US08251717B2
An electrical connector includes an insulative housing having a base portion extending along a front-to-rear direction and a strengthening rib protruding outwardly from an outer circumstance of a front end of the base portion. At least one receiving recess is defined on the strengthening rib and opened upwardly via an opening defined on an upper face of the strengthening rib. A plurality of contacts are secured in the insulative housing. A metallic shell surrounds the base portion and includes at least one retaining plate received in the receiving recess. A transverse width of the receiving recess becomes narrower and narrower in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction so as to keep the retaining plate being secured.
US08251704B2
A computerized learning method is provided. The method may include receiving a write request from a first learning application program to write a learning level for a skill in a user profile. The user profile is configured to store data indicative of a plurality of skills and a learning level for each skill. The skills and learning levels are defined according to a profile schema. The method may further include writing the learning level for the skill in the user profile. The method may also include receiving a read request from a second learning application program to read the learning level for the skill in the user profile. The method may finally include retrieving the learning level from the user profile, and sending the learning level to the second learning application program.
US08251699B2
An orthodontic bracket having an opening for receiving a wire, but without a base to create a lever arm when the bracket is oriented in free space at a customized angle relative to a tooth surface. The bracket can be embedded into or encapsulated by an adhesive that is bonded to the tooth. A clip is provided for holding the bracket in position and occluding the opening while the adhesive is applied. And indirect methods of attaching the brackets to teeth are provided wherein the brackets can be attached to the lingual side of the teeth in a low-profile arrangement. A first method includes the step of positioning the brackets on a physical model of the teeth by using a positioning machine. A second method includes the step of positioning virtual brackets on a virtual model of the teeth using software, then generating a physical transfer try using rapid prototyping.
US08251698B2
Implant with fastening means (2) to be fixed to the bone of a person's upper jaw (5) or lower jaw (30), with a mounting element (3) for mounting orthodontic appliances, whereby said mounting element (3) is connected to fastening means (2) by means of a connecting piece (4) formed by a rod with a circular section or an elliptic section, which is adapted to extend through the person's gum surrounding the corresponding bone to which said fastening means (2) are intended to be fixed, whereby said fastening means (2) are formed of an osteosynthesis plate which is provided with several recesses (6,7,8,9) through which fit screws (10,11,12,13) for fixing the implant to the bone of said upper or lower jaw, wherein said connecting piece (4) forms an extension of the osteosynthesis plate.
US08251691B2
A fluid reticulation system for a composite component production assembly, the production assembly including at least one pressure chamber (25) having a chamber wall (21) locatable adjacent a composite lay-up or mold, at least a portion of the chamber wall (21) being resiliently deformable, the fluid reticulation system being locatable within the inner volume of the pressure chamber (25) and including means (5) for distributing fluid towards an inner surface (22) of the chamber wall as the fluid enters the pressure chamber.
US08251688B2
A method and an apparatus to form a sheet of polymeric material have first and second mold halves which clamp together on a polymeric sheet. A vacuum mechanism draws the sheet into an interior space. The vacuum mechanism has a plurality of controllable vacuum ports positioned about the interior space to direct the vacuum at specific portions of the sheet. Also, the sensing mechanism determines the draw depth of the sheet.
US08251685B1
The present invention is directed generally to building tools that are high quality, durable, and in some case lightweight and may include an output port assembly that has multiple sections that may be made separately and uniquely so as reduce tool weight, corrosion, and cost without degrading strength and durability.
US08251683B2
A variable capacity rotary compressor includes a rolling piston eccentrically rotated in the compression space of the cylinder assembly, and a vane coming in contact with the rolling piston. A vane restricting device restricts the vane by applying a pressure onto a side face of the vane, where a sectional area A of a passage through which the restriction pressure is applied to the side face of the vane is formed so as not to be larger than a vane area B of the vane to which the restriction pressure is applied through a passage. The passage includes a first passage for connecting an inner space of the casing to a vane slot which is provided in the cylinder assembly and has the vane slidably inserted therein, and a second passage for connecting the vane slot to an inlet which is connected to the suction chamber of the cylinder assembly.
US08251680B2
A fan case and a fan unit realize a fan motor attaching structure in which a fan motor is fixed without a tightening part while the number of functional parts is decreased. The fan case is formed in a box shape having an opening formed by a bottom face, side faces, a front face, and a rear face, and the opening is substantially similar to an outer shape of at least the two fan motors. The front face includes a handle, and the rear face has an opening to expose a connection surface of a connector electrically connected to the fan motor. The side face includes a first latch and a second latch, which are provided so as to be projected toward the opposite side face. A ventilating hole and a bent portion are provided in the bottom face.
US08251676B2
An axial-flow fan for a vehicle radiator includes a fan wheel that delivers the main air flow and is driven by a hub motor coupled to the fan wheel. The vehicle radiator is on the intake side of the fan wheel, the hub motor during operation is cooled by a secondary air flow, and the cooling air flow of the hub motor flowing out from an air outlet opening is on the intake side in the hub area of the fan wheel. An air baffle device including a propeller is assigned to the hub motor and the cooling air flow passing through the air baffle device is led out of the air outlet opening, avoiding disturbances of the main air flow delivered by the fan wheel.
US08251666B2
A blade of a hybrid type fan includes: a blade body 21 made of a synthetic resin; and a metallic insert 22 that is insert molded simultaneously with the blade body 21 and mounted to a mounting arm of a spider. At a corner on an outer side of a radial direction and a forward side of a rotary direction of the insert 22, a bulging portion 26 is provided to bulge toward the outer side of the radial direction and the forward side of the rotary direction. A bulging region 27 of the bulging portion 26 that the most prominently bulges toward the outer side of the radial direction is located to be forward in the rotary direction relative to a mounting center C of the insert 22 and the mounting arm along the radial direction.
US08251649B2
In a blade row of an axial flow type compressor in which a rotor blade row and a stator blade row are alternately arranged in an axial direction, the stator blade row 10 is formed by plural main stator blades 12 and plural sub-stator blades 14. Each main stator blade 12 is formed by a basic blade portion 12a which has the same shape as that of each sub-stator blade and a forward blade portion 12b which extends to the upstream side of the basic blade portion. The basic blade portion 12a are located at the same position in an axial direction. The forward blade portion 12b forms a forward stator blade row which has a circumferential interval larger than that of the basic stator blade row in the vicinity of at least a radial inner end.
US08251648B2
A fluid flow machine includes a flow path formed by a casing 1 and a rotating shaft 2, in which rows of blades 3 are provided, with at least one annular groove-type recess 4 being arranged in a blade 3 tip area in an annulus duct wall of the shaft 2. A cross-section and the position of the recess 4 are defined as follows: the axial arrangement is selected such that a partial length A of the recess 4 extends by max. 30 percent of the chord length of a blade 3 from the blade 3 leading edge against the direction of flow, and up to max. 50 percent of the chord length of the blade 3 from the blade 3 leading edge in the direction of flow.
US08251647B2
The fastening for an attachment of a guide device to a gas outlet housing is positioned in a region radially outside guide blades. In this way, a circumferential position of the guide blades may be freely selected within predefined angles. Collisions are avoided between the guide blades and fasteners.
US08251644B2
An engine blower includes a centrifugal blower, an engine, and a frame for supporting the centrifugal blower. The centrifugal blower is supported by a back support of the frame via a flexible vibration-proofing section while being connected to the back support via a belt-shaped stopper. An engaging hole is provided on at least one of the centrifugal blower and the back support, and a thick engaging section is provided on at least one end of the stopper for being engaged with the engaging hole. When the stopper is inserted into the engaging hole and the one end of the stopper is pulled, the engaging section is engaged with the engaging hole. By further pulling the one end of the stopper, the engaging section is tightly buried into the engaging hole. Thus, the stopper can be reliably attached to the centrifugal blower or the back support.
US08251641B2
A stack of fan case in accordance with the present invention includes a first casing and a second casing stacked on the first casing. The first casing has a first surface, a second surface and a locking surface opposite to the second surface. An insertion bore formed on the second surface has an alignment bore, a fastening bore communicating to the alignment bore and a limit bump formed at the fastening bore. The second casing has a third surface, a fourth surface and at least one fastening member protruding on the fourth surface. The fastening member of the second casing is inserted into the alignment bore of the insertion bore to protrude on the locking surface of the first casing, and then casings are turned to make the fastening member pass through the limit bump and be accommodated within the fastening bore.
US08251638B2
Apparatuses and methods are provided for a wind diverter at least partially encircling a wind turbine support column to direct the wind from an area around a wind turbine to the rotor blades of the wind turbine. The wind diverter may also reduce turbulence and increases the laminar flow of the airstream delivered to the rotor blades. Additionally, the wind diverter increases both the volume of air and the velocity of the airstream reaching the rotor so as to increase the rotor speed. Increasing the rotor speed increases the energy available to the wind turbine. Energy increases as the cube of the rotor speed and the increased energy produces an increase in the power generated by the wind turbine. The wind diverter also allows a wind turbine to begin producing energy at lower initial wind speeds due to the concentration of air.
US08251634B2
The invention relates to a transfer plate for loading a cargo space. The transfer plate is intended to be moved, together with cargo units, into the cargo space and back again, the cargo units remaining in the cargo space. Rolling elements are arranged, over at least part of the length of the transfer plate, on the side of it facing the cargo units to permit movement between the transfer plate and the cargo units. The transfer plate is mainly of plastic and the thickness of the structure formed by the transfer plate and the rolling elements are less than 70 millimeters. The invention also relates to a method for loading a cargo space.
US08251630B2
A grain bag handling assembly for a grain bag unloading apparatus having an auger assembly with an input end which is inserted into a mouth of an elongated grain bag and a remote output end. The grain bag handling assembly includes a rotatably mounted spool onto which the grain bag is rolled. The spool has a changeable diameter. A drive motor is provided for rotating the spool.
US08251619B2
A hole machining method includes drilling two holes are drilled at opposite ends of a drilling area as a start point and an end point. The number of holes between the start point and the end point is determined. A dividing point and a number of holes L are determined according to determined equations. Holes are drilled in the dividing point, and between the start point and the dividing point according to the determined equations.
US08251618B2
A cutting insert includes upper, a lower, and side surfaces a corner cutting edge and a first cutting edge; a rake surface; and a protruding portion. The protruding portion is located inner side on the upper surface with respect to the rake face and comprises a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface located between the first surface and the second surface. The rake face includes a first rake face and a second rake face. An angle between an intersection line of the third surface and the second rake face and the first side is 90 degree or less as viewed from the upper surface.
US08251616B2
The present invention is directed to a pile driver with a lead that is capable of receiving and supporting a pile in a substantially horizontal orientation and subsequently rotating the lead and received pile from the substantially horizontal orientation to a substantially vertical orientation needed before the pile can be driven into the earth. In one embodiment of the pile driver, the chassis is of a relatively short length to be more maneuverable and the lead is capable of supporting a long and/or quite massive pile. To prevent the chassis, lead, and pile from tipping or being placed in an unstable condition, the pile driver further comprises a movable counterweight system. The method is also directed to methods of using such a pile driver to accomplish the driving of a pile.
US08251612B2
A tidal barrier is provided that may be selectively deployed in response to tidal changes. The tidal barrier includes a net having a tensile membrane with an upper edge and a lower edge. The lower edge has a plurality of anchor points for affixing the lower edge to a seabed below a body of water. The tidal barrier further includes a bladder affixed to the upper edge and having a valve for selectively inflating and deflating the bladder. The bladder has a sufficient volume to cause the upper edge of the membrane to rise to a surface of the body of water when the volume is inflated with a gas. A pump is disposed in proximity to the tensile membrane and is in fluid communication with the valve of the bladder. The pump has a controller for selectively prompting the pump to inflate and deflate the bladder with the gas.
US08251604B2
A device (1) for securing to the rim (11) of a spoked wheel a stud (2) connected to a spoke, includes:—a screw (3) adapted to be inserted in a through hole, made in the rim (11), which has a seat (4) adapted to receive the head (5) of the screw (3);—a body (6), adapted to be secured to the rim (11) the screw (3), which has at last a threaded hole (7) adapted to receive the threaded shank of the screw (3) and a seat (8) adapted to receive a rounded head (9) of the stud (2), which is connected in an articulated manner to the body (6);—a sealing ring (10) inserted between the rim (11) and the body (6). The head (5) of the screw (3) and the corresponding seat (4) present in the rim (11) preferably have a countersunk shape.
US08251602B2
An intermediate adapter includes a first terminal operable to be electrically connected to a lens detecting terminal provided on the camera body when the intermediate adapter is attached to the camera body, a second terminal operable to be electrically connected to a terminal provided on the interchangeable lens for providing a ground potential when the interchangeable lens is attached to the intermediate adapter, and a first switch interposed between the first terminal and the second terminal. The first switch is operable to electrically connect the first terminal and the second terminal when the first switch is on, and disconnect the electrical connection between the first terminal and the second terminal when the first switch is off. While the intermediate adapter is being attached to the interchangeable lens, the first switch is off to disconnect the electrical connection between the first terminal and the second terminal.
US08251601B2
The invention provides a camera module and a method for fabricating the same. A camera module includes an image sensor device chip having a plurality of solder balls on a bottom surface thereof. An optical lens is disposed on the image sensor device chip. A metal plate has a part that extending over the bottom surface of the image sensor device. A metal coating layer surrounds vertical surfaces of the optical lens and a top surface of the part of the metal plate. A first light shielding layer covers vertical surfaces of the metal coating layer.
US08251596B2
An imaging apparatus allows an interior structure including a camera unit to make a retreating movement in response to a shock applied to a cover from various directions. The imaging apparatus includes a camera unit including a lens and an image sensor, a dome cover covering the camera unit, a tilt support stand tilt-rotatably supporting the camera unit, a pan rotary support member pan-rotating together with the tilt support stand, and an elastic member arranged on the pan rotary support member and imparting an urging force to the tilt support stand. When a force is applied from the dome cover, the camera unit can make a retreating movement in a vertical direction and a slanting direction.
US08251577B2
A heat sink tester for pressing a heat sink against a simulation heat source includes a base, a pressing assembly and a supporting device. The base is for supporting the heat sink thereon. The pressing assembly presses the heat sink against the base along a first direction. The supporting device is for supporting the simulation heat source thereon. The supporting device pushes the simulation heat source through the base to engage against the heat sink along a second direction opposite to the first direction.
US08251576B1
Multilayer articles such as thin-film solar cells can be effectively tested under thermal load in a mini-module that includes a chamber or enclosure in which one or more laminated multilayer articles are housed. The inner dimensions of the chamber, at least along the axis that is perpendicular to the plane defined by the laminated solar cells, are configured to remain substantially constant during testing. Cooling the laminated solar cells in the mini-module device causes the encapsulant material to shrink and thereby induces accelerated failures in the laminated solar cells and associated structures. A technique of detecting the presence of defects or failures is near infrared radiation thermography wherein NIR images of the laminated solar cells are taken during the cooling process. The color patterns manifested from the cooled laminated solar cells can reveal the location, nature and extent of the defect or failure.
US08251573B2
A cutting tool for juicer includes a seat of axis, on which mounted a main blade axis, a main tool and an assistant blade axis for driving an assistant tool. The main blade axis drives the assistant blade axis to rotate via a gear A and a gear B of a gearing arrangement. The assistant blade axis drives the assistant tool to rotate. The revolving direction of the assistant tool is vis-à-vis with respect to that of the main tool, and the speed of the assistant tool is different from that of the main tool. A gear C is provided at the top of the assistant blade axis. An assistant blade pan of having inner teeth that extend inward is sheathed on the top of the main blade axis. The assistant tool is mounted on an outboard surface of the assistant blade pan. The gear C engages with the inner teeth of the assistant blade pan.
US08251564B2
An exemplary light guide plate includes an light incident surface, an light emitting surface, a number of parallel V-shaped structures, and a Fresnel lens portion. The light incident surface is configured for receiving light beams. The light emitting surface is adjacent to the light incident surface, and configured for emission of the light beams. The V-shaped grooves are defined in the light incident surface and arranged perpendicular to the light emitting surface. The Fresnel lens portion is provided on the light incident surface between each two neighboring V-shaped grooves.
US08251555B2
A lighted exterior mirror assembly includes a housing that houses a reflectance element, and includes a turn signal indicator disposed at a portion of the housing. The turn signal indicator is fixedly disposed at the housing separate from the reflectance element whereby movement of the reflectance element is independent of the turn signal indicator. The turn signal indicator comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a plane that is generally horizontal when the lighted exterior mirror assembly is attached to the side of the vehicle. The plurality of light emitting diodes may be disposed behind a light-transmitting cover and, when the lighted exterior mirror assembly is attached to the side of the vehicle and when the plurality of light emitting diodes is powered, the plurality of light emitting diodes emits light that is viewable at least rearward of the vehicle.
US08251554B2
A lighting apparatus has a housing and is disposed at a lower end of a front fork of a motorcycle. The housing includes a front opening disposed on a side of a radiation direction of a lighting body and a side opening disposed on a center side in a width direction of a motorcycle. The side opening in the housing, covered by a lid, is wide enough for the lighting body to pass through. The housing includes a wire guide for withdrawing an electric wire and a drain hole formed in a bottom portion of the housing. The lighting body is fixed on a board. The housing includes rails disposed on an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion thereof, into which an upper end and a lower end of the board are to be fitted so as to position the lighting body in a longitudinal direction.
US08251552B2
Lighting apparatus and structures are described that are adapted for installation in housings. The housings can be pre-existing ones, such as those installed for high-intensity discharge (HID) or other types of lighting. The lighting apparatus can include a light unit (e.g., luminaire) with desired type of light source(s), for example, an array of LEDs. The apparatus can include structures that are adapted for use with the housings such that installation of a light unit requires a minimum of user effort and time. Such lighting apparatus, and related installation methods, can accordingly provide for high-efficiency lighting. Related assembly and installation techniques are also described.
US08251544B2
A lighting and communication system for use in a standardized light fixture is provided. The lighting and communication system includes a light source and a communication apparatus, and the communication apparatus is at least one of an audio device or a camera. At least one electrical connector configured for physical and electrical connection to the standardized light fixture is included, and the at least one electrical connector is electrically connected to the light source and the communication apparatus.
US08251541B2
A tubeless light-emitting diode (LED) based lighting device includes at least one base, at least one LED lighting module, and at least one control circuit. The base includes a heat dissipation body. The LED lighting module is mounted to the base so that the base provides the LED lighting module with the functions of retention and heat dissipation. The control circuit is mounted to the base and is electrically connected to power wiring of the LED lighting module for ON/OFF switching of the LED lighting module and supplying of operation power. As such, a tubeless lighting device that emits light in a power saving manner and is constructed in a volume reduced manner is provided.
US08251539B2
An energy saving lamp is provided. The energy saving lamp includes a main body, a circuit, an adjusting member, and a shielding device. The circuit includes a plurality of parallel loops, each parallel loop includes at least one light emitting member and a pair of open ends, the adjusting member is rotatably connected to the main body; the shielding device is fixed on the adjusting member; a conductive rod is fixed at the shielding device, and is received in an accommodating hole of the main body; when the adjusting member turns under a twisting force, it drives the shielding device to turn, the conductive rod moves in the accommodating hole to contact different number of the pairs of open ends to close the loops of the open ends, the light emitting members in the closed loops are thus turned on.
US08251535B2
A LED lighting assembly comprising at least one LED; the at least one LED being mounted to a support; at least one solar element for creating electric power from solar power; at least one battery for storing electricity generated by the solar element; at least one wind vane operatively associated with the support; at least one motor/generator having a first mode for generating electric power from the wind turbine; and at least one shaft operatively connected to the at least one motor/generator and the support; the motor/generator having a second mode in which the motor/generator operates to rotate the support; the at least one motor/generator being operatively connected to the at least one battery for storing electric power therein.
US08251521B2
A multipurpose projector is provided with a fiber bundle including a plurality of cores fixedly arranged on an input plane and an output plane, laser beam sources for emitting laser beams having directivities, an optical guide unit for modulating the laser beams emitted from the laser beam sources and guiding the modulated laser beams to the input plane of the fiber bundle, a projection lens for enlarging and projecting the laser beams emerging from the output plane of the fiber bundle to a display space, and a projection angle adjusting mechanism disposed on the side of the output plane of the fiber bundle for adjusting projection angles of the laser beams projected from the projection lens. Thus, the projector can have its projection space freely operated and enlarged to extend its application not only to image display, but also to illumination and decoration with colored light.
US08251515B2
A projector includes: a first image projection section adapted to project a first image based on a first image signal, a second image projection section adapted to project a second image based on a second image signal such that pixels of the second image are shifted from pixels of the first image, a correction section adapted to correct the image signal input to the image projection section using a correction filter adapted to correct a difference in optical transfer function between the plurality of image projection sections; and a sharpening section adapted to execute a sharpening process of sharpening an edge portion of the image to be displayed, on the image signal having been corrected by the correction section and to be input to the plurality of image projection sections.
US08251509B2
Methods and systems for obtaining an ocular aberration measurement of an eye of a patient are provided. Exemplary techniques involve obtaining a first induced metric for the eye that corresponds to a first accommodation state of the eye, obtaining a second induced metric for the eye that corresponds to a second accommodation state of the eye, and determining a natural metric of the eye based on the first and second induced metrics. An induced metric may include a pupil size or a spherical aberration. Techniques can also include determining a target metric for the eye base on the natural metric, determining whether an actual metric of the eye meets the target metric, obtaining an ocular aberration measurement of the eye if the actual metric meets the target metric, and determining a treatment for the eye based on the ocular aberration measurement.
US08251507B2
An inkjet recording apparatus includes: an ink ejection head having ink ejection openings; a conveyance mechanism which is disposed below the ink ejection head and conveys a recording medium facing the ink ejection openings; a recording medium feeder which is disposed below the conveyance mechanism, is capable of stocking therein a recording medium, and feeds a recording medium to the conveyance mechanism; a refeeder which is partially disposed below the recording medium feeder and which refeeds, to the conveyance mechanism, a recording medium having conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; and an ink reservoir which is disposed below the refeeder and reserves therein ink to be fed to the ink ejection head.
US08251506B2
An ink-jet recording apparatus, including: an ink-jet head having an ejection surface; a conveyor mechanism having a conveyor belt with a conveyor surface and a belt drive mechanism for moving the conveyor belt and configured to convey a recording medium; a pair of comb electrodes disposed so as to be opposed to the ejection surface, each comb electrode including a plurality of electrode portions, the electrode portions of one and the other of the comb electrodes being alternately arranged; a voltage-application power source for applying a voltage between the comb electrodes; and a controller having an attraction control portion for controlling the power source so as to attract the medium to the conveyor surface, wherein the attraction control portion is configured to control the power source such that the voltage is applied between the comb electrodes after initiation of the movement of the conveyor belt by the belt drive mechanism.
US08251504B2
A method for operating a web printing system enables web and roller changes arising from temperature changes to be identified and used to adjust operation of the reflex registration system. The method includes identifying a temperature change for at least one roller in a web printing system, identifying a temperature change for a web moving through the web printing system at one or more locations in the web printing system, modifying web velocity computations for a reflex registration system with reference to the identified temperature change for the at least one roller and the identified temperature change for the web, and operating printheads to eject ink onto the web at positions identified with reference to the modified web velocity computations.
US08251503B2
Disclosed is a nonaqueous ink jet ink that is suitable for printing (scratch resistance and resistance to alcohol wiping) on recording media of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride, is highly safe, can be used without posing any problem of odor, has excellent properties of ink ejection from an ink jet head, and can realize a good printed image quality. Also disclosed are a process for producing a nonaqueous ink jet ink and an ink jet recording method using the nonaqueous ink jet ink. The process for producing a nonaqueous ink jet ink is a process for producing a nonaqueous ink jet ink containing at least an organic solvent, a pigment, and a fixing resin. The process is characterized in that the fixing resin satisfies a b/a value of not more than 0.020 wherein a represents the tall of integrated values of areas of all of peaks derived from the fixing resin among all of peaks detected in a proton nuclear magnetic resonance analysis; and b represents the total of integrated values of areas of all of peaks derived from the compounds other than the fixing resin.
US08251502B2
A liquid-jet head chip includes an actuator substrate having liquid discharge flow paths for discharging a liquid and disposed parallel to and at a distance from each other. Each of the liquid discharge flow paths is open on a surface of the actuator substrate. A cover plate substrate is bonded onto the surface of the actuator substrate and has an opening portion that opens on a surface of the cover plate substrate on a side opposite to the actuator substrate. The opening portion includes a concave portion and through-holes extending from the concave portion and communicating with the liquid discharge flow paths. A filter structure is disposed at an approximately constant distance from the surface of the cover plate substrate to which the actuator substrate is bonded. The filter structure is located at a position so as to substantially close the opening portion of the cover plate substrate.
US08251480B2
An ink jet printing apparatus printing on a print medium includes a print head having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink while scanning in a scan direction, and a conveyance unit including a pair of rollers for conveying the print medium in a conveyance direction crossing the scan direction by rotation of the rollers. The rollers are provided at a position at an upper stream side in the conveying direction of the print medium from a print position at which printing by the print head is performed. A detection unit is configured to detect a downstream side end of the print medium conveyed by the pair of rollers, with the detection unit arranged at a position that is a distance from the pair of rollers, in the conveyance direction, corresponding to a length of the print medium. In addition, a change unit is configured to change the ejection ports available for printing according to an error in conveyance detected by the detection unit.
US08251470B2
In one embodiment, a device for use with a first carriage carrying a printhead and a sensor includes a track. The track is positioned adjacent to a path, the path being followed by the first carriage. A second carriage is movable along the track and carries a target. The second carriage is movable between a first position, in which the target is away from the sensor, and a second position, in which the target is adjacent to the sensor and a reference included in the target is a known distance away from the sensor.
US08251468B2
The present disclosure provides a compact and easy-to-use ink refill device that is configured to refill empty ink cartridges. The device includes an ink reservoir that stores ink, a cartridge holder that secures the cartridge during refilling, and an ink delivery system that allows ink to flow from the ink reservoir to the spent cartridge. The ink delivery system is configured to avoid ink from leaking from the reservoir before, during, and after refilling. The ink delivery system of the present disclosure is also configured to avoid overfilling or under filling.
US08251466B2
The stationary drawer glide and cabinet drawer incorporating the drawer glide allow for a user to easily slide open and closed a cabinet drawer without causing damage or warping to the cabinet drawer, even if there are heavy objects in the drawer. The drawer glide includes a fastening portion adapted to be affixed to an interior cabinet wall, and top and bottom portions for supporting a drawer. The drawer glide may be made of a material with a smooth surface with a low coefficient of friction to facilitate easy gliding of the cabinet drawer.
US08251461B2
To improve brake force in front and rear combined brake control, a brake control device includes a front wheel brake caliper having at least two front wheel cylinders, and a rear wheel brake caliper having a rear wheel cylinder. A front wheel brake conduit is disposed between a front wheel master cylinder and one of the front wheel cylinders, and a rear wheel brake conduit is disposed between a rear wheel master cylinder and the rear wheel cylinder. A pressure amplification conduit branches from a first position in the rear wheel brake conduit and merges with the rear wheel brake conduit at a second position downstream of the first position. A combined brake conduit branches from a third position in the rear wheel brake conduit positioned downstream of the first position and is coupled to the other of the front wheel cylinders. A first switch control valve is disposed between the first position and the third position in the rear wheel brake conduit. A second switch control valve in disposed in the pressure amplification conduit. A hydraulic pump is provided in the pressure amplification conduit, and a controlling device is provided that controls the opening and closing of the valves and actuation of the hydraulic pump.
US08251457B2
An apparatus for securing the head and/or torso of a child by way of a belt securing system is provided. Adjustable head and torso supporting portions can be attached to the seat of a lightweight vehicle, such as a bike trailer, or an airplane.
US08251456B2
A locking mechanism comprises an elongate body having first and second rails each having a first end and a second end and a void disposed therebetween. Lock slots are disposed in the first end of each rail and a pad is connected to each of the rails at the second ends to join the first and second rails. A mid bar is rotatably connected to the first and second rails and positioned within the void. An extension is disposed on a second end of the mid bar, wherein the extension provides a visual indication of both a locked state and an unlocked state.
US08251455B1
A fishing chair mountable on a pier railing or truck tailgate, which includes a frame, for supporting a chair seat; a first arm member extending from the frame to a point above the seat; a pair of finger members extending from the first arm member for engaging over and around a pier railing or truck tailgate; a second arm member extending from the frame for resting against a face of a wall of the pier or tailgate for allowing the chair to cantilever out from the pier wall or tailgate without making contact with the ground below; and a leg extending downward from the frame and having a pair of wheels so that the fishing chair can be rolled onto and away from the mounting position. There is further included a rod holder mounted on the first arm member. In this embodiment the seat is positioned to have a user face the pier railing when the chair is mounted thereupon; and the seat is positioned to have a user face away from the truck tailgate when the chair is mounted thereupon. There are other embodiments depicted in the body of the patent.
US08251451B2
A recliner assembly provides pivotal movement of a seat back relative to a seat cushion for a vehicle seat. The recliner assembly includes a rotatable rod extending between a first end and a second end. A first recliner is fixedly coupled to the first end of the rod and is operable between a locked condition wherein the seat back is fixed relative to the seat cushion and an unlocked condition wherein the seat back is selectively pivotally adjustable. A second recliner is operatively coupled to the second end of the rod and is operable between the locked condition and the unlocked condition. A bushing is disposed between the second recliner and the rod. The bushing biases the second recliner against the rod to synchronize the first and second recliners to unlock simultaneously. The bushing also provides a lost motion connection to allow the first and second recliners to lock independently.
US08251447B2
There are provided a bio-signal analyzer using a sensor capable of detecting, even though it is non-invasive, a more prominent bio-signal, and a seat using the bio-signal analyzer. Air cushions (10), which are sensors detecting a bio-signal in a non-invasive manner, are disposed at the positions corresponding respectively to left and right iliocostalis lumborum muscles of a person, in a substantially vertically long state along the iliocostalis lumborum muscles, with upper ends thereof being set at least at the height corresponding to a lower face of a human diaphragm. In the diaphragm, bio-signals such as heartbeats, breaths, or pulsations of aorta passing through the vicinity of the diaphragm are resonated and amplified. Further, the iliocostalis lumborum muscles are at positions where they are easily vibrated by pulsations of aorta passing through the vicinity of the lumbar region. Therefore, by disposing the air cushions (10) as described above, bio-signals amplified by the diaphragm and the iliocostalis lumborum muscles can be detected.
US08251444B2
An arrangement in passenger vehicles, that provide a mechanism for reducing the peak inertial loading on the occupant including children during lateral acceleration, and has synergistic comfort, convenience and utility features.
US08251442B2
Two-way foldable outdoor chair selectively foldable from set-up position to a first flatly folded position or to a second bundled position may be prevented from being folded to the second position while at all times remaining foldable to the first position and may include an adjustable reclining position.
US08251439B2
There is a pit-defining (17) housing in a vehicle pillar in a spaced relationship with a vehicle inner panel assembly. A load-transferring element includes an anchor plate (27a) attached to the vehicle inner panel assembly and arms (27b, 27c) extending away from the anchor plate. Each of the arms (27b, 27c) is joined to one of sidewalls (17b, 17c) of the pit-defining housing at that area region which extends inwardly from a terminal end (27bT, 27cT) of the arm along an inside of the arm.
US08251437B2
The assembly is of the type comprising two pairs of front longitudinal members of a chassis of a motor vehicle and support and fixing mounting plates arranged at the front ends of the longitudinal members and comprising a front bumper shield comprising a one-piece plastics material frame consisting of an upper bumper beam and a lower bumper beam and two vertical members connecting the upper and lower bumper beams, the vertical members of the frame being configured to act as impact absorbers and fixed resting directly against the mounting plates.
US08251432B2
The present invention relates to a glass seal for attaching an attached part (2) to a glass pane (3) of a motor vehicle, having a mounting profile (1) comprising a mounting arm (4) contacting the surface (5) of the glass pane (3), and a latching profile (7) for receiving an attachment element (8) of the attached part (2), characterized in that the mounting profile is designed such that a lower force is required for assembling the attached part (2) than for removing the same. The invention further relates to an arrangement of a glass seal according to the invention having a glass pane (3) of a motor vehicle, an attached part (2), or a water tank cover (2).
US08251426B2
A stowable seat 10 for a motor vehicle 1, and in particular for a van, having a moveable bulkhead 9 is disclosed in which a backrest 11 of the seat 10 is stowed vertically above a base 12 of the seat 10 and a support mechanism 20 for the seat 10 is arranged so that no member of the support mechanism 20 is located to the rear of a vertical plane “V” aligned with a rearmost part of the stowed seat 10. This arrangement allows the moveable bulkhead 9 to be moved up to the rearmost edge of the stowed seat 10 thereby maximizing the carrying capacity of the motor vehicle 1 when the seat 10 is stowed. The support mechanisms 20 allow the seat 10 to be moved between its stowed and ‘in-use’ positions simply by moving the backrest 11.
US08251425B2
A seat frame (1) for a vehicle seat has two seat supports (3, 3) that extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and are intended for laterally attaching the seat frame (1) to a vehicle floor (2) or to adjustment rails (16) for the seat frame (1). A seat shell (4) is mounted in and connected to the seat supports (3, 3) and is configured for accommodating a seat cushion. The seat shell (4) is connected to the respective seat support (3) so that the seat shell (4) and the seat support (3) form a closed profile in the connection region. The seat shell (4) is formed from a light metal and combines maximum weight reduction with a high degree of rigidity, in particular high torsional or bending stiffness.
US08251414B2
A tow hook cover for concealing an opening formed in a bumper cover of an automotive vehicle is provided. The tow hook cover includes a generally planar member having an outer surface and an opposite inner surface. A tether hook is disposed on the inner surface of the generally planar member. The tether hook has an elongated leg having a proximate end attached to the inner surface of the generally planar member and a distal end spaced apart from the inner surface. The distal end has a first arm extending generally normal from the elongated leg and a second arm defining an acute angle between the elongated leg and the second arm. Upon installation, the first arm extends through an aperture formed adjacent the tow hook opening prior to the second arm which deflects upon insertion.
US08251408B2
A battery cover latch mechanism is configured for detachably assembling a battery cover on a housing. The battery cover latch mechanism includes a button, an assembly portion including two blocks positioned on the housing, a latching part positioned on the battery cover; and a resilient member secured on the button and latching to the blocks to provide a resilient force to the button. The button releasably latches to the latching part to lock the battery cover to the housing or release the battery cover from the housing.
US08251400B2
A restraint system for a transportation vehicle may comprise a restraint member movably mounted to the vehicle. The restraint member may have a first leg and a second leg that travel together along opposite sides of a seat carried by the vehicle as the restraint member moves relative to the vehicle. A restraint harness may include a retractor that may be mounted to one of the first and second legs, and a lap web having one end mounted within the first retractor and an opposite end mounted to the other of the first and second legs. The lap web may be configured to restrain an occupant of the seat when the restraint member is moved to an occupant restraint position. At least one lock may be mounted to the vehicle and configured to secure the restraint member to the vehicle when the restraint member is in the occupant restraint position.
US08251394B2
A system including a low rider saddle mount (302) for safe and legal transportation of multiple vehicles (136, 137) is provided. The system includes a low rider saddle mount (302) having a first horizontal member (304) selectively coupled to one of a towing vehicle (132) and a second vehicle (136), and a second horizontal member (306) selectively coupled to one of the second vehicle (136) and a third vehicle (137). The second horizontal member (306) is vertically spaced apart from the first horizontal member (304). The multiple vehicles (136, 137) are towed in a forward direction. The system may further include a universal folding boom trailer (130). A method for towing multiple vehicles (136, 137) is also provided.
US08251392B1
A device for retaining a user's foot on a motorcycle footboard is disclosed, such as a footboard having an upper surface and a perimeter edge. The device comprises a frame configured to mount on the footboard. The frame forms a perimeter to extend about a portion of the upper surface of the footboard. The frame defines an aperture that is configured such that the portion of the upper surface of the footboard is exposed when the frame is mounted on the footboard. The frame comprises a main portion, the main portion having a front end for positioning toward a front of the footboard and a back for positioning toward a back end of the footboard. The frame also comprises an extension portion extending from the main portion. The extension portion extends forwardly from the main portion. The device includes a securing structure for removably securing the frame to the footboard.
US08251390B2
This invention provides a stabilizing system and method for two-wheeled vehicles that affords the rider no restriction on the full range of movements (banks, leans, etc.) common to bicycles, but that provides greater stability during turns and other maneuvers so that an unintentional bank or tilt (potentially causing a fall) is less likely, even at relatively slow speeds and startup. A rotating mass of predetermined mass-value and radial mass-distribution is provided coaxially with the front axle. The mass is supported on bearings so as to freewheel with respect to the rotation of the front wheel. As such it can be induced to spin significantly faster than the front wheel thereby generating a gyroscopic effect at the front wheel about the axle. This gyroscopic effect influences the steering of the wheel by the rider. Due to precession, the wheel tends to follow any excessive bank by the vehicle, ensuring that the rider can “steer-out-of” an unintended tilt or bank. Likewise, the gyroscopic effect limits the rider's ability to execute excessive steering, thereby preventing jackknife movements. The mass can be an electric-motor-driven flywheel within a shell housing that includes a battery, control system and drive motor. The drive motor engages a surface of the flywheel with a drive tire in a resilient manner to reduce potential damage to the motor.
US08251389B2
A bicycle is equipped with an auxiliary power system to provide extra power for driving the bicycle forward. The auxiliary power system includes a base fixed to a frame of the bicycle, a power storage device connected to the base, and a ratchet device connecting the power storage device and a main transmission system of the bicycle. When pedals of the bicycle are turned in a forward direction, it may drive the bicycle forward but not the power storage device through the ratchet device. When the pedals are turned in a rearward direction, it may drive the power storage device through the ratchet device to store extra power in the power storage device. A rider may release the power stored in the power storage device to drive the bicycle forward through the ratchet device and the main transmission system.
US08251383B2
A skateboard truck assembly providing improved speed reduction or braking response when the rider places the skateboard in a rear tilt or tail drag position without sacrificing the skateboard's turning responsiveness. The truck assembly comprises a pair of axle distal sections, the portion of the axle extending beyond the ends of the hanger, that are angled relative to the riding surface. The angled axle sections causes the wheels to move in an outward direction, relative to the forward direction of the skateboard, when the skateboard is placed in a rear tilt position, resulting in drag that slows or stops the forward movement of the skateboard. Preferably, the truck assembly utilizes tapered wheels having an outer circumference which is larger than the inner circumference to provide improved speed reduction and turning stability. In addition, the pivot axis is more closely aligned or aligned with the axle axis to increase turning stability.
US08251382B2
A seat assembly mechanism for a stroller has a seat frame and a main frame. The seat assembly mechanism includes a positioning device and a seat supporting member. The positioning device is disposed on the seat frame and includes a positioning pin movable between a locking position and a releasing position. The seat supporting member is disposed on the main frame, and includes a positioning-device recipient corresponding to the positioning device and a positioning groove located at a side of the positioning-device recipient. Furthermore, the positioning device is detachably assembled to the seat supporting member, and the positioning pin inserts into the positioning groove when the positioning device is disposed in the positioning-device recipient of the seat supporting member for assembling the seat frame to the main frame.
US08251381B2
A child's carriage including a frame that supports a seat for a child and from which a rear bar extends for pushing the carriage and from which a front rod extends to a fork to which a front wheel is mounted. A swivel is mounted between the front rod and the fork which swivel is covered by a housing for at least one light source and wherein the light source is controlled by a switch on the rear bar.
US08251377B2
A roller skate having enhanced steerability and stability is disclosed. The skate includes a platform for supporting a skater's foot and front and rear wheel trucks secured to the underside of the platform. A pair of front wheels is rotatably mounted in transverse axial alignment on the front wheel truck and a pair of rear wheels is rotatably mounted in transverse axial alignment on said rear wheel truck. The pairs of front and rear wheels are also in parallel axial alignment with each other and mounted on their respective wheel trucks for resiliently controlled, tilting movement about downwardly inclined longitudinal axis. In addition, a fifth wheel is rotatably mounted on the front wheel truck between the pairs of front and rear wheels and in parallel axial alignment with the wheel pairs. An additional preferred roller skate includes a single wheel rotatably mounted to the front toe plate. The front wheel is not tiltable about the skate's longitudinal axis. This roller skate includes three wheels rotatably mounted to a rear wheel truck. The rear wheel truck is mounted to the skate's heel plate by a pivot mount allowing the three rear wheels to pivot about the skate's transverse axis which also allows a rear center wheel to engage a brake pad. Moreover, the rear wheel truck is mounted to the heel plate for providing tilting movement at least partially about the skate's longitudinal axis to permit turning.
US08251363B2
An image reader is provided, which includes an intermediate feed roller that is disposed downstream relative to a separation roller on a feeding path and configured to rotate in contact with a document sheet separated and fed by the separation roller and feed the document sheet to a downstream side on the feeding path so as to restrain a variation of a tensile force applied to the document sheet, which variation may be caused when the document sheet is fed and away from the separation roller, and only a single U-turn roller that is disposed downstream relative to the intermediate feed roller on the feeding path, and configured to rotate in contact with the document sheet fed by the intermediate feed roller and feed the document sheet to a reading unit in a U-turn manner on a U-turn path curved along an outer circumferential surface of the U-turn roller.
US08251362B2
A sheet stacking apparatus, including: a stacking section which stacks sheets; a sorting section which changes an ejecting position of the sheet in the stacking device to sort the sheets; an aligning section which aligns the sheet sorted by the sorting section and ejected onto the stacking section; a shifting section which shifts the aligning section based on the ejecting position changed by the sorting section in the stacking section; and a control section which controls at least the aligning section and the shifting section; wherein when the number of sheets as a sheet unit to be sorted by the sorting section is plural, the control section controls the aligning section to align the sheets as the sheet unit, and when the number of sheets is singular, the control section controls at least the aligning section and shifting section not to align the single sheet in the sheet unit.
US08251355B2
A suspension spring and a double-rod damper are installed in the interior of a front fork which comprises a body-side tube and a wheel-side tube. The double-rod damper comprises a piston housed in a cylinder, and an upper rod and a lower rod connected to the piston. The upper rod is formed to have a smaller diameter than the lower rod. By providing an orifice which allows working oil in an upper oil chamber formed around the upper rod to flow into a reservoir while causing the pressure in the upper oil chamber to increase, expansion and contraction of air bubbles mixed into working oil in the cylinder is prevented, thereby improving the response of a damping force generated in the front fork.
US08251345B2
A suck-back valve having an open/close valve with a suck-back function is provided. The suck-back valve includes a suck-back chamber formed in a valve internal channel of the open/close valve, a piston shaft portion and an open/close pressuring member to apply pressure to a valve piece, bellows that accommodate the piston shaft portion inside and that are connected to the open/close pressuring member at one end and are supported by a casing at the other end, wherein a two-step operation is performed at the time of a closing operation of the valve piece, including a valve closing operation step in which the piston shaft portion moves to the fully closed position of the valve piece, and a suck-back operation step in which the piston shaft portion and the open/close pressuring member further move from the fully closed position of the valve piece to increase the volume of the suck-back chamber.
US08251339B2
A mounting apparatus includes a frame, a resilient grounding piece and a fastener both made of conducting material. The frame includes an end arm, a first fixing arm connected to the end arm, and a second fixing arm pivotably connected to the end arm. Two pins protrude from an inner side of each of the first and second fixing arms, for correspondingly engaging in fixing holes of a storage device. The resilient arm is fixed to an outer side of the second fixing arm and includes a resilient arm bending away from the second fixing arm. The fastener is fixed to an inside surface of the resilient grounding piece and is pressed by the resilient grounding piece to extend through the second fixing arm and insert into the threaded hole of the storage device, to connects the storage device to ground cooperating with the resilient grounding piece.
US08251331B2
A fence hanger apparatus is generally comprised of two vertical hanging support brackets. The two vertical hanging support brackets each have an upper portion terminating in a U-shaped hook for hanging the apparatus over the top rail of a fence, and a lower portion. A vertical member has an upper end and a lower end and is positioned approximately midway between the two vertical hanging support brackets and is substantially parallel to the upper portions of the two vertical hanging brackets. The upper end of the vertical member extends substantially to the same height as the U-shaped hooks. The vertical member has a front face, a rear face and two side faces. The front face of the vertical member is provided with means for attaching hanging members. A U-shaped latch is pivotally mounted to the lower end of the vertical member for attaching the apparatus to a vertical post of a fence. The lower portions of the two hanging support brackets are secured to the lower end of the vertical member with securing means.
US08251330B2
The present teachings relate to a device configured to secure an instrument and to be removably mounted to a platform. The device can comprise a mounting base platform, a guide rod plate, and a securing means. The guide rod plate can be slidably secured to the mounting base platform, and the securing means can be configured to slidably move the guide rod plate with respect to the mounting base platform. The device can secure an instrument within, for example a firearm or a scope. The device can be mounted to a platform, for example, a camera tripod.
US08251327B2
A container holder adapted to hold a container between two spaced apart prongs is provided herein. The prongs clamp the container with a clamping force large enough to hold the container, but small enough to avoid damaging the container. The prongs may be spaced apart to fit different-sized containers, while the clamping force still meets these criteria. The clamping force may be provided by a substantially constant-force spring or a variable-force spring. In a method according to the present invention, a stack of nested containers is held in a container holder as described, for subsequent removal of a selected container from the stack.
US08251322B2
A conversion bracket is described. Specifically, the conversion bracket allows a mounting system for use with a computer system having a CRT monitor to be used with a computer system having a flat panel monitor. The conversion bracket may comprise a two prong mounting adapter and a flange to secure the conversion bracket to the CRT monitor caddy.
US08251320B2
The present disclosure relates to a component for a railway snow melter. The component includes a mounting plate adapted for connection to a tie duct. The mounting plate defines a point nozzle opening and/or a track duct nozzle. A point nozzle is mounted to the mounting plate at a location above the point nozzle opening. A track duct nozzle is mounted to the mounting plate at a location above the track duct nozzle opening.
US08251317B2
A variable porosity system for an aircraft includes a first layer, a second layer and an actuator mechanism. Each of the first and second layers has at least one pore and are slidable relative to one another. The actuator mechanism is operative to move the first and second layers relative to one another such that the pores are movable into and out of at least partial alignment with one another to allow for fluid communication therebetween. At least one of the first and second layers is substantially continuous with an outer mold line surface of an aerodynamic member such as an aircraft wing. The actuator mechanism is configured to modulate the frequency of the opening and closing of the pores with respect to flight conditions of an aircraft.
US08251316B2
A conformal airlock assembly for ingress and egress through a door from a high pressure environment to a low pressure environment. The airlock assembly includes a flexible, gas impermeable membrane that cooperates with a support wall in an airtight manner to form an interior pocket over the door on one side of the wall. A gas displacement system, in flow communication with the interior pocket, is selectively operable to flow air out of the interior pocket, collapsing the membrane toward a collapsed condition. An actuation system coupled to the flexible membrane is operable to displace the flexible membrane, in the collapsed condition, away from the one side of the support wall. Such displacement of the airtight membrane creates a low pressure space in the pocket that is selected to be sufficiently proximate that of the low pressure environment. Hence, the door may be opened to permit ingress and egress therethrough without a large pressure differential.
US08251314B2
A cargo receiving arrangement for an aircraft hold with a cargo receiving area provided therein with at least one folding loading bridge (4, 5, 6) and a loading door (20) which closes the aircraft hold in a swivelling manner in the region of the loading bridge, characterized in that a loading door inner face (23) of the loading door is designed in such a way that, when the loading door is swung to, the folding loading bridge folds upwards as a result of the contact with the inner face of the loading door. This is important especially in regions of varying aircraft width, since the loading bridge collides there with the loading door.
US08251313B2
The ice prevention system of the present invention utilizes, in combination, a de-ice subsystem and anti-ice subsystem in a new configuration on an aircraft with engines located behind its wings. Depending on the vertical location of the engines with respect to the wings, the anti-ice subsystem is configured on an upper or lower portion of a leading edge of the wings. If the engine is located above the wing, the anti-ice system is configured only on a section of the wing aligned with the engine and only on the upper portion of the leading edge. If the engine is located below the wing, the placement of anti-ice system is reversed. The de-ice subsystem is configured on the opposite portion of the leading edge adjacent to the anti-ice subsystem and on the remainder of the leading edge of the wing.
US08251308B2
Conventional bottom blade type trefoil flight vehicles have composite structures wherein a plurality of pairs of fixing plates, forward/backward adjustment blades, and left and right rotation adjustment blades are separately mounted and adjusted, and thus have difficulties in scouting and surveillance in an indoor area due to the heavy weights and the large volumes of the flight vehicles. Another conventional flight vehicle has drawbacks in that flight in the left and right directions is difficult, and an adjustment blade and a fixing plate are arranged adjacent to each other to cause mutual influences of wind and non-uniformity in the flow of wind. The present invention provides a flight vehicle characterized in that three pairs of fixing plates with fixed pitch propellers and adjustment blades are installed at an angle of 120 degrees. The present invention allows anti-torque, hovering, forward/backward advancing, left and right rotation, and flight in the left and right direction of flight vehicles, and scouting and surveillance in a narrow space. The flight vehicle of the present invention is simple in structure and control, lightweight, and small in size, thereby improving power efficiency.
US08251305B2
A twin-rotor side-by-side compound rotorcraft has a fuselage and variable incident wing assembly that pivots relative to fuselage. The aircraft also has landing gear assembly and a tail fin assembly. The variable incident wing assembly is pivotally attached to the fuselage, and includes wing members, engines fixedly mounted to the wing members or another area of the rotorcraft, and a mast attached at a fixed angle relative to the wing members. Then engines may also be located near the fuselage or another area of the rotorcraft. The variable incident wing assembly is capable of pivoting about a pivot axis, thereby allowing mast orientation in at least a hover mast position and a forward flight mast position. The rotors provide additional forward thrust and the wings provide additional lift, when the mast is in the forward flight mast position.
US08251303B2
A system for destroying a memory device (e.g., a hard drive) having data stored thereon. The system has a grind chamber with a rotatable grind wheel positioned therein. A pressure arm presses the memory device against the grind wheel as the grind wheel rotates. The rotating grind wheel grinds the memory device into particles from which the data stored on the memory device cannot be recovered. The particles are collected in a receptacle adjacent the grind wheel. The system may include a plurality of guides configured to maintain the memory device in a substantially stationary position relative to the pressure arm as the grind wheel grinds the memory device into particles.
US08251301B2
An improved seal for use in fluid systems such as a water jet system includes an outer seal point that is very close to an inner seal point. By spacing these two seal points very close together, the force on the seal is greatly reduced compared to the prior art. In the disclosed embodiment, the outer seal point is on an angled forward face of the seal that abuts a back-up ring angled face. The inner seal point is between the seal and an internal shaft which rotates relative to a housing.
US08251290B1
A wireless communication device optically receives and processes a bar code and a background item to the barcode to generate image data. A processing system processes the image data to identify a bar code portion of the image data and to identify a background portion of the image data. The processing system processes the barcode portion of the image data to generate decoded data. The processing system processes the background portion of the image data to generate background data. The processing system processes the decoded data and the background data to determine if the bar code is valid. The wireless communication device generates a bar code valid signal if the bar code is valid and generates a bar code invalid signal if the bar code is invalid.
US08251288B2
A network-centric targeting system includes a prepare module to plan for targeting engagements and to identify a target; a sense module to locate targets of opportunity and targets generated by the prepare module to form targeting information; a refine module to enhance the targeting information from the sense module; a track module to maintain a location of a target, a state of the target and target activity, the track module being coupled to the refine module; a target module to select effects and to coordinate delivery of selected effects to the target, the target module being coupled to the track module, the refine module and the sense module; a deliver module to deliver effects to the target, the deliver module being coupled to the track module, the refine module, the target module and the sense module; and an assess module to assess effectiveness of the delivered effects on the target.
US08251284B2
A cover for electronic hand-held devices providing RFID-operability and/or other functional keypad overlay to extend or expand the operation of the device to permit the user to perform additional actions or transactions facilitated by the RFID-operable cover. Method of using the cover for conducting business transactions are also included.
US08251283B1
Systems and methods for token authentication analyze token data over one or more read operations to compute a characteristic master signature for the token. This can be accomplished, for example by analyzing the token data statistically to compute a characteristic signature for the token. Similar techniques can be used to generate a subsequent signature that can be verified against the original characteristic signature to authenticate the token. For example, a signature can be generated on a per use basis and that signature verified against the characteristic signature to validate the token upon use.
US08251282B2
A card reader device has a card entrance for receiving a card and a card enclosure in registration with the card entrance. The card enclosure defines an area in which the card is read. The card reader also has a card transport mechanism for drawing a card into the card enclosure and for ejecting the card from the card enclosure. A sensor is provided for sensing displacement of part of the card transport mechanism in a direction transverse to the plane of transport of the card, and a control circuit ascertains if the displacement of the card transport mechanism fulfills an alarm criterion.
US08251278B2
A method includes, but is not limited to: obtaining information associated with one or more sequences of two or more conformations of one or more portions of one or more regions of a bendable display containing electronic device and controlling display of one or more portions of the bendable display containing electronic device regarding display of second information in response to the information associated with the one or more sequences of two or more conformations of the one or more portions of the one or more regions of the bendable display containing electronic device. In addition to the foregoing, other related method/system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US08251273B2
A continuous cap feed mechanism for use with fastener driving device includes a housing for receiving a coiled strip of interconnected caps removably mounted the fastener driving device. The housing includes a passageway for guiding the strip of caps from the coil to a position beneath a fastener to be driven by the fastener driving device and an advancing mechanism for moving the leading cap on said strip from the passage to the position beneath the fastener to be driven after the fastener driving device drives a prior fastener into a cap and as it is moved away from the previously driven fastener. The advancing mechanism includes a driver movably mounted in the housing for movement between an extended and retracted position adjacent the location on the fastener driving device at which the fastener driving device drives fasteners. The driver is moved from its extended to its retracted position as it engages a work piece to which a cap is to be fastened is biased towards its extended position and includes a pusher mechanism for engaging a cap in the strip in the housing and urging the strip in the passageway towards the fastener driving device as the driver returns to its extended position when the housing is moved away from the work piece.
US08251272B2
A stapler is provided with: a forming plate (2) configured to form a straight staple (S) into U-shape; a pusher (11) configured to push the formed U-shape staple (S1) in a first direction (Df) toward a driving portion (15); a driver plate (1) configured to drive the staple (S1) within the driving portion (15) toward sheets of paper (P); an engaging portion (27) formed on the forming plate (2); and a receiving portion (20) formed on the pusher (11). The engage portion (27) is configured to engage with the receiving portion (20), during a driving operation of the driver plate (1), so as to prevent the pusher (11) from moving in a second direction (Dr) which is opposite to the first direction (Df).
US08251268B2
A front carrier includes an outer frame pipe surrounding the periphery, and a cross pipe and a back-and-forth member which are provided inside the outer frame pipe. A front side portion of the outer frame pipe is lowered at a one-step to form a stepped bottom portion. The back-and-forth member is disposed to extend obliquely downwardly from the cross pipe toward the stepped bottom portion. In addition, the widthwise inside portion of the rear side portion is bent to be forward to form an end side portion, which is joined to the cross pipe to be flush with the back-and-forth member. Thus, a cargo support surface formed by the cross pipe, the back-and-forth member and the end side portion is surrounded by an outer frame portion higher at a one-step than the cargo support. Part of the outer frame portion is allowed to serve as a cargo stopper for the cargo.
US08251267B2
A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to an outer body surface of a motor vehicle. The carrier has a pair of cross bars that can each be stowed on corresponding pairs of support elements when the cross are not needed for use without the need to completely detach either of the cross bars from their associated support elements. A rear one of the cross bars has a single sided release feature that enables both end supports at opposite ends of the rear cross bar to be simultaneously unlocked or locked from a rear pair of support elements from either end support. The rear cross bar can also be slidably positioned along the rear pair of support elements to better configure the cross bars to support variously sized articles thereon.
US08251266B2
An accessory attachment platform, including a platform body having a plate attachment portion, wherein the plate attachment portion includes a platform opening; a platform plate portion coupled to an accessory plate portion, through the platform opening, such that the platform plate portion and the accessory plate portion are rotatable relative to the platform body; and a release lever pivotably attached to the platform body, wherein the release lever is pivotable between a locking position and an unlocking position, and wherein the release lever is capable of releasably interacting with a primary notch of the platform plate portion such that when the release lever is in the locking position relative to the primary notch of the platform plate portion, the platform plate portion is unable to rotate relative to the platform body.
US08251255B1
A method of applying texture material to a surface. A block of chip material is provided. A physical structure of the chip material is not substantially altered when the chip material is exposed to a propellant material. The block of chip material is processed to obtain chips, and the chips are combined with a coating portion to obtain acoustic texture material. Propellant material is arranged within the product chamber such that a liquid phase portion of the propellant material is mixed with the acoustic texture material, and a gas phase portion of the propellant material pressurizes the acoustic texture material within the product chamber. The chip material may be urethane, in which case the propellant material may be di-methyl ethylene.
US08251249B1
A clam-shell container system can include first and second container pieces that are hingedly connected. The first container piece can include a perimeter and a hangable tab, the hangable tab having an opening configured to receive a rod. The hinge connection can be perforated, such that it breaks upon actuation of the hangable tab to open the container system. The second container piece can include a cutout in proximity to the hinge connection and the hangable tab. Accordingly, the cutout can provide clearance for the rotation of the hangable tab beyond the hinge connection. Further, the second container piece can have a perimeter having a shape substantially similar to the perimeter of the first container piece. The perimeters can form a substantial seal in combination.
US08251243B2
A closure (100) having a hub (102) and pivotally connected head (104). The head is locked in a closed position within the hub by a locking ring (106). The locking ring is polygonal in shape and includes a substantially cylindrical surface and a conical surface. The device further includes a pressure warning device (126) which has a secondary function as a locking mechanism inhibiting unintentional opening of the head when the system is pressurized.
US08251236B1
A closure having a device for lifting a liner from a container opening. The lifting device being a finger projecting from a hinge connection within the closure. The hinge connection is positioned from a depending skirt of the closure. The hinged finger disengages the liner from a sealing engagement with the container while engaging along substantially the same annulus spaced from the liner edge. A plurality of the hinged fingers may be used for the lifting device. The closure may be used in various retort and aseptic applications, as well as provide for tamper indication.
US08251234B2
A teat for connection to a receiving unit of a drink container has a main body and, adjoining the main body and tapered relative to the main body, a mouthpiece with at least one suction opening and a free end. The teat has a first connector element for connection to the receiving unit, and a second connector element for connection to the receiving unit, and a suction channel. The suction channel extends within the mouthpiece, opens via a first end into the suction opening and is directed via a second end towards the main body. This second end forms the first connector element for a substantially leak-tight connection to the receiving unit. The main body is designed such that it can be turned back towards the free end of the mouthpiece. The teat is designed such that it can be turned back at least a second location. The teat according to the invention can be connected to the feeding bottle in a simple and hygienic manner, is easy to clean and permits a feeding action that is as true to nature as possible.
US08251233B1
A shelving system and a shelf for that system are disclosed. The shelving system may include a frame base; upright frame bars connected to the frame base, the upright frame bars including a plurality of apertures; and a plurality of shelves. One or more of the plurality of shelves may include front, left, right, and rear walls, the left and right walls including at least one connector configured to be received in one or more apertures of the plurality of apertures; at least one base member connecting the front and rear walls; and at least one glide sheet configured to allow gravity to move the items supported on the at least one glide sheet toward the front wall, the shelf being free from a locking mechanism that secures the at least one glide sheet to one or more other components of the shelf.
US08251226B2
The apparatus for separating residues from a thermal waste treatment into one fine fraction and one coarse fraction comprises a housing (1) abutting on swinging elements (2), said housing having a plurality of diagonally offset plates (3.1-3.5) that are disposed one beneath the other and are connected to said housing (1) by their side edges, and being equipped with means (5) for generating a vibration component oriented in the direction of the plates (3.1-3.5) disposed diagonally offset downward. The apparatus further comprises one suction line (6) as well as an inlet opening for a gas that may be passed between the plates for wind sieving. Residues or slag from a waste treatment plant or an incineration plant are supplied to this apparatus in order to separate them into at least one fine fraction and one coarse fraction.
US08251224B2
A product packaging with expanding structures. The product packaging includes a body configured to house a toy. The body includes a central section configured to receive the toy, a front section coupled to the central section and having a transparent region configured for viewing the toy and a storage region for receiving an accessory, and a rear section configured to rotate relative to the central section and having expandable features.
US08251221B1
An improved reusable protective enclosure system, comprising a protective housing (20) and cap member (12) for jars, bottles and similar receptacles of glass (50) or other fragile material. Its main object is the construction of a housing that renders a vial or jar contained therein resistant from breakage if the housing (20) is allowed to fall or suffers a sudden shock. Another object of the reusable protective enclosure system is the construction of an airtight enclosure (20), which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Other advantages of the invention are that the inner receptacle (50) be it made of glass or other fragile material, can be readily and repeatedly accessed, removed for sterilization or recycling and replaced for continued use.
US08251219B1
A new package for medicine has an extended base section that has a generally planar top surface. A series of separate receptacles with frusto-conical walls are positioned across the base section. The receptacles are not integral with (or adhered to) the base section. Instead, each of the receptacles is nested in one of a series of apertures in the base section. Each receptacle has a flange that extends outwardly from and surrounds the opening on the receptacle. The flange has a top surface that is wider than the aperture in which the receptacle is nested, preventing the receptacle from falling through the aperture. A flexible, removable top sheet is sealed to a part of the top surface of the base section, sealing the medicine within the walls of the receptacles and preventing the receptacles from being lifted out of the aperture until the top sheet is peeled back. The top sheet may be adhered to the base section along lines of adhesion that surround each of the openings. Perforations in the top sheet enable individual receptacles to be exposed and removed from the base section without exposing other receptacles.
US08251218B2
Disclosed is a package for storing a product, such as smokeless tobacco, which includes, inter alia, a container that has opposing upper and lower surfaces, and a container sidewall that extends between the upper and lower surfaces to define an interior for storing a plurality of products. The upper surface of the container has an apex intermediate a first region and a second region and the container sidewall defines an opening sized and configured to release at least one of the products. The package also includes an outer cover having an upper section and a cover sidewall depending from the upper section. The outer cover is configured to retain the container and selectively seal the opening. The container pivots about the apex to transition between open and closed positions.
US08251216B1
A gas column structure for a shockproof sleeve includes a gas-column sheet, two folding lines and two recessed buffer walls. Each of the recessed buffer walls has U-shaped members formed abreast through heat sealing. The middle short gas columns of the U-shaped members at two sides of the recessed buffer walls are unfilled, so that four corners of the gas column structure for the shockproof sleeve are free from being broken when contacting sharp points. The gas columns of the gas-column sheet may be formed through heat sealing to have irregular shapes, so the gas-column sheet is ideal for articles with sharp points and/or irregular shapes. A dark screen may be additionally provided for covering the accommodating space as a movable screen that covers and thereby protects the semi-open accommodating space.
US08251213B2
The present invention relates to a patch package structure which includes: a package including a first sheet material and a second sheet material, the first and second sheet materials being sealed together in peripheral parts thereof; and a patch disposed in the package, the patch contains a backing, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer laminated on at least one side of the backing, and a release liner which protects a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, the release liner having on a surface thereof a cut line supporting a peel-off of the release liner at the time of using the patch, the patch being disposed in the package so that the release liner faces the inner surface of the first sheet material, the first sheet material having a first region in which the inner surface of the first sheet material faces the cut line of the release liner, the first sheet material having in the first region a minimum first distance between the inner surface of the first sheet material and the surface of the release liner, and the inner surface of the first sheet material being spaced from the surface of the release liner at the minimum first distance in the first region.
US08251211B1
A tool storage box with sliding and rotating functions includes a box body, a sliding base, and a tray for tool head portions. The box body has a space for the sliding base and the tray. The sliding base controls sliding of the tray in the space. The sliding base is provided with a pivotal shaft and a locking hook for controlling the sliding base. The pivotal hole has a pivotal trough. A peripheral surface of the pivotal trough has a positioning surface. The tray has a pivotal shaft and a positioning post for controlling rotation of the tray. The pivotal shaft engages with the pivotal hole of the sliding base to act as a center of rotation of the tray. When the tray slides out of the box body, the positioning post engages with the pivotal trough, and the tray is rotatable by means of an external force.
US08251204B1
Disclosed is a vibratory parts feeding system having an electromagnetic securement system for operatively coupling a feeder bowl, inline feeder, and/or hopper bin to their respective base drive units. The securement system includes a metallic plate and a mounting portion, wherein the metallic plate is affixed to or integrated into the feeder bowl, inline feeder, or hopper bin and the mounting portion, which includes an electromagnet, is affixed to or integrated into the base drive unit. The metallic plate and mounting portion are designed to interface with one another, and when the electromagnet is energized, the metallic plate is secured to the base drive unit by the mounting portion.
US08251196B2
A system of banknote processing machines, a banknote processing machine and a method for operating same are provided wherein data necessary for operation of the banknote processing machines are exchanged between the banknote processing machines and a service center.
US08251194B2
A solenoid valve device that includes a solenoid valve; a drive circuit that drives the solenoid section; a current sensor that detects a current applied to the solenoid section; and a control unit that controls, when the solenoid valve is served as the pressure control valve, the drive circuit by performing a feedback control based on the current detected by the current sensor so that a current in accordance with an output pressure command is applied to the solenoid section, and controls, when the solenoid valve is served as the solenoid pump, the drive circuit without performing the feedback control so that a pump current is applied to the solenoid section.
US08251192B1
A suitcase has a vacuum system which draws air out of clothing and areas adjacent to clothing being stored in the suitcase.
US08251174B2
A method for splicing honeycomb core together to form a core structure, such as an acoustic panel for an aircraft. The core structure may comprise a first honeycomb core, a second honeycomb core, and an intermediate bonding part disposed between the first and second honeycomb cores. The intermediate bonding part may comprise a syntactic core wrapped with or sandwiched between a non-foaming film adhesive. The syntactic core sandwiched between a first and second layer of film adhesive and a first and second honeycomb core is then compressed by vacuum and cured to bond the honeycomb cores together, forming the core structure.
US08251164B2
A drive system is provided for a hybrid vehicle that has an engine with a crankshaft and a motor/generator having a shaft member. The drive system includes a starter sprocket connected for rotation with the shaft member and a crankshaft sprocket connected for rotation with the crankshaft. A chain is engaged with the starter sprocket and the crankshaft sprocket. A planetary gear set is configured to multiply torque of the motor/generator, with the multiplied torque being provided to the engine crankshaft via the sprockets and the chain to start the engine.
US08251163B2
One embodiment of the invention includes an application of multilayer thermo-reversible dry adhesives in climbing devices.
US08251162B2
A traveling and turning device for a construction machine is provided, which includes a left driving motor and a right driving motor driven by hydraulic fluid, a left main control valve and a right main control valve controlling movement of the left driving motor and the right driving motor, respectively, and a left pedal and a right pedal adjusting the operation state of the left main control valve and the right main control valve, respectively. One of the left pedal and the right pedal enables the construction machine to make forward and backward movement by simultaneously applying pressure to a left side of a spool of the left main control valve and a left side of a spool of the right main control valve or by simultaneously applying pressure to a right side of the spool of the left main control valve and a right side of the spool of the right main control valve, and the other of the left pedal and the right pedal enables the construction machine to make turning movement by simultaneously applying pressure to the left side of the spool of the left main control valve and the right side of the spool of the right main control valve or by simultaneously applying pressure to the right side of the spool of the left main control valve and the left side of the spool of the right main control valve.
US08251156B2
A compliant shifting mechanism can change the operation of a power tool between first and second operating conditions. The shifting mechanism can provide two distinct forces on a gear set during movement of the gear set between the two operating conditions. The shifting mechanism can provide a user with a tactile sensation of the completion of the transition between the two operating conditions without the gear set completing the full transition. A shifting mechanism can automatically complete the change between operating conditions, regardless of an alignment between the gear set and another component. The two distinct forces can be a torsional resistance force and a bending resistance force.
US08251147B2
The present disclosure is directed to a wellbore injection system. The wellbore injection system comprises a capillary fluid flow path positioned in a subsurface wellbore so as to allow fluid communication through the wellbore, the wellbore having a wellbore pressure. A receptacle is in fluid communication with a second fluid flow path that is positioned below the capillary fluid flow path in the wellbore. An injector is attached to a distal end of the capillary fluid flow path, the injector comprising an injector flow path. The injector is capable of being removably attached to the receptacle to provide fluid communication between the capillary fluid flow path and the second fluid flow path through the injector flow path. An isolation mechanism is capable of isolating the capillary fluid flow path from the wellbore pressure when the injector is not attached to the receptacle.
US08251146B2
A system including a plurality of differential pressure actuated tools; a seat receptive to a plug; a first conduit fluidly communicating tubing pressure upstream of the seat to one end of each of the plurality of tools; and a second conduit fluidly communicating tubing pressure downstream of the seat to an opposite end of each of the plurality of tools and method.
US08251134B2
A header plate assembly for a heat exchanger includes a plate having a tube side and a tank side. A plurality of apertures extends through the plate. Each aperture has a first portion on the tube side of the plate, the first portion having a first cross-dimension, and a second portion adjacent the first portion and having a second cross-dimension that is smaller than the first cross-dimension, with a first shoulder being formed between the first and second portions. Each of a plurality of collars has an aperture extending therethrough, with a portion of each collar being received in the first portion of one of the apertures in the plate. A seal is positioned in each of the first portions of the apertures and between one of the collars and one of the first shoulders. A plurality of fasteners secures the collars to the plate.
US08251131B2
A cooling device including a heat absorbing unit, provided with an inflow port of a coolant medium and a discharge port for discharging the coolant medium, sealing the coolant medium in parts other than the inflow port and the discharge port, wherein the heat absorbing unit includes an upper member having an installation surface where semiconductor elements serving as an object to be cooled are installed and a cooling surface serving as a back surface of installation surface, and a lower member forming a chamber having cooling surface as a part of a inner wall surface together with upper member. Injection ports communicating with inflow port for injecting the coolant medium toward cooling surface are provided and the discharge port is provided at a position lower than opening positions of injection ports in lower member.
US08251122B2
A down hole tool casting assembly, a gauge ring, and a method for preparing the gauge ring for use within the assembly. The gauge ring includes a bit diameter mold and one or more junk slot displacements extending inwardly from the interior surface of the bit diameter mold. The junk slot displacement includes a first end, a second end, and a junk slot displacement face extending from the first end to the second end. At least one groove is formed within the interior surface of the gauge ring, which alleviates stresses formed within the casting during the casting process. According to some embodiments, at least one groove is formed within the junk slot displacement face. According to some embodiments, at least one groove is formed within the interior surface of the bit diameter mold. Optionally, a pressure absorbing material is inserted into one or more grooves.
US08251121B1
A screened panel spans at least a portion of an opening of a building in order to shade occupants thereat. The panel has hems on all sides that overlap at the corners whereat grommets are located. Tensioning members attach at least two of the corners in order to provide a tight fit of the panel within the opening, the tensioning members being turnbuckles with carabiners on the distal ends thereof. Spring-locks are used to prevent rotation of the turnbuckles once the appropriate tension is achieved. Reinforcement bars within the upper and lower hems and a strong flexible webbing within the side hems provide for a strong panel periphery which adds rigidity and stability to the overall panel.
US08251118B2
The present invention is a device that provides protection for a window from exterior fires which might ignite combustibles by radiation through the glass and/or break the glass and allow direct flame impingement, and also operates as a non-solid shutter or shade allowing privacy and shade. The shutter consists of metal or other noncombustible screen, mesh or slats spaced or pierced so that they allow some light to penetrate for shade control but protect the window glass from heat radiation and flying debris created by an external firestorm. The shutter can be raised and lowered manually, or with mechanical assistance, as by means of a chain lift or other roll-up/down mechanism for shade and privacy control, but will drop (close) automatically when released by a fusible link of the appropriate temperature setting to provide the fire protection. The unique features of the invention are the spacing of the slats, mesh or screen openings, sized to interrupt the coherent passage of heat radiation waves, and a mechanism to override manual operation so that shutter will automatically close during a fire.
US08251110B2
A filling adapter for conveying liquid from a first liquid container to a second liquid container is provided. The filling adapter includes an adapter body having a top end and an opposite button end, the top end adapted for fitting an opening in the first liquid container, the bottom end adapted for fitting an opening in the second liquid container, and an open path in the adapter body from the top end to the bottom end for communicating liquid from the opening in the first liquid container to the opening in the second liquid container.
US08251105B2
A kit for repairing and inflating inflatable articles has a compressor unit for producing compressed air; a container containing sealing fluid injectable into the inflatable article by means of a stream of compressed air from the compressor unit; a fluid line designed to connect the compressor unit to the inflatable article; and a sensor for determining a connection status to the inflatable article.
US08251104B2
In a reinforcing bar binder in which a wire reel around which a reinforcing bar binding wire is wound is rotatably housed in a housing chamber in a binder main body, the wire is pulled out from the wire reel and wound around reinforcing bars, and the reinforcing bars are bound by twisting the wound portion, an opening is formed through one of both side walls of the housing chamber at a position corresponding to a shaft receiving portion formed on the wire reel. On the one side wall, a reel receiver which is supported so as to come into and come out from the opening is fitted to the shaft receiving portion of the wire reel when it is pushed into the inside of the side wall. A reel stopper moves along the wall surface of the one side wall and can engage with the reel receiver fitted to the shaft receiving portion. A leaf spring urges the reel stopper engaged with the reel receiver to the pushing-in side.
US08251098B2
The invention relates to a slide vane (20) for a hydraulic power steering of automotive vehicles with a tubular control sleeve (24). Said control sleeve is connected to an output shaft (28) and comprises first control grooves (32) in its inner surface (34). Further, there is provided a tubular sliding sleeve (26) that is disposed at least in portions within said control sleeve (24). On its outer surface (38), the sliding sleeve (26) comprises second control grooves (36) that may be brought to coincide with the first control grooves (32) of the control sleeve (24), said first control grooves (32) being disposed substantially in the circumferential direction of the tubular control sleeve (24) and said second control grooves (36) substantially in the circumferential direction of said tubular sliding sleeve (26). The relative position of said control sleeve (24) and of said sliding sleeve (26) being relatively variable in the axial direction.
US08251096B2
A slide valve for regulating the hydraulic pressure at a working connection to values between a low pressure and a high pressure, for which purpose a valve slide is accommodated in a hole of a housing such that it can move linearly, which housing has a low pressure connection, a high pressure connection and the working connection, for which purpose the working connection is connected to the low pressure connection in the first position of the valve slide, while the working connection is separated from the two further connections in a second position of the valve slide, and having a third position of the valve slide, in which the working connection is connected to the high pressure connection (P). A plurality of radial holes are arranged in the valve slide, through which radial holes flow can pass and which radial holes interact with a plurality of circumferential control edges in the housing which seal the valve slide in the hole in a leakfree manner by means of suitable sealing rings.
US08251094B2
The water tap has a tap stand and a storage frame. The tap stand is has a flowing channel formed through the tap stand. The storage frame is mounted on the tap stand and has a flowing groove and a storage hole. The flowing groove is annular and formed in a top surface of the storage frame and communicates with the flowing channel of the tap stand. The storage hole is formed through the storage frame to provide a storage function.
US08251092B2
The fluid delivery system includes a pressurizing device for delivering a pressurized injection fluid, a low pressure fluid delivery system, and a pressure isolation mechanism adapted for fluid communication with the pressurizing device and low pressure fluid delivery system. The pressure isolation mechanism includes a housing defining an inlet port, an isolation port, and an internal cavity. The housing defines a seal seat in the internal cavity between the inlet port and isolation port. A valve member is disposed in the internal cavity. The valve member is free floating in the internal cavity and is adapted to engage the seal seat. The valve member has an open position permitting fluid communication between the inlet port and isolation port, and is fluid flow responsive to fluid flow in the inlet port to engage the seal seat and attain a closed position preventing fluid flow between the inlet port and isolation port.
US08251091B2
A temperature insensitive mass flow controller comprising a main flow line, a capillary tube coupled to the main flow line across a bypass a thermal sensing element coupled to the capillary tube and a mass flow controller housing adapted to at least cover the capillary tube. A first heat sink has been coupled to the mass flow controller internal to the mass flow controller housing and coupled to the capillary tube. The heat sink being adapted to control a temperature of a gas in the capillary tube.
US08251083B2
A system for preventing overinflation of an inner tube is disclosed. In some embodiments, the system may include a wheel; and a tube-bursting region of the wheel, wherein the tube-bursting region is configured to facilitate bursting of an associated inner tube when the associated inner tube is pressurized above a predetermined maximum pressure. A tire system also is disclosed. In some embodiments, the system may include a wheel; and a tube-bursting region of the wheel, wherein the tube-bursting region is configured to facilitate bursting of an associated inner tube when the associated inner tube is pressurized above a predetermined maximum pressure. A children's ride-on vehicle also is disclosed. In some embodiments, the vehicle may include a wheel; and a tube-bursting region of the wheel, wherein the tube-bursting region is configured to facilitate bursting of an associated inner tube when the associated inner tube is pressurized above a predetermined maximum pressure.
US08251080B1
A fluid treatment canister that may be used with, or independent of, a fluid treatment system, comprises a treatment housing, a first treatment housing end that is covered, and a second treatment housing end. A barrier support is coupled with the second treatment housing end, and includes a first and second barrier support portions, and is capable of receiving a barrier disposed between the first and second barrier support portions.
US08251072B1
A wrapper is fabricated of a biodegradable burnable material. The wrapper is in a generally cylindrical configuration. The wrapper has front and rear ends. In this manner a major chamber is formed. A bowl is fabricated of a biodegradable burnable material. The bowl has a peripheral edge. The bowl is attached to the wrapper adjacent to the front end of the wrapper. The bowl forms a minor chamber within the major chamber. The bowl extends interiorly of the wrapper. A quantity of smokable material is inserted into the bowl. In this manner the smokable material is lit and smoked.
US08251067B2
Disclosed is a flow control device for a bronchial passageway. The device can includes a valve member that regulates fluid flow through the flow control device, a frame coupled to the valve member, and a membrane attached to the frame. At least a portion of the flow control device forms a seal with the interior wall of the bronchial passageway when the flow control device is implanted in the bronchial passageway. The membrane forms a fluid pathway from the seal into the valve member to direct fluid flowing through the bronchial passageway into the valve member.
US08251064B2
An articulated firefighter breathing pack includes multiple polymeric pressure vessels connected together and to a flexible manifold with sections of flexible conduit. The pressure vessels and sections of flexible conduit are encased in high strength fiber material. The pressure vessels are wrapped in high strength ballistic ribbon material. The manifold provides connections for a high pressure regulator and an air fill source. A low pressure hose is connected to the high pressure regulator, a low pressure regulator is connected to the low pressure hose and a mouthpiece connected to the low pressure regulator. A pressure vessel container attaches the pressure vessels, the flexible conduit and the manifold to a harness having a waist portion and two vertical straps extending upwardly over the shoulders and back down to the waist portion. A utility belt provides mounting for equipment for the breathing pack including hoses, a power supply, electronic sensors and controls.
US08251063B2
A flexible bag aerosol holding chamber is sealed around the outlet passage of the actuator for a pressurized metered-dose inhaler. An elastic-loaded mouthpiece is sealed around the inlet passage of the actuator so that the user may intermittently break the seal around the inlet passage by withdrawing the mouthpiece, thus allowing inhalation of a portion of the aerosol contents of the chamber. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aerosol contains a compound which has traditionally been smoked such as nicotine or a cannabinoid. The user may draw upon the chamber's contents a number of times at a frequency analogous to smoking until the chamber is fully collapsed. One inhaler actuation, and one filled chamber, are comparable to one cigarette. The collapsible bag chamber allows for economy of inhaler actuations relative to user inhalations, without the aerosol being diluted by ambient air.
US08251062B2
A breathing assistance device having: a turbine for generating flow of pressurized respiratory gas, a duct for carrying pressurized gas to a patient, a mechanism to control gas pressure capable of elaborating a pressure setting for the turbine, the turbine is connected to a speed sensor for acquiring a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of a rotating element of the turbine, and the mechanism of controlling the calculation linked to the speed sensor in order to elaborate using the signal, a pressure setting sending the pressure setting to the turbine. Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for regulating the pressure of a respiratory gas delivered by a turbine to a patient, the method involving elaborating a pressure setting for the turbine, characterized in that the pressure setting is elaborated using a signal representative of the rotation speed of a rotating element of the turbine.
US08251054B1
A machine for tracking the sun's movement and concentrating sunlight consists of a main frame which pivots in the north and south direction on a base having conduit for a heat medium (a liquid usually of the Glycol family the main frame supports the mirror frame that pivots 360 degrees East to West allowing the mirror to focus the sunlight onto the conduit heating the liquid medium producing a very high and concentrated amount of heat during the entire daylight period and can be used for a small business or residential heating. An optional prism can be attached to the mirror frame to focus sun rays onto the conduit for added heat.
US08251052B2
This document discusses, among other things, apparatuses and methods for cutting a brick including a base configured to selectively support the brick. An actuating assembly is movable along a cutting line. The actuating assembly is movable by a cutting distance at least equal to a height of the brick. A shear blade is removably attached to the actuating assembly. The shear blade is movable with the actuating assembly along the cutting line. The shear blade is configured to shear the brick along the cutting line when moved toward the base through the brick.
US08251045B2
A fuel supplying system of an LPI engine is capable of improving performance of a fuel pump by decreasing suction pressure thereof. A fuel supplying system of an LPI engine may include a fuel tank storing fuel, a fuel pump feeding fuel supplied by the fuel tank to the engine through a fuel supplying line, and a fuel return line for returning fuel from the engine to the inside of the fuel tank. The fuel pump may be divided into a pump chamber and an operating chamber, and a vent hole is formed at a case of the fuel pump.
US08251043B2
An intake valve control system comprises a torque control module and an opening control module. The torque control module controls torque output by an engine based on a torque output target. The opening control module opens intake valves of M cylinders of the engine to a first lift position when the torque output target is less than a torque threshold and selectively transitions the intake valves of N of the M cylinders to a second lift position. N and M are integers greater than zero, and N is less than M. The second lift position is open further than the first lift position.
US08251041B2
An internal combustion engine has cylinder wall cavities located near the top dead center stroke end to allow optimizing the compression ratio in first stage compression, as function of fuel octane number used. The volume of the cylinder wall cavities is designed to be adjustable, even when the engine is operating. Using a conventional piston motion, the second stage compression becomes accelerated as soon the upper piston ring seals-off the cylinder wall cavities. This is due to the sudden significant reduction in volume. During the power stroke, after the upper piston ring opens the cylinder wall cavities; their fuel content is ignited by second stage combustion products. Because the torque required during accelerated compression is no greater than during first stage compression, stresses in the crankshaft are no more than in conventional spark ignition engines. This allows small displacement engines to be of light weight and to be hand cranked.
US08251038B2
An insert for use in a remanufactured cylinder head rocker arm stand, the insert comprising an inner facing surface having a radius within a range of 35 to 45 mm and a length within a range of 70 to 103 mm, and an outer facing surface adapted for disposal against a channel in the rocker arm stand, the rocker arm shaft being disposed adjacent the inner facing surface in use, but not adjacent the rocker arm stand.
US08251034B2
A method is provided for controlling a starting system for an engine of a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle includes a pre-spun starter for selective meshing with and starting of the engine, and a controller for controlling the starting of the engine. The method includes sensing of a rotational speed of the pre-spun starter, and sensing of a rotational speed of the engine. The method additionally includes regulating the rotational speed of the pre-spun starter to substantially synchronize the rotational speed of the pre-spun starter with the rotational speed of the engine. Furthermore, the method includes engaging the pre-spun starter gear with the engine, and applying torque by the pre-spun starter to the engine, such that the engine is started.
US08251031B2
In a four-cycle engine, the stiffness of a rocker shaft support portion is increased while avoiding an increase in the size of a cylinder head. The rocker shaft support portion that supports a rocker shaft is integrally formed on the cylinder head so as to be disposed between an engine valve and a camshaft as viewed from an axial direction of the camshaft and the rocker shaft. First reinforcement ribs are integrally disposed in a protruding condition on a plane orthogonal to an axis of a rocker shaft on a side face of rocker shaft support portions opposite a side of a camshaft.
US08251030B2
A cover system for an internal combustion engine having an overhead valve or overhead cam configuration includes a cover attached to a head plate. The cover has sides extending from a top surface and terminating in a flange with an overhang. The overhang includes a catch. The head plate has sides extending from a bottom surface and terminating in a curl. The flange and the overhang are positioned adjacent to the curl with the catch engaging an end of the curl.
US08251011B2
An apparatus, which performs a plasma process on a target substrate by using plasma, includes first and second electrodes in a process chamber to oppose each other. An RF field, which turns a process gas into plasma by excitation, is formed between the first and second electrodes. An RF power supply, which supplies RF power, is connected to the first or second electrode through a matching circuit. The matching circuit automatically performs input impedance matching relative to the RF power. A variable impedance setting section is connected to a predetermined member, which is electrically coupled with the plasma, through an interconnection. The impedance setting section sets a backward-direction impedance against an RF component input to the predetermined member from the plasma. A controller supplies a control signal concerning a preset value of the backward-direction impedance to the impedance setting section.
US08251010B2
The present invention is a masking material for painting for masking a surface to be unpainted, comprising: a masking material body for painting made of a carton having a shape conformed to the surface to be unpainted; a double-sided tape provided on the whole rear surface of the masking material body for painting; an incision formed in both the masking material body for painting and the double-sided tape; and a piece of thin paper that covers the incision.
US08251000B2
A spool holder includes a spool holder base to which a plurality of thread spools is attachable, and a support base having a pivoting member. The spool holder base includes a first spool holder base, a second spool holder base continuous to the other end of the first base and a connection connecting the first and second bases. The spool holder further comprises a thread guide mechanism. The divided spool holder base is switchable between a storage position where the spool holder bases are adjacent and a use position where the first base is swung about the pivoting member and the second base is swung so that the spool holder bases are spread so as to be nonparallel to each other.
US08250996B2
The present invention provides a process for burning coal instead of oil comprising the stages of coal gasification, gas combustion and optionally gas purification, utilization of residual heat of flue gas and flue gas discharge. The present invention further provides an apparatus for burning coal instead of oil. By present invention, the fuel cost for an oil-burning apparatus can be reduced by about four-fifths, so the resources of oil and natural gas can be saved either. Furthermore, the present invention has the advantages such as good reliability, high heat efficiency, high level of automation, high return on investment and good environmental benefits.
US08250990B2
A magnetic levitation railway having an eddy-current brake (20) cooperates with a reaction rail (8) of the driveway (2). The eddy-current brake (20) has at least one brake magnet (21) which is movably mounted to the vehicle (1) and transversely to the reaction rail (8) and which is made to abut the reaction rail (8) if a normal force, for example, fixed by means of springs (27) is exceeded.
US08250988B2
The invention relates to a subcaliber projectile, particularly for a dart projectile, having a resistance-stabilizing, conically designed guide mechanism having a frustum-shaped recess, wherein a guide cage has a substantially hollow cylindrical design in which a propulsion element is integrated therein on a rear side. To allow the propulsion element to be produced in a simple fashion and the guide cage to be lighter weight than comparable known drive cages, the propulsion element is designed substantially only as a disk-shaped metal plate extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide cage, wherein the drive element is mounted on an edge in an annular groove-shaped recess of the inner wall of the guide cage, wherein the disk-shaped metal plate comprises a central through hole, the diameter of which is as large as possible, but smaller than the maximum diameter of the frustum-shaped recess of the guide mechanism.
US08250983B2
A fuze setting circuit in an artillery or tank shell having a case with a press-fitted head assembly is provided with an electromechanical fuze-wiring link that is completed electrically by mechanical assembly of a tracer-carrying projectile on the shell casing, and by the rotational attachment of a programmable fuze onto the projectile.
US08250980B1
An exemplary firing pin with a release mechanism apparatus at least partially composed of an elastic thermoplastic material. The apparatus includes a rod with a first end portion, a middle portion, and a second end portion. The first end portion includes an integral cage-like element with a plurality of restraining wall elements, which, interiorly, are undercut defining an interior chamber with a volume sufficient to accommodate a cable stop element and define an aperture in communication with the chamber. The aperture is sized to accommodate a cable or the like, but small enough to prevent the stop element seated in the chamber from moving, so long as the restraining wall elements are constrained. The restraining wall elements are generally constrained by a substantially rigid element, such that they cannot deform, flaring open, even if the cable is under tension.
US08250968B2
A wort copper and a method of boiling wort, with the wort copper having an external boiler arranged outside of the wort copper, which cyclically heats wort from the wort copper, wherein the heated wort is re-supplied to the wort copper, and comprises an infeed tube and a rising pipe, through which wort heated by the external boiler rises upwards in the wort copper, as well as at least one intake opening is provided in the rising line for sucking in wort from a wort reservoir of the wort copper, wherein the cross-sectional surface of the rising pipe enlarges at least section-wise towards the upper end of the rising pipe.
US08250951B2
A tool is made from a body and includes a driving end formed on a proximal end of the body for performing a specific procedure and a connecting end formed on the distal end of the body by bending the distal end. The distal end is formed to have a rectangular cross section prior to forming the connecting end.
US08250945B2
An adjustable operating mechanism for a kick down switch includes a stopper formed on a stopper bracket and having a slope surface inclined in one direction, a kick down switch including a member for providing different mechanical operating feeling and a protrusion having a slope surface corresponding to the slope surface of the stopper, and a groove formed on an acceleration pedal arm to receive the kick down switch, the kick down switch being configured and dimensioned to be movable therein to a predetermined position so that a kick down-generating time point is adjusted.
US08250937B2
Manifold and probe assembly for use a bioprocessing vessel. The manifold has a chamber which communicates with the interior of the vessel and a plurality of ports which communicate with the chamber. Elongated sensing probes are threadedly connected to the ports with end portions of the probes extending into the chamber. Gaskets having generally annular bodies with conically inclined beveled faces are mounted on the end portions of the probes, with the beveled faces engaging conically inclined surfaces of seats in the ports and the gaskets being axially compressed and radially expanded into sealing engagement with the probes. The seating surfaces have inner and outer sections with different angles of inclination which produce greater radial expansion and tighter sealing with the probes. The probes are carried by adapter sleeves which are threadedly connected to the ports, with thrust washers between the distal ends of the sleeves and the gaskets for protecting the gaskets while the sleeves are being connected to the ports and the gaskets are being compressed. Stops limit the travel of the sleeves and control the degree to which the gaskets are compressed.
US08250936B1
A device is used to view utilities that have been potholed and covered up due to rain or crew shutdowns. The device includes a cylindrical body which is driven into the ground and has a light so the pipe can be viewed from above ground.
US08250930B2
The device for measuring the mass flow of a foaming fluid, in particular of milk during milking, comprises a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a measuring device for determining the mass flow. The housing is structured such that mixing the foam portion with the liquid portion of the fluid can be achieved. To this end, the inlet runs substantially tangentially into the housing interior.
US08250929B2
A load device for planar solid oxide fuel cell stack comprises: a balance plate, a high-temperature compressed column, a load cell, an elastic member, an equalizing ring, and an actuator. The balance plate is disposed abutted against the fuel cell stack, and the high-temperature compressed column is disposed on the balance plate, and the load cell and the elastic member are arranged at a top portion of the high-temperature compressed column. The actuator, being placed on the equalizing ring, is used for providing a load to the equalizing ring, the load cell, the elastic member and the high-temperature compressed column Thereby, the load exerted by the actuator can be detected from the measurement of the load cell while the relationship between the load variation and performance of the SOFC stack can be read directly or transmitted to an external device for display.
US08250919B2
A vibratory gyroscopic device to determine the rotation rate of an object and method of manufacturing thereof, the device including a plurality of supporting springs arranged in pairs to exhibit bilateral symmetry via each pair (i.e., mirror-image symmetry) relative to each other such that the asymmetries in the characteristics of the ring (e.g., resonant frequency, response to angular velocity), caused by asymmetries in the structure of the ring, are reduced.
US08250909B2
A pressure measuring device suitable for disposition in a chamber of an internal combustion engine. The pressure measuring device has a housing, a force transmitting element that is effectively connected to a pressure sensor, and a sensor cage that surrounds the pressure sensor. The sensor cage is connected to the housing by a circumferential weld seam only at one connection segment of the housing. In this way, it is possible to achieve a defined pre-tensioning of a metal diaphragm that is connected on the one hand to the sensor cage and on the other hand to the force transmitting element.
US08250892B2
Through the invention, a closure device for explosive forming with a connection unit movable relative to the explosive forming die between a working position on the die and a rest position is to be configured, so that the explosive forming die can be closed in simple and reliable fashion and, at the same time, the explosion forces supported. This task is solved by a closure device, in which a wedge structure is guided to move on a static holding structure and is motion-coupled to the connection unit, the resulting movement of the connection unit being directed across the movement of the wedge structure.
US08250883B2
A process to obtain liquefied natural gas (LNG) which comprises the use of air as refrigerant in an open or closed cycle. The invention also refers to a system to carry out said process and uses thereof.
US08250880B2
A dispenser has a dispenser cover having an accommodating space with an open front surface, a tray slidably retracted in the dispenser cover, and a protrusion elastically contacted with one of the dispenser cover and the tray to thusly be relatively moved. Accordingly, the sliding of the tray can smoothly be performed, and an unexpected tray separation due to a small external force applied thereto upon opening/closing the refrigerator door can be prevented.
US08250877B2
A cooling door assembly includes a frame and a cooling door coupled to the frame. The cooling door includes one or more heat exchangers. The frame is configured to mount to the back of a server rack or other electronics enclosure in such a manner that the cooling door opens to allow access to the electronics servers within the server rack while maintaining a fluidic connection to an external cooling system. The frame is coupled to the external cooling system and the cooling door includes swivel joints configured to provide a fluid path between the cooling door and the frame. In this manner, the frame remains in a fixed position, while the cooling door is configured to rotate relative to the frame so as to open and close, while maintaining the fluid path through the swivel joint.
US08250874B2
A subcool condenser having a condensation heat exchange portion, a receive portion and a supercool heat exchange portion is used as an outdoor heat exchanger that functions as a radiator in a cooling operation mode so that COP in the cooling operation mode is increased. In contrast, in a heating operation mode, a refrigerant bypass device that causes the refrigerant to flow so as to bypass the supercool heat exchange portion is provided so that pressure loss generated in the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger is decreased. Thereby, driving force of a compressor can be decreased and COP in the heating operation mode can be improved.
US08250873B2
System and methods for providing anti-condensation system are disclosed. A relative humidity (RH) sensor signal from a sensor on or near a control surface is received. An AC power input is received. A phase of the AC power input is modulated at least partly in response to the sensor signal in such a manner that a phase-modulated AC power output provided to a heater is a) substantially constant at a first power level (P1st) in a low RH region ranging from 0% RH to a first RH (RH1), b) varying as a function of the sensor signal from P1st to a second power level (P2nd) in an intermediate RH region ranging from RH1 to a second RH (RH2), and c) substantially constant at P2nd in a high RH region beginning at RH2.
US08250869B2
An exhaust heat recovery apparatus includes a Stirling engine and a clutch. The Stirling engine produces motive power by recovering thermal energy from exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine from which exhaust heat is recovered. The motive power produced by the Stirling engine is transmitted to an internal combustion engine transmission through the clutch and an exhaust heat recovery device transmission, and combined with the motive power produced by the internal combustion engine through the internal combustion engine transmission, and is output from an output shaft. If rapid acceleration is required, and the increase in the rotation speed of the Stirling engine therefore lags behind the increase in the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, the clutch is released. With this configuration, reduction in the power output from the heat engine, from which exhaust heat is recovered, is restricted, and the degradation of the acceleration performance is minimized.
US08250851B1
A transition duct used in a gas turbine engine to direct the hot gas flow from the combustor into the turbine section of the gas turbine engine. The transition duct includes a plurality of guide vane integral with the duct. The transition duct includes a circular shaped inlet end for connection to a can combustor and a rectangular and arched shaped outlet end for connection to a first stage turbine section. the guide vanes extend within the flow path between inner and outer projections each having a curved opening in the shape of the airfoil each airfoil includes inner and outer airfoil ends with retainer slots formed between the airfoil ends and the duct projections that form shear pin retainer slots. Shear pin retainers are secured within the slots to secure the guide vanes to the duct in a thermally uncoupled manner to reduce thermal stresses. The guide vanes can be made from a single crystal material for higher gas flow temperatures.
US08250849B2
Various embodiments of a fuel-control system for regulating the administration of a first fuel to a fuel consuming device are disclosed. In one aspect, the fuel-control system includes a system-controlling device adapted to consume a primary source of electrical power. The system controlling device is also adapted to consume a secondary source of electrical power, with the secondary source produced by noncombustibly consuming a second fuel.
US08250848B2
A method of assembling a steam turbine power system with a coolant source is provided. The method includes providing a first steam turbine train including a first high pressure turbine assembly, a first low pressure turbine assembly coupled in flow communication with the first high pressure turbine assembly, and a first condenser coupled in flow communication with the first low pressure turbine assembly. The method also includes providing a second steam turbine train including a second high pressure turbine assembly, a second low pressure turbine assembly coupled in flow communication with the second high pressure turbine assembly, and a second condenser coupled in flow communication with the second low pressure turbine assembly. The method further includes coupling cooling tubes to the first condenser and the second condenser, the cooling tubes configured to deliver coolant from the coolant source through the first condenser, from the first condenser through the second condenser, and from the second condenser back to the coolant source.
US08250843B2
A combination biomass harvester and baler, in some embodiments, can include a self-propelled vehicle base, an engine compartment, a fuel and radiator compartment, a movement mechanism operably connected to the self-propelled vehicle base, a cutting head assembly, a transfer assembly, and a baler assembly. The baler assembly may be configured to consolidate the biomass into one or more bales. A bale carrying platform is provided to store the bales while the combination biomass harvester and baler continues to move.
US08250839B2
An accessory drive attachment is provided. The accessory drive attachment may be attached to a lawnmower that has a hydrostatic transmission. The transmission system of the lawnmower may be used to drive a shaft of the accessory drive attachment. An accessory such as a leaf blower, air compressor, pressure washer, or electric generator may be attached to the accessory drive attachment and driven by the shaft.
US08250835B2
An airtight cover assembly includes a side panel folded around goods on a pallet presenting top and bottom opening, a top panel with a plurality of pouches positioned on an inside surface above a vented rigid plate, and a bottom panel encloses the pallet. Hook and loop closures secure the panel assembly. Panel inner and outer surfaces of a poly-vinyl chloride material bonded to an aluminum laminate enclose multiple layers of foam.
US08250831B2
Disclosed is a method for installing a window or other fenestra-mounted object between joists in a structure having a ceiling. The method for installing a fenestra-mounted object into a structure having a ceiling supported by joists, comprising the steps of: creating a void between two joists of the structure, with at least some portion of the void being above the plane of the bottom of the joists; creating an opening in an exterior covering of the structure aligned with the void such that light or air external to the structure may enter the structure through the opening and the void; and installing a fenestra-mounted object in the void. Trim or a preformed trim component may be installed around the interior and exterior portions of the fenestra-mounted object to give a finished appearance.
US08250829B2
Exemplary systems and methods described herein can be used to secure a rail to a module or the rail to a support using a nut that can be inserted at a desired point of mounting. Another exemplary system describes a flashing to be inserted under a roof shingle, wherein the flashing is secured to a support for a rail or module. Yet another exemplary system describes a clamp that secures a rail or module and is adjustable along the length of a post. Spacers can be added to the post to extend the adjustment range of the clamp.
US08250826B1
A hingeable derrick, comprising an upper structure with a first face and a second face opposite the first face; a lower structure with a first face and a second face opposite the first face; a hinge connecting the second face of the upper structure to the second face of the lower structure; and at least one hydraulic cylinder, where each hydraulic cylinder has an upper end attached to the upper structure. The upper structure is located directly above the lower structure in an upright position when the hydraulic cylinder is retracted, and the upper structure may pivot at the hinge in the direction of the second face into a folded position, with the descent controlled by winch lines.
US08250823B2
The invention relates to a dowel having cutting devices at the lower side of the pressing plate at the circumference of said pressing plate for cutting into the insulating panel when the pressing plate is pulled into the insulating panel. The invention further relates to a method, in which a bore-hole is drilled through the insulating panel into the substructure, the dowel and the expansion element are inserted into the bore-hole, the expansion element is driven into the pressing plate and the dowel sleeve, and wherein simultaneously the pressing plate is pulled into the insulating panel under compression of the insulating panel, and the insulating panel is cut in at the circumference of the pressing plate by means of cutting devices. The invention further relates to a method in which a bore-hole is drilled through the insulating panel into the substructure, a circle with at least the radius R is cut into the insulating panel by means of cutting devices, the dowel and the expansion element are inserted into the bore-hole, the expansion element is driven into the pressing plate and the dowel sleeve, and simultaneously the pressing plate is pulled into the insulating panel under compression of the insulating panel.
US08250817B2
A reinforcing system for a guy anchor used in a guyed or additionally guyed tower includes a concrete structure formed around the guy anchor. The concrete structure has a top surface slightly above grade level. The reinforcing system further includes a supplemental anchor shaft. The supplemental anchor shaft is attached to the existing anchor head and extends down into the concrete structure, where it is retained and encased therein. The concrete structure preferably has a base and at least one wall that extends down from the base and has a surface that faces the tower to resist horizontal forces. The reinforcing system is sufficiently strong to keep the guy anchor in place even if the original anchor shaft completely corrodes. The supplemental anchor shaft does not generally come into contact with soil. It therefore resists corrosion and is expected to provide a long service life.
US08250809B2
A self-contained apparatus for aeroponically growing and developing plants that comprises a reservoir for containing a liquid nutrient solution, a conical tower, a power supply, and a pump to move the liquid nutrient solution through the apparatus. The apparatus utilizes a pump to move the liquid nutrient solution from the reservoir vertically to a distribution pipe. Gravity then pulls the liquid nutrient solution downward through the distribution pipe, which is sealed at the opposite end. The pressure created within the distribution pipe creates sufficient force to disperse the liquid nutrient solution through the opening(s) in the distribution pipe onto the exposed root mass. Once the nutrient solution has been dispersed into the conical tower it is absorbed by the exposed root mass. The un-absorbed liquid nutrient solution collects the in base of the conical tower and is returned to the reservoir to be reused.
US08250805B2
Methods, devices and compositions to preserve plants, such as cut flowers. The methods include, e.g., sealing cut stems in antimicrobial preservative media, sealing the leaves in a substantially unvented compartment and sealing the flower blossoms in a less humid vented environment. Methods include, e.g., sealing cut flower ends in a preservative liquid, sealing the majority of the stem length and leaves in a stem compartment and holding the blossoms and at least a portion of the leaves in a relatively open blossom compartment. The devices include, e.g., packaging materials and preservative to vitalize and protect uprooted plants and/or cut flowers. The compositions of the invention provide, e.g., packaging systems and preservative media which inhibit microbe growth and vitalize cut plants.
US08250799B2
Applicants have disclosed an improved trigger assembly for firearms, and a related method, to avoid premature firing after an unintentional trigger pull, especially where light trigger pulls have previously been set. In the preferred embodiment, Applicants' trigger assembly has two non-coaxial triggers: a slotted primary trigger and a secondary trigger which can pivot into the slot. During an intentional trigger pull, the shooter's finger initially pushes against the secondary trigger until it pivots and nestles within the primary trigger's slot. Continued pulling on both the secondary and primary triggers causes a sear to fall off the primary trigger and the firearm to discharge. In an unintentional trigger pull, where the secondary trigger is not pulled back enough to nestle within the primary trigger's slot, a protrusion on the secondary trigger blocks the sear from falling, thereby avoiding discharge.
US08250788B2
Appliance for the treatment of fabric articles comprising a water tank, a steam generator for diffusing steam in the direction of the fabric article and a water supply circuit of the steam generator comprising an electric pump, characterized in that said supply circuit comprises a flexible tube (12) and a device (13) for adjusting the flow of water sent to the steam generator comprising means (133) for compressing the flexible tube (12) so as to modify its cross-section of flow.
US08250784B2
An insole providing cushioning and control of foot motion. The insole includes a stability cradle and pods secured to the underside of the insole core or base. A lateral heel pod and a medial heel pod have differing material properties selected to help control foot pronation.
US08250778B2
A clothes dryer air intake system including a conduit having an outlet opening for connection to a clothes dryer and being positioned remote from the attic of a building. The conduit also has an inlet opening positioned within the attic of a building. A heater is connected to the conduit between the outlet opening and the inlet opening for warming air passing through the conduit. A thermostat detects the temperature of the air flowing through the conduit and energizes the heater in the event that the detected temperature is lower than a preset minimum.
US08250774B2
A system for mounting an object such as a flat screen television on a surface such as a wall. A mounting template is fastened to the surface and defines multiple sets of openings corresponding to multiple mounting configurations. Wall brackets are removably secured within the openings and are then fastened to the surface. Object spacers are fastened to mounting locations on the object corresponding to the mounting configuration of the wall brackets, and are connected to the wall brackets to secure the object to the wall. A level may be secured within the mounting template. The mounting template may include fold lines to facilitate packaging and storage of the mounting template.
US08250772B2
A coordinate measuring device comprises a housing movably supported on a base and mounting a vertical pillar along which rides a carriage engaged by a horizontally translating arm. A turret at each end of the arm houses a rotating body connected to a probe. The rotation of the base, the vertical movement of the carriage, the horizontal movement of the arm and the rotation of the probes are driven by motors in the housing. The rotation of the motors are transmitted by a cable and pulley assembly to the arm and carriage. The cable controlling the transversal movement of the arm has its opposite ends attached to the opposite extremity of the arm, and is run respectively up and down the portion of the pillar above and below the carriage in order to maintain constant lengths and tension of the cables as the carriage moves up and down the pillar. The rotation of the probes and that of the base are coordinated to keep the probes at a constant angle in relation to the measured surface. Tools such as a laser beam emitter may be substituted for the probes turning the device into a robot. The motors can be omitted and the probe brought manually on the locus to be measured.
US08250770B2
A pulley alignment apparatus including an elongated body having a mounting surface, two elongated legs extending outward from the mounting surface, each of the legs terminating at a tip, a laser supported by the body, wherein the laser is configured to project a planar beam, a power supply for supplying electrical power to the laser, a normally-open switch configured to detect contact between the body and a pulley, wherein the switch electrically couples the laser with the power supply when the contact is detected, and a magnet supported by the body proximate the mounting surface.
US08250768B2
A handheld power tool having a power tool that executes a reciprocating motion, in particular a reciprocating power saw with a reciprocating sawblade (14), is disclosed. To prevent the power tool from sawing untrue during the cutting operation, in particular between the upper and lower cutting edges, the power tool is assigned at least one force transducer (19), which measures the magnitude of a transverse force, oriented transversely to the direction of motion, that occurs at the power tool, and at least one actuator (21), which acts on the power tool as a function of the measured magnitude of the transverse force, is provided for transverse force compensation (FIG. 2).
US08250766B2
A rotary knife assembly includes a rotary knife with a spinning blade, a motor operable to power the rotary knife, a flexible drive cable with a proximal end drivingly connected to the knife to transmit rotational power to the blade while being flexed along the length of the cable, and a safety release drivingly connected to a distal end of the cable. The safety release is drivingly coupled to the motor and is operable to transmit rotational power from the motor to the drive cable and thereby the rotary knife. The safety release includes input and output members releasably drivingly engaged with one another. The safety release is operable to drivingly disengage the members.
US08250756B2
A compliant plate seal arrangement manufacturing method is provided. A compliant plate seal manufacturing method includes assembling a plurality of t-shims and a plurality of spacer shims into a straight weld fixture, thereby forming a shim pack having a front and rear end and sides, welding the sides of the shim pack to a top plate, removing a portion of the weld fixture, removing the plurality of spacer shims, shaping the shim pack into a target diameter, and applying a radial flow plate to the leaf pack.
US08250755B2
In one embodiment, a process, for fabricating a medical lead for stimulation of tissue of a patient, comprises: providing a plurality of wires; increasing an exterior surface area of each wire of the plurality of wires; arranging the plurality of wires angularly around a longitudinal axis; extruding polymer material of the plurality of wires; forming a lead body with a proximal end and a distal end after performing the extruding; and forming a plurality of terminals at a proximal end of the lead body; forming a plurality of segmented electrodes at a distal end of the lead body.
US08250749B2
A connector for an implantable medical lead that is electrically and mechanically connectable to an implantable medical device, has a connector pin made of a first conducting material. A tubular insulator made of an insulating material concentrically surrounds at least a portion of the pin. A connector ring made of a second conducting material is concentrically positioned around at least a portion of the insulator. The insulator is connected to the connector ring by spark plasma sintering in the case of an active fixation lead, and is connected to the ring and the pin by spark plasma sintering in the case of a passive fixation lead.
US08250746B2
An exemplary method for making an electronic device includes: providing a hot press machine having a press head; placing a bonding film on an inner surface of a metallic housing; turning on the hot press machine and heating the press head to a first predetermined temperature; after heated to the first predetermined temperature, driving the press head to press the bonding film to the metallic housing for about two minutes, thereby attaching the bonding film on the metallic housing; placing the metallic element according to the corresponding bonding film of the metallic housing; heating the press head to a second predetermined temperature; and after heated to the second predetermined temperature, driving the press head to press the at least one metallic element to the metallic housing for at least two minutes, thereby attaching the at least one metallic element on the corresponding bonding film.
US08250744B2
A solar cell lead wire includes a conductive material, and a solder plated layer on a periphery of the conductive material. The solder plated layer is formed flat by rolling. A method of manufacturing a solar cell lead wire includes feeding an elongate conductive material from a feed reel, the elongate conductive material including a rectangular conductor or a round conductor, soaking the conductive material in a molten solder in a molten solder plating bath, cooling the conductive material to have a plated wire with a solder plated layer formed on the conductive material, and winding the plated wire on a winding reel. The plated wire is formed flat by rolling after the solder plated layer of the plated wire is solidified by the cooling.
US08250741B2
A reconfigurable computer-controlled system is provided based on the positioning of bolts. A greater density of bolts per unit area increases the variety of figures or shapes that can be defined by a frame or tool used in the industry, such that it is no longer necessary to construct rigid surfaces with each change made to the shape of the product to be produced or surface to be formed. The use of the memory effect material as an actuator in the reconfigurability mechanism is the key to the success of the reconfigurable system and the control system owing to the permissibility of small bolts which can be adapted to standard sizes and shapes. The mechatronic system uses the positioning of bolts for the reconfigurability of surfaces to manufacture and shape materials.
US08250737B2
Provided is a method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head including a light source unit with a light source and a slider with an optical system. The method comprises steps of: adhering by suction the light source unit with a back holding jig; moving the back holding jig, then aligning a light-emission center of the light source with a light-receiving end surface of the optical system in directions within a slider back surface of the slider; bringing the light source unit into contact with the slider back surface, with a suction surface of the back holding jig tilted from the normal to the slider back surface; applying a load to a load application surface of the unit substrate by a loading means to bring a joining surface of the light source unit into conformity with the slider back surface; and bonding the light source unit and the slider. This method can improve the conformity, thereby achieving adequately strong junction and adequately high accuracy in position.
US08250733B2
In one embodiment, an apparatus for manufacturing an internal wound stator includes a winding arbor, a stator loader, a first movable member, and a second rotating member. The stator includes an interior opening and multiple axial slots. The interior opening has a diameter larger than an exterior dimension of the winding arbor. The winding arbor includes an interior and a port being at a central portion of the member. The stator loader supports the stator. The first movable member moves port of the winding arbor through the interior opening of the stator along a first axial slot of the axial slots. The second rotating member rotates the stator and the port of the winding arbor with respect to one another to align the port with a second axial slot of the axial slots. The first movable member moves the port through the second axial slot of the stator.
US08250732B2
A tubular elastomer actuator with a shape in a cross-sectional view which shape exposes at most one single axis of symmetry of a specific length, e.g., an oval shape. The actuator could be made from a sheet made from a plurality of plate shaped elements which are laminated together and rolled. Each plate shaped element may have a corrugation that gives the element an anisotropic structure, and contains an electrode on only one surface. The actuator displacement is the result of shrinkage displacement of the plate shaped elements upon the application of electrical field across their thickness.
US08250728B2
A method of joining a multiple member work-piece includes stacking the members of the work-piece on a die such that a first of the members rests on the die. Next, a rivet is driven into the second member until the rivet penetrates the members and deforms. The rivet is then welded to the first member to strengthen the riveted joint. Different mechanisms may be used to accomplish the welding. For example, a laser beam may be directed through a passage in the first die to target the area of the riveted joint to be welded. Alternatively, the die set, rivet, and first member may be arranged to form an electrical circuit that welds the joint via resistance heating. An assembly of a multiple member work-piece and a rivet made according to the method is also provided.
US08250724B2
A minimum Z height handheld electronic device and methods of assembly is described. The electronic device includes a single seamless housing having a front opening and a cover disposed within the front opening and attached to the seamless housing without a bezel.
US08250722B2
A method is utilized for repairing a motherboard with a defective dual inline memory module (DIMM) socket mounted thereon be surface mounted technology (SMT). The method includes following steps. Repair tools including a ball grid array (BGA) rework device, a steel bar, a nozzle, and a steel sheet are provided. The BGA rework device, the nozzle are align with the defective DIMM on the motherboard for heating up solder balls between the defective DIMM and the motherboard until the solder balls are melted. The defective DIMM is removed from the motherboard. The steel bar is installed on a replacement DIMM to detect a planarity of a bottom face of the replacement DIMM. The replacement DIMM is mounted on the motherboard to replace the defective DIMM if the replacement DIMM is qualified.
US08250719B2
The present invention is directed to a method for making a multiple layer substrate comprising the steps of: (1) forming a carrier substrate; (2) depositing an air laid layer comprising natural fibers on top of the carrier substrate; (3) wetting the air laid layer with a source of low pressure water; (4) hydroentangling the air laid layer with the carrier substrate to form an integrated substrate. Another aspect of the present invention is the creation of a low-density cleaning substrate with a basis weight of less than 100 gsm, which comprises at least one layer of a carrier web and at least one layer comprising an air laid cellulosic material which are hydroentangled together to form an integrated substrate. The substrate may be a pre-loaded wipe, which is either moistened by a consumer prior to use or moistened prior to packaging. The composition loaded onto the substrate may contain dry and/or liquid compositions preferably for cleaning hard or soft surfaces.
US08250714B2
A handgrip includes a tubular grip body having at least two angularly spaced-apart resilient clamp portions projecting outwardly and axially from an annular end thereof, a substantially U-shaped rod member having a bight portion, and non-threaded head and threaded end portions, and a sleeve ring sleeved around the resilient clamp portions and having first and second curved retaining grooves receiving respectively the resilient clamp portions, a head-receiving groove section receiving the non-threaded head portion, and a guide groove section receiving the threaded end portion. A nut member is disposed outwardly of the guide groove section, and engages threadedly the threaded end portion. The nut member pulls the threaded end portion when tightened so that the bight portion pushes one of the resilient clamp portions toward the other resilient clamp portion.
US08250710B2
An interfering assembly of a hinge includes a male element including a first raised portion and a second raised portion, and a female element defining a through hole. A sliding surface apart from a center of the through hole protrudes from the female element. An inner slot and an outer slot are formed beside the sliding surface. The female element defines a first depressed portion and a second depressed portion correspondingly engaged with the first and second raised portions. Widths of the inner slot and the outer slot are gradually varied. During rotation of the rotating member, the first and second raised portions are slid out from the first and second depressed portions, respectively, and then in frictional engagement with the sliding surface, together with partial portions covering the inner and outer slots, correspondingly.
US08250707B2
A hinge assembly includes a housing member, a lever member, a traveling member and a biasing member. The housing member includes a channel and a pivot. The lever member includes an outer portion, an inner portion, and a first intermediate point located therebetween. The lever member is pivotally coupled to the pivot at the first intermediate point. The traveling member includes a main portion that is configured to extend substantially along the housing member. A second intermediate point is located on the main portion, and the inner portion of the lever member is pivotally coupled to the second intermediate point. The main portion includes a sliding block and at least one grooved wheel at an end. The sliding block is configured to travel the channel sliding between the side walls, and at least one of the sidewalls includes a rail area for the at least wheel to roll against.
US08250706B2
A hinge for doors, in particular for electrical appliances, comprises a box-shaped body (3), a lever (4) pivoting at the box-shaped body (3) at a respective axis (A) of rotation so that the body (3) and the lever (4) can move relative to each other by tilting, the box-shaped body (3), a spring (12) housed in the box-shaped body (3) and designed to operate in conjunction with a first portion (4a) of the lever (4) to adjust the motion of the lever (4) and the box-shaped body (3) relative to each other.
US08250705B2
A cup embedded type hinge device with position adjustment function comprising a position adjustment mechanism between a cup member and an arm member of a hinge body including a U-shaped position adjustment holder superposed on a recess of the cup member through a gap and a cam member provided between the position adjustment holder and the flange of the cup member to set the position of the cup member relative to the position adjustment holder and having a cam disk engaged into a circular hole in the position adjustment holder and an eccentric pin engaged into an elongated hole in the flange of the cup member whereby the position of the cup member is set by rotation of the cam disk.
US08250701B1
Novel appliances for the application, distribution, manipulation and/or removal of different types of media, including art and craft media, may be removably attached to conventional and commonly-available tools, such as palette/painting knives, brushes with hair/filament tips, and other media manipulators such as those having a polymeric contacting surface on their working end. The appliances are adapted for superimposition over the media-engaging working-head formations of the tools, and have media-engaging characteristics which differ from the native media-engaging characteristics of the working-head formations of the tools. Tools to which such appliances are attached in accordance with the invention are also disclosed.
US08250696B2
A device (10) for collecting debris from a ground surface (18). A flexible generally planar member (17) has openings (16) therethrough. When the device is laid on and forwardly moved over the ground surface (18) debris on the ground surface passes upwardly through the openings onto collection surfaces (25) of the device. The device has transversely extending barriers (67) positioned whereby, debris passing upwardly through the openings (16) passes upwardly over the barriers (67) and then downwardly to the following collection surface (25). The barriers (67) at least partially obstruct movement of collected debris on the collection surfaces (25) back into the openings (16) under deceleration of the device as it is forwardly moved over the ground surface.
US08250695B2
Embodiments described herein relate to an apparatus and method for a roller assembly that may be utilized in a brush cleaning module. In one embodiment, a roller assembly is described. The roller assembly includes an annular groove having at least two substantially parallel opposing sidewalls adapted to contact the major surfaces of a substrate along a periphery of the substrate, each of the opposing sidewalls comprising a compressible material having a pre-compressed dimension that is less than a thickness of the periphery of the substrate.
US08250681B2
A flush valve is provided for discharging fluid from a tank. The flush valve includes a flapper. The flapper includes a frame portion and a hollow float portion rotatably connected to the frame portion. A relative rotational position between the frame portion and the float portion adjusts at least one opening formed between the frame portion and the float portion, and controls an amount of fluid discharged from the tank by variably adjusting buoyancy of the flapper.
US08250680B2
A urinal includes: a urinal body; a high-frequency sensor which radiates a radio beam obliquely passing through an upper surface of the urinal body toward a bowl and receives a reflected wave from an object so as to generate a detection signal; and a valve which discharges or stops flushing water to the urinal body in response to the detection signal. An angle formed between a first plane including the upper surface of the urinal body and a second plane including a radiation surface of an antenna of the high-frequency sensor is in a range of more than 0 degree to less than 90 degree. A cross line where the first plane and the second plane intersect with each other is substantially parallel to a horizontal direction of the urinal body. The radio beam is a linearly-polarized wave. An excitation direction of the radio beam intersects with the cross line. An intensity of the radio beam passing through the urinal body is larger than that of the radio beam reflected by the upper surface.
US08250676B2
Garments are provided that include feltable fibers in selected areas to provide high durability. Garments are manufactured with feltable fibers is selected areas, such as high wear or high impact areas, and are then subjected to the felting (or fulling) process to produce a garment having partially felted fibers on the selected areas. Such a garment may be a sock with felted areas selected in the heel and toe areas. Such socks have enhanced resistance to wear in these high wear areas, and therefore are useable for longer periods of time for the user of the sock.
US08250674B2
The musical headwear includes headwear having a pocket that carries an electronic audio device. The pocket has an opening, sealable via fasteners disposed across fabric surrounding the top central portion of the opening. The electronic audio device is dropped into the open pocket and then sealed inside by fastening together the fasteners proximate the top central portion of the pocket opening. Gaps on either side of the seal are provided so that a user can touch the case of the electronic audio device, the case having a touch sensitive electronic pad that actuates the unit when momentarily touched by the user. When the unit is actuated, speakers embedded in the audio unit broadcast a song, chant, or other refrain that has been pre-stored in the unit's digital memory. The unit is factory programmed to play one or more different programs responsive to momentary user contact with the touch pad.
US08250670B2
A comfortable-to-wear garment is disclosed that can be easily adjusted to fit a variety of wearers having different body sizes and shapes. The garment includes an upper garment part intended to be worn on an upper half of the body. A plurality of elastic cords is attached to a body fabric portion between a waist section and a chest section of the upper garment part. Each elastic cord extends in a substantially horizontal direction and is attached to the body fabric portion by a fastener portion at respective opposite portions in the longitudinal direction of the elastic cord. A free length of each elastic cord between the respective fastener portions is adjustable.
US08256018B2
Faster and better methods for leveling arrays including software and user interface for instruments. A method comprising: (i) providing at least one array of cantilevers supported by at least one support structure, (ii) providing at least one substrate, (iii) providing at least one instrument to control the position of the array with respect to the substrate, (iv) leveling the array with respect to the substrate, wherein the leveling is performed via a user interface on the instrument which is adapted to have the user input positional information from the motors and piezoelectric extender when at least one cantilever deflects from the substrate. Uniform z-displacements can be achieved.
US08256008B2
An information output apparatus includes a tray determining unit that determines an output tray to which printed sheets are output, a secret information generating unit that generates first secret information corresponding to tray identification information for identifying the output tray determined, a transmitting unit that transmits the first secret information generated by the secret information generating unit to a terminal, an input accepting unit that accepts an input of second secret information from a user, and a tray controlling unit that specifies the output tray based on the first secret information when the second secret information and the first secret information coincide with each other, and allows a slot of the specified tray to be open.
US08256003B2
A Network State Database (NSD) can comprise information regarding the network-centric state of one or more computing devices connected to a network. The information contained in the NSD can be passively received by the NSD, or it can be actively obtained by the NSD. Additionally the NSD can comprise either a centralized collection of information, or a distributed collection of information independently maintained and conceptualized as a single entity. The information of the NSD can be used by a Network Risk Management Service (NRMS) to appropriately respond and protect the network. The NRMS can provide relevant information from the NSD to subscribers, which can independently act to protect the network. The NRMS can likewise itself instruct computing devices regarding an appropriate action, or it can itself instruct the performance of such action.
US08255999B2
A client device transmits requests via a gateway to a server in a network environment. The requests indicate specific portions of a file on a server to be transmitted as part of the download process. The gateway receives into its memory the requested portions of the file and assembles the received portions into an assembly file. The gateway continuously scans the largest contiguous sequence of the portions in the assembly file for viruses while the requested portions of the file are being received and become available before feeding the received portions to the client computer. By scanning the largest consecutive sequence while new portions become available, the time to complete the scan is reduced thereby increasing the throughput of the gateway.
US08255998B2
A method for protecting objects in a computer system against malware is disclosed. An object is analyzed to determine whether it is infected by malware, and if it is determined to be infected, a backup copy of the object is located in a backup of the objects. The infected object is replaced with the backup copy.
US08255991B1
A computer-implemented method of pre-permissioning a computer application is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request from a user to install a software application, identifying one or more computing services required for operation of the software application, presenting the one or more computing services to the user for review, determining whether the user approves installation of the computer application, and installing the application on a computing device assigned to the user if the user approves installation of the computer application.
US08255987B2
Communication abuse prevention techniques are described. In an implementation, a reputation level for a communication is determined based on relation information for a sender and an intended recipient of the communication. A challenge is invoked that is to be completed by the sender before the communication is sent. The challenge is selected based on the reputation level for the communication.
US08255979B2
In each of personal computers, information concerning an application software to process image data sent to a scanner is received. A dialog box is displayed and a user entry is made as to whether transmission is permitted or not. When transmission is rejected by the user, a notice of the rejection of transmission is given to the scanner. When transmission is permitted by the user, the application software is started and a notice of the permission of transmission is given to the scanner. Then, image data is received from the scanner and processed by the started application software.
US08255976B2
A communication system includes at least a mobile station, a base station, a gateway and a server, with the base station being configured for wireless communication with the mobile station, and the gateway being configured for connection between the base station and the server. The server stores information indicative of at least one established security capability of the mobile station, and sends at least a portion of that information to the gateway, possibly in conjunction with an authentication process for the mobile station. The gateway uses the information received from the server to verify that one or more security capabilities negotiated between the mobile station and the base station are consistent with the established security capability or capabilities of the mobile station. This can advantageously allow the gateway to prevent a bidding-down attack in which an attacker impersonates the mobile station to negotiate an inferior security capability with the base station.
US08255969B2
In an apparatus and method to upgrade software of a set-top box, when a malfunction renders it impossible to receive software upgrade data through System Information (SI), the data is received through Program Specific Information (PSI). Accordingly, it is not only possible to upgrade the software when a malfunction occurs, but also to recover from the malfunction.
US08255963B2
A system and method for real-time monitoring of programming content transmission over a broadcast network. The identification and analysis of data embedded within a broadcast signal allows a broadcaster to determine whether or not their content is actually being broadcast over the network as intended. The embedded data may include various information and indicators, such as proprietary tags, included in the signal. Real-time monitoring may occur across single or multiple channels, narrow or wide geographic areas, be based on various demographic or other characteristics, and may be monitored by content providers or others.
US08255960B2
A method and system for providing video-on-demand services are provided. The method of providing video-on-demand (VOD) services comprises transmitting service information to a set-top box via an out-of-band channel, receiving location and identification information of the set top box via the out-of-band channel, receiving a VOD service request from the set-top box via the out-of-band channel, and providing the set-top box with the requested content via an in-band channel with reference to the location and identification information of the set-top box.
US08255957B1
A method and apparatus for eliminating the apparent delays in a televised presentation between local program content and delayed program content received from a remote location, e.g., via satellite. Local and remote program signals are delayed by the system and method and then combined to provide an output program signal where there is no apparent delay between the content from the different program sources. The delay of the input signals is preferably automatically adjusted such that the start of the program output is not delayed and may be obtained by imperceptibly altering the input program content, e.g., using delay buffers.
US08255956B2
A system and method for efficient delivery of video segments. One embodiment relates to the delivery of short-time duration video segments. The video segments may be delivered as part of a media-rich interactive program guide (IPG) or for some other application. The system and method provides a viewer with access to a video segment starting at its beginning (or any other selectable point within the video segment). Such access may be provided using a server-centric interactive technique. The server-centric technique may involve use of a demand-cast system and method. Demand-cast messaging may occur between a session manager, transport stream generator, and terminal. For example, a video object on a screen may be activated by a viewer using a remote control for a terminal. Activation of the object may cause transmission of a request from the terminal to a session manager for a video segment corresponding to the object. In response to the request, the session manager may initiate a process to accomplish delivery of the video segment from a transport stream generator to the terminal.
US08255955B1
A method and apparatus for highlighting a program listing in a set of program listings based on selection criteria. The selection criteria may indicate that the a broadcaster has agreed to pay a service provider in return for the service provider ensuring that a program listing, corresponding to the program of the broadcaster, is highlighted in a program page that displays a set of program listings, such as television program listings. If there are multiple program listings, listed in a program page, that are to be highlighted, then details of the respective contracts may be used to determine which program listing to highlight. Such details may include the total contract value, a ratio of contract value-to-page view, and/or the time of contract formation.
US08255954B2
A broadcast system includes a program guide system, a traffic and scheduling system having a traffic and scheduling database having a program schedule therein. The system also includes a broadcast operation channel management system initiating a channel mapping change or channel definition change using the program schedule and communicating a change notification to a traffic scheduling system from the broadcast operation channel management system, extracting channel data from the channel mapping or channel definition change. The broadcast operation channel management system communicates the channel data to a program guide system.
US08255951B2
The present invention provides a method and system for accessing services in a television system. In one implementation, a DHCT presents a user a menu containing a plurality of selectable link representations corresponding to separate services or applications offered by the cable television system. The user navigates the menu with a remote device and selects a desired service by choosing the selectable link representation corresponding to the desired service or application. The DHCT receives the user input, translates the selectable link command into an executable call, and activates the service or application corresponding to the selected link representation from the menu chosen by the user.
US08255950B1
Informing a viewer of a television program of the identity of other online identities that represent users concurrently viewing that same television program includes determining dynamically a first television program to which a television viewing device associated with a viewer is tuned and identifying one or more other viewers associated with television viewing devices that are presently tuned to the first television program. Trait information related to the viewer or to the other viewers is stored in a data store related to the first television program. A subset of the other viewers that have similar traits is determined based on the stored trait information. The viewer is graphically informed of the subset of other viewers.
US08255942B2
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.
US08255939B1
A method, a system, and computer readable medium comprising instructions for interactive television offer presentation are provided. The method comprises assigning a unique marketing key to a subscriber, storing the unique marketing key and information of the subscriber in a database, detecting a request from the subscriber comprising the unique marketing key, retrieving the information from the database based on the unique marketing key, and making at least one offer of a product or service to the subscriber based on the information.
US08255935B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slot-in type disk apparatus which can be reduced in thickness by precisely guiding a moving position of a disk when the disk is inserted and discharged. The slot-in type disk apparatus in which a base body 10 and a lid constitute a chassis sheath, a disk-insertion opening 11 into which a disk is directly inserted is formed in a front surface of the chassis sheath, a traverse base 30 is disposed on the side of a front surface of the base body 10, a spindle motor held by the traverse base 30 is disposed at a central portion of the base body 10, the traverse base 30 is provided with a traverse base cover 30A, a discharge lever 100 can move in a portion on the traverse base cover 30A, and a movable-side end of the discharge lever 100 is provided with a guide which holds a disk, and a height of the discharge lever 100 with respect to the traverse base cover 30A is set by contact between the discharge lever 100 and the turntable 31B.
US08255925B2
A method for recovering and requeueing lost messages is disclosed. The lost messages are intended for delivery from a first computer program to a second computer program but are instead stranded in locations internal to the first program. The method extracts one or more of these stranded messages from the location internal to the first program, determines the original destination of each stranded message and delivers that message to the second program. Delivery of each message to the second program is facilitated by using message queues provided by middleware type software programs. The desired middleware program can be selected by the user of the method, and the method provides for the necessary formatting of each recovered message according to the selected middleware. Absent use of the present method, these stranded messages would not be routed to their original destinations.
US08255918B2
In a virtualization environment, there is often a need for an application to access different resources (e.g., files, configuration settings, etc.) on a computer by name. The needed resources can potentially come from any one of a plurality of discrete namespaces or containers of resources on the computer. A resource name can identify one resource in one namespace and another resource in another namespace, and the namespaces may have different precedence relative to one another. The resources needed by the application can be accessed by enumerating names in a logical merger of the namespaces such that as new names in the logical merger are needed they are dynamically chosen from among the namespaces. When two resources in different namespaces have a same name, the resource in the higher precedence namespace can be chosen.
US08255915B1
A computer system characterized by a container hierarchy uses a workload manager to allocate computing resources to workloads. The workload manager can allocate resources as a function of aggregate characteristics of a group of workloads, even where the group does not conform to the container hierarchy.
US08255901B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for customizing software application programs, including self-service applications. In one implementation, a customer selects software components from a standard set of components provided by a developer. The selected software components are then used to form a customized software application. Thereafter, the customized software application may be used by an end user to perform one or more tasks.
US08255900B2
A virtual computer server apparatus includes an image information memory to store image information upon dividing into pages, the page being a memory of a predetermined size, an update unit configured to update the image information stored in the image information memory in accordance with operation of the application program, an update page detection unit configured to detect an update page from the pages storing image information transmitted to the terminal and displayed by the terminal as a display area, an update image detection unit configured to detect the image information updated by the update unit from image information in the update page before updated and image information in the update page after updated.
US08255894B2
Time required sending firmware updates to a peripheral device, e.g., a printer, is shortened without changing the communication speed. A server sequentially reads records of source data in a first format, deletes blocks of consecutive blank data that are contained in object data in records of the first format and are longer than management data in a second format, segments the object data before and after the blanks, connects the object data in records of the first format into units of a certain length, generates management data for each of the segmented object data and connected object data to produce target records in the second format, and sends the update data composed of the target records of the second format to the printer. Records of the first format written in ASCII code are binary converted, and binary records in the second format are sent to the printer.
US08255890B2
One or more computer-readable media store executable instructions that, when executed by processing logic, perform parallel processing. The media store one or more instructions for initiating a single programming language, and identifying, via the single programming language, one or more data distribution schemes for executing a program. The media also store one or more instructions for transforming, via the single programming language, the program into a parallel program with an optimum data distribution scheme selected from the one or more identified data distribution schemes, and allocating the parallel program to two or more labs for parallel execution. The media further store one or more instructions for receiving one or more results associated with the parallel execution of the parallel program from the two or more labs, and providing the one or more results to the program.
US08255886B2
A method for analyzing and presenting in a graphical manner single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) instructions involves disassembling a stream of machine instructions into a stream of assembly language instructions. Instruction objects “M” and “N” are created to represent SIMD instructions “M” and “N” from the stream of instructions. Instruction objects “M” and “N” include multiple data objects corresponding to the multiple data items of the respective SIMD instruction. Different colors are assigned to at least two of the multiple data objects of instruction object “M.” If a data item of SIMD instruction “N” is based on a data item of SIMD instruction “M,” the color from the source object is automatically assigned to the target object. Dependencies between data items of instruction “M” and “N” are annotated by arrows between corresponding data objects. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08255885B2
Methods and systems for detecting copied program code are described. The detection may be performed by comparing source code of a first program to object code of a second program. Alternatively, the detection may be performed by comparing object code of a first program to object code of a second program.
US08255881B2
A method for calculating a composite risk is disclosed. The method may include receiving information associated with a plurality of risk factors. The information may include a timeline for each risk factor, and the timeline may include a plurality of discrete time points. The method may further include determining risk values indicative of risk levels of each risk factor associated with the plurality of discrete time points. The method may also include calculating the composite risk using the determined risk values and a relationship between the composite risk and the plurality of risk factors. The composite risk may include a plurality of composite risk values associated with the plurality of discrete time points.
US08255879B2
Methods and apparatuses for improving a software product are provided. A method for improving a software product includes collecting tracking data through tracking markers inserted at respective functional points of the software product, storing the collected tracking data in a repository, and retrieving the tracking data from the repository and analyzing the tracking data to determine changes for improving the software product.
US08255878B2
Via an internal bus 69, a host emulation unit 61 of a control procedure unit 60 loads a program under development into, and sends program execution control commands to, a program under development execution unit 70 which includes an engine processor. In response to these program execution control commands, the program under development execution unit 70 performs execution starting, stopping, pausing, or resumption of the program under development. On the other hand, execution mode setting information for the program under development is sent from an execution mode setting unit 62 of the control procedure unit 60 via the internal bus 69 to the program under development execution unit 70, in response to commands from the user. Based upon this execution mode setting information, the program execution operation by the engine processor is controlled by the program under development execution unit 70. As a result, during the development of a program to be executed by the engine unit of a mobile communication terminal which comprises a host unit and an engine unit which comprises an engine processor and which operates under the management of the host unit, it is possible to provide a satisfactory development environment.
US08255863B2
A printed circuit board layout system and a method thereof are provided. The method includes the following steps: obtaining the outline information, the boundary information, and the auxiliary line information, when a command for recording position information of points within each of the boundaries is input; obtaining position information of the points within each of the boundaries; setting corresponding height values as height limit of height restriction areas corresponding to the points within each of the boundaries.
US08255861B2
An approach is provided that receives a correlation data structure from a memory. The correlation data structure indicates a number of expected test event triggers that correspond to a test case that includes a number of test events. The test case is executed by a computer processor, the execution resulting in one or more resultant data structures stored in the memory. The resultant data structures indicate one or more actual test event triggers that occurred during the execution. The expected test event triggers are compared to the actual test event triggers. If the comparison reveals one or more mismatches, a trigger mismatch notification is provided to a user of the computer.
US08255841B2
Optical proximity correction techniques performed on one or more graphics processors improve the masks used for the printing of microelectronic circuit designs. Execution of OPC techniques on hardware or software platforms utilizing graphics processing units. GPUs may share the computation load with the system CPUs to efficiently and effectively execute the OPC method steps.
US08255833B2
Electronic equipment capable of registering and changing shortcut functions. When a menu is displayed on an LCD of electronic equipment, a list of shortcuts assigned to respective function keys on a home screen is displayed in the form of a split screen as a result of operation of any of the function keys. When a user selects a function to be assigned from the menu and selects a function key to be assigned, a selected function is assigned to the newly-selected function key.
US08255825B2
Content aware adaptive display is described. In embodiment(s), a media image can be displayed on an integrated display of a media device. The media device can detect that a display device is proximate the media device, determine a display orientation for the media image at the display device, and communicate the media image to the display device that then displays the media image in the determined display orientation.
US08255823B2
A content processing device is in selective communication with a remote server. A graphical user interface is provided. A rendering application is included within the content processing device. The rendering application is configured to: retrieve a set of presentation elements from the remote server, the set of presentation elements including a graphical element; represent the graphical element as a bitmap; determine each of a location, an orientation, and a size for the graphical element within a graphical user interface; expand the graphical element according to the size; and include the graphical element within the graphical user interface.
US08255815B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide a method that presents a preview of a set of images in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a device. The method presents a GUI element to represent the set of images in the GUI, where the GUI element is moveable within the GUI. The method then displays within said GUI element a sequence of the images in the set of images to provide a preview of the set of images.
US08255809B2
A technique for executing applets is provided. Initially, a webtop applet is loaded into, for example, a browser window. The webtop applet displays the list of applets available to a user. The user selects one or more applets from the list received by the webtop applet. The webtop applet generates a separate JInternal frame for each selected applet, and each JInternal frame executes its associated applet within a separate window. The windows assume different configurations such as being resized, repositioned, cascaded, tiled, windowed, minimized, maximized, or overlapped with one or more other windows within a fixed-size view space of the browser window. Each window is manipulated by the user separately from the other windows which are contained within the fixed sized view space.
US08255806B2
A virtual machine (VM) is accessed by receiving user log-in information, the log-in information identifying a user and a corresponding VM, the VM having a local copy and a remote copy. A selected copy of the VM is identified based on at least one of a policy and a user selection, the selected copy being one of the local copy and the remote copy of the VM. A desktop generated by the selected copy of the VM is presented to the user in a common application graphical user interface, the common application graphical user interface being used regardless as to whether the selected copy of the VM is the local copy or the remote copy.
US08255803B1
A method is used in facilitating storage pool provisioning. A sequence of user interface screens is provided for configuring one or more physical devices of a data storage system for use in connection with provisioning a storage pool. By the sequence, a provisioning specification describing a RAID type and capacity is received. Best practices information describing one or more sets of data storage system best practices is received. By the sequence, a proposal is presented for performing configuration processing in connection with initialization of the data storage system to configure a first portion of the one or more physical devices for use with the storage pool. The best practices information is used in producing the proposal.
US08255801B2
Controlling an event in a virtual environment is disclosed. A video image from one or more video cameras is received. A video enhanced script is executed to display the virtual environment in a video display within a web browser. An event in the virtual environment is controlled based on the video image. The video enhanced script is configured to communicate with a web browser extension module.
US08255798B2
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a device with a touch screen display is disclosed. In the method, a movement of an object on or near the touch screen display is detected. In response to detecting the movement, an electronic document displayed on the touch screen display is translated in a first direction. If an edge of the electronic document is reached while translating the electronic document in the first direction while the object is still detected on or near the touch screen display, an area beyond the edge of the document is displayed. In response to detecting that the object is no longer on or near the touch screen display, the document is translated in a second direction until the area beyond the edge of the document is no longer displayed.
US08255790B2
A form user interface modification engine for use in customizing forms of an application is provided. The modification engine includes an export component which retrieves a first binary format form for customization. The export component deserializes the first binary format form and converts the first binary format form into a first XML format form. An import component of the modification engine receives a customized XML format form created using the first XML format form and serializes the customized XML format form. The customized XML format form is then stored as an XML layer with a reference to the associated binary format form.
US08255786B1
Techniques for including a hyperlink in a document is disclosed. A document is received via a communications interface. An entity pair is determined by a processor. The entity pair includes a concept included in a concept taxonomy and a textual representation included in the document. As output, a hyperlink is provided.
US08255785B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a communication network having a plurality of communication devices capable of transferring content wirelessly. The communication network comprises at least two communication devices and a mediator. The first communication device receives streaming content. The second communication device receives content different from the content streaming to the first communication device. In turn, the mediator determines whether the streaming content should take precedence over the content different from the content streaming on the first communication device.
US08255777B2
Systems and methods for identifying error bits in encoded data are disclosed. As a part of identifying error bits, encoded data that is provided from a data source and that includes data and parity check portions is accessed. Based on the encoded data, syndromes are calculated, and based on the calculated syndromes, an equation is determined. The roots of the equation are determined and based on the determined roots of the equation, one or more error bits are identified. The error bits are identified using a circuit that presents a binary representation of the roots. The error bits are corrected based on the error bits that are identified.
US08255774B2
The present disclosure provides a data storage system with non-volatile memory for error correction. In one example, a data storage system is provided and includes a first data storage device comprising a first non-volatile data storage medium and a second data storage device that comprises a second non-volatile data storage medium. The system also includes a controller configured to store data to the first data storage device. The controller is configured to selectively generate error correction information for selected portions of the data based on at least one attribute associated with the data and store the error correction information in the second data storage device.
US08255770B2
A Multi-Level Cell (MLC) memory device and method thereof are provided. The example MLC memory device may be configured to perform data operations, and may include an MLC memory cell, a first coding device performing a first coding function, the first coding function being one of an encoding function and a decoding function, a second coding device performing a second coding function, the second coding function being one of an encoding function and a decoding function and a signal module configured to perform at least one of instructing the MLC memory cell to store data output by the second coding device if the first and second coding functions are encoding functions, and generating a demapped bit stream based on data retrieved from the MLC memory cell if the first and second coding functions are decoding functions.
US08255769B2
A failure is detected immediately and certainly, and continuation of processing in an unstable state is prevented. A first error detection code is generated from first information which is output as a result of execution of a predetermined program conducted by a first processor. A second error detection code is generated from second information which is output as a result of execution of the program conducted by a second processor which is configured so as to output the same computation result as that of the first processor. It is detected whether the first information is the same as the second information, and it is detected whether the first error detection code is the same as the second error detection code. Writing the first information or the second information into a main memory is controlled on the basis of a result of the detection.
US08255767B2
A method for communication between a geologic downhole measurement device and a receiver is provided. The method includes: receiving a bit sensitive data stream representing at least one property of at least one of a geologic formation and a borehole; grouping the data stream into at least one data block; and coding the data block with a forward error correction code. A system and computer program product for communication between a geologic downhole measurement device and a receiver are also provided.
US08255761B1
A method and a circuit for generating cyclic redundancy checks. The method calculates a plurality of cyclic redundancy checks for a transport block with a plurality of information bits. At least one cyclic redundancy check among the plurality of cyclic redundancy checks is calculated based on a subset of information bits, and at least one information bit among the plurality of information bits is not within said subset of the information bits. In addition, a transport block cyclic redundancy check may be calculated based on all the information bits.
US08255757B2
A receiver (120) is configured to receive data over a communications link. A decapsulator (122) is coupled to the receiver and configured to create datagrams and erasure attributes associated with the datagrams. A decoder (124) is coupled to the decapsulator and configured to store the datagrams in a frame table (400) and to create codewords, the decoder storing the datagrams in table columns to create codewords in table rows, correcting the codewords, and configured to store the erasure attributes in an erasure table (552). The erasure table is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of entries (560), each of which is associated with a column of the frame table. Each entry is comprised of a plurality of elements (570).
US08255729B2
A time sequence control circuit is provided to control time sequence of a motherboard of a computer. A first voltage received by a power supply receiving terminal is greater than a preset voltage before a signal control terminal on the motherboard receives a second voltage during turning on the computer. During shutting off the computer, the first voltage at the power supply receiving terminal drops and is less than the preset voltage, and the second voltage supplied to the signal control terminal on the motherboard is shut off.
US08255725B2
According to one embodiment, a power management module in an information processing apparatus is configured to execute a process of setting a power-down signal to a peripheral device in an active state in response to a power-down signal generation command, a process of setting the information processing apparatus in a sleep state in response to a sleep state transition request signal, a process of restoring the information processing apparatus to a working state in response to generation of a predetermined wakeup event, and a process of setting the power-down signal in an inactive state before a predetermined time has passed since the restoration of the information processing apparatus to the working state.
US08255713B2
A method, apparatus, and system for coordinated link power management. Some embodiments of a method include receiving an exit latency for each of a group of link states for a link, with a device being coupled to an interconnect via the first link. A latency tolerance value is determined and communicated, and a platform latency is received. The method further provides for determining a link budget for the device, the link budget indicating an amount of time available for an exit from a link state for the device; and selecting one of the link states based at least in part on the link budget.
US08255712B2
A method protects a power button of a computing device. The computing device includes a front panel and a motherboard. The front panel includes a protection switch and a power button. The motherboard includes a power protection unit that displays a power-on simulation icon and a power-off simulation icon on a display screen when the power button is pressed. The power protection unit controls a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pin of the motherboard to output a first voltage level when the power-off simulation icon is selected, and shuts off the protection switch to enable the power button according to the first voltage level. The power protection unit controls the GPIO pin to output a second voltage level when the power-on simulation icon is selected, and turns on the protection switch to enable the power button according to the second voltage level.
US08255708B1
Circuits, architectures, systems, methods, algorithms and software for reducing power consumption of a universal serial bus (USB) device. Exemplary circuits and/or systems include a bus clock synchronization module configured to measure a bus clock period, and a power control module. The power control module is generally configured to determine an application power save period, determine a bus power save period based on the application power save period and the bus clock period, send a power save request, and enter a power saving mode of operation in response to a reply to the power save request. The present embodiments advantageously provide for reduced power consumption of a USB device and faster response during periodic states of activity and inactivity.
US08255698B2
A biometric sample of the user is received at a biometric interface of a device as part of a biometric authentication request by the user, with the biometric sample characterized by a match score when the biometric sample matches at least one stored template that uniquely identifies the user. The presence of a context usage override condition of the biometric authentication request causes a context usage factor to be updated based upon the context usage override condition. A biometric recognition threshold required for the user to access the application and indicative of a threshold security level required for biometric authentication is calculated based on the context usage factor. The user is permitted to access the application when the match score of the biometric sample is at least equal to the biometric recognition threshold.
US08255689B2
A method and system for performing a distributed verification with respect to measurement data in a sensor network. The method of performing the distributed verification with respect to measurement data in a sensor network includes: verifying, by an aggregator, the measurement data received from each of a plurality of sensors; generating, by the aggregator, verification request data by using the verified measurement data; transmitting the verification request data to a verifier; and verifying, by the verifier, the aggregator via a predetermined number of sensors of the plurality of sensors and the verification request data. The method of performing a distributed verification with respect to measurement data in a sensor network further includes transmitting, by the aggregator, an aggregation result with respect to the measurement data to a base station when the aggregator is verified; and verifying, by the base station, the aggregation result.
US08255688B2
Methods and systems for mutual authentication and personalizing a transaction device, such as a payment, transaction, or identity card. Successively generated one time codes are calculated by a first and second entity. One of the codes is transmitted to the second entity, which verifies the code is proper, then encrypts a second one time code using a third one time code and transmits the encrypted data to the first entity. The first entity decrypts the data using the third one time code, verifies the encrypted second one time code is proper, thereby mutually authenticating, and establishing a shared encryption key for subsequent communications, including transmission of personalization data.
US08255682B2
A system that eliminates some of the security vulnerabilities in the prior art systems by using a new sequence of steps to perform initialization of the cable modem: Instead of performing authentication after the cable modem has been registered, the cable modem authentication step is performed immediately after the cable modem completes ranging. Thus an early authentication method and system are provided. The control of authentication is shifted from the cable modem to the CMTS. Instead of the CMTS relying on a Registration Request message (REG-REQ) to determine whether a cable modem must perform authentication (that is to determine if BPI+ is enabled) the CMTS configuration is what determines whether a cable modem must perform authentication.
US08255680B1
A method and apparatus for providing layer-independent secure network communication is provided. According to an embodiment of the invention, a transmission medium is provided between a first network node and a second network node. Both the first network node and the second network node support at least one common communication protocol. A Java output stream is established between a first process executing on the first network node and the transmission medium. Also, a Java input stream is established between a second process executing on the second multi-layered node and the transmission medium. Data to be transmitted from the first process to the second process is encrypted by the first process and written to the Java output stream. The data is transmitted to the second network node. Then the data is read from the Java input stream by the second process and decrypted.
US08255677B2
A femtocell may be initialized on a network by automatically contacting a network service provider. The access point then automatically downloads an initial configuration from a bootstrap server belonging to the network service provider. In some cases, a femtocell access point may automatically determine, after boot up, whether it was pre-provisioned with credentials to authenticate itself with the network service provider. If so, it may use a domain name service to obtain an address of a bootstrap server. Otherwise, it may use dynamic host configuration protocol to discover the bootstrap server's Internet Protocol address.
US08255664B2
Techniques are described for efficient reordering of data and performing data exchanges within a register tile or memory, or in general, any device storing data that is accessible through a set of addressable locations. In one technique, an address translator is placed in the path of all or a selected set of address busses to a storage device to provide a programmable and selectable means of translating the storage device addresses. An effect of this translation is that the data stored in one pattern may be accessed and stored in another pattern or accessed, processed and stored in another pattern. The address translation operation may be carried out in a single cycle, does not involve the physical movement of data in swap operations, allows data to effectively be ordered more efficiently for algorithmic processing and therefore saves power. Address translation functions are shown to be useful for vector operations and a new type of storage unit using built in address translation functions is presented.
US08255661B2
A data storage system is disclosed comprising a non-volatile memory and a first interface operable to receive a write command from a host, the write command comprising a host write data block having a host logical block size. A block mapping bridge divides the host write data block into a plurality of transfer data blocks, wherein each transfer data block having a device logical block size smaller than the host logical block size. The transfer data blocks are transmitted through a second interface to control circuitry that accumulates the transfer data blocks into a physical data block having a device physical block size equal to a first integer multiple of the device logical block size, wherein the host logical block size is a second integer multiple of the device physical block size. The physical data block is then written to the non-volatile memory.
US08255659B1
Method and system is provided for accessing storage. A first logical data structure is created without receiving a client request from a computing system. A first identifier for identifying the first logical data structure is assigned to the first logical data structure. Upon receiving a client request, a second logical data structure associated with a storage device is generated and the first identifier is assigned to the second logical data structure. The second logical data structure identified by the first identifier is then used by the computing system.
US08255658B2
The present invention provides a memory management method, including the steps of: securing a memory area by a program executed by a computer; storing an object in the memory area in accordance with the execution of the program; bringing the memory area into a release reservation state in accordance with the program instructing the memory area to be released; moving the object to a memory area not to be released while another object in the memory area not to be released and not to be brought into the release reservation state refers to the object in the memory area to be released including the memory area to be brought into the release reservation state; and releasing the memory area to be released.
US08255655B2
These embodiments relate to authentication and securing of write-once, read-many (WORM) memory devices. In one embodiment, a memory device comprises a controller operable in first and second modes of operation after stored security information is validated, wherein in the first mode of operation, the memory device operates in a read-only mode, and wherein in the second mode of operation, the memory device operates in a write-once, read-many (WORM) mode. In another embodiment, the controller is operative to perform security methods.
US08255653B2
A system and method are described for adding a disk to a cluster as a shared resource. In one embodiment, a request is received to add a disk to a cluster as a shared disk resource. The disk may share a disk identifier with a second disk currently connected to the cluster as a shared resource. A determination is made as to which partition format is used by the disk. A unique disk identifier is retrieved and written to the disk in accordance with the determined partition format. The disk is then connected to the node as a shared disk resource. The disk may be a snapshot, mirror, or backup of the second disk currently connected to the cluster.
US08255650B1
Systems and methods are provided for capturing a complete baseline image of the operating environment of a host computer system on an external storage device and for generating incremental backups of the operating environment as changes to the operating environment are identified to create an aggregate baseline image of the operating environment of the host computer system. The external storage device can be disconnected from the host computer system and connected to a remote host where the aggregate baseline image can be used launch a remote host environment on a virtual machine running on the remote host. The remote host environment allows a user to make changes to the remote host environment and the changes can be written back to external storage device as a delta image that is included in the aggregate baseline image. The aggregate baseline image can then be synchronized with the native host.
US08255648B2
A method, system, and computer program product are provided for maintaining a storage device backup consistency group. The method comprises receiving a first I/O command for a first storage device, receiving a second I/O command for a second storage device, identifying a transaction comprising both the first I/O command and the second I/O command, accessing a storage device backup consistency group for the first storage device, determining whether a backup for the second storage device is a member of the storage device backup consistency group, and performing a predefined corrective action if a backup for the second storage device is not a member of the storage device backup consistency group. The predefined corrective action may comprise detecting or creating a backup for the second storage device and then adding the detected or created backup to the storage device backup consistency group, invalidating the second I/O command, and/or issuing a warning.
US08255644B2
Described embodiments provide a memory system including a plurality of addressable memory arrays. Data in the arrays is accessed by receiving a logical address of data in the addressable memory array and computing a hash value based on at least a part of the logical address. One of the addressable memory arrays is selected based on the hash value. Data in the selected addressable memory array is accessed using a physical address based on at least part of the logical address not used to compute the hash value. The hash value is generated by a hash function to provide essentially random selection of each of the addressable memory arrays.
US08255642B2
A stress of a computerized system may be detected based on actions performed by the computerized system in respect to a storage system, such as comprising a secondary storage. The stress detection may be performed automatically based on an age of data blocks accessed by the storage system. The stress may take into account a number of accesses to the storage system by the computerized system. Stress detection may be performed automatically based on a decision procedure.
US08255639B2
A method and apparatus for transparently handling recurring correctable errors to prevent costly system shutdowns for correctable memory errors or system failures from uncorrectable memory errors. When a high number of correctable errors are detected for a given memory location, the hypervisor moves the data associated with the memory location to an alternate physical memory location transparently to the partition such that the partition has no knowledge that the physical memory actualizing the memory location has been changed. Similarly, the hypervisor can move direct memory access (DMA) memory locations using an I/O translation table.
US08255637B2
A mass storage system and method incorporates a cache memory or a cache management module which handles dirty data using an access-based promotion replacement process through consistency checkpoints. The consistency checkpoints are associated with a global number of snapshots generated in the storage system. The consistency checkpoints are organized within the sequence of dirty data in an invariable order corresponding to storage volumes with the generated snapshots, such that, responsive to destaging a consistency checkpoint the global number of generated snapshots are recorded and then read during recovery of the failed storage system.
US08255633B2
A list prefetch engine improves a performance of a parallel computing system. The list prefetch engine receives a current cache miss address. The list prefetch engine evaluates whether the current cache miss address is valid. If the current cache miss address is valid, the list prefetch engine compares the current cache miss address and a list address. A list address represents an address in a list. A list describes an arbitrary sequence of prior cache miss addresses. The prefetch engine prefetches data according to the list, if there is a match between the current cache miss address and the list address.
US08255632B2
A pre-fetch control apparatus is equipped with a next-line pre-fetch control apparatus 38. An address overflowed from a pre-fetch address queue 26 is stored in the next-line pre-fetch control apparatus 38. An access address issued by a processor unit and stored in a register 25 is compared with the address stored in the next-line pre-fetch control apparatus 38 and, if the two addresses are identical, a value obtained by adding a data block size λ of cache memory to the address stored in the next-line pre-fetch control apparatus 38 is stored again in the next line pre-fetch control apparatus 38. When the address issued by the processor unit is identical with that stored in the next-line pre-fetch control apparatus 38 a predetermined number of times, the occurrence of continuous accesses is presumed and pre-fetching is carried out for all addresses that have not hit the pre-fetch address queue.
US08255626B2
Mechanisms for performing predicated atomic commits based on consistency of watches is provided. These mechanisms include executing, by a thread executing on a processor of the data processing system, an atomic release instruction. A determination is made as to whether a speculative store has been lost, due to an eviction of a memory block to which the speculative store is performed, since a previous atomic release instruction was processed. In response to the speculative store having been lost, invalidating, by the processor, speculative stores that have been performed since the previous atomic release instruction was processed. In addition, the method comprises, in response to the speculative store not having been lost, committing, by the processor, speculative stores that have been performed since the previous atomic release instruction was processed.
US08255622B2
A memory controller and data processor have their operation mode switched from the page-on mode for high-speed access to a same page to the page-off mode in response to consecutive events of access to different pages, so that the memory access is performed at a high speed and low power consumption.
US08255620B2
A Flash-based storage system, card, and/or module comprises a Flash controller configured to encrypt the data pages of a page stripe by shuffling the data pages, including loading each data page into a data shuffling buffer in a sequential order relative to other data pages in the page stripe, and thereafter unloading each data page in a non-sequential order relative to other data pages in the page stripe. The Flash controller is also configured to scramble the data pages of the page stripe by performing a bitwise logical operation on the data pages that are unloaded from the data shuffling buffer. A user key and one or more system keys are used to perform the shuffling and scrambling. The Flash controller is further configured to flush the user key by bypassing the system's backup power supply and performing an emergency system shutdown without backing up system data.
US08255618B1
Shared memory device apparatus and related methods are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining memory operation commands. The memory operation commands are received by a command dispatcher in a same order as obtained by the queue arbiter from the host device. The example method further includes separately and respectively queuing the memory operation commands for each of a plurality of memory devices and dispatching the memory operation commands for execution. The example method also includes receiving the dispatched memory operation commands at a plurality of command queues, where each command queue is associated with a respective one of the plurality of memory devices. Each command queue is configured to receive its respective dispatched memory operation commands from the command dispatcher in a same order as received by the dispatcher and provide the received memory operation commands to its respective memory device in a first-in-first-out order.
US08255607B2
Described herein is an improved mechanism for bridging between SAS and SATA drives based upon existing SAS expanders in a SAS domain. In particular, a bridge capable of translating between SAS and SATA protocols is embedded in or coupled to an expander. When a SAS initiator request is received at the expander, the expander can route the request, based on a routing table, either directly to a destination SAS device or to the bridge for necessary translation before it is transmitted to a destination SATA drive. The routing table includes corresponding relationships between all SAS addresses and Phys through which those SAS and SATA devices are attached to the expander. SATA devices can be virtualized in the expander through a few assigned addresses in the routing table in a SAS discovery process.
US08255606B2
An apparatus for providing an interface for semiconductor processing equipment is disclosed. In some embodiments, an apparatus for providing an interface for semiconductor processing equipment having an interface card includes a display logic subsystem to provide an interface to one or more devices such as video and information displays, light pens, keyboards, computer mice, and warning light networks and alarms via a data and control bus; a bridge to provide access to the data and control bus; and a local computer subsystem coupled to the bridge and the display logic subsystem, wherein the local computer subsystem provides access to one or more remote devices.
US08255603B2
A method includes accepting for a first processor core of a plurality of processor cores in a multi-core system, a user-level interrupt indicated by a user-level interrupt message when an interrupt domain of an application thread executing on the first processor core and a recipient identifier of the application thread executing on the first processor core match corresponding fields in the user-level interrupt message.
US08255599B2
In PCI-Express and alike communications systems, data bandwidth per channel can vary as a result of negotiated port bifurcation during network bring-up. Disclosed are systems and methods for adjusting FIFO depths in response to negotiated bandwidth per channel so that data absorbing FIFO's of respective channels are not arbitrarily too deep or too shallow relative to the data bandwidths of the channels the FIFO's serve.
US08255585B2
In some aspects, a method includes determining whether a universal serial bus (USB) peripheral device is connected to a USB monitoring device that is connected to a medical device and drawing power from the medical device. The medical device is configured for use in a medical procedure with a patient. The method also includes determining whether the USB peripheral device is drawing power from the medical device if the USB peripheral device is determined to be connected to the USB monitoring device.
US08255580B2
An image display device and method of changing extended display identification data (EDID) information includes a first storage unit which stores extended display identification data (EDID) information to be provided to the source providing device, a second storage unit which stores at least one version of the EDID information which is different from the EDID information stored in the first storage unit, and a control unit which replaces the EDID information stored in the first storage unit with the different version of the EDID information stored in the second storage unit if an EDID information change request signal is input. Accordingly, compatibility of the EDID information between the source providing device and the image display device can be maintained.
US08255576B2
This document discusses, among other things, a system and method for switching serialized video information (e.g., non-packet-based video information) and Universal Serial Bus (USB) information (e.g., packet-based information) to a common output (e.g., to a physical USB interface).
US08255574B2
Provided embodiments include a device, a system, an article of manufacture, and a method. A system is provided. The system includes a transmit module, an interface module, and a control module. The transmit module receives first data for transmitting the first data over a network. The interface module interfaces the transmit module to the network. The interface module has a network address that identifies the interface module on the network. The control module receives a control signal to transmit the first data over the network. The control module outputs the network address to the transmit module when the control signal is received. The transmit module transmits the first data that includes the network address over the network.
US08255572B1
A method and apparatus for identifying 419 messages in a live message stream whereby an incoming message in a live message stream is subjected to an anti-spam pipeline made up of multiple anti-spam stages or filters including a whitelist filter stage, a dynamic feedback-based heuristic filter stage, a 419 text-based heuristic filter stage, one or more metadata creating heuristic filter stages, and a metadata analysis stage. A message is removed from the live analysis of the anti-spam pipeline at any stage where the message is identified as either a potential 419 message or a potential legitimate message. Consequently, processing costs are minimized since no resources are used on messages that have already been classified as either a potential 419 message or a potential legitimate message. In addition, even when a given message is processed by the entire anti-spam pipeline, and the costs are incurred, the information obtained by the application of the entire anti-spam pipeline is used to supplement or update the dynamic feedback-based heuristic filter stage. Consequently, the cost of applying the entire anti-spam pipeline to a message is potentially offset by the valuable feedback results that are used to improve future processing speed and accuracy.
US08255568B2
A system and method for managing information retrievals from all of an enterprises' archives across all operating locations. The archives include both digital and analog archives. A single “virtual archive” is provided which links all of the archives of the enterprise, regardless of the location or configuration of the archive. The virtual archive allows for data aggregation (regardless of location) so the a user can have data from multiple physical locations on a single screen in a single view. A single, consistent and user friendly interface is provided through which users are able to access multiple applications through a single sign-on and password. Logical tables that are used to direct information retrieval requests to the physical archives. The retrieved information is reformatted and repackaging to resolve any incompatibility between the format of the stored information and the distribution media.
US08255567B2
A method for processing a datagram, including receiving an initial fragment of the datagram over a communication link and classifying in an initial classification the initial fragment as a first fragment, a middle fragment, or a last fragment of the datagram. The method further includes receiving one or more subsequent fragments over the communication link, following the initial fragment, and classifying each of the one or more subsequent fragments in respective subsequent classifications so as to find among the subsequent fragments at least one of the first fragment, the middle fragment, and the last fragment of the datagram.Responsive to the initial and the one or more subsequent classifications, a determination is made whether the datagram is completely constituted by the initial fragment and no more than two of the subsequent fragments. The datagram is reassembled responsive to the determination.
US08255562B2
A method for minimizing latency of data transfer between the redundant storage controllers in a network-based storage controller system that utilizes adaptive data throttling. Each redundant storage controller monitors latency for round trip communications between the redundant controllers by calculating a time required to mirror a write to the other controller and receive a write acknowledge. An average latency for round trip communications between the redundant controllers during a fixed monitoring period is calculated, and at the end of each fixed monitoring period, the average latency is compared to a fixed latency to access the average time latency for mirroring writes is good, acceptable or unacceptable. If the average time latency is good, the one controller reduces or disables throttling for data transfers between the one controller and the server, and between the one controller and back-end storage, increasing a number of this type of data transfer that can be executed in parallel. If the average time latency is acceptable, the one controller does not adjust throttling for data transfers between the one controller and the server, and between the one controller and back-end storage. If the average time latency is unacceptable, the one controller increases data throttling for data transfers between the one controller and the server, and between the controller and the back-end storage, decreasing a number of this type of data transfer that can be executed in parallel.
US08255559B2
A method of data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection, is disclosed. The method includes associating an encoding coefficient with said time-varying connection, the encoding coefficient determining a flow rate at an output of said encoder; defining a performance metric of the time-varying connection; defining an acceptance interval of the performance metric having a lower bound and an upper bound; acquiring a set of performance measurements of the time-varying connection over a time window at a current encoding coefficient; determining a current value of the metric of the time-varying connection according to the set of measurements; determining a preferred encoding coefficient according to the current value of the metric; and modifying the current encoding coefficient based on the current value of the metric and the acceptance interval to attain the preferred encoding coefficient. A corresponding streaming server and system for data streaming are also provided.
US08255554B2
Techniques for composing an application resource model in a data stream processing system are disclosed. The application resource model may be used to understand what resources will be consumed by an application when executed by the data stream processing system. For example, a method for composing an application resource model for a data stream processing system comprises the following steps. One or more operator-level metrics are obtained from an execution of a data stream processing application in accordance with a first configuration. The application is executed by one or more nodes of the data stream processing system, and the application is comprised of one or more processing elements that are comprised of one or more operators. One or more operator-level resource functions are generated based on the obtained one or more operator-level metrics. A processing element-level resource function is generated based on the one or more generated operator-level resource functions. The processing element-level resource function represents an application resource model usable for predicting one or more characteristics of the application executed in accordance with a second configuration.
US08255542B2
A system and method for reconstructing a session. A method may include receiving audio and metadata packets related to a session. Audio data may be recorded and metadata information may be extracted from the metadata packets and stored in association with the audio data. A session may be reconstructed by simultaneously replaying the audio data and presenting a visual representation of the metadata.
US08255529B2
A decision system for providing customized deployment architectures to users of a cloud computing environment. The decision system can identify one or more parameters for analyzing applications and processes running in a cloud, monitor the applications and processes executed in the cloud, and collect information such as usage of cloud resources, number and type of computing processes instantiated, software programs utilized by the computing processes. The decision system can then generate customized deployment architectures based on the collected information.
US08255526B2
A method for collecting human experience analytics data for visitors browsing a Web site and a web analytics data collection engine are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of registering an action performed by a visitor browsing the Web site, categorizing said registered action as a navigation action between web pages of the Web site and/or as an event action within a web page of the Web site. In the case that the registered action is categorized as an event action, the event is associated with a web page of the Web site, and the action is recorded as an event within the associated web page. In the case that the registered action is categorized as a navigation action, the action is either recorded as a navigation from a current web page to a subsequent web page, or recording of the action is cancelled, based on previously defined criteria. Finally, the recorded events and navigations are stored in a data storage facility.The invention allows the owner of the Web site to collect and store data which reflects the human experience of visitors browsing the Web site. This may be used for adjusting design of the Web site and/or for customizing information presented to the visitor.
US08255523B1
Tracking data communications are received for single properties that include ambiguous event statistics. The event statistics are disambiguated by an analytics processing system by identifying account and visitor identifier pairs from account identifiers and visitor identifiers in the tracking data communications. For each account and visitor identifier pair, ambiguous event statistics are ordered by the corresponding event times and disambiguated.
US08255511B1
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for measuring transaction response times. The method and apparatus can identify service request sequences corresponding to a transaction and the start and stop times for the transaction. The invention can be applied non-intrusively/non-invasively to the service packets communicated between a source and destination node.
US08255510B2
Methods and systems for managing a service provider switch are provided. According to one embodiment, a network operating system (NOS) is provided on each processor element (PE) of the switch. The NOS includes an object manager (OM) responsible for managing global software object groups, managing software object configurations, managing local software objects and groups and routing control information between address spaces based on locations of software objects. The OM performs management plane communications among software objects by way of system calls. The OM performs data plane communications among software objects by way of object-to-object channels. The switch is provisioned with a network-based managed IP service for a particular customer of the service provider by pushing the service onto an object-to-object channel that has been established between a first software object and a second software object of the software objects.
US08255498B2
A method for avoiding the IP address conflict includes the following steps. First, once the router obtains an IP address as its WAN IP address, the network bits of the WAN IP address and the network bits of an IP pool of the router are retrieved. Then, it follows to determine whether the network bits of the WAN IP address is identical to that of the IP pool, and if yes, modify the network bits of the IP pool together with a LAN IP address of the router to be different from that of the WAN IP address. After that, an instruction is transmitted to the client terminals associated with the router. Upon reception of the instruction, the client terminals replace the old IP addresses with the new IP addresses assigned from the router in accordance with Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
US08255494B1
According to one general aspect, a method of executing a web application installed on an apparatus may include executing, via a processor included by the apparatus, a web browser. The method may include loading, via the web browser, the web application. In some embodiments, the web application may include a manifest and at least a portion of a web site and wherein the web application was packaged as an installable entity. The method may further include managing, by the web browser, the execution of the web application. The method may include accessing, via the web browser, from a local storage medium one or more portions of the web site included by the web application. In some embodiments, the one or more portions of the web site may have been stored in the local storage medium when the web application was installed.
US08255491B1
A request is received at an emulation system configured to communicate over a wireless network. The request indicates content to be retrieved from over the wireless network. A content request for the content to be retrieved over the wireless network is generated at the emulation system. The content request emulates a content request from a particular wireless device. The generated content request is sent from the emulation system over the wireless network to a server that is configured to retrieve the content and return the content to the emulation system. The content is received at the emulation system from the wireless network, and stored in storage system. The stored content is accessed, and the content is analyzed to identify advertising content within the content. Information related to the identified advertising content is determined and a table that includes the determined information related to the identified advertising content is produced.
US08255490B1
Systems and methods provide a dynamic multi-tenant service-oriented architecture using customization code. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method provides a service using customization code. A server receives a call to a service from a client. The call includes one or more parameters. The method identifies a control point identifier that is associated with the service and determines, based on the one or more parameters, a mapping table storing data. The data identifies one or more customization code segments. The method loads the determined mapping table into a memory of the server and identifies one of the customization code segments that corresponds to the control point identifier. The method further loads the identified customization code segment into the memory of the server and calls the identified customization code segment inline during execution of the service. A response is transmitted to the client, based on the execution.
US08255487B2
Systems and methods for communication between devices using a duty cycle of a signal while a device maintains operation responsive to the duty cycle are disclosed. A device receives a signal comprising a duty cycle within a time interval, the duty cycle comprising a plurality of portions and each of the plurality of portions comprising a duration of the duty cycle within the time interval. The device performs an operation responsive to the duty cycle and, in response to a detection of an instruction identified by at least one portion of the duty cycle, performs a function based on the instruction while maintaining the operation responsive to the duty cycle. The device performs operations responsive to duty cycles within time intervals of succeeding signals and performs functions based on instructions from the succeeding signals while maintaining the operation responsive to the duty cycles.
US08255477B2
Systems and methods for optimizing storage network functionality. The methods and systems of the present invention are particularly useful for optimizing storage network performance for cases in which some components of the network may be separated by significant distances and/or which include communication links with relatively limited bandwidth. In certain aspects, the present invention provides methods and systems for implementing access to and management of geographically distributed storage resources through multiple peer-to-peer storage network array management functions (AMFs) that may also be geographically distributed. The methods and systems of the present invention, in certain aspects, provide geographically aware cache sharing, cache replication, cache coherence, traffic routing, redundancy group structure, source and destination selection, pre-fetching of data, message gathering and other useful features.
US08255474B2
In a messaging system, pruning messages from a data store according to similarity of topics and the number of requests for the individual messages and the time intervals between requests of messages of similar topic.
US08255468B2
Methods for assisting email users manage email messages received in an email account. An event is triggered by an action performed by an email user with respect to an email message in an email account. The event identifies an entity associated with the email message (e.g., sender address, domain, keyword, etc.). A determination is made whether to assist the user manage their email based on a heuristic. The heuristic assigns weights based on prior events associated with the same entity to determine whether the user is interested in receiving emails from the sender. Based on the heuristics, the method may add the sender to the user's block-list or unsubscribe the user from a mailing list.
US08255467B1
A system and method for providing device management and sharing in an Instant Messenger system is provided. An instant messenger server and an enhanced instant messenger module are operatively coupled together. The enhanced instant messenger module has an instant messenger process and a networked device process, the instant messenger process being operable to provide instant messaging functions and services to a user and the networked device process being operable to provide data from networked devices to the instant messenger server.
US08255461B1
In one embodiment, a display of a source device is shared with one or more viewer devices, e.g., of an online collaborative computing session, and the display is divided into a plurality of identified blocks. In response to changes in the display, the source device determines an outer boundary of an updated region affected by the change, where the updated region defines a plurality of “update blocks” of the identified blocks within the outer boundary. Images within each update block may then be compared to a previous version of the corresponding update block to determine if that individual update block is affected by the change. Any unchanged update blocks may be converted to an easily compressible image, and the source device may then compress and transmit the updated region to the viewer devices, where the transmitted updated region has instructions to use previous versions of unchanged converted update blocks.
US08255459B2
A client-server computing system suited particularly for clients of varying functional capabilities. Information handling capabilities are provided at the client and server on a customized, as-needed basis. When a service is needed by a client, the server determines a number of factors that may be relevant to the manner in which the service is to be provided. Then, the server selects from between two or more services having different executable code, and uploads the selected service to the client. Thus, the code may be tailored to the client's capabilities, or other aspects of its function. Services are not permanently retained by a client; rather, the client performs an analysis to determine whether services should be retained or purged. Also, state information is not permanently retained by a client; the server retains the information and uploads that information to the client. The server also manages its resources by loading service components on an as-needed basis.
US08255443B2
A circuit arrangement and method couple a hardware-based pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) to an execution unit in such a manner that pseudorandom numbers generated by the PRNG may be selectively output to the execution unit for use as an operand during the execution of instructions by the execution unit. A PRNG may be coupled to an input of an operand multiplexer that outputs to an operand input of an execution unit so that operands provided by instructions supplied to the execution unit are selectively overridden with pseudorandom numbers generated by the PRNG. Furthermore, overridden operands provided by instructions supplied to the execution unit may be used as seed values for the PRNG. In many instances, an instruction executed by an execution unit may be able to perform an arithmetic operation using both an operand specified by the instruction and a pseudorandom number generated by the PRNG during the execution of the instruction, so that the generation of the pseudorandom number and the performance of the arithmetic operation occur during a single pass of an execution unit.
US08255434B2
Method and apparatus for storing data in a reduced redundancy form. Binary Large Objects (BLOBs) are partitioned into subblocks according to a partitioning method, and the subblocks are stored in subblock clusters. Each BLOB is represented as a list of spans of subblocks which identifies a contiguous sequence of subblocks within a cluster. Storage redundancy can be reduced because the spans of two different BLOBs can refer to the same subblocks. An index may be used to map subblock hashes to subblock cluster numbers.
US08255431B2
Methods, systems, and products for managing memory. In one general embodiment, the method includes assigning an isolated virtual heap in a global kernel heap of a global operating system environment to each of a plurality of isolated virtual operating system environments operating in a global operating system environment; and in response to an invocation of kernel heap memory allocation from one of the isolated virtual operating system environments, dynamically allocating memory to the invoking isolated virtual operating system environment from the virtual kernel heap assigned to the invoking isolated virtual operating system environment. The method may also include running the plurality of isolated virtual operating system environments in the global operating system environment. The plurality of isolated virtual operating system environments may share a single common kernel. The isolated virtual operating system environments may run under the same operating system image.
US08255430B2
Any client application uses a namespace application to resolve its pathname in order to reference a computer file. Computer files are stored in a fixed-content storage cluster and are accessed by retrieving a unique identifier for the computer file using the namespace application. Any type of pathname scheme from any client application is supported by the namespace. The namespace application uses a bindings table to record bindings between objects including the start date and end date for each binding, and direction and separator data used in the pathname scheme. An attribute table in the namespace keeps track of each attribute and its value for each object of the namespace including a start date and an end date for each attribute. The namespace provides syntactic generality in that any pathname scheme of a client application can be resolved to identify a unique computer file in the storage cluster. The namespace may be shared between applications because when one application modifies a file or its attributes using the namespace, another application using a different pathname scheme has access to the exact same data and modifications. The namespace provides a near instantaneous continuous backup for computer files in the storage cluster because of the use of start date and end dates for the bindings and attributes.
US08255428B2
A user interfaces can deliver enhanced information regarding media assets stored on a portable media device. A graphical user interface for database browsing and navigation can include a list of values of a metadata item and a graphical representation of the distribution of media assets across the values on the list, such as a pie chart where the size of different wedges reflects the fraction of media assets having a particular value. As a user browses a list, the graphical representation can be modified to emphasize the correspondence between different graphical elements and different entries on the list.
US08255427B2
According to one embodiment, a computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, are configured to receive an input schema. The input schema specifies how to represent one or more elements in a document. One or more rules are received. The input schema is analyzed for conformance to the one or more rules. If the input schema does not conform to the one or more rules, a modified schema is generated based on the input schema. The modified schema specifies how to represent the one or more elements in the documents in conformance with the one or more rules.
US08255420B2
A server for managing access to distributed storage comprising a plurality of storage devices includes a file service manager for receiving a request to store a file in the distributed storage and an allocation manager for selecting a cluster within the distributed storage to be used when storing the file. The allocation manager is configured to communicate with at least one other allocation manager in another server so as to determine which allocation manager selects the cluster to be used.
US08255419B2
Architecture that creates a class of role-based scopes that can be declared “exclusive”, which automatically means that no user can access the scope unless the user is granted that exact scope. The exclusive scope excludes an object from the new scopes and existing scopes. In other words, the exclusive scope is a write restriction from a domain scope. The exclusive scope denies user access unless the user is granted the exclusive scope. The exclusive scope can be applied to a group of user objects. The exclusive scope is explicitly assigned to the object to grant access to an exclusive group. Moreover, the exclusive scope is immediately write-protected upon creation.
US08255405B2
Terms are extracted from service description documents describing desired services, and the terms are used to search for candidate service providers operable to provide the desired services. A matrix of terms and documents are determined from the service description documents. Singular value decomposition (SVD) is used to decompose the matrix. Eigen vectors from the SVD decomposition are weighted by top k singular values in a diagonal matrix S of singular values also generated from the decomposition. The weighted eigen vectors are used to rank terms from the matrix X based on relevance of the terms to the requirements for desired services described in the service description documents.
US08255402B2
A method of automatically analyzing online posts, such that they may then be responded appropriately. The method may comprise: extracting a list of keywords from each of the plurality of posts; generating one or more keyword clusters based on the keywords extracted from each of the plurality of posts and classifying new posts in accordance with the one or more keyword clusters.
US08255399B2
A document classifier may analyze documents for a search engine and tag the documents. A document classifier system may have several different classifiers, each with a separate algorithm for classification. Some of the data classifiers may learn or change the classification over time with a feedback loop. As those classifiers are modified, updated, replaced, or added, the documents that have already been classified by the classifier may be re-examined to update their classification. The document classifier system may maintain a database of documents with a timestamp that the document was classified that may be used to identify those documents whose classifications may be out of date.
US08255398B2
A method, information processing system, and computer program storage product to compress sorted values. At least a first prefix and a second prefix in a plurality of prefixes are compared. Each prefix comprises at least a portion of a plurality of sorted values. A respective prefix comprises a set of consecutive characters including at least a first character of a respective sorted value. The respective sorted value further comprising a respective suffix comprising consecutive characters of the respective sorted value that are after the respective prefix. At least a respective first character of the first prefix and a respective first character of the second prefix are determined to be substantially identical. The first prefix is merged with the second prefix into a single prefix comprising the first character. A set of suffixes associated with the first prefix is updated to reflect an association with the second prefix.
US08255391B2
A system and method for determining a ranking function for a search engine. A training data processor receives training data, the training data including at least a first page, a first label, a second page and a second label. A feature extraction processor receives the first page, identifies first features in the first page and calculates first values relating to the first features. The feature extraction processor receives the second page and identifies second features and calculates second values relating to the second features. A machine learning processor receives the first features, the first values, the first label, the second features, the second values, and the second label. The machine learning processor generates a ranking function based on first features, the first values, the first label, the second features, the second values, and the second label.
US08255381B2
A system provides a list of search results, where one of the search results in the list of search results includes a snippet from a corresponding search result document. The system receives selection of the snippet and provides an expanded snippet based on the selection of the snippet. The expanded snippet includes the snippet and other text from a subset of the search result document.
US08255377B2
A system and a method are disclosed for multi-prefix, interactive search capability on a mobile communications device. A keystroke is input into a search query field of a landing page and a multi-prefix search is performed. The landing page is refreshed to display the results. The landing page displays a first tier of search results, which can include channels or links to web pages associated with the user input. If the search result that is selected is a channel, the channel is displayed. If the search result that is selected is a web page, the web page is displayed. The landing page corresponding to the selected channel, or to the web page, may then be searched or explored. If the desired channel is not displayed within the first tier of search results, another keystroke may be input. The landing page refreshes accordingly and additional keystrokes may be entered.
US08255375B2
Electronic content is routed and stored within an enterprise, in which a distributed service-oriented architecture platform is provided to seamlessly route and store content to heterogeneous enterprise content repositories. Dynamic content may be stored, retrieved and queried in real-time through a content service bus (CSB), thus eliminating the need to have point-to-point connectivity between client applications and the destination repositories, while supporting the flexibility to consolidate multiple platforms with minimal impacts to clients. The CSB framework may incorporate underlying technologies, including Web services, intelligent routing based on content, message transformation, and federation of content. A request may be routed to the appropriate content repository based on attached content or metadata in the request and transformed by the CSB to a format required by the determined content repository. The requestor is subsequently provided a response from the content repository in a consistent manner for all of the content repositories.
US08255372B2
Data used and generated by the process of validating XML documents is divided into two categories: compile-time static data and runtime data. Runtime data may be specific to a particular XML document and changes when validating the XML document, while compile-time data does not change in this way. For example, compile-time data may be data that defines, according to a schema, the descendant elements and ordering between them. Runtime data is information generated to track which descendants occurred in a particular XML document being validated. Compile-time static data, once generated to validate a particular XML document, is cached within a shared volatile memory. Once the compile-time data is cached, the compile-time static data may be used to validate other XML documents without the need to regenerate the compile-time static data.
US08255363B2
Software is provisioned by providing a repository that contains software files available for provisioning. At least one tag is associated with respective ones of at least a subset of the software files, the tags describing the at least a subset of the software files. A tag handler is used to process at least one detected change affecting at least one of the software files having a tag associated therewith.
US08255362B2
Software is provisioned by providing a repository that contains a software trove. A local changeset is generated that represents differences between a version of the software trove on the repository and a corresponding version of the software trove on a local system.
US08255355B2
A self-adaptive resource management method (200) is proposed. The system is based on an authority (105) that publishes multiple rules into a corresponding repository (115). Each rule defines a desired target configuration for a category of subjects (110); each category is specified by one or more attributes that are evaluated by corresponding scanners (233-239). Whenever new rules are published, a dedicated module (120) creates and publishes further rules for selectively installing the scanners that are required for evaluating the attributes included in the categories of the new rules. These further rules are defined according to an algorithm that attempts to minimize the cost involved by the installation of the scanners.
US08255354B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for determining the probability that sampled data, associated with a source and obtained from a plurality of data input sources, are from a known source, given prior observed data obtained by the plurality of data input sources for one or more known sources. In one embodiment the data input sources are sensors for detecting molecules conveyed though the air and the method comprises identifying a source of the molecules. The present invention also provides a method of determining information about the position of at least one sensor relative to a previously known type of source.
US08255329B1
A debit-card withdrawal-fee payment method includes receiving selection of a first account to which withdrawal-fee payments are to be directed, receiving notification of a debit-card transaction withdrawal-fee amount associated with a second account, and making a withdrawal-fee payment to the first account in the withdrawal-fee amount.
US08255327B2
Techniques for processing on-line banking bill payment requests are provided. A bill payment request is received from an operator of an on-line banking bill payment web site. The operator may be a bank. The request is for payment of a bill using a portable consumer device. A transaction request is then generated for an issuer and sent to the issuer for authorization. The issuer then sends a response indicating whether the transaction request is approved or declined. Remittance information for a biller is generated if the transaction is approved. The remittance information is then forwarded to the operator of the on-line banking bill payment web site for forwarding to a user of the portable consumer device. Additionally, the remittance information is sent to an acquirer or cash management bank, which can forward the information to the biller associated with the bill payment request.
US08255325B2
A method and apparatus for facilitating online payment transactions between participants in a network-based transaction facility are described. In one embodiment, user interface information is communicated to a first participant via a communications network. The user interface information identifies various payment instruments available for processing online payment transactions in the network-based transaction facility. Further, payment option information is received from the first participant via the communications network. The payment option information indicates the willingness of the first participant to accept a payment from a second participant via one or more of the various payment instruments. This payment option information is passed to the second participant via the communications network. Afterwards, personal billing information is accepted from the second participant via the communications network to facilitate an online payment transaction between the first participant and the second participant. The personal billing information concerns a payment instrument selected by the second participant from the payment instruments specified by the first participant.
US08255323B1
Methods and devices for confirming payment transactions are provided. In one embodiment, an electronic device may include a graphical user interface (GUI) with one or more graphical elements that may be moved by a user to confirm or decline a payment transaction using a selected payment instrument. For example, a user may drag the graphical element to a confirmation position via a touch screen of the electronic device. In another example, a motion sensing device, such as an accelerometer, may sense movement of the electronic device and move the graphical element in response to the motion. Upon confirmation, payment information for the payment transaction may be transmitted to a merchant or payment recipient. Various additional methods, machine-readable media, and devices for confirming payment transactions are provided.
US08255308B2
The invention generally concerns systems, methods, and apparatus wherein a computer may receive information concerning a group of target date funds from a database. Information about the target date funds may comprise information about the glide path and the target retirement date of that fund. A diversification level of each of the target date funds may be determined from the received information. An equity ratio may also be determined for each of the target date funds using the received information. In some instances, the equity ratio may be based upon the amount of equity projected to be owned by the target date fund upon the target retirement date. After determining an equity ratio and a diversification level, a summary of the group of funds is output for review by a user. The summary may include a summary or graph of the diversification levels and equity ratios of the target date funds.
US08255307B1
A system and method for quantifying the working capital benefit of pooling a number of separate cash accounts. The average (mean) cash balance of the pooled account is determined to be the sum of the means of each of the individual accounts. Similarly, the standard deviation of the pooled account is determined to be the square root of the sum of the squares of the standard deviations of the individual accounts. Accordingly, the minimum cash level of the pooled account is 2.3 times the square root of the sum of the squares of the standard deviations of the individual accounts. In order to determine the benefit of pooling, the present invention determines the difference between the minimum aggregate cash required by the separate companies and the minimum cash required in the pooled account. If pooling is to be beneficial, from a working capital perspective, the minimum cash required in the pooled account will be significantly less than the aggregate cash required by the separate companies.
US08255300B2
Systems and methods which determines the likelihood that a calling (or in some cases the called) user will pay for a particular auxiliary service are described. A system of an embodiment considers the user's credit risk and his/her propensity to pay, when deciding if the user is eligible for a particular auxiliary service. A methodology used for determining propensity to pay for an auxiliary service according to embodiments is independent from a determination of propensity to pay for a basic calling service. Thus, the criteria used, and the weight given to each criteria, for determining eligibility for auxiliary services can be different from the criteria and criteria weight used for basic communication connections.
US08255297B2
A virtual currency system keeps track of virtual credits, which can be owned, transferred, purchased, and sold by participants in a virtual economy. Each virtual credit has an internal value and an external value, which define, respectively, the exchange rates for creating and redeeming the virtual credits. Upon creation of new virtual credits, the internal value for those credits is the rate for which real currency was paid per credit. The external value sets the rate at which the virtual credits can be redeemed for real currency. Each virtual credit may further have a face value, which is an apparent value of the virtual credit within the virtual economy, giving users a baseline impression for valuing the virtual currency. These features of the virtual currency enable a number of useful actions within the virtual economy, including currency seeding, couponing, and chargebacks.
US08255272B2
Test method for optimizing the collection of tolls from vehicles on toll roads of a road network, which is carried out by a vehicle-mounted position-determining unit and a vehicle-external management unit which has a data connection to the latter, the toll roads of the road network having detection zones superimposed on them in an electronic image of the road network and the vehicle-mounted position-determining unit transmitting toll-related data to the management unit when vehicle positions are determined within the detection range. There is provision for monitoring zones to be additionally provided in the electronic image of the road network, which monitoring zones are assigned to detection zones and in their spatial extent extend in each case beyond the detection zone assigned to them, the position-determining unit transmitting the position data, located within the monitoring zone, of the vehicle to the management unit when vehicle positions are determined within the monitoring zone and outside the detection zone.
US08255262B2
The assessment of security risks associated with linear corridors, such as transportation corridors and utilities corridors, is provided. Initially, a site is selected for evaluation. Survey data and context sensitive information, such as demographic information, environmental information, corridor asset information, and the like, is collected for the site. Linear corridors are identified within the data, and critical assets within each linear corridor are also identified. Security risks associated with linear corridors may then be assessed using the survey data and context sensitive information. In addition, mitigation strategies, response strategies, and recovery strategies may be developed for the security risks assessed for the linear corridors.
US08255238B2
A data-processing tool for displaying real-time patient data on remote and/or mobile devices. The tool renders graphical data on the screen of the remote device in a manner that makes it practical for the health care provider to review the data. Charting components provide landscape support, an ability to overlay patient data and patient images, zoom in/zoom out, custom variable speed scrolling, split screen support, and formatting control. The methodology operates as an asynchronous application, allowing patient data to be streamed in real-time to the handheld device while conserving enough CPU power to simultaneously allow the end user to interact at will with the responsive display application. Finally, the methodology implements an IT management console that allows system managers to monitor the exchange of data between hospital systems and the primary database, including all patient data packets, notifications and alerts, connected remote devices, etc.
US08255235B2
This disclosure describes systems and methods for electronically tracking information. The tracking information may includes arrival information regarding an arrival of the item and processing information regarding processing of the item.
US08255234B2
An audio encoder and decoder use architectures and techniques that improve the efficiency of quantization (e.g., weighting) and inverse quantization (e.g., inverse weighting) in audio coding and decoding. The described strategies include various techniques and tools, which can be used in combination or independently. For example, an audio encoder quantizes audio data in multiple channels, applying multiple channel-specific quantizer step modifiers, which give the encoder more control over balancing reconstruction quality between channels. The encoder also applies multiple quantization matrices and varies the resolution of the quantization matrices, which allows the encoder to use more resolution if overall quality is good and use less resolution if overall quality is poor. Finally, the encoder compresses one or more quantization matrices using temporal prediction to reduce the bitrate associated with the quantization matrices. An audio decoder performs corresponding inverse processing and decoding.
US08255233B2
Methods and an apparatus for enhancement of source coding systems utilizing high frequency reconstruction (HFR) are introduced. The problem of insufficient noise contents is addressed in a reconstructed highband, by using Adaptive Noise-floor Addition. New methods are also introduced for enhanced performance by means of limiting unwanted noise, interpolation and smoothing of envelope adjustment amplification factors. The methods and apparatus used are applicable to both speech coding and natural audio coding systems.
US08255227B2
Scalable encoding and decoding of multichannel audio with up to five levels in subdivision hierarchy
In one embodiment, the method includes receiving an audio data frame having at least first and second channels. The first and second channels have been independently subdivided into blocks if the first and second channels are not correlated with each other, and the first and second channels have been synchronously subdivided into blocks if the first and second channels are correlated with each other and difference coding is used. The embodiment further includes obtaining subdivision information from the audio data frame. The subdivision information includes first information and second information. The first information indicates whether the first and second channels are independently subdivided or synchronously subdivided, and the second information indicates how the subdividing is performed. The first and second channels are decoded based on the obtained subdivision information.
US08255220B2
A device, a method, and a medium for establishing a language model for speech recognition are disclosed. The language-model-establishing device includes: a schema expander for expanding a state schema which is composed of at least one state defined by a finite state grammar using a general grammar database; a grammatical-structure-expander for expanding grammatical structures which can be expressed by each state of the expanded state schema using the general grammar database; and a grammatical-structure-filter for filtering out any incorrect grammatical structure from the expanded grammatical structures using the general grammar database. Since the state schema is expanded using the general grammar database, it is possible to improve recognition of unlearned grammatical structures.
US08255213B2
A sound decoding device is capable of improving the lost frame compensation performance and improving quality of the decoded sound. A rise frame sound source compensation unit generates a compensation sound source signal when the current frame is a lost frame and a rise frame. An average sound source pattern update unit updates the average sound source pattern held in an average sound source pattern holding unit over a plurality of frames. When a frame is lost, an LPC synthesis unit performs LPC synthesis on a decoded sound source signal by using the compensation sound source signal inputted via a switching unit and a decoded LPC parameter from an LPC decoding unit and outputs the compensation decoded sound signal.
US08255206B2
The voice mixing method includes a first step for selecting voice information from a plurality of voice information, a second step for adding up all the selected voice information, a third step for obtaining a voice signal totaling the voice signals other than one voice signal, of the selected voice signals, a fourth step for encoding the voice information obtained in the second step, a fifth step for encoding the voice signal obtained in the third step, and a sixth step for copying the encoded information obtained in the fourth step into the encoded information in the fifth step.
US08255204B2
Disclosed herein is a character input apparatus including: a display section having a screen capable of displaying at least characters; an operation section configured to allow a user to input at least the characters; a first character input processing section configured to perform a first character input process of causing a character string to be displayed on the screen in accordance with a predetermined notation rule; a second character input processing section configured to perform a second character input process of causing a character string to be displayed on the screen not in accordance with the predetermined notation rule; a scene determination section configured to determine a character input scene; and an input process switch control section configured to switch between the first character input process and the second character input process in accordance with the character input scene.
US08255196B2
A system and method for constructing a clock tree based on replica stages is described. The system and method may comprise determining a size of an input buffer for driving a load capacitance of the output buffer based on a fanout, determining a wire width and a wire length based on the size of the output buffer, the fanout and a replica stage mathematical model, and connecting the output buffer and the corresponding input buffer to a conductor routed on one or more predetermined metal layers and having the wire length and the wire width. The conductor is placed within ground shields having a fixed width.
US08255186B2
Techniques are disclosed for presenting users with dynamic views of process data related to the operations of an industrial system. Data obtained by a SCADA system may be stored in a real-time status database (which reflects the current process data of the industrial system) and a historian database (which archives the process data from the industrial system as it changes over time). A design canvas allows users to compose a dynamic view of the process data obtained by the SCADA system. For example, a user may compose a dynamic view of selected temperatures, pressures, and flow rates obtained by the SCADA system while monitoring the status of a pipeline.
US08255185B2
Systems, articles of manufacture, and associated computer-executed methods determine an optimum temporal segmentation for automated information technology (IT) management. A computer-executed method detects changes in a performance metric in an automated information technology (IT) management system comprising defining a plurality of temporal segments as sets of contiguous time samples wherein time samples within a segment are mutually more similar in terms of performance metric behavior than time samples in previous and subsequent segments, and discovering the segments using an information-theoretical approach. Detecting changes in the performance metric can further comprise associating cost with the segments that is lesser for homogeneous metric behavior and greater for heterogeneous metric behavior within a segment, and finding segmentation that minimizes the cost using dynamic programming.
US08255183B1
Various devices and techniques for testing an analog portion of communication devices are disclosed. Such devices may include a communication unit and an analog test unit. The analog test unit may be configured to test analog portions of the communication unit and communicate information regarding testing to an external test unit. The analog test unit may also be configured to perform an analysis of a test signal that is output by a transmitter portion, looped back to a receiver portion, and subsequently received by the analog test unit. The analog test unit may also be configured to calibrate a DC offset of a receiver chain of the communication unit. The analog test unit may also be configured to perform a nonlinearity test on one or more ADCs and/or DACs of the communication unit.
US08255178B2
An apparatus for detecting an operational status of a semiconductor equipment includes an audio frequency signal receiving unit and an analysis and determination unit. The audio frequency signal receiving unit is used for receiving an audio frequency signal from the semiconductor equipment while the semiconductor equipment is working. The analysis and determination unit is used for analyzing the audio frequency signal to determine statuses of components of the semiconductor equipment.
US08255175B2
A simple, passive and rugged device for measuring the flow rate of liquid. A variable area obstruction valve, a differential pressure sensor and a densitometer are combined in a single housing to provide for a highly accurate and precise measure of mass flow.
US08255169B2
A method of absorption spectroscopy including obtaining absorption data at multiple wavelengths along more than one line-of-sight path through a quantity of gas of interest. The method further includes identifying more than one temperature and gas species concentration bin along the multiple line-of-sight paths and creating a map of temperature and gas species concentration. The map thus created will have at least two-dimensional information derived from select temperature and gas species concentration bins identified along more than one line-of-sight path. Apparatus for implementing the above method is also disclosed.
US08255165B2
A method for predicting differences in subsurface conditions useful in 4D applications. In an example embodiment of the method, at least one layer is defined in a data volume representing a first subsurface condition such as shale volume fraction (104). An exhaustive search methodology is then performed over a second subsurface condition such as pressure or saturation for some or all of the first subsurface condition data points (106) based on a data fit of synthetic geophysical data to measured geophysical data. The exemplary method may additionally comprise performing a statistical analysis to determine whether the error in data fit is significantly reduced (110) if one of the layers is divided into two or more layers (108). The layer is divided into multiple layers (114) if the error is significantly reduced (112). In this manner, the measured survey data are inverted to predict values of the second subsurface condition.
US08255161B2
A system comprises at least one inertial sensor operable to provide inertial sensor data during a trip; a processing unit coupled to the at least one inertial sensor, the processing unit operable to calculate navigation data based on the inertial sensor data and to estimate error in the inertial sensor data, wherein the processing unit is further operable to adjust subsequent inertial sensor data received during the trip from the at least one inertial sensor in order to compensate for the estimated error; and a memory coupled to the navigation unit and operable to store data between power cycles; wherein the processing unit is further operable to calculate a current trip error estimate from a plurality of error estimates during the trip and to estimate a repeatability error component based on the current trip error estimate and previous trip error estimates stored in the memory; wherein the repeatability error component is stored in the memory, the processing unit being further operable to update inertial sensor data during a subsequent trip based on the repeatability error component.
US08255158B2
A data store includes at least one adjustment factor. A server that is configured to: receive a request for a travel route, the request including an origin, a destination, and an estimated time of departure; determine the travel route; calculate a normal travel time; use at least one adjustment factor to the normal travel time to calculate an adjusted travel time; and calculate an estimated time of arrival based on the estimated time of departure and the adjusted travel time.
US08255157B2
A navigation device that can easily select information matched with user's favorite or intention from information on many stores and facilities is provided. In a car navigation device 1 for performing a route guidance of a moving object, plural symbols featured by individualities are displayed on a display panel 2, and when any one of the plural displayed symbols is selected, sightseeing information relevant to the individuality of the selected symbol is selected from the sightseeing facilities data base 31, and the selected sightseeing information is displayed on the display panel 2.
US08255142B2
Various systems and methods are described for controlling combustion stability in an engine driving a transmission. One example method comprises limiting airflow to the engine in response to a spark timing retarded beyond a spark retard threshold, the limiting airflow to the engine reducing engine torque output and compensating for the reduction in engine torque output by adjusting a transmission operating parameter.
US08255137B2
In a hybrid vehicle 20, when an ECO switch 88 is “on” when a brake demand operation is performed by a driver, a target regeneration distribution rate d is set using an ECO mode regeneration distribution rate setting map that gives priority to energy efficiency in comparison to a normal regeneration distribution rate setting map that is used when the ECO switch 88 is “off” and a braking force demand BF* that is based on the brake demand operation of the driver (S150), and a motor MG2 and a brake unit 90 are controlled so that the braking force demand BF* is obtained based on the target regeneration distribution rate d (S160 to S230).
US08255136B2
A method and arrangement for running in and calibrating an electromechanical parking brake system (EPB) has at least one brake mechanism unit (BME) and at least one control device (SG), the actuation of the brake mechanism unit (BME) being controlled by a control routine (SR) provided in the control device (SG). The electromechanical parking brake system (EPB) is advantageously run in by at least one running-in routine (EFR) and/or calibrated by at least one calibration routine (KRR), the running-in routine (EFR) and/or the calibration routine (KRR) checking for the existence of at least one safety-critical condition (SB) and/or the existence of at least one system error (SF) before and/or during the running-in operation and/or calibration operation and in dependence thereon the running-in operation and/or calibration operation is continued or terminated.
US08255134B2
An adaptive cruise control system for a vehicle includes a deceleration module, a downshift trigger module, and a shift module. The deceleration module determines a deceleration rate based on a speed of at least one of the vehicle and an engine of the vehicle. The downshift trigger module generates a threshold signal based on the deceleration rate. The shift module generates a downshift signal when the speed is less than the threshold signal and while the vehicle is operating in a manual transmission mode.
US08255131B2
The method monitors a gear-change operation in a motor vehicle provided with an engine whose crankshaft is connected to a transmission having a gearbox) comprising first and second primary shafts connectable to the crankshaft of the engine by respective friction clutches controlled by corresponding actuators, and a secondary or output shaft connectable to the primary shafts by gears defining a plurality of velocity ratios or gears. The method comprises the operation of verifying and validating the detection of the disengagement of the previously engaged gear by detecting the angular velocity of the primary shaft corresponding to the gear to be disengaged, and comparing the detected value of said angular velocity with at least one reference angular velocity.
US08255120B2
An automotive vehicle with a steering apparatus includes a steering wheel, front and rear steerable road wheels, and a steering mechanism for steering the front and rear steerable road wheels. The steering apparatus measures a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel; sets a desired position of a center of rotation about which the vehicle is to rotate for changing a heading angle of the vehicle with respect to a path of the vehicle; sets a desired turning behavior of the vehicle in accordance with the measured steering wheel angle and the desired position of the center of rotation; sets the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles in accordance with the desired turning behavior; and controls the steering mechanism in accordance with the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles.
US08255119B2
A vehicle body slip angle-estimating device which, in estimating a vehicle body slip angle with an algorithm using a nonlinear model, is capable of accurately estimating a vehicle body slip angle irrespective of whether the frequency of occurrence of a state during traveling of the vehicle. A basic value-calculating section calculates a basic value of a vehicle body slip angle with an algorithm using a neural network model. A turning state-determining section determines whether the vehicle is in a predetermined limit turning traveling state. A correction value-calculating section calculates a correction value with an algorithm using a predetermined linear model when the vehicle is in the predetermined state. In the other cases, the correction value is set to 0. A straight traveling-determining section sets the angle to the sum of the basic value and the correction value when the vehicle is in a turning traveling state.
US08255106B2
A method for controlling regenerative braking of a vehicle including at least one thermal engine and/or at least one electric motor, including calculating a GMP braking force setpoint at the wheel, including a regenerative braking force, that is independent from a relation between the brake pedal depression and the braking force applied to the wheels by the main brakes of the vehicle.
US08255100B2
A method for data-driven anomaly detection may include monitoring a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of subsystems of a system. The method may also include collecting data corresponding to each of the plurality of parameters from the plurality of subsystems and generating monitoring quantities based on the data. The method may also include determining if any quantities in the monitoring quantities exceed a predetermined limit. A contribution plot may be generated corresponding to each of the parameters in response to any of the quantities exceeding the predetermined limit. The method may further include determining which parameter is likely to cause an effect based on the contribution plot.
US08255098B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a system includes a plurality of subsystems cooperatively configured to control an aircraft in accordance with a plurality of manning modes, the system configured to perform fully automated control of the aircraft while operating in any of the plurality of manning modes, wherein the plurality of manning modes include: two onboard operators; one onboard operator; and no onboard operator, wherein the system receives input from a remotely located operator by way of wireless signals.
US08255094B2
A flight data service subscription system allows personnel to subscribe to flight data services using an electronic devices such as a multifunctional display (MFD) onboard an aircraft. The MFD is used to select regional areas of coverage and generate requests for subscriptions to flight data services. Flight data application software running on the MFD manages flight data and the subscription requests. A server operated by a flight data service provider receives the subscription requests from the MFD and dispatches flight data responsive to the requests for the selected region. A wireless local area network on the ground transfers flight data and subscription requests between the MFD and the flight data subscription server.
US08255092B2
A system for allowing an operator to switch between remote vehicle tele-operation and one or more remote vehicle autonomous behaviors. The system comprises: an operator control unit receiving input from the operator including instructions for the remote vehicle to execute an autonomous behavior; a control system on the remote vehicle for receiving the instruction to execute an autonomous behavior from the operator control unit; and a GPS receiver, an inertial measurement unit, and a navigation CPU on the remote vehicle. Upon receiving the instruction to execute an autonomous behavior, the remote vehicle executes that autonomous behavior using input from the GPS receiver, the inertial measurement unit (IMU), and the navigation CPU.
US08255087B2
An HVAC controller, a method of operating a constant air volume (CAV) HVAC unit and a CAV HVAC system are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the HVAC controller includes: (1) an interface configured to receive both a latent cooling demand and a sensible cooling demand and (2) a processor configured to direct both a dehumidification function and a discharge air temperature control function for a CAV HVAC system employing the latent cooling demand and the sensible cooling demand.
US08255082B2
The present invention is intended to achieve more accurate and facilitated positioning of a carrier onto a table, in a substrate processing apparatus configured for placing the carrier storing multiple sheets of wafers therein, on the table, by using a carrier arm. Before the carrier is actually carried by the carrier arm, a carrier jig having the same shape as the carrier is held by a holding part provided to the carrier arm. The carrier jig is provided with a camera, such that a central position of a region of an image taken by the camera will be coincident with a central position of an opening formed in the table, if the carrier jig is accurately located in an ideal position above the table. First, the carrier arm is actuated to move the holding part of the carrier arm to a preset lowering start position. Then, the image of the region including the opening is taken by the camera. Thereafter, a distance between the central position of the opening and the central position of the region of the image taken by the camera is calculated, so as to obtain an amount of a positional shift, in a horizontal direction, between the preset lowering start position and the ideal position. Consequently, the lowering start position of the holding part is corrected, by using the so-obtained amount of the positional shift as a correction value. Finally, the carrier is placed on the table, based on the so-corrected lowering start position.
US08255073B2
In a method for assisting at least partially manual control of a metal processing line (1), in which metal (4) in strip or slab form or a pre-profiled state is worked, the proportion of at least one metallurgical phase of the metal is continuously determined with respect to at least one specific location of the metal processing line while taking into account operating parameters of the metal processing line (1) that influence the phase state and/or state parameters of the metal, and the proportion of the least one phase with respect to the specific location of the metal processing line is indicated to an operator.
US08255072B2
A control unit of a substrate processing apparatus controls a process to be performed in a chamber. The process includes a step of performing a preceding first process; a step of performing a subsequent second process after performing the first process; a step of determining whether to perform an inter-process conditioning, for arranging the environment in the chamber, during a period between the end of the first process and the start of the second process, based on information on the first process and information on the second process; and a step of performing the inter-process conditioning prior to the second process when it is determined in the determining step that the inter-process conditioning is to be performed.
US08255069B2
A digital audio processor is described, wherein a graphical user interface is presented on the monitor of the processor to display user actionable control elements in a scene of a real world environment for creating and processing music; the graphical user interface is adapted to activate pre-set functions for generating and processing digital audio data in the digital audio processor for each of the user actionable control elements.
US08255068B2
The present invention relates to a method of configuring a control algorithm being executable by a controller, a controller for controlling a plant in real-time, and a control algorithm generator. An important aspect of the invention is that the control algorithm is subdivided into at least one task and task activation time periods are assigned to each task of the at least one task based on data about the control algorithm and data about the plant to be controlled, wherein the execution of the tasks of the control algorithm is scheduled in accordance with the assigned task activation time periods.
US08255062B2
An apparatus for and method of measuring pressure through a septum in a patient's heart. A lead inserted into the right side of a heart is routed through the septum to gain access to the left side of the heart. The lead includes a mounting mechanism that secures the lead to one or both sides of the septal walls. The lead also includes one or more sensors for measuring cardiac pressure on the left side of the heart and, as necessary, the right side of the heart.
US08255048B2
A circuit for controlled commutation of multiplexed electrodes, for an active implantable medical device. This circuit is located in a lead equipped with multiplexed sensing/pacing electrodes. This circuit decodes a signal generated by a generator, commanding a series of switches, which ensures selective coupling of the various electrodes to the proximal and distal terminals of the generator. This signal is a modulated signal comprising a coded series of logic pulses defining a particular configuration for coupling the lead electrodes to the proximal or distal terminal of the generator. The signal comprises a micropulse, that precedes the coded series of logic pulses and has an amplitude and duration lower than the amplitude and duration of each of the logic pulses. The detection of this micropulse activates, in response, all the circuit switches to an open position over a duration (PHASE 1) at least equal to the duration of reception of the coded series of logic pulses.
US08255044B2
The present invention involves systems and related methods for performing dynamic pedicle integrity assessments involving the use of neurophysiology.
US08255043B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to implantable systems, and methods for use therein, that can detect T-wave alternans and analyze the detected alternans to provide information regarding cardiac instabilities and predict impending arrhythmias.
US08255040B2
The present invention is a Miniature Vein Enhancer that includes a Miniature Projection Head. The Miniature Projection Head may be operated in one of three modes, AFM, DBM, and RTM. The Miniature Projection Head of the present invention projects an image of the veins of a patient, which aids the practitioner in pinpointing a vein for an intravenous drip, blood test, and the like. The Miniature projection head may have a cavity for a power source or it may have a power source located in a body portion of the Miniature Vein Enhancer. The Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to one of several improved needle protectors, or the Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to a body similar to a flashlight for hand held use. The Miniature Vein Enhancer of the present invention may also be attached to a magnifying glass, a flat panel display, and the like.
US08255033B2
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for increasing oxygen availability to implantable devices. The preferred embodiments provide a membrane system configured to provide protection of the device from the biological environment and/or a catalyst for enabling an enzymatic reaction, wherein the membrane system includes a polymer formed from a high oxygen soluble material. The high oxygen soluble polymer material is disposed adjacent to an oxygen-utilizing source on the implantable device so as to dynamically retain high oxygen availability to the oxygen-utilizing source during oxygen deficits. Membrane systems of the preferred embodiments are useful for implantable devices with oxygen-utilizing sources and/or that function in low oxygen environments, such as enzyme-based electrochemical sensors and cell transplantation devices.
US08255030B2
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for increasing oxygen availability to implantable devices. The preferred embodiments provide a membrane system configured to provide protection of the device from the biological environment and/or a catalyst for enabling an enzymatic reaction, wherein the membrane system includes a polymer formed from a high oxygen soluble material. The high oxygen soluble polymer material is disposed adjacent to an oxygen-utilizing source on the implantable device so as to dynamically retain high oxygen availability to the oxygen-utilizing source during oxygen deficits. Membrane systems of the preferred embodiments are useful for implantable devices with oxygen-utilizing sources and/or that function in low oxygen environments, such as enzyme-based electrochemical sensors and cell transplantation devices.
US08255026B1
A system and method to help maintain quality control and reduce cannibalization of accessories and attached probes in a highly sensitive patient monitor, such as a pulse oximetry system. One or more attached components may have information elements designed to designate what quality control mechanisms a patient monitor should look to find on that or another component or designate other components with which the one component may properly work. In a further embodiment, such information elements may also include data indicating the appropriate life of the component.
US08255023B2
Cryostat having a magnet coil system, which comprises an LTS section and an encapsulated HTS section
A cryostat (1) with a magnet coil system including superconductors for the production of a magnet field B0 in a measuring volume (3) has a plurality of radially nested solenoid-shaped coil sections (4, 5, 6) and which are electrically connected in series, at least one of which being an LTS section (5, 6) with a conventional low temperature superconductor (LTS) and at least one of which being an HTS section (4) including a high temperature superconductor (HTS), wherein the magnet coil system is located in a helium tank (9) of the cryostat (1) along with liquid helium at a helium temperature TL. The apparatus is characterized in that a chamber (11) is provided within which the HTS sections (4) are held having an internal portion with a sufficiently low pressure such that helium located therein at a temperature of TL is gaseous. The cryostat in accordance with the invention can be utilized to maintain HTS coil sections over a long period of time in a reliable fashion.
US08255017B2
Systems, devices and methods for convergence of a variety of communication sources are presented. More particularly, embodiments relate to a radio communications gateway device and associated methods, that is lightweight, small, portable, secure, and useful for converging communications via handheld radios to an internet protocol network having a variety of different available media. The device preferably has a weight under 15 pounds and sufficient interconnectability to be field-useful in a variety of situations.
US08255013B1
Various embodiments of an audio receiver design for a mobile computing device are described. The mobile computing device may comprise an audio receiver structured and arranged to port to the rear of the mobile computing device. In some embodiments, the mobile computing device may be implemented as a dual-mode Global System for Mobile Communications/Universal Mobile Telephone System (GSM/UMTS) quad-band device. The mobile computing device also may comprise a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna for providing positioning determination capabilities and location-based services. In various implementations, the audio receiver may be ported to an in-vehicle system, such as an onboard entertainment system, navigation system, and/or communications system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08255008B1
According to the invention, the terminal (10) includes means (20) for automatically supplying power to a component (15) of said terminal, said automatic power supply being controlled by means (20) for detecting movement of said terminal (10). Application to mobile terminals equipped with a radio interface.
US08254997B2
A base station is capable of performing 4-beamforming using Radio Units (RU), each having two paths in a wireless communication system. The base station includes a Digital Unit (DU), a first RU, and a second RU. The DU performs a mutual conversion function between an information bit line and a digital signal, calculates beamforming coefficients for 4-beamforming, and performs the 4-beamforming using the beamforming coefficients. The first RU has two Radio Frequency (RF) paths, extracts a clock signal from a digital signal from the DU, and provides the clock signal to the second RU. The second RU has two RF paths and operates according to the clock signal provided from the first RU.
US08254990B2
A wireless communications device and method for providing an output signal. The device includes a control unit for controlling the operation of the wireless communications device; a selection element connected to the control unit and configured to allow selection of several modes of output coupling for generating the output signal of the device; and, a processor connected to the control unit for processing a received signal with parameters selected according to a selected mode of output coupling. The several modes of output coupling correspond to several modes of input operation for a hearing aid to improve coupling between the device and the hearing aid.
US08254987B2
Radio equipment (RE) is shared so as to use a plurality of types of radio signals, and data (IQ data) of the plurality of types of radio signals and monitoring control data are variably arranged in a frame for transmitting and receiving data between the RE and radio equipment controls (RECs). A plurality of types of data are simultaneously transmitted and received by one communication link between the RE and the RECs.
US08254984B2
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a mobile communication device configured for operation in a first operating mode wherein a speaker function is off and a second operating mode wherein a speaker function is on. The mobile communication device includes a position sensor for detecting placement of the mobile communication device in a specified position and a controller for switching the mobile communication device between the first and second operating modes based on input from the position sensor. A method for speaker activation at a mobile communication device is also disclosed.
US08254982B2
The present invention relates to a method and arrangement for cell type information sharing between neighbor base stations (310, 330) in a telecommunications system (300). One embodiment comprises informing a second radio base station (330) serving a second cell (340) and having a neighbor relation with a first cell served by a first base station (310), of at least the cell type of the first cell. This is accomplished by adding (410) the cell type information to a set of information to be signaled to the second base station, and then signalling (420) the set of information to the second base station.
US08254973B2
An integrated circuit (IC) includes a multi-input multi-output transceiver system that includes a plurality of RF transceivers. Each RF transceiver includes an RF transmitter that transmits a transmit signal at a selected transmit power, based on a transmit power control signal and a corresponding RF receiver for receiving a corresponding one of a plurality of received signals from an external device and for generating a signal strength indication corresponding to each of the plurality of received signals. A processing module generates the transmit power control signal for each RF transmitter based on the signal strength indication of the corresponding RF receiver, and that generates a power mode signal for adjusting a power consumption parameter of each RF transmitter in accordance with the selected transmit power for each RF transmitter.
US08254965B2
A method for dynamically providing location-based services, including receiving at least one user input indicating a request for a suggested point of interest; and generating a query based on the user input and a time reference. In addition, the generated query can be processed to identify a plurality of points of interest. The points of interest can be presented to a user.
US08254960B1
A method for selectively sending a location update request of a mobile phone is provided. The mobile phone determines whether it has entered a network coverage blind spot. Geographic information of the blind spot is obtained when the mobile phone is determined to have entered a network coverage blind spot, wherein the geographic information includes a length of the blind spot. The mobile phone senses a movement speed of the mobile phone if the network coverage blind spot is one of the predetermined blind spots. The mobile phone further calculates a time the mobile phone is in the blind spot according to the length of the blind spot and the movement speed of the mobile phone, and stop the periodical location update until the calculated time elapsed. The present disclosure further provides a related mobile phone.
US08254958B2
A locating system for locating objects, such as, but not limited to, keys is disclosed. The locating system may include a mobile communication device having at least one audible tone generator in communication with a control module, wherein the control module is configured to send a signal to the audible tone generator to emit an audible tone. The locating system may also include a locator device physically detached from the mobile communication device. The locator device may include a receiver configured to receive the audible signal from the audible tone generator and to generate a signal. In alternative configurations, the locating system may send an audible sound that is incapable of being heard by an unaided human ear. In another configuration, the locating system may send a sequence of audible tones to activate the audible tone generator, thereby enabling a set of keys on a key ring to be located.
US08254931B2
Aspects of a method and system for communication between a plurality of femtocells to mitigate interference between the femtocells are provided. In this regard, a first of a plurality of femtocells in a network may receive interference information from one or more other femtocells, one or more base stations, and/or one or more communication devices in the network. The first femtocell may determine configuration information for the first femtocell and one or more other femtocells in the network based on the communicated interference information. The first femtocell and the other femtocells in the network may be configured based on the determined configuration information. The interference between the plurality of femtocells may be mitigated based on configuring the first femtocell and the other femtocells in the network based on the determined configuration information.
US08254927B2
Softer handoff groups are provided utilizing fractional frequency reuse set, which can be managed by a single master sector that is part of the group. The group can based on handoff rules that can include a group indication by an access point or a group request by an access terminal. A terminal is provided functionality to select a softer handoff group, which can be indicated by an active set update. An access point can discontinue serving terminals by groups by reducing an active set size to one. Diversity can be provided such that if a transmission from one sector fades, the other sector can provide the transmission, mitigating loss of data. Thus, robustness against inadequate channel conditions can be obtained.
US08254920B1
Methods and systems for reducing the usage of non-preferred wireless coverage areas are presented. In particular, a RAN may determine that a WCD is likely to begin roaming. The WCD may be served by a preferred wireless coverage area and may be likely to roam to a non-preferred wireless coverage area. In an effort to avoid drawbacks associated with letting the WCD roam, the RAN may grant the WCD one or more forms of increased service quality. Doing so may prevent the WCD from roaming.
US08254915B2
A system and method for enabling subscribers of a communications carrier to communicate over a network of wireless access points of other consumer subscribers of the communications carrier is provided. In response to a wireless device of a user attempting to access a wireless access point of a subscriber, a database may be queried to determine whether the user of the wireless device is a subscriber of the communications carrier and has a subscription agreement enabling the subscriber to access a communications network via the network of wireless access points of other consumer subscribers. The subscriber may be enabled to access the wireless access point within the network of wireless access points in response to determining that the subscriber has a subscription agreement enabling communication over the communications network via the network of wireless access points of other consumer subscribers.
US08254913B2
This present invention is a network for providing high speed data communications. The network includes multiple terrestrial transmission stations that are located within overlapping communications range and a mobile receiver station. The terrestrial transmission stations provide a continuous and uninterrupted high speed data communications link with the mobile receiver station according to Long Term Evolution (LTE) terrestrial radio access network protocol in a mesh network configuration.
US08254908B2
An agent server for remotely testing an electronic device is connected to the electronic device via a control interface. The control interface includes a direct power supply and a keyboard test device. The agent server receives test requirements sent from a client via a network, supplies power to a dummy of the electronic device using the direct power supply, so as to start up the electronic device. Furthermore, the agent server operates a keyboard of the electronic device according to the test requirements using the keyboard test device, so as to establish a communication between the electronic device and another electronic device. A video camera captures video and audio information of the electronic device during the communication, and transmits the video and audio information to the client. The client analyzes the video and audio information to determine a test result of the electronic device.
US08254906B2
A mobile radio communication system having a mobile radio communication network and a mobile radio subscriber appliance, wherein a unit in the network layer of the core network of the mobile radio communication network is configured to transmit to the mobile radio subscriber appliance a first message, based on an occurrence of a predetermined event, with a request for a statement which describes at least one radio characteristic of the mobile radio subscriber appliance.
US08254903B2
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for remotely operating one or more peripheral devices of a wireless device using a server and client architecture. In one aspect, the system may comprise a wireless device that includes a processor, a memory, a peripheral device, and a server adapted to communicate with the peripheral device; and a removable media device that includes a memory, a processor, and a client adapted to communicate with the server of the wireless device. In another aspect, the method may comprise the steps of emulating a hardware interface on a removable media device; mapping a peripheral device of a wireless device to the interface; mapping a processor of the media device to the peripheral device; wrapping and sending hardware commands from a client of the media device to a server of the wireless device; and executing the commands on the peripheral device.
US08254902B2
Apparatus and methods for changing one or more functional or operational aspects of a wireless device, such as upon the occurrence of a certain event. In one embodiment, the event comprises detecting that the wireless device is within range of one or more other devices. In another variant, the event comprises the wireless device associating with a certain access point. In this manner, various aspects of device functionality may be enabled or restricted (device “policies”). This policy enforcement capability is useful for a variety of reasons, including for example to disable noise and/or light emanating from wireless devices (such as at a movie theater), for preventing wireless devices from communicating with other wireless devices (such as in academic settings), and for forcing certain electronic devices to enter “sleep mode” when entering a sensitive area.
US08254900B2
A communication unit communicates with a cellular phone device simultaneously using a handsfree communication protocol for handsfree communication and a mail transfer protocol for mail transfer. The cellular phone device is selectively in one of: i) a handsfree communication state where voice is transmitted via voice units of the in-vehicle apparatus when opening a voice path with the in-vehicle apparatus using the handsfree communication protocol; and ii) a handset communication state where voice is transmitted via voice units of the cellular phone when closing the voice path. The control unit notifies an incoming mail in a normal manner when the cellular phone device is in the handsfree communication state. Alternatively, the control unit notifies an incoming mail such that an occupant other than a user hardly notices an incoming mail when the cellular phone device is in the handset communication state.
US08254896B2
A system and method are provided for implementing a web server on a mobile station. A first mobile station may include a database of information. A network address for the first mobile station may be transmitted to a second mobile station to enable the second mobile station to communicate with the first mobile station directly over a wireless network. The second mobile station may then be provided access to the database of information by communicating directly over the wireless network with the first mobile station, wherein the first mobile station operates as the wireless server for the second mobile station.
US08254894B2
The present invention relates to a method for displaying messages, such as advertisements, consumer promotions, and customer service announcements, on digital wireless communication devices, such as digital cellular telephones. One method includes downloading wirelessly a single database containing a plurality of graphical interactive advertising contents. The plurality of graphical interactive advertising contents are stored to a mobile wireless communications device. At least one graphical interactive advertising content is displayed a particular time period the display of the mobile wireless communication device. The mobile wireless communication device is connected to a mobile communications medium upon user activation of the at least one graphic interactive advertising content.
US08254890B2
A method and system are provided for sharing data amongst a group of a plurality of mobile devices without requiring a database or server to centrally store the shared data. The shared data is instead stored by each group member individually while controlling the manner in which the shared data is updated. The shared data can be used to manage tasks in a group project. To manage updates, the shared data is atomized such that individual databases in the shared data are separated or otherwise delineated into one or more records, each record having associated therewith, a value. To maintain a common copy of the shared data at each device, any update is sent to all group members using an intermediate message exchange service that is capable of transmitting a sent message to more than one recipient if necessary. In this way, the updates are multicast to the group. To manage the content of the shared data, each update comprises one or more changes to a current copy of a corresponding record.
US08254889B2
Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to recording a conversation on a portable communications device. This allows the user to press a panic button or a series of buttons on their portable communications device to begin recording the conversation. This conversation may be stored on a memory of the portable communications device or in a network in communication with the portable communications device. With the conversation recorded, there is a record of what was said during the call. This record may later be used if necessary.
US08254887B2
A communication terminal device of the present invention having a storage unit with an address book where a name information for specifying a communication partner, an identification number, and characteristic information of voice, are associated with one another, so as to allow bi-directional communication using voice, and having a recording unit for recording a voice of the communication partner when outgoing call is transmitted or incoming call is received if the identification number of the communication partner at a outgoing destination or a outgoing source is not included in the address book, an analysis unit for extracting the characteristic information from the voice recorded by the recording unit, and a registration unit for updating the address book by associating the identification number of the communication partner with the characteristic information included in the address book if the characteristic information extracted by the analysis unit is included in the address book.
US08254880B2
A monitoring device makes decision on whether a service requested by a consumer is a sponsored service to the specific consumer or not based on sponsoring rules, i.e. the delivery of the requested service to the consumer can be sponsored if a sponsoring value of the consumer is sufficient in relation to a charge of delivery of the requested service. The sponsoring rules contain various pieces of information for recognizing a sponsored service and for determining the sponsoring value and the cost of the delivery. The sponsoring of different services to different consumers can be controlled, created, deleted, maintained or modified by means of the sponsoring rules. The sponsor, such an advertiser is able to control the cost of sponsoring by affecting the sponsoring value.
US08254879B2
A communication device receives an incoming call message for an incoming call. The incoming call message has data indications indicating whether the incoming call is an emergency call from a public safety answering point entity. If the data indications do not indicate that the incoming call is an emergency call from the public safety answering point, then the communication device performs non-emergency call processing for the incoming call. On the other hand, if the data indications indicate that the incoming call is an emergency call, then the communication device causes the emergency call to be answered automatically.
US08254877B2
Apparatus and methods of establishing an emergency voice call include user equipment transmitting, and a first serving core network receiving, a request for an emergency call via a wireless access network. The apparatus and methods further include a determination by the first serving core network of an alternative serving core network. In some aspects, the determination may be made based on a user equipment location from a location retrieval function, which may obtain such information from other network components or from the user equipment. In other aspects, the determination may be based on lack of capability or lack of capacity. Further, the apparatus and methods also include establishment of the emergency call with a second serving core network different from the serving core network based on the determination.
US08254873B2
In a mobile communication system, the radio device RNC, Node B includes: a creation unit 11 configured to create, on the basis of the notification information received from the distribution server, simplified information indicating content of the notification information, and detailed information indicating content of the notification information with a greater amount of information than that of the simplified information; a simplified information transmitter unit 12, 34 configured to transmit the simplified information to the mobile station by use of a control channel for starting the broadcast communication; and a detailed information transmitter unit 15, 35 configured to transmit the detailed information to the mobile station by use of a traffic channel for broadcast communication, and the mobile station UE includes: a display unit 55, 58 configured to display the received detailed information, after displaying the received simplified information.
US08254868B2
A remote battery-operated device operates in accordance with a first set of operating parameters. During operation, power consumption information is generated and transmitted via a data network to a remote location for later use. In one embodiment, the remote location transmits one or more modified parameters back to the battery-operated device which control subsequent operation of the device. In this manner, power consumption within the device may be controlled to achieve a predetermined or desired operating lifetime.
US08254866B1
A method and system for controlling a gain of a low noise amplifier to be applied to i) a first signal from a first communication device, and ii) a second signal from a second communication device, in which i) the first signal conforms to a first communication protocol, and ii) the second signal conforms to a second communication protocol. The method includes determining a first signal strength indicator corresponding to a signal strength of the first signal; determining a second signal strength indicator corresponding to a signal strength of the second signal; and controlling the gain of the low noise amplifier based on at least i) the first signal strength indicator and ii) the second signal strength indicator.
US08254865B2
A communications system includes a multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) architecture for high capacity switched mesh networks. The MIMO architecture has a plurality of radio frequency chains. One of the plurality of radio frequency chains is configured to apply a first frequency offset to a base frequency of an output signal to generate a first transmitting frequency; and another of the plurality of radio frequency chains being configured to apply a second frequency offset to the base frequency to generate a second transmitting frequency. The system uses the carrier frequency offset to lock the clock of the master subsystem to the clock of the slave subsystem, thereby enabling bandwidth expansion to be employed on the MIMO data streams.
US08254859B2
A multi-rank beamforming (MRBF) scheme in which the downlink channel is estimated and an optimal precoding matrix to be used by the MRBF transmitter is determined accordingly. The optimal precoding matrix is selected from a codebook of matrices having a recursive structure which allows for efficient computation of the optimal precoding matrix and corresponding Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR). The codebook also enjoys a small storage footprint. Due to the computational efficiency and modest memory requirements, the optimal precoding determination can be made at user equipment (UE) and communicated to a transmitting base station over a limited uplink channel for implementation over the downlink channel.
US08254858B2
Techniques to manage power based on motion detection are described. For example, a mobile computing device may include a radio module having a communications failure event detector operative to detect a communications failure event, a motion detector operative to detect motion, and a processor coupled to the radio module and the motion detector. The processor operative to execute a scan control module to determine the mobile computing device is moving or stationary, and control scanning operations by the radio module in accordance with the determination. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08254849B2
An FM radio with a wide frequency range operates in a cell phone without interfering with the VCO of the RF transceiver. The FM transceiver generates a VCO signal whose frequency varies by less than ±7% from the midpoint of a narrow first range. A synthesizer signal is generated by dividing the VCO frequency by a first divisor such that the synthesizer frequency varies over a lower frequency second range. The VCO frequency is also divided by a second divisor such that the synthesizer frequency varies over a third range. The upper limit of the second range falls at the lower limit of the third range. The lower limit of the second range is 85.5 MHz and the upper limit of the third range is 108.0 MHz. By also using a third divisor, a synthesizer signal with a range of 76-108 MHz is generated from the narrow first frequency range.
US08254847B2
Ad-hoc networks employing cooperative signal processing are configured for detecting, identifying, and visualizing radio communication networks used by an adversary, such as enemy combatants or criminals. These networks are further configured for performing a non-passive tactical response to an adversary's communication capabilities. Such ad-hoc networks are particularly useful for identifying radio communication resources, establishing radio links, and subverting an adversary's communication capabilities in environments lacking available communication infrastructure, including battlefield environments, and locations where communication infrastructure is non-existent or has been compromised by natural disasters or terrorists attacks.
US08254844B2
A mobile station (104) operates in a region where an incumbent operator (110) is transmitting. The secondary station transmits at a frequency similar to that of the incumbent operator's signal. The incumbent operator transmits using a particular polarization (113). To reduce interference, the secondary station selects one of a plurality of antennas of the secondary station which has a low matching polarization with that of the incumbent signal.
US08254842B2
A radio transceiver device includes circuitry for radiating electromagnetic signals at a very high radio frequency both through space, as well as through wave guides that are formed within a substrate material. In one embodiment, the substrate comprises a dielectric substrate formed within a board, for example, a printed circuit board. In another embodiment of the invention, the wave guide is formed within a die of an integrated circuit radio transceiver. A plurality of transceivers with different functionality is defined. Substrate transceivers are operable to transmit through the wave guides, while local transceivers are operable to produce very short range wireless transmissions through space. A third and final transceiver is a typical wireless transceiver for communication with remote (non-local to the device) transceivers.
US08254831B1
A system for enabling the wireless use and billing for that use of any of a wide variety of different manufacturers personal, ground-position-indicating enabled, wireless electronic rf communication devices in a zone, and a network outside of the zone.
US08254821B2
A cleaning apparatus includes a blade to remove one or more toner particles remaining on a photosensitive body of an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus. The toner particles have a mean particle diameter D and a standard deviation σ of a particle size distribution. The blade is arranged on the photosensitive body to satisfy a following condition. μ ≤ sin θ 1 + cos θ , When an imaginary sphere having a diameter of (D−σ) contacts the photosensitive body and the blade, θ is an angle defined by a tangent line at a contact point between the sphere and the photosensitive body and a tangent line at a contact point between the sphere and the blade, sandwiching the sphere therebetween. μ is a smaller friction coefficient of a friction coefficient between the toner particle and the photosensitive body and a friction coefficient between the toner particle and the blade.
US08254820B2
A cleaning device may include a polishing roller, an ejection member, and a conveying member. In some embodiments, the polishing roller may be configured to remove and collect a residual substance adhering to a surface of an image bearing member while rotating in contact with the image bearing member. In an embodiment, the ejection member may be configured to eject the substance collected by the polishing roller to the outside of the cleaning device. An embodiment may include a conveying member configured to follow the rotation of the polishing roller by being in contact with the polishing roller and to convey toner in the cleaning device on a surface of the polishing roller in an axial direction of the polishing roller. When an image is not formed, the polishing roller rotates in a direction opposite a rotating direction in which the polishing roller rotates when an image is formed.
US08254818B2
A transfer device including a transfer roller including a roller base member which opposes an image carrier carrying an image, the transfer device rotates about an axis of rotation, and has a concaved portion on an outer circumference thereof and is configured to transfer the image carried by the image carrier to a recording medium when the concaved portion is not opposed to the image carrier, the device also including a pressing portion configured to press the transfer roller to the image carrier, and a contact portion provided at either end of the transfer roller, wherein the contact portion includes an outer circumference which comes into contact with a supporting portion disposed on a drive transmitting portion configured to transmit a drive to the image carrier while the concaved portion opposes the image carrier, and an elastic member is provided on the outer circumference of the contact portion.
US08254807B2
A developing device includes a developer cartridge and a developing unit. The developing unit includes a first guide and a second guide. The second is movable with respect to the developing frame between a first position where the second guide is in continuous with the first guide and a second position where a continuous state of the second guide with the first guide is interrupted. The developer cartridge includes a developer frame that accommodates a developer and a first guided member movable with respect to the developer frame. The first guide and the second guide at the first position guide the first guided member in the course of attaching the developer cartridge to the developing unit. When an attachment of the developer cartridge to the developing unit completes, the first guide receives the first guided member, and the second guide is at the second position.
US08254805B2
An image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording material, and detachably mounts which process cartridges having photosensitive drums. The apparatus includes a main assembly, a rotatable openable member, a belt receiving an image or carrying the recording material, supporting members supporting the process cartridges at different levels and movable between drum-contacting and retracted positions, and a connecting member moving the supporting member when the openable member moves to position the supporting member at the drum-contacting position when the openable member is closed, and position the supporting member at the retracted position when the openable member is opened, and including a shaft whose axis crosses the openable member rotational axis, first connecting portions rotatably connected with respective supporting members, and a second connecting portion engaging the openable member and fixed to the shaft closer to the openable member than the first connecting portions are fixed to the shaft.
US08254793B2
A tunable element of a tuning module is receptive to optical data channels of a multiplexed optical data signal, each optical data channel having a different respective wavelength. The tunable element is responsive to different stimuli such that multiple passbands of the tunable element are defined, each passband corresponding to a respective stimulus and including no more than one wavelength of the optical data channels. An optical detector communicates with the tunable element and is receptive to no more than one optical data channel from the tunable element at any given time, an output of the optical detector is an electrical data signal that corresponds to the optical data channel received by the optical detector from the tunable element. A controller communicates with the tunable element and tunes the tunable element from one optical data channel to the other by causing application of a corresponding stimulus to the tunable element.
US08254791B2
A light source control section 15 selects a first light emitting device arrangement (color combination device group) in which LEDs 19 make a particular visible light color by color synthesis and form one optical communication channel, and then causes the first light emitting device arrangement to emit light, and selects a second light emitting device arrangement so that a light quantity of a light source 18 as a whole becomes uniform, and then causes the selected second light emitting device arrangement to emit light when the first light emitting device arrangement does not emit light. As a result, upon performing optical communication, an optical transmitting apparatus and an optical communication system that can emit an illumination light at a uniform light quantity without generating a flicker of illumination can be realized.
US08254785B1
An image encodes a voice message and communication data for delivery of the voice message. A wireless communication device optically receives and processes the received image to generate image data. The image data represents the voice message and indicates the communication data. The wireless communication device processes the image data, and in response, wirelessly transmits the voice message for delivery based on the communication data.
US08254778B2
A method for handling a fiber line fault is provided. The method includes: loading, by a station, an indication signal carrying alarm suppression information onto an optical signal to be output to a downstream fiber of the station upon detection of a fault on upstream fiber line; keeping in a normal working status, by a downstream station upon a receipt of the optical signal with the indication signal. The various embodiments of the present disclosure suppress alarms from downstream amplifier stations which are not adjacent to the failure link and further suppress APR or APSD procedures according to the alarms.
US08254777B2
An image capturing device includes a first controller operable to control image capturing; an operation section including a switch; a detector operable to detect a change to an image capturing mode and to send a signal representing the change; a second controller operable to monitor and process the sent signal, the second controller having a power consumption less than that of the first controller; and a power supply operable to supply power to the first controller, the second controller, and a functional section of the device. When the second controller receives the signal sent from the detecting section in a power saving state in which power is supplied from the power supply to the second controller, the power saving state is changed to a power supplying state capable of image capturing by supplying power from the power supply to portions of the device including the first controller.
US08254768B2
A system and method for capturing an image of one or both irises. To image an iris, a person stands or moves in a target zone. A flash element provides an incoherent flash of light through an aperture. The flash is filtered to produce filtered light. The filtered light has primary wavelengths in the far red and near infrared portions of the spectrum. The filtered light is not perceived well by the human eye due to short duration, NIR color and small size. The intensity of the filtered light at the target area surpasses the intensity of all ambient light. In this manner, a person's face in the target area will always be properly illuminated, even if that person were backlit by full sunlight. An image of the person's face is taken with a camera. The image of the face is analyzed to obtain any iris pattern information.
US08254765B2
In a method of controlling multiple decoders in an optical disc player system to read encoded bitstream data divided into multiple sectors from a buffer memory, one of the sectors stored in the buffer memory is read according to a reading pointer associated with one of the decoders that sent out a bitstream request. When a header portion of the sector that is being read from the buffer memory indicates a bitstream type corresponding to that of the bitstream request, a data portion of the sector is transferred to the decoder that sent out the bitstream request, and the reading pointer is adjusted to point to a next one of the sectors stored in the buffer memory. An optical disc player system for implementing the method and an optical disc player system capable of saving the memory bandwidth between a bitstream demultiplexer and a memory are also disclosed.
US08254764B2
According to the present invention, there is provided an image reproducing apparatus for reproducing a digital broadcast based on the MPEG standard. When performing special reproduction by use of access-unit management information that is used to manage access units, the image reproducing apparatus reads ahead the access-unit management information and compares time stamps. As a result of the comparison, if it is judged that the absence of a piece of the access-unit management information exists, the special reproduction is then performed by use of simple information that is used to manage a stream.This makes it possible to continuously perform the special reproduction even if it becomes impossible to utilize the access-unit management information.
US08254758B2
A video signal input-output circuit and a recording-reproduction apparatus in which a digitally compressed video signal input in packet form can be recorded and reproduced efficiently and in stable fashion. In this apparatus, a clock reference is detected from a packet signal containing the clock reference and a digitally compressed video signal, a time stamp for a packet is generated using a clock signal in phase with the clock reference and added to the particular packet, and the packet signals with the time stamp added thereto are recorded closely to each other in a data storage element such as a magnetic recording medium. At playback, the packet interval is output by being restored to the original length on the basis of the time stamp added to the packet in store.
US08254749B2
On an optical disk, video object sets (VTST_VOBS) to be reproduced and video title set information (VTSI) serving as management information on the video object sets have been stored. In each video object set (VTST_VOBS), many data cells, each containing video, audio, and sub-picture data, are arranged. Management information on programs chains, which are combinations of programs to be reproduced one after another, has been written in a video title set PGC table (VTS_PGCIT). By referring to the program chain table (VTS_PGCIT) according to the user's input, the playback order of program chains can be changed, enabling the program chains to be reproduced one after another in various modes.
US08254747B2
The present invention relates to a recording medium containing moving picture data and additional information thereof and to reproducing method and apparatus of the recording medium. The present recording medium has script files including additional information about moving picture data, e.g., scene descriptive text and introduction of characters, etc. In addition, information linking each script file with a section of moving picture data to be presented with contents of the script file is included in a link data file or is contained in a filename of the script file. In reproduction of the recording medium, a script file linked with presently reproduced moving picture data section is determined and searched for based on the link data file or every filename of the script files, and contents of the found script file are presented together with the presently reproduced moving picture data. Furthermore, previously presented additional information is removed depending on data or filename of the found script file.
US08254740B2
A fiber optic drop terminal assembly includes a housing, a spool and a fiber optic distribution cable. The housing has a first exterior surface and an oppositely disposed second exterior surface. A plurality of ruggedized adapters is mounted on the first exterior surface of the housing. The ruggedized adapters include a first port accessible from outside the housing and a second port accessible from inside the housing. The spool is engaged with the second exterior surface and includes a drum portion. The fiber distribution cable is coiled around the drum portion. The distribution cable includes a first end and an oppositely disposed second end. The second end is disposed inside the housing.
US08254732B2
An optical modulator 100 includes an input unit 110, a splitter unit 120, a first waveguide 131, a second waveguide 132, a directional coupler unit 140, a first output unit 151, a second output unit 152, a first liquid-crystal cell 161, and a second liquid-crystal cell 162. The splitter unit 120, the first waveguide 131, the second waveguide 132, and the directional coupler unit 140 form an optical interferometer that branches an input light and causes the branched lights to interfere. The first liquid-crystal cell 161 and the second liquid-crystal cell 162 transmit the lights branched in the optical interferometer and delay the lights according to applied signals, respectively. The second liquid-crystal cell 162 is thinner than the first liquid-crystal cell 161.
US08254729B1
A system and method for comparing graphical content (e.g., images) of documents for approval, rating, and other uses are provided. Information may be stored about one or more graphical documents. Graphical content of a first graphical document being evaluated for distribution may be compared to at least one second graphical document. An approval determination may be made for the first graphical document based on the stored information about the at least one second graphical document and the comparison.
US08254728B2
In one embodiment, the present invention is a system for organizing data flow for two dimensional digital image processing. The system includes a memory access module for accessing an external memory containing image data to be processed, and a data flow organizer module for preparing a data stream from the input image data accessed by the memory access module. The data flow organizer module predicts future data needed for processing, and the memory access module pre-fetches the predicted data from the memory. A data processing module processes the pre-fetched data from the data flow organizer module. Address generation for accessing the memory is performed independent and in parallel with processing the pre-fetched data.
US08254726B2
An image processing apparatus that converts an input image having first resolution into an output image having second resolution higher than the first resolution includes a super-resolution processing unit that converts the input image into an SR image having the second resolution through motion compensation, a motion mask generating unit that generates a motion mask indicating an accuracy of estimation, an edge direction information generating unit that generates edge direction information indicating an edge direction of each area of the input image, a weight map generating unit that generates a weight map indicating likelihood of the edge direction of each of the areas, an interpolation processing unit that converts the input image into an interpolated image having the second resolution, a weight computing unit that computes a weight, and an image generating unit that generates the output image by constructing a weighted sum of the SR image and interpolated image.
US08254718B2
Noise in an image is reduced in a manner that takes into account edge information in one or more channels of the image. A first image is received that is formatted according to a red-green-blue (RGB) color model. The first image is converted from the RGB color model to a second color model that includes at least a luminance channel, a first chrominance channel, and a second chrominance channel that are representative of the first image. The first and second chrominance channels are each denoised in a manner that accounts at least for edge information in the luminance channel, and may also include edge information from other channels in a manner that accounts for per-channel noise characteristics. The luminance channel and denoised first and second chrominance channels are converted to a second image formatted according to the RGB color model that is a noise-reduced version of the first image.
US08254709B2
A variable length encoding (VLE) device of an image compression system is suitable for encoding transformed and quantized block image signals. The VLE device includes a plurality of encoding modules, for performing VLE on the block image signals; and a selection module (VLE module start controller), for selecting a number of the encoding modules in turn to encode the block image signals. The encoding modules are configured for parallel processing, and an operating frequency of each of the encoding modules is a fractional frequency of a throughput rate of the image compression system. The VLE device is not affected by the time consumed by the VLE in the image compression process, and enables the entire image compression system to operate as desired and achieve the required throughput rate.
US08254706B2
An E8-VSB reception system, apparatus for generating data attribute and method thereof, and apparatus for channel encoding and method thereof are disclosed. In the present invention, E8-VSB data resulting from multiplexing a plurality of enhanced data encoded at different coding rates with main data is received. And, the main data and a plurality of the enhanced data are identified to be modulated from the received E8-VSB data. In particular, by generating M/E packet attribute information, enhanced packet attribute information, enhanced byte attribute information and E8-VSB symbol attribute information from the E8-VSB data attribute generating apparatus, the channel decoding apparatus can correctly identify to decode the main data, ½ enhanced data and ¼ enhanced data from one another.
US08254696B2
A method is provided for detection of an airborne contaminant in a atmospheric environment. The method comprises capturing an air sample from the atmospheric environment; separating candidate particles of interest from particles of non interest in the air sample; generating an image of the candidate particles; identifying a contaminant from among the candidate particles by comparing the image of candidate particles with a plurality of stored reference images, each of which reflects a respective identified contaminant; and notifying a remote third party in response to detecting a contaminant from among the candidate particles.
US08254694B2
Disclosed herein is a method for detecting thin lines in image data. The method is performed by a processor to process contone image data. The processing includes thresholding a window of pixels established in the contone domain to generate a binary window of image data, and then determining characteristics associated with on pixels or runs of the binary data. The characteristics (start and end locations, length of on runs) are then thresholded. The processing in the contone and binary domain are used to determine if a thin line exists in the window of image data. The disclosed method produces better quality output images and reduces the addition of false lines in an image.
US08254693B2
An image processing apparatus and method generate a vector expression by defining a direction and attribute of gradation of an image as a daub color of the vector expression for each divided contour line of a similar color region obtained from an input image, based on pixel values of plural sampling points inside each of the divided contour lines.
US08254688B2
The present invention relates to, for example, an image pickup system having a structure capable of imaging a subject at a low power consumption and a low cost even when the subject may be dark. The image pickup system comprises an image pickup device, a peak position detecting section, a partial image acquiring section, and a partial image operating section. The image pickup device outputs image data that represents the two-dimensional intensity distribution of light incident on a photodetecting section, and outputs light intensity profile data that represents the one-dimensional intensity distribution of the incident light in each of first and second directions in the photodetecting section. The peak position detecting section detects a light intensity peak position in the two-dimensional intensity distribution of the light incident on the photodetecting section in the image pickup device, based on the light intensity profile data outputted from the image pickup device. The partial image acquiring section acquires a partial image from an entire image that can be imaged by the image pickup device so that the light intensity peak position detected by the peak position detecting section is made a specific position for the partial image in the entire image. The partial image operating section integrates the acquired partial image.
US08254685B2
Systems, methods and media for transitioning detecting content change in a streaming image system are disclosed. One embodiment provides a method for detecting a content change between image frames in a streaming image system. Embodiments may include selecting a change detection algorithm from a plurality of change detection algorithms and comparing a first image frame of m image stream with a second image frame of the image stream using the selected change detection algorithm. Embodiments may also include, in the event of detecting a content change between the first image frame and the second image frame, generating an indication of the content change. Further embodiments may include selecting the change detection algorithm based on a user's selection or system capabilities. Other further embodiments may include transmitting the indication of the content change.
US08254683B2
When a small block area enters a first two-dimensional code during a scan and features of the image within the area of a position in the first two-dimensional code coincide with a two-dimensional code, the block area is specified as containing a code and a recognition process is performed in the nearby areas. When the recognition of the two-dimensional code has been successful, the area of the first two-dimensional code is further extracted. When the extraction of the area of the first two-dimensional code has been successful, the scan using the small block area is further continued to search for a second two-dimensional code. With an already recognized entrance to the area of the first two-dimensional code, the area is skipped to continue the search. The second two-dimensional code is detected at a high speed by repeating the operation.
US08254681B1
Semantically meaningful segments of an image of a document, such as tables of contents, page numbers, footnotes, and the like, are identified. These segments form a model of the document image, which may then be rendered differently for different client devices. The rendering may be based on a display parameter provided by a client device, such as a display resolution of the client device, or a requested display format.
US08254677B2
An apparatus for detecting a cut change based on a similarity between a first image and a second image, includes a unit for generating one of a luminance histogram and a color histogram of each of the first image and the second image, a unit for generating a spatial correlation image representing a correlation between spatial layouts of the first image and the second image, a unit for calculating a histogram similarity representing a similarity between the histogram of the first image and the histogram of the second image, a unit for calculating a spatial correlation image similarity representing a similarity between the spatial correlation image of the first image and the spatial correlation image of the second image, and a unit for determining whether a border between the first image and the second image is a cut change based on the histogram similarity and the spatial correlation image similarity.
US08254676B2
A method for identifying an object within a container is provided. The method includes acquiring image data representing an image, applying a morphological operator to the acquired image data to generate morphed image data, calculating a histogram based on the morphed image data, and classifying the image using the calculated histogram. A classification of the image may be displayed and/or stored in a computer-readable memory.
US08254675B2
A white-balance imaging apparatus includes a first gradation converting unit performing gradation conversion depending on each pixel value of an original image, a second gradation converting unit performing gradation conversion based on pixel values within a predetermined range from each pixel of the original image, a selecting unit selecting a gradation conversion mode, and a determining unit determining second gradation conversion parameters for use by the second gradation converting unit, according to the selected gradation conversion mode, and determining at least one of first gradation conversion parameters for use by the first gradation converting unit and an exposure amount in an exposure amount adjusting part which can adjust the exposure amount, according to the selected gradation conversion mode. Therefore, it is possible to correct the dark area gradation of an image while maintaining brightness of the whole image, and to realize preferable gradation conversion.
US08254671B1
A system and method for detecting shot boundaries in video clips may generate a color frequency histogram for each tile of each frame of the video clip, according to a regular grid. The method may include comparing histograms of a given frame to corresponding histograms of an adjacent frame and computing a divergence descriptor for the given frame dependent on the average difference between the histograms. Various heuristics may be applied to the descriptor for each frame and the computed average descriptor of two or more leading or trailing frames to detect a shot boundary or another type of divergence between frames. A GUI may provide tools usable to identify clips on which to apply shot boundary detection and mechanisms to specify parameter values of the operation. The method may be implemented by program instructions stored on a computer readable medium and executable by one or more CPUs and/or GPUs.
US08254670B2
A method of object classification based upon fusion of a remote sensing system and a natural imaging system is provided. The method includes detecting an object using the remote sensing system. An angle of view of a video camera of the natural imaging system is varied. An image including the object is generated using the natural imaging system. The natural imaging system may zoom in on the object. The image represented in either pixel or transformed space is compared to a plurality of templates via a competition based neural network learning algorithm. Each template has an associated label determined statistically. The template with a closest match to the image is determined. The image may be assigned the label associated with the relative location of the object, the relative speed of the object, and the label of the template determined statistically to be the closest match to the image.
US08254665B2
Methods and systems for three-dimensional imaging include sampling one or more emissions which are reflected back from a target scene with one or more micro-channel plates. The one or more sampled emissions are processed in one or more frames. Within each frame a phase is extracted and a distance to the target scene and amplitude is determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis. A three dimensional image of the target scene is generated and provided based on the extracted phase and the determined distance and amplitude for the one or more frames.
