US08266718B2
A microwave microscope including a probe tip electrode vertically positionable over a sample and projecting downwardly from the end of a cantilever. A transmission line connecting the tip electrode to the electronic control system extends along the cantilever and is separated from a ground plane at the bottom of the cantilever by a dielectric layer. The probe tip may be vertically tapped near or at the sample surface at a low frequency and the microwave signal reflected from the tip/sample interaction is demodulated at the low frequency. Alternatively, a low-frequency electrical signal is also a non-linear electrical element associated with the probe tip to non-linearly interact with the applied microwave signal and the reflected non-linear microwave signal is detected at the low frequency. The non-linear element may be semiconductor junction formed near the apex of the probe tip or be an FET formed at the base of a semiconducting tip.
US08266710B2
A method for preventing unauthorized installation of application software is disclosed wherein application software is distributed with a user-readable permanent password, one or more user-readable one-time disposable password, and a hidden password (hidden from users but accessible by the setup program). When the setup program is run, the user must enter the permanent password and disposable password(s). The setup program sends these passwords and the target computer serial number to a remote server which verifies their validity, stores the serial number, and returns a complex password and a new disposable password from a remote passwords folder stored on the remote server. The setup program displays the new disposable password to the user who records it for use in future installations. The complex password is used to enable installation of the software, and it is deleted after installation is complete. Subsequent installation or re-installations, if authorized by the terms of the software license agreement, are performed using the same procedure, except that for each such installation, a new disposable password must be used.
US08266703B1
A system, method and computer program product are provided for prioritized network security. Initially, a risk assessment scan is conducted for identifying vulnerabilities on a network device. Next, network communications are identified that exploit the vulnerabilities identified by the risk assessment scan before identifying network communications that exploit other vulnerabilities. In other words, network communications are monitored for identifying any exploitation of the vulnerabilities identified by the risk assessment scan before identifying any exploitation of other vulnerabilities.
US08266697B2
A method, system, and computer program product for detecting and mapping activity occurring at and between devices on a computer network for utilization within an intrusion detection mechanism. An enhanced graph matching intrusion detection system (eGMIDS) utility executing on a control server provides data collection functions and data fusion techniques. The eGMIDS comprises multiple sensors and associated unique adaptors that are located at different remote devices of the network and utilized to detect specific types of activity occurring at the respective devices relevant to eGMIDS processing. The sensors convert the data into eGMIDS format and encapsulate the data in a special transmission packet that is transmitted to the control server. The eGMIDS utility converts the activity data within these packets into eGMIDS-usable format and then processes the converted data via a data fusion technique to generate a graphical representation of the network (devices) and the activity occurring at/amongst the various devices.
US08266696B2
Techniques for responding to intrusions on a packet switched network include receiving user data at a subscriber-aware gateway server between a network access server and a content server. The user data includes subscriber identifier data that indicates a unique identifier for a particular user, network address data that indicates a network address for a host used by the particular user, NAS data that indicates an identifier for the network access server, flow list data that indicates one or more open data packet flows, and suspicious activity data. The suspicious activity data indicates a value for a property of the open data packet flows that indicates suspicious activity. It is determined whether an intrusion condition is satisfied based on the suspicious activity data. If the intrusion condition is satisfied, then the gateway responds based at least in part on user data other than the network address data.
US08266691B2
A method of validating software is disclosed. The method may include receiving, at a first function, a first hash and a first version. The first function may validate a second function according to the first hash and first version. The second function may receive a second hash and a second version, and the second function may validate a third function according to the second hash and second version. The first version and first hash may be stored within the first function, for example. The first version and first hash may be stored within a manifest, for example.In another embodiment, a method of validating software may include storing a plurality of functions and storing a version and hash for each function. Each function may be verified according to the respective version and hash, and each function may verify at least one other function.
US08266690B2
A method of generating an audiovisual object such as a wallpaper or screensaver keyed to a user's preferences, local time, and location, comprising: collecting a set of user preferences for a user; providing a metadata stream associated with an audiovisual input; comparing elements within the metadata stream with the set of user preferences to form a comparison; and outputting an audiovisual object to the user's video display unit if the comparison indicates that the metadata stream matches one or more elements of the set of user preferences. User preferences may be collected from user habits based on metadata streams associated with the audiovisual input, or may be directly input by the user. The methods above may also be stored on a computer readable medium.
US08266687B2
In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for systems, methods, and devices that determine whether a website request is from a proxy website or an anonymizer. Embodiments intercept a website request from an end point; identify at least one cookie present in said website request; analyze a predetermined characteristic of said website request, where the predetermined characteristic associated with the cookie; and apply a rule corresponding to said predetermined characteristic to make the determination as to whether the request is from a proxy website or anonymizer.
US08266679B2
An information processing system is supplied capable of holding a security; and transferring an output authority which is had by a transfer source portability terminal to a transfer destination portability terminal. In the information processing system, a transfer source sending section for sending authority information to the transfer destination portability terminal for transferring output authority is furnished in a transfer source portability terminal; a transfer destination receiving section for receiving the authority information from the transfer source portability terminal, a transfer destination storing section for storing the received authority information, and a transfer destination sending section for sending authority information to the information processing apparatus are furnished in a transfer destination portability terminal; and an apparatus receiving section for receiving the authority information from the transfer destination portability terminal, a releasing section for releasing an output limitation according to the received authority information and an outputting section for performing an output based on the data are furnished in an information processing apparatus.
US08266678B2
One embodiment of a method for determining a username comprises obtaining a digital certificate from a first computer application requesting a service; authenticating the digital certificate of the first computer application; and retrieving the username from the digital certificate that is recognized by a second computer application performing the service as a user of the second computer application. Other methods and systems are also provided.
US08266672B2
In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for accessing a DNS server, where the DNS server may be a DNS server within the control of a administrator. A pair of name and IP address may be stored on the DNS server. A client may then transmit the name to a DNS server to request the DNS server to lookup the IP address related to the client transmitted name. This client to DNS server communication may be performed as part of a network request from the client. The IP address may then be returned to the client in response to the connection request, which may allow the client to interpret the return of the security IP address as an indication of a known DNS server and therefore a known network. As a result, the client may then be able to set its security rules according to known network rules. Further, the identifying of a known network may be associated with location information associated with the DNS server, and thus the client, where the location information may be associated with multiple DNS IP address entries.
US08266670B1
The present invention facilitates the dynamic provisioning of data assets in a shared storage environment. The invention provides a system and method for dynamically provisioning and de-provisioning shared storage resources based on multi-dimensional decision criteria. By employing specialized computing components configured to assess a data asset and requestor of a data asset, a provisioning engine is able to transform the input from the computing components into a specific configuration of shared storage resource provisioning and security controls. According to the rules and policies applying to a security domain, the provisioning engine may dynamically allocate shared storage resources in a manner that is both safe and efficient for the data asset.
US08266659B2
In a broadband communications system, information is collected which relates to user-issued commands for accessing programming content and manipulating recorded programming content. The commands are monitored to determine when such content is accessed (i.e., requested, selected or played) and manipulated (i.e., rewound, fast-forwarded, paused, etc.) by a user. Data associated with a command to request, select or manipulate programming content is read from the user-issued command and forwarded to a processor for presentation of the programming content. The read data is stored and made available for analyzing user activity respecting programming content provided by the broadband communication system. Such analysis may relate to the popularity of specific programs, the frequency in which specific commercials are skipped or played, the most popular times that a specific program or type of program is accessed, and the like.
US08266658B2
A wireless node device determines an origination port number, communicates with the wireless node device to exchange a destination port number determined by the wireless node device and the origination port number determined by the wireless node device, and associates the origination port number with the destination port number. Further, the wireless node device input formats supported by the wireless node device, reserves wireless resources for wirelessly transmitting the content data, determines one of the obtained input formats as an output format and notifies the wireless node device of the determined output format, and wirelessly transmits the content data to the wireless node device through a pair of ports indicated by the origination port number and the destination port number associated with each other.
US08266655B2
The present invention provides a tuning scheme for coordinating schedule information and programs received from multiple sources (26, 28, 30 and 34). In the preferred embodiment, an identifier associated with the program's channel (52) is used to identify a source device (26, 28, 30 or 34). When a user selects a program (60 or 62) listed in displayed schedule information (50), the system (10) reads the source identifier attached to the program's channel (52). The system (10) then carries out an automatic switching/tuning such that the required source device (26, 28, 30 or 34) is input to the destination device (22), and a tuner is then tuned to the selected program's channel (52).
US08266646B2
A cooperative electronic media measurement system is disclosed that measures the electronic media usage of one or more individuals by a media research entity. The media research entity defines at least one specialized task useful to the media research entity. The at least one specialized task is performed by a media handler provided by another entity and concerns a handling of electronic media by the media handler. The individual is tracked with at least one software agent of the media research entity. At least one software agent obtains a product of the specialized task performed by the media handler via at least one defined interface that provides interoperability between the media handler and the at least one software agent. Cooperative media handlers automatically obtain information from, or otherwise obtain information about, presented media objects including identification tags, if present, and other information, for collection by the research data collection agents.
US08266642B2
An optical disk mechanism has a housing with at least one disk entry/exit aperture. A disk guide, such as a plate, is aligned with and guides an optical disk through the disk entry/exit aperture. Two beams rotatably support at least one roller and a drive mechanism. Flexing and biasing the roller towards the disk, the two beams maintain a rotational axis of the roller parallel to the disk and accommodate varying separation between the roller and the disk guide. The two beams are closely spaced and non-coplanar, and may be part of a double-beam mount. The double-beam mount attaches the two beams to the housing and to a frame, which positions the roller near the disk guide and the disk entry/exit aperture. Sliding the disk along the plate or other disk guide, the roller is reversible to drive the disk in or out through the disk entry/exit aperture.
US08266635B2
A browser-enabled device includes a browser-based user interface and control architecture, which has a browser core, a browser framework, and a user interface. The user interface is written using a markup language. In processing event registrations, the browser framework receives an event registration. The received event registration having a response unique resource identifier (URI) content and a priority field. The priority field of the received event registration is examined to determine priority of the received event registration. If the browser core is loading the response URI content of a prior event registration and if the priority of the received event registration is higher than the priority of the prior event registration, then the loading of the response URI content of the prior event registration is halted, and loading of the response URI content of the received event registration is begun.
US08266634B2
The application discloses a resource assignment system including recovery notification procedures or methods to notify an application or node of potentially lost resources. The recovery notification procedures or calls are invoked in response to a recovery notification registration function. In response to recovery notification registration, a recovery notification or call is generated to report lost resources.
US08266623B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for decomposing a sampling task into a plurality of jobs. In operation, a sampling task is identified. Additionally, the sampling task is decomposed into a plurality of jobs. Further, each of the plurality of jobs are processed in parallel. Still yet, each of the plurality of jobs are allowed to terminate independently of the other plurality of jobs.
US08266619B2
An embedded operating system of smart card and the method for processsing task are disclosed. The method includes: A, initializing the system; B, creating at least one task according to the function set by the system; C, scheduling the pre-execution task according to the priority of the system; D, executing the task and returning the executing result through a data transmission channel. The invention enchances the support of the data channel of the hardware platform, and not only supports the single data channel, ISO7816, of conventional smart cards, but also supports the status of two or more data channels coexisting, in order to make the smart card transmit the information more flexible with higher speed with device terminals. The invention enchances the support of application of smart card, and not only supports the single application on the conventional smart card, but also supports several applications running simultaneity on one card, in order to utilize the smart card with higher efficiency.
US08266613B2
A multi-functional peripheral (MFP) can communicate with a server storing plural kinds of update programs together with update information including updated states of plural kinds of functions, and includes a flash memory to store an execution program, a function execution portion to execute the execution program and execute at least one of the functions, a performance storage portion, when any of the functions is executed, to store performance information regarding execution of the function in the flash memory, a determination portion to determine, based on the performance information and the update information stored in the server, an update target portion to be updated within the execution program and a target program for use in updating the execution program from among the update programs stored in the server, and an updating portion to update the update target portion of the execution program with the determined target program.
US08266612B2
Provided are arrangements for delivering customized application or update notifications corresponding to a software application so that a user may be informed of the value of the application or update. In addition, the notifications may be rendered by a configurable notification mechanism so that the behavior of the notification, i.e., when and how often it is displayed, to what users and in what conditions, and the like, is also configurable. In this way, users become more invested in the application or update, are more likely to install the same, and become more aware of what changes to expect following installation.
US08266608B2
The invention is directed to instrumenting object code of an application and/or an operating system on a target machine so that execution trace data can be generated, collected, and subsequently analyzed for various purposes, such as debugging and performance. Automatic instrumentation may be performed on an application's object code before, during or after linking. A target machine's operating system's object code can be manually or automatically instrumented. By identifying address space switches and thread switches in the operating system's object code, instrumented code can be inserted at locations that enable the execution trace data to be generated. The instrumentation of the operating system and application can enable visibility of total system behavior by enabling generation of trace information sufficient to reconstruct address space switches and context switches.
US08266605B2
Described is a method and system for optimizing a code layout for execution on a processor including internal and/or external cache memory. The method and system includes executing a program having a first layout, generating at least one memory access parameter for the program, the memory access parameter being based on a cache memory of a computing system on which the program is designed to run and constructing a second layout for the program as a function of the at least one memory access parameter.
US08266602B2
Apparatus and method for converting between device description languages in a process control system
A device description language (DDL) converter is provided for converting a first DDL file into one or more second DDL files. The DDL files may be associated with wireless field devices that are or could be used in a process control system, such as wireless sensors or wireless actuators. The DDL files may contain information associated with parameters of the field devices, such as tunings, performance statistics, statuses, measurements, and other data of interest. The first DDL file could be associated with a non-standard DDL. The one or more second DDL files could be associated with standard DDLS, such as HART, Foundation Fieldbus, and Profibus DDLs.
US08266598B2
Bounding resource consumption of code using abstract interpretation includes a static analysis to estimate a code's resource consumption in terms of units of resources utilized at any point during execution, expressed as a function of its scalar inputs. An instrumentation mechanism and an abstract interpretation mechanism are employed to compute bounds on the code resource consumption. The instrumentation mechanism includes incorporating one or more counter variables in the source code to count the number of loop iterations and recursive procedure call invocations. The abstract interpretation mechanism includes computing invariants on the instrumented counter variables and scalar program variables to obtain bounds on the number of loop iterations and recursive procedure call invocations, which are then composed together to obtain resource bounds for the entire program.
US08266590B2
Data for a dynamic configuration of a set of producer components is stored in a set of component objects and a set of relationship objects. When an event is received indicating a change to the dynamic configuration, a component object and/or relationship object is updated to reflect the change. The component and/or relationship object(s) can be used to notify one or more listening components of modifications to the dynamic configuration. In this manner, listening components are only loosely coupled with producer components making any necessary adjustments to configuration changes easier to implement.
US08266587B2
Disclosure for using SLP in processing a plurality of statements, wherein the statements are associated with an array having a number of array positions, and each statement includes one or more expressions. Expressions are gathered for each of the statements into a structure comprising a single merge stream furnished with a location for each expression. The location for a given expression is associated with one of the array positions. A plurality of expressions are selectively identified and SLP packing operations are applied to the identified expressions to merge into one or more isomorphic sub-streams. Expressions of the isomorphic sub-streams and other expressions of the single merge stream are combined into a number of input vectors that are substantially equal in length to one another. A location vector is generated that contains the respective locations for all of the expressions in the single merge stream.
US08266586B2
A unified programming environment allows application developers to work with declarative, procedural and service model based logic. In one aspect, instructions on a computer readable medium include at least one of a declarative logic module adapted to define an object and a procedural logic module adapted to define an object. A service model based logic module is adapted to define actions to be performed on the object with a reference to said at least one of the declarative and procedural logic module.
US08266581B2
A software system development apparatus is provided. The software system development apparatus may include a processor and a computer-readable medium operatively coupled to the processor. The apparatus may also include a system design tool program stored on the computer-readable medium that, when executed by the processor, is operable to regulate user access to at least one aspect of the system design tool according to one or more authorization categories of users of the system design tool. The system design tool may also be operable to generate a real-time embedded control software system by selecting from a collection of reusable software components stored and described in a catalog in accordance with the Reusable Asset Specification (RAS).
US08266576B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program apparatus, implementing techniques for publishing, subscribing to, or playing live appliances. A live appliance includes a current virtual machine image. In publishing, a proxy file of a live appliance file type is provided to the publisher. The type is mapped to a live appliance player; so that when a proxy file is opened, the current virtual machine image is run. The player automatically binds a writeable file system external to the virtual machine image to the image to provide file storage that is accessible from within the virtual machine image and from a host operating system. The player also creates a subscription to the live appliance on the host computer if one does not exist when the proxy file is run. With the subscription, the player runs the then-current virtual machine image whenever the live appliance is run.
US08266571B2
The technology disclosed relates to granular analysis of design data used to prepare chip designs for manufacturing and to identification of similarities and differences among parts of design data files. In particular, it relates to parsing data and organizing into canonical forms, digesting the canonical forms, and comparing digests of design data from different sources, such as designs and libraries of design templates. Organizing the design data into canonical forms generally reduces the sensitivity of data analysis to variations in data that have no functional impact on the design. The details of the granular analysis vary among design languages used to represent aspects of a design. For various design languages, granular analysis includes partitioning design files by header/cell portions, by separate handling of comments, by functionally significant/non-significant data, by whitespace/non-whitespace, and by layer within a unit of design data. The similarities and differences of interest depend on the purpose of the granular analysis. The comparisons are useful in many ways.
US08266559B2
A precharacterized cell library for EDA tools includes driver model data includes output current signals indexed by output voltages. The driver model can then generate a model output by interpolating the output current signals using the output voltage to generate an output current. The output current can then be used to generate an updated output voltage across a predetermined time increment. The output current signals can then be interpolated using the updated output voltage to generate a new output current, when can be used to update the output voltage once again across the next time increment. By repeating this process across a time frame for the model output signal, a model output current and output voltage signals can be generated that match the actual output current and voltage signals from a driver in a multi-driver system.
US08266551B2
An approach is provided for binding user interface elements and granular reflective processing. An information management infrastructure determines to detect an event, from a first device, for specifying one or more user interface elements for transfer to a second device. The information management infrastructure further identifies one or more processes bound to the user interface elements. The information management infrastructure also determines at least one of a user context, an execution context within the user context, and one or more other execution contexts for the processes, wherein the one or more other execution contexts are from at least one of the user context and one or more other user contexts. The information management infrastructure further causes, at least in part, serialization of at least one of the user context, the execution context, and the one or more other execution contexts. The information management infrastructure further determines to transmit the serialization to the second device to initiate reconstruction of the at least one of the user context, the execution context, and the one or more other execution contexts.
US08266547B2
A graphical user interface for a travel planning system is described. The graphical user interface is implemented as a web page and includes a tabular region of the graphical user interface that displays summarized travel options and comprises a plurality of cells that act as controls. The interface also includes a second region that displays selected travel options resulting from filtering a set of travel options in accordance with a control actuated in the tabular region.
US08266545B2
A replay device includes a management means which manages all of the files stored upon a medium by separating them into first files and second files. And this replay device also includes an output means which creates and outputs a first menu screen upon which a list of the first files is shown, and a second menu screen upon which a list of the second files is shown, on the basis of the file management by the management means. Moreover, this replay device also includes a selection means which receives a selection of one of the first files to be replayed from the first menu screen, or receives a selection of one of the second files to be replayed from the second menu screen. And the replay device also includes a replay means which replays the first file or the second file which has been selected by the selection means.
US08266544B1
A computer-implemented method includes setting minimum boundaries for a pop-up window based on content, displaying the content in the pop-up window, receiving an input to change a layout of the content, calculating new minimum boundaries for the pop-up window based on the layout change, resizing the pop-up window using the new minimum boundaries and displaying the content in the resized pop-up window.
US08266539B2
Variables incorporated into a hypertext markup language document enable location of hypertext elements. Once the variable is located, the information contained within the identified hypertext element may be used in other applications. The information may be received, as a recognized input, by the application.
US08266538B2
A user-activatable dashboard (also referred to as a unified interest layer) contains any number of user interface elements, referred to herein as “widgets,” for quick access by a user. In response to a command from a user, the dashboard is invoked and the widgets are shown on the screen. The user can activate the dashboard at any time, causing the dashboard to temporarily replace the existing user interface display on the user's screen. Once the dashboard has been activated, the user can interact with any or all of the widgets, and can configure the dashboard by adding, deleting, moving, or configuring individual widgets as desired. When the user wishes to return to the normal user interface he or she was working with, the user issues a command causing the dashboard to be dismissed. Once the dashboard has been dismissed, the previous user interface state is restored, allowing the user to resume normal interactions with the operating system.
US08266531B2
A portal containing a plurality of controls that are represented by a meta control hierarchy representing, wherein each node in the meta control hierarchy holds information of one of the plurality of controls. Upon receiving a request from a user for rendering of the portal, a control hierarchy can be created based on the meta control hierarchy. A portal managing component is operable to retrieve a portion of the meta control hierarchy from a cache and create the remaining portion of the meta control hierarchy that does not exist in cache from an XML markup file of the portal.
US08266530B2
A GUI for a Network Management System client is provided. The GUI presents network alarms in more than one alarm window. Each alarm window includes a drop-down menu for selecting an alarm filter and a pause button for halting display of new alarms. Alarm filters may be retrieved from a database accessible from a number of NMS clients, thereby allowing public filters to be created by a supervisor. A method of automatically populating the “additional text” field of alarms in a way specified manually after installation of the NMS, which provides additional means of filtering alarms. The invention provides an improved interface by which network administrators can manage network alarms, the interface being particularly advantageous during floods of large numbers of network alarms.
US08266522B2
A computer-implemented method and computing device for temporally displaying advertising content on a webpage are disclosed. The webpage on which the advertising content is displayed may have a plurality of graphical, textual and audio/visual components. The advertising content is displayed around a first area of the webpage, for example, around a video player, such that it hides the original content of the webpage around the first area (e.g. hides the original content of the webpage around the video player). The transparency of the advertising content is increased over a defined time interval so that over the time interval, the underlying original content of the webpage around the first area (e.g. around the video player) becomes increasingly visible. At the end of the time interval, the advertising content disappears entirely. No user input is required to trigger the fade out of the advertising content. The fade out occurs automatically.
US08266520B2
A system for displaying comment documents within a parent document that avoids replication/save conflicts regardless of the number of users having local document replicas. The graphical user interface to a parent document provides the user with the ability to enter a comment with regard to the parent document. In response to indication that a comment is to be entered, the user interface to the parent document allows the user to enter content to be included in the comment. In response to indication that the entered comment should be saved, the system operates to capture the comment contents and store it into a newly created comment document associated with the parent document. After a comment document has been created, its contents are presented through a predetermined display region within the user interface to the parent document. In response to detection of a transition of a parent document from a state in which comments can be added to a state in which comments cannot be added, the system locates all comment documents associated with the parent document, copies the contents of those comment documents into the parent document such that they are displayed as part of the parent document, and deletes all associated comment documents for that parent document.
US08266515B2
A system for categorizing transactions includes a collection function gathering information concerning transactions, including at least date, description and amount of the transactions, for a particular person or enterprise, and a processing function categorizing individual ones of the collected transactions according to at least part of the transaction description.
US08266510B1
A high throughput and scalable MIMO detector can use a K-Best detection algorithm to find K combinations of transmit symbols that are likely to be the symbols that were actually transmitted. The K-best MIMO detector can include a plurality of stages, where each stage may correspond to a transmit antenna, and each stage can find K best symbol combinations based on information from a previous stage. To find the new K best symbol combinations, at each stage, a plurality of metrics for potential combinations are computed and sorted by magnitude. The MIMO detector preferably uses a high throughput, merge sorting algorithm to sort the metrics.
US08266505B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing system. As one example, a data processing circuit is described that includes an analog to digital converter, an online timing loop, and an offline timing loop. The analog to digital converter receives an analog input and provides a first series of data samples Each bit of the first series of data samples corresponds to the analog input at a time controlled by an updated sampling clock. The online timing loop modifies the updated sampling clock based at least in part upon a processed version of the first series of data samples. The offline timing loop interpolates a derivative of the first series of data samples to yield a second series of data samples that mimics a series of data samples corresponding to the analog input that were sampled using a free running clock. The second series of data samples is interpolated to adjust each bit in accordance with an average frequency offset exhibited across the second series of data samples.
US08266502B2
A recording/reproducing apparatus includes an encoding section, a decoding section, and a first judging section. The encoding section is configured to encode data that is to be recorded onto a recording medium into an LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code. The decoding section is configured to decode the LDPC code read out from the recording medium. The judging section is configured to judge a block with a recording error based on one of a block error flag and an iterative decoding count output from the decoding section.
US08266492B2
There is provided with an FEC transmission processing apparatus including: a media packet acquiring unit configured to successively acquire media packets from a media packet generator; a media packet transmission unit configured to transmit the media packets acquired to a media packet reception processing apparatus; an FEC packet generation unit configured to generate a plurality of FEC packets for the media packet reception processing apparatus to recover a lost media packet by carrying out FEC calculation processing using media packets acquired within a predetermined FEC period from acquisition of a first acquired media packet after media packets subjected to the FEC calculation processing immediately before; and an FEC packet transmission unit configured to transmit the FEC packets to the media packet reception processing apparatus within the predetermined FEC period after a lapse of the predetermined FEC period from the acquisition of the first acquired media packet.
US08266487B2
An apparatus, a base station and user equipment are provided. The apparatus is configured to code a first given number of symbols from the beginning of a transmission period and/or a second given number of symbols from the end of the transmission period with a stronger error correcting code than the rest of the symbols in the transmission period.
US08266481B2
A flash storage device tracks performs wear-leveling by tracking data errors that occur when dynamic data is read from a storage block of the flash storage device and moving the dynamic data to an available storage block of the flash storage device. Additionally, the flash storage device identifies a storage block containing static data and moves the static data to the storage block previously containing the dynamic data.
US08266477B2
A system and method for modifying execution scripts associated with a job scheduler may include monitoring for the execution of a task to determine when the task has failed. Details of the failed task may be identified and used to attempt recovery from the task failure. After initiating any recovery tasks, execution of the recovery tasks may be monitored, and one or more supplementary recovery tasks may be identified and executed, or the original task may be rerun at an appropriate execution point based on the initial point of failure. Thus, when a task has failed, an iterative process may begin where various effects of the failed task are attempted to be rolled back, and depending on the success of the rollback, the initial task can be rerun at the point of failure, or further recovery tasks may be executed.
US08266473B2
A method and system for disaster recovery in a packet-based network. The network includes a production site and a recovery site coupled together by the packet-based network. Mirroring software on the production site keeps a recovery site up to date to the last transaction occurring on the production site. A recovery control server polls the production site in order to detect a disaster condition or other failure. Upon detection of a problem at the production site, the recovery control server reconfigures the network so those attempts to access the production site are routed to the recovery site.
US08266468B2
An integrated circuit (IC) includes a clock circuit, a processing module, and processing circuitry. The clock circuit is coupled to produce a digital clock signal. The processing module is coupled to determine whether a harmonic component of the digital clock signal having a nominal digital clock rate is within the frequency passband and to provide an indication to the clock circuit to adjust its rate from the nominal digital clock rate to an adjusted digital clock rate when the harmonic component of the digital clock signal is within the frequency passband. The processing circuitry is coupled to process, at the adjusted digital clock rate, the data to produce processed data having a rate corresponding to the nominal digital clock rate and to interpolate, at an interpolation rate, the processed data to produce interpolated processed data having a rate corresponding to the interpolation rate.
US08266467B2
To provide inter-LSI data synchronized transfer with a transfer throughput satisfying a required performance without causing an operation timing difference of the entire system even when a wiring delay between LSIs varies on an evaluation board and an actual device. A master (LSI1) outputs transfer data and a transfer synchronization clock signal to a slave (LSI2). For the edge of a clock signal used for data output at the master (LSI1), the slave (LSI2) latches input data by using a reverse edge. Moreover, upon data transfer from the slave (LSI2) to the master (LSI1), the master (LSI1) selects a latch timing of input data from a plurality of timings so that the transfer time to an internal circuit of the master (LSI1) side is identical regardless of which latch timing is selected.
US08266466B2
The present invention relates to a synchronized timestamp mechanism in a packet processing system. This synchronized timestamp mechanism provides a globally synchronized counter value so counters located on separate packet processing cards can be synchronized. The synchronizing of these packet processing cards provides tracking of how long it takes for packets to be processed, provides the ability to generate packet headers that include sequence numbers for robust header compression, and allows the use of encryption protocols without a time reference signal. The synchronization is provided by sending the cards with counter value information and this information can be used to update the card's internal counter value information so that the card is synchronized with other cards.
US08266464B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a power controller, a method of operating a power controller and a semiconductor memory system. In one embodiment, the power controller is for use with a memory and includes an access module configured to provide an active state of the memory to allow memory access. The power controller also includes a retain-till-access module configured to cycle a portion of the memory between the active state and a low leakage data retention state of the memory. The power controller further includes an expanded retain-till-access module configured to extend the active state of the memory for a specified period of time before returning the memory to the low leakage data retention state.
US08266463B2
The present invention provides a power negotiation protocol that enables PDs and PSEs to negotiate the amount of inline power that a PD consumes and the corresponding PSE provides. This power negotiation allows the PDs provide fine-grained power consumption level to PSEs, and the PSEs are able to manage inline power efficiently using the negotiation protocol of the present invention. The PDs can ask the PSEs for more power when needed rather than having to constantly reserve the maximum amount of power they can consume at all times. Similarly, the PDs can release reservation of excess power when their respective power requirements decrease. The PSEs can limit the amount of power that can be consumed by the PD, thereby providing the ability for an administrator to control how much power a given PD can consume.
US08266462B2
A fixing unit fixes a toner image transferred onto a recording medium to the recording medium by heating and pressurizing the toner image. An auxiliary power supply unit includes a charging element that is charged by a power supplied from a main power supply unit. Each of the main power supply unit and the auxiliary power supply unit supplies a power to the fixing unit. A power control unit controls the main power supply unit and the auxiliary power supply unit, so that the power supplied from at least one of the main power supply unit and the auxiliary power supply unit to the fixing unit is kept sufficient.
US08266458B2
Embodiments of the invention disclose a system and a method for estimating the power consumption of virtual servers that operate in various hardware configurations and making a charge. The system consists of a resource utilization measurement unit that measures utilization of a hardware resource by an operation of a virtual server. The system also includes a conversion unit that converts the utilization of the hardware resource measured by the resource utilization measurement unit to utilization of a hardware resource in a case where the operation of the virtual server is performed in a reference server including a preset hardware configuration. The system further includes a virtual power consumption calculation unit that calculates, on the basis of the utilization in the reference server obtained by the conversion by the conversion unit, as power that can be assumed to be consumed by the operation of the virtual server, power consumption in a case where a similar operation is performed in the reference server. The system further has an accounting unit that makes a charge for the operation of the virtual server on the basis of the power consumption calculated by the virtual power consumption calculation unit. Other embodiments are also provided.
US08266452B2
A method of recording messages includes recording audio data in a first file structured in accordance with a file format that defines a first portion and a second portion. The audio data is recorded in the first portion of the first file. The method also includes encrypting the audio data stored in the first portion of the first file and generating a second file structured according to the file format. The second file includes decoy audio data in the first portion of the second file and the encrypted audio data in the second portion of the second file. The decoy audio data indicates a confidential status of the second file or serves as a red herring to distract from the encrypted audio data in the second portion of the second file.
US08266449B2
The invention broadly contemplates a security solution for storage devices that is inexpensive and robust. The invention allows a store of system specific data to be used to release the hard disk key of full-disk encryption (FDE) drives. This system specific data is passed to the FDE drives and used to calculate the actual encryption key. This allows for safe disposal of an FDE drive containing confidential data, as the lack of available system specific decryption data makes decryption virtually impossible.
US08266448B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for generating and securing a program, and secrets including confidential keys, capable of being executed utilizing a processor to decrypt content. In operation, a second party's program for decrypting content from a third party is generated by a second party, and then secured in a process involving the second party in such a manner that it can be subsequently executed on the processor, without revealing the contents of the second party's program, nor any secrets provided by third party, or used by the second party, in securing the program, nor any portion of the third party's content while being handled by the program.
US08266425B2
A method of requesting and issuing a certificate from certification authority for use by an initiating correspondent with a registration authority is provided. The initiating correspondent makes a request for a certificate to the registration authority, and the registration authority sends the request to a certificate authority, which issues the certificate to the registration authority. The certificate is stored at a location in a directory and this location is associated with a pointer such as uniform resource locator (URL) that is derived from information contained in the certificate request. The initiating correspondent computes the location using the same information and forwards it to other corespondents. The other correspondents can then locate the certificate to authenticate the public key of the initiating correspondent.
US08266424B2
A certificate credential is generated based on a user device's private key securely stored, or accessible, by a certificate authority. When the certificate authority has been compromised, the credential, which typically includes information encrypted with the device's private key and the corresponding unencrypted information, is sent to the device. The device receives the information in encrypted and unencrypted form and decrypts the encrypted information. If the result of the decryption matches the unencrypted information, the device trusts the signer of the credential.
US08266421B2
Methods and apparatuses for private electronic information exchange are described herein. In one embodiment, when electronic information is received to be delivered to a recipient, the electronic information is transmitted over an electronic network with a private routing address. The private routing address is routable within a private domain, which is a subset of the electronic network. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US08266412B2
A hierarchical store buffer included in a hierarchical microprocessor includes a plurality of execution clusters. An embodiment of a hierarchical store buffer includes a first-level store buffer configured to receive data values to be written to a memory subsystem from the plurality of execution clusters and store the received data values prior to writing the data values to the memory subsystem and a plurality of second-level store buffers each operatively coupled with the first-level store buffer, each second-level store buffer being included in a respective execution cluster. In the embodiment, the second-level store buffers each are configured to receive data values to be written to the memory subsystem from one or more execution units of the respective execution cluster and store the received data values prior to copying the data values to the first-level store buffer, where the first-level store buffer and the second-level store buffer are collectively configured to copy the stored data values to the first-level store buffer.
US08266411B2
Instead of having a processor with an instruction set architecture (ISA) that includes fixed architected operands, an improved processor supports additional characteristic bits for computing instructions (e.g., a multiply-add, load/store instructions). Such additional bits for the certain instructions influence the processing of these instructions by the processor. Also, a new instruction is introduced for further usage of the proposed method. Typically these additional characteristic bits as well as the instruction can be automatically generated by compilers to provide relatively well-suited instruction sequences for the processor.
US08266405B2
An improved memory interface circuit is provided for accessing a storage array in one of two available modes, including a synchronous mode and an asynchronous mode. The improved memory interface circuit also includes logic, which enables the storage array to reside within substantially any clock domain.
US08266402B2
A program, method and system are disclosed for managing a snapshot backup restore through a hardware snapshot interface, i.e. a hardware-driven snapshot restore, based upon a software-driven snapshot backup, e.g. created with software such as volume shadow copy service (VSS). When conventional hardware-driven snapshot restores are performed using a snapshot backup that was created using the VSS-based software such as copy services, data access issues can arise, due to the operating system assigning of a new disk signature to the disk being restored. This problem can be overcome by temporarily storing the original disk signature and then overwriting the new, incorrect disk signature after initializing the restore. This can ensure that the operating system identifies the source LUNs (and accordingly, the drive letter and mount points of the disk) using the same disk signature as before the restore.
US08266399B2
The configuration of a copy pair is prevented in which data replication is conducted from a secondary system to a primary system and data is protected. A first storage device manages first information including a first measurement result related to a command received from a first host, and a second storage device manages second information including a second measurement result related to a command received from a second host. When a management computer makes an instruction to configure data replication from a first volume to a second volume, a storage system determines whether data replication from the first volume to the second volume or data replication from the second volume to the first volume is replication from the primary system to the secondary system based on the managed first information and second information, and the determined result is displayed on the management computer.
US08266398B2
A method and apparatus for preserving contents of a volatile memory when a main (e.g., AC) power source is disconnected. The apparatus comprises flash memory, a controller for writing to the flash memory and a temporary power source. The temporary power source may be a relatively low power battery or supercapacitor. The apparatus is removably attached to a computing device (e.g., via a USB port). When main power of the device is disconnected, the temporary power source provides power for the apparatus, the volatile memory containing data to be safeguarded, and sufficient processing resources to transfer the data. For example, an auxiliary processor may be powered (instead of a relatively high-power processor) or just one core of a multi-core processor. Data are written to the apparatus and can be recovered when main power is reconnected. Or, the apparatus may be detached and attached to a different device for data recovery.
US08266396B2
According to one embodiment, a free blocks included in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory are classified into a plurality of free block management lists. When a free block is acquired at normal priority, the free block is acquired from the free block management list in which a number of free blocks is larger than a first threshold. When a free block is acquired at high priority, the free block is acquired from the free block management list irrespective of the first threshold.
US08266391B2
A method for writing data to a memory device is disclosed. In one embodiment, data of an atomic transaction is written to a first memory in a memory device. A determination is made regarding whether all of the data of the atomic transaction was written to the first memory. The data of the atomic transaction is read from the first memory and written to a second memory in the memory device only if it is determined that all of the data of the atomic transaction was written to the first memory.
US08266388B2
A memory controller to provide memory access services in an adaptive computing engine is provided. The controller comprises: a network interface configured to receive a memory request from a programmable network; and a memory interface configured to access a memory to fulfill the memory request from the programmable network, wherein the memory interface receives and provides data for the memory request to the network interface, the network interface configured to send data to and receive data from the programmable network.
US08266385B2
Technique and apparatus for identifying cache segments for caching data to be written to main memory
A memory apparatus having a cache memory including cache segments, and memorizing validity data indicative of whether or not each of the sectors contained in each cache segment is a valid sector inclusive of valid data; and a cache controlling component for controlling access to the cache memory. The cache controlling component includes a detecting component for detecting, when writing a cache segment back to the main memory, areas having consecutive invalid sectors by accessing validity data corresponding to the cache segment, and a write-back controlling component issuing a read command to the main memory, the read command being for reading data into each area detected, making the area a valid sector, and writing the data in the cache segment back to the main memory.
US08266376B2
A data storage network is provided. The network includes a client connected to the data storage network; a plurality nodes on the data storage network, wherein each data node has two or more RAID controllers, wherein a first RAID controller of a first node is configured to receive a data storage request from the client and to generate RAID parity data on a data set received from the client, and to store all of the generated RAID parity data on a single node of the plurality of nodes.
US08266362B2
Device connection routing for controllers is provided. A computing device is configured with multiple controllers that provide connections for peripheral devices. The controllers enable the peripheral devices to interact with the computing device through a bus. Each device connection is routed to one of the multiple controllers based on one or more pre-determined factors. These factors may include load-balancing, power saving, quality of service, data flow requirements, and the like. Device connection routing may be dynamically managed to respond to changing states of the peripheral devices and the controllers. The device connection routing may be performed for controllers associated with any type of wired or wireless buses, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE 1394, Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO), and the like.
US08266351B2
Certain example embodiments relate to a system for secure complex event processing (CEP). The system includes an input adaptor configured to receive at least one input event from at least one external source system. The at least one input event comprises at least one event-specific disclosure permission concerning data of the input event. A CEP engine is configured to process the at least one input event and to produce at least one corresponding complex output event. A security enforcer is configured to remove data from the at least one output event that is not in accordance with the at least one event-specific disclosure permission defined in the corresponding at least one input event. An output adaptor is configured to send the at least one output event to at least one external target system.
US08266349B2
A patient monitoring system includes a patient monitor and a plurality of docking stations. Each docking station is associated with a set of patient monitor configurations. Interfacing the patient monitor with a particular docking station allows a user to select one or more of the set of patient monitor configurations associated with the particular docking station for use in the patient monitor.
US08266340B2
The DMA controller includes a peripheral device read unit to read states of peripheral devices, a state comparator, a transfer unit, a register, and a peripheral device write unit to write data in the peripheral devices according to the contents in the register when the DMA transfer is executed, an interrupt select unit selects one of plural interrupt signals to determine whether the peripheral device read unit, the state comparator and the transfer unit are at a timing to execute operations. Based on these operations the state comparator determines whether to start the DMA transfer, and the transfer unit executes data transfer between the peripheral devices.
US08266338B2
In one embodiment, a direct memory access (DMA) controller comprises a transmit circuit and a data flow control circuit coupled to the transmit circuit. The transmit circuit is configured to perform DMA transfers, each DMA transfer described by a DMA descriptor stored in a data structure in memory. There is a data structure for each DMA channel that is in use. The data flow control circuit is configured to control the transmit circuit's processing of DMA descriptors for each DMA channel responsive to data flow control data in the DMA descriptors in the corresponding data structure.
US08266337B2
A method, system and program are provided for dynamically allocating DMA channel identifiers by virtualizing DMA transfer requests into available DMA channel identifiers using a channel bitmap listing of available DMA channels to select and set an allocated DMA channel identifier. Once an input value associated with the DMA transfer request is mapped to the selected DMA channel identifier, the DMA transfer is performed using the selected DMA channel identifier, which is then deallocated in the channel bitmap upon completion of the DMA transfer. When there is a request to wait for completion of the data transfer, the same input value is used with the mapping to wait on the appropriate logical channel. With this method, all available logical channels can be utilized with reduced instances of false-sharing.
US08266333B1
The present invention is directed toward a system and method for simultaneously switching multiple input image streams to multiple output devices while providing optional image processing functions on the image streams. The incoming image streams may come from computers, cameras, radar, or other image stream generating devices. The incoming streams may vary in resolution, frame rate, format, and protocol according to the characteristics and purpose of their respective source devices. The incoming image streams can be iteratively routed through a reconfigurable array of image processing circuit cards to operate on one or more streams using preprogrammed algorithms. A processed stream can be routed through another processing function, or to an output circuit card that sends the completed image to the external display, recording device, across a network, or to another logical destination.
US08266320B1
Training defense of a computer network. The system includes an enterprise asset subsystem to be defended. The enterprise asset subsystem runs operating system, support services, and application programs. The system also includes a neutral subsystem that is in communication with the enterprise asset subsystem and is used to set up and run at least one exercise scenario, and score performance of enterprise asset defenders in defending the system against exploits. Exploits are launched by an exploitation subsystem communication with the enterprise asset subsystem.
US08266314B2
A multimedia data stream including an audio data stream and a video data stream is received from a server at a computing device. An audio output signal for the audio data stream and a video output signal for the video data stream are generated. A user interface action that blocks output of one of the audio data stream and the video data stream is detected via the computing device. A multimedia traffic reduction request is sent to the server instructing the server to stop transmission of a portion of the multimedia data stream associated with the blocked output of one of the audio data stream and the video data stream.
US08266312B2
Methods (100), systems (200), computer program products, and signal bearing mediums for streaming an eXtensible Markup Language (XML)-type document (210) over a communication network (240) are described. A sequence of commands are received and synchronously converted (112) into XML-type fragments (230) for assembling and streaming a single XML-type document for a mobile device (220) in the communication network (240). The size of the XML-type document (210) exceeds the size limit imposed by the available memory on the device but less than the size limit imposed by the transport layer of a communication network (240). A DTD of the XML-type document (210) can be broken up into logically independent elements. The XML-type fragments (230) are assembled (114) in a buffer that is constrained to be smaller in size than the size constraint of the transport layer of the communication network (240). Periodically, the assembled fragments (230) are flushed (116) from the buffer to the transport layer of the communication network (240) dependent upon the DTD of the XML-type document (210) without a limitation on the size of a message to communicate the XML-type document (210) over the transport layer without loss of information.
US08266308B2
A system for communicating between a field device, a device controller for the field device, and an enterprise application distinct from the device controller includes a single communication device configured to communicate with each of the field device, the device controller, and the enterprise application. The single communication device is configured to facilitate communication between the field device and the device controller, and the field device and the enterprise application. The single communication device is configured to replicate data received from the field device and, after replication of the data, separately filter the data for the device controller and the enterprise application.
US08266306B2
Computer-implemented methods for delegating access to online accounts and for facilitating delegates' access to these online accounts are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for delegating access to an online account comprises receiving a request to delegate access to a first online account to a first delegate, identifying the first online account, identifying a contact record for the first delegate, and delegating access to the first online account to the first delegate by associating the contact record for the first delegate with the first online account. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08266304B2
A managed services platform. An applications management server is provided for managing relationships with application service providers and other entities over a wide area network such as the Internet. The applications management server interfaces with a master database server and the servers of one or more application service providers, or other entities, to facilitate selection and deselection of applications, services, and capabilities that may be available for use by the information technology network of a company.
US08266302B2
A method of evaluating Initial Filter Criteria (IFC) at a terminating Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) in an IP Multimedia Subsystem network. Upon receiving a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message containing a destination Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), the S-CSCF applies an Initial Filter Criterion to the message, sends the message to an Application Server (AS), and suspends further IFC evaluation. When a return message is received from the AS, the S-CSCF determines whether the AS changed the URI. If so, the S-CSCF makes a determination of whether to resume IFC evaluation. If the AS did not change the URI, the S-CSCF resumes IFC evaluation.
US08266301B2
A mechanism for the deployment of asynchronous agentless agent functionality in clustered environments. An agentless agent execution node in an agentless agent execution node cluster receives a context message comprising an asynchronous operation request and an execution context from a messaging service. The agent node determines if an entry for the execution context exists in an execution context state table of the agent node. If no entry exists, the agent node creates an execution context entry in the execution context state table of the agent node. The agent node retrieves an asynchronous code module associated with the asynchronous operation from a central repository. The asynchronous code module is then executed on a managed resource to detect asynchronous code events occurring on the managed resource. When asynchronous code events are detected at the managed resource, the agent node sends a message comprising the asynchronous code events to a management server.
US08266293B2
A method and system of load balancing application server resources operating in a distributed set of servers is described. In a representative embodiment, the set of servers comprise a region of a content delivery network. Each server in the set typically includes a server manager process, and an application server on which edge-enabled applications or application components are executed. As service requests are directed to servers in the region, the application servers manage the requests in a load-balanced manner, and without any requirement that a particular application server spawned on-demand.
US08266290B2
A cloud computing platform contains a structured storage subsystem the provides scalable queues. The cloud computing platform monitors message throughput for the scalable queues and automatically increases or decreases subqueues that provide the operational functionality for each scalable queue. A visibility start time and cloud computing platform time are maintained for each message to provide an approximate first-in-first-out order for messages within each subqueue. A message in a subqueue may be available for processing when the current cloud computing time is greater than the visibility start of the message.
US08266280B2
A method is implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions. The programming instructions are operable to determine one or more optimal mappings between a server layer and a storage layer through a network layer based on performance metrics of one or more ports of at least one of the server layer, the storage layer and the network layer.
US08266279B2
A system and method is provided for capturing and using problem fingerprints in an Information Technology (IT) infrastructure for integrity management. A fingerprint of the transaction topology in an IT infrastructure is automatically captured at various time intervals prior to the occurrence of an event leading to a problem, such as a failure, hard threshold violation, defined transaction violation or user-provided occurrence. The fingerprint provides an indication of the activity and operation of the IT infrastructure immediately preceding the problem event. The captured fingerprint is then used to monitor real-time data in the IT infrastructure operation and activity to look for activity that matches a captured fingerprint to provide an indication of a pending problems before the problems occur. When it is determined that there is sufficient probability a problem event will occur based upon real-time data matching a previously generated problem fingerprint, an alert is generated to provide sufficient notification prior to the occurrence of problem event.
US08266277B2
A method and system for monitoring resources in a network of resources in a computing environment, is provided. One implementation involves discovering resources in the network; constructing a topology model including event information for each discovered resource; providing queries for polling the models for event information, such that the resources need not be polled; executing one or more queries against one or more models; evaluating the query results to ascertain whether or not an event has affected what is considered to be normal for the result of each query; and presenting the evaluation results to enable monitoring of the resources.
US08266259B2
A method, system, and computer-readable medium for seamlessly updating connection parameters that allow a communications device of a host machine to connect to a Wireless Wide Area Network. Users are allowed to edit certain parameters, and these changes are stored in persistent storage along with a unique identifier for the set that was edited. At connection time, the user's edits override the defaults pre-provisioned by the network operator and stored on the device. The operator can also remotely edit the parameters, after which the user's changes are overwritten with the new defaults. Thus, the invention is capable of seamlessly handling updates to the connection parameters by both the user and the network operator.
US08266252B2
A process for viewing a selected portion of a document on a mobile communication device without having to request multiple pages of the document contents containing document global properties applied to the selected part of the document, comprising marking pages of the document within a server, based on size required by the mobile device, associating properties and attributes of the selected portion with the pages, and transmitting the pages with the properties and attributes for display by the mobile device.
US08266248B2
Using peer-to-peer device descriptors for determining product compatibility involves obtaining, via a home network, descriptors that describe a composition of the home network. The home network composition descriptors are compared to descriptors of products available from an e-commerce service provider that is external to the home network. The comparison determines compatibility of the products with the devices of the home network. Identity of compatible products selected from the products based on the comparison is communicated to a user.
US08266245B1
Systems and methods for incrementally communicating a document to a client computer are disclosed herein. Time consistent views of the document are maintained throughout the incremental downloading through use of a cryptographically secured permissions token identifying a version of the document the user is permitted to access.
US08266241B1
A method, apparatus, and system for performing image sharing. A first computer is coupled to an external device capable of acquiring data. A second computer is coupled to the first computer. A direct access to data acquired by the external device is provided to the second computer.
US08266240B2
The present invention relates to a method and network device for allocating a radio resource, e.g. a radio bearer, to a data connection. First, a radio resource is allocated-to the data connection and data transmitted via the data connection is compressed and transmitted using the allocated radio resource. During the transmission, a transmission parameter of the compressed data is monitored and the allocated radio resource is reconfigured based on the monitoring result. Thereby, the radio resource can be dynamically adapted to different data rates during the connection. Header compression benefits are available to all kinds of traffic without the disadvantage of having too low or too high data rates.
US08266237B2
Systems and methods for distributed, decentralized storage and retrieval of data in an extensible SOAP environment are disclosed. Such systems and methods decentralize not only the bandwidth required for data storage and retrieval, but also the computational requirements. Accordingly, such systems and methods alleviate the need for one node to do all the storage and retrieval processing, and no single node is required to send or receive all the data.
US08266229B2
A message routing system that allows applications at either end of the system to run as-is without modification. The system functions in a multithreaded environment and is capable of handling complex routing rules and message transformation. It is also capable of learning and executing new routing rules and message transformations in formats previously unrecognized by the system. The system enables precise and reliable logging of messages throughout processing and supports publication of enterprise-wide broadcast messages. The system further preferably employs cooperating inbound and outbound transport processes for consuming, routing, processing, safely storing and publishing messages in batches of logical units of work to ensure that the logical units of work are not lost in system transactions. The system also preferably utilizes a replay server for preserving and replaying messages that might otherwise fail to reach their intended destinations.
US08266227B2
A method, system and program product for assigning a resource to a client in a collaborative environment. The method includes defining, using a tool, a threshold value for collaborative attributes for each resource responding to one or more clients and calculating on a periodic basis, using the tool, an updated value for the collaborative attributes for each resource. The method further includes comparing, upon receipt of a collaboration request, the updated value with the threshold value defined for collaborative attributes for a first resource and, if the updated value is less than the threshold value for the first resource, connecting the client to the first resource for establishing a collaborative session. If not, repeating comparing the updated value with the threshold value for the collaborative attributes defined for a next resource and connecting the client to the next resource whose updated value is less than the threshold value.
US08266221B2
Disclosed is a method and system for receiving a first message and creating a before image of the first message by comparing the first message with a second message stored in a message database. An actual message to be updated in a target device is identified by combining a transaction data and the before image of the first message.
US08266207B2
The invention, in one embodiment, relates to facilitating communications between a user and one or more members of one or more groups by routing the communications from the user to particular group members based, at least in part, for example, on information known about: the communication; the one or more groups; and/or the one or more group members.
US08266202B1
A method, system, Web-environment and computer program product for automatically generating proxies and meta-proxies for script code in an HTML document. The invention preferably operates with a system that allows for JavaScript to be utilized on the server-side.
US08266201B2
A computer system and method are provided for making modifications to runtime coding of object-oriented software that enables distributed execution by automatically modifying object class definitions as the objects are loaded into the executing process. The code modifications cause instances of the classes to interact with a distributed runtime system that allows all objects to be transparently migrated between processes, thereby permitting load balancing and periodic maintenance, without manual recoding of the application source code and without need for a priori knowledge of the program flow.
US08266198B2
A specialized processing block for a programmable logic device includes circuitry for performing multiplications and sums thereof, as well as circuitry for rounding the result. The rounding circuitry can selectably perform round-to-nearest and round-to-nearest-even operations. In addition, the bit position at which rounding occurs is preferably selectable. The specialized processing block preferably also includes saturation circuitry to prevent overflows and underflows, and the bit position at which saturation occurs also preferably is selectable. The selectability of both the rounding and saturation positions provides control of the output data word width. The rounding and saturation circuitry may be selectably located in different positions based on timing needs. Similarly, rounding may be speeded up using a look-ahead mode in which both rounded and unrounded results are computed in parallel, with the rounding logic selecting between those results.
US08266193B2
A method and system makes date-time conversions and complex date-time calculations between dates of different calendaring systems. The conversion method herein allows embedded, real-time conversion in computer applications and systems between multiple calendaring systems. A date of a first date-time format is converted to any date of a second date-time format after a transformation to a temporal reference or epoch date. The conversion method can be embedded into any code space to enable full date-time conversion abilities. The real-time conversion of the conversion method requires no conversion tables and no post-processing manipulation thus eliminating the need for individual programmers to re-create the same date cross reference tables, or post processing algorithms. The conversion method supports conversion between any two date-time formats including the various existing Gregorian conventions.
US08266188B2
A system and method for generating metadata from a data file are provided. The method includes the steps of parsing a data file having data nodes arranged in a hierarchal structure by sequentially processing the data nodes to generate parsing events and calling back at least one parsing event to a scanner, the scanner processing the at least one parsing event by calling at least one corresponding function. The method also includes the step of generating metadata from the processed at least one parsing event preserving the hierarchal structure of the data nodes.
US08266187B2
A method is disclosed for presenting static and dynamic data corresponding to an entity within an application on a mobile device. An entity object is created as part of a data model within the application such that the entity object has a plurality of fields with the plurality of fields having static data corresponding to the entity. Based on the static data corresponding to the entity, dynamic data corresponding to the entity is received into the entity object from at least one of a plurality of applications executable within the mobile device. The static and dynamic data from the entity object corresponding to the entity is displayed simultaneously within a user interface of the application in a single presentation view.
US08266166B2
A mechanism is provided for converting after image data into a delta level change. An after image business graph is first transformed into a generic after image business graph. Another transformation is performed transforming the generic after image business graph into a second after image business graph, using delta information from another enterprise information system is used to create a delta business graph. A final transformation is performed to convert the delta business graph into a generic delta business graph.
US08266162B2
Keyword expansion is used to expand a particular keyword into multiple related keyword candidates using a collection of data that relates to search queries performed using one or more search engines. The data identifies search terms from associated search queries. A particular keyword is identified and one or more candidate keywords related to the particular keyword are identified based on the data.
US08266156B2
In an example embodiment, a system for evaluating published content is provided. The system includes at least one processor and a plurality of components including instructions executable by the at least one processor. The components include a reputations component to determine a reputation value for each of a plurality of users of a network-based community. A reporting component is to receive a communication from one of the plurality of users, the communication identifying content accessible within the network-based community as objectionable. An evaluation component is to evaluate the identified content based on the reputation value of the one of the plurality of users to determine an action to take with respect to the identified content. A validation component is to take the action with respect to the identified content based on the evaluation of the identified content.
US08266152B2
Indexing data items into an index. A method includes identifying a parameter pattern for a data item stored in a data store record of a data store. The data store record has a data store location identifier. The method further includes identifying a hash of the parameter pattern. The data store location identifier is correlated to at least a portion of the hash in the index. The index includes index entries where each index entry includes at least a portion of a hash and one or more references to data store records by reference to data store location identifiers.
US08266137B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for generating index as well as a search method and a search apparatus. Index entry comprises at least a search item identifier corresponding to a search item, one or a plurality of index items generated from one or plural pieces of search information, and an accumulator for the search information. The accumulator is generated by accumulating the search information, or accumulating ciphertext of information containing the search information, or accumulating data mapped from information containing the search information. At the time of searching, the index items and the accumulator are provided to a searcher. The searcher extracts search information from the index items and checks whether the extracted search information is complete by using the accumulator. In one embodiment, the accumulator is incorporated in an encrypted inverted index.
US08266131B2
A method and system for searching information using information device is provided. The method for searching information comprises generating one or more questions corresponding to a search query. The questions are generated based on a predetermined ordering criterion when a predefined condition is true. One or more responses to the questions are received from a user. Information is rendered on the information device based on one or more of a response and the search query.
US08266130B2
A method and system providing optional use of human search guides to allow a user to select between a human guide assisted search and an automated search. The user is provided with an option of submitting a query requesting assistance of one or more human guides, initiating a search without requesting assistance from human guide(s) using automated results, or a combination of both.
US08266126B2
A system for processing a transaction is disclosed. The system comprises a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to check a condition using data in a first database, wherein the data is associated with a transaction, wherein the data in the first database is latched before checking the condition and is unlatched after checking the condition. The processor is further configured to indicate to a second database to check the condition using data in the second database, wherein the data is associated with the transaction. The data in the second database is latched before checking the condition and is unlatched after checking the condition. The memory is coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.
US08266124B2
The method and system of the present invention provides an improved technique for integrated asset management. Information is aggregated from a variety of sources into a centralized computerized database. Thereafter, asset transition events are scheduled. Information from the centralized computerized database is used in the performance of the asset transition events and information relating to the asset transition events is added to the centralized computerized database. Subsequent changes to the asset are also recorded into the centralized computerized database. As a result, a plethora of information is available within said database for the purpose of managing future asset transition events.
US08266112B1
Techniques for recovery of application level objects are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for restoration of one or more application level objects. The method may comprise obtaining application metadata of an application containing objects to be restored, storing one or more data files containing application data, utilizing the application metadata to provide a user interface for the restoration of one or more application objects, accepting input from a user via the user interface specifying one or more application objects to restore, and restoring the one or more specified application objects.
US08266111B2
A distributed database system providing data and space management methodology. In a distributed database system having an allocation page for tracking allocation and deallocation of data pages including a deallocation bit for tracking data page deallocation, a method for determining when to clear the deallocation bit during recovery comprises: during runtime operation, generating log records recording allocation and deallocation of data pages, setting the deallocation bit during deallocation of a data page by a transaction, and clearing the deallocation bit after the transaction has committed; during recovery following a failure, identifying a particular log record corresponding to the deallocation bit set during deallocation of a given data page; determining whether the deallocation of the given data page recorded in the particular log record committed prior to the failure; and if the deallocation of the given data page committed prior to the failure, clearing the deallocation bit.
US08266108B2
Disclosed herein is a medium drive apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus for performing recording and reproduction on and from a recording medium in accordance with a request from the information processing apparatus, which may include an inputting and outputting section configured to record and reproduce data on and from a recording medium, and a control section configured to execute a first operation process as a reproduction only mode, a second operation process as a recording and reproduction mode, an authentication process with the information processing apparatus, and a mode changing process of changing the operation mode from the reproduction only mode to the recording and reproduction mode in response to success in the authentication by the authentication process thereby to control the recording operation and the reproduction operation of the inputting and outputting section.
US08266105B2
The Computer Image Replication System automatically replicates a customer's computer system image, including all of the customer's data, programs, device drivers, program preferences, personalizations, and file directory structures on a new computer system. The Computer Image Replication System is part of a Data Shadowing System which comprises a memory module that is connected to a monitored computer system via an existing communication medium, such as an input/output port, to store the shadowed data. The memory module includes a memory device for data storage, as well as software, including a control software component that is automatically installed on the monitored computer system when the memory module is first connected to the monitored computer system, as well as associated module software for maintaining a record of the data stored on the memory device and controlling the operation of the memory device.
US08266091B1
Systems and methods for emulating the behavior of a user in a computer-human interaction environment
A computer-implemented method for emulating the behavior of a user in a computer-human interaction environment is described. An image of a window and data relating to positions of clicks executed within the image are received. A probabilistic model is created to estimate a probability of a click being executed in a region of a window. Clicks, in accordance with the probabilistic model, are executed within windows associated with a plurality of applications. A clicks distribution model is created based on the position of the clicks executed within the windows of the plurality of applications. Clicks, in accordance with the clicks distribution model, are executed within a window associated with an application being tested.
US08266088B2
An apparatus is disclosed for creating and storing policy data records comprising data identifying network policy decisions. After a data packet is received, a network policy decision is made based on information in the packet and one or more network policies. A policy data record identifying the network policy decision is created, and the policy data record is stored.
US08266084B2
Smart containers are disclosed. A definition is received of a logical structure configured to manage associated content. A policy or operation specified by the definition is applied to an item of content associated with an instance of the logical structure.
US08266080B2
A virtual measuring device and a method for measuring the deposition thickness of amorphous silicon being deposited on a substrate is disclosed, where the method of measuring the deposition thickness of amorphous silicon includes predicting and adapting operations. In the predicting operation, during a process of depositing the amorphous silicon to a substrate, the deposition thickness is predicted by multiplying a predicted deposition speed to a deposition time by using a prediction model expressing a relationship between a deposition speed and a plurality of process factors that are correlated with the deposition speed obtained from the deposition thickness and the deposition time, and the predicted deposition thickness is compared with the measured deposition thickness, so that the relationship between the plurality of process factors and the deposition speed in the prediction model is compensated according to the comparison difference.
US08266073B2
A system and method is disclosed that uses moisture content readings in order to determine how to maximize the price value of lumber. Feedback can then be provided to a kiln controller on how to adjust kiln settings in order to increase the value of the lumber produced. In one embodiment, moisture content is determined on a plurality of boards. Using the moisture content readings, an actual value of the plurality of boards is determined. Then a calculation is made to determine how to modify moisture content in order to maximize the value of the lumber. In yet another embodiment, geographic positions of individual packages are tracked in the kiln. The efficiency of the kiln is determined based on drying uniformity of the packages. Then the moisture content can be modified to determine how it impacts value of a charge of lumber.
US08266069B2
An interactive hierarchical inbound shipment order configuration tool receives input from merchants to configure hierarchical inbound shipment orders. The tool allows merchants to configure hierarchical shipments with multiple levels including a product level, one or more container levels, and a shipment transportation level. The tool allows merchants to perform the following: include product type objects in the product level representing physical products and container objects in the container level(s) representing physical containers; create associations between the product type object(s) and container object(s) at the container level(s) each representing a number of products packaged into a number of containers; create associations between container object(s) at different container levels each representing a number of containers packaged into a number of containers; and create associations between the container object(s) and a shipment transportation object at the shipment transportation level each representing a number of containers included on a shipment transportation vehicle.
US08266062B2
A system and method are disclosed relating to authenticating software licenses associated with a software product. During an installation process, a purchaser of a software product may contact a vendor representative via a telephone connection and verbally relay a data packet, which may be an installation ID. The vendor server creates a reversible hash from the data packet, a known seed value and additional information relating to the software product or license. The server encrypts the hash to generate a confirmation ID, and sends the confirmation ID to the software product purchaser.
US08266057B2
A method for assigning an interchange rate to a financial transaction is provided. The method uses at least one input device in communication with an interchange database. The financial transaction is initiated by a cardholder using a card over a card interchange, the card having been issued by an issuer bank. The method includes the steps of storing issuer data within the interchange database, the issuer data including whether the issuer bank has entered into a special relationship with the interchange.
US08266045B2
One or more aspects comprise: (a) receiving confidential information that comprises data regarding first and second market participants; (b) receiving order and targeting parameters from said first participant; (c) receiving confidential trading interest information from said second participant; (d) identifying said second participant as a participant likely to take a contra side of said order; (e) routing said order to said second participant without revealing said first participant's identity or other confidential information regarding said first market participant, and wherein no information regarding said second participant or said confidential trading interest information received from said second participant is transferred to said first participant; and (f) producing a targeted dissemination list of market participants based on said confidential information and said order and targeting parameters, and wherein identifying a second participant that is most likely to take a contra side of said order is based on said dissemination list.
US08266041B2
This invention has the potential to generate very good return on investments from stocks that are conservative in movement. This invention will greatly benefit investors that do not have the time to constantly trade stock yet want to take advantage of normal price fluctuations. The Limit Order Coupled LinK (LOCK) invention, for example, will take a buy order, complete the transaction at the specified price, then automatically resubmits a new order to sell at a specified higher price. If specified, the process can automatically cycle through the buy-sell process a set number of time allowing the investor to take advantage of intra-day market moves and normal stock price fluctuations with no personal investor evolvement. The LOCK order, with set profit margins, allows on-line traders and brokers to place one order, which will automatically generate logical, sequenced additional orders returning a profit on each transaction. LOCK will benefit both the investor and the stock trading company.
US08266029B2
A computer system for furnishing data relating to investments has a processor and one or more memory storage devices in communication with the processor. Data relating to investments is stored in the one or more memory storage devices. A catalog includes at least data stored in at least one of the one or more memory storage devices, the data including at least logical locations for the data relating to investments. The processor is adapted to execute services for calling to the catalog for locations of the data, and, employing at least logical locations of the selected data obtained from the catalog, access the selected data from at least one of the memory storage devices, perform one or more operations on the selected data, and provide the selected data for display to a user.
US08266024B2
Accounting data is classified to facilitate transaction processing and management. According to an example embodiment, data based rules are implemented for classifying transaction-related data into accounting categories. Accounting information is processed as a function of the data based rules and accordingly automatically classified. This processing involves, for example, the identification of particular data based rules to apply to the accounting information, applying the rules and processing the information accordingly.
US08266013B2
Methods and systems for managing financial transactions. Specifically, the invention includes methods and systems for creating order profiles used to select vendors for carrying out third-party sub-transactions needed to complete financial transactions. A product related to the completion of the financial transaction is selected, a vendor ordering profile is selected, a product vendor that most closely matches the characteristics designated in the ordering profile is selected, and the selected product is ordered from the selected product vendor.
US08266011B2
A method and system for facilitating a transaction between a buyer and one of a number of sellers is provided. The transaction is related to a project specified by the buyer. A set of sellers is identified. A flow control process operates over a number of successive processing cycles. In each processing cycle, sellers are selected from the set for classification as sellers of a particular type (“Invited Sellers”). The Invited Sellers increase incrementally over the number of successive processing cycles. The system automatically enables at least one action carried out by the Invited Sellers in each processing cycle. The duration of the processing cycles can vary. The number of Invited Sellers selected in each processing cycle can vary. In one embodiment, the number of Invited Sellers selected in each processing cycle depends upon a number of offers that are submitted by Invited Sellers and received by the buyer.
US08266010B2
In typical two-way trading systems, bidders cannot trade directly with other bidders, and sellers cannot trade directly with other sellers, resulting in possible missed trading opportunities. Methods, systems, devices, and networks for enabling two-way trading systems to perform multi-party exchanges are disclosed. Example embodiments allow multiple bidders (buyers), multiple sellers, or a seller and bidder of separate marketplaces to trade among themselves. Embodiments may discover, for bidders and sellers, opportunities to trade with other sellers or bidders, or both, without a time-consuming and limited process of searching and discovering relevant opportunities. Bidders and sellers may not find such opportunities on their own in typical two-way trading systems. The embodiments may be implemented as stand-alone systems or as add-ons that may be used to augment or enhance existing two-way trading systems.
US08266007B2
Methods and systems for selecting and customizing an advertisement for a known user are disclosed. The advertisement is customized responsive to social distance between the user and members of the user's social network.
US08266005B2
The present invention comprises a method and system for a rapid and automated creation of a price schedule comprising steps and an implementation for providing a set of construction (or other) plans created with an architectural, civil, industrial or other software design tool, such as CAD, and optionally a palette of 2-dimensional and/or 3-dimensional architectural parametric symbols that correspond to respective construction plan elements, such as windows, doors, acrylic glass blocks and/or sky lights. At least one parametric symbol corresponding to a construction plan element is preferably inserted into the construction plans. A cost value for each of the inserted parametric symbols is preferably calculated corresponding to respective plan elements. A price schedule is then optionally created which includes the total cost for all of the inserted parametric symbols corresponding to respective plan elements.
US08266001B2
A computer-implemented method includes generating on a user terminal a merchant web site associated with a merchant with code for a merchant web page, transmitting a product selection request for the user to a remote open payment system that is separate from the merchant, and displaying purchase information responsive to the product selection request using the code for the merchant web page.
US08265991B1
A method for automatically determining applicability and value of any discounts for a purchase order from a client computer, the determinations being made by the client computer itself. In some embodiments, the client computer receives (from a server to which the order is being placed) coupon programming, determines applicability and value of discounts using the coupon programming, and sends discount information for an order to the server. The coupon programming may comprise a rule engine, implemented by rule programming, having one or more sets of rules and a processing relationship between the sets of rules and the rules in each set of rules. The rule engine may comprise a recursive rule program. In some embodiments, the applicability and value of any discounts for an order is determined by a server that receives the order, the determinations being made by using a rule engine implemented by rule programming.
US08265990B2
A system and method for selecting portions of content, and media content sets to be delivered over a packet based network is provided. The selected portions of content (such as a web page) may be keywords such as a word or a group of words. The media content sets may include one or more of video content (that may include an audio portion), audio content, graphics, images, or other multimedia or single media content. The media content set may include advertising, informational, business, educational, governmental, institutional, customized (e.g., personalized) content and/or other content. According to an example embodiment, the present invention provides a heuristic model employing a piece-wise linear optimization function to select keywords and the media content sets for delivery by a media delivery provider.
US08265988B2
Identifying a vehicle in a toll system includes accessing image data for a first vehicle and obtaining license plate data from the accessed image data for the first vehicle. A set of records is accessed. Each record includes license plate data for a vehicle. The license plate data for the first vehicle is compared with the license plate data for vehicles in the set of records. Based on the results of the comparison of the license plate data, a set of vehicles is identified from the vehicles having records in the set of records. Vehicle fingerprint data is accessed for the first vehicle. The vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle is based on the image data for the first vehicle. Vehicle fingerprint data for a vehicle in the set of vehicles is accessed. Using a processing device, the vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle is compared with the vehicle fingerprint data for the vehicle in the set of vehicles. The vehicle in the set of vehicles is identified as the first vehicle based on results of the comparison of vehicle fingerprint data.
US08265975B2
A practice selection method is provided. The method comprises recording first information describing one or more characteristics of a first project in at least one storage medium; determining whether a first practice is likely to have a successful impact on the first project based on the first information; and suggesting the first practice, in response to determining that the first practice is likely to have a successful impact on the first project. The first information may comprise subjective and objective information and may also be used to select a second practice for a second project.
US08265970B2
A method for managing a business process in an enterprise includes executing a business process model, wherein executing the business process model comprises generating a plurality of business level messages associated with business level tasks, generating one or more system level messages associated with system level tasks to be performed by one or more enterprise subsystems, wherein the one or more system level messages are in a common format that is accessible by the one or more enterprise subsystems, and broadcasting the one or more system level messages over a communication channel communicably coupling the plurality of enterprise subsystems. A system includes a communication channel carrying system level messages in a generic format, a plurality of business subsystems communicably coupled to the communication channel, adapters operable to translate messages from the generic format into associated business subsystem specific formats and vice versa.
US08265969B2
A framework and method for managing business data transactions resides outside individual business systems and allows creation of a policy for classification of each data element for all data schema in transit between processes. The framework allows identification of data sets by document type and endpoint, so that individual data elements of a schema can be validated, and edited or deleted if necessary, during their transit between endpoints, such as between trading partners. Because the policy is built and enforced outside the individual endpoint business systems, expensive customizations within each transactional system are avoided.
US08265968B2
A system of hardware and software provides a systematic and systemic method for performing assessment of the effectiveness of different levels within an institution. The system includes template driven definitions that span multiple tiers of hierarchically arranged operating units within the institution thereby providing flexibility and customization to handle a user-definable model of the institution's organization. In particular, courses and other educational experiences may include material that is aligned with various goals and objectives of different units of the institution. A curriculum mapping feature is provided that identifies a bi-directional alignment between goals and courses such that curriculum gaps may be determined as well.
US08265966B2
Determining multiple routes for multiple passenger groups, includes sending to a scheduler, multiple individual queries with a bias to produce individual solutions that meet joint travel requirements, merging results from the multiple individual queries to produce joint solutions for the passenger groups and returning the joint solutions.
US08265963B1
Aspects of the invention are directed to methods and systems for efficiently communicating data between an insurer and a non-referral repair shop, e.g., vehicle repair shops that are normally not preapproved by the insurer to perform the estimating and repair work. The methods and systems described herein are particularly useful for insurers utilizing non-referral repair shops for servicing vehicles involved in insurance claims. According to aspects of this invention, the insured may be able to select a non-referral repair shop, not delegated or preapproved by the insurer, thereby generally allowing the insured to select any available vehicle repair shop.
US08265956B2
A method for providing insurance coverage to a subscriber comprises offering an insurance policy to the subscriber wherein the insurance policy comprises providing allowances to pay for one or more expenses covered by the insurance policy and providing monetary credits to the subscriber for any unused portion of a given allowance where the monetary credits can be used to cover the cost of a subsequent allowed expense. The insurance policy may be a pharmacy benefits plan. The covered expenses may be pharmacy expenses. The allowed expenses may be medical expenses which qualify under Section 213 of the US Internal Revenue Code for payment by an employer without the subscriber having to declare the payment as taxable income.
US08265951B2
Adequate use item information and subject's condition criterion information are determined in advance. Actual use item information and actual subject's condition information are inputted. The actual use item information includes information of at least one used medical device and information of at least one used medicine. The actual subject's condition information indicates biological conditions of the subject after conduction of the inspection. The actual use item information is compared with the adequate use item information and the actual subject's condition information is compared with the subject's condition criterion information so that pieces of information with difference therebetween are extracted as difference information. Whether the conducted specific medical inspection was carried out adequately or not is determined based on the difference information.
US08265942B2
Described are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for multi-authoring within a benefits content management the system. Relationships are defined between content elements of the benefits content system. A first request is received to change a first content element of the benefits content system. Other content elements of the benefits content system having a relationship to the first content element are identified. A user interface is provided on a computing device to enable a user associated with the first request to control access by other users attempting to change one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the first element while the user associated with the first request is changing the first content element.
US08265939B2
A technique for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user comprises the following steps/operations. Decoded speech uttered by the user is obtained. An intent is then extracted from the decoded speech uttered by the user. The intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a class is determined after a first iteration and a sub-class of the class is determined after a second iteration. The class and the sub-class of the class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user, e.g., a target and data that may be associated with the target. The user intent extracting step may further determine a sub-class of the sub-class of the class after a third iteration, such that the class, the sub-class of the class, and the sub-class of the sub-class of the class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user.
US08265938B1
Methods, systems and processor-readable media for providing instant/real-time voice alerts automatically to remote electronic devices. An activity can be detected utilizing one or more sensors. A text message indicative of the activity can be generated and converted into a digitized voice alert. The activity can also be a live utterance (e.g., a live announcement), which can then be instantly converted into a digitized voice alert for automatic delivery in a selected series of languages following the base language (e.g., English). The combined digitized voice alert can then be instantly transmitted through a network for broadcast of consecutive alerts (e.g., English followed by Spanish followed by Vietnamese, etc.) to one or more remote electronic devices that communicate with the network for an automatic audio announcement of the digitized voice alert through the one or more remote electronic devices.
US08265931B2
A machine-readable medium and a network device are provided for speech-to-text translation. Speech packets are received at a broadband telephony interface and stored in a buffer. The speech packets are processed and textual representations thereof are displayed as words on a display device. Speech processing is activated and deactivated in response to a command from a subscriber.
US08265928B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for enhancing speech recognition accuracy. In one aspect, a method includes receiving geotagged audio signals that correspond to environmental audio recorded by multiple mobile devices in multiple geographic locations, receiving an audio signal that corresponds to an utterance recorded by a particular mobile device, determining a particular geographic location associated with the particular mobile device, generating a noise model for the particular geographic location using a subset of the geotagged audio signals, where noise compensation is performed on the audio signal that corresponds to the utterance using the noise model that has been generated for the particular geographic location.
US08265922B2
A translation-memory application method for automatic translation includes: generating TM-expanded forms by applying TM expansion rules respectively to source sentences whose morphemes have been analyzed; storing in an expanded TM database translated sentences corresponding to the generated TM-expanded source sentences; analyzing morphemes if an input sentence does not match any of the source sentences stored in basic TM database; generating a TM-expanded form by applying pertinent ones among the TM expansion rules to the input sentence whose morphemes have been analyzed; and producing, if the TM-expanded input sentence matches one of the TM-expanded source sentences stored in the expanded TM database, a translated output corresponding to the matched TM-expanded source sentence.
US08265921B2
Systems and methods are provided for concurrently emulating multiple channel impairments. The systems and methods may include storing a plurality of channel impairment profiles, where each channel impairment profile corresponds to a respective channel impairment type; receiving a selection of two or more of the plurality of channel profiles; generating a composite impairment profile by combining the selected two or more channel profiles, the composite profile specifying time-variant impairments, the composite profile reflecting a combination of the respective impairment types of the selected channel profiles; and applying the time-variant impairments specified by the composite profile to an input real-time data stream to generate an impaired real-time data stream, where a timing of the application of the time-variant impairments is based at least in part upon timing data from a real-time clock.
US08265910B2
Methods and systems for modeling and displaying magnetic field intensities during Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) are described, particularly methods and system for modeling and displaying TMS using overlapping magnetic fields to stimulate deep brain regions.
US08265905B2
Methods for automated benchmarking of views of one or more windows of an application. The methods analyzes content of a window to benchmark views in the window automatically once a target application and/or target window have been specified for benchmarking by a user. Benchmarking is performed without requiring the addition or modification of any code in the target application. Views of a window may be analyzed directly through the window or through a view list or view hierarchy associated with the window. In some embodiments, views of a window are benchmarked through the application that creates the window. In some embodiments, a window is benchmarked directly through a resource file that defines the window without use of an application. In some embodiments, the method benchmarks one or more commands of a data file. In some embodiments, one or more introspectable objects in a collection is automatically benchmarked.
US08265904B2
An automatic method for identifying biological samples that are collected using the wrong blood preservative for subsequent analytical testing. The method also provides for identification and/or suppression of certain analytical test results that are substantially or partly adversely affected. The invention is particularly suited for use in point-of-care medical diagnostic testing.
US08265900B2
There is described a portable wrist worn device for determining information about the movement of a human body when swimming. The device comprises a waterproof housing containing: an accelerometer operable to generate an acceleration signal; a processor operable to process the acceleration signal so as to generate one or more metrics relating to the movement of the human body; and a means for feedback of the one or more metrics to the user. The accelerometer may be operable to generate an acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the proximo-distal axis of the user's arm in use and/or the accelerometer may be operable to generate an acceleration signal along an axis parallel to the dorsal-palmar axis of the user's hand in use. The device may also be used in sports other than swimming.
US08265896B2
A track detection device includes an insulating spherical housing including an inner surface, a plurality of electrostatic induction units embedded within the insulating spherical housing and evenly spaced around a center of the insulating spherical housing, a charged ball moveably attracted to the inner surface of the insulating spherical housing, and a processor electrically connected to the plurality of electrostatic induction units. The plurality of electrostatic induction units generate electrical signals when the charged ball rolls along the inner surface at a portion of the insulating spherical housing where the electrostatic induction unit is embedded. The processor is configured for detecting a track of the charged ball moving inside the insulating spherical housing according to the electrical signals.
US08265891B2
The amount of energy actually available in an energy storage module having a plurality of individual storage elements connected in series is determined. An upper and/or a lower limit voltage for the energy storage module is determined dynamically. During a charging operation of the energy storage module, in the event that a maximally permissible upper cell voltage is reached on at least one storage cell, the upper limit voltage of the energy storage module is determined by summing all cell voltages of all storage elements existing at that point-in-time. During a discharging operation, if a minimally permissible lower cell voltage is reached on at least one storage element, the lower limit voltage is determined by summing all cell voltages existing at that point-in-time. The actually available amount of energy is computed as a function of the determined limit voltage or voltages and of the determined actual storage capacity.
US08265878B2
Method for detecting and identifying unknown bioagents, including bacteria, viruses and the like, by a combination of nucleic acid amplification and molecular weight determination using primers which hybridize to conserved sequence regions of nucleic acids derived from a bioagent and which bracket variable sequence regions that uniquely identify the bioagent. The result is a “base composition signature” (BCS) which is then matched against a database of base composition signatures, by which the bioagent is identified.
US08265874B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a machine, program product, and computer-implemented method to select a fit-for-purpose tool for reservoir saturation monitoring. A computer stores a plurality of characteristics for a plurality of well-logging tools, including open hole and closed hole resistivity, pulse-neutron spectral carbon-oxygen, and pulse-neutron capture technologies, as well as a predetermined ranking of tools within a technology. The computer obtains user inputs associated with conditions of a candidate well, e.g., a minimum tubing restriction, whether the wellbore is open or cased, and whether the well is a wet producer. Inputs can also include an objective of the reservoir saturation monitoring, such as, evaluating sweep efficiency or identifying remaining pay for sidetrack or perforation. The computer compares the characteristics for the well-logging tools to the user inputs and determines a well-logging tool selection responsive to the comparison to thereby recommend a course of action for the candidate well.
US08265872B2
A road surface division mark recognition apparatus includes: a vehicle-mounted camera that takes an image of a road surface ahead of a vehicle; an image processing portion which has a plurality of image processing modes that correspond respectively to a plurality of kinds of road surface division marks, and which recognizes a road surface division mark in a selected image processing mode; a temperature measurement portion that measures the temperature of the vehicle-mounted camera; and a restriction portion that restricts the action of the vehicle-mounted camera if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement portion is higher than or equal to a threshold value. The threshold value differs between the image processing modes.
US08265868B2
A broadcast receiver and a method of processing data are disclosed. The broadcast receiver includes a signal receiving unit, a position information module, and a navigation unit. The signal receiving unit receives broadcast signal multiplexed mobile broadcast service data including traffic information and main broadcast service data. The position information module searches and generates a current position information of the broadcast receiver. The navigation unit assigns a weight to each link of a route to a destination based on the current position information received and the traffic information included in the mobile broadcast service data and searches for a bypass route based on the weighted link, and then performs route guidance using at least one of current route and the bypass route.
US08265860B2
The stop-start control apparatus (20) is applied to the spark ignition type internal combustion engine (1), stops the internal combustion engine 1 in a case that a prescribed stop condition is fulfilled, and restarts the internal combustion engine (1) in a case that a prescribed restart condition is fulfilled. The control apparatus cuts spark ignition for the internal combustion engine 1 in response to the fulfillment of the stop condition, and carries on fuel supply to the internal combustion engine (1). When a restart condition is fulfilled after the fulfillment of a stop condition and prior to a complete stop of the internal combustion engine (1), the control apparatus restarts the internal combustion engine (1) by resuming spark ignition for the internal combustion engine (1) in order that fuel supplied after the fulfillment of the stop condition burns.
US08265855B2
A telematics device coupled to vehicle onboard computer system calculates carbon dioxide output of the vehicle. The device uses inputs from existing vehicle performance and parameter sensors, such as speed, fuel efficiency, mass air flow and oxygen present in the vehicle's exhaust, to calculate carbon dioxide output. Speed divided by fuel efficiency results in gallons per hour. An emmission factor, EF, multiplied by the gallons per hour results in weight of carbon dioxide produced by the vehicle per hour. Dividing EF by the efficiency results in pounds per mile. Using input from the mass air flow and oxygen sensors, with an approximation of gasoline molecular weight may produce more accurate results without using EF. If the sensors do not provide values in the units needed, a calibration curve for the mass air flow sensor and oxygen sensor may be used. The telematics device can display the results or upload them.
US08265854B2
An engine control unit having a one-time integration of a model predictive control template via a potentially long software process. Changes to the control structure may subsequently be made via a calibration dataset connected to the engine control unit without incurring the potentially long and laborious software process of implementing the template of other approaches in the related art.
US08265851B2
The present invention provides a method of controlling engine performance that includes obtaining at least one optical wavelength-dependent measurement from at least one combustion event in at least one combustion chamber. The method further includes analyzing the optical wavelength-dependent measurement for determining adjustments to the at least one combustion event. Additionally, the method includes adjusting the at least one combustion event or at least a next combustion event by changing at least one physical parameter, at least one constituent parameter, or at least one physical parameter and at least one constituent parameter to control the engine performance. The engine can include steady-flow engines or periodic flow engines, and the engine performance can be selected by an engine user.
US08265849B2
A drive system of an electrically driven dump truck is capable of achieving an operational feeling in which the operation amount of the accelerator pedal is well balanced with the output horsepower of the electric motors, particularly at the time of slow traveling. To achieve this, the target motor output horsepower Pm0 corresponding to the operation amount of an accelerator pedal 1 is calculated. The target motor torque Tr1R, Tr1L is calculated on the basis of the target motor output horsepower Pm0 and the rotational speed ωR, ωL of electric motors 12R, 12L respectively. The acceleration torque limit values of the electric motors 12R, 12L corresponding to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 1 are calculated, respectively. Then, smaller values are selected, as motor torque instruction values TrR, TrL, between the acceleration torque limit value and the target motor torque Tr1R, Tr1L to control inverters 73R, 73L, respectively.
US08265836B2
A load weight measuring device for a multi-stage mast forklift truck has a mast assembly, an oil passage, a flow regulator valve, a pressure sensor, a detecting device, a memory, a selector, and a calculator. The mast assembly has a lift bracket for receiving a load weight, a multi-stage mast unit having masts, and a multi-stage lift cylinder unit having lift cylinders each having an oil chamber for raising the lift bracket along the masts. Hydraulic oil flows in the oil passage. The pressure sensor detects a pressure of hydraulic oil and outputs a pressure signal. The detecting device detects a state which stage of the lift cylinder raises the lift bracket and outputs a detection signal. The memory stores predetermined parameters from which the selector selects the parameter based on the detection signal. The calculator calculates the load weight based on the selected parameter and the pressure signal.
US08265830B2
A watercraft includes an operating method in which a present steering wheel rotational angle is detected, and a steering wheel rotational angle variation is calculated by subtracting a steering wheel rotational angle in a preceding control period from the steering wheel rotational angle. Next, a steering angle ratio is set. A target steering angle variation is calculated by multiplying the steering wheel rotational angle variation by the steering angle ratio. Finally, a target steering angle in a present period is calculated by adding the target steering angle variation to a target steering angle in a preceding control period. A steering device is steered based on the target steering angle. The operating method operates to prevent a rider of a watercraft from feeling uncomfortable in the watercraft which has an electric steering mechanism when either a steering wheel or a steering device is turned in a state when a power supply is turned off or a case when steering wheel rotational angles of a plurality of operating stations differ from each other.
US08265825B2
A suspension system including: (a) a vibration obtaining device configured to obtain vertical vibration of each of at least one of a sprung portion and an unsprung portion of a vehicle; (b) a processing device configured to subject the obtained vibration to a phase advance processing, and having a plurality of characteristics different from each other with respect to a degree by which a phase of the obtained vibration is advanced; (c) a characteristic selector configured to select one of the plurality of characteristics, based on frequency of the obtained vibration of each of at least one of the sprung and unsprung portions, whereby the obtained vibration is subjected to the phase advance processing that is performed in accordance with the selected one of the plurality of characteristics of the processing device; and (d) a suspension controller configured to control a suspension disposed between the sprung and unsprung portions, based on the vibration subjected to the phase advance processing.
US08265808B2
The invention relates to an automatic aircraft landing guidance system having an electromagnetic detecting and locating device, positioned on the ground and a first multifunction transmitting/receiving radiofrequency beacon, on board each guided aircraft and transmitting in particular a continuous wave. The detecting and locating device uses the continuous wave transmitted by the beacon to perform a passive locating intended to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the angular position of the aircraft. It also comprises means for generating and periodically transmitting to the aircraft, via the beacon, information enabling said aircraft to rejoin an optimum landing path from its position. The invention applies more particularly to the guidance of autonomous and automatic aircraft such as drones in the approach and landing phase.
US08265805B2
A method for detecting icing conditions for an airborne aircraft operating within a zone defined using one or more aircraft-related parameter and one or more environment parameter includes: (a) In no particular order: (1) measuring the aircraft-related parameter(s) to obtain aircraft-related parametric value(s); and (2) measuring the environment-related parameter(s) to obtain environment-related parametric value(s). (b) Employing the aircraft-related parametric value(s) and the environment-related parametric value(s) to determine whether the aircraft is operating within the zone. (c) If the aircraft is operating within the zone, observing elapsed time during which the aircraft is operating within the zone. (d) If the aircraft has operated within the zone for a predetermined elapsed time-in-zone, displaying an alert message for a user to indicate a likelihood of presence of icing conditions.
US08265796B2
A network of fluid dispenser systems is disclosed where a Host/Server is a virtual controller for a number of fluid dispensers systems. The virtual controller may exchange information with local dispenser systems, that incorporate virtual controlling functions. The information may be dispensing processes, information regarding quality and reliability, problems and/or helpful information, and applications. An application may include synchronizing multiple dispensing syringe assemblies. The information may be exchanged in real time during fluid dispensing where any issues may be shared and resolved quickly even in remote locales. Information may be distributed among the disparate locations.
US08265794B2
A method associated with a valve controller configured to capture dynamic process conditions for monitoring, diagnosing and maintaining a valve assembly through knowledge-based valve performance criteria. The method includes determining the open and closed positions of a process valve. Measuring the peak torque value required by an actuator to open and close the process valve. Measuring the supply and exhaust pressure required by an actuator to open and close the valve. Determining a deviation zone associated with the peak torque value to open the valve where an alarm is triggered when the torque value falls outside the deviation zone. Creating the dynamic baseline over Nth process cycles when the valve is installed in-line.
US08265790B2
A computer-assisted surgery system for planning/guiding alterations to a bone in surgery, comprises a trackable member adapted to be secured to the bone. The trackable member has a first inertial sensor unit producing orientation-based data for at least two degrees of freedom in orientation of the trackable member A positioning block is adapted to be secured to the bone, with at least an orientation of the positioning block being adjustable once the positioning block is secured to the bone to reach a selected orientation at which the positioning block is used to guide tools in altering the bone. The positioning block has a second inertial sensor unit producing orientation-based data for at least two degrees of freedom in orientation of the positioning block. A processing system providing an orientation reference associating the bone to the trackable member comprises a signal interpreter for determining an orientation of the trackable member and of the positioning block from the orientation-based data. A parameter calculator calculates alteration parameters related to an actual orientation of the positioning block with respect to the bone as a function of the orientation reference and of the orientation of the positioning block.
US08265786B2
In an automated data storage library having a plurality of multi-cartridge deep slot cells, each configured to store a plurality of data storage cartridges arranged in sequential order of tiers from front to rear, and having accessor(s) configured to selectively extract, place and transport cartridges with respect to the cells; operating the accessor(s) to selectively extract, place and transport cartridges with respect to the cells and with respect to other elements of the library. If all tiers of the selected cells except the rearmost tier are full, added cartridges are placed to fill the rearmost tier of an evenly spread selection of the cells.
US08265781B2
A device for manipulating containers, comprising a manipulation unit manipulating the containers in a predetermined manner, this manipulation unit including at least one condition detection unit which detects at least one operating condition of the manipulation unit and sends out condition signals which are characteristic for this operating condition of the manipulation unit, and including a monitoring unit for monitoring the manipulation unit, the monitoring unit including a visual display device for displaying information as well as a storage device in which presentation data for components of the manipulation unit is deposited. According to the invention, the monitoring unit includes an image manipulation unit which as a response to emitted condition signals provides image sequences on the basis of presentation data stored on the storage device, which image sequences may be output via the display device.
US08265779B2
A method is disclosed for automatic estimation of backlash in a control system which includes a controller and a process to be controlled, wherein said controller is capable of performing integrating control of said process using one or more controller parameters to control a process output signal of said process with respect to a setpoint value thereof. The method involves monitoring said process output signal to determine a value reflecting momentary differences between setpoint value and actual value of said process output signal during a time interval; and estimating the backlash from said determined value and said one or more controller parameters.
US08265773B2
A cochlear implant electrode assembly device comprising an elongate electrode carrier member, a stiffening element, and a stiffening sheath that at least partially envelops the elongate member. The member is made of a resiliently flexible first material and has a plurality of electrodes mounted thereon. The member has a first configuration that allows it to be inserted into an implantee's cochlea. The member also has a second configuration wherein the member is curved to match an inside surface of the cochlea, and at least one intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations. Both the stiffening element and sheath are made of a material that is relatively stiffer than the member. The stiffening element and the stiffening sheath in combination bias the elongate member into the first configuration. If either the stiffening element or the stiffening sheath is removed or deactivated, the elongate member adopts an intermediate configuration.
US08265768B2
An improved telemetry protocol for an implantable medical device is disclosed. The sending device forms a block of information to be telemetered to the receiving device in a typical fashion, including a header, a message, and an error detection data, such as a Cyclic Redundancy Code (CRC) for that data. This CRC, called CRC1, is preferably computed using a first CRC polynomial. Then, the entirety of the block is divided into smaller packets of a predetermined byte size. Each packet, regardless of its contents, has a CRC computed for it (CRC2) preferably computed using a second CRC polynomial. Each packet with its appended CRC2 is sent to the receiving device, which deduces a CRC2 and compares it with the appended CRC2. If not valid, that packet is again requested to be resent. If valid, the next packet is requested to be sent, its CRC2 checked, etc., until all packets are received and verified. The receiving device then discards the CRC2s to reconstitute the original block. The receiving device then deduces CRC1 and compares it with the CRC1 appended to the block. If valid, the block is accepted, and if not, the procedure is repeated for the block.
US08265767B2
A hearing prosthesis configured for delivery of stochastic stimulation to a recipient. The hearing prosthesis comprises a sound pickup component configured to receive a sound signal having at least one pitch; a stochastic stimulation generator configured to generate a stochastic sequence of stimulation pulses having first and second inter-pulse intervals distributed stochastically throughout the sequence within controlled limits, the first inter-pulse interval based on the at least one pitch; and at least one stimulation channel to deliver the sequence of electrical stimulation pulses to the recipient.
US08265762B2
An implantable pulse generator includes a current steering capability that allows a clinician or patient to quickly determine a desired electrode stimulation pattern, including which electrodes of a group of electrodes within an electrode array should receive a stimulation current, including the amplitude, width and pulse repetition rate of such current. Movement of the selected group of electrodes is facilitated through the use of remotely generated directional signals, generated by a pointing device, such as a joystick. As movement of the selected group of electrodes occurs, current redistribution amongst the various electrode contacts takes place. The redistribution of stimulus amplitudes utilizes re-normalization of amplitudes so that the perceptual level remains fairly constant. This prevents the resulting paresthesia from falling below the perceptual threshold or above the comfort threshold.
US08265761B2
A method of reducing muscle pain in a person by removably attaching an electrode to each ear on a person's head and connecting the electrodes to receive a modified pulse signal from a computer or a digital port. The signal from the computer or the digital port are rectangular voltage pulses of “1s” and “0s” at varying frequencies. The rectangular pulse signal from the computer or digital port is modified to have at least the leading square corner of each rectangular voltage pulse rounded before it is sent to the electrodes. A method of randomizing the stimulus at about 100 Hz for improved sleep and an alternate method of randomizing stimuli for the neurological reduction of perceived pain and a similar method for reducing pain output from a muscle and its associated tissues directly.
US08265758B2
Apparatus is provided, including a control unit (310), adapted to be implanted within a patient (324), and a corkscrew-shaped electrode mount (400), adapted to be implanted in a wall of a stomach of the patient. The corkscrew-shaped electrode mount includes first (404) and second (424) electrodes, at respective sites of the electrode mount, and a controller (420), wirelessly coupled to the control unit. Other embodiments are also described.
US08265757B2
Various embodiments concern a method which may include communicating medical information between a PIMD and an interface module via a first channel in compliance with a predetermined medical information regulatory standard, preventing access to the PIMD via the interface module other than through the first channel, detecting a communication protocol used by an available generic network access device, selecting a communication protocol rule set from a plurality of communication protocol rule sets to effect communication between the interface device and an available generic network access device of a plurality of generic network access devices, and transferring at least some of the medical information to the remote network via a second channel established between the interface module and the available generic network access device using the selected communication protocol rule set.
US08265755B2
Techniques are provided for use by implantable medical devices for controlling ventricular pacing using a multi-pole left ventricular (LV) lead. In one example, a single “V sense” test is performed to determine intrinsic interventricular conduction time delays (Δn) between the RV electrode and each of the LV electrodes of the multi-pole lead. Likewise, a single “RV pace” test is performed to determine paced interventricular conduction time delays (IVCD_RLn) between the RV electrode and each of the LV electrodes. A set of “LV pace” tests is then performed to determine paced interventricular conduction time delays (IVCD_LRn) between individual LV electrodes and the RV electrode. Optimal or preferred interventricular pacing delays are determined using the intrinsic interventricular conduction delay (Δn) values and a set of interventricular correction terms (εn) determined from the results of the RV pace test and the set of LV pace tests. With these techniques, overall test time can be reduced.
US08265747B2
A method and apparatus for diagnosing and treating neural dysfunction is disclosed. This device has the capability of delivering the therapeutic electrical energy to more than one treatment electrode simultaneously. In another exemplary embodiment, this device can perform EMG testing both before and after the therapeutic energy has been delivered, to assess whether the target nerve was successfully treated. In another embodiment, the device has the capability to record and store sensory stimulation thresholds both before and after treatment is described, which allows the clinician to accurately determine whether the target nerve has been desensitized. Energy control may achieved by simultaneously comparing the tip temperature of each treatment electrode to a set temperature selected by the operator, and regulating the therapeutic energy output to maintain the set temperature. In another embodiment, EMG, stimulation thresholds, and graphs of temperature versus time can be conveniently displayed on a two-dimensional graphics display.
US08265732B2
This invention relates to a method of catheter and radiating coil location in a human body and in particular to the determination over time of the location of the tip of a catheter as it is inserted and during its use in the body. In particular when a radiating coil is used in conjunction with a catheter, a coil locating device can be used to determine the distance the coil is from the device and hence its depth in the body of a patient. To assist a clinician using the coil-locating device, a display is provided that shows both a reference image of a part or portion of a body (non-subject body) and an image of the coil located on the display with reference to the reference image. This is achieved by locating the coil-locating device on or over a predetermined landmark on the patient's body. The coil and its associated signal wires can be incorporated into a stylet, guide wire or a catheter. The coil locating device has a preferable triangular shape in plan view that allows it uppermost apex to be orientated towards the head of the patient and for an axis of the device to be aligned with the mid sagittal plane of the patient. Preferable landmarks on a human body include the xiphoid sternal junction and the caudal/mid sagittal aspect of the jugular sternal notch.
US08265730B2
Methods are disclosed for assessing the condition of a cartilage in a joint, particularly a human knee. The methods include converting an image such as an MRI to a three dimensional map of the cartilage. The cartilage map can be correlated to a movement pattern of the joint to assess the affect of movement on cartilage wear. Changes in the thickness of cartilage over time can be determined so that therapies can be provided. Information on thickness of cartilage and curvature of cartilage or subchondral bone can be used to plan therapy. Information on movement pattern can be used to plan therapy.
US08265729B2
A system and method for capturing and displaying images in an ordered manner. An image progression description (IPD) is generated using an imaging software application (ISA). The IPD defines an ordered sequence of image acquisition instruction sets (IAIS) and an image display layout (IDL). The ordered sequence of IAIS is transferred to a portable image acquisition device (PIAD) which reads and sequentially displays the ordered sequence of IAIS. A plurality of images is acquired using the PIAD in accordance with the ordered sequence of IAIS. The plurality of images are transferred back to the ISA and are displayed according to the IDL.
US08265718B2
Disclosed is a mobile wireless device, which has an antenna structure for feeding a hinge core with an electric power and which can be adapted to wireless communications of low-frequency bands without enlarging a casing itself. In this wireless device, an upper casing (101) equipped with a first circuit substrate (111) and a lower casing (102) equipped with a second circuit substrate (112) having a wireless unit (118) mounted thereon are connected to open and close through a hinge unit having a conductive hinge (130). A feeding unit (113) mounted in the upper casing (101) feeds the conductive hinge (130) with an electric power from the first circuit substrate (111). A cellular antenna (150) mounted in the lower casing (102) is connected with the ground pattern of the second circuit substrate (112) at the position, where an extension (154) is separated along the axial direction of the conductive hinge (130) from a capacity coupling unit (152) arranged to confront a portion of the conductive hinge (130) and coupled capacitively to a portion of the conductive hinge (130), thereby to short-circuit the capacity coupling unit (152) and the ground pattern.
US08265717B2
An improved mobile electronic device 100 with a unique thin and cost-effective form and design can have a large display 170 and a large full qwerty keypad 138 on the outward surface and can have a capacitive touchpad 186 on the inward surface of the flip 102 or slide that facilitates navigation on the display and can detect and recognize the flip or slide position within the mobile electronic device. A pattern of capacitive traces or wires 202 can be laid out within the layers of a printed circuit board to detect a user's finger gestures without enlarging or adversely impacting the size of the mobile electronic device. The attractive mobile electronic device can also provide for the use of a speaker port 196 underneath a removable battery door 194 and a way to seal a port under a battery door for audio enhancement.
US08265694B2
The subject application is directed to a system and method for obtaining address data from a portable device to a document processing device. An address book, including address entries accessible via the document processing device, is stored in a data storage associated with a document processing device controller. Selection data is then received from an associated user, following which an address entry is retrieved from the address book. Document processing operations are then commenced in accordance with the retrieved address entries. A portable telecommunication device, proximate to the document processing device, is then discovered via a wireless transceiver. The portable device includes an integrated data storage containing contact data of contact information for contact destinations. After discovery, a data connection is established with the portable telecommunications device over which contact data is received. An entry is then added into the address book corresponding to the received contact data.
US08265693B1
A mobile device for personal computer assistance is provided. The mobile device is configured for wireless communication over a mobile device network. The mobile device includes an interface configured to establish a communication link between the mobile device and a personal computer. The mobile device also includes a storage device configured to store session information from a personal computer and to retrieve the session information for another personal computer.
US08265692B2
A wristband wirelessly connects to a mobile phone allowing a user to talk on the mobile phone by using the wristband. The wristband includes a transmitter/receiver, a speaker and a microphone. The transmitter/receiver wirelessly pairs with the mobile phone. When the mobile phone receives an incoming call, a signal is sent to a vibrator housed within the transmitter/receiver and causes the wristband to vibrate. To connect to the call, a user can push a button located on the wristband or stretch the speaker piece and place the speaker in between his/her fingers. To disconnect from the call, the user can push the button or alternatively, release the speaker piece from in between his/her fingers which automatically triggers the transmitter/receiver to disconnect from the call.
US08265687B2
A mobile phone or other electronic apparatus capable of displaying a bearing and non-contact communication using electromagnetic waves wherein when detection processing of geomagnetism by a geomagnetism sensor and non-contact communication processing using electromagnetic waves are carried out at the same timing, measures are taken since there is a possibility that the geomagnetism detected by the geomagnetism sensor is not correct due to the influence of the electromagnetic waves. Further, when the detection processing of the geomagnetism by the geomagnetism sensor and the non-contact communication processing using electromagnetic waves are carried out at the same timing, bearing processing based on a detection signal of the geomagnetism sensor is restricted or the non-contact communication processing is restricted.
US08265683B2
Systems and methods for two-tier backoff interval randomization are presented. An initial message transmission can have both a chip level and an access cycle duration level backoff applied to avoid potential collisions. Additionally, improved transmit power calculations and the random backoff can be combined to further improve the probability of a successful message reception and decoding.
US08265675B2
A MIMO wireless communication system capable of relaxing a reduction in a transmission rate on a cell end far from a base station and ensuring a high transmission rate for a mobile station, irrespectively of a distance from the base station is provided.In a state 1, the mobile station 21 checks a propagation line quality and instructs only the first base station 11 to transmit data to the mobile station 21. In a state 2, the mobile station 21 issues a request to divide the data to the first base station 11 and the second base station 12 and to transmit the divided data to the mobile station 21, and holds MIMO communication with the two base stations.In a state 3, the mobile station 21 requests only the second base station 12 to transmit the data and communicates with the second base station 12.
US08265674B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for commissioning a wireless network. In one aspect, a method includes instructing the switch devices of the controlled circuits to provide power to the controlled circuit wiring of the controlled circuits to enable joining of wireless adapters to the wireless network; monitoring the joining of wireless adapters to the wireless network; monitoring for the occurrence of a joining expiration event; and in response to the occurrence of the joining expiration event, determining whether each wireless adapter that joined the wireless network during a joining time period ending at the occurrence of the joining expiration event belongs to the controlled circuits.
US08265673B2
A message distribution center (MDC) is interposed between content providers and a wireless carrier to subjectively examine and direct messages via SMTP based on desired rules (e.g., non-peak hours, paying subscribers only, etc.) using standard SMTP Gateway and other well-known protocols. The MDC includes a queue for each subscriber. A provider is informed through conventional SMTP protocol messages when a short message has been accepted. If the carrier has specifically disallowed service for a particular MIN, the content provider is informed through an SMTP interchange that the recipient is invalid. An MDC provides a single mechanism for interacting with subscribers of multiple carriers, regardless of each carrier's underlying infrastructure. An MDC can protect a carrier's SS7 network by intelligently throttling messages and configuring network friendly message delivery parameters. A content provider preferably communicates with the MDC using SMTP protocol messages. The MDC preferably communicates with wireless carriers using RMI/SMPP techniques.
US08265667B2
A multimedia messaging method and apparatus for a mobile terminal supporting Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is provided for the mobile terminal to relay a multimedia message, edit multimedia object attached to the multimedia message, and feed back the multimedia message attaching the edit multimedia object. A multimedia message transmission method of the present invention includes composing a multimedia message in a multimedia message composition mode, inserting sender information and a recipient information into the multimedia message; creating a relay message by defining a type of the multimedia message as the relay message; and sending the relay message with reference to the recipient information.
US08265659B2
A mobile terminal, a method of managing a schedule using the mobile terminal, and a method of managing position information using the mobile terminal are provided. The method of managing a schedule using the mobile terminal can interoperate schedule information with a navigation function, the method of managing position information using the mobile terminal can manage position information included in audio data received in various forms, and the mobile terminal implements the methods.
US08265656B2
A technique for positioning a target object in a wireless communication environment. A data model models several sample points. Each sample point includes a location and a set of expected signal values therein. A set of relevance indicators indicates one or more sets of relevant sample points, which are subsets of the sample points in the data model. Signal values are observed at the target object's location. Based on the signal value observations and the set of relevance indicators, a current set of relevant sample points is determined and used, along with the signal value observations, to estimate the target object's location. Computational burden is reduced because sample points not included in the current set of relevant sample points can be omitted from calculations.
US08265638B2
Transmitting streamed video to at least one wireless terminal by a wireless network having a channel frequency reuse pattern. The wireless network receives a request for the streamed video from the at least one wireless terminal and receives position information from the at least one wireless terminal requesting the streamed video. The wireless network selects a transceiving device to service transmission of the streamed video to the at least one wireless terminal. The transceiving device is allocated a first channel frequency set of the channel frequency reuse pattern. The wireless network or a component thereof selects a channel from a second channel frequency set that is different from the first channel frequency set. The transceiving device then, using a directional antenna, transmits the streamed video to the at least one wireless terminal in a direction based upon the position information using the selected channel.
US08265635B2
In a method of designing the positioning system for positioning a reference point from a required positioning accuracy and a required positioning area by using a radio appliance, a maximum value and a minimum value of a plurality of fluctuation factors, which cause the positioning system to fluctuate, are set, a communication characteristic of the fixed radio appliance is calculated from the minimum value of the fluctuation factor and the required positioning accuracy, and a characteristic of the fixed radio appliance and an installation position of the fixed radio appliance are calculated from the calculated characteristic of the installed appliance, the maximum value of the fluctuation factor, and the required positioning area.
US08265630B2
A method of managing the number of base station engaged in soft hand-off in a mobile communication system. The method involves manipulating a subscriber based directional antenna so as to control the number of base transceiver stations, pilot channels, beacon signals or other signals detected to be used in soft hand-off processing. The adaptive antennas are modified to manage the number of active set members, such as by manipulating direction, beamwidth, or other antenna parameters.
US08265628B2
In a wireless communication network where base stations receive protocol data units (PDUs) from mobile stations for decompression and deciphering for ordered, sequential transfer as service data units (SDUs) to an associated core network, the teachings presented herein provide a method of supporting seamless handover of a mobile station from a source base station to a target base station. By way of example, the teachings herein apply to a network based on the E-UTRA specifications, as promulgated by the 3GPP. However, that example is non-limiting, as the teachings herein apply to any network that employs in-sequence data delivery and duplicate data detection at handover. Broadly, the source base station forwards out-of-sequence SDUs and corresponding sequence number information to the target base station in support of seamless handover, and the target base station uses that information to request retransmissions as needed for packet reordering.
US08265625B2
Systems and methods for network entry management are provided. The system includes a base station and a mobile station. The base station broadcasts synchronization channels (SCH) on multiple carriers, where the SCH may be hierarchical synchronization channel composed of primary synchronization channel (P-SCH) and secondary synchronization channel (S-SCH) which are used for timing, frequency synchronization, cell identification, etc. The carriers include at least a first carrier including at least one P-SCH and do not include a S-SCH. The mobile station scans the first carrier, and checks whether a P-SCH is broadcasted on the first carrier. If a P-SCH is broadcasted on the first carrier, the mobile station checks whether an S-SCH is broadcasted on the first carrier. If no S-SCH is broadcasted on the first carrier, the mobile station scans for a second carrier broadcasted by the base station.
US08265619B1
A communication system for automating test calls in a wireless communication network comprises a test call automation system and at least one wireless communication device. The test call automation system is configured to receive a set of test conditions and test instructions associated with a test call scenario, and transfer the test conditions and the test instructions to the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to monitor a device state of the wireless communication device based on the test conditions, and if the device state complies with the set of test conditions, then process the test instructions to execute the test call scenario, receive test results associated with the test call scenario, and transfer the test results to the test call automation system.
US08265610B1
A server computer is provided comprising a processor, a memory, and an application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, identifies at least one keyword based on one of a first communication device and a second communication device and transmits the at least one keyword to the first communication device. The server computer also analyzes a voice traffic between the first communication device and the second communication device to determine whether the at least one keyword occurs in the voice traffic. When the at least one keyword is determined to occur in the voice traffic, the server computer sends a confirmation message to the first communication device.
US08265609B2
A system, method, and computer program product for providing customer services on a mobile device can provide a user-interface on a mobile device to display one or more customer service options, store state information of the customer's interaction with the user-interface, and provide a user-interface element that provides the customer an option to contact a customer service agent. In response to the customer's exercising the option to contact the customer service agent, the stored state information is sent to the customer service agent.
US08265599B2
Embodiments relate to a method of access to wireless networks and/or network services, such as WiMAX, from a first wireless-enabled device, by sharing the credential of a second wireless-enabled device.
US08265598B2
A method of sharing information between mobile terminals using a local wireless communication network is disclosed. The method includes setting information stored in a first mobile terminal with one of at least two security levels; if registration is requested by a second mobile terminal, registering an identifier of the second mobile terminal and an access rights level of the second mobile terminal to the information set with a security level; if a local wireless communication link is formed with the second mobile terminal, displaying a list of information set with a set security level corresponding to the access rights level of the second mobile terminal; and sharing the displayed information according to a request from the second mobile terminal. According to the present invention, information stored in a mobile terminal may safely be shared with another mobile terminal in a local wireless communication area.
US08265594B2
A method and system thereof for establishing a wireless connection to a device while bypassing passkey exchange and authentication procedures. Passkeys are authenticated and exchanged with another device. At the user's discretion, the passkey for the other device can be stored in memory. In the case in which the passkey is stored, the other device is considered a “trusted device.” Subsequently, when a trusted device is discovered and selected, and a wireless connection to the trusted device is made, the passkey for the trusted device is automatically retrieved from memory. As such, it is not necessary for the user to manually input a passkey or for the devices to perform a passkey exchange and authentication procedure.
US08265583B1
A method of compensating for arbitrary nonlinearities associated with a received signal includes receiving a plurality of samples of the signal having at least one in-band region and at least one out-of-band region, generating a plurality of compensated signal values based on the plurality of samples and a plurality of respective compensation values, applying a transform function to the plurality of compensated signal values to generate a frequency-domain representation of the plurality of compensated signal values, and updating at least one of the plurality of compensation values using the generated frequency-domain representation of the signal to reduce energy associated with the at least one out-of-band region of the signal.
US08265577B2
Methods and systems for dynamically tuning and calibrating an antenna using antenna hopping are disclosed. In this regard, in a wireless device comprising an antenna that is configurable into a plurality of configurations, determining a subset of the configurations, where each configuration of the subset enables received signal strength above a threshold for a wireless channel, may be determined. During a time interval in which the wireless device is receiving signals on the wireless channel, the antenna may be configured to sequentially utilize each configuration of the subset. During the time interval, a plurality of samples of the wireless channel may be generated, where each of the samples corresponds to a different one of the configurations of the subset. The plurality of samples may be aggregated. The aggregated samples may be processed to recover information communicated on the wireless channel.
US08265574B2
Embodiments of circuits, apparatuses, and systems for a voltage regulator with a control loop for avoiding hard saturation are disclosed. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08265571B2
A circuit arrangement includes a component having a closed signal path, that closed signal path connected to a first port, a second port and at least a third port. The component has a directed signal flow of a signal applied to one of that ports. Such a coupling device can be connected to a transmitter and to a receiver path, respectively.
US08265570B2
A Radio Frequency (RF) transmission method of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader using a plurality of channels is provided. The method includes: selecting at least part of the plurality of channels, measuring an RF power of each of the selected channels, determining a transmission environment of the RF according to a measurement determination, and modulating an RF signal according to the determined transmission environment.
US08265569B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed, such as those involving an electronic device. One such apparatus includes a transmitter; a receiver; and a transmit/receive switch configured to electrically block the receiver from the transmitter during a transmit period. The transmit/receive switch includes one or more MOSFETs coupled between an input node and an output node, the input node being electrically coupled to the transmitter, the output node being electrically coupled to the receiver. The one or more MOSFETs are configured to be off during the transmit period. The transmit/receive switch further includes a clamp circuit configured to couple the output node to ground during the transmit period. This configuration effectively protects the receiver while minimizing switching artifacts.
US08265559B2
A logical channel is configured to match a modulation profile of an active channel. A network element is assigned to the logical channel and a ping request is sent to the network element. A response from the network element is measured, such as measuring the MER. The modulation profile is increased in the logical channel and another ping request is sent to the network element. The response is measured again, and the process is repeated until a non-linearity is detected in the response. The acceptable modulation profiles are indicated before the non-linearity is detected in the response.
US08265547B2
Embodiments of a system and methods for resource management and interference mitigation techniques for relay-based networks are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08265539B2
A method and apparatus for cleaning an image carrier that is used for transferring a toner image onto a recording medium which includes a black image step in which a black image, i.e., an image of the entire area which is filled with toner, is formed on the image carrier and is transferred onto a cleaner that engages the image carrier for removing dust therefrom, wherein, prior to the black image step, a black page step is carried out in which a black page is printed by transferring a black image from the image carrier onto the recording medium.
US08265524B2
A transfer device includes a cleaning device, a waste toner bottle, a connecting unit, and a regulating unit. The cleaning device removes waste toner remaining on an intermediate transfer belt. The waste toner bottle has an intake opening for collecting the waste toner therein. The connecting unit conveys the waste toner from the cleaning device to the waste toner bottle, and has a discharge opening that is configured to engage the intake opening to discharge the waste toner into the waste toner bottle through the intake opening. The regulating unit regulates the position of the waste toner bottle in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the waste toner bottle before the discharge opening comes in contact with the intake opening.
US08265523B2
An arrangement for providing developer to process cartridges is described. Developer agent storing members may be insertable into a body containing the process cartridges through a front of the body. The developer agent storing members may be provided on two sides to reduce the stacked height of the developer agent storing members in the body.
US08265520B2
An image forming apparatus includes a housing, an imaging device, a top cover, a moving device, and a state holding device. The housing has a top opening formed on a top face of the housing and a side opening formed on a side face of the housing. The imaging device is housed in the housing and includes a photosensitive body, an exposure device which exposes the photosensitive body to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive body, and a developing device which develops the electrostatic latent image with a developer on the photosensitive body. The top cover is movable between an open state opening the top opening and a close state closing the top opening, the exposure device being attached to an inner face of the top cover.
US08265519B2
A lid device includes a main body, an opening/closing member, a support portion and a fall preventing member. The opening/closing member is attached to the main body so as to be opened and closed. The support portion is provided on the main body, and supports the opening/closing member in such a manner which the opening/closing member is disengaged from the main body when receiving force of opening the opening/closing member beyond a predetermined opening/closing angular range. The fall preventing member prevents the opening/closing member disengaged from the support portion from coming off the main body.
US08265511B2
A power source device includes an oscillator generating a clock, a frequency division unit dividing the clock to output a pulse, a sequence generation unit generating sequences “N” with respect to each switching of the pulse, a frequency division ratio setting unit setting frequency division ratio, a switching element driven by the pulse, and a piezoelectric transformer outputting alternating high voltage from a secondary-side when a primary-side is applied with voltage. The generated sequence and the set frequency division ratio are compared to output the pulses of fractional-M, -M+1 frequencies. An average frequency division ratio of the pulses of fractional-M, -M+1 frequencies determined by (M×α)+(M+1)×β/(α+β), where α and β respectively represent the number of pulses of “M” and “M+1” per unit time. The average frequency division ratio and frequency division ratio become equal at a sequence generation cycle and approximated in a period shorter than the sequence generation cycle.
US08265504B2
A system for fixing an image on a piece of media is provided. The system has a first enclosure having an image forming section for forming the image on the piece of media and a pressure fixing section that does not include a thermal energy source for fixing the image to the piece of media. The pressure fixing section has a first rotating member, a second rotating member located proximate the first member such that a gap exists between the first member and the second member, the gap being for receiving the piece of media, and a force applying device that applies force to at least one of the first member and the second member to apply pressure to the piece of media such that the image is fixed to the piece of media by the pressure. The apparatus also has a second enclosure having a fixing section that includes a thermal energy source for further fixing the image to the piece of media after the image has been fixed to the media by the pressure fixing section.
US08265503B2
Provided is a liquid developer concentration adjusting apparatus and a method so that the concentration can be adjusted easily and efficiently without using time and effort in liquid volume control. Further, the apparatus and method enable the concentration adjustment to be efficiently accomplished in a short period of time with reduced volume of required supply developer to be added for the adjustment independently of the initial concentration of the developer by concurrently measuring the concentration of developer, even if the concentration thereof is high. In the control of the concentration adjustment, the developer is allowed to overflow through an opening of the concentration adjusting container, and the concentration adjustment by using supply developer or the supply speed of the supply developer is started before the start of the overflow.
US08265502B2
An image forming apparatus includes an alternative printing unit. The alternative printing unit performs alternative printing of a black image by mixing images of color materials of three colors of cyan, yellow, and magenta. The alternative printing unit includes a color material amount control unit that controls amounts of the respective color materials, which form the images of the color materials of the three colors, so as to be smaller than those at a time of normal printing.
US08265501B2
An image forming apparatus, having an exposing unit for exposing a photosensitive body to form a_latent image, a developing unit for forming a developer image corresponding to the latent image, a carrier body moved through a portion opposite to the photosensitive body onto which the developer image formed on the photosensitive body is transferred, a mark forming unit for controlling the exposing unit to form a mark on a surface of the carrier body, a light sensor for sensing light reflected by the carrier body, an edge detector for sensing an edge of the mark on the carrier body based on an_output of the light sensor and a deciding unit for deciding a positional relation between a focal point of the exposing unit and the surface of the photosensitive body based on the edge detected by the edge detector.
US08265500B2
An image forming apparatus which includes a photosensitive member and an image forming station. The image forming station includes a charging device for charging the member, an exposure device for exposing the member to light, a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image on the member, and a bias applying device for applying a developing bias. The image forming apparatus also includes, a transfer device for transferring a toner image to a sheet, a setting device for setting an AC voltage, an executing device for executing a test mode, a density detecting device for detecting the density of the test image, and an adjusting device for adjusting an image forming condition for the station. When the executing device executes the test mode, test images can formed at various AC voltages.
US08265498B2
A method and apparatus for determining media thickness in a feeder section of an image production device is disclosed. The method may include receiving one or more multi-dimensional images of a media stack from an imaging device, the media stack including one or more media clips that each contain a plurality of media sheets, deriving a multi-dimensional feature signal from the received one or more multi-dimensional images, converting the derived multi-dimensional feature signal to a one-dimensional feature signal, estimating media clip thickness using the one-dimensional signal, estimating media sheet thickness using the estimated media clip thickness, and adjusting at least one image production device parameter based on the estimated media sheet thickness.
US08265492B2
An image forming system which enables a service person to accurately and promptly replace or adjust a faulty component part of an image forming apparatus at the occurrence of a malfunction or during a periodic inspection. An external storage device stores to-do items and reference data. A service person performs a malfunction-correcting operation according to each to-do-item sent from the central control unit in response to his request via the image forming apparatus. Upon receipt of data input by the service person according to the to-do-item, the central control unit generates a synthetic data of the input data and the reference data. Based on the synthetic data, the service person determines whether or not a malfunction is corrected or the present to-do-item is cleared, and performs part replacement/adjustment, if necessary, to input new check/measurement data, which is sent to the central control unit again. This process is continued until the malfunction is corrected.
US08265490B2
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a device, method of use and system for an analog multi-wavelength transamplifier. The transamplifier embodiments described herein allow the use of multiple wavelengths to segment logical service groups, such as for use in a CATV distribution system and a FTTH system having a broadband overlay. Improved optical signal power performance can be achieved by using direct modulating transmitters and maintaining polarization of the optical signals that are modulated by a phase modulator, such as an external waveguide.
US08265485B2
An optical transmission system including an optical transmission path for transmitting WDM signals multiplexed different wavelength optical signals, the WDM signals including different bit rate optical signals or different modulation format optical signals; a repeater arranged in the optical transmission path, the repeater including a chromatic dispersion compensation unit for compensating chromatic dispersion compensation for the WDM signals; and a network management system including processes of determining a dispersion compensation ratio indicating the ratio with respect to the dispersion compensation amount at which the residual dispersion of the WDM signals are zero after transmission via the optical transmission path, on the bases of the mixture ratio of different optical signals included in the WDM signals, and variably setting the dispersion compensation amount for the in-line repeater according to the dispersion compensation ratio.
US08265482B2
A communication network access device is adapted for duplex communication and provides transmit and receive signal paths. A controllable socket is coupled to the transmit and receive signal paths and linked to a control interface for activating/deactivating the control interface. A pluggable module is coupled to the transmit and receive signal paths via the controllable socket in an activated status and to a transmission path carrying uni-directional signals. The module includes a first optical device and a splitter in the transmission path and is coupled to a second optical device via the splitter. The second optical device responds to a portion of uni-directional signals provided by the splitter for placing the communication access device in a link up condition for uni-directional signals provided by the first optical device to the transmission path serving an optical local area network.
US08265468B2
A well bore fluid is heated to prevent paraffin build-up or lower the viscosity of asphaltenic crude in the production line by an electrical heating element lowered into a pre-determined subterranean location. The heating element is controlled by a control unit that is connected to a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, which detects temperature and pressure in the vicinity of the heating element and modifies an electric power source to deliver sufficient electric power to the electric heating element to keep the paraffin or other alkanes in a liquefied state. By modifications, the same heater can be used to generate steam in a well bore for the same purposes or to heat oil in a tank battery to prevent solidification of high molecular weight constituents in the crude.
US08265460B2
Systems and methods for recording a program are provided. Alternate transmissions of a program with a “when convenient” recording priority may be recorded in whole or in portions whenever recording does not interfere with other uses of the user's equipment. When the recording device is out of space to record programs, recorded programs having a “when convenient” deletion priority may be deleted and scheduled for re-recording at a later time.
US08265456B2
The media player employs an operating system that supports a virtual machine into which auto-run playback programs may be loaded and run. The auto run playback program is stored on the media containing the program content, such as on an optical disc medium. When the medium is inserted in the player, the auto run playback program automatically launches and is thereafter used to access playback the media content. Support for legacy media is provided to allow the player to playback compact discs and DVD discs that were manufactured without the auto run playback program.
US08265454B2
A video/audio playback apparatus that can continue playback even if the external storage means are disconnected during playback, includes a virtual file system section 24 for merging the video/audio information and playback control information of the optical disc 12 with the video/audio information and playback control information of the local storage 7 to configure a virtual file system; a pseudo file system generator 2a for generating a pseudo file system 4a; a RAM 4 for storing the generated pseudo file system 4a; a disconnection detector 2b for detecting disconnection of the local storage 7 from the connecting section 15; and a playback manager 21 for causing the virtual file system section 24 to merge the video/audio information and the playback control information of the optical disc 12 with the information of the pseudo file system 4a immediately after the disconnection is detected, thereby newly configuring the virtual file system.
US08265445B2
Disclosed herein is a printed circuit board for an optical waveguide, including a base board, and an optical waveguide formed on the base board. The optical waveguide includes a lower clad layer formed on the base board, an insulation layer formed on the lower clad layer and having a core-forming through-hole, a core part formed on a region of the lower clad layer, which is exposed through the through-hole, and an upper clad layer formed in the through-hole and on the insulation layer.
US08265439B2
An optical fiber preform comprises a primary preform that includes at least one inner cladding and a central core deposited inside a fluorine doped silica tube. The fluorine doped silica tube has a cross section area that is no more than about 15 percent smaller than the cross section area of the primary preform. The optical fiber preform has a large capacity, may be manufactured at reduced cost, and may be drawn to produce an optical fiber having reduced transmission losses.
US08265437B2
Telecommunication cable comprising at least one microstructured optical fiber comprising a core region and a cladding region surrounding the core region, the cladding region comprising an annular void-containing region comprised of randomly arranged voids, the core region including doped silica to provide a positive refractive index relative to pure silica; and at least one protecting layer provided around said optical fiber, the protecting layer being made of a polymeric material having a low ultimate elongation.
US08265421B2
A video system includes: analyzing video data, having a block; performing a transition change detection for determining a spatial intensity transition within the block; performing a block-wise similarity measurement on the block in the video data for identifying a blocking artifact; and filtering with a two dimensional cross filter every pixel in the block for removing the blocking artifact.
US08265418B2
An image processing apparatus includes: means for extracting, for each pixel of an image, a high-frequency component as focus information from a brightness signal for a neighboring pixel; means for integrating, for each pixel, the focus information on the neighboring pixel; means for replacing the focus information on each pixel with a value obtained using the focus information on the neighboring pixel greater than the focus information on that pixel to generate dark area focus information; means for integrating the brightness signals of each pixel and the neighboring pixel to extract an illumination component; means for calculating a depth value of each pixel using a coefficient based on the illumination component; means for normalizing the depth value of each pixel; means for controlling the normalized depth value using a tone curve; means for detecting a saturation of each pixel; and means for controlling the controlled depth value using the saturation.
US08265416B2
In a method, apparatus and integrated circuit for improving image sharpness, the method includes the following steps: (a) labeling each of pixels in an image as one of an edge/texture type and a non-edge/texture type; (b) classifying each of the pixels that are labeled as the edge/texture type into one of a border point type, a transition point type, and a peak point type; and (c) using a shrinking/expanding filter to filter the pixels of the border point type, and subsequently using a high boost filter to first filter the pixels of the peak point type and then filter the pixels of the transition point type to sharpen the image.
US08265409B2
An image processing device and an image processing method of the invention generate multiple images having different edge preservation performances based on an original image, and synthesize the multiple images based on edge information. In the synthesis, the generated images are synthesized in such a manner that an image of an edge portion in the generated image having a low edge preservation performance is replaced by the generated image having a high edge preservation performance.
US08265408B2
A method, system and computer program product are provided for progressively encoding a digitized color image using a data processing system, the digitized color image being provided by assigning each of the M distinct colors to at least one pixel in the set of pixels. This involves initializing and growing the tree structure by selecting a leaf node n to become a non-leaf node n linked to two new leaf nodes based on an associated achievable cost, wherein the associated achievable cost is based on 1) a determined associated change in distortion resulting from turning the leaf node into the non-leaf node linked to the two new leaf nodes; and 2) a determined associated increase in entropy rate resulting from turning the leaf node into the non-leaf node linked to the two new leaf nodes.
US08265397B2
An image retrieval method and apparatus for extracting a desired frame as still image data from moving image data is provided, in which when a character search string is input, frames having the character search string are retrieved from moving image data including a plurality of frames, and if retrieved frames having the character search string in an equivalent position are consecutive for a predetermined amount, one of the consecutive frames is extracted as still image data.
US08265395B1
Disclosed is a method for determining the absence or presence of one or more instances of a predetermined pattern in an image, and for determining the location of each found instance within a multidimensional space. A model represents the pattern to be found, the model including a plurality of probes. Each probe represents a relative position at which a test is performed in an image at a given pose, each such test contributing evidence that the pattern exists at the pose. The method further includes a comparison of the model with a run-time image at each of a plurality of poses. A match score is computed at each pose to provide a match score surface. Then, the match score is compared with an accept threshold, and used to provide the location any instances of the pattern in the image.
US08265390B2
Described herein is a method and system for facilitating segmentation of images. A difference image is received and processed to extract at least one histogram (402). A noise component is determined by fitting a symmetric Gaussian distribution to the extracted histogram such that the negative portion of the Gaussian distribution coincides with the negative portion of the histogram (403). The noise component is then subtracted from the histogram to generate a probability distribution function (404), which may be converted to a cumulative distribution function (406) and applied to the difference image to generate a probabilistic representation of contrast enhancement (408).
US08265376B2
Methods and systems are provided for generating a digital model of at least a part of an object referenced to a global coordinate system. An initial digital model, referenced to a local coordinate system associated with the optical device and representative of the respective part, is provided using an optical device at a relative location with respect to the object. The optical device has a plurality of visually exposed optical markers, at known locations with respect to the optical device and referenced to a marker coordinate system. The location of the optical device with respect to an external camera arrangement is determined, based on relating the relative locations of the markers with respect to one another, as they appear from a viewpoint of the external camera arrangement, to their relative locations as referenced to the marker coordinate system. The camera viewpoint is at a known location referenced to the global coordinate system. A transformed digital model is generated, representative of the respective part and referenced to the global coordinate system, based on modifying the initial digital model according to the location of the optical device.
US08265367B2
A method of detecting blood vessel shadows in an anterior posterior x-ray radiograph comprising the steps of: generating candidate sub areas of the radiograph showing changes in contrast above a threshold level; supressing rib shadow edges; eliminating lung tissue shadow edges, and categorizing and eliminating nodule shadows.
US08265358B2
A contour detector detects the contour of a specific tissue based on ultrasonic image data having been acquired in a predetermined time phase. A contour tracking part obtains the position of each of points composing the contour of a specific tissue in ultrasonic image data having been acquired in each time phase, by pattern matching for each time phase. A computing part obtains motion information indicating the motion state of a specific tissue in each time phase, based on the position of each of points composing the contour in each time phase. A display controller controls a display to display an ultrasonic image based on ultrasonic image data having been acquired in each time phase, for each time phase. Furthermore, the display controller controls the display to display the motion information in each time phase, on each occasion of each time phase.
US08265353B2
Measurements of a mobile object and particularly a living being are made using two techniques, normally radiation attenuation and radiation emission, in synchronization to provide images of the object state. Movement displacement fields from one phase to the next are estimated for both techniques, but the final images obtained by the emission technique are improved by the knowledge of the displacement field obtained by the other technique that is more precise.
US08265349B2
The disclosure is directed to techniques for automatic segmentation of a region-of-interest (ROI) video object from a video sequence. ROI object segmentation enables selected ROI or “foreground” objects of a video sequence that may be of interest to a viewer to be extracted from non-ROI or “background” areas of the video sequence. Examples of a ROI object are a human face or a head and shoulder area of a human body. The disclosed techniques include a hybrid technique that combines ROI feature detection, region segmentation, and background subtraction. In this way, the disclosed techniques may provide accurate foreground object generation and low-complexity extraction of the foreground object from the video sequence. A ROI object segmentation system may implement the techniques described herein. In addition, ROI object segmentation may be useful in a wide range of multimedia applications that utilize video sequences, such as video telephony applications and video surveillance applications.
US08265340B2
A system and method for displaying a product catalog obtains images of a user captured by an image obtaining device, locates a face from each of the images. The system and method further determines a movement direction, a movement speed, and a movement angle of the user's face, and rotates a product catalog with the movement direction, the movement speed, and the movement angle of the user's face.
US08265335B2
In a multi-functional peripheral as an embodiment of the present invention, reading operation of an original is performed and form recognition processing is performed. Here, original image data is compared with form data held in advance and it is determined whether there is some that correspond to each other. In a case of not success in the form recognition, normal processing, that is, OCR processing is performed for entire region of original image data, and OCR result is embedded in the original image data as transparent character data. In a case of success in the form recognition, and further when there is a field in which protected attribute is set in the form data, embedding transparent character data for the protected attribute field is prohibited, and for only other region, embedding transparent character data is performed.
US08265330B2
A material for improving the sound pressure level at the bass reproduction limit of the present invention is composed of an activated carbon having a cumulative pore volume of 0.4 ml/g or more for the pores each having a radius of 50 angstroms or less. Preferably, this activated carbon has a cumulative pore volume of 0.1 ml/g or less for the pores each having a radius of 7 angstroms or less. In particular, when a sound pressure level improving material in which the activated carbon has a cumulative pore volume of 0.5 ml/g or more for the pores each having a radius of 18 angstroms or less is installed in a cabinet of a loudspeaker device, the material alleviates pressure fluctuations of a gas within the cabinet caused by vibration of a loudspeaker, and thus a very good bass reproduction effect is attained. Moreover, in the case where a sound pressure level improving material in which the activated carbon has a cumulative pore volume of 0.4 ml/g or more for the pores each having a radius of 18 to 50 angstroms is installed in the cabinet, a loudspeaker device having a good bass reproduction effect even in an atmosphere of high humidity is obtained.
US08265329B2
Improved approaches for providing a speaker within a housing of a portable electronic device are disclosed. The housing of the portable electronic device can be compact, such as a low profile housing. In one embodiment, an acoustic chamber for a speaker can be formed internal to a housing for a portable electronic device using non-dedicated space. In another embodiment, irregular surfaces can be sealed so that an acoustic chamber for a speaker can be formed internal to a housing for a portable electronic device.
US08265308B2
An apparatus (100) including two housings and a piezoelectric transducer is disclosed. The apparatus may include a first housing (110), a hinge (115) coupled to the first housing, and a second housing (140) coupled the first housing via the hinge. The first housing can have a closed position when the first housing is substantially adjacent to the second housing and the first housing can have an open position when a portion of the first housing is substantially away from the second housing. The apparatus can also include a first piezoelectric element (130) coupled to the second housing where the first piezoelectric element can be substantially in contact with the first housing when the first housing is in the closed position. The apparatus can further include a user interface (140) coupled to the second housing and a controller (150) coupled to the first piezoelectric element and the user interface. The controller can drive the first piezoelectric element to cause the first housing to vibrate against the second housing when the first housing is in the closed position. The controller can also drive the first piezoelectric element to provide tactile feedback in response to user activation of the user interface.
US08265307B2
An acoustic transducer radiates a sound wave into a medium, and includes: a shaft member which extends at a center portion of the acoustic transducer; first and second cylindrical acoustic radiation plates which have a cylindrical shape, a central axis of the first and second cylindrical acoustic radiation plates agreeing with the longitudinal axis of the shaft member, the first and second cylindrical acoustic radiation plates alternately arranged in a direction of the central axis; a plurality of connection members which have a ring shape, and connect adjacent first and second acoustic radiation plates to each other; a plurality of bending vibration plates each of which connects the shaft member and one of the connection members to each other; and a plurality of vibrators which are provided on the bending plates. The first acoustic radiation plate has a sectional shape which is curved outwardly in a radial direction thereof, and the sectional shape of the first acoustic radiation plate is along a plane including the central axis. The second acoustic radiation plate has a sectional shape which is curved inwardly in a radial direction thereof, and the sectional shape of the second acoustic radiation plate is along a plane including the central axis.
US08265306B2
Provided is a digital microphone having a power supply. In this case the power supply is configured so as to provide a P48 V phantom power.
US08265301B2
Audio signal processing apparatus is disclosed. The audio signal processing apparatus includes a first audio signal extracting section, a second audio signal extracting section, a sense-of-depth controlling section, a sense-of-sound-expansion controlling section, a control signal generating section, and a mixing section. The first audio signal extracting section extracts a main audio signal. The second audio signal extracting section extracts a sub audio signal. The sense-of-depth controlling section processes the extracted main audio signal to control a sense of depth. The sense-of-sound-expansion controlling section processes the extracted sub audio signal to vary a sense of sound expansion. The control signal generating section generates a first control signal with which the sense-of-depth controlling section is controlled and a second control signal with which the sense-of-sound-expansion controlling section is controlled. The mixing section mixes an output audio signal of the sense-of-depth controlling section and an output audio signal of the sense-of-sound-expansion controlling section.
US08265290B2
Provided is a dereverberation system or the like which copes with an arbitrary condition flexibly and is capable of recognizing a sound or a sound source signal. According to the dereverberation system, an inverse filter (h) is set by using a pseudo-inverse matrix (R+) of a non-square matrix (R) as a correlation matrix of input signals (x). On the basis of the inverse filter (h) and an estimated correlation matrix (R^) generated according to a window function (w), an error cost (J(h) between a correlation value of the input signals (x) and output signals (y) and a desired correlation value (d) is calculated. On the basis of the error cost (J(h)), the inverse filter (h) is adaptively updated according to a gradient method.
US08265289B2
A method and system for clear signal capture comprehend several individual aspects that address specific problems in improved ways. In addition, the method and system also comprehend a hands-free implementation that is a practical solution to a very complex problem. Individual aspects comprehended related to echo and noise reduction, and divergence control.
US08265285B2
Aspects for monitoring audible tones indicative of operational status of each planar in a multiple planar chassis are described. Included in the aspects is the monitoring of a speaker channel of each planar of a plurality of planars in a common chassis for state changes of beep tones. An operational status of a specific planar emitting the beep tones is identified based on the state changes.
US08265283B2
An acoustic processing device, includes an inputting section which receives a first audio signal and a second audio signal, a first input signal amplifying section which amplifies the first audio signal at an amplification factor, a second input signal amplifying section which amplifies the second audio signal at an amplification factor, a first initial delayed amplifying section, a first adding section which adds the first audio signal amplified by the first amplifying portion and the first audio signal amplified by the first input signal amplifying section, a second adding section which adds the first audio signal amplified by the second amplifying portion and the second audio signal amplified by the second input signal amplifying section, a first supplying section which supplies an audio signal output from the first adding section to a first sound emitting section, and a second supplying section which supplies an audio signal output from the second adding section to a second sound emitting section different from the first sound emitting section.
US08265282B2
A method of secure management of data records stored in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag includes data fields whose contents are provided by different parties. Some of the data-fields contain public information data accessible to authorized end users. The data records are stored in encrypted form by encrypting data provided by different parties with different keys so as to set different access rights for contents providers and end users. The end users are supplied only with the keys allowing access to information data fields, whereas proprietary data are accessible only to the data owners. The keys are provided to the users in encrypted form.
US08265277B2
A method of encrypting a digital television signal involves examining unencrypted packets of data in the digital television signal to identify a selected packet type; duplicating packets identified as being of a selected packet type to produce pairs of duplicated packets; encrypting one of each pair of the duplicated packets; inserting the encrypted packets along with the unencrypted packets of the selected packet type to the digital television signal along with the unencrypted packets of data that are not of the selected packet type into produce a selectively encrypted digital television signal that contains duplicate packets of the selected packet type with one of the duplicate packets being encrypted while the other of the duplicated packets remains unencrypted; and broadcasting the selectively encrypted television signal. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08265275B2
A cryptographic authentication system comprises an authentication media key block that comprises media key precursors. The system generates transformed keys by applying a function to a media ID of a media and each of the media key precursors, and generates entries in a binding table by applying an encrypting function to a media key of an encrypted content and each of the transformed keys. To play encrypted content, a media player processes the authentication media key block using a device key to extract a media key precursor, extracts a media key from the binding table using the extracted media key precursor and the media ID, and verifies that the extracted media key matches the media key of the encrypted content, allowing the media device to decrypt and play the encrypted content.
US08265270B2
The claimed subject matter in accordance with an aspect provides systems and/or methods that generates, allocates, or utilizes strong symmetric cryptographic keys to secure storage devices. The system can include components that determine whether a storage device with an associated credential cache has been affiliated with the system. The system extracts authentication information included within the credential cache and establishes communications with a web service that utilizes the authentication information to generate and return a set strong symmetric cryptographic keys to the system. The system employs one of the set of strong symmetric cryptographic keys to encrypt or decrypt the storage device to make content persisted on the storage device available and thereafter removes the distributed set of strong symmetric cryptographic keys from the system.
US08265261B1
The present invention is directed to systems and methods of personalizing a self-service option for customers. Customers are identified at call inception and the self-service channel is personalized to tailor the caller experience based upon information specific to each customer. The systems and methods of telephone channel personalization is company/provider driven, which allows the provider to control and personalize the caller experience based on criteria set by the provider. The telephone channel personalization systems and methods determine what choices to present to the caller (i.e., in a speech self-service application—what to say and how to say it). A personalized self-service channel reduces call time and enhances the caller experience and therefore is an attractive option for businesses utilizing a call-center model. The personalized self-service application caters to the needs of a particular customer and appears to the customer that the provider knows why they are calling. This level of personalization optimizes and greatly enhances the caller experience, shorten call duration, and lessen the number of “opt out to operators” selections—leading to improved operational capacity for the self-service channel.
US08265260B2
Exemplary embodiments relate to methods, systems, user devices and computer program products for providing human-assisted natural language call routing. Systems include a call interface device on an IVR system for receiving a telephone call from a caller. The system also includes a level one agent processing module for facilitating the handling of the telephone call when it is not directed by the IVR system after an initial interaction and a second interaction between the caller and the IVR system. The system further includes a level two agent processing module for facilitating the handling of the telephone call when it is not directed by the IVR system after the initial interaction and when a level two agent is available. In addition the system includes a level three agent processing module for facilitating the handling of the telephone call when a level three agent is available.
US08265248B2
Techniques for transfer error recovery are described. A system may comprise a context generator module operative to record context information for a first call session between a first call terminal and a call system resource, and store the context information with a context identifier in a context table. The system may include a transfer error context module to couple to the context generator module, the transfer error context module operative to generate transfer error context information having the context identifier. The system may include a call transfer module to couple to the transfer error context module, the call transfer module operative to send the transfer error context information to the first call terminal for use in case of a transfer failure event. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08265245B2
A system and method for processing telephone calls and providing enhanced services is presented. The call processing system includes a network control processor for controlling the processing and routing of the calls and for providing enhanced features, and a matrix switch for routing calls from an originating location to a terminating location. Operator consoles can be included to provide operator assistance to the caller. The network control processor comprises a central message processor that receives call data, determines the type of call, determines the processing required, and determines whether operator assistance is required. A call route distributor allocates an operator console to the call if required. A billing server is used to track billing information for the call while it is in progress. A database server is provided for database look-ups and storage. The call processing system also includes a validation system, a billing system, a distribution system, and a fraud detection and prevention system. The validation system is used to validate call information to determine whether the call can be placed. The billing system determines rates for calls and calculates the cost of completed calls. The distribution system distributes changes that are made to a master database to the appropriate slave database. The fraud detection and prevention system monitors originating and in-process calls to detect and possibly prevent possible fraudulent uses of phone services and systems. A client interface is provided to facilitate communications among applications and DEF records are used to define specific call processing actions.
US08265241B2
A method and system for initiating an incident-specific request for assistance from a citizen call station by touching a sequence of positions on a display screen. The citizen call station comprises a display having a touch-responsive mechanism for entering a call sequence of statements including initiating an alert, reporting a concern, and selecting help needed. A transmission mechanism for transmitting the call sequence to a control location is provided. A confirmation of the request, sent from the control location, may be received at the call station. The call station may also deliver information from a central location. The call station may include cameras, various sensors, two-way communications, and may be used to provide information on demand, outside of the normal security concerns.
US08265239B2
An architecture and method of voicemail based on session initiated protocol presence and location information of a callee is disclosed. A method of providing voicemail includes determining a location and a presence of a callee, and playing a customized voicemail greeting to a caller based on preferences defined by the callee and also based on at least one of the location and the presence.
US08265237B2
A system and method are disclosed for facilitating a custom ring in connection with a call. A ring tone delivery system may include an interface operable to receive a calling signal that indicates a request to place a call from a calling party to a communication device of a called party. The system may also include a network node communicatively coupled to the interface. The network node may be operable to determine whether the calling party is able to use a calling party selected ring tone. The network node may also be operable to determine whether the communication device will accept the calling party selected ring tone. The network node sends the calling party selected ring tone to the communication device when the calling party is able to use the calling party selected ring tone and when the communication device will accept the calling party selected ring tone.
US08265232B2
A method and arrangement for estimating line insertion loss of a customer transmission line at a frequency (f1) or a plurality of frequencies. Values of line insertion loss for at least two reference transmission lines are pre-measured at each frequency and stored in a memory. A calibration quantity representing an amplitude of a far-end Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) reflection is also measured for each of the reference transmission lines. The pre-measured line insertion loss of each reference transmission line is then calibrated by the calibration quantities of the reference transmission lines. The calibration quantity for the customer transmission line is then measured, and an estimate of the line insertion loss at each frequency for the customer transmission line is generated based on the calibrated line insertion losses of the reference transmission lines and the measured calibration quantity of the customer transmission line.
US08265214B2
An adaptive timing synchronization process dynamically adapts timing synchronization parameters for both wide and local area channels based on channel estimates. Timing synchronization parameters are dynamically adapted according to C/I estimates calculated from WID/LID energies. The timing synchronization algorithm 102 takes as the primary input, the current channel estimate 110 and produces an output comprising a correction to the current Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) sampling window position delta T (or offset) for locating the start of data within a current symbol 108. After dynamic parameter adjustment of noise filtering thresholds 104 and weak channel tap sensitivities 106 based on a calculated C/I from the channel estimate, a timing synchronization algorithm 102 locates the beginning of each continuous symbol by finding the boundary between the preamble, or cyclic prefix, and the useful data portions interlaced with pilots for channel information defining the start of a symbol 108.
US08265199B2
A receiving circuit includes a positive-side level judgment circuit, a negative-side level judgment circuit, and a gate circuit, and is configured to receive input of an AMI-coded signal, convert the signal to a binary output signal, and output the same. The positive-side level judgment circuit judges whether the voltage of an input signal is greater or less than a threshold on the positive side. The threshold on the positive side is provided with a hysteresis characteristic by a positive feedback. The negative-side level judgment circuit judges whether the voltage of an input signal is greater or less than a threshold on the negative side. The threshold on the negative side is provided with a hysteresis characteristic by a positive feedback loop. The gate circuit logically combines the outputs of the positive-side and negative-side level judgment circuits so as to generate the output signal.
US08265185B2
Method and system encodes a signal according to a code rate that includes a ratio of uncoded bits to coded bits. An outer Reed-Solomon encoder encodes the signal into codewords. An interleaver converts the codewords into bits of frames for wireless transmission. An inner encoder executes a convolutional code to generate an encoded signal. The encoded signal is transmitted over a plurality of subcarriers associated with a wide bandwidth channel. The convolutional code is punctured and code states are added by the inner encoder to improve the code rate.
US08265182B2
Provided is a radio transmission device (100) which can flexibly cope with a request for assuring an error ratio feature during a high transmission rate, a request for increasing a cell coverage, or the like. The radio transmission device (100) includes a first subcarrier modulation unit (104) which forms a first subcarrier modulation signal obtained by converting a plurality of modulation signals into a frequency region; a second subcarrier modulation unit (105) which forms a second subcarrier modulation signal obtained by parallel conversion of a plurality of signals; an IFFT unit (111) which forms an OFDM signal by performing inverse Fourier transform on the first and the second subcarrier modulation signal; and a subcarrier mapping unit (110) which controls allocation of the first and the second subcarrier modulation signals.
US08265180B2
A system, device and method are described for suppressing certain sub-carrier frequencies within a multi-path transmission system and efficiently notifying a receiver (400) of the suppressed sub-carriers. In various embodiments of the invention, an OFDM system uses the preamble (210) of an OFDM burst for indicating which sub-carrier frequencies are being suppressed by a transmitter (300).
US08265177B2
A system and method for generating a number of candidate beamforming vectors for transmission of high definition video data over a wireless medium is disclosed. In one embodiment the system comprises a memory configured to store a plurality of candidate beamforming vectors and a processor for executing software configured to i) determine the number (N) of transmitter antennas and the number (Q) of candidate beamforming vectors to be constructed, ii) provide a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) matrix comprising Q rows and Q columns, iii) select N rows of the DFT matrix, and iv) generate an abridged matrix using the selected N rows, wherein each column of the abridged matrix is configured to be used as a candidate beamforming vector for transmission of a high definition video data signal.
US08265165B2
A method and apparatus for decoding video data that is encoded by bit rate control to keep a bandwidth of a bit stream in a predetermined range are provided. The encoded video data is decoded, picture quality estimation information is estimated, the estimation including information about a bit stream size of a decoded video frame, the number of fragmented macro blocks included in the video frame, and the number of skip-mode macro blocks included in the video frame, the picture quality of the video data is determined based on a correlation between picture quality estimation information and SNR, and the video data is output by applying a picture quality improving algorithm to the video data, if the determined picture quality is lower than a predetermined level.
US08265153B2
A moving picture coding apparatus for performing inter-picture predictive coding on pictures constituting a moving picture is provided with a coding unit for performing predictive error coding on image data; a decoding unit for performing predictive error decoding on an output from the coding unit; a reference picture memory for holding output data from the decoding unit; and a motion vector detection unit for detecting forward and backward motion vectors on the basis of decoded image data stored in the memory. When coding a B picture, a picture that is timewise closest to the target picture is used as a candidate picture for forward reference, and an I or P picture that is timewise closest to the target picture is used as a candidate picture for backward reference. The moving picture coding apparatus so constructed can improve coding efficiency of a B picture to be subjected to bidirectional predictive coding.
US08265151B1
A method for video encoding is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating first sub-pel data for at least one of (i) a motion estimation and (ii) a mode decision by first filtering reference data and (B) generating second sub-pel data for a motion compensation by second filtering the reference data. Wherein a first performance of the first filtering may be different than a second performance of the second filtering.
US08265146B2
An information processing apparatus includes a data processor configured to execute processing for selecting a plurality of frame pictures from moving-picture data and for displaying an array of the selected frame pictures. In selecting frame pictures to be displayed, the data processor preferentially selects frame pictures corresponding to highlight points as frame pictures to be displayed, using highlight point information that allows identification of picture portions corresponding to important scenes, the highlight point information being recorded in association with the moving-picture data.
US08265136B2
A motion compensation module can be used in a video encoder for encoding a video input signal that includes a sequence of images are segmented into a plurality of macroblocks. The motion compensation module includes a motion search module, that generates a motion search motion vector for a plurality of subblocks for a plurality of partitionings of a macroblock of a plurality of macroblocks. A motion refinement module generates a refined motion vector for the plurality of subblocks for the plurality of partitionings of the macroblock of the plurality of macroblocks, based on the motion search motion vector for each of the plurality of subblocks of the macroblock of the plurality of macroblocks. The motion refinement module can operate in a plurality of selected modes including a first mode corresponding to a first sub-pixel resolution and a second mode corresponding to a second sub-pixel resolution.
US08265135B2
In one embodiment, the invention includes a method for compressing video data using redundant binary mathematics. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08265125B2
A code phase error estimating method includes calculating correlation for I and Q components of a reception signal, judging code phase based on the result of the correlation calculation; calculating a ratio of first difference to a second difference, where the first difference is a first correlation value minus a third correlation value and the second difference is a second correlation value minus the third correlation value, the first correlation value being a correlation value at the code phase, the second correlation value being a correlation value at a phase shifted from the code phase by X chip (0
US08265115B2
Surface emitting laser, method for manufacturing surface emitting laser, and image forming apparatus
A surface emitting laser includes a lower multilayer mirror and an upper multilayer mirror which are provided on a substrate. A first oxidizable layer is partially oxidized to form a first current confinement layer including a first conductive region and a first insulating region. A second oxidizable layer is partially oxidized to form a second current confinement layer including a second conductive region and a second insulating region, a boundary between the first conductive region and the first insulating region being disposed inside the second current confinement layer in an in-plane direction of the substrate. The first oxidizable layer and the second oxidizable layer or layers adjacent to the respective oxidizable layers are adjusted so that when both layers are oxidized under the same oxidizing conditions, the oxidation rate of the first oxidizable layer is lower than that of the second oxidizable layer.
US08265112B2
A directly driven laser includes multiple contacts, with at least one of the contacts for injecting current into the laser such that the laser reaches at least a lasing threshold and at least one of the contacts for providing a data signal to the laser. In some embodiments a differential data signal is effectively provided to a front and a rear section of the laser, while lasing threshold current is provided to a central portion of the laser.
US08265100B2
A method for start-up of a network, including a number of nodes, which are connected via channels. The nodes exchange information in the form of messages via the channels. The transition phase of a synchronizing node from its initial phase to a synchronized phase is separated in a first integration phase and a second subsequent cold-start phase. A synchronizing node in the integration phase listens to messages being sent from nodes in the synchronized phase and only reacts to an integration message (i-frame) if the integration message is a valid message. Furthermore, a synchronizing node, wherein integration of the synchronizing node to a set of already synchronized nodes was not successful after a specifiable period, changes into the cold-start phase, in which a cold-start procedure of the node is extracted, wherein in the cold-start phase the node does not react to integration messages of a node in the synchronized phase.
US08265098B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate use of power and phase coherence to multiplex or manage interference in a wireless communication environment. In accordance with various aspects set forth herein, systems and/or methods are provided that receive a spectrum of tones that include additional data, ascertain whether or not tone intensities of received tones included in the spectrum of tones exceeds a threshold, based on whether or not the tone intensities of the received tones exceed the threshold, decode information included in the received tones to extract the additional data, and thereafter decode information included in one or more remaining tones that fail to exceed the threshold in order to extract primary data.
US08265092B2
A receive queue provided in a computer system holds work completion information and message data together. An InfiniBand hardware adapter sends a single CQE+message data to the computer system that includes the completion Information and data. This information is sufficient for the computer system to receive and process the data message, thereby providing a highly scalable low latency receiving mechanism.
US08265091B2
Multiplexed traffic in a system where the maximum rate of all inputs exceeds the maximum rate of the output is processed via a separate queue for each input, and at any given forwarding clock cycle the earliest enqueued packet is forwarded via the output. In the event of congestion, a proportionally equal number of packets are dropped from each queue, where proportional equality corresponds to the number of packets dropped per number of packets enqueued. One implementation associates a time-stamp with each enqueued packet to indicate the time of enqueing relative to other enqueued packets. At any given forwarding clock cycle, the packet with the earliest time-stamp is forwarded.
US08265089B2
A gateway and/or software for running on a gateway that communicates data units from a connection based network to a connectionless network, where the gateway uses at least some network protocol data from the connection based network in checking against a set of rules to determine whether some responsive reaction is appropriate. Preferably, the network protocol data from the connection based network is low level network protocol data (that is, physical layer and/or data link layer) that would otherwise be discarded by the gateway as the data was de-encapsulated and sent along to the receiving, connectionless network. Some possible responsive reactions include: selectively blocking data communication; slowing down selected data communications; sending responsive communications back to selected data sending machines; and/or alerting of network administrator(s).
US08265088B2
An IP user data transport connection is established between a Media Gateway O and a Media Gateway T according to the BICC “Delayed Backward Bearer Establishment”. The Media Gateway O sends an IPBCP Accepted message towards the Media Gateway T upon receipt of an IPBCP Request message from Media Gateway T. The Media Gateway O sends data within the user data transport connection towards the Media Gateway T. The user data may arrive at the Media Gateway T before the IPBCP accepted message. The Media Gateway T retrieves the source IP address and Port number from a user data transport connection IP packet received the Media Gateway O, and sends the first user data transport connection IP packet(s) towards the Media Gateway O upon receipt of a user data transport connection IP packet from the Media Gateway O, using the retrieved IP Address and Port number as destination.
US08265080B2
Methods of performing retransmissions in respect of communications, uplink and/or downlink, on semi-persistent resources are provided. Various embodiments include: the mobile device keeps its radio on for an additional period immediately following an awake period upon determining there will be a retransmission; the mobile device turning its radio on for an additional period separate and distinct from the awake period.
US08265076B2
A QoS mechanism that evaluates congestion in one or more network nodes along the wireless delivery path to optimize the processing priority at the centralized wireless network controller. The QoS mechanism determines an idealized processing time for a given client packet, within a rich set of configurable QoS attributes, for a given defined flow and then adjusts the expectation of delivering the packet based on resource congestion measurements of the wireless infrastructure.
US08265073B2
Provisioning of network element with a provisioning element having a number of provisioning servers. Each provisioning server being active to support its own provisioning and to actively backup the provisioning of the provisioning servers such that operations of the provisioning servers is maximized while providing redundancy in the event that one of the other provisioning servers is lost or disabled.
US08265071B2
In one embodiment, edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a multi-stage switch fabric and peripheral processing devices. The edge devices and the multi-stage switch fabric can collectively define a single logical entity. A first edge device from the edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a first peripheral processing device from the peripheral processing devices. The second edge device from the edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a second peripheral processing device from the peripheral processing devices. The first edge device can be configured such that virtual resources including a first virtual resource can be defined at the first peripheral processing device. A network management module coupled to the edge devices and configured to provision the virtual resources such that the first virtual resource can be migrated from the first peripheral processing device to the second peripheral processing device.
US08265069B2
A system, terminating node, method, and computer program product enable an originating node in a public network to communicate with a terminating node in a private network by sending a non-IP-based message from the originating node to the terminating node, thereby causing the terminating node to initiate IP-based communication with the originating node. Because a client behind a NAT and/or firewall in a private network will generally be able to connect and establish a TCP/IP session to a server in the public network, this improves the ability of the originating node to communicate with the terminating node whenever desired. Once the IP-based communication session is established, the two nodes can exchange data in both directions until the connection between them is closed by either node. As such, unmodified client and server TCP/IP applications are able to traverse a NAT/firewall, without the need for configuration of an intermediary node.
US08265068B2
A system including a first network configured to receive IP device data from an IP device and to provide one or more IP addresses of the IP device based on the IP device data; a second network comprising: a second network location database configured to store physical location information, and a second network location server configured to receive the one or more IP addresses of the IP device from the first network, and query the second network location database to determine physical location information of the IP device based on the one or more IP addresses.
US08265067B2
A system and method for enabling communication concurrently over multiple access points and multiple physical media including but not limited to: cellular, network (e.g., Ethernet), broadband wireless, audio communication schemes.
US08265066B2
A method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless communication system is described. Sending of unicast packets to an access terminal is ceased. It is determined if a ReverseTrafficChannelMAC.UATIReceived indication is received, wherein MAC is medium access control and UATI is unicast access terminal identifier. The access network transitions to a BindUATI state.
US08265055B2
A storage unit stores a preamble signal defined in a legacy system and a preamble signal defined in a MIMO system. A monitoring unit in a transmitting apparatus monitors the existence of any communication apparatus which is not compatible with the MIMO system but accepts the legacy system. A channel characteristics acquiring unit derives the characteristics of a radio channel between the transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus. A selector selects a packet format based on a monitoring result obtained by the monitoring unit. The selector also selects where to place LTS, based on the characteristics of wireless channel derived by the channel characteristics acquiring unit.
US08265045B2
A method for reducing power consumption in a wireless sensor network is provided. An optimized path destined for a sink node is set using a common channel in which first and second nodes use a CSMA scheme. A first channel is set and transmission/reception slots for packet transmission/reception are allocated in the first channel. A packet is transmitted to the second node through a first transmission slot using a TDMA scheme. When a packet is not received from the second node through a first reception slot within a first set amount of time, the first reception slot is allowed to transition to an inactive state. The first node is one of the sink node, at least one parent node, and at least one child node of the parent node, and the second node is one of child nodes of the first node.
US08265038B2
Techniques for use in a network processing component is for initially establishing, via a gateway, a voice call between a mobile device which operates in a wireless network and a destination device. A first connection leg of the voice call is to be established between the mobile device and a conference room of the gateway. The technique involves sending to the gateway a request message for establishing a second connection leg between the network processing component and the destination device, and then subsequently sending to the gateway a re-routing message for re-routing the second connection leg from the network processing component to the conference room. This causes a voice call having the first and the second connection legs to be initially established between the mobile device and the destination device via the gateway.
US08265034B2
A method and system for processing a signaling connection release indication between user equipment and a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring, at the user equipment, whether a signaling connection release indication should be sent to the wireless network; appending, at the user equipment, a cause for the signaling connection release indication to the signaling connection release indication; sending the appended signaling connection release indication to the wireless network; receiving the signaling connection release indication at the wireless network; and filtering said cause to determine whether to raise an alarm.
US08265031B2
A disclosed base station transmits a broadcast channel to a user device a predefined number of times in a predetermined cycle for communication with the user device. The base station includes a repetition unit configured to repeat the broadcast channel, after the broadcast channel is channel-coded, for the predefined number of times to generate multiple broadcast channels; and a signal waveform changing unit configured to process the generated broadcast channels such that the processed broadcast channels have different signal waveforms. Positions of the broadcast channels in the order of transmission in the predetermined cycle are associated with the signal waveforms of the broadcast channels.
US08265030B2
A base station apparatus is disclosed to be used in a mobile communication system where Persistent Scheduling is performed. The base station apparatus includes a radio communication unit configured to perform radio communications with a specific user equipment terminal using radio resources provided every predetermined period based on the Persistent Scheduling and an allocation unit configured to allocate radio resources to a user equipment terminal other than the specific user equipment by selecting the radio resources that are not used for uplink or downlink packet data for the specific user equipment from among radio resources provided the every predetermined period.
US08265025B2
Disclosed is a radio transmission device and a radio transmission method which reduces the RACH conflict ratio and improve the RACH detection characteristic. When the device and the method are used: as the number of signature numbers allocated for UE by the network side increases, the condition for allocating a signature by UE itself is mitigated and an expectation value which is a statistic average value of the RA quantity using the signature allocated by UE for itself is decreased; and as the number of signature numbers allocated for UE by the network side decreases, the condition for allocating a signature by UE itself is limited and an expectation value of the RA quantity using the signature allocated by UE for itself is increased.
US08265022B2
Methods and apparatus for providing useful data in association with a high-priority call such as an emergency call. In one embodiment, the data comprises a data (e.g., an MSD or FSD) embedded within one or more real-time protocol packets such as RTP Control Protocol (RTCP) packets, that are interspersed within the voice or user data stream (carried in e.g., RTP packets) of an emergency call. Apparatus and methods are described for transmitting the data portion reliably from the initiating terminal (e.g., an in-vehicle system) to a Public Safety Answering Point CPSAP), by using the same transport connection as the user data.
US08265014B2
In a mesh network a multiband OFDM Alliance (MBOA) system provides higher channel access efficiency through a Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP). A MBOA Physical layer (PHY) and a MBOA Medium Access Control (MAC) are used to increase the efficiency of the mesh network.
US08265002B2
A repeater device that is placed between a transmission device connected to a server device and a reception device connected to a console device that controls the server device. The repeater device repeats a signal between the transmission device and the reception device, and includes an equalizer amplifier that amplifies a signal that is received from the transmission device or another repeater device.
US08264992B2
A network component comprising a plurality of encoders, a plurality of rate-matching modules coupled to the encoders, and a channel interleaver coupled to the rate-matching modules, wherein the rate-matching modules calculate the number of bits for rate matching a plurality of feedback control information based on a total number of bits allocated to a channel traffic without a traffic data. Included is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to encode a plurality of feedback control information, calculate the number of bits for rate-matching the feedback control information based on a total number of bits allocated to a channel traffic without a traffic data. Included is a method comprising receiving a downlink traffic, detecting a request to transmit uplink data in the downlink traffic, and transmitting feedback control information with or without data based on the request.
US08264988B2
A method for inferring end-to-end network topology and to accurately determine a layer-3 routing tree between one sender and a set of receivers in the presence of anonymous routers in a network.
US08264986B2
In a wireless communication system, a base station control device has following two steps on the basis of latitude/longitude information obtained from a GPS, that is, a first step of recognizing, from the positional information obtained from the GPS, the fact that base stations in new and old systems are installed at the same location, and a second step of linking a neighbor list of the old system to a neighbor list of the new system with use of the result of the first step.
US08264969B2
A reference signal of reference pulses occurring at a uniform reference pulse rate is received. An error event signal of error event pulses occurring at a variable error event pulse rate corresponding to a rate of detected error event occurrences is received. An integrator output signal is produced from the reference signal and the error event signal. The integrator output signal has a value that approaches a first boundary threshold when the reference pulse rate exceeds the error event pulse rate and approaches a second boundary threshold when the error event pulse rate exceeds the reference pulse rate. A decision signal is set to a first value in response to a determination that the value of the received integrator output signal meets a first decision threshold and set to a second value in response to a determination that the value of the received integrator output signal meets a second decision threshold.
US08264967B2
Method and apparatus for tracking, recording and distributing link state characteristics over communications networks. The invention allows network operators to efficiently define, track, store and disseminate link state characteristics using a bit-field-encoded resource record that is capable of representing many more link state characteristics than the bit-mask-encoded records used in existing systems. As a result, the present invention, when used in conjunction with standard routing and network maintenance algorithms, provides a much more efficient method than existing systems provide, for performing sophisticated networking tasks, such as handling complicated information transmission requests, setting up and tearing down network paths, and making dynamic routing decisions.
US08264965B2
Various exemplary embodiments are a method and related device and computer-readable medium including one or more of the following: receiving a packet sent from the source node to the destination node; associating the packet with an active flow by accessing information in the packet; performing deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify an application associated with the active flow; associating application-identifying information with the packet; forwarding the packet including the application-identifying information towards the destination node; and performing application-specific processing at a downstream device on at least one packet belonging to the active flow, the downstream device identifying the application associated with the active flow by extracting the application-identifying information from the packet.
US08264962B2
A technique dynamically resizes Traffic Engineering (TE) Label Switched Paths (LSPs) at a head-end node of the TE-LSPs in preparation to receive redirected traffic in response to an event in a computer network. The novel dynamic TE-LSP resizing technique is based on the detection of an event in the network that could cause traffic destined for one or more other (“remote”) head-end nodes of one or more TE-LSPs to be redirected to an event-detecting (“local”) head-end node of one or more TE-LSPs. An example of such a traffic redirection event is failure of a remote head-end node or failure of any of its TE-LSPs. Specifically, the local head-end node maintains TE-LSP steady state sampling and resizing frequencies to adapt the bandwidth of its TE-LSP(s) to gradual changes in the network over time. Upon detection of an event identifying possible traffic redirection, the local head-end node enters a Fast Resize (FR) state, in which the sampling and resizing frequencies are increased to quickly adapt the TE-LSP bandwidth(s) to any received redirected traffic.
US08264961B2
A method and system for multicast and broadcast system (MCBCS) synchronization and macro diversity is provided. In an embodiment, an MBS Proxy creates the necessary messages with synchronization rules embedded therein. The messages are provided to an MBS Distributed DPF and a base station, which performs a final PHY frame construction for transmission. In another embodiment, the MBS Proxy provides the necessary information to the base station and the base station creates the messages, including the synchronization rules. In yet another embodiment, the base station receives raw IP packet information and synchronization information. In this last embodiment, the base station creates the packets and frames based on the information provided to it.
US08264956B2
This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for providing service redundancy among devices in a communication network. The devices can be, for example, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a PDN gateway (P-GW), a call session control function (CSCF), a SGSN, a GGSN, or any other device implemented on a chassis. The redundancy includes a geographic redundancy where the devices are remotely located from one another to prevent a service outage. The devices can provide redundancy to multiple other devices, such that one device serves as a backup to multiple other devices. The information used to provide service to a mobile node such as user equipment can be backed up on the redundancy device and the device can advertise the same routing information to the network so the network is unaware of any change.
US08264953B2
Rapid channel failure detection and recovery in wireless communication networks is needed in order to meet, among other things, carrier class Ethernet channel standards. Thus, resilient wireless packet communications is provided using a physical layer link aggregation protocol with a hardware-assisted rapid channel failure detection algorithm and load balancing, preferably in combination. This functionality may be implemented in a Gigabit Ethernet data access card with an engine configured accordingly. In networks with various topologies, these features may be provided in combination with their existing protocols.
US08264948B2
A plurality of system board modules are connected to a crossbar module. An error detection unit detects an error in a packet received from a corresponding system board module. When an error is detected by the error detection unit, a transmission control unit issues a completion data generation request. When receiving the completion data generation request, a packet completion unit generates completion data. When receiving an error packet, a selector circuit outputs a completion packet in which completion data is provided in place of a data unit involving error.
US08264942B2
A method for forming an optical disc includes forming a first disc portion, forming a second disc portion, coupling the first disc portion to the second disc portion, wherein forming the first disc portion includes forming a data recording layer, and wherein forming the second disc portion includes forming a material layer including a plurality of embossed features having a depth of approximately ¼λ for optimized encoder compatibility, where λ is the wavelength of a light source being used to sense the embossed features.
US08264941B2
An arrangement, a method and a system to read information stored in a layer of ferroelectric media. The arrangement includes a layer including a ferroelectric media having one or more ferroelectric domains holding bit charges, a domain corresponding to information; a probe having a tip, wherein the media and the tip are adapted to move relative to one another such that the tip scans the ferroelectric domains of the media while applying a contact force to the domains to generate a direct piezoelectric effect within the domains; and circuitry coupled to the tip and adapted to generate a signal in response to an electrical coupling between the tip and the domains while scanning the tip in contact with the domains, the signal corresponding to a readout signal for ferroelectric bit charges stored in the media.
US08264940B2
The present invention contributes to getting a reproduction/recording operation done with stability on an information recording medium by utilizing an absorption edge shifting phenomenon. An apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes: a light source 20 for emitting a laser beam; a lens 6 for condensing the beam onto an information recording medium 21; and a photodetector 19 for detecting light reflected from the medium 21, of which a recording layer includes a material that absorbs the beam at an increasing absorptance as the absorption edge of a light absorption spectrum shifts, with a rise in temperature, toward a longer wavelength range as a result of a band-to-band transition of electrons. The apparatus 100 of this invention further includes: a wavelength detecting section 26 for detecting at least one of the wavelength of the beam and its variation; a temperature sensing section 27 for sensing at least one of the temperature of the medium 21 or its ambience and its variation; and a control section 28 for controlling the power of the light source 20 based on the respective outputs of the wavelength detecting section 26 and the temperature sensing section 27.
US08264938B2
Two light flux areas are disposed in a direction along which a pair of vertically opposite angles defined by first and second straight lines are aligned, and the other two light flux areas are disposed in a direction along which the other pair of vertically opposite angles are aligned. A spectral element sets propagating directions of divided elements of each of light fluxes obtained by dividing each of the light fluxes by a third straight line intersecting with the first and second straight lines by an angle of 45 degrees, or by a fourth straight line orthogonal to the third straight line to disperse the divided elements on a photodetector. The photodetector is provided with sensors which individually receive the divided elements of the light fluxes.
US08264932B2
An optical disc device and an adjusting method for a recording condition for use with the optical disc device that records data into an optical disc medium by using codes whose shortest run length is 2T and reproduces the recorded data by using an adaptive equalizing procedure and a PRML procedure, wherein the recording condition is so adjusted that a reproduced signal with desired quality can be obtained, by using, as the adaptive equalizing procedure, a procedure in which a tap coefficient Cn is set to a value obtained by averaging values of a tap coefficient an renewed by a LMS method, located symmetrically with each other along the time axis.
US08264915B2
A time information-acquiring apparatus comprises an input waveform generator which generates an input waveform, a predicted waveform generator which generates plural phase-shifted predicted waveforms, a correlation calculator which calculates a positive correlation based on a first value of the input waveform and a first value of the predicted waveform or a second value of the input waveform and a second value of the predicted waveform, and calculates a negative correlation based on the first value of the input waveform and the second value of the predicted waveform or the second value of the input waveform and the first value of the predicted waveform, a comparator which compares the correlation values to detect an optimal value, and a controller which detects a head position of a second based on a predicted waveform related to the optimal value.
US08264914B2
An electronic timepiece wherein, when the week number indicates an n-th cycle from a specific reference date as a cycle number, a date determination information setting unit sets the date determination information using a partial unit that is a different number in each date corresponding to the same week number in a plurality of consecutive cycle numbers, and the date determination unit acquires the date in each cycle number identified by the week number and time of week based on week number cycle information correlating week numbers, cycle numbers, and dates, and determines in which of these dates the partial unit matches the date determination information.
US08264910B2
A watch able to be used as a cryptographic system to encrypt plaintext to ciphertext or decrypt ciphertext to plaintext includes a watch face and a plurality of concentric rings. Each of the plurality of concentric rings is rotatable with respect to the watch face and includes a number of symbols, the number of symbols corresponding to the number of hours represented on the watch face, at least some of the symbols corresponding to letters of an alphabet, characters in a writing system and/or numbers. At least one of the plurality of concentric rings is rotatable in a direction opposite to a direction of at least one other of the plurality of concentric rings.
US08264905B2
A nonvolatile memory device using variable resistive element with reduced layout size and improved performance is provided. The nonvolatile memory device comprising: a main word line; multiple sub-word lines, wherein each of the sub-word line is connected to multiple nonvolatile memory cells; and a section word line driver which controls voltage level of the multiple sub-word lines, wherein the section word line driver includes multiple pull-down elements which are connected to each of the multiple sub-word lines and a common node and a selection element which is connected to the common node and the main word line.
US08264898B2
A system and methodology that can minimize disturbance during an AC operation associated with a memory, such as, program, read and/or erase, is provided. The system pre-charges all or a desired subset of the bit lines in a memory array to a specified voltage, during an AC operation to facilitate reducing AC disturbances between neighboring cells. A pre-charge voltage can be applied to all bit lines in a block in the memory array, or to bit lines associated with a selected memory cell and neighbor memory cells adjacent to the selected memory cell in the block. The system ensures that source and drain voltage levels can be set to desired levels at the same or substantially the same time, while selecting a memory cell. This can facilitate minimizing AC disturbances in the selected memory cell during the AC operation.
US08264897B2
A static random access memory includes: a memory cell connected with a pair of bit lines and supplied with a power supply voltage from a first power supply; a precharge circuit configured to precharge the pair of bit lines with a precharge voltage; and a voltage reducing circuit including: a control circuit comprising a differential amplifier circuit configured to amplify a difference input of a reference voltage generated through resistance division of the power supply voltage and the precharge voltage supplied to a node to output a control signal; and a voltage reduction control transistor connected between the node and the first power supply and configured to generate the precharge voltage in response to the control signal. The precharge circuit includes: precharge transistors configured to control supply of the precharge voltage to the bit lines in response to a first precharge control signal.
US08264895B2
A method of sensing a data value stored at a resistance based memory is disclosed. The method includes receiving a data signal from a data cell. The data cell includes a resistance based memory element. A reference signal is received from a reference circuit. The reference circuit includes a resistance based memory element. The data signal is converted to a data output signal having a first frequency. The reference signal is converted to a reference output signal having a second frequency. A first output signal is generated when the first frequency exceeds the second frequency. A second output signal is generated when the second frequency exceeds the first frequency.
US08264887B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a memory block including a number of cell strings, a channel voltage detection unit configured to detect channel voltages of the cell strings in which the channel voltages are changed based on voltages supplied to memory cells of the cell strings during a program operation and to generate channel voltage code based on an average channel voltage of the detected channel voltages, and a voltage supply unit configured to change a level of a pass voltage of the voltages supplied to memory cells in which the pass voltage is supplied to the memory cells during the program operation according to the channel voltage code.
US08264884B2
The present invention includes methods, circuits and systems for reading non-volatile memory (“NVM”) cells, including multi-level NVM cells. According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be provided a NVM cell threshold voltage detection circuit adapted to detect an approximate threshold voltage associated with a charge storage region of a NVM cell, where the NVM cell may be a single or a multi-charge storage region cell. A decoder circuit may be adapted to decode and/or indicate the logical state of a NVM cell charge storage region by mapping or converting a detected approximate threshold voltage of the charge storage region into a logical state value.
US08264881B2
A semiconductor memory is provided which includes: a first pad; a second pad disposed adjacent to the first pad; a first output buffer coupled to the first pad; and a second output buffer coupled to the second pad. The first pad is coupled to the second pad by metal.
US08264880B1
The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to non-volatile memory. A described device includes a non-volatile memory structure including a first data area, and a second data area that stores information. The information can include a first value corresponding to the first data area, the first value being set responsive to a last programming cycle on the first data area, and a second value indicating a total number of programming or erasing operations on the first data area.
US08264873B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory circuit for use in compensating for time dependent resistive changes in phase change memory cells is presented. The non-volatile semiconductor memory circuit includes a control signal generation unit and a sensing block. The control signal generation unit is configured to provide a control signal having a voltage level corresponding to a read command or a write command. The sensing block is configured to selectively provide a first sensing reference voltage substantially equal to a reference voltage. The sensing block is also configured to selectively provide a second sensing reference voltage which is lower than the reference voltage. The first and second sensing reference voltages are selectively provided as a function of the voltage level of the control signal in which the first and second sensing reference voltages are used to read data of the memory cell array.
US08264871B2
A phase change memory device is constituted of a plurality of memory cells including a plurality of phase change memory elements, which are arranged at intersecting points formed between a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines. A write circuit which operates based on a write voltage source (Vwrite) is controlled by control signals (e.g. WE, RDIS, SDIS, and DIN) output from a control circuit which operates based on a voltage source (VDD), where Vwrite>VDD. All the control signals based on VDD are applied to the gates of N-channel MOS transistors included in the write circuit. This allows adequately high write currents to be supplied to phase change memory elements; and this eliminates the necessity of arranging a potential switch circuit in the write circuit, thus reducing the scale of the phase change memory device.
US08264857B2
A direct current-direct current (DC/DC) converter operated in the resonant mode of operation for converting a direct input voltage into a direct output voltage with a bridge circuit located on the input side and incorporating switching elements, with a resonance circuit incorporating a resonance inductance and a resonance capacitance as well as with a high-frequency transformer for galvanic separation is disclosed, the transformer incorporates at least one primary winding and at least one secondary winding with at least two winding terminals each. The alternating current (AC) output of the bridge circuit is connected to the primary winding and a rectifier bridge with diodes to the secondary winding. A voltage boosting circuit array is connected downstream of the resonant circuit in such a manner that at least one additionally controllable switching element is contained, which is connected in parallel or in series to at least one additional diode or to at least one diode of the rectifier bridge on the secondary side, this array being connected in parallel to the high-frequency transformer so that the additional switching element short-circuits the resonance circuit in a triggered condition so that energy is stored in the resonance inductance and is delivered in the non-triggered condition.
US08264855B2
An electronic device includes an enclosure and a locking assembly. The enclosure defines an accommodating hole and includes a bottom wall defining a pair of receiving portions. Centers of the pair of receiving portions define an imaginary line. The accommodating hole is configured on a perpendicular bisector of the imaginary line. The locking assembly includes a guiding part, a pair of sliding portions, and a control portion. The guiding part and the bottom wall cooperatively define a receiving space receiving the sliding portions. Each of the sliding portions includes a securing portion, a blocking portion and a groove closing to the blocking portion. One end of the control portion passes through the accommodating hole, and the other end is received in the receiving space. The control portion defines a pair of guiding grooves symmetrical about and inclined to the perpendicular bisector and used to engage with the securing portions.
US08264850B2
An electronic device package includes an electronic device including a plurality of input/output terminals, a wiring board which places the electronic device on a first surface and includes wiring connected to the input/output terminals of the electronic device, and a first connection terminal formed on a second surface of the wiring board and connected to the wiring, wherein the first connection terminal has an uneven contact surface formed to receive solder material placed thereon.
US08264848B2
An electrical assembly having controlled impedance signal traces and a portable electronic device comprising an electrical assembly having controlled impedance signal traces are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided an electrical assembly, comprising: a chassis for mounting electronic components, the chassis being made from a conductive material and forming a first ground plane; a first dielectric layer overlaying the chassis; a first signal trace overlaying the first dielectric layer; and a second dielectric layer overlaying the first signal trace.
US08264831B2
A mounting apparatus includes a mounting bracket, a mounting piece adapted to mount a PCI card to the mounting bracket, and a securing member. The mounting bracket includes a base and a blocking plate. The mounting piece includes an elongated body and a mounting end. The securing member includes a first pivoting portion pivotably attached to the mounting bracket, a pressing portion, and a mounting portion. The mounting portion includes a securing portion. The securing portion includes a handling portion and a second engaging portion extending from the handling portion. The second engaging portion engages the first engaging portion. The handling portion is configured to drive the second engaging portion to disengage the first engaging portion by pressing the handling portion.
US08264826B2
An electronic apparatus includes: a main body including a battery pack mounting portion at an end in a direction; a display portion to be openable to the main body via a hinge portion provided at an end in the direction; a battery pack detachable from the battery pack mounting portion along the direction; a first connector portion provided at a position of the battery pack mounting portion on the end side in the direction; a second connector portion provided to the battery pack and connectable to the first connector portion; a first engagement portion provided at another end of the battery pack mounting portion in the direction; a second engagement portion provided to the battery pack and capable of being engaged with the first engagement portion relatively in the direction; and a notch portion provided at an end of the battery pack in the direction, for avoiding the hinge portion.
US08264822B2
An image display apparatus includes an image display apparatus main body and a pedestal part supporting the image display apparatus main body. The image display main body has a display module, a center frame, a left R cover, a right R cover, and an upper pedestal fixing member connecting part. The display module displays an image on a front face. The center frame is connected to the back face of the display module, and a part thereof is exposed to the outside. The left R cover and the right R cover are connected to the center frame, and cover the back face of the display module. The upper pedestal fixing member connecting part is provided protruding backward from the center frame. The pedestal part has a bottom plate part, a pedestal fixing member, and an upper center frame connecting part. The pedestal fixing member is provided in the bottom plate part. The upper center frame connecting part is provided in the pedestal fixing member, and supports the image display apparatus main body via the upper pedestal fixing member connecting part.
US08264820B2
A handheld computing device and handheld music player are disclosed. The handheld computing device includes a seamless enclosure formed from an extruded tube. The extruded tube includes open ends and internal rails which serve as a guide for slidably assembling an operational assembly through the open ends of the extruded tube, a reference surface for positioning the operational assembly relative to an access opening in the seamless enclosure, and a support structure for supporting the operational assembly during use. The handheld music player includes an elongated extruded tube extending along a longitudinal axis. The elongated extruded tube has a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end, and defines an internal lumen which is sized and dimensioned for slidable receipt of operational components of the handheld music player. The lumen includes rails for guiding the operational components to their desired position within the lumen.
US08264817B2
A laminated ceramic capacitor which has a dielectric ceramic with a high dielectric constant and has excellent reliability against changes in temperature and mechanical shocks, even when dielectric ceramic layers are reduced in thickness employs a dielectric ceramic containing (Ba1-xCax)yTiO3 (where 0.045≦x≦0.15 and 0.98≦y≦1.05) as its main constituent and containing Re2O3 (where Re is at least one of Gd, Dy, Ho, Yb, and Y), MgO, MnO, V2O5, and SiO2 as accessory constituents, which is represented by the general formula: 100(Ba1-xCax)yTiO3+aRe2O3+bMgO+cMnO+dV2O5+eSiO2, and satisfies each of the following conditions: 0.65≦a≦1.5; 0.98≦y≦1.05; 0.15≦b≦2.0; 0.4≦c≦1.5; 0.02≦d≦0.25; and 0.2≦e≦3.0.
US08264809B2
An arc transfer device for use in a switchgear includes at least one first electrical connector configured to connect the arc transfer device to a voltage supply within the switchgear, and a racking cassette. The racking cassette includes at least one second electrical connector that is configured to be electrically coupled to the at least one first electrical connector based on the racking position of the arc transfer device.
US08264808B2
A solar cell unit is disclosed, wherein the solar cell module includes a solar cell unit converting light from the sun to a DC voltage and outputting the converted DC voltage; an inverting unit inverting the outputted DC voltage to an AC voltage; and an inverting outdoor unit protecting the inverting unit from outdoor space, wherein the inverting outdoor unit includes: a heat emitting unit emitting heat generated from the inverting outdoor unit or the inverting unit; and a thermal expansion protecting unit keeping temperature equilibrium between the inverting unit and the inverting outdoor unit.
US08264803B2
An alternator disconnector circuit-breaker of the invention presents a resistance (30) in series with the circuit-breaker switch (20′); the resistance (30) is of fixed ohmic value that is about 104 times greater than the value of the resistance of the main circuit of the circuit-breaker. By means of this configuration, it is possible to use a vacuum chamber as the circuit-breaker switch (20′), and to dimension the main switch (10), which, de facto, breaks the current even for very high short-circuit currents, under more advantageous conditions.
US08264799B2
A magnetic device includes a first magnetic layer having at least one magnetic material layer, a second magnetic layer having at least one magnetic material layer, a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, a third magnetic layer including a ferromagnetic material with a fixed magnetization direction, and a pair of electrodes. The pair of electrodes are operable to pass a current through a laminated body including the first and second magnetic layers, the nonmagnetic layer, and the third magnetic layer.
US08264790B2
A housing apparatus includes a plurality of housing units to have housed objects housed therein, a carrying unit to include the plurality of the housing units arranged in a ring shape, the carrying unit carrying the housing units to a carriage position, and a transferring unit to be disposed facing a carriage destination of the housed objects with the carrying unit existing therebetween to transfer the housed object in the housing unit carried and positioned at the carriage position from the housing unit to the carriage destination or to transfer the housed object in the carriage destination from the carriage destination to the housing unit.
US08264786B2
A lens module includes a lens barrel, a lens and an aperture plate. The lens barrel includes a main body. The lens barrel includes a main body with an inner sidewall. The lens is received in the main body and includes an optical portion and a non-optical portion surrounded the optical portion. The aperture plate is disposed on the image-side surface of the non-optical portion of lens. The aperture plate defines a plurality of cutouts on the outer periphery thereof and thereby leaving a plurality of flanges at the outer periphery thereof. The flanges abut the inner side wall. The cutouts are coated adhesive to firmly attach the aperture plate on the image-side surface of the lens and fixed on the inner sidewall of the main body.
US08264779B2
A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side and arranged along an optical axis, first to fifth lens units having positive, negative, positive, positive or negative, and positive refractive power, respectively. When zooming, the second lens unit moves monotonically to the image side, the third lens unit moves to the object side in a convex locus, the fifth lens unit moves nonlinearly, and the first and fourth lens units do not move. The fourth lens unit includes a first sub lens unit and a second sub lens unit; the first sub lens unit is an image-stabilizing lens unit that includes a first lens having negative refractive power and a second lens having positive or negative refractive power. The focal length of the fourth lens unit, the focal length of the entire system at the wide-angle end, the Abbe numbers of the materials of the first and second lenses are set appropriately based on predetermined conditions.
US08264778B2
A display substrate includes a base substrate, a reflection-polarization member, a first electrode, an insulation layer and a pixel wall. The reflection-polarization member is disposed on the base substrate to reflect and polarize incident light. The first electrode is disposed in a unit pixel area of the reflection-polarization member. The insulation layer is disposed on the first electrode. The pixel wall is disposed on the insulation layer and defines the unit pixel area. Therefore, the entire area of a unit pixel may be used as a reflective area or a transmissive area, and thus an aperture ratio may be improved in a reflection mode or a transmission mode.
US08264775B2
An optical system that allows an image to be displayed on the surface of a solar panel without this image forming an obstacle to direct solar rays. The system includes a solar panel, a lenticular surface formed from linear lenses, and a transparent film on which an image, the straight bands of which, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lenses, have been removed, is printed. At certain viewing angles, an observer can see only the image bands, whereas at other angles of incidence the sun's rays will pass through the transparent bands and reach the active surface of the solar sensor. The system is particularly suitable for, for example, aesthetic and architectural integration of solar panels, and for disseminating visual information on the surface thereof.
US08264772B2
A method disclosed herein relates to displaying three-dimensional images. The method comprising, projecting integral images to a display device, and displaying three-dimensional images with the display device. Further disclosed herein is an apparatus for displaying orthoscopic 3-D images. The apparatus comprising, a projector for projecting integral images, and a micro-convex-mirror array for displaying the projected images.
US08264769B2
A proposition is to reduce a waiting time during a light stimulus observation. In order to achieve the proposition, a light stimulus apparatus is characterized in that it includes a light path controlling unit that controls an irradiating position of light for stimulus on a specimen, and a controlling unit that generates a selected position signal of a selected position and an executive instruction signal for irradiation of the light for stimulus onto the specimen in conjunction with a confirm operation regarding the selected position performed by a pointing device on an image of the specimen displayed on a displaying unit, controls the light path controlling unit based on the selected position signal, and controls a light source which emits the light for stimulus based on the executive instruction signal.
US08264766B2
A wavelength conversion element is provided as one including a monocrystalline nonlinear optical crystal. The nonlinear optical crystal has: a plurality of first regions having a polarity direction along a predetermined direction; a plurality of second regions having a polarity direction opposite to the predetermined direction; an entrance face into which a fundamental incident wave having a wavelength λ and a frequency ω is incident in a direction substantially perpendicular to the predetermined direction; and an exit face from which a second harmonic with a frequency 2ω generated in the crystal emerges. The plurality of first and second regions are formed as alternately arranged in a period substantially equal to d expressed by a predetermined expression, between the entrance face and the exit face.
US08264751B2
Disclosed is an image processing method for processing an image obtained by reading a document plate on which at least one document is placed. The method includes a first detecting step of specifying a first rectangular region including all of objects included in the image to detect the coordinates of each vertex thereof, an identifying step of identifying on each object whether it is a document item, an eliminating step of eliminating the object which is not a document item from the image, a second detecting step of specifying a second rectangular region to detect the coordinates of each vertex thereof, the region including all of the objects after elimination and having a minimum area, a comparing step of comparing the coordinates of the vertices detected in the first and second detecting steps, and a determining step of determining a method of cropping the document based on the comparison result.
US08264746B2
An image sensor includes: a light transmissive member extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction of conveying the document; a reference portion provided outside the conveying region where a document is conveyed with respect to the orthogonal direction and having a transmittance lower than a transmittance of in the conveying region of the light transmissive member; and a light source unit. The image sensor further includes: a lens unit converging the light transmitting through the document and the reference portion; a light receiving unit that receives the light transmitted through the lens unit and outputs an electric signal; an amplifying unit that amplifies the electric signal of the document corresponding to the conveying region and outputs an image signal of the document; and a controlling unit configured to control an amplification factor of the amplifying unit based on the electric signal corresponding to the reference portion.
US08264742B2
A recording method includes providing setting of recording with a special-color recording material in a designated region of a sheet; determining whether the designated region with the special-color recording material setting is a region in which printing is performed; recording the special-color recording material to the designated region determined such that the printing is performed, in accordance with the setting; and canceling the setting of the designated region determined such that the printing is not performed.
US08264738B2
An image forming apparatus is provided with a scanner that reads a document and generates image data thereof, an information detecting portion that detects, from the image data generated by the scanner, attribute information about areas divided in accordance with a type of an image, a resolution converting portion that modifies the image data for each of the areas by performing a resolution converting process on the image in accordance with instructions that are provided by a user based on the attribute information detected by the information detecting portion, an image replacement processing portion, and a printer that prints an image based on the image data thus modified on a recording medium.
US08264736B2
A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes a first printer to print a first type of data to a medium and to print a first barcode on the medium including variable to be printed on the medium and a second printer to print the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode and to print a second barcode to the medium for verification that the variable data has been accurately printed to the medium.
US08264728B2
A log collecting system includes a computer apparatus and at least one peripheral apparatus connected to the computer apparatus. The peripheral apparatus stores a first log relating to all operation of the at least one peripheral apparatus in a first log memory region, and stores, in a second log memory region, a second log indicative of any influence on the operation of the at least one peripheral apparatus among the first logs. The computer apparatus stores a third log relating to the operation of the computer apparatus concerning the at least one peripheral apparatus, acquires and stores the second logs, acquires the first log stored in the first log memory region, and creates one log information with the acquired first log, the third log stored in the third log memory region, and the second log stored in the fourth log memory region when the first log acquiring section acquires the first log.
US08264726B2
A printing system comprised of a printer, a plurality of processing nodes, each processing node being disposed for processing a portion of a print job into a printer dependent format, and a processing manager for spooling the print job into selectively sized chunks and assigning the chunks to selected ones of the nodes for parallel processing of the chunks by the processing nodes into the printer dependent format. The chunks are selectively sized from at least one page to an entire size of the print job in accordance with predetermined splitting factors for enhancing printer printing efficiency. The operating of the printing system includes a method for parallel processing of a print job with a plurality of processing nodes into a printer-ready format for printing the print job, wherein the processing nodes communicate with a virtual disk transfer system and control usage thereof by monitoring available space in the virtual disk transfer system.
US08264717B2
An image forming apparatus has a plurality of application execution environments, and includes a control part in each of the application execution environments, configured to control an application executed in a corresponding application execution environment. The control part in an application execution environment controls an application executed in an other application execution environment via the control part of the other application execution environment.
US08264707B2
Mechanisms for enforcing reproduction rights for hard copies of physical hard copy articles are provided. The mechanisms electronically scan a surface of the physical hard copy article using a scanning mechanism to generate scanned data. A reproduction control identifier is extracted from the scanned data and output of a copy of the article is controlled based on the reproduction control identifier that was extracted from the scanned data. The physical hard copy article has a plurality of reproduction control identifiers present in multiple locations on the surface of the physical hard copy article such that content of portions of the physical hard copy article provided on the surface cannot be electronically scanned by the scanning mechanism without detecting a reproduction control identifier.
US08264705B2
A first part calculates corrected image data for each pixel in the range in which the reading parts of the adjacent image sensors overlaps in the main scan direction, for correcting the image data for a position shift less than an amount corresponding to one pixel in the main scan direction of the image sensors. A correcting method is determined in such a manner that a position shift amount to be corrected increases in a step-by-step manner as moving from a base portion to an end portion in the range in which the adjacent image sensors overlap in the main scan direction. A second part multiplies the image data corrected by the thus-determined correcting method by a weighting factor determined according to a position in the main scan direction in the adjacent image sensors.
US08264699B2
A control method for a print media processing apparatus that prints on a print medium based on print data supplied from a host computer, comprising converting the print data supplied from the host computer to the print media processing apparatus before a print command is asserted to print image data in a buffer based on a print data conversion command, and controlling printing in response to a print command by accessing the buffer and retrieving the print image data.
US08264698B2
In one advantageous embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a first plate, a second plate, and an isolation plate. The first plate may be capable of receiving a mounting member for a tool requiring an operating temperature that remains substantially constant for operation of the tool. The second plate may be capable of being secured to an object. The isolation plate may be located between the first plate and the second plate. The first plate, the second plate, and the isolation plate may be secured to each other. The insulating plate may be capable of thermally isolating the tool from the object.
US08264695B2
A method of aligning at least two wave shaping elements, a method of measuring a deviation of an optical surface from a target shape and a measuring apparatus for interferometrically measuring a deviation of an optical surface from a target shape. The method of aligning at least two wave shaping elements, each of which wave shaping elements has a diffractive measurement structure for adapting part of a wave front of incoming light to a respective portion of the target shape, includes: providing a first one of the wave shaping elements with a diffractive alignment structure, arranging the wave shaping elements relative to each other such that each of the diffractive measurement structures is traversed by a separate subset of rays of the incoming light during operation of the measuring apparatus, and aligning the first wave shaping element and a second one of the wave shaping elements relative to each other by evaluating alignment light having consecutively interacted with the diffractive alignment structure and with the second wave shaping element.
US08264693B2
A method of measuring at least one property including a magnetic property of target material is provided. A pump pulse train having one or more pump pulses is generated. The target material is irradiated with at least a portion of the one or more pump pulses so as to cause transient perturbation in the target material. At least one probe pulse train is generated having one or more probe pulses. The target material is irradiated with at least a portion of the one or more probe pulses to obtain one or more reflected probe pulses which are modulated based on the transient perturbation. A time interval between a time at which the target material is irradiated by each of the pump pulses and a time at which the target material is irradiated by each of its corresponding probe pulses is controlled. Each modulated probe pulse is detected.
US08264690B2
An apparatus and method are used to enhance the sensitivity of a spectrometer (sensor) for trace gas species detection by employing an external cavity continuously tunable CW quantum cascade laser and integrating the absorption spectra across multiple lines of the species. With this method the absorption spectra of NO2 is continuously recorded across the R-branch from 1628.8 cm−1 to 1634.5 cm−1. By integrating the resulting spectra, the detection sensitivity for NO2 is improved by a factor of 15 compared to the sensitivity achieved using single line laser absorption spectroscopy with the same apparatus. This procedure offers much shorter data acquisition times for the real-time monitoring of trace gas species compared with adding repeated scans of the spectra to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
US08264681B2
An spectrometer including Raman and LIBS spectroscopy capabilities is disclosed. The spectrometer includes a laser source configurable to produce a lased light directable towards a target substance, the laser source having a single wavelength and having sufficient power to cause a portion of the target to emit Raman scattering and sufficient to ablate a portion of the target substance to produce a plasma plume. A separate remote light collector is optically configurable to collect light emitted from the portion of the target emitting Raman scattering and from the portion of the target producing the plasma plume. A filter is optically coupled to the remote light collector to remove reflected light and Rayleigh-scattered light, and a spectroscope is optically coupled to the filter and configured to separate the collected and filtered light into a frequency spectrum comprising a Raman spectrum and a laser-induced breakdown spectrum. Finally, an electronic light sensor is used to record the frequency spectrum.
US08264671B2
A detection method for detecting a property of an extended pattern formed by at least one line generally extending in a first direction. The extended pattern is formed on a substrate or on a substrate table and preferably extends over a length of at least 50× the width of the line. The extended pattern is focus sensitive. The detection method includes moving the substrate table in a first direction and measuring along that first direction a property of the extended pattern. The property can be a result of a physical property of the extended pattern in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In a next step a calibration of the substrate table position can be derived from the measured position of the extended pattern.
US08264670B2
The invention provides a lithographic apparatus including an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam, a patterning device support constructed to support a transmissive patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam, a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate, and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate, wherein the patterning device support is configured to hold a patterning device and wherein the lithographic apparatus includes a clamping device, the clamping device being configured to clamp the patterning device at the top side.
US08264656B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a first substrate including a display area displaying images and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, a common pad formed in the peripheral area of the first substrate, an insulating layer formed on the common pad and having a common contact hole exposing the common pad, an assistance common pad formed on the insulating layer of the peripheral area and contacting the common pad through the common contact hole, a second substrate corresponding to the first substrate, and a common electrode formed on the second substrate, and a conductive sealant disposed between the assistance common pad and the common electrode of the peripheral area, the conductive sealant electrically connecting the assistance common pad and the common electrode, wherein the common contact hole is disposed between the conductive sealant and the display area.
US08264651B2
A TFT array is disclosed that includes a substrate, a gate line formed on the substrate, the gate line extending in a first direction; a data line insulated from the gate line, the data line extending in a second direction different from the first direction and crossing the gate line; and a pixel, positioned adjacent an intersection of the gate line and the data line, wherein the pixel comprises a first pixel electrode portion comprising a plurality of spaced apart first electrode lines, the first pixel electrode portion having an associated TFT coupled to the first electrode portion, a second pixel electrode portion comprising a plurality of spaced apart second electrode lines, the second pixel electrode portion capacitively coupled with the first pixel electrode portion, wherein a width of each of the first electrode lines of the first pixel electrode portion is narrower than a width of each of the second electrode lines of the second pixel electrode portion, and an interval between adjacent first electrode lines of the first pixel electrode portion is smaller than an interval between adjacent second electrode lines of the second pixel electrode portion.
US08264643B2
An active matrix liquid crystal display device of the invention includes a liquid crystal display panel operating in a normally black mode having a first substrate provided with a color filter and a second substrate provided with an active matrix array, wherein the first substrate is provided with a laminated colored layer with three colors, a laminated colored layer with two colors and a colored layer with one color in a frame part surrounding a display area without being provided with a black matrix, and the second substrate is provided with a conductive film formed in a region which is opposed to the laminated colored layer with two colors and the colored layer with one color, between the display area and the laminated colored layer with three colors.
US08264636B2
Provided are a laser backside irradiation device and a liquid crystal display device reducing a thickness of the respective device and improving a contrast while making a luminance distribution substantially uniform. The laser backside irradiation device includes a laser light source, a splitting optical system splitting laser light emitted from the laser light source into a plurality of laser beams, and a plurality of illumination optical systems illuminating a liquid crystal panel for two-dimensionally modulating a light intensity from a backside thereof, wherein the illumination optical systems expand the laser beams split by the splitting optical system to illuminate divided regions on the liquid crystal panel, respectively.
US08264621B2
The general technical field of the invention is that of viewing devices mounted on vehicles and comprising a display whose image is reflected by the windscreen of the vehicle, making it possible to superimpose the displayed image on the outside world. One of the major problems with this type of display is that the windscreen gives, by reflection, two non-superimposed doubled images. The basic principle of the invention is that the initial image is such that the combination of the first reflected image and the second image reflected by the windscreen gives a “clean” or “ideal” perceived image without any offsets. To perform this function, an image is generated on the display that comprises, obviously, the “ideal” image, but also a succession of offset images comprising negatives of the “ideal” image so that the resultant sum of the first reflected image and of the second reflected image includes no more than the “ideal” image. Obviously, the principle of the invention can be applied to simple displays or to displays comprising an image collimated to infinity or to a great distance.
US08264620B2
According to one embodiment of the invention, an electronic apparatus comprises a receiving module, a configuration module, a selection module and a control module. The receiving module is configured to receive video information containing a plurality of pieces of audio information in different languages. The audio information is compressed in arbitrary audio compression formats. The configuration module is configured to control the display of a configuration screen for enabling an adjustment of an audio volume for each of the audio compression formats by a user. The selection module is configured to control the display of a selection menu for enabling a selection of languages, namely select a language for audio output among the languages being displayed while the received video information is displayed. The control module is configured to adjust the audio volume according to the selected language referring to a configuration set by the configuration module.
US08264618B2
A remote control apparatus for remotely operating an electronic device. The remote control apparatus including: an operation section having a plurality of operation keys; and a reader/writer configured to read and/or write information from or to an information storage medium, wherein in said operation section, at least one of the plurality of operation keys is arranged so as to overlap a read/write portion of said reader/writer, the read/write portion being used for the reading and/or writing of the information from or to the information storage medium.
US08264616B2
The present invention provides a scene classification apparatus for classifying uncompressed or compressed video into various types of scenes at low cost and with high accuracy using characteristics of a video and audio characteristics accompanied by the video. When video are compressed data, their motion intensity, spatial distribution of motion and histogram of motion direction are detected by using values of motion vectors of predictive coding images existing in respective shots, and the respective shots of the video are classified into a dynamic scene, a static scene, a slow scene, a highlight scene, a zooming scene, a panning scene, a commercial scene and the like based on the motion intensity, the spatial distribution of motion, the histogram of motion direction and shot density.
US08264615B2
A system and method for enhancing the detail edges and transitions in an input video signal. This enhancement may be accomplished by enhancing small detail edges before up-scaling and enhancing large amplitude transitions after up-scaling. For example, detail edge enhancement (detail EE) may be used to enhance the fine details of an input video signal. An edge map may be used to prevent enhancing the large edges and accompanying mosquito noise with the detail enhancement. Noise may additionally be removed from the signal. After the fine details are enhanced, the signal may be up-scaled. Luminance transition improvement (LTI) or chrominance transition improvement (CTI) may be used to enhance the large transitions of the input video signal post scaler.
US08264614B2
A method for video processing based on motion-aligned spatio-temporal steering kernel regression may include estimating local spatio-temporal steering parameters at pixels in input video data. The method may also include using the local spatio-temporal steering parameters to apply motion-aligned spatio-temporal steering kernel regression to the input video data to perform at least one of upscaling and noise smoothing.
US08264609B2
A caption presentation method and an apparatus using the method, by which caption and information related to the caption can be provided together in a broadcast receiver or in an image reproducer that displays the caption in a closed caption method. The method includes detecting subject information from a caption signal; obtaining visual information with respect to the caption, based on the detected caption subject information; and displaying the visual information and the caption signal together.
US08264607B2
A method of sampling phase calibration and a device thereof is suitable for an analog-to-digital converter and phase lock loop (ADC-PLL). The ADC-PLL conducts sampling on a periodic analog signal according to a sampling phase so as to produce a plurality of digital signals. The sampling phase calibration device includes a storage unit, a motion-detecting unit and a control unit. The motion-detecting unit is to calculate the number of motion data corresponding to a sampling phase. The control unit is coupled to the motion-detecting unit for changing the sampling phase so as to obtain the number of motion data corresponding to each sampling phase and selecting the sampling phase corresponding to the minimum number of motion data as an optimal sampling phase. The ADC-PLL can correctly sample an analog signal by using the optimal sampling phase and reduce the influence of clock jitter to the minimum.
US08264603B2
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for detecting a bad edit. The method includes receiving a 3:2 film-mode video signal comprising a sequence of video fields, for each of the sequence of video fields, determining a state for the each video field based on a first moving-pixel count for the each video field with respect to a previous same-parity video field for the each video field and a second moving-pixel count for a first immediately preceding field for the each video field with respect to a second previous same-parity field for the first immediately preceding field, and identifying the 3:2 film-mode video signal as a bad edit if a predetermined state transition has been detected in the sequence of video fields.
US08264601B2
The present invention can be implemented in a video coder or decoder or directly in any type of display device. According to the invention, a distance representative of the edge orientation in the input picture is calculated, for at least one point situated inside a zone delimited by a first set of neighbouring pixels of the input picture, it is calculated independently from the grid of pixels of the output picture. For at least one pixel of the output picture situated in this zone, a second set of pixels is determined in the input picture from the distance and the position of said pixel of the output picture in this zone. The value of this output pixel is then determined from the value of the pixels of said second set of pixels. This method enables a reduction in the number of calculations for this format conversion.
US08264598B2
Disclosed is a magnifier for use by blind or low vision users. The magnifier includes a camera, such as a CMOS image sensor, that displays enlarged images upon a screen for easy viewing. The magnifier further includes a handle that is pivotally interconnected to a housing to allow for handheld use in a variety of different configurations.
US08264595B2
An imaging device comprises: an imaging element (1) capable of reading accumulated charges of different exposure times in a predetermined frame period, the imaging element being divided into groups for long-time exposure and short-time exposure; and a timing pulse generator (2) for adjusting read timings of the imaging element (1). A first read timing at which an accumulated charge of long-time exposure is read from the group for long-time exposure and a second read timing at which an accumulated charge of short-time exposure is read from the group for short-time exposure are adjusted separately from each other. This provides an imaging device that can extend the dynamic range according to the degree of contrast between light and shade of a subject.
US08264587B2
The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software product for implementing algorithms for improving a frame rate by reducing a size and resolution of selected versus unselected image frames captured by a sensor in an image processing pipeline before displaying (or before encoding) in electronic devices (e.g., cameras, wireless camera phones, etc.), according to various embodiments of the present invention.
US08264585B2
An imaging apparatus capable of readily specifying undesirable photographing parameters from auto photographing parameters. This apparatus includes: a parameter determining section that determines a plurality of photographing parameters to set when a subject is photographed; a parameter setting section that sets each value of part of the plurality of determined photographing parameters; a moving image acquiring section that acquires a moving image using the part of set photographing parameters; a display section that displays the acquired moving image; an evaluation button that evaluates the photographing parameters; and a parameter changing section that, when the evaluation button is operated while the moving image is displayed, changes at least one of values of the part of set photographing parameters.
US08264584B2
Only landmark information desired by a user out of a plurality of landmark information transmitted from a map server is displayed. An image capturing apparatus (102) includes: an imaging unit (114) that captures a digital image; a communication unit (112) that obtains a plurality of additional information from a predetermined map server (120) that holds the plurality of additional information each corresponding to an object included in the digital image captured by the imaging unit (114); a display-information extracting unit (113) that selects additional information to be displayed from among the plurality of additional information obtained by the communication unit (112); and an overlaying display processing unit (116) and a display unit (117) that display only the additional information selected by the display-information extracting unit (113) from among the plurality of additional information, to be overlaid on the digital image captured by the imaging unit (114).
US08264579B2
A shared-pixel-type image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, four photoelectric conversion elements disposed adjacent to one another in one direction on the semiconductor substrate, two first transmission elements transmitting charges accumulated in two adjacent ones of the photoelectric conversion elements to a first floating diffusion region, respectively, two second transmission elements transmitting charges accumulated in the other two adjacent photoelectric conversion elements to a second floating diffusion region electrically coupled with the first floating diffusion region, respectively, MOS capacitors that are electrically coupled with the first or second floating diffusion region, a reset element resetting the charges of the first and second floating diffusion regions to a reference value, and a drive element and an select element outputting the charges of the first or second floating diffusion region.
US08264578B2
The invention relates to an image sensor for electronic cameras, having a plurality of light-sensitive pixels for the generation of at least one signal proportional to exposure, wherein the pixels are coupled to a read-out circuit having at least one amplifier and configured to amplify the at least one signal of a respective pixel with different amplification factors to generate differently amplified signals for the at least one signal of a respective pixel, wherein the read-out circuit has at least one output to output at least some of the differently amplified signals as output signals. At least three different amplification factors can be selected for the at least one signal of a respective pixel, wherein the read-out circuit includes a selection device which is configured to select those amplification factors in dependence on the level of the at least one signal of a respective pixel with which the output signals of the read-out circuit are amplified, wherein the number of output signals for the at least one signal of a respective pixel amounts to at least two and is less than the number of the selectable amplification factors.
US08264569B2
The data transfer apparatus according to the present invention includes a transfer portion that reads out image data stored in a first storage medium, and transfers the image data to a second storage medium; an identification portion that identifies image data stored in the first storage medium and image data stored in the second storage medium; a specification portion that, when transfer of image data by the transfer portion is terminated partway, determines the presence or absence of untransferred image data to the second storage medium among interrelated image data based on the identification result by the identification portion, and that, when the presence of untransferred image data is determined, specifies image data related to the untransferred image data among image data stored in the second storage medium; and a deletion portion that deletes the image data specified by the specification portion from the second storage medium.
US08264564B2
Digital camera is provided with an image pick-up unit 24 and a best shot data memory, which stores plural sorts of shooting scenes each associated with one of a first file format and a second file format, wherein the first file format is used for an image file of a single image and the second file format is used for an image file of plural images, when the image file of images obtained in the shooting scenes is produced. When one of the shooting scenes is set, a shooting operation is performed in the set shooting scene to obtain image(s) and an image file of the image or an image file of the images is produced, wherein the image file has the file format corresponding to the set shooting scene.
US08264557B2
An image acquisition system includes a camera as an image acquisition device and a commanding device configured as a member separate from the camera to transmit a command for controlling the camera to the camera so that the camera can perform the operation corresponding to the command. The ability to transmit/receive the command between the commanding device and the image acquisition device is switchable.
US08264546B2
An image processing system includes a camera, an image processor and a calibration surface including a calibration pattern, comprising plural alternately colored elements which provide a corresponding plurality of corners at locations at which more than two of the colored elements adjoin. The image processor detects from the video signal at least some of the corner locations and identifies a first and second group of lines of the calibration pattern, extrapolate the lines from each group and determine a on a plane of the scene as viewed by the camera, the presence and location of a first and second intersection points on where the extrapolated lines from the first and second groups, respectively, intersect to estimate one or more of a roll pitch and yaw angle of the camera relative to the calibration surface and extimates a likelihood that a corner is located at each of identified potential corner locations.
US08264539B2
An apparatus being mounted on a car of a train, video-recording video data from an internet protocol (IP) camera, and transferring the video data outside the car, comprises a network digital recorder (NDR) performing video-recording of the video data from the IP camera in a full-time, an archive-type NDR (A-NDR) reading the video-recorded video data from the NDR to record it, a communication device determining priority of a communication to and from the outside of the car to establish a communication path to and from a partner communication device in a communicable state, and a control device reading the recorded video data from the A-NDR to transfer the video data to the partner communication device via the communication path. The A-NDR ranks each item of the video data with importance, and the control device controls the video data so as to read it in descending order of ranking.
US08264537B2
The present invention involves a surveying system and method which determines the position of a object point using two images. First, at least two reference points appearing on the two images are correlated. Then the position of the object point is determined based on the two images and the two reference points.
US08264534B2
A method for processing the image data of the surface of a wafer (2) recorded by at least one camera (5) is disclosed, wherein an image field (15) is defined for each camera (5) in such a way that the recorded image content is repeated after N recorded images. In an evaluation electronics (18) M utility programs (19) are determined, wherein M is equal to the number of recorded images after which the image content is repeated. The number M of utility programs (19) is adapted to the number N of images. Each of the M utility programs (19) of the plurality of recorded images is only fed with images having the same image contents in order to detect defects on the basis of the image contents of the images of the surface of the wafer. The results of the M utility programs (19) are respectively forwarded to a central program (20) in a sequential manner, which compiles a distribution of the defects present on the surface of the wafer (2) from the individual results of the M utility programs (19).
US08264527B2
According to one embodiment, a stereoscopic video display apparatus includes a planar video display module, a stereoscopic video display module, an eyeglass control module, an operation control module, a determining module, and a switching module. The planar video display module outputs two-dimensional video. The stereoscopic video display module outputs video for left and right eyes. The eyeglass control module projects the video for left eye the left-eye portion of stereoscopic glasses and that for right eye on the right-eye portion. The operation control module receives operation information from a remote controller. The determining module determines whether a user wearing the stereoscopic glasses is operating the remote controller. The switching module selects video output from the planar video display module or from the stereoscopic video display module. When the user wearing the stereoscopic glasses is operating the remote controller, the video output from the stereoscopic video display module is displayed.
US08264523B2
The invention relates to a device (1) for a videoconference communication between a local user (5) and at least one remote user (6), which reduces the eye deflection and provides a better eye contact between the local user and the remote user. The device includes a screen (4) capable of restoring, for the local user, an image of the remote user, and an image sensor (3) capable of sensing an image of the local user for the remote user. It further comprises a light source (2) arranged, relative to the image sensor, so as to lighten the eyes of the local user watching the screen during a communication with the remote user, so that the image sensor can detect an image of the local user including a reflection of the light source on a portion at least of each eye of the local user, including the pupil. The device further includes communication means (7) capable of transmitting the detected image to the remote user (6).
US08264517B2
A method of controlling movement of a line of sight of a video camera mounted on a mobile videoconferencing terminal includes: a) a step (72) of using at least two microphones spaced apart from each other in three dimensions and attached to the mobile terminal to pick up a sound uttered by a user of the mobile terminal, b) a step (74) of responding to the signals from the microphones to establish a direction in which the mouth of the user is located, and c) a step (76) of controlling movement of the line of sight as a function of the direction established during step b).
US08264513B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for image processing and an image processing apparatus which are capable of performing repetitive forming and erasing of high-contrast images at high speeds by forming high-density, uniform images and uniformly erasing images in a short period of time, and in addition, suppressing the degradation of the thermoreversible recording medium due to repetitive forming and erasing is possible. The method for image processing of the present invention contains at least any one of image forming step wherein an image is formed on a thermoreversible recording medium in which any one of transparency and color tone is changed reversibly depending on temperatures by heating due to laser beam irradiation, and image erasing step wherein an image formed on the thermoreversible recording medium is erased by heating due to laser beam irradiation to the thermoreversible recording medium, and a light irradiation intensity of the center is equal to or less than the light irradiation intensity of the periphery in the light intensity distribution of cross-section in a direction approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam irradiated at least in any one of the image forming step and the image erasing step.
US08264468B1
A touch input system comprising a chroma-key/matte display system with a calibrated touch input near or on a matte.
US08264466B2
Disclosed is a transparent touch screen construction that includes a pattern of layer stacks disposed on a substrate. The layer stacks each include a transparent conductor layer and an intermediate layer positioned between the substrate and the transparent conductor layer. The intermediate layer has a refractive index that is lower than that of the transparent conductor layer and that of the substrate. The construction of the layer stacks reduces the difference in visible light transmission between the areas of the substrate covered by the stacks and the areas of the substrate left exposed by the stacks. Also disclosed are methods for reducing the visibility of a patterned transparent conductor in a touch screen by disposing an intermediate layer pattern between a substrate and a transparent conductor pattern, the intermediate layer pattern and transparent conductor pattern being coincident.
US08264465B2
A planar touch control is used to provide input to a computer and haptic feedback is provided thereto. A touch control includes a touch input device with a planar touch surface that inputs a position signal to a processor associated with the computer based on a location of user implemented contact on the touch surface. The computer can position or modify a cursor or image in a displayed graphical environment based at least in part on the position signal, or perform a different function. At least one actuator is also coupled to the touch input device and outputs a force to provide a haptic sensation to the user via the touch surface.
US08264462B2
A process for determining the displacement of an entity equipped with a sensor for capturing a sequence of images, comprising a step for determining a motion vector associated with a current image as a function of at least one correlation calculation between a first block of pixels in the current image and a second block of pixels from which the vector points towards said first block of pixels, with said second block being in a previous image in the sequence of images, wherein the dimensions of the first block are determined as a function of at least a motion vector associated with a previous image in the image sequence.
US08264461B2
An apparatus for controlling the position of a screen pointer includes an at least partially coherent light source for illuminating an imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images. The apparatus includes a navigation sensor for generating digital images based on the reflected images, performing a movement computation based on the digital images, generating movement data based on the movement computation that is indicative of relative motion between the imaging surface and the apparatus, wherein the movement computation has a low sensitivity to effects in the digital images caused by particle contamination.
US08264454B2
An electrophoretic display device sequentially driven during a data updating period when a data is updated and a sleep-mode period when a data is maintained includes an electrophoretic display panel including a plurality of data lines crossing a plurality of gate lines to form a plurality of cells, a plurality of pixel electrodes, a common electrode for driving each of the plurality of cells, and a TFT at a crossing of one of the data lines and one of the gate lines to supply a data voltage from the one of the data lines to a corresponding one of the pixel electrodes; a data driving circuit supplying the data voltage to the data lines during the data updating period; a gate driving circuit supplying a scanning pulse to the gate lines during the data updating period; and a controller sequentially raising an impedance of each of the data lines, the common electrode, and the gate lines during the sleep-mode period.
US08264447B2
A display apparatus includes a display unit having a display screen divided into a plurality of regions and controlled using a transmittance ratio on a pixel-by-pixel basis, a backlight including a plurality of sets of light sources, each set being disposed so as to correspond to one of the regions, and a control unit for identifying display luminance in each region, computing the emission luminance of each light source on the basis of the identified display luminance while taking into account an effect on the region of the other light sources not corresponding to the region, and computing a correction value for each pixel on the basis of a shift amount between the set emission luminance and an optimal display luminance for one of the regions, and delivering a display driving signal generated on the basis of the correction value to each pixel so as to control the luminance of the pixel.
US08264441B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, when a still image is displayed, applied voltages respectively corresponding to a total of n (n being an integer of not less than 4) types of gradation 0 to (n−1) are outputted to pixels. On the other hand, when a moving image is displayed, an applied voltage corresponding to a predetermined gradation m (1≦m≦(n−2)) is applied to the pixels instead of applied voltages respectively corresponding to gradations of less than the predetermined gradation m.
US08264435B2
A liquid crystal display device includes pixels having a plurality of subpixels. The pixels include data displaying subpixels having a first pixel electrode receiving red, green, and blue data voltages to display an image, and a common electrode to which a common voltage is applied. The pixels further a viewing angle controlling subpixel driven in response to a voltage applied to the common electrode, a side electrode separated from the common electrode, and a second pixel electrode. Each of the subpixels includes a rib distorting an electric field applied to the corresponding liquid crystal layer. The viewing angle controlling subpixel delays a phase of the light from the data displaying subpixels when a voltage having a voltage difference from the common voltage is applied to the side electrode during a narrow viewing angle mode of the liquid crystal display device.
US08264430B2
A display device includes a load, a transistor for controlling a current value supplied to the load, a capacitor, a first wiring, a second wiring, and first to fourth switches. Variations in the current value caused by variations in the threshold voltage of the transistor can be suppressed through the steps of: (1) holding the threshold voltage of the transistor in the storage capacitor, (2) inputting a potential in accordance with a video signal, and (3) holding a voltage that is the sum of the threshold voltage and the potential in accordance with the video signal, in the storage capacitor. Accordingly, a desired current can be supplied to the load such as a light emitting element.
US08264429B2
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display apparatus, including a control unit to receive an image signal and to generate a frame-based image data signal and a frame identification signal based at least in part on the received image signal, the frame identification signal being synchronized with the frame-based image data signal, a driving voltage supply unit to generate a first voltage for a switching unit and a second voltage for a display unit, and a switching unit to receive the first voltage and the frame identification signal and to supply the first voltage for the display unit based at least in part on the frame identification signal.
US08264421B2
Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a multi-screen video playback system which enables synchronized video playback, and at the same time enables irregular playback such as color processing, contents change. According to exemplary embodiments, a multi-screen video playback system includes a plurality of rendering units RU1 through RU4 which are connected to LAN as a network and output video data to a plurality of display devices D1 through D4; a function which is connected to LAN and distributes timing information to the rendering units RU1 through RU4 by simultaneous transmission; a timing server TS which generates the irregular playback control information to enable irregular playback, such as color correction and contents change to the video data, in a plurality of rendering units RU1 through RU4 which output video data to each corresponding display device of the plurality of display devices D1 through D4; and video data storage devices S1 through S4 to store video data to be reproduced.
US08264420B2
An antenna device includes an antenna module configured to receive radio waves. A plate has a plurality of first through holes. A cover is coupled with the plate to define a space accommodating the antenna module. The cover includes a rib and a side wall surrounding the antenna module. The side wall has an end face opposing the plate and formed with a plurality of threaded holes. The rib is projected from the end face. A gasket has a part formed with a plurality of openings and is disposed between the rib and the plate. A plurality of screws are respectively screwed into the threaded holes through the first through holes and the openings. At least a part of each of the screws is surrounded by an associated one of the openings.
US08264413B2
A single band antenna includes a radiating part, a feeding part and a grounding part. The feeding part is connected with the radiating part. A first separating slot exists between the radiating part and the feeding part. The grounding part is connected with the feeding part. A second separating slot exists between the feeding part and the grounding part. Each of the first separating slot and second separating slot has at least one bend.
US08264402B2
Determining the location of a station in a wireless network including determining path losses between the wireless station of unknown location and at least some access points at known locations. The determining includes receiving measurements from the wireless station of unknown location, and measuring the received signal strengths as a result of respective transmissions from at least some of access points at known respective transmit powers and known or determined locations to obtained measured path losses. The method further includes determining a location for the wireless station using the measured path losses and a calibrated path loss model.
US08264398B2
An onboard radar apparatus includes a transmission wave generating unit configured to generate a transmission wave, a vertically polarized wave transmitting antenna configured to vertically polarize and transmit the transmission wave, a horizontally polarized wave transmitting antenna configured to horizontally polarize and transmit the transmission wave, a receiving antenna configured to receive a reflection wave, a switch control unit configured to perform a switching between the vertically polarized wave transmitting antenna and the horizontally polarized wave transmitting antenna, and a receiving unit configured to receive one of the reflection waves based on receiving levels of the reflection waves, which have been received by the receiving antenna before and after the switching is performed by the switch control unit.
US08264397B2
A Time Transfer Time Reverse Mirror (TT TRM) method and system includes a radio transceiver for transmitting a series of short pulses repeatedly at a period T and for receiving from a remote node a return signal that is a retransmission of the original signal at the same period T: a clock circuit for inputting a clock signal to the transceiver: and a computer for (i) computing and generating an imaginary time-reversed signal version of the original signal, (ii) comparing the return signal with the imaginary version, (iii) computing a delay between the return signal and the imaginary version that is substantially equal to twice the time difference between the two nodes, and (iv) applying the computed delay to a clock input calibration for a desired signal. The system includes time transfer using the ionospheric reflection (refraction), producing precise synchronization among remote nodes beyond the line-of-sight and thus without necessitating GPS or communication satellites.
US08264396B2
A non-contact motion sensor comprising a radar detector that includes a first antenna, a second antenna that is orthogonal to the first antenna and a third antenna that is orthogonal to the first antenna and the second antenna. The non-contact motion sensor further includes a control that collects and analyzes signals that are received from the radar detector.
US08264394B2
The present invention relates to an analog-to-digital converting circuit, which comprises an integrating circuit, a reference signal generating circuit, a comparator, and a first counting circuit. The integrating circuit integrates an input signal for producing an integration signal. The reference signal generating circuit produces a plurality of reference signals. The comparator receives the integration signal and the plurality of reference signals, and compares the integration signal to the plurality of reference signals sequentially for producing a plurality of comparison signals. The first counting circuit receives the plurality of comparison signals produced by the comparator, and starts to count the plurality of comparison signals for producing a reset signal and resetting the integrating circuit. Because the integrating circuit is not reset once until the comparator produces the plurality of comparison signals, the number of times of resetting the integrating circuit can be reduced, and hence reducing the integral nonlinearity effect. Accordingly, the accuracy of the analog-to-digital converting circuit is enhanced.
US08264385B1
Systems and methods to detect and analyze character set translation errors in an electronic document are provided. One method according to the invention includes detecting a first character string within the electronic document; converting the first character string to a sequence of bytes by use of a first character set; using a second character set to convert the sequence of bytes to a second character string; and detecting whether a length of the second character string is different than a length of the first character string. Detection results are stored in memory for later analysis. Systems according to aspects of the invention perform are configured to perform this and other methods. In one example, the system includes a test scheduler, a test result classifier, an analyzer unit, and a processor coupled to data storage for performing the aforementioned method.
US08264380B2
A manufacturing method for a code wheel for a rotary encoder is provided. The code wheel includes, in a central portion, a hole into which a rotary shaft of a rotary member is fitted and a code portion including a radial code pattern in a circumferential edge portion. The manufacturing method is configured to include the steps of forming the code portion and a reference circle in a plate so that the reference circle has a radius larger than a radius of the hole by a tolerance of deviation between a center position of the code portion and a center position of the hole and has a same center as that of the code portion; and forming the hole in the plate in which the code portion and the reference circle are formed, so as to be contained in the reference circle.
US08264376B1
A multi-product avionics control and display unit (CDU). In implementations, the CDU may include a display and a processor coupled with the display. The processor is configurable to operate in a first mode to cause the display to present standby primary flight information associated with the aircraft and a second mode to control and display operation of one or more aircraft systems associated with the aircraft.
US08264370B2
A power and signal distribution system comprises a converter unit connected to a plurality of control units. The converter unit and the control units are arranged in areas difficult to access, for instance on the sea bed. The converter unit is connected to a remote monitoring and supplying device via at least one cable connection. Each control unit has assigned thereto at least one production apparatus for crude oil or natural gas corresponding gate valves, chokes, biops, actuators.In some embodiments, the power and signal distribution system the converter unit comprises a data separation device and a voltage converter. The converted voltage from the voltage converter is transmitted together with data/signals from the converter unit to at least one of the control units.
US08264366B2
Components having one or more sensors adapted to provide sensor data relating to a condition(s) of the component are disclosed. The component is adapted to communicate with another mating component to associate sensor data with identity information of the mating component. The sensor and identity information can be communicated remotely including via radio-frequency communications employing RF identification devices (RFIDs). Location of the mating component can be determined using the identity information of the mating component. In this manner, the sensor data can be associated with the location of the mating component using the identity information in a “component-to-component” configuration to provide location-specific sensor data. Having the ability to localize sensor data to a specific location can assist in pinpointing areas where performance or other condition issues may exist in a component, a mating component, an article of manufacture associated with the components, and/or communication and/or transmissions lines coupled between components.
US08264361B2
A highly sensitive low loss and low flow fluid flow switch is coupled with an automatic timer and/or optional transmitter to indicate the flow of gas to an appliance and to automatically start a reminder timer to turn the appliance off. After a preset time limit has expired, the timer either sounds an alarm or wirelessly triggers an alarm in a remote location. The receiver portion of the wireless timer may be mounted directly to the appliance (grill handle), so that the timer automatically resets when activity (cover opening or closing) is detected, indicating the appliance is still in use. An alarm can also be configured to sound when the grill is attempted to be ignited with the cover closed, thereby avoiding a potential explosion. A biasing attraction magnet is incorporated in the fluid flow switch to offset either the force of gravity or a return spring in order to extend performance to low pressure and low flow applications. The piston is sealed for use in high pressure/low flow applications, and provided with a vent hole for residual gas bleed-off upon a stoppage of gas flow.
US08264346B2
Method and apparatus for providing graduated annunciation of an impending alarm in a security system
A method of operating a security system includes sensing a security breach, and providing an indication to a user that an alarm signal will be issued in response to the sensing of the security breach. The indication perceptibly changes with time.
US08264343B2
A communication system for handwash compliance monitoring, comprises a plurality of handwash monitoring sensors for collecting handwash compliance data at a respective plurality of handwash stations, at least one hub which wirelessly receives handwash compliance data transmitted from said plurality of handwash monitoring stations, a gateway which wirelessly receives handwash compliance data transmitted from the hub, and a wireless cellular telephone link for transmitting the handwash compliance data from the gateway to a central monitoring station.
US08264342B2
The presence or absence of objects (e.g., medical implements, medical supplies) tagged with transponders may be determined in an environment in which medical procedures (e.g., surgery) are performed via an interrogation and detection system which includes a controller and a plurality of antennas positioned along a patient support structure. The antennas may, for example, be positioned along an operating table, bed, a mattress or pad or a sheet and may be radiolucent. Respective antennas may successively be activated to transmit interrogation signals. Multiple antennas may be monitored for responses from transponders to the interrogation signals. For example, all antennas other than the antenna that transmitted the most recent interrogation signal may be monitored.
US08264341B2
Disclosed herein are a broadcast signal retransmission system and method using illuminating visible-light communication. The broadcast signal retransmission system comprises one or more light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures, one or more smart communicators, and a home server. The home server receives and demodulates a multi-channel broadcast signal and, in reply to a signal request message from a smart communicator, transmits a demodulated broadcast channel signal through a power line to an LED lighting fixture indicated by the signal request message. The LED lighting fixture converts the broadcast channel signal into a light signal. The smart communicator receives the light signal from the LED lighting fixture and decodes the light signal into a broadcast signal. As a result, the user can selectively receive a broadcast signal of a desired channel using a smart communicator via a nearby LED lighting fixture.
US08264338B2
A combination shifter and engine start apparatus for a vehicle includes a control knob rotatable to a plurality of positions to instruct operation of an associated transmission of the vehicle and actuatable for at least one of starting and stopping of an associated engine of the vehicle. A display is disposed on the control knob for alternately displaying first indicia on the control knob relating to at least one of starting and stopping of the associated engine and displaying second indicia on the control knob relating to a selected one of the plurality of positions. A controller is operatively connected to the control knob and to the display. The controller has a first mode wherein the controller commands the display to display the first indicia and a second mode wherein the controller commands the display to display the second indicia.
US08264332B2
An apparatus and a method for demodulating a subcarrier tag signal in a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader is provided. The apparatus for demodulating the subcarrier tag signal in the RFID reader may include: an edge signal generation unit receiving a subcarrier tag signal and generating an edge signal with respect to the tag signal; an edge information extraction unit extracting edge information from the generated edge signal; and a decoding unit decoding the tag signal using the extracted edge information.
US08264320B2
An aftermarket keyless starter for a vehicle including a smart ignition system and an OEM security system is provided. The OEM security system includes an OEM transponder for user verification and an OEM reader for reading the OEM transponder when the OEM transponder is within a range R of the OEM reader. The OEM transponder stores an OEM identification code. The aftermarket keyless starter includes a secure box which is outside of the range R for isolating the OEM transponder from the OEM security system, an aftermarket reader, an aftermarket microcontroller, and an aftermarket transmitter. The aftermarket microcontroller is operable to receive the keyless start command and respond thereto by having the aftermarket reader read the OEM identification code and retransmitting the OEM identification code to the OEM reader. The engine start command is transmitted to the smart ignition system subsequent to the sending of the keyless start command.
US08264317B2
A protector for a three-phase electric motor has a container with a housing and a metal plate secured thereto. A protrusion is provided in the housing. Three conductive terminal pins, each with a fixed contact, protrude into the housing through the metal plate. A thermally responsive plate is connected to the three moveable contacts. The thermally responsive plate is dish shaped and reverses its direction of curvature at a predetermined temperature. Three moveable contacts are secured to the thermally responsive plate. An elastic member extends between the protrusion and the thermally responsive plate. A rotation member prevents the thermally responsive plate from rotating, thereby maintaining the moveable contacts in opposition to the fixed contacts. The conductive terminal pins are located at a neutral point side of phase windings of a three-phase motor so that AC current flowing into the three-phase motor is interrupted.
US08264315B2
Linear variable differential transformers include a core comprising a non-ferromagnetic material and a ferromagnetic material, and a coil assembly including an axial bore within which the core is disposed and through which the core axially translates.
US08264309B2
A magnetic target is provided for use with a magnetic proximity switch. The magnetic target includes a cylindrical body tube having an open end that partially defines a bore. A stationary magnet is located within the bore opposite the open end, and a movable magnet is disposed within the bore between the stationary magnet and the open end. An adjusting member is received into the bore, and a contact surface of the adjusting member engages the movable magnet. When the adjusting member is axially displaced, the contact surface causes a corresponding displacement of the movable magnet relative to the stationary magnet, eventually causing the magnetic flux field of each magnet to expand in a radial direction away from the longitudinal axis of each magnet. The stationary magnet and the movable magnet may be either axially-magnetized samarium-cobalt magnets or axially-magnetized neodymium magnets.
US08264308B2
A magnet is affixed to a shaft or other pivoting or rotating member of a switch mechanism, on the axis of rotation. The radial position of the resulting magnetic field is monitored. A change in the magnetic field radial position, optionally in excess of a threshold, indicates the onset of switch actuation, prior to operative actuation of the switch mechanism. The radial position of the magnetic field is sensed by a magnetic rotary encoder. The detection of switch actuation onset may be used to remove current from a circuit prior to operative switch actuation. Because the magnet is rigidly affixed to the shaft, there is no lost motion. Because the shaft position and encoder are magnetically coupled, the detection mechanism contains no moving parts and no mechanical linkage or coupling, and its performance does not degrade due to shock, thermal effects, vibration, or wear.
US08264307B2
Systems and methods for forming an electrostatic MEMS plate switch include forming a deformable plate on a first substrate, forming the electrical contacts on a second substrate, and coupling the two substrates using a hermetic seal. The deformable plate may have at least one shunt bar located at a nodal line of a vibrational mode of the deformable plate, so that the shunt bar remains relatively stationary when the plate is vibrating in that vibrational mode. A hermetic seal may be made around the device with a larger, secondary enclosure. Electrical access to the deformable plate may be accomplished by an electrical path which is independent of the seal. The electrical path may include a via through the first substrate or the second substrate, or a flash deposited on an external region of the switch.
US08264301B2
There are provided a modeling circuit of a high-frequency device capable of providing a more accurate modeling circuit having a higher-order resonance by dividedly modeling an overlap zone and a non-overlap zone of the high-frequency device, and a modeling method thereof. The modeling circuit of a high-frequency device, which comprises an overlap zone where the two electrodes are overlapped with each other, a non-overlap zone where the overlap zone is absent between the two electrodes, the overlap and non-overlap zones being formed by stacking two or more electrodes on top of each other in a constant distance, and terminations electrically coupled with some parts of the two electrodes, comprises a first circuit block comprising a first capacitor and a first conductor that model the overlap zone of the high-frequency device on the basis of coupled transmission line theory; and a second circuit block comprising a first inductor and a first register that model the overlap zone of the high-frequency device on the basis of coupled transmission line theory and model the non-overlap zone and the terminations of the high-frequency device on the basis of a Series RL model.
US08264295B2
A switched varactor circuit for use at least one operating frequency comprises a first resistive element having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal is coupled to receive a switching voltage; a hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT) having a base terminal, a first conducting terminal, and a second conducting terminal, wherein the base terminal of the HBT is coupled to a second terminal of the resistive element, and wherein the first conducting terminal is coupled to a first circuit node; and a first varactor having an anode coupled to the second conductive terminal of the HBT and a cathode coupled to a second circuit node, and wherein a capacitance value at the first circuit node is a function of the switching voltage.
US08264294B2
A semiconductor device contrived to prevent a reference voltage and a reference current which are supplied to a high speed OCO from varying with a change in ambient temperature and/or a change in an external power supply voltage and to reduce the circuit area of a power supply module. The high speed OCO outputs a high speed clock whose magnitude is determined by the reference current and the reference voltage. A logic unit adjusts the values of the reference current and reference voltage, according to the reference voltage and reference current trimming codes related to detected ambient temperature and operating voltage.
US08264290B2
A dual positive-feedbacks voltage controlled oscillator includes an oscillation circuit and a cross coupled pair circuit. The oscillation circuit includes a first transistor, a second transistor, an inductor and a plurality of capacitors. The gates of the first and second transistors are opposite to each other and coupled to two points of the inductor. The inductor and the capacitors are formed as a LC tank. The cross coupled pair circuit includes a third transistor and a fourth transistor. The gates of the third and fourth transistors are cross coupled to two points of the inductor. Thereby, the gate of the third transistor is coupled to the gate of the second transistor; the gate of the fourth transistor is coupled to the gate of the first transistor; the drain of the third transistor is coupled to the source of the first transistor; and the drain of the fourth transistor is coupled to the source of the second transistor.
US08264280B2
Detection accuracy of a short circuit state in a load driving circuit is improved thereby operation efficiency of a motor may be enhanced. A gate control circuit 25 turns off NMOS transistors Q1 and Q4, turns on an NMOS transistor Q3, and turns on and off an NMOS transistor Q2 intermittently so as to control rotation of a motor 10. A detection circuit 30a detects a voltage Va at a connection node a between the NMOS transistor Q2 and the motor 10 a predetermined time after the NMOS transistor Q2 is turned on. A control circuit 20 turns off the NMOS transistor Q2 so as to cut off a current from a power supply to the motor 10 if the voltage Va at the connection node a is within a range in which the motor 10 is determined to be short-circuited.
US08264264B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, a multiple phase pulse generator includes n stages, where each stage includes a first sub-stage and a second sub-stage. The first sub-stage includes a first memory element and the second sub-stage includes a second memory element. The first memory element of each stage is arranged to be set by the preceding stage. The first sub-stage is arranged to supply a stage output pulse while the first memory element is set. The second memory element is arranged to be set by the stage output pulse. The second sub-stage is arranged to hold the first memory element reset after the stage output pulse while the second memory element is set.
US08264263B2
A composite resonance circuit is provided of which the resonance frequency is variable over a wide frequency range without changing the circuit constant of a non-resonant element having no resonance frequency. The composite resonance circuit comprises an input terminal; a resonance unit having first and second ports and quasi-resonating in response to AC signals respectively supplied to these ports; and phase shift circuits that perform different phase shifts on an AC signal supplied to the input terminal and supply first and second shifted signals subjected to the phase shift respectively to the first and second ports. The resonance unit is an impedance circuit that has at least four input terminals forming the first and second ports and that generates a quasi-resonant peak current under non-zero reactance in response to the first and second shifted signals coming in via the first and second ports. The quasi-resonant peak current is variable according to the frequency and phase shift quantities of the AC signals. Namely, the resonance frequency can be made to be variable.
US08264262B2
A delay-locked loop (DDL) circuit and a semiconductor device including the same are provided. The DDL circuit includes: a control voltage generator for generating a control voltage corresponding to a delay difference between an input clock and a plurality of comparison clocks by comparing the input clock with the plurality of comparison clocks that are sequentially generated and have different delays; a pulse width adjuster for adjusting a pulse width of the input clock according to a delay difference between the input clock and an arbitrary comparison clock of the comparison clocks and for generating a pulse-width-adjusted input clock as an adjusted input clock; and a delay unit for delaying the adjusted input clock in response to the control voltage and for outputting the delayed adjusted input clock as the comparison clocks and output clocks.
US08264261B2
An apparatus for the controlled delay of an input signal includes a signal input for receiving an input signal. The input signal is supplied to a delay line with a multiplicity of delay elements. Outputs of the delay elements allow respective differently delayed phase signals to be tapped off. Furthermore, a register line with a multiplicity of register elements is provided. The register elements are each associated with one of the delay elements. Each of the register elements has a reset input and a clock input. The reset inputs are coupled to the signal input. The outputs of the delay elements are each coupled to the clock input of the register element associated therewith.
US08264237B2
An arc detection system for a plasma generation system includes a radio frequency (RF) sensor that generates first and second signals based on a respective electrical properties of (RF) power that is in communication with a plasma chamber. A correlation module generates an arc detect signal based on the first and second signals. The arc detect signal indicates whether an arc is occurring in the plasma chamber and is employed to vary an aspect of the RF power to extinguish the arc.
US08264232B2
A device for measuring the wear of the contacts of a switchgear device is described. The switchgear device is of the open circuit breaker type with offset pole-shaft, and the movable contact is mounted on a sliding support. Measurement of the wear of the contacts is based on evaluation of the over-travel of the movable contact in the closed position when the latter slides in its support. This over-travel is determined by measuring the residual rotation of the pole-shaft, preferably by a contact-less magnetic rotation sensor.
US08264215B1
Electrical currents are detected and analyzed across structural members in a structural joint, such as a fastener of a vehicle. In some aspects, printed circuit boards etched with Rogowski coil circuits are inserted proximate the structural members in the structural joint. The Rogowski coil circuits may detect an electrical current as it flows through the structural joint. An integrator may integrate a transient current to generate an output signal, such as when the vehicle is subjected to an electrical charge. The output signal may be transmitted to an Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) system for analysis. In various aspects, the IVHM system may enable recording and reporting of various aspects of the current to enable maintenance, inspection, or real time/near real time health assessment of the vehicle.
US08264214B1
A low-voltage reference circuit may have a pair of semiconductor devices. Each semiconductor device may have an n-type semiconductor region, an n+ region in the n-type semiconductor region, a metal gate, and a gate insulator interposed between the metal gate and the n-type semiconductor region through which carriers tunnel. The metal gate may have a work function matching that of p-type polysilicon. The gate insulator may have a thickness of less than about 25 angstroms. The metal gate may form a first terminal for the semiconductor device and the n+ region and n-type semiconductor region may form a second terminal for the semiconductor device. The second terminals may be coupled to ground. A biasing circuit may use the first terminals to supply different currents to the semiconductor devices and may provide a corresponding reference output voltage at a value that is less than one volt.
US08264213B2
A control method of a variable-frequency and multi-phase voltage regulator module is provided. The variable-frequency and multi-phase voltage regulator module is connected to a central processing unit and embedded on a motherboard for providing a central-processing-unit current. The control method includes steps of: detecting an intensity of a central-processing-unit current of the central processing unit; providing a power to the central processing unit via M number of phases based on a first switching frequency if the intensity of the central-processing-unit current is greater than a reference-current value; and providing a power to the central processing unit via N number of phases based on a second switching frequency if the intensity of the central-processing-unit current is less than the reference-current value.
US08264203B2
Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed for determining a reported state of charge (“SOC”) of a battery system, the methods, apparatus, and computer program products including determining the reported SOC according to a first determining method when a previous SOC is greater than a first SOC threshold percentage and less than or equal to 100%; determining the reported SOC according to a second determining method when the previous SOC is greater than a second threshold percentage and less than or equal to the first SOC threshold percentage; and determining the reported SOC according to a third determining method when the previous SOC is greater than or equal to 0% and less than or equal to the second SOC threshold percentage.
US08264201B2
A battery management system and a driving method thereof are provided for detecting a short battery cell. The battery management system includes a main control unit (MCU) and a cell balancing unit. The MCU transmits a battery cell control signal for controlling charge and discharge of the battery cells. The cell balancing unit balances the battery cells according to the battery cell control signal. The MCU includes a cell balancing discharge amount measurement unit and a controller. The cell balancing discharge amount measurement unit measures a cell balancing discharge amount of each of the battery cells. The controller compares a difference value between a maximum value among the cell balancing discharge amounts of the battery cells and each of the cell balancing discharge amounts to determine a short battery cell.
US08264185B2
An apparatus for electrically rotating a shutter's axis in order to fold and unfold the shutter includes an electrical motor; a gear that is driven by the motor; and a rotatable adapting unit or a flange to which the shutter's axis is connected. The rotatable adapting unit is connected to the gear. The apparatus may also include two switches, each switch stopping the motor when depressed, located at both ends of a rail, and wherein an element is installed in the rail capable to move along the rail and the element depresses one of the switches when arriving to any end of the rail. A circular plate with a spiral tunnel grooved on its surface is joined to the rotatable adapting unit or flange; and a pin is installed on the element and is settled in the grooved tunnel, moving the element along the rail according to the rotation of the plate.
US08264180B2
The invention relates to an adjustment drive of a motor vehicle, wherein the adjustment drive includes a drive motor having a motor magnet that generates a magnetic exciter main field and having a motor armature that is rotatably arranged between a plurality of magnet poles of said motor magnet. The adjustment drive also includes a magneto-sensitive sensor positioned in such a way that during a rotation of the motor armature it senses a change in a magnetic flux density of the exciter main field.
US08264179B2
Method for control of synchronous electrical motors with application for stepper and Brush-Less Direct Current motors for which there is an explicit relation between the active electrical power supplied to the motor and the mechanical power that the motor delivers to the load. The active electrical power Pel consumed by the motor is measured and according to FIG. 3 the mechanical power Pmech and the maximum available mechanical power Pmech max are determined. The ratio between Pmech and Pmech max is calculated and is compared to the set value of the same ratio. If it is greater than the set one either the operating currents are increased either the operating speed is decreased or both operations are executed. But if it is smaller—either the operating currents are decreased either the operating speed is increased or both operations are executed.
US08264176B2
A fan arrangement (20) has a fan (24) driven by an electric motor (22), also an apparatus for detecting the electrical power (PIST) consumed by the electric motor (22) during operation; an input apparatus (28) for inputting a desired rotation speed (nSOLL) of said electric motor (22); a converter (26) for converting said desired rotation speed (nSOLL) into a desired electrical power (PSOLL); and a controller (44), which regulates the control input controlling the electric motor (22) in such a way that the difference between the electrical power (PIST) consumed in operation and the desired electrical power (PSOLL) is reduced, in order thereby to improve the air output characteristic curve (49, 58) of the fan arrangement (20) at least in a portion of the overall operating range.
US08264172B2
The present disclosure presents a relatively inexpensive yet intelligent solution for assigning a status to a lighting device over a connection used for transmissions of power and/or intensity for the lighting device. The system leverage and utilizes an existing connection that is available in many traditional lighting systems to provide intelligence between lighting devices, such as assigning a master or slave status to a lighting fixture or a device. For example, a typical lighting fixture may have existing connections such as for wiring and powering up the lighting fixture to modulate intensity of the light emitted. The present solution described herein provides systems and methods for utilizing the same wire to assign a status to the lighting fixture without interrupting the power supplied to the lighting fixture or the intensity emitted from the lighting device.
US08264171B1
LED junction temperature is determined in real time using the LED itself as the temperature sensor for directly measuring the LED junction temperature. In addition, temperature measurements from a silicon diode placed in proximity to the LED are also used to complement the temperature measurements from the LED itself. Arbitration is performed among temperature measurements from the LED and temperature measurements from the silicon diode to determine a temperature of the LED junction. The determined LED junction temperature may be used to make adjustments to the LED drive current. Temperature measurements from the LED are made in real time during actual operation by applying snooping currents to the LED during off-times of the PWM cycles of the LED, without interrupting normal operation of the LED.
US08264170B2
In at least one embodiment of the disclosure, a discharge lamp lighting device includes a discharge lamp driving unit that drives a discharge lamp by supplying an AC driving current to the discharge lamp. A memory unit is configured to store driving parameters for the AC driving current. A control unit is configured to control the discharge lamp driving unit based on the driving parameters stored in the memory unit. The driving parameters comprise a range of holding time values, each holding time value representing a time period in which the AC driving current is to be continuously maintained at a same polarity. Upon a predetermined time condition, the control unit selects one of the holding time values based on a predetermined probability and controls the discharge lamp driving unit based on the selected holding time value.
US08264169B2
Representative method and computer-readable medium embodiments provide for sourcing current to a series of light emitting diodes in a plurality of series of light emitting diodes. A representative method comprises generating a current, sequentially and separately switching the current to each of the series of light emitting diodes in the plurality of series of light emitting diodes for a corresponding period of time, and predicting an output voltage across a selected series of light emitting diodes using a plurality of parameters stored in a memory.
US08264162B2
A switching circuit includes multiple transistors connected to the primary winding of a transformer, and alternately applies an input voltage and a ground voltage to the primary winding according to the ON/OFF operations of the transistors. Multiple ballast capacitors are respectively provided to multiple fluorescent lamps. One terminal of each ballast capacitor is connected to the secondary winding so as to form a common terminal. The other terminal thereof is connected to the fluorescent lamp. A first capacitor and a second capacitor are arranged in this order in series between an connection node that connects the fluorescent lamp to be monitored and the corresponding ballast capacitor and the ground terminal. An abnormal state judging unit compares the voltage at the connection node that connects the first capacitor and the second capacitor with a predetermined threshold voltage.
US08264161B2
In a lighting apparatus for a high-voltage discharge lamp, a control circuit controls a switching element of a step-down chopper circuit and that of an igniter circuit such that the switching elements are synchronously turned on/off, and controls the switching of the switching element of the step-down chopper circuit in accordance with an amount of a drop in the output voltage of the step-down chopper circuit when lighting of a high-voltage discharge lamp is started such that inrush current flowing when the high-voltage discharge lamp breaks down is suppressed. With this, when a lighting apparatus starts lighting the high-voltage discharge lamp, the inrush current flowing when the lamp breaks down can be minimized in response to variations in the load of the high-voltage discharge lamp. In addition, the lifetime of the high-voltage discharge lamp can be increased since inrush current during glow discharge can be suppressed.
US08264160B2
An electronic ballast includes a rectifier circuit, having two output terminals coupled to a first node and a second node; a first capacitor having two ends coupled to the first node and the second node; an inverter, having a first terminal coupled to the first node, a second terminal coupled to the second node and a third terminal; an inductor, having a first end coupled to the third terminal of the inverter and a second end for coupling a first terminal of a lamp; a second capacitor, having two ends for coupling a second terminal and a third terminal of the lamp; a third capacitor, having two ends coupled to the first node and a third node, wherein the third node is further for coupling a fourth terminal of the lamp; and a diode, having two ends coupled to the third node and the second node.
US08264156B2
A system for luminance characterization of a luminaire includes a ballast coil and a multi-tap capacitor connected in series with the ballast coil. The multi-tap capacitor has a plurality of tap capacitors integrated into a capacitor housing. A plurality of switches are each coupled to one of the plurality of tap capacitors for selectively coupling the tap capacitors together to produce a multi-tap capacitance corresponding to a configuration of the plurality of switches. A lamp is connected in series with the multi-tap capacitor and the ballast coil. A photometer is located to measure light intensity of the lamp and to produce a lumen output measurement. A memory is used to store a database having a plurality of lumen output measurements, each corresponding to a multi-tap capacitance corresponding to all configurations of the plurality of switches.
US08264154B2
Embodiments of the present invention generally provide methods and apparatus for pulsed plasma processing over a wide process window. In some embodiments, an apparatus may include an RF power supply having frequency tuning and a matching network coupled to the RF power supply that share a common sensor for reading reflected RF power reflected back to the RF power supply. In some embodiments, an apparatus may include an RF power supply having frequency tuning and a matching network coupled to the RF power supply that share a common sensor for reading reflected RF power reflected back to the RF power supply and a common controller for tuning each of the RF power supply and the matching network.
US08264149B2
A lamp assembly includes a lamp base having power input terminals, a fluorescent lamp connected to the terminals through a manually operated switch that is on an exterior of the lamp base so that when power is supplied to the terminals the fluorescent lamp is selectively powered by manual operation of the switch, and a light emitting diode (LED) inseparably connected to the terminals so that when power is supplied to the terminals the LED is always powered. This arrangement allows the LED to be ON regardless of the operating status of the fluorescent lamp and allows the fluorescent lamp to be turned OFF while the LED remains ON.
US08264148B2
A discharge lamp may include a substantially ellipsoidal discharge vessel that surrounds an anode and a cathode that are respectively fixed by current-carrying electrode holders, the latter being guided through bulb shafts arranged diametrically on the discharge vessel, there being provided around the electrode holders at the transition from the discharge vessel to the bulb shafts constrictions that form a connecting channel between the discharge space, surrounded by the discharge vessel, and in each case the bulb shaft spaces surrounded by the bulb shafts, wherein at least one of the discharge vessel, the constrictions and the anode coating is designed in such a way as to reduce or avoid blackening of the discharge vessel in the light-emitting region.
