadcast signal is disclosed. More specifically, the device includes an user interface (132) configured to provide at least one command signal for selecting a data broadcast signal which has been selected by a user and for selecting an audio, a controller (100) configured to provide control signals according to the command signal inputted via the user interface (132), a tuner (102) configured to synchronize at least one transmit stream (TS) of the selected data broadcast channel according to the control signal, a TS unit (104) configured to convert the at least one TS into at least one of a plurality of audible signals for video, a plurality of audible audio signals for data, a plurality of displayable video signals, and a plurality of displayable data signals (200), an audio switch configured to output any one of the plurality of audible audio signals for video or the plurality of audible audio signals for data according to the control signal, a display module (138) configured to display at least one of the video and the data on a same screen, and at least one speaker (137) configured to output audible audio outputted from the audio switch.
US08253859B2
An HDMI(R) source determines whether or not an HDMI(R) sink can receive a sub-signal based on VSDB of E-EDID. When the HDMI(R) sink can receive the sub-signal, the HDMI(R) source adds a sub-signal to pixel data of a main image composed of pixel data whose number of bits is smaller than that of transmission pixel data transmitted by a transmitter, thereby constructing transmission pixel data. This data is transmitted by the transmitter through TMDS channels #0 to #2. Furthermore, the HDMI(R) source transmits a general control packet containing sub-signal information indicating whether or not the sub-signal is contained in the transmission pixel data in the control period of a vertical blanking period. The present invention can be applied to, for example, HDMI(R).
US08253856B1
An apparatus including a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to generate a first control signal, a second control signal and a third control signal in response to a first interlaced video signal. The second circuit may be configured to generate a second interlaced video signal in response to the first interlaced video signal, the first control signal, the second control signal and the third control signal. The second circuit may be further configured to vertically scale the first interlaced video signal in an extended vertical domain.
US08253852B2
An apparatus includes a housing having an integrated camera. A panel is positioned in front of at least a portion of the camera and is operable to selectively switch between at least a substantially transparent state and at least a substantially opaque state.
US08253840B2
An electromagnetic shielding coating covers a lens coated with an optical coating. A light shielding coating covers the optical coating. The electromagnetic shielding coating covers the light shielding coating. The electromagnetic shielding coating includes a first stainless steel layer and a second copper layer. The first stainless steel layer contains stainless steel, and is formed on the light shielding coating directly. The second copper layer is formed on the first metal layer.
US08253837B2
An image capturing apparatus for capturing the image of a subject includes: a lock/unlock unit adapted to lock and unlock operation of the image capturing apparatus; a registration unit adapted to register a main item and a sub-item that have been selected by a user, wherein the main item is a main setting item among operation items of the image capturing apparatus and the sub-item is a setting item in a layer lower than that of the main item; and a control unit adapted to limit operation solely to a release operation of the image capturing apparatus and to the main item and sub-item, which have been registered by the registration unit, in a case where operation of the image capturing apparatus has been locked by the lock/unlock unit.
US08253831B2
Techniques for detecting one or more events are provided. The techniques include using one or more regions of interest on a video sequence to cover a location for one or more events, wherein each event is associated with at least one of the one or more regions of interest, applying multiple-instance learning to the video sequence to construct one or more location-aware event models, and applying the models to the video sequence to determine the one or more regions of interest that are associated with the one or more events.
US08253829B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a first interpolating portion calculating a first interpolation value for a pixel value of a pixel of interest using pixel values of the pixel of interest and pixels neighboring the pixel of interest; a second interpolating portion detecting the direction of a smallest jump amount to calculate a second interpolation value for the pixel value of the pixel of interest; a detecting portion determining whether any change is made by interpolation using the first interpolation value, and selecting the first or second interpolation value when there is change or not; and an isolated point detecting portion determining whether the pixel of interest is an isolated point, outputting the first or second interpolation value when the pixel of interest is an isolated point, and outputting the pixel value of the pixel of interest when the pixel of interest is not an isolated point.
US08253827B2
A signal chain of an imaging system is disclosed. The system includes three circuit stages. The first circuit stage includes a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) and a black level compensation (BLC) circuit that form a BLC loop. The second circuit stage includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), where a dark signal offset is added at an input of the ADC. The third circuit stage includes a digital gain circuit and a digital loop that makes a final output of the imaging system settle on a target level in the BLC mode.
US08253821B2
In one aspect, a method related to data management includes but is not limited to accepting input for designation of a first portion of a data stream for retention at a first resolution, wherein the data stream represents video and/or audio information: and accepting input for designation of a second portion of the data stream for retention at a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is less than the first resolution, and wherein the retention of the second portion of the data stream at the second resolution is to be performed if a condition is met. In addition, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and/or text forming a part of the present application. Related systems are also disclosed.
US08253819B2
A tracking processing unit (137) performs a search in a frame using a color feature amount of an object and determines a target area estimated to include the image of the object based on the first evaluation value indicating a degree of matching between a search result and the object. An update detection circuit (139) performs a search in the frame using a shape feature amount of the object, calculates a second evaluation value, and determines an update area for updating a first feature amount based on the second evaluation value indicating a degree of matching between the search result and the object. An update determination circuit (140) determines whether or not to update the first feature amount. A tracking result drawing circuit (144) draws an outer frame of the target area when determined not to update, and draws that of the update area when determined to update.
US08253818B2
A solid-state imaging device according to the present invention includes, on an imaging surface, a plurality of unit pixel regions being arrayed at a first pixel pitch along a Y direction and at a second pixel pitch along an X direction. One of two adjoining unit pixel regions 1 along the Y first direction includes a first photodetecting portion 1a having a first opening ratio, and the other includes a second photodetecting portion 1b having a second opening ratio which is lower than the first opening ratio. When the first photodetecting portion 1a is moved imaginarily by a first pixel pitch along the Y direction, the first photodetecting portion 1a covers the entire second photodetecting portion 1b. At this time, a portion of the first photodetecting portion 1a that does not cover the second photodetecting portion 1b functions as an imaginary third photodetecting portion. From a difference between signals output from the photodetecting portions 1a and 1b, an imaginary pixel signal which is in accordance with an amount of light entering the imaginary third photodetecting portion is obtained.
US08253813B2
An image capturing device includes a housing, a camera module, a motion detector and a driving module. The housing defines a receiving cavity therein. The camera module is flexibly received in the receiving cavity. The motion detector is fixedly positioned on the camera module and is configured for detecting a rotational movement of the camera module. The driving module includes a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member. The first magnetic member is positioned on the camera module. The second magnetic member is positioned on the housing. The driving module is configured for driving the camera module to rotate through interaction of the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to counteract the detected rotational movement of the camera module.
US08253811B2
An image blur correcting unit allows the optical axis of a lens system to coincide with the center of an imager, thus correcting an image blur. The unit includes a stationary member and a holder member. The holder member holds either one of the elements of the lens system or the imager and moves relative to the stationary member in a first direction and a second direction, the first and second directions being orthogonal to each other in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis. The unit further includes a first guide section and a second guide section for guiding the holder member in the first and second directions during movement, and a driving section moving the holder member in the first and second directions. The one of the elements of the lens system or the imager is disposed outside an area surrounded by the first and second guide sections.
US08253809B2
An analog-digital converter includes: comparators disposed to correspond to analog signals which are converted into digital signals and configured to compare a voltage value of the analog signal, which is converted into the digital signal, with a voltage value of a predetermined reference signal; counters disposed to correspond to the comparators and configured to count a count value at the time point when the comparison process of the corresponding comparator is finished; and a determiner configured to determine a time point when all the comparators finish their comparison processes.
US08253805B2
Pulse detection portion detects pulses in a horizontal synchronization signal and acquires the occurrence period and the pulse width of the detected pulses. Synchronization pulse decision portion determines pulses, for which the differences between the occurrence period and the reference period and between the pulse width and the reference pulse width are within their respective error tolerance ranges, as synchronization pulses. Mean period acquisition portion obtains the mean period by averaging occurrence periods of the synchronization pulses. Reference period correction portion carries out either or both of correcting the reference period so as to get closer to the mean period and correcting the error tolerance range of the reference period so as to get narrower, under the condition that the occurrence frequency of the synchronization pulses for which the difference between the occurrence period and the mean period is outside of a predetermined tolerance range exceeds a predetermined threshold.
US08253801B2
To correct an angle error, acceleration data is received corresponding to a tracked object in a reference frame of the tracked object. Positional data of the tracked object is received from a positional sensor, and positional sensor acceleration data is computed from the received positional data. The acceleration data is transformed into a positional sensor reference frame using a rotation estimate. An amount of error between the transformed acceleration data and the positional sensor acceleration data is determined. The rotation estimate is updated responsive to the determined amount of error.
US08253799B2
Detecting an object in an image using camera registration data indexed to location or camera sensors
An object is detected in images of a live event by storing and indexing camera registration-related data from previous images. For example, the object may be a vehicle which repeatedly traverses a course. A first set of images of the live event is captured when the object is at different locations in the live event. The camera registration-related data for each image is obtained and stored. When the object again traverses the course, for each location, the stored camera registration-related data which is indexed to the location can be retrieved for use in estimating a position of a representation of the object in a current image, such as by defining a search area in the image. An actual position of the object in the image is determined, in response to which the camera registration-related data may be updated, such as for use in a subsequent traversal of the course.
US08253795B2
Linear and rotational speeds of a mobile device are calculated using distance estimates between imaging sensors in the device and objects or scenes in front of the sensors. The distance estimates are used to modify optical flow vectors from the sensors. Shifting and rotational speeds of the mobile device may then be calculated using the modified optical flow vector values. For example, given a configuration where the first imaging sensor and the second imaging sensor face opposite directions on a single axis, a shifting speed is calculated in the following way: multiplying a first optical flow vector and a first distance estimate, thereby deriving a first modified optical flow vector value; multiplying a second optical flow vector and a second distance estimate, thereby deriving a second modified optical flow vector value; the second modified optical flow vector value may then be subtracted from the first modified optical flow vector value, resulting in a measurement of the shifting speed.
US08253793B2
An imaging means captures a color image of lumber. An image processing means obtains the color distribution of the color image captured by the imaging means, compares the obtained color distribution with a predetermined color distribution of normal lumber, judges the obtained color distribution as an abnormal one when it is deviated from the color distribution of normal lumber by a predetermined value or more, and detects a defect of the lumber having the abnormal color distribution deviated by a value larger than the predetermined value in an area on the surface of the lumber captured by the imaging means.
US08253792B2
A safety monitoring system for a workspace area. The workspace area related to a region having automated moveable equipment. A plurality of vision-based imaging devices capturing time-synchronized image data of the workspace area. Each vision-based imaging device repeatedly capturing a time synchronized image of the workspace area from a respective viewpoint that is substantially different from the other respective vision-based imaging devices. A visual processing unit for analyzing the time-synchronized image data. The visual processing unit processes the captured image data for identifying a human from a non-human object within the workspace area. The visual processing unit further determining potential interactions between a human and the automated moveable equipment. The visual processing unit further generating control signals for enabling dynamic reconfiguration of the automated moveable equipment based on the potential interactions between the human and the automated moveable equipment in the workspace area.
US08253781B2
The present invention is related to an asymmetric aligned display having asymmetric viewing angles. The present invention provides a dual-view or 3D display capable of displaying two images of unrelated or related content along different directions with asymmetric viewing angles. The asymmetric viewing angles of the display device of the present invention can be realized by the introduction of multiple sub-pixel pitches into a single display. To be more specific, the present invention provides an asymmetric aligned display by realizing the asymmetry design in the sub-pixel itself. Consequently, the angular extends of the respective viewing windows or images displayed along different directions can be different or asymmetrical. The asymmetric aligned display of the present invention is, therefore, capable of displaying images along different directions with asymmetric viewing angles and windows without affecting the outer boundaries of the viewing windows.
US08253775B2
A multipoint videoconference server is made to swiftly respond to a video switching request from a terminal and a degree of computational complexity is made lower. A server 300 decodes only m (1
US08253773B2
The present invention includes a video camera system configured to provide real-time video streams over subscriber-based networks. The video camera system includes a network camera with a built-in web server, a cellular modem/Ethernet gateway, and a power supply. The video camera system can operate over any subscriber-based network, such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and the like.
US08253772B2
Voice or video communication is incorporated into a television or compatible audio capable visual display by routing a television signal through a communication interface apparatus connected to a voice or video communication network and switching between a call and at least the audio portion of the television signal when a call is detected and the user chooses to answer the call in response to an on-screen menu superimposed on the video portion of the television signal. The communication interface apparatus includes a controller that is configured to allow speed dialing using a wireless remote, as well as making calls from a user-defined contact list or a regional phone directory that is updatable from a remote source via the Internet.
US08253765B2
Provided is a thermal head (1) including: a substrate body (12) constituted through bonding a flat supporting substrate (13) and a flat upper substrate (11), which are made of a glass material onto each other in a stacked state; a heating resistor (14) formed on a surface of the upper substrate (11); and a protective film (18) that partially covers the surface of the upper substrate (11) including the heating resistor (14) and protects the heating resistor (14), in which a heat-insulating concave portion (32) and thickness-measuring concave portions (34), which are open to a bonding surface between the supporting substrate and the upper substrate (11) and form cavities are provided in the supporting substrate (13), the heat-insulating concave portion (32) is formed at a position opposed to the heating resistor (14), and the thickness-measuring concave portions (34) is formed in a region that is prevented from being covered with the protective film (18). Thus, the thickness of the upper substrate is easily measured without decomposing the thermal head.
US08253763B2
The present invention relates to an image processing device and method, a storage medium, and a program for performing high-quality enlargement processing. Of input image data, a data buffer 32 holds data of target-pixel neighborhood data necessary for the enlargement processing. A data-position swapping unit 33 swaps the data positions of the target-pixel neighborhood data, as needed. A pixel priority determining unit 34 determines background color or foreground color with respect to each pixel of the target-pixel neighborhood data whose data positions were sapped. A data-selection-flag determining unit 36 determines a data selection flag of the target-pixel neighborhood data, the data selection flag being supplied from the pixel priority determining unit 34. Based on the data selection flag supplied from the data-selection-flag determining unit 36, a data selector 37 selects image data to be fit into the position of the target pixel from the target-pixel neighborhood data supplied from the data-position swapping unit 33. The present invention is applicable to OSD devices.
US08253756B2
A circuit dithers pixel data on a display, and includes a lookup table module, a dithering parameter decoder, a first adder, a second adder, and an overflow handling module. A lookup table of the lookup table module stores dithering parameters generated by encoding odd and even pixel dithering parameters. The dithering parameter decoder generates second and third dithering parameters corresponding to odd and even pixels from a first dithering parameter. The first adder generates a dithered odd pixel parameter according to the odd pixel parameter and the second dithering parameter. The second adder generates a dithered even pixel parameter according to the even pixel parameter and the third dithering parameter. The overflow handling module checks for overflow, and generates an output odd pixel parameter according to the dithered odd pixel parameter, and generates an output even pixel parameter according to the dithered even pixel parameter.
US08253750B1
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide highly integrated digital media processors for digital consumer electronics applications. These digital media processors are capable of performing the parallel processing of multiple format audio, video, and graphics signals. In one embodiment, audio and video signals may be received from a variety of input devices or appliances, such as antennas, VCRs, DVDs, and networked devices such as camcorders and modems, while output audio and video signals may be provided to output devices such as televisions, monitors, and networked devices such as printers and networked video recorders. Another embodiment of the present invention interfaces with a variety of devices such as navigation, entertainment, safety, memory, and networking devices. This embodiment can also be configured for use in a digital TV, set-top box, or home server. In this configuration, video and audio streams may be received from a number of cable, satellite, Internet, and consumer devices.
US08253742B2
The principles of the present invention relate to rendering stroke pairs. A graphical object includes at least a first stroke and a second similarly oriented second stroke collectively representing a stroke pair. A calculated distance between the first stroke and the second stroke is constrained (e.g., to a center line between the strokes) to mitigate the possibility of rounding errors causing the represented stroke pair to be inappropriately rendered. After the stroke pair is constrained, controls points of the individual strokes can be adjusted so that the individual strokes are appropriately rendered at their respective constrained locations. The adjusted stroke pair is constrained between external reference points for appropriate rendering relative to other graphical objects. The graphical object, including the adjusted constrained stroke pair, is rendered at an output device.
US08253731B2
This patent application relates generally to systems, methods, and computer program products for home and/or landscape design.
US08253727B2
A three dimensional web store having product images is created. Three dimensional product images are rendered from manufacturing information instead of the products themselves. The location of all products, advertisements, aisles, signs, and displays is determined for a real world store. The web store is then created using three dimensional internet or virtual world viewing and maneuvering capabilities, to appear identical to the real world store.
US08253725B2
A method and system of generating a surface model of an anatomic structure includes a catheter with which a plurality of location data points are collected from the surface of the anatomic structure. The method and system further includes a computer system that is configured to receive the collected data points from the catheter and to compute the alpha shape of collected data points to thereby generate a surface model of the anatomic structure. The computer system may be further configured to process the computed alpha shape to generate a simplicial surface model of the anatomic structure.
US08253721B2
A display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a driving circuit coupled with a display panel. The driving circuit may have a buildup of static electricity that could degrade the image quality of the display panel. A reset unit may be a part of the driving circuit. The reset unit may power off and power on the display device to dissipate the static electricity without affecting the image quality of the display panel.
US08253715B2
A source driver and a liquid crystal display (LCD) device having the same. A source driver may carry a clock in a data current, and may recover a clock signal and/or a data signal without being substantially affected by external frequencies and/or resistance. A source driver may include a trans-impedance amplifier which may receive data currents, convert data currents into voltages, and/or output voltages as data voltages and/or clock voltages. A source driver may include a comparator electrically coupled to a trans-impedance amplifier, which may change levels of data and/or clock voltages applied from a trans-impedance amplifier, and/or may output level-changed voltages as data signals and/or a clock signal.
US08253713B2
The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can utilize photo-sensors embedded in a substantially transparent layer of a UI display for tracking objects that approach or hover over the UI display. The photo-sensors can be configured to detect light of certain wavelengths (e.g., visible light, infrared light) that are propagated toward the UI display, while ignoring light emanating from the UI display when displaying content. Accordingly, by examining various characteristics of the incoming light such as intensity, the architecture can identify a location of a shadow incident upon the display caused by an approaching or hovering selector object blocking portions of incoming light. Additionally or alternatively, the architecture can identify a location of higher intensity for light emanating from the selector object.
US08253710B2
A system and a method for protecting a resistive touch panel of a communication device includes setting a pressure threshold level, obtaining parameter values of the resistive touch panel and location information of the touch point and calculating the value of the touch resistance. The system and the method further includes confirming a pressure level corresponding to a range of the calculated resistance value, and outputting audio alerts using the alarm unit to prompt that the press action on the resistive touch panel is too forceful if the confirmed pressure level is not lower than the pressure threshold level.
US08253708B2
User interfaces, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for activating and/or displaying text input systems on display devices may include: (a) displaying a text input system activation target at a user changeable location on a display device; (b) receiving user input directed to the activation target; and (c) activating a text input system in response to the user input. Such user interfaces, methods, and systems further may include (d) displaying a pre-interaction condition of the activation target; (e) receiving user input directed to the activation target in this pre-interaction condition; and (f) changing an appearance of the activation target from the pre-interaction condition to a larger size and/or a different visual appearance in response to this user input. Additional aspects of this invention relate to computer-readable media for providing user interfaces, systems, and methods as described above.
US08253704B2
A method and apparatus to control information scrolling on a touch screen, the method including: displaying an information scroll controlling region on the touch screen; sensing a touch for a scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region and performing a dragging operation from the touched location; in response to a dragged location of the touch being out of a moving region of the scroll pointer, changing the information scroll controlling region; and adjusting a location to display information in response to the change of the information scroll controlling region.
US08253703B2
A tactile interface includes a plurality of individually controllable drivers positioned about a perimeter of a tensioned elastomeric material. Each driver includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric material. A top surface of the first electrode is coupled to the tensioned elastomeric material. The piezoelectric material is disposed between a top surface of the second electrode and a bottom surface of the first electrode. Driver circuitry can apply control information to each of the plurality of individually controllable drivers to produce a wave pattern in the tensioned elastomeric material. Some example methods of providing a tactile image on a tactile interface include producing a time-varying potential difference across the top electrode and the bottom electrode of the drivers so that a standing wave pattern can be created in the elastomeric material. The tactile image can be formed by modulating a subset of the plurality of drivers.
US08253699B2
In a display apparatus, a display panel includes touch sensors that make contact with a common electrode by an external pressure to output a common voltage, and a sensing driver receives the common voltage from the touch sensors to generate a sensing signal. A controller receives the sensing signal from the sensing driver and calculates position information to which the external pressure is applied based on the sensing signal. The sensing driver includes a switching circuit that receives a switching signal from the controller to switch the common voltage. Thus, the display apparatus prevents the common voltage from being input during a period where a voltage level of the common voltage is abnormally high, thereby preventing a logic circuit of the sensing driver from being damaged.
US08253698B2
An electronic device includes a base and a touch screen display connected to the base and movable relative thereto. The touch screen display includes a display device and a touch-sensitive input surface overlying the display device. The electronic device includes a feedback mechanism including a switch moveable relative to the base for actuating in response to application of a force to the touch-sensitive input surface causing movement of the touch screen display. Operational components are connected to the touch screen display for operation of the electronic device.
US08253696B2
A flexible pressure sensor has a first set of substantially parallel conductors in the x direction, a second set of substantially parallel conductors in the y direction, and a composite material disposed between the first set and second set of conductors. The composite material is capable of returning to substantially its original dimensions on release of pressure. The composite material includes conductive particles at least partially embedded in an elastomeric layer that have no relative orientation and are disposed within the elastomeric layer for electrically connecting the first set and second set of conductors in the z direction under application of sufficient pressure there between.
US08253693B2
A device (A) is described, which is capable of being operated within a network comprising a touch interface (2) which is adapted to detect that a user (3) touches the touch interface (2) and simultaneously touches a touch interface (6) of another device (B) capable of being operated within a network, and a communication unit (1) adapted to communicate with a communication unit (5) of the other device (B) via a communication network established between the device (A) and the other device (B) when detecting that the user touches the touch interface (2) of the device (A) and simultaneously touches the touch interlace (6) of the other device (B).
US08253675B2
A display apparatus and a method of operating the same are provided. The display apparatus includes a wireless communication device, and a display unit that receives a main clock and is operated by an operating frequency in response to the frequency of the main clock, and a main-clock-providing unit that measures noise in signals received from a wireless communication channel, and changes the frequency of the main clock to reduce the noise.
US08253669B2
A first edge (61a) and a second edge (61b) are not uniformly parallel to each other in a direction perpendicular to a first direction (A); a protrusion that is provided on one or both of the first edge (61a) and the second edge (61b), which protrusion protrudes into a slit (62b), is increased in just a direction from one predetermined region on one side of a bisector (C) shared by the first edge (61a) and the second edge (61b) to another region on the other side of the bisector C, which region on one predetermined region and the another region on the other side are regions of the first edge (61a) and the second edge (61b), and all of the protrusion(s) being extended into the slit to reach its maximum in the another region on the other side of the bisector. As a result, it is possible to achieve a liquid crystal display that is capable of generating alignment centers of liquid crystal molecules so that alignment centers of pairs of adjacent pixel electrodes are generated in uniform, which alignment center is generated in the vicinity of a slit sandwiched between pixel electrodes that are provided adjacent to each other in a direction in which the data signal lines extend and that are applied a voltage separately.
US08253664B2
A display array. The display array applied in the panel of an organic light emitting display device comprises a plurality of data lines, a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of display units. Each display unit corresponds to one set of the data and scan lines and comprises a control unit, a driving transistor and a light emitting diode. In each display unit, the control unit adjusts light-emitting intensity of the light emitting diode in a frame cycle time according to the driving capability of the driving transistor.
US08253662B2
A display system in which the luminance of light-emitting elements in a light-emitting device is adjusted based on information on an environment. A sensor obtains information on an environment as an electrical signal. A CPU converts, based on comparison data set in advance, the information signal into a correction signal for correcting the luminance of EL elements. Upon receiving this correction signal, a voltage changer applies a predetermined corrected potential to the EL elements. Thus, this display system enables control of the luminance of the EL elements.
US08253660B2
A conventional setting voltage was a value with an estimated margin of a characteristic change of a light emitting element. Therefore, a voltage between the source and drain of a driver transistor Vds had to be set high (Vds≧Vgs−VTh+a). This caused high heat generation and power consumption because a voltage applied to the light emitting element. The invention is characterized by feedbacking a change in a current value in accordance with the deterioration of a light emitting element and a power source voltage controller which modifies a setting voltage. Namely, according to the invention, the setting voltage is to be set in the vicinity of the boundary (critical part) between a saturation region and a linear region, and a voltage margin for the deterioration is not required particularly for an initial setting voltage.
US08253657B2
A driving apparatus of a plasma display is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first switch connected between a first power source for supplying a first voltage and a scan electrode, and a first diode and a second switch connected in series between a second power source for supplying a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage and the scan electrode. Further, the driving apparatus includes a third switch connected between a power recovery power source and a contact point between the first diode and the second switch, and a second diode connected in parallel the first diode and the third switch.
US08253652B2
A volumetric three-dimensional display panel and a volumetric three-dimensional display system employing the volumetric three-dimensional display panel are provided, wherein the volumetric three-dimensional display panel is formed by stacking a plurality of transparent flat display panels, such as, organic light-emitting devices. In the volumetric three-dimensional display panel, two-dimensional images are displayed on the transparent three-dimensional display panels, respectively, to form a single three-dimensional image.
US08253648B2
A portable terminal comprises a first body 104 on which the first display surface 102 is formed, a second body 108 on which the second display surface 106 is formed, and hinge units which combine the first body 104 and the second body 108 in a foldable way. The first display surface 102 and the second display surface 106 form a combined display 112 continuously at a time of opening the first body 104 and the second body 108, and it further comprises a display control unit which displays one information on the whole combined display 112. Two display screens respectively formed in the individual bodies are used effectively.
US08253646B2
An antenna including first and second printed wiring boards and a plurality of linking conductors. The first and second printed wiring boards each has a respective plurality of rectilinear printed wiring patterns arranged in parallel at a specified interval, and respective through holes formed on both ends of each of the respective rectilinear printed wiring patterns. The plurality of linking conductors are configured so that both ends of the conductors are linked to the through holes that are formed in the first and second printed wiring boards so that the first printed wiring board and the second printed wiring board are disposed opposite each other, and so that the plurality of rectilinear printed wiring patterns formed on the first printed wiring board and the plurality of rectilinear printed wiring patterns formed on the second printed wiring board are conductively connected to each other in a helix.
US08253635B2
A mobile wireless communications device may include a portable housing, a dielectric substrate carried by the portable housing having a front side facing toward a user and a back side opposite the front side, and a ground plane carried by the dielectric substrate. The device may further include at least one circuit carried by the dielectric substrate, and an antenna carried by the dielectric substrate adjacent an end thereof and electrically connected to the at least one circuit. A ground patch may be adjacent the front side of the dielectric substrate that is electrically connected to the ground plane and spaced apart from and at least partially overlapping the antenna.
US08253626B2
A multiple phase state near-field electromagnetic location and communication system includes a multiple phase state near-field transmitter, and a near-field locator receiver. The near-field transmitter is capable of operation in at least two states and each of these at least two states generates a state characteristic difference detected at the near-field locator receiver. The state characteristic difference may be employed for location determination, communication or both. The present invention is particularly well-suited for use in conjunction with a near-field electromagnetic ranging system. In further embodiments, a multiple phase state near-field electromagnetic location and communication process includes the steps of determining a transmission state for a near-field quadrature transmitter, transmitting a near-field transmission corresponding to said transmission state, receiving a near-field transmission corresponding to said transmission state, and determining a difference between at least two properties of said near-field transmission where the difference is characteristic of and corresponding to the transmission state.
US08253620B2
A synthesized aperture radar imaging system is disclosed. The system includes an antenna reflector and a radar signal transceiver configured to generate a plurality of radar transmission signals and to receive a respective plurality of reflected radar signals. The system also includes a wave reflection device configured to sequentially reflect each of the plurality of radar transmission signals onto separate respective spot-portions of the antenna reflector. The plurality of radar transmission signals can be transmitted from the antenna reflector to a target and reflected from the target as the respective plurality of reflected radar signals. The system further includes a synthesized aperture radar controller configured to integrate the plurality of reflected radar signals and to generate a high-resolution, three-dimensional image of the target from the integrated plurality of reflected radar signals.
US08253604B2
A keyboard scanning circuit, comprising N wires, and [(2N−1)+(2N−1−1)N] switches divided into two switch groups, therein N is a natural number. Each switch includes a first contact and a second contact. The first contacts of the (2N−1) switches in the first switch group are connected to ground, the second contacts of the (2N−1) switches in the first switch group are connected to the wires in (2N−1) connectors. The first contacts of the (2N−1−1)N switches in the second switch group are connected to one of the wires, the second contacts of the (2N−1−1)N switches in the second switch group are connected to the nodes between the switch in the first switch group and the wires.
US08253600B2
A keyboard includes housing and two support members. The housing defines two receiving spaces each including a bottom defining a perforation. The two support members are received in the receiving spaces. Each support member includes an adjusting wheel and a support. The adjusting wheel is rotatably received in the receiving space and defines a spiral groove. The spiral groove includes spiral lateral surface. The support is received in the receiving spaces and aligned with the perforation, and includes a pin received in the spiral groove. When the adjusting wheels are rotated, the pins are urged by the spiral lateral surface to move, changing an inclination angle between the base and a support surface supporting the base.
US08253598B2
A light-emitting keyboard is disclosed, which comprises: a light guide plate, configured with a light entrance surface, a light emitting surface, a bottom surface and a side surface in a manner that the light emitting surface is arranged opposite to the bottom surface, and the light entrance surface and the side surface are arranged respectively next and connecting to the light emitting surfaced and the bottom surface while being sandwiched therebetween; a light source, disposed next to the light entrance surface of the light guide plate; a frame, disposed on the light emitting surface of the light guide plate; a first reflector, disposed on the bottom surface of the light guide plate; and a second reflector, disposed on the side surface of the light guide plate. With the aforesaid structure, light from the light source can be fully utilized so that the overall brightness of the light-emitting keyboard can be enhanced.
US08253597B2
A keyboard includes a plug communicating with an external input device, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a base. The PCB includes a first power pad and a second power pad electrically connected to the plug via a cable. The PCB outputs a control signal to the plug via the cable in response to the first power pad and the second power pad being electrically connected. The base includes a control and at least one positioning element for positioning the control on the base. The control includes a pushbutton, a first pin electrically connected to the first power pad, and a second pin electrically connected to the second power pad. The first pin and the second pin are electrically connected in response to the pushbutton being pressed.
US08253593B2
A traffic light system includes a traffic light unit and at least one reminding unit. The traffic light unit includes a plurality of traffic lights, a detecting module connected to the traffic lights, and a wireless communication module connected to the detecting module. Each reminding unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a signaling module, such as a speaker module connected to the CPU. The detecting unit detects the working statuses of the traffic lights and generates corresponding detect signals transmitted to the wireless communication module, the wireless communication module sends the detect signals to the reminding unit in a predetermined reminding area, the CPU processes the detect signals to obtain the workings statuses of the traffic lights and controls the speaker module to play corresponding audio signals to remind the user.
US08253587B2
A system and method to monitor the condition of a structure is provided. In one embodiment, a sensor node can include a power supply that can scavenge available energy, a sensor for sensing conditions in the immediate environment, and a communications interface for communicating the sensed operating conditions. Readers can be used to acquire data from the sensor nodes. In one embodiment, the readers can determine if the data from the sensor nodes is an exception and, if so, determine whether trend data is sufficient.
US08253581B2
A loading device includes a feeder having a cutout and a sensor. When a sensor detects that an item is positioned in the cutout, a motor slides the feeder out of a first component to remove the item from the first component for delivery to a second component. Alternatively, the loading device is a pivotal arm which pivots to slide the item out of the first component.
US08253579B2
A portable system includes a portable device and a power adapter to supply power to the portable device. The portable device includes a rechargeable battery and a measurement chip to measure charge remaining in the rechargeable battery. The power adapter includes a transmission line, a microprocessor, and a display unit. The microprocessor receives the readout of the amount of charge remaining in the rechargeable battery from the measurement chip via the transmission line, and generates a display signal according to the charge remaining. The display unit displays the charging progress of the rechargeable battery according to the display signal received from the microprocessor.
US08253575B2
A spindle device is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of an antifriction bearing or the temperature of a part of either one of a housing and a spindle which part is influenced by a temperature change of the antifriction bearing, and an abnormality detection section for detecting the abnormality of the antifriction bearing based on the change speed of the temperature of the antifriction bearing detected by the temperature sensor, so that the abnormality of the antifriction bearing can be detected more precisely.
US08253573B2
An alarm unit for monitoring or detecting presence of an analyte on a separate sensor portion. The present invention comprises only the alarm unit and its means for attachment to a user's clothing. A square plastic casing protects the alarm electronics portion including a signal processing means. A large clip attachment means is included that is easily separated and attached from the casing and is used to attach the unit to clothing and which has enough clearance to be used with thick articles of clothing including diapers and which has a set of teeth frictionally held against a rubber strip portion located on the casing back so as to also enable secure attachment to very thin articles of clothing. A three-way switch is located externally for easy alarm chime and alarm volume selection. Interdependent modes of operation enable the signal processing means to control the alarm unit operation and features including low power indication, improper cable plug installment, three-way switch deactivation during Monitor mode, and a snooze/reset feature by which the alarm is easily disabled temporarily so that, as an example, a user can focus on running to the bathroom where the device is used to treat enuresis.
US08253572B2
A dynamically controlled retractable tether provides a mechanism by which a pet can be safely exercised on a bicycle or other vehicle. The pet avoids injury when running in front of the bicycle and stopping short, by having a detector detect the relative motion of the pet and the bicycle so as to automatically apply brakes to the bicycle prior to the pet being injured. Variations include a zone detection mechanism that detects a relative position of the pet relative to the bicycle, and uses a different set of braking parameters, depending on the zone in which the pet is located.
US08253570B1
A device that allows soldiers to find lost or captured comrades uses standard RFID technology wherein the missing soldier has an RFID tag on his person. The searcher uses a reader that uses a directional antenna in order to increase system range. The reader also has a digital compass thereon so that once the reader determines the direction to the missing soldier, the compass outputs the direction. An RFID radar on the reader determines the distance between the reader and the tag. A GPS chip on the reader gives the GPS coordinates of the reader while appropriate circuitry calculates the GPS coordinates for the tag based on the GPS coordinates for the reader, and the direction and distance to the tag. The reader and the tag communicate using spread spectrum technology in order to prevent system corruption.
US08253556B2
This invention aims to provide a Mobile Communications Terminal (MCT) equipped with a GPS function that automatically transmits the information on the current position of the MCT after the power of the MCT is turned off. The MCT comprises a GPS Receiver Unit 105 for receiving signal data from a GPS satellite, a Position Determining Unit 107 for determining a current position of the MCT based on the aforesaid signal data, a Positional Information Transmitter Unit 108 for automatically transmitting information on the position obtained by the Position Determining Unit 107 and other information, a Controller Unit 104 for sending a request command to the Positional Information Transmitter Unit 108, and a Timer Circuit Unit 102 for turning on the MCT at a predetermined time interval, after power of the MCT is turned off.This invention enables the MCT to automatically transmit the information on the position information and other information of the MCT at a predetermined time interval while the power of the MCT is on, and automatically transmit the information on the position information and other information of the MCT at the a predetermined time interval after the power of the MCT is turned off.
US08253548B2
An elevator system (10) includes a wireless batteryless hall call switch module (22) that transmits a unique wireless code when a person presses a hall call button (32, 34) requesting elevator service. A hall indicator module (24) includes an RF transceiver (64) that receives the wireless code from the switch module (22), activates a display to indicate that a button has been pushed, and transmits the hall call information to the elevator control system (14). When the elevator controller (14) informs the transceiver (64) of car arrival, the hall indicator module (24) causes the display to indicate car arrival.
US08253542B2
There is provided a physical token for use in a defined venue with a server having communication with the physical token. The physical token may comprise an identification data and a transmitter configured to transmit the identification data. The physical token is configured to transmit the identification data to the server to cause the server to initiate a sensory interaction with a user possessing the physical token. The sensory interaction may comprise a character in the defined venue interacting with the user possessing the physical token. The sensory interaction may also comprise a display screen in the defined venue displaying information to the user possessing the physical token. The sensory interaction may further comprise an audio speaker in the defined venue announcing information to the user possessing the physical token. The physical token may represent an affinity comprising an experience, entitlement, or characteristic of the user possessing the physical token.
US08253530B2
A keyboard can power a computer on or off. A switch arranged on the keyboard receives power on or off operations. A control chip in the keyboard outputs control signals to a microcontroller according to the power on or off operations. The microcontroller actuates a switch circuit to make a control terminal of a motherboard of the computer power on and off the computer.
US08253521B2
An inductor winding includes first, second, and third arms, a middle portion extending between and connected to at least two of the first, second, and third arms and arranged to support a winding core mounted thereon, and first, second, and third legs extending downwardly from the first, second and third arms, respectively, and arranged to be mounted on a circuit board. The first, second, and third legs are arranged to provide three-point contact with the circuit board, and the inductor winding is arranged to provide a space between a bottom surface of the winding core mounted on the middle portion and an upper surface of electronic components mounted on the circuit board.
US08253488B1
A circuit for self-calibrating a gain control system samples the output of a digital amplifier coupled in series with one or more analog amplifiers to correct errors in a discrete stepped gain control. A digital gain control circuit controls both the digital amplifier and at least one analog amplifier to produce a smooth linear and continuous gain, wherein perturbations in the digital control of gain are smoothed by a signal applied to gain control circuit by a gain step correction circuit.
US08253481B2
The present invention is directed to perform fine low-voltage control without largely increasing the circuit layout area in a low-power consumption structure. In the case of shifting a region to a low-speed mode, a system controller outputs a request signal and an enable signal to a power switch controller and a low-power drive circuit, respectively, to turn off a power switch and to perform a control so that the voltage level of a virtual reference potential becomes about 0.2 V to about 0.3V. The region operates on voltages between a power supply voltage and a virtual reference potential, so that it is controlled in the low-speed mode.
US08253480B2
An internal voltage control circuit includes active drivers, a control unit, and a time interval adjustment unit. The active drivers are configured to receive a common internal voltage. The control unit is configured to control respective enable operations of the active drivers. The time interval adjustment unit is configured to respectively supply enable signals, generated by the control unit, to the active drivers at respective predetermined time intervals.
US08253478B2
An internal voltage generating circuit is provided. The internal voltage generating circuit of a semiconductor device includes a control signal generating circuit for generating a control signal according to a number of data bits, a comparator for comparing a reference voltage to an internal voltage to generate a driving signal when the control signal is inactivated, a driving signal control circuit for inactivating the driving signal when the control signal is activated, and an internal voltage driving circuit for receiving an external power voltage and generating the internal voltage in response to the driving signal. Therefore, an internal voltage can be turned to a reference voltage level or to an external power voltage level according to the number of data input and/or output bits of a semiconductor device, and even when the number of data input and/or output bits is increased, a data access speed can be improved.
US08253477B2
A voltage boost circuit is driven with a clock signal CLK which toggles between voltages V1 and V2. A first MOSFET is coupled between CLK and an output node OUT, and at least one additional MOSFET is coupled between OUT and a supply voltage. The first terminal of a capacitance is coupled at its first terminal to OUT, and at its second terminal to a delay circuit arranged to toggle its output to ˜V2 or ˜V1 a predetermined amount of time after the voltage applied to the clock signal side of the first MOSFET toggles to ˜V2 or ˜V1, respectively. The capacitance is charged to ˜V2 when the voltage applied to the clock signal side of the first MOSFET toggles to ˜V2, and OUT is increased to a voltage greater than V2 when the output of the delay circuit toggles to ˜V2. The only active device junctions subjected to the boosted voltage are MOSFET well-substrate junctions, such that no active devices are overstressed.
US08253476B2
A trimmer circuit is so configured that an electronic device will break down to produce a high current to trim a fuse. The electronic device is selectively configured to have a breakdown voltage lower than an applied voltage, for the trigger of its breakdown to be controllable. In an embodiment, the electronic device is switched between two states having two breakdown voltages respectively, and the applied voltage is higher than one of the breakdown voltages and lower than the other one.
US08253467B2
In at least one example embodiment, a phase signal generating apparatus includes a phase signal generator and phase controller. The phase signal generator is configured to receive a plurality of first phase signals and a plurality of second phase signals, adjust a phase difference between the plurality of first phase signals and the plurality of second phase signals and generate a plurality of adjusted first phase signals and a plurality of adjusted second phase signals, based on a switch control signal and a phase control signal, a phase difference between the plurality of adjusted first phase signals and the plurality of adjusted second phase signals being the adjusted phase difference. The phase controller is configured to generate the switch control signal and the phase control signal based on phase information for the plurality of first phase signals and the plurality of second phase signals.
US08253462B2
A duty cycle correction method includes detecting independently a relative delay time of two input differential signals; equating the sum of two relative delay time with the cycle of the input differential signals; and adjusting the two delay time to the same value. A corresponding implementation circuit includes two time delay units; two relative phase detectors connecting simultaneously with each of the two time delay units; a charge pump connecting with the output of each of the two relative phase detectors, with its output connecting to the two time delay units in order to form a loop; and a synthesis output unit connecting with both the time delay units, thereby generating output signals. The adjusting range of duty cycle becomes much wider. The implementation circuit is absolutely symmetrical, so a duty cycle with high accuracy can be obtain.
US08253460B2
An oscillation circuit including a first transistor, a second transistor, a current source, a first inverter, and an impedance unit is disclosed. The first transistor has a first source receiving a first operation voltage, a first drain, and a first gate coupled to the first drain. The second transistor has a second source receiving the first operation voltage, a second drain, and a second gate coupled to the first gate. The current source is coupled between the first drain and a grounding voltage. The first inverter generates an oscillation signal and has a first input terminal, a first output terminal, and a first power terminal coupled to the second drain. The impedance unit is coupled between the first input terminal and the first output terminal.
US08253454B2
The present invention relates to a PLL that utilizes a phase interpolation by a reference clock. The PLL includes a phase-interpolated controller for generating a phase-interpolation control signal; a phase/frequency detector for detecting a phase difference between a second reference clock and a feedback clock and outputting a phase error signal to represent the phase difference; a loop filter for filtering the phase error signal to generate a first control signal; a phase-interpolated oscillator for generating an output clock under a control by the phase-interpolation control signal and the first control signal; and a divide-by-N circuit for dividing down the output clock by a factor of N to generate the feedback clock, where N is an integer.
US08253431B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for testing non-contact pads of a semiconductor device to be tested. The apparatus includes an insulating body, at least one testing module and a plurality of probes. The insulating body includes an accommodating cavity, a lower opening and at least one side opening. The side opening communicates with the accommodating cavity and the lower opening. The testing module is disposed in the side opening, and each testing module includes a circuit board and an active chip. The active chip is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board. The active chip has a plurality of testing pads exposed to the accommodating cavity. The probes are disposed in the lower opening. Whereby, the non-contact pads of the semiconductor device to be tested face but not in physically contact with the testing pads of the active chip, so as to test the proximity communication between the non-contact pads of the semiconductor device and the testing pads of the active chip.
US08253430B2
A test point of a circuit board is probed using an edge probe provided in a fixed orientation when the edge of the probe contacts a solder mound of the test point. The solder mound has an elongated shape. A length of the edge is substantially perpendicular to a length of the solder mound when the edge contacts the solder mound and is maintained in the fixed orientation.
US08253429B2
A probe card of a semiconductor test apparatus having a plurality of space transformers supporting probe units of the probe card is provided. A probe card of the present invention includes a plurality of probe units, each comprising a guide member and at least one probe secured by the guide member and contacting a chip pad to be tested; a plurality of space transformers arranged below the respective probe units, each space transformer having wires electrically connected to lower terminals of the probes; a frame having a plurality of guide holes for fixedly positioning the respective probe units; an interposer array arranged below the space transformers for supporting the space transformers, interposer array comprising electrical connection means for supplying test signals to the wires of the space transformers; and a printed circuit board arranged below the interposer array for supporting the interposer array and electrically connected to the electrical connection means for supplying the test signals. In the probe card of the present invention, the probe units are independently supported by respective space transformers such that it is possible to reduce thermal distortion of the probe card and simplifying the manufacturing and repairing processes.
