US08430391B1
In a tandem media supply, two vertical stacks of media sheets are stored. The first stack is positioned on a lift plate that rises as top sheets are removed from the stack of media. When the first stack is exhausted, the second stack is moved by an actuator towards a position where the lift plate was loaded with the first stack of media sheets. Movement of the second stack displaces a biased gate to decouple the lift plate from a drive member that elevated the lift plate. The lift plate drops under the effect of gravity to a position where the second stack of media sheets moves onto the lift plate. Once the second stack is on the lift plate, a biasing force returns the biased gate to a position that enables the drive member to elevate the lift plate.
US08430389B2
A sheet processing apparatus includes a staple processing portion and a sheet stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked and abutted. The sheet processing apparatus also includes a fold processing portion, a conveyance guide member, an end part processing portion to perform an end part process to the folded end part, and a controlling portion. After a stapling process is performed, the fold processing portion folds the sheet bundle in two to create a folded sheet bundle having a folded end part between a first surface and a second surface. The conveyance guide member guides the folded sheet bundle with the folded end part as a leading end while the first surface slides against the conveyance guide member. The controlling portion controls the positioning member such that the stapling position is moved, by a predetermined distance, to an area on the sheet bundle that will become the second surface.
US08430386B2
In a wave linear motion mechanism (4) of a holding mechanism (1), those portions of a flexible screw (14) where first and second male screws (32, 33) are formed are elliptically deformed by first and second wave generators (12, 13) installed on an input shaft (11), and the first and second male screws (32, 33) are respectively partially engaged with first and second female screws (42, 44) of first and second circular nuts (15, 16). First and second holding members (5, 6) are mounted on the first and second circular nuts (15, 16), respectively. When the input shaft (11) is rotated by a motor (3), the first and second holding members (5, 6) are opened or closed depending on the rotation direction to release or hold an object (W).
US08430380B2
A tray valve assembly for a process column of a type wherein a first, heavier fluid interacts with a second, lighter fluid. A plurality of valves are disposed on a surface of the tray. Each valve of the plurality of valves includes a top surface and at least one securement leg. A first securement leg of is adapted to intercept the first, heavier fluid flow thereby forming a diverting baffle. Each valve includes at least one aperture to facilitate the second, lighter fluid flow therefrom. The at least one aperture is adapted to allow the second, lighter fluid to interact with the first, heavier fluid. Each valve includes a plurality of open side regions. Each valve is adapted to allow the second, lighter fluid to pass outwardly therefrom generally in a direction of the first heavier fluid.
US08430377B2
A valve comprises a cup-shaped element presenting an outer surface on which a driver element is mountable and, inserted in said cup-shaped element, a core comprising at least one seal element arranged to block a first fluid passage provided in a bush, said core being movable within said cup-shaped element against the action of an elastic element between a first position in which said seal element rests on said bush such as to close its first passage and a second position in which said seal element is detached from said bush such as to open its first passage, said bush being associated with a closure element for the cup shaped element, the closure element presenting, for its fixing to the cup-shaped element, means cooperating with an inner surface of said cup-shaped element.
US08430375B2
A foam filling member that can hold a foam sheet in a looped shape stably, without increasing the number of components, to provide improved vibration suppression and sound insulation. The strip-like foam sheet is formed in a looped shape by bending round it, so that both end portions of the foam sheet are overlapped with each other in a thickness direction thereof to form an overlapped portion therein. Then, insertion shafts of a clip are inserted through the overlapped portion, so that the overlapped portion is held in sandwich relation between a base portion and a head portion to form a foam filling member. Then, a supporting portion of the fixing portion of the clip is inserted in a fixing hole of an inner panel and fixed to the inner panel. After the inner panel and an outer panel are welded, the foam filling member is foamed, cross-linked, and cured by heating in a drying line process at the baking finish, to thereby produce the foam, whereby the interior space of the pillar is filled up with the foam, leaving no space therein.
US08430373B2
A fluid-filled type vibration damping device including a resin bracket provided on an outside peripheral face of a second mounting member. The resin bracket includes a mating portion mated within a mating groove of the second mounting member opening in an outside peripheral face of the second mounting member, a mating tubular portion extending on the outside peripheral face of the second mounting member from the mating portion to one axial side, and a mounting portion which is formed at a distal end portion of the mating tubular portion on the one axial side and extends peripherally outward. A weight reducing space opens at a distal end face of the mating tubular portion on the one axial side while extending between an inside peripheral face of the mating tubular portion and the outside peripheral face of the second mounting member in a circumferential direction.
US08430367B2
A mounting device for data storage devices includes a mounting bracket, a first tray mounted to the mounting bracket, a second tray mounted to the mounting bracket, a first cable, and a cable retainer. The first cable is located on the first tray. The first cable extends through the first tray and toward the second tray. The cable retainer is mounted to the first tray adjacent the second tray for retaining the first cable.
US08430364B1
A roller assembly for facilitating movement of a switch rail between two positions. In one embodiment, the roller assembly includes a frame adapted for attachment to the switch rail and having a pocket formed therein, and an elastomer assembly, at least a portion of which is slidably disposed within the pocket. The elastomer assembly includes a roller wheel and an elastomeric block. The roller wheel travels along the surface of a tie plate when the switch rail is moved between positions. The elastomeric block is adapted to compress under a load applied to the switch rail in the direction of the tie plate, causing the roller wheel to retract in the direction of the pocket. When the weight of a train is exerted on the roller assembly, the compression of the elastomeric block causes the train to ride fully on the rails, just as if the roller assembly were not present. When no weight is exerted on the roller assembly, the roller assembly assists the switch to move freely between positions.
US08430351B2
Several small diameter short width rolls (124) of plastic film (108) are wound from a larger width and length of plastic web in a continuous manner. The disclosed apparatus slits the larger width plastic web into several narrower width plastic webs, positions the slit webs on a single large diameter winding drum (110) and then winds each narrower width web at a separate winding turret (112, 114). At each turret, the plastic web is rolled around a first mandrel until the roll achieves the desired size. Then, a second mandrel contacts, the plastic web and the plastic web is severed between the first mandrel and second mandrel and attached to a second mandrel to be rolled into a roll of desired length. The process is repeated at each turret such that the several plastic webs are simultaneously wound in a continuous fashion.
US08430350B2
The disclosed seat belt retractor may include a spool for retracting a seat belt, a torsion bar, a pre-tensioner, and a locking device. The torsion bar may disposed inside the spool, wherein one side of the torsion bar is connected to the spool, and configured to absorb energy of movement of an occupant while being deformed under torsion. The pre-tensioner may be positioned at one side of the spool and configured to generate a rotating drive force for rotating the spool in a retracting direction in a condition of rapid deceleration of a motor vehicle. The locking device may be capable of locking another side of the spool such that a rotation of the spool in a withdrawal direction is suppressed at both an operating time of the pre-tensioner and a non-operating time of the pre-tensioner.
US08430341B2
A gassing apparatus including a composite gas flow screen having a plurality of respective screen elements, each with at least one respective flow opening therein, the cross-sectional areas of the respective flow openings in respective elements decreasing in a downstream direction with respect to gas flow and at least one other screen element having no flow opening. A nozzle preferably produces a relatively high velocity central gas stream with surrounding gas streams of decreasing velocity as they are spaced further away from the central gas stream. Methods and apparatus are described.
US08430338B2
A spray head for spraying a cosmetic or dermatological composition, in particular for application to the human body, may include a sonotrode for transmitting ultrasound vibration from a transducer to an ejection surface for ejecting particles of composition, the sonotrode including a channel for feeding the composition to the ejection surface. The channel may present a narrow portion between a composition inlet into the sonotrode and the composition outlet to the ejection surface.
US08430335B2
An elastic tensioning clamp made of spring steel for rail fixation comprises a central loop (44) having two inner legs (46) connected by an arc-shaped central portion (48) as well as nooses (42) connected to the inner legs (46) of the central loop (44) and running towards the free ends (50) of the tensioning clamp (40). The nooses (42) are formed so as to have, in the unloaded state, a maximum height (H) of at least 20 mm above the upper plane (E2) of the central loop (44) in the region of the two inner legs (46).
US08430329B2
A two-dimensional code publishing program that provides display of beautiful two-dimensional codes with homogeneity and a high sense of design, and a two-dimensional code decoding program that decodes bit strings expressed as two-dimensional codes in various situations.In a display of cells having a color with a low visibility against the blank area surrounding the two-dimensional code, a contrast is set between the gradation of the color component having a gradation close to that of the blank area and/or in a display of cells having a color with a high visibility against the blank area surrounding the two-dimensional code, the contrast is reduced between the gradation of the color component having a gradation far from that of the blank area.
US08430327B2
A wireless sensing system includes a sensor made from an electrical conductor shaped to form an open-circuit, electrically-conductive spiral trace having inductance and capacitance. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the sensor resonates to generate a harmonic response having a frequency, amplitude and bandwidth. A magnetic field response recorder wirelessly transmits the time-varying magnetic field to the sensor and wirelessly detects the sensor's response frequency, amplitude and bandwidth.
US08430314B1
An apparatus and method for imaging a target, includes a housing having a presentation area, a solid-state imaging sensor having an imaging array of image sensors looking at a field of view that extends through the presentation area to the target, and an imaging lens assembly for capturing return light over the field of view from the target through the presentation area, and for projecting the captured return light onto the imaging array during imaging of the target. The assembly has a plurality of lenses, an aperture stop, and a holder for holding the lenses and the aperture stop in spaced relation along an optical axis. The aperture stop has a non-rotationally symmetrical aperture through which the optical axis extends. Alignment elements on the imaging lens assembly are used to align the non-rotationally symmetrical aperture with the imaging array.
US08430313B2
A hand controller for controlling an electro-optic sensor of a weapons system may include a first cam/spring mechanism configured to provide non-linear displacement to an operator applying a torque to rotate the hand controller in a first direction. A second cam/spring mechanism may be configured to provide non-linear displacement to an operator applying a torque to rotate the hand controller in a second direction. A first sensor may be configured to sense torque being applied in the first direction and to generate a command signal to control rotation of the electro-optic sensor in the first direction. A second sensor may be configured to sense torque being applied in the second direction and to generate a command signal to control rotation of the electro-optic sensor in the second direction. The command signals may be substantially mathematically proportional rate command signals with respect to applied torque.
US08430312B2
Methods and apparatus provide for a Cart Inspector to create a suspicion level for a transaction when a video image of the transaction portrays an item(s) left in a shopping cart. Specifically, the Cart Inspector obtains video data associated with a time(s) of interest. The video data originates from a video camera that monitors a transaction area. The Cart Inspector analyzes the video data with respect to target image(s) associated with a transaction in the transaction area during the time(s) of interest. The Cart Inspector creates an indication of a suspicion level for the transaction based on analysis of the target image(s). Creation of a high suspicion level for the transaction indicates that the transaction's corresponding video images most likely portray occurrences where the purchase price of an item transported through the transaction area was not included in the total amount paid by the customer.
US08430311B2
Systems and methods for automatically checking out items located on a moving conveyor belt for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of a checkout process and revenue at a point-of-sale. The system includes a conveyor subsystem for moving the items, a housing that enclosed a portion of the conveyor subsystem, a lighting subsystem that illuminates an area within the housing, visual sensors that can take images of the items including UPCs, and a checkout system that receives the images from the visual sensors and automatically identifies the items. The system may include a scale subsystem located under the conveyor subsystem to measure the weights of the items, where the weight of each item is used to check if the corresponding item is identified correctly. The system relies on matching visual features from images stored in a database to match against features extracted from images taken by the visual sensors.
US08430303B1
A cash handling device includes one or more universal cartridges storing cash which may be swapped between different types of cash handling devices. The swapping of universal cartridges may allow for improved efficiency when a cash handling device is detected to have a need for additional currency, removal of surplus currency, removal of unfit currency, and other services.
US08430293B2
A curable flux composition is provided, comprising, as initial components: a resin component having at least two oxirane groups per molecule; a carboxylic acid; and, an amine fluxing agent represented by formula I: and, optionally, a curing agent. Also provided is a method of soldering an electrical contact using the curable flux composition.
US08430291B2
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, structures and methods for enhancing the properties of tissue to be repaired or joined. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical stapling apparatus is provided including a wound treatment material dispersion system for delivering wound treatment material to a target surgical site. The dispersion system includes an aperture formed in the anvil assembly oriented to dispense wound treatment material in an outward direction; and a source of wound treatment material in fluid communication with the aperture of the anvil assembly.
US08430290B2
An apparatus for driving a fastener (1300) including a nose (1202) having a passageway including a first channel portion (1204) and a second channel portion (1214). The first channel portion is adapted to receive a first fastener body portion (1302) and the second channel portion adapted to receive a second fastener body portion (1304). The first and second fastener body portions are obliquely angled relative to one another. The apparatus also includes a driver blade (120) configured to apply a force to a first end of the fastener for driving the fastener at least partially from the passageway.
US08430289B2
In the method for cutting a continuously moving glass sheet with an inhomogeneous thickness distribution across the glass sheet, a cutting tool is moved across it at an angle to its travel direction to form a fissure and then the glass sheet is broken along the fissure. To avoid premature breakage in thin regions the applied cutting force is controlled by a controller based on control commands so that the cutting force is decreased when the glass sheet thickness decreases and is increased when it increases. In a preferred embodiment cutting force switchover points are based on an initial measurement of the thickness distribution. In another embodiment the thickness is continuously measured and the applied cutting force is automatically adjusted accordingly, so that the cutting force is greater when the thickness is greater, and vice versa.
US08430286B1
An accessory rack for transporting objects such as small boats on an ATV or pickup truck includes a pair of upright posts, one mounted on a front rack support at a front platform and the other at a rear platform. Each of the posts is connected to a base member secured to a rack support, and cross members with upturned ends for receiving a boat are connected to tops of the posts. An elongated beam is connected to the cross members at both ends of the beam. Square steel tubing is used for most of the structure, with sizes being varied to allow overlap and adjusting length of components. Racks for use in pickup trucks may be bolted to the pickup bed.
US08430284B2
A carrier for a bulk beverage container having a spout includes a shell having walls forming a hollow interior space sized and shaped for receiving the bulk beverage container therein, an opening formed in one of the walls for passage of the spout therethrough, and a flap secured to the shell for selectively covering the opening. The flap hinges between a closed position wherein the flap covers the opening and an open position wherein the flap does not cover the opening. A gasket can be provided at the opening for closely receiving the spout to seal the opening about the spout. Fasteners, such as hook-and-loop type fasteners, can be provided for removably securing the flap in the closed and open positions.
US08430283B2
A T-shirts hanger is provided, comprising a hook member, an inverse V-shaped flexible member, and a pair of shoulder members. The inverse V-shaped flexible member comprises two legs and a cusp portion, and the legs are spread so as to have an inverse V shape without pressure and the legs are closed substantially under a pressure larger than a predetermined magnitude for putting the legs together. The two legs are closed under the pressure larger than the predetermined magnitude so as to be inserted into and retrieved from a neck hole of the T-shirts without stretching the neck hole of the T-shirts.
US08430280B2
A submerged nozzle has a lower part with a bottom and two outlet side channels above the bottom, and a skirt with a center fixed to the lower part of the nozzle above the outlet side channels. The skirt has two parallel flat surfaces each having side edges that are smoothly connected to each other by two respective cylindrical surfaces, the two outlet side channels being identical and lying along a common longitudinal axis making an acute angle with the parallel flat surfaces. A portion of the skirt is spaced apart from the nozzle to allow hot metal to flow in the space between the nozzle and the skirt.
US08430258B2
A synthetic resin hollow body which includes a hollow molding body made of a resin, the hollow molding body capable of holding a liquid material, and a resin sheathing body formed outside the hollow molding body in an integrating manner with the hollow molding body, wherein the resin sheathing body is made of a highly transparent synthetic resin having a total ray transmittance of at least 80%. The synthetic resin hollow body can exhibit a satisfactory decorating property and a satisfactory recycle property and is hardly damaged. In addition, the product cost and operation cost can be suppressed.
US08430246B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for sifting feedstock, comprising: a. a static sifter that has a ventilated bottom which is oriented at an angle to the vertical and is penetrated by sifting gas; b. an inlet for feeding the feedstock to the ventilated bottom; c. an outlet for the coarse material; d. a dynamic sifter that is mounted downstream and encompasses at least one rotor with rotor blades and a horizontal rotor axis; e. at least one outlet for the sifting gas loaded with fine material; and f. a housing inside which the static and the dynamic sifter are arranged. The housing area surrounding the dynamic sifter is designed as a housing spiral such that the sifting gas flows against the rotor in a substantially tangential direction. The rotor rotates counter to the direction of flow of the sifting gas in the housing spiral.
US08430238B2
This invention is related to a hanging, telescoping garment organizer for storing, displaying and dispensing rolled pair of socks or other small garments, comprising an upper and a lower container of elongated, tubular shape. The lower container can be telescoping inside the upper container to reduce the organizer's space when not in use. The lower container is held attached to the upper container by a plurality of snap hooks that snap locked with the corresponding locking edges at the bottom of the upper container. The front sides of both the upper and lower containers have vertical openings sufficiently wide to allow easy manual insertion and retrieval of rolled pairs of socks or other small garments. The upper container, which is holding the lower container, can be hanged to an hanging bar using the incorporated, unobtrusive hanging system, that allow the top part of the upper container to slide over the hanging bar until the hanging bar is held in place by a round-shaped hanging slot preventing involuntary sliding backward of the upper container. The organizer provides a plurality of clips that can be mounted on the lateral outside walls of the upper container to suspend loose socks to facilitate their matching.
US08430235B2
A module for a modular conveyor mat includes a substantially flat metal body part having front and rear sides extending transversely to a conveying direction (P). Projections spaced apart by intermediate spaces form hinge loops attached to the body part. A plastic cover forming a conveying surface is attached to the body part and extends over and around at least one of the hinge loops. The invention also relates to a modular conveyor mat, comprising a multiple number of the modules.
US08430226B2
A work transfer apparatus includes a holding unit (100) that rotates together with a rotation table (20) as a transferring mechanism intermittently driven to be fed, a lifting and lowering unit (200) for lowering the holding unit in order to transfer a workpiece held by the holding unit onto a processing table (30) as well as lifting the holding unit in order to transfer the workpiece held on the processing table onto the holding unit, and a fixing unit (300) that fixes the workpiece held on the holding unit and releases the workpiece when transferring the workpiece onto the processing table.
US08430223B2
Symmetrical lock which can be operated by means of two coins, consisting of a casing with two slots for the insertion of respective coins and a tongue displaceable in a left/right direction. It is characterized in that: a) the casing has a longitudinal plane of symmetry; b) two tongue stops opposite the coins and a dog engaging with one or both tongue stops are provided, the three elements being arranged on the same pivoting axis; c) the tongue has an opening with a notch with which the ends of the dogs interfere when the tongue is displaced in the absence of coins, and with an end seat for said ends when the tongue is displaced in the presence of coins; d) below the opening and on each side of the tongue there are respective fixed stops and respective movable stops which are coupled together by means of a positioning lever driven by the tongue via a pin on which it is able to pivot.
US08430218B2
In lifting columns (1) for tables and similar articles of furniture and consisting of pipe profiles (2a, 2b) with intermediate slides (8), it is a problem that the profiles (2a, 2b) have relatively great dimensional tolerances. This means that the gap between two successive sections may vary relatively much, which causes a great play in the column. This is solved in that at least one of these sections (2a) at one of the slides (8) is formed with a local deformation of the wall inwards toward the slide to press the slide inwards against the following section (2b). The dimensional tolerances may be neutralized by suitable arrangement and selection of deformations as well as the force with which the deformation is made.
US08430215B2
A method of manufacturing brake disks for front and rear wheels of a saddle-type vehicle includes steps of cutting out a disk member from a stainless steel plate member, further cutting out an intermediate portion in a diametrical direction of the disk member in a wave shape in a circumferential direction for producing an outer side disk and an inner side disk. The method also includes further steps of determining the wave portion of the outer side disk which projects to the inner side in a diametrical direction as an attaching portion, and determining the wave portion of the inner side disk which projects to the outer side in a diametrical direction as a pad sandwiching portion. The outer side disk is usable as a disk brake for the front wheel, and the inner side disk is usable as a brake disk for the rear wheel of the vehicle.
US08430209B2
An articulated vehicle has front and rear sections that are connected via a vertically pivot, and the front section has one or more front wheels that pivot a horizontal plane. A first sprocket is mounted on a vertical axis, for movement with the front section, the axis of the first sprocket is offset from the axis of the pivot between the front and rear sections, a shaft transmit angular movement at a ratio of 1:1 and in the same direction from the front wheel or wheels to the first sprocket, and a second sprocket is mounted on the rear section of the vehicle coaxially of the axis of the pivot between the front and rear sections. The second sprocket is drivingly connected to a rotary sensor, the first and second sprockets are drivingly connected by way of a chain, and the first and second sprockets having a drive ratio of 1:1.
US08430199B2
A performance shell (1) for outdoor music performance including a platform (2) providing a performance area for receiving at least one sound source, the platform combining unitarily with a rear wall reflectors (5), side wall reflector (6) and a canopy reflector (7) to define an enclosure having a front opening (11) for communicating acoustically with an open air audience area. The canopy reflector includes a main portion (8) extending above the performance area and a projecting portion (9) projecting forwardly of a front edge of the performance area, the canopy reflector further including sound diffusion formations (13) on an underside of the main portion and the projecting portion and adapted to provide non-specular reflection of sound from the at least one sound source for enhancing sound received both in the performance area and the audience area.
US08430198B2
A muffler mounting structure of a vehicle, particularly a straddle-type four-wheeled vehicle. The muffler mounting structure is provided with a muffler, at least one muffler mounting portion provided in a body frame and having a mounting hole, and at least one mounted bracket provided in an upper part of the muffler and disposed on an upper surface of the muffler mounting portion. The mounted bracket having a fixing member insertion hole passing in the up and down direction, and at least one fixing member inserted into the fixing member insertion hole from the upper side and fixed to the mounting hole.
US08430178B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to implement flotation and suspension systems typically utilized with agricultural equipment wherein an “implement” can be a brush, rake, broom, or any tool utilized to contact the ground surface; “flotation” refers to the ability of the systems to maintain a substantially consistent force applied by the implement on the ground surface it contacts and thus maintain a substantially consistent spacing between the ground surface being traversed (regardless of the regularity of the surface) and the implement section not in contact with the ground surface; and “suspension” refers to the suspension of some or all of the weight of the implement in relation to the surface being traversed.
US08430177B2
A method of radially expanding a tubular element in a wellbore formed in an earth formation comprises arranging the tubular element in the wellbore such that a lower end portion of the wall of the tubular element extends radially outward and in an axially reverse direction so as to form an expanded tubular section extending around a remaining tubular section of the tubular element, whereby an annulus is defined between the expanded and remaining tubular sections. The expanded tubular section is axially extended by moving the remaining tubular section downward relative to the expanded tubular section so that the lower end portion of the wall bends radially outward and in an axially reverse direction, and load transfer means is positioned in the annulus, the load transfer means being arranged to transfer a load between the remaining tubular section and the expanded tubular section.
US08430171B2
Several, preferably three, deflection elements are placed and fixed around the wellhead, preferably in equal circumferential distances around the wellhead. For each deflection element a guiding cable is lowered with its head end from one or several, preferably three workspaces in the direction of the wellhead. Each guiding cable is looped with its head end through the corresponding deflection element, wherein each deflection element forms a point of reversal. Each guiding cable is pulled back with its head end side to the corresponding workspace while in return additional guiding cable is supplied and passed through the corresponding deflection element. A sealing element which is fastened to each guiding cable is lowered in the direction of the wellhead by pulling the guiding cables at their head end sides upwards and, in return, supplying the guiding cables in the direction of the wellhead on the lowering side. Later, the guiding cables are attached at a distance from each other around the sealing element, preferably attached at equal circumferential distances around the sealing element.
US08430170B2
A bottom-to-surface connection installation of at least two undersea pipes (10a, 10b) resting on the sea bottom, the installation comprising: 1) a first hybrid tower comprising: a) a vertical riser (1a) anchored (3a) to a first base and connected to a said undersea pipe (10a) resting on the sea bottom and having its top end connected to a first sub-surface float (2a); and b) a first connection pipe (4a) preferably a flexible pipe, providing the connection between a floating support (11) and the top end of said riser; and 2) at least one second rigid pipe (1b) rising from the sea bottom on which it rests (10b) or from a second undersea pipe resting on the sea bottom to which its bottom end is connected, said bottom end not being anchored at said first base, up to the sub-surface where its top end is connected to a second float (2b) situated substantially at the same depth as said first float (2a) and fastened to said first float at least respectively a flexible second connection pipe (2b) providing its connection with the same said floating support (11).
US08430167B2
Control lines on the outer surface of a tubular disposed within a drilling riser casing may be encapsulated to facilitate formation of a seal in an annular space defined by an inner surface of the drilling riser casing and an outer surface of the tubular. More specifically, an encapsulation body may be configured to at least partially encase control lines. The encapsulation body may include a first surface and a second surface. The first surface may have an arcuate shape that corresponds to the outer surface of the tubular to facilitate formation of a seal between the first surface of the encapsulation body and the outer surface of the tubular when the first surface of the encapsulation body abuts the outer surface of the tubular. The second surface may be shaped to provide a geometrically continuous periphery about the tubular and the encapsulation body when the first surface of the encapsulation body abuts the outer surface of the tubular.
US08430161B2
Methods of producing a sour hydrocarbon gas via production tubing intersecting a reservoir, are described, one method including contacting an underground reservoir with an aqueous composition optionally comprising an additive, the reservoir comprising hydrocarbons and sulfur compounds; displacing the composition into the reservoir by forcing a fluid (which may be a non-hydrocarbon gas, or inert gas, or nitrogen, or argon, or mixture thereof), into the reservoir, or into the production tubing; and producing at least some of the hydrocarbons and sulfur compounds from the reservoir through the production tubing, the composition wetting the production tubing and preventing substantial deposition of elemental sulfur thereon.
US08430155B2
A modular insulated water tank comprising a hollow insulated support structure, a liner, and an insulated cover, with the support structure being comprised of two or more separable, vertically stackable retention tiers, the liner being a flexible container capable of retaining fluids within the interior of the support structure, and the cover being capable of enclosing contents contained within the interior of the water tank. So configured, the modular insulated water tank is capable of retaining a large quantity of fluid, such as water, at an elevated temperature for an extended length of time, for purposes of using the heat energy stored therein for space heating purposes or for domestic hot water use. The modular water tank employs a heating exchange interface comprised of inflow and outflow conduits and a heat exchanger, capable of bringing fluids into and out of the water tank to either release heat energy into the fluid contained in the water tank for heat storage or to absorb heat energy from the fluid contained in the water tank for heat use. The modular design of the water tank allows it to be easily shipped and stored, and assembled in otherwise difficult to access locations. The water tank is intended to be used to store heat energy generated by an external heat source, such as a boiler, solar collectors, or a wood stove.
US08430145B2
The invention relates to a hot gas nozzle adapted for heating an end section of a double tube, where the double tube comprises a first tube and a second tube, comprising a first and a second inner nozzle insert having outlet openings adapted to heat an internally located section in a double tube with hot air, where the hot gas nozzle further comprises a first and a second outer nozzle insert having outlet openings adapted to heat an externally and between the tubes located section of the double tube with hot air, which section after a sealing of the double tube will join the tubes. The invention further relates to a tube filling machine comprising a hot gas nozzle and a method for sealing and joining a double tube. The object of the invention is to obtain an improved sealing of double tubes.
US08430143B2
A pneumatic tire including a sealant layer formed from a sealant fluid having adhesive properties that is provided on a tire inner circumferential surface corresponding with a tread portion; and a sound absorbing layer formed from a porous material that is provided via a barrier layer impermeable to the sealant fluid on an inner circumferential surface of the sealant layer; wherein a width W1 of the sound absorbing layer in a tire width direction is from 50 to 90% of a width W2 of the sealant layer in the tire width direction.
US08430142B2
An assembly for use in or on a tire. The assembly comprises an electronic device having a body and an adhesive coating on at least the body of the electronic device. The body is at least partially made of a plastic material or a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). The adhesive coating comprises an imide-based adhesive. The adhesive coating may have a polymer bonding group comprising at least one of natural rubber, butyl rubber, a chlorinated elastomer, polybutadiene, synthetic polyisoprene, or styrene-butadiene rubber or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the assembly further comprises a first elastomeric layer and a second elastomeric layer. The adhesive coating secures the body to the first and the second elastomeric layers. The first and second elastomeric layers may comprise a butyl-containing compound or natural rubber compound. In one embodiment, the electronic device is a radio frequency identification tag having the body and an antenna.
US08430138B2
A funnel (1) comprising a funnel body (2) defining an upper inlet opening and a lower discharge opening, the inlet being of greater diameter or width than the discharge opening, at least a portion of the funnel body being define by or having mounted thereon an attachment means (16) permitting the funnel to be attached to a substantially vertically arranged body panel of a vehicle. In a preferred embodiment said attachment means comprises one or more regions or portions of a magnetic material (16) for attachment to steel body panels of the vehicule or other ferromagnetic objects. In an alternative embodiment said attachment means may comprise one more suction cups. Preferably at least a portion of the funnel body is formed from a flexible or callapsible material whereby the funnel can be manipulated between an in use configuration and a collapsed or folded configuration to enable the funnel to stored in a compact form.
US08430136B2
A tank for a load tap changer includes opposing front and rear walls, opposing side walls, and a bottom wall joined to define a box-like structure. A door structure is removably coupled to one of the walls. An oil catch tray is coupled to the tank and is movable between a retracted, storage position generally adjacent to the bottom of the tank, and an operative position extending outwardly from the one wall to which the door structure is coupled and generally under a portion of the door structure. In the operative position, the oil catch tray is constructed and arranged to collect oil that drips from the door structure and the one wall when the door structure is removed from the one wall.
US08430130B2
A variable flow resistance system can include a vortex device, with resistance to flow of a fluid composition through the vortex device being dependent on a rotation of the fluid composition at an inlet to the vortex device. Another system can include a second vortex device which receives a fluid composition from an outlet of a first vortex device, a resistance to flow of the fluid composition through the second vortex device being dependent on a rotation of the fluid composition at the outlet. Another system can include a first vortex device which causes increased rotation of a fluid composition at an outlet thereof in response to an increase the fluid composition velocity, and a second vortex device which receives the fluid composition from the outlet, a flow resistance through the second vortex device being dependent on the rotation of the fluid composition at the outlet.
US08430128B2
A tube clamp includes (i) a tube holding portion; (ii) a first arm extending from a first end of the tube holding portion; (iii) a second arm extending from a second end of the tube holding portion, the second armed curved so that a first catch located at a distal end of the second arm can be snap-fitted to the first arm to occlude a first tube extending through the tube holding portion; and (iv) wherein the first arm includes a locking feature configured such that when a second tube clamp is mated with the tube clamp, the locking feature interacts with a second catch of the second tube clamp so that the second tube clamp is prevented from occluding a second tube.
US08430125B2
A control valve includes a body including an internal passageway and is constituted at one end as a coupler that includes a valve poppet openable to allow fluid access to or from the passageway past the poppet. The body defines at least one lateral port. A valve spool is disposed within the body and is movable lengthwise of the body by a solenoid actuator, disposed at the other end of the body, to control fluid communication between the passageway and the lateral port.
US08430124B2
This invention discloses a ventilating apparatus which has a configuration extending along a first axis, a second axis and a third axis. The first axis, the second axis and the third axis are orthogonal to each other. The ventilating apparatus includes a main body and a tail pipe. The main body has a head end and a tail end disposed along the second axis, two sidewalls disposed along the third axis, and the first aperture along the first axis. The ventilating apparatus further includes a first air orifice which extends along the second axis and passes through from the tail end to the first aperture, and the bypassing air orifices which connect the first air orifice and the first aperture. The tail pipe has a second aperture which is connected to the first aperture of the main body.
US08430122B2
A hydraulic storage tank is provided. The hydraulic storage tank includes a storage tank, a return flow filtration chamber, a contaminant containment chamber (CCC) and a tube connecting the return flow filtration chamber with the CCC. The storage tank defines a reservoir for storing hydraulic fluid. The return flow filtration chamber is configured to house a return flow filter. The CCC includes a boundary wall bounding a cavity and a CCC outlet fluidly communicating the cavity with the reservoir. The CCC outlet is radially inward from the boundary wall. The tube defines a discharge passage fluidly connecting the filtration chamber with the cavity of the CCC and includes an inlet in fluid communication with the filtration chamber and an outlet in fluid communication with the CCC. The outlet of the tube directs fluid in angular direction about an axis defined by the contaminant containment chamber outlet.
US08430111B2
A fluid processing system has a plurality of segments configured to receive flow of a fluid product. Each of the plurality of segments has a line input, a line output, a cleaning input valve, and a cleaning discharge valve. The cleaning input valve connects to the line input and the cleaning discharge valve connects to the line output. A cleaning medium is provided wherein the cleaning medium is injected into a respective cleaning input valve and drained through a respective cleaning discharge valve, such that each segment can be cleaned independently of each other.
US08430108B2
In a device (1) for cleaning a window (2) or a lens of a motor vehicle, a wash nozzle (5) is of spherical design and is held in a ball socket (13) of a nozzle stem (4). The wash nozzle (5) produces a fan-type jet (6) and can be adjusted by an angle of inclination α and a tilting angle β in relation to the nozzle stem (4). The device can be freely adjusted to different designs of the motor vehicle.
US08430104B2
A method and apparatus for treatment of skin or other tissue, using a source of thermal, electromagnetic radiation, electrical current, ultrasonic, mechanical or other type of energy, to cause minimally-invasive thermally-mediated effects in skin or other tissue which stimulates a wound-healing response, in conjunction with topical agents or other wound healing compositions, for application on the skin or other tissue which accelerate collagenesis, such as in response to wound healing. The dosage and time period of application of the compositions are adjusted to prevent external or surface tissue damage.
US08430100B2
A face mask has upper and lower portions made of mask material. The upper and lower portions are joined together at side portions and a front portion. The side portions converge as the side portions extend from a face edge to the front portion. The mask has sections between the face edge and the front portion, with each section having a head retainer, a nose strip or both. The sections are divisible from each other along separation zones or bands that extend between the side edges. The size of the mask can be reduced by removing one or more sections, leaving one or more sections that incorporate the front edge and the shortened side edges.
US08430099B2
A system for collecting an anaesthetic agent, having at least one anaesthetic gas scavenging system (AGSS) for receiving exhaust gas from a plurality of sources, the exhaust gas including the anaesthetic agent to be collected, each AGSS comprising at least one power source for providing suction of the exhaust gas from the plurality of sources under negative pressure, and a central collection system for receiving the exhaust gas, the central collection system comprising at least one collector for collecting the anaesthetic agent from the exhaust gas, wherein the at least one collector is configured to adsorb the anaesthetic agent from the exhaust gas. The central collection system may be configured to received the exhaust gases from the at least one AGSS, with the central collection system being located downstream of the at least one AGSS.
US08430095B2
A bite block includes: a first wall defining a hole into which a conduit pipe is to be inserted; a second wall surrounding the first wall to define a flow path with the first wall; and a sample port communicating with the flow path.
US08430094B2
A flexible pneumostoma management device maintains the patency of a pneumostoma while controlling the flow of material through the pneumostoma. The pneumostoma management device includes a pneumostoma vent having a tube which enters the pneumostoma to allow gases to escape the lung, a flange and a filter/valve to control flow of materials through the tube. The flange is a thin flexible patch which conforms and attaches to the chest of the patient. The flange secures the tube in position in the pneumostoma.
US08430091B2
A solar heating block, designed for use in assembling solar heating panels in the walls of buildings, has a first compartment and a second compartment within its interior volume. The first compartment contains a translucent insulating material, such as an aerogel. The second compartment, which is inward of the solar heating block from the first compartment, contains a heat-absorbing material. The translucent insulating material allows light to be transmitted through the solar heating block, but reduces heat loss to the exterior of the building from the heat-absorbing material.
US08430090B2
A two-axis solar tracker apparatus is disclosed having multiple dish-shaped monolithic reflectors for concentrating sunlight. The dish-shaped monolithic reflectors are co-axially aligned in an array supported by a moveable frame. The moveable frame forms the elevation structure of a two-axis tracker that has control means for following the movement of the sun across the sky. Each dish-shaped monolithic reflector produces a region of concentrated sunlight suitable for generation of solar energy. A generator is positioned at the focus of each reflector. A preferred generator uses photovoltaic cells to generate electricity at a high output power due to the high solar power input that is directed to the generator by the dish-shaped monolithic reflector.
US08430059B2
An apparatus for precision pen height control which includes a dispensing member, a fluid dispensing system, a vertical position sensing system, and a vertical position controller. The fluid dispensing system is in fluid communication with an opening in the dispensing member via a tubular member. A vertical position sensing system, which includes a diffraction grating and a sensor, is engaged to the tubular member. The sensor is positioned adjacent the diffraction grating. The diffraction grating is engaged to a vertical support, which is engaged to the tubular member. The sensor produces a vertical position signal based upon the position of the vertical support. The vertical position controller is engaged to the vertical position sensing system, and receives a control signal generated from the vertical position signal. The vertical position controller produces and applies vertical forces to the vertical support in response to the control signal.
US08430052B2
A positionally-adjustable flag-mounting device for use on vehicles. The flag mounting device includes a base member for receiving a flagstaff base and a mounting clip that removably attaches to a vehicle. The mounting clip is rotatably attached to the base member. The mounting clip includes means for removably mounting the mounting clip to a portion of the vehicle.
US08430049B1
An apparatus for launching and recovering at least one water vehicle includes a frame supported by a base. The base may be mounted to the deck of a boat. The frame includes an elongate stand for supporting the water vehicle. The frame is mounted for being moved relative to the base between a stowed position and a deployed position, so that a rear end of the stand is at a lower elevation in the deployed position than in the stowed position. A guide is carried by the frame and adapted for being moved back and forth along the stand. The guide is for mechanically guiding the water vehicle along the stand.
US08430039B2
The invention relates to a magnetic levitation vehicle (11) and to a method for lifting said magnetic levitation vehicle (11) and to lowering said magnetic levitation vehicle onto a roadway. According to the invention, the carrier magnetic units (38) of the magnetic levitation vehicle (11) are not all activated or deactivated at the same time but at different times in order to keep the current energy requirement from an external energy supply or main power supply to a minimum.
US08430034B2
A combustible cartridge assembly is described. The assembly of one embodiment includes a projectile, a body having a first end portion coupled to the projectile and a second end portion opposite the first end portion. The body is made of a combustible material configured to be consumed upon firing the ammunition round assembly. A sleeve is at least partially contained within the base. The sleeve has a free end portion radially to adjacent to and coupled to the second end portion of the body. The sleeve and the body defines an interior area configured to contain a combustible propellant. A non-combustible base at least partially is coupled to the sleeve and is adjacent to the second end portion of the body.
US08430010B2
A hand-held slicing device having a handle connected to a slicing tray. The slicing tray includes a ramp leading to a fixed blade. The ramp is readily adjustable such that the height of the edge of the ramp most closely adjacent the blade can be raised or lowered. In one version, the ramp can be raised or lowered by sliding a support structure connected to a knob that can be slideably adjusted by the user's thumb. The device may include a series of julienne blades that are selectively extendable above the slicing ramp or retractable below the ramp.
US08430004B2
A tool holder includes a hollow taper shank chucking device having a center axis, a chucking device, a tension rod which cooperates with the chucking device and an actuating unit by means of which the tension rod may be actuated, i.e., displaced. The actuating unit has an actuating element which is movable at an angle relative to the center axis and which includes at least one actuating part. The angle may be 90°. The tension rod is provided with at least one engagement part. The actuating part and engagement part form a wedge mechanism which is used to convert a radial motion of the actuating element, i.e., a displacement perpendicular to the center axis, into an axial displacement of the tension rod in the direction of the center axis.
US08430001B2
A socket is disclosed for securing frangible collar fasteners to bolts, and collecting the separated nut portions of the fasteners to avoid introducing debris into the work area. The socket comprises the socket housing having a first end formed to receive and engage the frangible nut portions, and the second end to receive and engage a ratchet. At least one retention member is disposed within the socket housing, proximate the housing first end. The retention member is resiliently displaceable to allow each nut portion to enter into the socket housing during fastening, and to retain a plurality of nut portions within the socket housing after the nut portions have been separated from the frangible collar fasteners. Nut ejection apparatus is provided having a first portion disposed exterior to the socket housing and a second portion disposed interior to the socket housing. The nut ejection apparatus is translatable along at least a portion of the socket length, to store a plurality of separate nut portions within the housing. The nut ejection apparatus further being manually translatable to urge the stored nut portions past the retention member and out of the socket first end.
US08430000B2
A cam indexer includes a driving assembly, a driving plate, a multi-task dial, a latching assembly and a positioning assembly. The driving plate defines an arc-groove at the periphery thereof and a cam surface at the bottom of the arc-groove, the driving plate further includes a receiving end and a resisting end positioned at opposite ends of the cam surface. The multi-task dial defines four positioning grooves along the periphery thereof; the latching assembly is fixed to the driving plate and elastically engages in first one positioning groove, the positioning assembly elastically engages in a second one positioning groove. The latching assembly and the positioning assembly are adapted to detach from the positioning grooves when the driving plate is driven by the driving assembly, such that the cam indexer functions as a partitioning mechanism.
US08429995B2
An output power transmission device has a transmission plate and a C-ring. The transmission plate is attached to a wheel gear in an axial direction of the wheel gear such that the transmission plate directly engages with the wheel gear in a rotation direction. The transmission plate functions as a transmission member for transmitting rotation of the wheel gear to an output shaft. The C-ring is provided at a position where the C-ring sandwiches the transmission plate with the wheel gear in the axial direction. The C-ring functions as a restriction section for restricting movement of the transmission plate in the axial direction opposite from the wheel gear side. An elastic claw section as a pressing member is formed on the wheel gear. The elastic claw section presses the transmission plate against the C-ring in the axial direction.
US08429967B2
The present invention includes: plural common terminals; plural water level measurement terminals that are arranged at a certain interval along a longitudinal direction; a water level measurement control unit that measures the water level of a measurement subject by letting an electric current flow to the plural common terminals, then reading the state information of an electric current flowing to the plural water level measurement terminals; and an LED unit that reads and displays the water level measurement results through plural LEDs. The water level measurement system according to the invention comprises: the above-mentioned water level display device; a main control module that controls the water level display device to read the water level measurement results from the water level display device and display the water level measurement results in numerical form or on a scale; a power supply module that supplies power to the water level display device under the control of the main control module; and a display module that displays the water level measurement results according to control of the main control module.
US08429965B2
A level sensing apparatus and method of use for use with a beverage server to indirectly sense the level of beverage retained in the server. The server having a body for receiving and retaining beverage with an opening in the body for receiving the level sensing apparatus and beverage there through. The level sensing apparatus includes at least one capacitive sensing probe assembly retained in a housing to separate the probe assembly from contact with beverage. The housing containing the capacitive sensing probe assembly being disposable into the opening in the body of the server. The capacitive sensing probe indirectly sensing at least one level of beverage retained in the beverage server. A separate display assembly is provided and selectively couplable to the capacitive sensing probe assembly. A power source is provided and coupled to the display assembly and to the capacitive sensing probe assembly to provide power to sense and display the level of beverage in the server.
US08429941B2
A latching system 1 has a housing 3 provided with a recess 5 in which a part of the bicycle can be inserted, preferably a frame tube sloping upwards. In the housing 3 a latching element 7 is located which can be moved between a release position in which the latching element opens the recess and a latching position in which the latching element closes the recess.The latching system 1 further comprises a key 19 that is positioned in an opening 21 in the housing 3 and is pushed out of the housing when the latching element is moved from the latching position to the release position. To this end the latching element 7 is equipped with an arm 23 which is fitted to the U-shaped part of the housing. When the latching element 7 turns to the release position, one end 25 of the arm 23 pushes against the key 19 causing it it be pushed out of the opening 21.
US08429937B2
A flat glass sheet and a mold having a mold cavity defined by a shaping surface are provided. The shaping surface has a surface profile of a shaped glass article. At least one edge alignment pin is provided on the mold at an edge of the shaping surface. The glass sheet is leaned against the edge of the shaping surface such that an edge of the glass sheet abuts the edge alignment pin. The glass sheet is then heated. The glass sheet is sagged onto the shaping surface of the mold so that the glass assumes the surface profile of the shaped glass article and thereby form the shaped glass article. The edge alignment pin aligns the edge of the glass sheet with the mold cavity as the glass sheet sags onto the shaping of the mold. The shaped glass article is removed from the mold.
US08429932B2
A method for selective extraction of natural gas liquids from “rich” natural gas. The method involves interacting a rich natural gas stream with Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) by mixing Liquid Natural Gas into the rich natural gas stream to lower the temperature of the rich natural gas stream to a selected hydrocarbon dew point, whereby a selected hydrocarbon liquid carried in the rich natural gas stream is condensed.
US08429929B2
A flexible door panel cold storage door system incorporates a flexible movable door panel having an internal support frame assembly and the door panel has a plurality of gasket sections removably attached to a cold space surface of a door panel jacket with each gasket section having at least one ferrous gasket target and the gasket sections are aligned and cooperate with a plurality of electromagnets that are mounted in a doorframe assembly when the door panel is in a closed position. The electromagnets are mounted in wells in the doorframe assembly and are powered on when the door panel is in the closed position and the wells are interconnected by a ventilation channel that conducts air heated by operation of the electromagnets through the ventilation channel and into and through a bottom sweep assembly of the door panel in a closed loop. The heated air reduces or eliminates problems of icing in the immediate vicinity of the periphery of the door panel and reduces or eliminates problems of freezing of the door panel in a closed position. The gasket sections are easily replaced if worn or damaged during use.
US08429924B2
The present invention includes a novel fuel management and auxiliary power system and apparatus having a control module in control of auxiliary equipment and accessories and climate control functions of a vehicle, while the vehicle's engine is not running. The system of this invention is capable of detecting warning states and providing status indicators to an operator on a graphical user interface. At the graphical user interface, the operator is capable of initiating start up of the system and accessing status and historical technical data of the system.
US08429920B2
A magnetic refrigeration device for cooling a thermal load including a magnetic screening cage containing means for generating at least one magnetic field, first and second elements made from magnetocaloric material placed fixedly in said magnetic field, thermal conductors connecting one of said elements made from magnetocaloric material to a cold source, and means for suspending elements made from magnetocaloric material. The second element made from magnetocaloric material is housed in a cavity delineated internally by the first element made from magnetocaloric material.
US08429918B2
A method for generating electrical energy, wherein a carbonaceous fuel is gasified to a combustible gas, the combustible gas being combusted to drive an apparatus chosen from a gas turbine and a gas engine. Relatively hot exhaust gas from the apparatus is passed along a heat exchanger for removing heat from the relatively hot exhaust gas results in relatively cold exhaust gas after passing the heat exchanger. A kaolin or metakaolin-containing sorbent and a source of active free silica are introduced after the apparatus to remove mercury from the relatively hot exhaust gas, the relatively hot exhaust gas having a temperature of at least 800° C.
US08429917B2
Fuel is delivered in a gas turbine engine including a can annular combustor array that includes at least one combustor level subset within the array supplied by an independent fuel delivery system. Fuel is supplied only to one or more subsets during a first mode of operation. Fuel is supplied to the entire array of combustors during a second mode of operation.
US08429912B2
An internal combustion engine is disclosed, comprising at least one first compression device and at least one second compression device which is connected in series relative to the first compression device. At least one bypass pipe bypasses at least one compression device. At least one controllable valve is arranged in the at least one bypass pipe such that the amount of fluid which can be recirculated around the compression device can be controlled.
US08429911B2
A system for controlling the temperature of a charge air stream flowing through an air-cooled intercooler of a turbocharged internal combustion engine, with a fan for producing a cooling air stream acting on the intercooler and with an actuation unit for controlling the flow of cooling air as a function of charge pressure present at the intercooler.
US08429907B2
A hydraulic system including a hydraulic power source (102) having an output and a directional control valve (106) coupled to the output of the hydraulic power source. The system also includes a hydraulic cylinder (108) coupled to the directional control valve that receives hydraulic fluid at a first port and expels it at a second port as it moves a load (114) at a movement rate, a fixed displacement motor (150) coupled the directional control valve and receiving hydraulic fluid expelled by the hydraulic cylinder and a variable displacement pump (154) attached to a drive arm (152) of the motor.
US08429904B2
Disclosed is a working machine capable of preventing damage to a filter due to excessive accumulation of particulate matter (PM), even under a situation that requires, prior to compulsory regeneration of the filter, moving the machine to a place in which to perform the regeneration work. The working machine that includes an exhaust treatment device 4 having a filter 6 to trap the PM, a regeneration control section 31 for compulsorily regenerating the filter, and a regeneration instruction device 23 for instructing the regeneration control section 31 to start the compulsory regeneration. Further, when a deposition quantity estimating element determines that an actual PM deposition quantity has reached a deposition alarm level, an alarm device 12 notifies an operator that the time has come to start the movement of the working machine to the place of regeneration.
US08429899B2
A regeneration system includes a particulate matter (PM) filter loading module that determines a current soot loading level of a PM filter. A PM filter temperature module determines a temperature of the PM filter. An exhaust flow rate module determines an exhaust flow rate of the PM filter. A control module deactivates an air pump of an air pump circuit and operates an engine within a predetermined range of stoichiometry based on the current soot loading, the temperature and the exhaust flow rate.
US08429893B2
The present invention relates to a mechanical system and method that modulates airflow in an aircraft inlet diffuser that is used in conjunction with an aircraft engine that integrates both a center turbine engine and a high Mach engine such as a constant volume combustor (CVC) arrangement or ramjet arrangement with intakes formed co-centrically about the turbine. The modulation system uses two articulating components, a movable air flow duct and an articulating cone. The air flow duct, in a first position, is in exclusive air flow communication with the circular intake face of the turbine in a first position to receive air from the intake diffuser. In this configuration the expandable cone is in a retracted position and does not redirect airflow and allows the aircraft to operates in low speed mode as only the turbo jet receives airflow. In a transition speed mode, the air flow duct is retracted to allow air flow to both the turbo jet and the CVC. At its widest expanse, the articulating cone completely covers the turbo jet circular intake face directing air solely to the high Mach aircraft engine to allow the aircraft to operate in high speed mode.
US08429889B2
Apparatus and a method for producing a yarn, the apparatus and method comprising a reciprocating twisting stage, the reciprocating twisting stage comprising one or more twist rollers that rotate along an axis of rotation and that are arranged to move reciprocally along the axis of rotation to impart twist to one or more slivers to form twisted strands; and a drive system for one or more take up holders, the drive system arranged to have wound onto the one or more take up holders the yarn after two or more strands are twisted together to form the yarn. The drive system is arranged to drive the one or more take up holders such that the linear speed at which the yarn is wound onto the one or more take up holders can be controlled relative to the linear speed at which the strands exit the one or more twist rollers.
US08429882B1
A method of making a packaged dressing involves coating a pattern of detachable high tack pressure sensitive adhesive on a cover material such that the cover material includes a tackless area; forming a release island on a backing material; and sandwiching a dressing between the cover material and the backing material such that the adhesive on the dressing abuts the release island, and the pattern of adhesive on the cover material adheres to and supports the dressing along its extent except for the portion overlying the tackless area and hermetically seals the dressing within the package.
US08429881B2
In one embodiment, a starter roll for a baler includes a continuous chevron-shaped rib provided on a contact surface of the starter roll. The rib may include a center portion arranged generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the starter roll and outwardly and rearwardly extending wings. A plurality of ribs may be provided to form guide channels for guiding wrapping material that is provided to the bale and engaged by the starter roll outward to cover the edges of a bale and distribute the wrapping material over the lateral surface of the bale.
US08429878B1
A tile aligning and leveling system that uses an under tile base re-usable upright connecting tab, which is detachably connected to said under tile base, a re-usable flexible edge slotted cap configured to slip over the connecting tab and latch thereto as the cap is slid further down the connecting tab. The cap has an edge slot so that the connecting tab can be separated from the cap, by merely sliding the cap, so that the connecting tab passes through the slot. A flexible spring-like portion of the cap provides increased force on the tile even if undesired elongation of the connecting tab occurs.
US08429876B2
A system for constructing building consisting of connected T-beams for walls and roof. To create the T shape the system uses blocks of rigid insulation as forming, which are embedded in the poured-in-place concrete. These blocks serve to insulate the structure. The final structure is a monolithic box where the foundation, (101, 102), and (103) is the lower face, walls are the vertical faces of the box, attached to the foundation by dowels (104) to the walls reinforcement part (105) and the roof (118, 119, 120), and (121) is the top. This results in a sturdy structure with integrated high insulation (111) and (122) in walls and roof. Metal nailers (123) with the polystyrene foam strips (124) can be embedded in the ends of the T-beam stems. These nailers ease the insertion of screws to wall and ceiling interiors, allowing the building interior to be finished with gypsum board or paneling.
US08429874B2
A construction system using framing components in the shape of a double-Y member wherein two longitudinal members which are connected to form a right angle are then connected to one end of a third longer longitudinal member at the vertex of the pair. Another pair is connected at the other end of the longer member, thus forming a Y-shape at each end and wherein all five longitudinal members are co-planar. Multiple ones of these double Y elements are joined at the ends of the double Y, each double-Y element being rotated 90° before joining to the next one. The resulting construction yields a three dimensional framework which defines a repeating pattern of volumetric shapes which all fall into one of two categories: cubes and rhombicuboctahedrons (a 26 sided three dimensional shape which can be described as a cube which has been mitered at each corner and each edge).
US08429870B2
A plank, and system and method for joining surface-covering planks, which includes a disengageable connector(s) for detachably connecting multiple planks simultaneously are described. A plank can include a tongue-profiled edge and an opposite rib-profiled edge, and a disengageable connector can have a groove that can be mated with the tongue on one side edge of the plank, and also has a rib-receiving portion that alternatively can be mated with a downward extending rib on the opposite side edge of the plank. The plank can have a variety of designs on the other edges of the plank.
US08429869B2
A locking system for mechanical joining of rectangular floorboards having a body and long and short edges. Said locking system including a tongue and a groove for vertical locking of two joint short edges and for horizontal joining a locking groove formed in the underside of a first one of the short joint edges, and a portion projecting from the second short joint edge having a locking element cooperating with the locking groove. The tongue is arranged on the second short edge. The groove is arranged on the first short edge. The projecting portion is integrally formed with the board, by working of the body of the board.
US08429863B2
A support frame for supporting an intersection between a first wall section and a second wall section. The support frame including a first support panel having a top edge and a bottom edge, which are configured to be positioned between respective upper and lower plates of the first wall section. Moreover, the support frame has a pair of second support panels affixed to the first panel, and each second support panel has a top edge and a bottom edge configured to be positioned between respective upper and lower plates of the second wall section.
US08429862B2
The present invention provides a vibration damping construction system including a first construction body, a second construction body, and a damping unit. The first construction body includes a reaction surface. The second construction body is accommodated in the first construction body. The damping unit is disposed between the second construction body and the reaction surface of the first construction body for reducing the vibration transferred from the first construction body.
US08429858B1
Low-cost, semi-permanent rigid-wall modular Yurt-type, peaked-roof structures, polygonally “round” (in plan view), made of modular, light-weight, water-proof cellular extruded plastic sheet panels that are easily portable, quickly erectable and dismountable, having a wide variety of uses. The modular panels are easily die-cut from any water-resistant, non-metallic, rigid material, preferably an extruded plastic, such as a polyolefin polymer. Few panel configurations are needed to form all the structural elements. In addition, multiple similar modular structures may be grouped to form larger compound structures with individual ones of the Yurts being assigned to individual persons or dedicated work space usages: disaster shelters, sleeping, gathering, storage, hygiene, medical treatment, schooling, entertainment, goods manufacture, cooking, eating, herding, etc. The key principles of the inventive technology are equally applicable to both single-walled and double-walled structures, the latter of which provide spaces between the walls for inter-panel insulation for cold-weather environments and passive ventilation in hot environments.
US08429857B2
A blast and ballistic protective wall assembly for use on an exterior of a container includes a frame having four corner posts, two lower side members having fork lift openings formed therethrough, two upper side members, two lower cross members, two upper cross members, lower corner castings attached to the lower ends of the corner posts, and upper corner castings attached to the upper ends of the corner posts, the frame supporting side walls, end walls, and a roof of the container. The blast and ballistic protective wall assembly further includes an attachment member attached to a portion of the frame and a plurality of composite panels. One end of each panel is attached to the attachment member, and the other end of the panel is attached to another panel, a portion of the frame, or another attachment member. Each panel is thereby attached to a wall of the container.
US08429842B2
A labeling device that can be attached to an article and subsequently modified by separating at least a portion of the device to be located within the article to provide information regarding the contents of an article.
US08429841B1
A portable and solar powered traffic safety system functioning like a decoy police car. The system features a display panel with a picture of a police car and a light component with red and blue lights. The display panel is mounted on a solar panel frame atop a base and is held in place by a securing means. The base features legs each with a ballast to help support the base and prevent the system from tipping due to high winds. The system of the present invention can be used in a variety of locations, for example in rural or urban settings, residential areas, hospitals, schools, and construction zones.
US08429839B2
Embodiments described herein include a single-use beverage container assembly having a beverage container which includes an inner surface defining a chamber capable of receiving a liquid, an opening configured to provide access to the chamber and an outer surface comprising a receiving cavity. In certain embodiments, the beverage container further includes an informational attachment including promotional information. The receiving cavity can be configured to receive the informational attachment such that the informational attachment can be stowed in the receiving cavity. The beverage container assembly can also be configured to permit the informational attachment to be at least partially removed from the receiving cavity such that the informational attachment can be separated from the beverage container.
US08429838B2
An excavator implement attachment system can include a tooth having a pocket formed therein, an insert received in a recess formed in an adaptor nose and a threaded fastener which releasably secures the tooth on the nose, the fastener having a helical thread formed thereon which is eccentric relative to a fastener body. A tooth can include a pocket with at least one side wall which has an insert-receiving recess and generally planar insert-engaging interface surfaces formed therein, with one interface surface resisting rotation of the tooth about a longitudinal axis in one direction, and another interface surface resisting rotation of the tooth about the longitudinal axis in an opposite direction. An excavator tooth can include a pocket bounded by opposing side walls, with at least one of the side walls having an insert-receiving recess internally formed thereon, whereby the recess receives an insert installed in an adaptor nose.
US08429835B2
A bonded mesh composite panel of an upper includes a substrate layer formed from a substrate material, a mesh material layer and one or more skin material layers. The mesh composite can be fabricated by first arranging panels of substrate, mesh and skin layer material into an assembly corresponding to the locations of those panels in a completed upper. The assembly may include separate layers of hot melt bonding material interposed between the substrate, mesh and skin layers. The assembly is pressed at an elevated temperature so as to melt the bonding material and the skin layers and bond the elements together. Before the pressed assembly completely cools, it is then pressed a second time in an unheated press. A heat-conductive compressible pad can be used in the pressing process to create a surface effect in the skin layers that reveals a patterns of an underlying mesh layer.
US08429828B2
An articulated arm can include a plurality of articulated arm members, a probe, a receiving portion at a distal end comprising a threaded portion, and a base at a proximal end. A base plate can kinematically mount on the receiving portion and have a hole positioned such that the probe passes through the hole. The base plate can also couple to a laser and an optical sensor located on opposite sides of the hole. A nut can threadably mount to the threaded portion of the receiving portion. Further, a wave spring can mount on the receiving portion between the nut and the base plate. Thus, movement of the nut along the receiving portion can cause the wave spring to urge the base plate against the articulated arm to secure the kinematic mount. The wave spring can then mechanically isolate the base plate from the articulated arm.
US08429827B1
A battery powered microprocessor-controlled fondue fork has a thermal sensor, a timer, a color LED display for indicating degree of doneness, and a control switch for selecting a predefined cooking time. When the fondue fork is placed into a heated liquid for cooking, the thermal sensor activates the microprocessor-controlled timer which then illuminates the LED display. The LED displays flashing green to indicate the food is cooking, yellow to indicate the food is cooked rare, steady green to indicate the food is cooked medium, red to indicate the food is well-done, and flashing red to indicate an overdone stage of cooking.
US08429821B2
Provided are a valve unit, a microfluidic device including the same, and a method of fabricating the valve unit. The method includes: forming a lower substrate including a channel including a first region and a second region which is deeper than the first region and is adjacent to one side of the first region; forming an upper substrate comprising a valve material chamber which extends only partially through the upper substrate; filling the valve material chamber with a valve material and curing the valve material in the valve material chamber; attaching a surface of the upper substrate in which the valve material chamber is formed to a surface of the lower substrate in which the channel is formed, so that the valve material chamber overlaps an overlapped portion of the first region, and does not overlap a non-overlapped portion of the first region; melting the valve material accommodated in the valve material chamber to flow the valve material into the non-overlapped portion of the first region; and curing the valve material flowed into the non-overlapped portion to close the first region.
US08429820B2
The present invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, which includes providing a substrate on which a solid member is disposed to surround a region that becomes the flow path, and a metal layer made of a metal or a metal compound is disposed inside of the region, forming a mold made of a metal or a metal compound inside of the region, disposing a cover layer made of a resin to cover the solid member and the mold in contact with the solid member and the mold wherein the solid member and the metal are formed with a distance therebetween, and removing the mold to form the flow path.
US08429818B2
One aspect of this disclosure provides an expansion rod holder for the assembly of fin and tube heat exchangers. The expansion rod holder includes a first plate having a first aperture therethrough and a ring located in the first aperture and that has a second aperture therethrough. The first and second apertures are configured to receive a tapered end of an expansion rod having an annular groove proximate the tapered end. A biasing member is located in the first aperture between the ring and a wall of the first aperture. The biasing member is configured to bias the ring in a first direction toward an opposite wall of the first aperture and into the annular groove. A method of manufacturing the expansion rod holder is also disclosed, as well as a tube expander system used to manufacture heat exchangers.
US08429811B2
A tandem press system includes a plurality of presses disposed in a workpiece transfer direction, a workpiece transfer device that transfers a workpiece from an upstream press to a downstream press using a tool mounted on the workpiece transfer device via a crossbar, and a tool replacement device that replaces the tool mounted on the workpiece transfer device. The tool replacement device can be transferred from an inter-press space between the upstream press and the downstream press to an external space in a tool replacement direction independently of transfer of a bolster provided with a die to an external space in a die replacement direction.
US08429805B1
A picket or panel railing and method of fabrication of the railing from a kit of parts includes U-shaped channels having inserts fixed in the channels, with holes pre-formed in the insert for insertion of pickets. Vertical pickets interconnect the upper channel and a lower channel and opposite ends of the pickets fit through the holes formed in the inserts.
US08429803B2
HVAC ductwork is sealed along its joints in order to reduce air leakage. The ductwork can be sealed by the combination of a gasket and mechanical locking mechanism. Transverse mechanical locking joints are provided.
US08429793B2
A door check is provided comprising a housing (2) that can be fixed to a door or door frame and is provided with a first housing half (3) and a second housing half (4) which can be connected to each other, and a stay bar (24) that penetrates an opening (23) within the housing (2) and is pivotally mounted on the door frame or door, the housing (2) and the stay bar (24) not being fixed to/mounted on the same part. The first housing half (3) and the second housing half (4) respectively delimit only one section of the circumference of the opening (23). In order to create a door check that allows reliable and secure retaining and can be produced at low cost, a braking member (13) which is biased in the direction of the stay bar (24) by means of a spring element (20) is disposed in at least one of the two housing halves (3, 4).
US08429790B2
A vacuum grooming tool is disclosed that includes a vacuum nozzle attachable to a vacuum source and has a hollow body with a mouth opening. A grooming device selected from a variety of standard animal grooming hand tools, such as a shedding blade, rake or de-matting tool, may span the mouth opening. The grooming device is positioned such that the airflow created by the vacuum source flows over at least one side of the grooming device. A vacuum cleaning tool for removing any animal hair from a grooming tool is also disclosed. A vacuum plenum of the cleaning tool is attachable to a vacuum source and has an opening for cleaning the grooming tool in one pass. The cleaning tool can be mounted on a stationary support may also include a pivot-action mechanism that connects the vacuum grooming tool or the cleaning tool to the vacuum source.
US08429788B1
A liquid separation nozzle utilized with a suction source, such as a vacuum cleaner. Liquid and air are drawn through an intake by the suction, and pass through a plurality of liquid separation passages. The liquid separation passages divide the flow and separate the liquid from the air. The liquid drops out from the separation passages and accumulates in the bottom of the collection tank, while the air is drawn out through the upper part of the tank. A float valve prevents liquid from being drawn out with the air as the tank becomes full.
US08429774B2
A lateral tilting device for a patient lying on a mattress is capable of being inserted between the mattress and a level bed base or bed frame on which the mattress rests. The lateral tilting device comprises at least two independent first and second inflatable cells, pneumatically independent and positioned at least partly symmetrically from one another in relation to a median axis of the tilting device. The lateral tilting device includes two ‘U’ shaped inflatable compartments that are fitted into one another. A method for the lateral tilting of the mattress includes inflating a said first or second cell and concomitant deflation of the other second or respectively first cell of the tilting device laid out under the mattress.
US08429770B2
A sofa is convertible to a bed. An air mattress normally stored in deflated condition in the sofa, is automatically deployed upon opening a folded framework into a bed. An electric pump inflates or deflates the mattress. A bag enclosing the bottom and sides of the mattress, is zipped onto the mattress, and has hook-and-loop fasteners securing it to strategic locations on the framework. The conversion from sofa to bed, and back to sofa, is done without removing any cushions and without moving the sofa away from anything behind it.
US08429764B2
A composite fabric comprises perforated expanded low density polyethylene foam that is mechanically attached to two opposing facing layers, at least one of which outer facing layers is a non-woven material. The mechanical attachment of the perforated expanded low density polyethylene foam layer to the outer facing layers may be through stitching or quilting; through adhesive; or through thermal bonding. The composite fabric provides a textile with exceptional buoyancy, cold-resistant and water-resistant properties and which can be easily handled by conventional textile manufacturing processes.
US08434159B2
Provided are an AFM measuring method and a system thereof. The tip of a cantilever is provided to a plurality of points on a substrate, to which incident light is radiated from a light source. Scattered light is generated between the tip of the cantilever and the substrate by the incident light and the intensity of the scattered light is measured. The measured intensity of the scattered light is input to a data processing unit so as to find a point where the intensity of the incident is highest. The tip of the cantilever is moved to the point where the intensity of the incident light is highest.
US08434158B2
Various embodiments of the present invention relates to systems, devices and methods of detecting tampering and preventing unauthorized access by incorporating programmability and randomness into a process of coupling, driving and sensing conductive wires that are arranged above sensitive areas in a secured system. Such a tampering detection system comprises a security mesh network, a random number generator, a security controller and a security monitor. The security mesh network includes a plurality of security elements made from the conductive wires. The security controller selects a subset of security elements, forms a security array, and generates a driving stimulus. The security monitor selects a SENSE node, monitors an output at the SENSE node, and generates a flag signal indicating the presence of a tampering attempt. Programmability and randomness are introduced to at least one of the system parameters including array configuration, driving stimulus, SENSE node, and detection mode via random numbers.
US08434147B2
The present invention provides a computer-implemented method system and program product for remotely verifying (e.g., analytic) integrity of a system. Specifically, at startup of the system an access control policy that sets forth information flows within the system is read and a set of trusted subjects that interact with a target application in the system is determined. Based on the access information flows and the set of trusted subjects, an information flow graph of the system is constructed. At runtime of the target application, runtime information and program code loaded into the set of trusted subjects are measured. Measuring the program code that is loaded allows the remote party to verify that the program code is “expected” program code for the set of trusted subjects.
US08434146B2
Systems and methods for selectively providing access to a media device based on a profile associated with the media device. In certain embodiments, the profile of the media device can be user-defined as a development profile or a personal profile. When the device is connected to a host computer system, the profile of the media device is accessed. If the profile of the media device is a development profile, an integrated development environment on the host computer system can access the media device. If the profile of the media device is a personal profile, the integrated development environment is prevented from accessing the device.
US08434141B2
A system for preventing normal user from being in network address translation(nat)-based web service and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. The system discriminates between an attacker PC and a normal user PC that use the same public IP address in the NAT network, blocks a Web-page request generated from the attacker PC, processes a Web-page request of a normal user PC, and makes an Internet service of the normal user PC possible.
US08434138B2
A token calculates a one time password by generating a HMAC-SHA-1 value based upon a key K and a counter value C, truncating the generated HMAC-SHA-1 value modulo 10^Digit, where Digit is the number of digits in the one time password. The one time password can be validated by a validation server that calculates its own version of the password using K and its own counter value C′. If there is an initial mismatch, the validation server compensate for a lack of synchronization between counters C and C′ within a look-ahead window, whose size can be set by a parameter s.
US08434135B2
Various embodiments provide a mechanism to allow end users to install web applications and websites onto their desktop. In accordance with one or more embodiments, client-side code can be utilized to allow developers associated with a website to define boundaries associated with user interaction, and have those boundaries enforced by a run-time engine. In at least some embodiments, developers can provide, through JavaScript code and/or HTML markup, various configurations for the creation of a start menu shortcut, navigation, and so-called jumplist integration.
US08434122B2
The invention relates to a device for delivering audio and video data. In such a device, the audio/video data travel together and are compressed along with the signaling data for the delivery of these audio/video data. Under current compression standards, these data are being increasingly compressed. This maximum compression proportionally complexifies the encoding and decoding of audio/video data. The appearance of network cables comprising six twisted pairs of wires makes it possible to produce networks having higher speed capacities. The object of the invention is not to increase speeds by using additional twisted pairs but to simplify the data traveling through the network.
US08434121B2
A method for monitoring a bandwidth configuration for a plurality of customer premises connected to a video head-end office in an Internet Protocol television network is disclosed. The bandwidth configuration is received for each of the plurality of customer premises. The bandwidth configuration is stored for each of the plurality of customer premises in a memory of a first server. A data file is received from the video head-end office. The data file indicates that a set-top box device located at one of the customer premises has requested a video stream that would exceed a first number of video streams available to the one of the customer premises and that would exceed a first bandwidth currently available between the video head-end office and the one of the customer premises. The data file is stored in the memory of the first server.
US08434116B2
A device for detecting when a television is in a standby mode is provided. The device includes a housing and a plug receptacle is formed within a surface of the housing. Also, a plug extends from the housing. The device further includes a power detection circuit that detects when a television coupled to the device is in a standby mode. In a particular embodiment, the standby mode is a low power mode in which the television is not fully operational. Further, the device includes a cable that extends from the housing. A signal can be sent from the power detection circuit to a set top box via the cable. The signal indicates that the television is in the standby mode. An electrical cord from a television can be plugged into the plug receptacle and the plug that extends from the housing can be plugged into to a wall outlet.
US08434105B2
Provided is a method and system for television channel selection, including a television controller operatively connected to an electronic memory and configured to process a video selection script. The television controller is also operatively connected to the television and to a television network comprising a plurality of channels. Also provided is a script authoring tool for authoring a video selection script in a Web-based scripting language by a viewer. The television controller is further configured to select a channel to display on the television based on the video selection script and to dynamically update the video selection script based on the occurrence of an event.
US08434101B2
The invention provides a method and apparatus that addresses and resolves the issues currently affecting the ability to offer Enhanced TV, in particular, those issues concerning timing and synchronization, interaction with other modules in the STB, and distribution.
US08434100B2
Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for determining an operating mode of a recording/playing device are disclosed. An example apparatus includes an extractor to extract signatures associated with a first signal associated with a tuner that is to tune to a program signal, a second signal associated with a recording/playing device that is to at least one of record and play a program, and a third signal associated with a receiver coupled to the recording/playing device. The example apparatus also includes a recording detector to detect a recording signal generated by the recording/playing device during recording of the program to form a recorded program. Also included is a correlator to correlate the first, second, and third signals and a processor to identify the operating mode of the recording/playing device based on detection of the recording signal and correlation of two or more of the first, second, and third signals.
US08434095B2
Using microblogging to dynamically track event flow of a composite enterprise application by reporting an enterprise application event. A client server detects an event of the complex enterprise application, and encodes the event data in a microblog compatible format. The client computer creates an event post message containing the event data and uploads the event post to a microblog server via the Internet. The microblog server then displays the post message in a user readable format.
US08434094B2
A method for implementing a predetermined operation in device management, being based on a DM system defined by OMA, includes: sending by the device management system a second predetermined operation based on a trigger condition to a terminal device and storing by the terminal device the received predetermined operation; and obtaining by the terminal device from itself the second predetermined operation and executing the second predetermined operation when the trigger condition is satisfied. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for implementing a predetermined operation in device management.
US08434088B2
A computer implemented method, system and/or program product determine capacity planning of resources allocation for an application scheduled to execute on a virtual machine from a set of multiple applications by computing a mean associated with a pool of pre-defined resources utilization over a time interval; computing a variance associated with the pool of pre-defined resources utilization over the same time interval; identifying a set of resource to execute the scheduled application from the pool of pre-defined resources, wherein the pool of pre-defined resources is created from a pre-defined Service Level Agreement (SLA); and allocating a set of fixed resources from the pool of pre-defined resources to execute the application based on the mean resource utilization.
US08434085B2
Illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, a data processing system and a computer program product for scalable scheduling of tasks in heterogeneous systems is provided. According to one embodiment, the computer implemented method comprises fetching a set of tasks to form a received input, estimating run times of tasks, calculating average estimated completion times of tasks, producing a set of ordered tasks from the received input to form a task list, identifying a machine to be assigned, and assigning an identified task from the task list to an identified machine.
US08434081B2
A storage manager connects containers of virtual machine (VM) images and virtual storage device data within hosts. The storage management provides a set of northbound application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow configuration of images associated with VM images and virtual storage devices provided to the operating systems and applications within virtual machine images. The northbound APIs, include methods for creating a virtual storage container that contains storage for the VM instance and also at least one virtual storage device to be provided to an operating system executed by the VM, a method for causing an attach of the virtual storage container to the host and a method for causing a deployment of the virtual storage device within the host. A set of southbound APIs are provided by the host, including at least a method that creates virtual storage devices and a method that attaches virtual storage devices to the host.
US08434079B2
A method prepares a computer program for operation in a computer supply system that supplies portions, or program units, of program code or program data of the computer program as the program needs the portions. The method includes defining a program unit of the program and removing the program unit from the program, thereby producing a program skeleton that is missing the program unit. The method further includes inserting instructions in place of the program unit in the program skeleton. The instructions are operative to request the program unit when the program skeleton encounters the instructions. An information structure includes a program skeleton of a program. The program skeleton is missing a funclet of the program, but includes a placeholder in place of the funclet. The program skeleton additionally includes instructions in place of the funclet. The instructions are operative to request the funclet when the program skeleton encounters the instructions.
US08434077B2
Upgrading a multi-tiered application is provided. In response to receiving a request to upgrade a multi-tiered application, wherein components of the multi-tiered application are deployed across a plurality of virtual machines, an appropriate integrated patch is selected for the upgrade. The selected integrated patch includes an integrated set of patches for the components of the multi-tiered application, state update data, and order constraints. The components of the multi-tiered application specified in the selected integrated patch are upgraded by using the integrated set of patches and order constraints. In addition, the state of the components of the multi-tiered application are updated by using the state update data. Then, the updated state of the multi-tiered application is saved to storage.
US08434075B1
Execution of a query is optimized. A plurality of plans for executing the query on a multi-database system are analyzed. A first plan having a first step and a second step is selected. The first step of the first plan is executed. The plan selection is re-evaluated before executing the second step of the first plan. A second plan of the plurality of plans for executing the query is executed to produce a result. The result is stored.
US08434072B2
A translation system and method is described that may automatically translate strings of a legacy application for use in creating an interfacing application that can interface with the legacy application. The translation system and method receive a plurality of input strings from a string list and use an initial language library to associate an identifier with the input strings. The identifier is used to determine the translated version of the input string from additional language libraries. The determined translated strings are associated with the input strings.
US08434067B2
A method and system for whitelisting software components is disclosed. In a first operating environment, runtime information may be collected about a first loaded and executing software component. The collected information may be communicated to a second software component operating in a second operating environment that is isolated from the first operating environment. The collect runtime information may be compared with a validated set of information about the first software component. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08434059B2
Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for obfuscating code, such as instructions and data structures. Also disclosed are non-transitory computer-readable media containing obfuscated code. In one aspect, a preprocessing tool (i.e. before compilation) identifies in a source program code a routine for replacement. The tool can be a software program running on a computer or an embedded device. The tool then selects a function equivalent to the identified routine from a pool of functions to replace the identified routine. A compiler can then compile computer instructions based on the source program code utilizing the selected function in place of the identified routine. In another aspect, the tool replaces data structures with fertilized data structures. These approaches can be applied to various portions of source program code based on various factors. A software developer can flexibly configure how and where to fertilize the source code.
US08434054B2
A method for responding to a change in source code, said method comprising: interconnecting a plurality of nodes to form a graph data structure wherein the graph embodies at least one dependency between a plurality of software projects; traversing the graph to identify dependent code affected by the change; evaluating the identified dependent code; and wherein the changed source code is from a first software project and the identified dependent code is from a second software project.
US08434050B2
A computing system includes a drawing unit and a layout unit. The computing system sets components parameters to components of a circuit diagram of a printed circuit board (PCB). The drawing unit draws the circuit diagram by using the components with the components parameters. If the drawing unit wants to use a component more than once, the computing system copies the component and the corresponding components parameters. The drawing unit uses the copied components and the corresponding parameters. If the circuit diagram has been drawn, the layout unit loads the circuit diagram and wires the PCB according to the components and the components parameters in the circuit diagram.
US08434030B1
An integrated circuit design and fabrication method includes the following steps. Firstly, an integrated circuit design layout is provided. Then, a first hotspot group and a second hotpot group are searched from the integrated circuit design layout. Then, a hotspot score is acquired according to the first hotspot group, the second hotpot group and a product functionality. If the hotspot score is higher than a criterion, the integrated circuit design layout is corrected according to the first hotspot group and the second hotpot group.
US08434027B2
The Quantum Matrix system is a multi-dimensional, multi-threaded exchange environment for data organization, management, and manipulation. Data is organized into a multi-dimensional structure of nodes. Nodes may represent data, absence of data, or another set of nodes. The multi-dimensional structure or portions of it can be automatically created from a file system. One or more associations are also defined for the multi-dimensional structure. An association indicates a relationship between a node and another node, data, or a set of nodes. The multi-dimensional structure is then displayed three-dimensionally and navigated. Relational logic, Boolean algebra, or a scripting language can be applied to the nodes, data, and associations to produce a resultant set of nodes. Furthermore, portions of the multi-dimensional structure can be isolated with the use of planes to ease navigation. Furthermore, the Quantum Matrix system may have a client-server architecture, with the client running on a mobile device.
US08434016B2
A virtual file system is described that enables both real data resources, such as a content file, and virtual data resources, such as a field within a database or a state determined by a mark-up language element, to be accessed through a single root.
US08434000B2
A system and method is provided for archiving only pertinent portions of a web application. In implementation, the system and method of the invention allows web applications to easily save important areas of a web page that are displayed to the user. The important areas may include, for example, confirmation of a transaction or other sales information. The important areas, also referred to as pertinent portions, are saved as a file on a server, database or other computing device for future reference. The method comprises placing a first scripting tag at a first location in an HTTP document and placing a second scripting tag in a second location in the HTTP document. The text between the first scripting tag and the second scripting tag is rendered and saved into a file upon execution of the HTTP document.
US08433998B2
A tool for mapping an event includes a map generator for generating an event map, a view generator for generating a zoomable and pannable view of the event map, and a display device for displaying the zoomable and pannable view of the event map, and in another aspect, a tool for annotating an event map includes a map generator for generating an event map, an annotating unit for annotating the event map based on a user input, a view generator for generating a zoomable and pannable view of the annotated event map, and a display device for displaying the zoomable and pannable view of the annotated event map.
US08433997B1
A computer-implemented method for formatting electronic documents involves obtaining, at a computer system, an electronic document in a source format. The process also involves processing the electronic document by optimizing sizes of one or more images embedded in the electronic document, optimizing sizes of one or more Type 1 fonts in the electronic document, and removing object duplicates in the electronic document. In addition, the process involves generating the document in a target format based on the processing.
US08433994B2
A method (800) is disclosed of producing an instruction set for rendering on a graphic display (114). The instruction set includes a plurality of time containers (502, 503, 504) to be rendered, with each time container (502, 503, 504) containing at least one timed element to be displayed on the display (114). However, the instruction set must obey a rule forbidding a time container (502, 503, 504) from referencing the content of a different time container (502, 503, 504). The method (800) starts by adding (802) an attribute (505, 506, 507, 508) to a particular time container (502, 503, 504), the attribute (505, 506, 507, 508) being associated with an event, the event being associated with a target element contained within the particular time container (502, 503, 504). Correspondence between the event and an effect on the display of a further time container (502, 503, 504) is then provided (803), in a manner consistent with the rule.
US08433991B2
An apparatus and method for detecting data bit edge in a meander encoded information bit from a GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The method includes receiving meander encoded data samples from a meander encoded information bit, and computing a set of accumulated values corresponding to a hypothesized bit edge phase. The process of computing an accumulated value of the set of accumulated values includes providing a toggled subset of the meander encoded data samples, and integrating the toggled subset of the meander encoded data samples with an un-toggled subset of the meander encoded data samples to produce the accumulated value. The method also includes selecting a best hypothesis from the set of hypotheses corresponding to a maximum value of the set of accumulated values, where the best hypothesis represents the data bit edge.
US08433987B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method of de-rate matching without NULL bits skipping. Date is received without NULLs and inputted into a LLR combining block. The history data without NULLs is buffered. Log-likelihood ratio (LLR) combining is called before de-rate matching. The output of LLR combining is de-interleaved. The reading pointer is offset to forge NULLs. Finally, de-interleaving output without NULLs is sent to a turbo decoder.
US08433979B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to storing data in a storage array. An aspect of the invention includes receiving write data. The write data is arranged into “r” rows and “n” columns of pages, with each page including a plurality of sectors. The write data is encoded using a plurality of horizontal and vertical erasure correcting codes on the pages. The encoding allows recovery from up to tr erasures in any one of the r rows, up to tr−1 erasures in any one of the remaining r−1 rows, up to tr−2 erasures in any one of the remaining r−2 rows, and so on, such that the encoding allows recovery from up to t1 erasures in the last remaining row. Encoded write data is output from the encoding. The encoded write data is written as a write stripe across n storage devices in a storage array.
US08433974B2
A cyclic redundancy check code generating circuit successively receives one or more parallel data as input, and repetitively performs a prescribed operation for calculating a cyclic redundancy check code for each parallel data, based on the parallel data and on an initial value or an earlier calculated cyclic redundancy check code. The cyclic redundancy check code generating circuit includes: a plurality of sub-operation units which, based on the initial value and the parallel data, perform sub-operations in different pipeline stages, respectively, by dividing the prescribed operation in a bit length direction of the parallel data; and a correction unit which, based on the initial value and the earlier calculated cyclic redundancy check code, corrects the cyclic redundancy check code calculated by the sub-operation units.
US08433973B2
A digital receiving system, and a method of processing data are disclosed. The digital receiving system includes a receiving unit, a known sequence detector, and a channel equalizer. The receiving unit receives a broadcast signal including mobile service data and main service data. The known sequence detector detects known data linearly inserted in a data group. The channel equalizer performs channel-equalizing on the received mobile service data using the detected known data.
US08433967B2
A method for determining a retransmission threshold condition in a selective repeat type, automatic repeat request (ARQ) wireless communication system. A set of negative acknowledgement (NACK) sequence numbers (SNs) corresponding to non-received data packets is received. First and second variables and an array representing a maximum number of retransmissions associated with each non-received data packet are determined. An index value is generated based on the array data and then compared with a threshold value to determine the retransmission threshold condition.
US08433962B2
An optimized JTAG interface is used to access JTAG Tap Domains within an integrated circuit. The interface requires fewer pins than the conventional JTAG interface and is thus more applicable than conventional JTAG interfaces on an integrated circuit where the availability of pins is limited. The interface may be used for a variety of serial communication operations such as, but not limited to, serial communication related integrated circuit test, emulation, debug, and/or trace operations.
US08433960B2
A semiconductor memory in which arbitrary operation mode information is set in a plurality of CRs at test time. When a CR (configuration register) control circuit detects write commands to write to an address or read commands to read from the address in a predetermined order, the CR control circuit updates the operation mode information for each of the plurality of CRs on a time division basis. A command generation section generates the write commands, the read commands, or a test start command in response to a control signal from the outside. A data pad compression circuit changes the operation mode information to be written to the plurality of CRs by using test data inputted to part of data pads, after inverting the test data or in its original condition according to a code, as data for a rest of the data pads.
US08433952B2
A memory access control device has a memory control unit and a software execution unit executing software. The memory control unit has: a data transmission unit configured to perform multicast transfer that reads a data from the memory and transmits the data to data transfer destinations through a network; a data reception unit configured to receive multicast transfer data from the network; and a reception data counter configured to indicate a number of multicast transfer data received by the data reception unit. The software execution unit instructs the memory control unit to perform a plurality of multicast transfers and then reads respective reception data counters of the data transfer destinations for each checkpoint in sequence of the software to determine completion of the plurality of multicast transfers.
US08433947B2
A computer executes a data allocation control program to control allocation of data in a plurality of disk nodes. A redundancy restoration module executes a redundancy restoration procedure by commanding disk nodes to create a new copy of redundancy-lost data. An error message reception module receives a write error message indicating a write error in a storage device during the redundancy restoration procedure and records an identifier of the faulty storage device in an error record memory. A copy command module identifies accessed data in the faulty storage device and commands a relevant disk node to create a copy of the identified data in the faulty storage device in the case where there is no redundant copy of the data.
US08433946B2
Systems, devices, software, hardware and networks adapted and arranged for monitoring and correcting faults in networked media player systems that include electronic displays are provided. After detection or notification of a fault in at least one networked media player in a network of at least two, or N, media players operationally connected to electronic displays, the invention provides an alternate source of signal to the affected display. In some preferred embodiments, the invention utilizes at least one additional, or N+1, media player as a backup to substitute for the failed media player. Reconfiguration of the faulted media player by means of the N+1 backup networked media player advantageously increases the reliability and efficiency of ongoing maintenance of digital visual systems operating in commercial and other environments.
US08433945B2
Fault tolerant operation is disclosed for a primary match server of a financial exchange using an active copy-cat instance that mirrors operations in the primary match server, but only after those operations have successfully completed in the primary match server. Fault tolerant logic monitors inputs and outputs of the primary match server and gates those inputs to the backup match server once a given input has been processed. The outputs of the backup match server are then compared with the outputs of the primary match server to ensure correct operation. The disclosed embodiments further relate to fault tolerant failover mechanism allowing the backup match server to take over for the primary match server in a fault situation wherein the primary and backup match servers are loosely coupled. As such, the primary match server need not be specifically designed or programmed to interact with the fault tolerant mechanisms.
US08433944B2
In a particular embodiment, a single step increment calculation module is responsive to a first ramp control value and a second ramp control value. The single step increment calculation module generates a single step frequency adjustment as an output. The generated single step frequency adjustment is applied to a system clock signal having a first frequency to change the system clock signal to a second clock signal having a second frequency. The first frequency is different from the second frequency and the system clock signal has a first duty cycle that is within a tolerance range of a second duty cycle of the second clock signal.
US08433929B2
Provided is a data management device for managing data recorded onto a readable and writable recording medium by an application that is verified based on a digital certificate. The recording medium has a plurality of areas and access to each area is restricted to a different application. The data management device includes an application authentication module, a mapping module, and a local storage display module. The application authentication module verifies that an application is an authentic application based on a digital certificate attached to the application. The mapping module associates, if the application is verified, an area accessible by the application with a subject name described in the digital certificate used for the verification. The local storage display module displays information regarding the area accessible by the application, with the use of the subject name associated with the area.
US08433928B2
In a method for the personalization of portable data carriers into a non-volatile memory of the data carrier there are written personalization data, wherein the personalization at first is carried out as a virtual personalization in a virtual data carrier, then a memory image is generated as a bit-true image of a memory of the virtual data carrier and finally the memory image with the aid of its physical memory addresses is directly introduced into the memory of the real data carrier. Here the personalization data in addition to the initialization data also comprise individualization data. Preferably, the introduction of the personalization data into the data carrier can be carried out after the production of the data carrier at an authority issuing the data carrier or at the end user.
US08433925B2
Disclosed embodiments include a cryptographic system implemented in at least one digital computer with one or more processors or hardware such as FPGAs for performing secure computations, analysis, and signal processing directly on encrypted data in untrusted environments. According to a basic embodiment, the proposed cryptographic system comprises: (a) at least one secure protocol for performing matrix multiplications in the encrypted domain, and (b) at least one secure protocol for solving systems of linear equations in the encrypted domain. According to a particular embodiment, the system comprises a plurality of privacy-preserving protocols for solving systems of linear equations (SLE) directly based on homomorphic computation and secret sharing. More specifically, according to a particular embodiment, the system uses a protocol whereby systems of linear equations are solved securely by direct Gaussian elimination using a secure protocol without imposing any restrictions on the matrix coefficients.
US08433924B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for authentication of a core root of trust measurement chain. The apparatus for authentication of a CRTM chain is provided with a plurality of modules configured to carry out the steps of retrieving a decryption key from a predetermined location on the device selected for authentication, decrypting an authentication signal using the decryption key, and communicating the decrypted authentication signal to a user. In the described embodiments, these modules include a retrieval module, a decryption module, and a communication module. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would reliably verify that a link in the CRTM chain has not been corrupted, modified, or infected with a computer virus. Specifically, such an apparatus, system, and method would enable verification that the hypervisor has not been corrupted, modified, or infected with a computer virus.
US08433923B2
An information processing device having an activation verification function comprises: a module recording portion which stores plural system programs, a security chip having the function of checking the validity of the system programs and a verification portion which inspects the activation states of the system programs. The security chip executes validity checking processing using verification data provided by the system programs. If the security chip cannot confirm the validity of the system programs, the verification portion acquires activation-state information about activated system programs from the activated system programs. If pre-stored verification-information initial values for valid system programs and the acquired activation-state information match with each other, the verification portion determines that the current activation states of the system programs are valid, and the subsequent activation processing for the system programs is advanced.
US08433921B2
A system employing enrollment information and the quality of the enrollment information. The enrollment information includes data unique to the identification of a person. The system also stores biometric sensor quality information. When a person seeks to authenticate his/her identity, the sensor transmits the sensor quality data along with the biometric attribute data to the system. The transmitted data is correlated with the enrollment data, and quality of the enrollment data, to produce a score indicative of the probability of a correct identification.
US08433920B2
A method for authenticating biometric data. Comprising of a processor that measures the reliability of each bit in enrollment biometric data; by arranging the bits; encoding the enrollment biometric data in the decreasing order to produce an enrollment syndrome; arranging the bits in the authentication biometric; decoding the authentication enrollment syndrome to produce an estimate of the enrollment biometric data; generating an output signal indicating that the estimate of the authentication biometric data is substantially the same as the enrollment biometric data.
US08433919B2
A system and method provide efficient, secure, and highly reliable authentication for transaction processing and/or access control applications. A Personal Digital Key stores one or more profiles (e.g., a biometric profile) in a tamper-proof memory that is acquired in a secure trusted process. Biometric profiles comprise a representation of physical or behavioral characteristics that are uniquely associated with an individual that owns and carries the PDK. The PDK wirelessly transmits the biometric profile over a secure wireless transaction to a Reader for use in a biometric authentication process. The Reader compares the received biometric profile to a biometric input acquired at the point of transaction in order to determine if the transaction should be authorized.
US08433916B2
Computing services that unwanted entities may wish to access for improper, and potentially illegal, use can be more effectively protected by using Active HIP systems and methodologies. An Active HIP involves dynamically swapping one random HIP challenge, e.g., but not limited to, image, for a second random HIP challenge, e.g., but not limited to, image. An Active HIP can also, or otherwise, involve stitching together, or otherwise collecting and including, within Active HIP software, i.e., a HIP web page, to be executed by a computing device of a user seeking access to a HIP-protected computing service x number of software executables randomly selected from a pool of y number of software executables. The x number of software executables, when run, generates a random Active HIP key. If the generated Active HIP key accompanies a correct user response to the valid HIP challenge the system and/or methodology can assume with a degree of certainty that the current user is a legitimate human user and allow the current user access to the requested computing service.
US08433909B1
Aspects of the invention include methods and systems for electronically signing a plurality of documents, such as an insurance application, a loan application, a set of mortgage papers, a bank application, or the like. A customer, or multiple customers, electronically submits the signature once and the customer's one signature is applied to all of the areas where the customer signature is required. The electronic signature may include initials and/or a graphical representation of the customer's handwritten signature. Aspects of the invention include an apparatus comprising a display, a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for electronically signing a plurality of documents.
US08433902B2
A system switches between non-secure and secure modes by making processes, applications, and data for the non-secure mode unavailable to the secure mode and vice versa. The process thread run queue is modified to include a state flag for each process that indicates whether the process is a secure or non-secure process. A process scheduler traverses the queue and only allocates time to processes that have a state flag that matches the current mode. Running processes are marked to be idled and are flagged as unrunnable, depending on the security mode, when the process reaches an intercept point. The scheduler is switched to allow only threads that have a flag that corresponding to the active security mode to be run.
US08433900B2
A request to receive multicast data, associated with a multicast group, may be transmitted. The request may be transmitted via a tunnel. Group keys may be received in response to the request. The group keys may be based on the multicast group. An encapsulated packet may be received via another tunnel. The encapsulated packet may be processed, using the group keys, to obtain a multicast packet associated with the multicast data. The multicast packet may be forwarded to at least one multicast recipient.
US08433899B2
A system for authenticating data of interest includes a digest locator engine capable to locate a first and a second digest result in a data file, including a set of data; a first digest creator capable to create, using a first digest function, a first digest of the set of data, the first digest function being identical to a digest function used to create the first digest result; a second digest creator capable to create, using a second digest function that is incompatible with the first digest function, a second digest of the set of data, the second digest function being identical to a second digest function used to create the second digest result; and a digest comparator engine, communicatively coupled to the digest locator, first digest creator and the second digest creator, capable to compare the first and second created digests with the first and second located digest results respectively.
US08433896B2
An aspect of the present invention simplifies addition of new server systems which serve web pages to client systems, when an authentication server requires registration before providing authentication services. In an embodiment, a backend server is provided, which is registered with an authentication server. The server systems are implemented to redirect unauthorized access requests to the backend server, and the configurations performed during registration of the backend server system are used for authenticating a user and receiving an authentication result. The backend server communicates the authentication result and other information received from the authentication server to the server system. According to another aspect, such simplification is performed in a single sign-on (SSO) environment.
US08433892B2
A probability of an observation sequence stored at a client is evaluated securely with respect to a hidden Markov model (HMM) stored at a server. The server determines, for each state of the HMM, an encryption of a log-probability of a current element of the observation sequence. Determines, for each state of the HMM, an encryption of a log-summation of a product of a likelihood of the observation sequence based on a previous element of the observation sequence and a transition probability to the state of the HMM. Determines an encryption of a log-likelihood of the observation sequence for each state as a product of the encryption of a log-summation and an encryption of a corresponding log-probability of the current element of the observation sequence; and determines an encryption of the log-probability of the observation sequence based on the log-likelihood of the observation sequence for each state.
US08433888B2
To minimize network access to a server in a network boot system. A server which stores an OS operating on a client terminal and a client terminal which includes a physical storage device are connected to each other over a network. The client terminal includes a physical memory and a network interface, and the OS includes a network driver for driving the network interface, a filter driver for converting access to a local bus of the client terminal into access to the network, and a read cache driver for driving the storage device. The read cache driver caches data which is read out from the server by the filter driver in the storage device.
US08433884B2
A multiprocessor executes a plurality of threads without decreasing execution efficiency. The multiprocessor includes a first processor allocating a different register file to each of a predetermined number of threads to be executed from among plural threads, and executing the predetermined number of threads in parallel; and a second processor performing processing according to a processing request made by the first processor. The first processor has areas allocated to the plurality of threads in one-to-one correspondence, makes the processing request to the second processor according to an instruction included in one of the predetermined number of threads, upon receiving a request for writing a value resulting from the processing from the second processor, judges whether the one thread is being executed, and when judging negatively, performs control such that the obtained value is written into one of the areas allocated to the one thread.
US08433879B1
Memory management units (MMUs) are disclosed. In one aspect, an MMU may have a first interface to a component. The first interface may receive one of a read of updated data from, and a write of updated data to, a virtual memory address. The virtual memory address may initially correspond to a first physical memory location in an only one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory (NVM). The MMU may have a remapping unit to remap a correspondence of the virtual memory address from the first physical memory location to a spare physical memory location. The MMU may also have a second interface to the OTP NVM. The second interface may allow the updated data to be read from or written to the spare physical memory location of the OTP NVM. Methods performed by the MMUs, and methods and articles useful for manufacturing MMUs, are also disclosed.
US08433875B2
Apparatus and methods for clock domain crossing between a first clock domain and a second clock domain. The apparatus comprises a first control logic element for processing a handshake signal and producing a first arbiter input signal. Concurrently a second control logic element processes a second handshake signal and produces a second arbiter input signal. Exemplary embodiments include exactly one arbiter element inputting the first arbiter input signal, inputting the second arbiter input signal, outputting a first clocking signal to the first sequential element and outputting a second clocking signal to the second sequential element. For managing metastability by controlling the timing of the clocking inputs of the sequential devices, the apparatus includes a first controllable lock delay element selected to satisfy the setup constraint of the second sequential element, and a second controllable lock delay element selected to satisfy the hold constraint of the second sequential element.
US08433872B2
A system and method of managing stored data in a storage management system. The storage management system includes a storage manager, a media agent connected to the storage manager, and a primary volume connected to the media agent. Multiple snapshots are taken of the primary volume. The snapshots are indexed by associating respective information with the snapshot. The indexed snapshots are copied to a recovery volume. In this way, browsing features are enabled for the user. The user may view the snapshots in a hierarchical format, and may even view snapshot data in association with the corresponding application. The resultant recovery volume may be used to replace a primary volume.
US08433870B2
Provided are techniques for, in response to establishing each incremental virtual copy from a source to a target, creating a target change recording structure for the target. While performing destage to a source data block at the source, it is determined that there is at least one incremental virtual copy target for this source data block. For each incremental virtual copy relationship where the source data block is newer than the incremental virtual copy relationship and an indicator is set in a target inheritance structure on the target for a corresponding target data block, the source data block is copied to each corresponding target data block, and an indicator is set in each target change recording structure on each target for the target data block corresponding to the source data block being destaged.
US08433868B2
Method, system, and computer program product embodiments for concurrent copy of system configuration global metadata in a data storage system are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a global data rank is quiesced, followed by an unquiesce of the global data rank except for a global metadata area. The global metadata area is updated in memory, and then unquiesced. A current range of the global metadata area to be copied is quiesced. The current range of the global metadata area is copied from a source area to a target area. The current range is unquiesced. The steps of quiescing an additional current range, copying the range from a source area to a target area, and unquiescing the current range continue until the entire global metadata area has been copied.
US08433865B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to maintaining consistency in a storage system. In aspects, one or more objects may be updated in the context of a transaction. In conjunction with updating the objects, logical copies of the objects may be obtained and modified. A request to write the updated logical copies is sent to a storage controller. The logical copies do not overwrite the original copies. In conjunction with sending the request, a data structure is provided for the storage controller to store on the disk. The data structure indicates the one or more objects that were supposed to be written to disk and may include verification data to indicate the content that was supposed to be written to disk. During recovery, this data structure may be used to determine whether all of the object(s) were correctly written to disk.
US08433857B2
A disclosed embodiment is an interruptible write block comprising a primary register having an input coupled to an input of the interruptible write block, a secondary register having an input selectably coupled to an output of the primary register and to an output of the secondary register through an interrupt circuit. The interrupt circuit is utilized to interrupt flow of new data from the primary register to the secondary register during an interrupt of a write operation, such that upon resumption of the write operation the secondary register contains valid data. A method of utilizing an interruptible write block during a write operation comprises loading data into a primary register, interrupting the write operation to perform one or more other operations, loading the data into a secondary register while loading new data into the primary register, and resuming the write operation using valid data from the secondary register.
US08433840B2
The present invention relates to a storage card having selectable contact elements, a terminal capable of receiving said storage card, and method of its operation. The storage card with selectable contact elements, comprises an interface having a plurality of contact elements, a storage card controller, being connected to at least a subset of said contact elements, a storage memory device, being connected to said storage card controller, a switching unit, that is connected to said storage card controller and to at least one of said contact elements of said interface, wherein said storage card controller is connected to said switching unit to controllably select said at least one contact element.
US08433837B2
A system includes a master device and a number of slave devices connected to the master device via a bus. Each slave device includes a control unit, a switch unit, and a lock unit. When a new slave device is connected to the system, the control unit of the new slave device transmits a request signal to the master device. The master device detects whether the master device is communicating with the already connected slave devices after receiving the request signal, and outputs an enable signal to the new slave device according to the detected result. The control unit of the new slave device controls the lock unit of the new slave device to turn on and turn off the switch unit of the new slave device according to the enable signal.
US08433830B2
Disclosed herein are techniques to execute tasks with a computing device. A first task is initiated to perform an operation of the first task. A buffer construct that represents a region of memory accessible to the operation of the first task is created. A second task is initiated to perform of an operation of the second task that is configured to be timed to initiate in response to the buffer construct being communicated to the second task from the first task.
US08433829B2
Provided is a Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller which provides a function of searching for a specific pattern from data being transmitted during DMA transmission. The DMA controller stores at least one pattern value. The DMA controller compares data being transmitted to a pattern value while transmitting the data using a DMA method, and generates, in response to data matching the pattern value being detected, a signal indicating that the data matching the pattern value has been detected. The DMA controller stores an address of the data matching the pattern value in response to the generated signal.
US08433827B2
A method for configuring fieldbus stations, wherein station names and addresses for the fieldbus stations are executed by reading in a parameter over a first network port of a coupling element, which acts as a topology anchor so as to assign a unique addressing in a subnetwork, i.e., a unique name and a unique IP address, in a PROFINET-IO, such as a fieldbus based on Ethernet.
US08433826B2
The present invention provides a method and system for serving an image stored in the peer computer to a requesting computer in a network photosharing system in which the peer computer is coupled to a photosharing system server. Aspects of the invention include caching copy of the image in the photosharing server; and in response to the photosharing server receiving a request from the requesting computer to view the image stored in the peer computer, transmitting the cached image from the photosharing server to the requesting computer, thereby avoiding the need to transfer the image from the peer computer to the photosharing server for each request to view the image.
US08433813B2
A first computing device distributes audio streams to several computing devices of participants in a communication session. Some embodiments establishes a star network with the first computing device as a central network hub for receiving audio streams from other computing devices, compositing the audio streams and distributing the composited audio streams to the other computing devices. Through the star network, the first computing device receives audio streams from the other computing devices. The first computing device generates at least two different composite audio streams for at least two different computing devices by (i) identifying a set of silent participants in the communication session, and (ii) eliminating redundant audio processing operations that produce the same composite audio streams for different computing devices because of the identified set of silent participants. The first computing device sends each computing device the composited audio stream for the device.
US08433792B2
A system and method for dynamic configuration of the security modules for optimization of execution of security tasks are provided. The system includes: a client detection unit that finds the clients on the network; a client data collection unit that determines hardware/software configurations of each detected client; a security module selection and installation unit that selects required modules for each client from a modules database; a statistics collection unit that collects the security tasks execution statistics from user modules and from client modules; and a re-configuration unit that reconfigures the client and server modules based on the collected statistics in order to optimize execution of the security tasks.
US08433790B2
A system includes a processor device. The processor device is configured to detect a physical topology of a network comprising hosts and sensors in the network. The processor device is also configured to generate a sensor policy for assignment of the sensors to network blocks of the hosts, that balances a processing load and accuracy of the sensors in the network based on physical closeness of the sensors to different divisions of hosts within a same network block.
US08433770B2
A method, system and computer program product for a generic data storage interface for local and remote networked storage is provided. It comprises providing a data storage interface accessible by an operating system, transmitting data from an application running on the operating system to the data storage interface and selectively storing the data using the same data storage interface in either a local or a remote networked storage location.Firmware for the common data storage interface assigns a unique identifier that classifies an I/O request as a local or remote networked I/O request and adds the I/O request to a common stack for local and remote networked data storage elements. When an I/O request is removed from the stack, the unique identifier is used to identify the I/O request as a local or remote networked I/O request. Local I/O requests are executed via a local bus such as PCI, or SCSI. Remote networked I/O requests require a connection to one or more remote networked storage elements via a network. Memory space in a cache may be allocated for both local or remote networked I/O requests. DMA transfer may be employed for both local and remote networked I/O requests. Both local and remote networked I/O requests are executed using the same firmware and the same data interface.
US08433763B2
In one embodiment, a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system includes a database for storing data originated at a plurality of CAD stations; a manager that manages access to the data stored in the database; and the plurality of CAD stations communicatively connected to the manager and to each other. While the manager is available, each CAD station transmits the critical data and the non-critical data originated at the CAD station to the manager and receives the critical data and the non-critical data originated at one or more other CAD stations from the manager. While the manager is unavailable, each CAD station transmits the critical data originated at the CAD station directly to all other CAD stations and receives the critical data originated at the one or more other CAD stations directly from the one or more other CAD stations.
US08433761B2
A method for messaging based communication includes enabling a first message to be entered into a message entry area of a first messaging application, receiving at least one segment of a second message from at least one remote messaging application before the message is completed, displaying the received segment of the at least one second message in an in process message display area of the first messaging application, receiving the second message completely from the at least one remote messaging application, and displaying the completed message in a designated completed message display area of the first messaging application.
US08433755B2
Some embodiments dynamically designate one of several network nodes as a network hub of a star network, at the start of a network communication session among the several network nodes that is facilitated by a mesh network and the star network. Some embodiments dynamically designate a new network hub when the previously designated network hub leaves the communication session, which continues among the other network nodes. Different embodiments use different techniques to dynamically designate the network hub of the star network. For instance, some embodiments use communications transmitted along the mesh network to dynamically identify the network hub at the start of the network communication session or after the departure of a previously designated network hub.
US08433751B2
Systems, methods and techniques are provided in which pens capable of capturing and transmitting information representative marks made by them, e.g., wireless-enabled digital pens, are used. In one representative implementation, notes taken during a meeting automatically are wirelessly transferred (i.e., copied and/or moved) among devices used by the participants, thereby providing for automatic sharing of notes among the meeting participants.
US08433750B1
Technologies are described herein for collecting client-side performance metrics and latencies. A web page received by a web browser application executing on a user computing device includes markup or scripting code that instructs the browser to collect performance measures during the rendering of the content of the web page. The performance measures may include operation timings that measure the time it takes for a particular operation to complete during the rendering of the content and/or event counters that count the number of times that a specific event occurs during the rendering of the content. The web browser application sends an event report containing the collected performance measures to a reporting module executing on a server computer. The reporting module receives the event report, validates the content of the event report, and adds the event report to a database or other data storage system.
US08433745B2
A cost function generator circuit includes memory terms each receiving one or more input signals, and each providing inphase and quadrature output current signals. The inphase and quadrature output currents of the memory terms are summed to provide combined inphase and quadrature output currents, respectively. Transimpedance amplifiers are provided to transform the combined inphase and quadrature output currents into an inphase output voltage and a quadrature output voltage.
US08433738B2
A filtering apparatus for obtaining an output in a case where a discrete-time signal having a length of N (N is an integer) is input to an FIR filter with a filter coefficient having a length of M (M is an integer, N≧M−1), including: a division unit for dividing the discrete-time signal; a first zero padding unit for padding zero after the discrete-time signals; a first fast Fourier transform unit for performing FFT on the zero padded data; a second zero padding unit for padding zero after the filter coefficient; a second fast Fourier transform unit for performing FFT on the zero padded data; a multiplication unit for multiplying the frequency domain data by the frequency domain data; an inverse fast Fourier transform unit for performing IFFT on the multiplication results; and an adder unit for adding the discrete-time signals.
US08433736B2
A Montgomery multiplication device calculates a Montgomery product of an operand X and an operand Y with respect to a modulus M and includes a plurality of processing elements. In a first clock cycle, two intermediate partial sums are created by obtaining an input of length w−1 from a preceding processing element as w−1 least significant bits. The most significant bit is configured as either zero or one. Then, two partial sums are calculated using a word of the operand Y, a word of the modulus M, a bit of the operand X, and the two intermediate partial sums. In a second clock cycle, a selection bit is obtained from a subsequent processing element and one of the two partial sums is selected based on the value of the selection bit. Then, the selected partial sum is used for calculation of a word of the Montgomery product.
US08433719B1
Techniques for extending the functionality of a search field within a web browser to include a user-selectable accelerator option to invoke a find in page feature of the web browser are provided. A search query option for the find in page functionality of the browser may be displayed in association with the search field of the web browser. The search query option may include a user-selectable graphical component enabling the user to invoke find in page based on a search term entered into the search field of the browser. The user may select the graphical component to initiate a search for the term within a web page that is either displayed or will be displayed to the user via the web browser. The displayed web page may include a visual indication of each occurrence of the search term within the web page.
US08433716B2
A query may execute on stored original stream data obtained from stream data received from at least one data source. The original stream data may be deleted in association with new stream data being received. At least one operator of the query may be duplicated to obtain at least one duplicated operator, and the stored original stream data may be duplicated to obtain duplicated stream data. The at least one duplicated operator may be modified to obtain at least one modified operator and, thereby, a modified query. Original results may be determined based on execution of the at least one operator, and modified results may be determined based on execution of the at least one modified operator. The at least one operator and the original stream data may be replaced with the at least one duplicated operator and the duplicated stream data, to thereby obtain an integrated query for execution.
US08433708B2
Computer searchable annotated formatted documents are produced by correlating documents stored as a photographic or scanned graphic representations of an actual document (evidence, report, court order, etc.) with textual version of the same documents. A produced document will provide additional details in a computer data structure that supports citation annotation as well as other types of analysis of a document. The computer data structure also supports generation of citation reports and corpus reports. A computer method of creating searchable annotated formatted documents including citation and corpus reports by correlating and correcting text files with photographic or scanned graphic of the original documents. Data structures for correlating and correcting text files with graphic images. Generation of citation reports, concordance reports, and corpus reports. Data structures for citation reports, concordance reports, and corpus reports generation.
US08433696B2
In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a method and system are provided of processing a search query entered by a user of a device having a text input interface with overloaded keys. The search query is directed at identifying an item from a set of items. Each of the items has one or more associated descriptors. The system receives from the user an ambiguous search query directed at identifying a desired item. The search query is a prefix substring of each of at least two words relating to the desired item. The system dynamically identifies a group of one or more items from the set of items having one or more descriptors matching the search query as the user enters each character of the search query. The system outputs identification of the one or more items of the identified group to be displayed on the device operated by the user.
US08433694B1
A medium, system, and method are disclosed for implementing an in-memory inode cache. The cache stores inodes that include respective file metadata. The system includes a replacement module that prioritizes the inodes for replacement according to retention priorities for the inodes. The system also includes a prioritization module that is configured to respond to a file close operation by determining whether the file is unlikely to be reopened. If so, the prioritization module responds by decreasing the respective retention priority of one of the inodes, where the one inode stores file metadata for the closed file.
US08433688B2
Some embodiments provide methods and apparatuses for performing a near-instantaneous restore of a database. During operation, the system intercepts a database management system restore request to restore a database from a backup file to a data file, wherein the backup file comprises a first number (e.g., N1) of data pages. Next, in response to intercepting the database management system restore request, the system sends information to the database management system indicating that the backup file comprises a second number (e.g., N2) of data pages, wherein the second number of data pages is less than the first number of data pages (e.g., N2
US08433686B2
A storage system having a plurality of storage devices including a first type storage device and a second type storage device, a reliability attribute and/or a performance attribute of the first type storage device being different from a reliability attribute and/or a performance attribute of the second type storage device. The storage system also has a control unit and managing a plurality of virtual volumes. If necessary, a storage area allocated to a first portion of a virtual volume of the plurality of virtual volumes is changed from a first type storage area of the plurality of first type storage areas to a second type storage area of the plurality of second type storage areas while another first type storage area of the plurality of first type storage areas is allocated to a second portion of the virtual volume.
US08433684B2
System, method, computer program product embodiments and combinations and sub-combinations thereof for backing up an in-memory database. In an embodiment, a backup server is provided to perform backup operations of a database on behalf of a database server. A determination is made as to whether the database is an in-memory database. Database server connections are utilized during data accesses for the backup operations when the database is an in-memory database.
US08433677B2
An extensible file system format for portable storage media is provided. The extensible file system format includes the specification of primary and secondary directory entry types that may be custom defined. The primary and secondary directory entry types can be further classified as critical and benign directory entries. The directory entry types can define whether a cluster chain corresponding to a file can be contiguously allocated.
US08433668B2
A method for solving a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) comprises identifying a first illegal combination associated with at least one variable, wherein the first illegal combination contradicts at least one constraint; grouping the first illegal combination with a second illegal combination, in response to determining that the first and second illegal combinations contradict the same constraint; identifying at least one failure explanation for each group of illegal combinations, wherein the failure explanation is associated with at least one illegal combination in said group to provide a reason for a contradicted constraint associated with the illegal combination; assigning a value to each variable in the given domain to solve the CSP within the limitations defined by the constraints in a solution path; and generating a result, in response to determining that at least one assigned value to a variable contradicts a constraint.
US08433660B2
Managing a portfolio of experts is described where the experts may be for example, automated experts or human experts. In an embodiment a selection engine selects an expert from a portfolio of experts and assigns the expert to a specified task. For example, the selection engine has a Bayesian machine learning system which is iteratively updated each time an experts performance on a task is observed. For example, sparsely active binary task and expert feature vectors are input to the selection engine which maps those feature vectors to a multi-dimensional trait space using a mapping learnt by the machine learning system. In examples, an inner product of the mapped vectors gives an estimate of a probability distribution over expert performance. In an embodiment the experts are automated problem solvers and the task is a hard combinatorial problem such as a constraint satisfaction problem or combinatorial auction.
US08433659B2
Embodiments of the invention may provide systems and methods for determining estimated lead times based on delivery history information to a same or similar geographical area. According to one example embodiment, a method is provided. The method can include identifying a payee and determining that the payee is associated with a geographical area for mailpiece delivery. The method can further include identifying multiple delivery methods for mailpiece delivery to the geographical area, wherein each of delivery methods is associated with (a) a distribution center, (b) a delivery agent, and (c) an estimated lead time determined at least in part by analyzing the delivery history information associated with multiple mailpieces mailed from the respective distribution center to the geographical area via the respective delivery agent. The method can further include selecting one of the delivery methods for mailpiece delivery to the payee and associating the selected delivery method with the payee.
US08433658B2
A system and method for facilitating electronic transactions using an intelligent instrument is disclosed. An authorization server enables users to obtain authorization credentials through the use of the intelligent instrument by issuing a challenge to an intelligent token of the intelligent instrument. The intelligent token generates a challenge response and transmits the challenge response to the authorization server, which assembles credentials including a key for the electronic transaction upon validating the response. The authorization server sends the assembled credentials to the intelligent instrument and the intelligent instrument transmits the assembled credentials to the authorization server during a subsequent transaction. The authorization server validates the assembled credentials and provides authorization for the transaction in response to the validating the assembled credentials.
US08433652B2
A computer implemented payment processing method and system are provided for facilitating electronic purchase transactions by a purchaser from a merchant. The method implements a payment processing system including at least one computer processor and at least one computer memory and includes multiple steps. The steps include receiving, at the at least one computer processor of the payment processing system, a payment request associated with the electronic purchase transaction, the request including information, but not including confidential financial account numbers. The method further includes performing authentication to authenticate the purchaser and verification procedures to verify funds available at the payment processing system based on the order information and non-confidential information and determining whether the cash payment can be completed based on the authentication and verification procedures. The method also includes causing, with the at least one computer processor, the cash payment to be released to the merchant in response to a determination that the cash payment can be completed.
US08433648B2
Disclosed is a method for engaging in a transaction between a consumer and a merchant. In particular, the present invention is directed to a method and system for providing instant credit by a credit issuer to the consumer at a point-of-sale of the merchant. In addition, the present invention is directed to a method and system for identifying at least one optimal credit product from a plurality of credit products of at least one credit issuer to a consumer.
US08433647B1
In one embodiment, software is operable to identify checking account information from a repository, with the checking account information associated with a transaction. The software automatically generates an electronic check image based, at least in part, on the transaction and the identified checking account information. The software is then operable to communicate the electronic check image to a bank of first deposit for deposit.
US08433646B2
A system and method are provided that, among other things, can reduce the burden on receiving computers, increase data throughput, reduce system failure, and provide components of a scalable and flexible network architecture. Specifically, the system and method provide a multichannel-multicast network environment for use in dynamically assigning data to channels. This configuration is particularly useful in a trading network environment, as it effectively performs channel reassignments in a way not to disturb the receipt of the underlying data. While the example embodiments described herein pertain to electronic trading, the principles of the present invention may be equally applied in other environments where the advantages presented herein are beneficial.
US08433643B2
A method, apparatus, system and non-transitory machine-readable medium are provided for declining auctions with interest bidding. According to one embodiment, offers are received from respective bidders in a bid receiving process to transact a financial instrument, the offers being expressed as offered interest rates at which the corresponding respective bidders are willing to transact the financial instrument. The bid receiving process is utilized in a declining auction characterized by a reducing a published interest rate at which the financial instrument is offered for sale. The reducing of the published interest rate is performed automatically and responsive to a lack of bidding activity. Further there is a determining whether at least one of the offers satisfies transaction criterion.
US08433637B2
Market depth information pertaining to the hedging side is utilized to intelligently break a non-hedging order into multiple orders, such that the orders rest at cascading price levels. This way, the trader can benefit from sweeps in the book and still properly account for the market depth on the hedging side. Further, there is a greater probability of receiving “partials” on the spread order. In addition, hedge orders may be sent at multiple price levels, or sent to the market in pieces over time. By applying a more intelligent process to hedge orders (as opposed to “fire and forget”) an alternative beyond limit orders that can be logged or market orders is provided.
US08433633B1
A real time continuous data inputting, processing, scanning and displaying system for financial data and inputting variable boundaries of data for a variety of desired data characteristics. The process displays when the data characteristics fall outside their respective variable boundaries. Real time financial markets data and conventional data inputs are input into the system which is comprised of conventional and new computer processor enabled processes, clusters of central processing units, a report writer, terminal device, data disk, and interface. The data disks and real time financial market data and conventional data inputs and outputs are continuously referenced during the scanning process for exceptions to the boundaries of desired data characteristics.
US08433630B2
In private equity and debt funding operations, resource providers define electronic data collection templates to be filled in by prospective resource consumers to form semi-homogeneous profiles. Providers and/or consumers can assign themselves and/or third parties various individualized levels of permissions to access and to perform activities on the profiles. Providers can organize profiles into portfolios to further manage the data. All accesses and activities, such as changes to the data, are tracked and recorded in logs useful for audit purposes.
US08433626B1
Disclosed is a system for transitioning between views in a network page. An application that is executed in at least one computing device encodes a network page for rendering in a client, the network page including a region, and the region being configured for the rendering of at least two views. The network page is encoded to depict a transition between the two views. A first one of the views depicts at least one mechanism to add a depicted item in the network page to a list, and a second one of the views depicts at least a portion of the list. Once encoded, the network page is sent to the client.
US08433625B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for using geographic areas to filter items in an electronic commerce system. A catalog of items is stored in a data store accessible by one or more computing devices. A geographical filtering process is provided that is executable in the one or more computing devices. The geographical filtering process comprises logic that obtains a specification of at least one geographical area, and logic that identifies a subset of the items based at least in part upon a plurality of past commercial transactions associated with the items occurring within the at least one geographical area.
US08433600B2
A system allowing a user to answer a series of questions to generate survey data, associating system data with the survey data to generate a highly accurate report. The user may, customize the survey by selecting categories corresponding to certain series of questions and be presented with a running total of costs associated with each selected action, a total cost for all selected actions, and an impact on the property FCI corresponding to the selected action. The report allows, for example, for targeted assessment of select facilities systems including a time frame within which work to be performed on select facilities systems and/or a cost associated with work to be performed.
US08433596B2
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a system and method for service parts planning in a network having one or more service parts. For at least a subset of the one or more service parts, a calculation is performed to determine a location within the network at which allocating the service part provides the greatest gain in system availability per item cost. In an embodiment, the calculations are based, at least in part on machine-specific information. In one embodiment, inventory position is determined based, at least in part, on a unique identifier associated with a service part.
US08433594B2
According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, system, method and computer accessible medium can be provided for making a worker distribution plan on the basis of updated skill assessment data. For example, a computer can be configured, programmed and/or structured to obtain a record data table collected and stored by a server. Further, such computer can update skill assessment data of each worker by updating work efficiency data determined from the average working hours per work according to the work record data included in the acquired record data table. In addition, the computer can select the workers to be assigned to projects for each predetermined period according to preferable and/or necessary worker data calculated from the predicted value of the workload for each predetermined period and the updated skill assessment data.
US08433584B2
Provided is a multi-channel audio decoding method and apparatus therefor, the method involving decoding filter bank coefficients of a plurality of bands from a bitstream having a predetermined format; performing frequency transformation on the decoded filter bank coefficients of the plurality of bands, with respect to each of the plurality of bands; compensating for a phase of each of the plurality of bands according to a predetermined phase compensation value, and serially band-synthesizing the frequency-transformed coefficients of each of the plurality of phase-compensated bands on a frequency domain; and decoding a multi-channel audio signal from the band-synthesized frequency-transformed coefficients.
US08433578B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for automatically generating a dialog manager for use in a spoken dialog system. A system practicing the method receives a set of user interactions having features, identifies an initial policy, evaluates all of the features in a linear evaluation step of the algorithm to identify a set of most important features, performs a cubic policy improvement step on the identified set of most important features, repeats the previous two steps one or more times, and generates a dialog manager for use in a spoken dialog system based on the resulting policy and/or set of most important features. Evaluating all of the features can include estimating a weight for each feature which indicates how much each feature contributes to at least one of the identified policies. The system can ignore features not in the set of most important features.
US08433571B2
A user speech interface for interactive media guidance applications, such as television program guides, guides for audio services, guides for video-on-demand (VOD) Services, guides for personal video recorders (PVRs), or other suitable guidance applications is provided. Voice commands may be received from a user and guidance activities may be performed in response to the voice commands.
US08433569B2
A method of accessing a dial-up service is disclosed. An example method of providing access to a service includes receiving a first speech signal from a user to form a first utterance; recognizing the first utterance using speaker independent speaker recognition; requesting the user to enter a personal identification number; and when the personal identification number is valid, receiving a second speech signal to form a second utterance and providing access to the service.
US08433566B2
Video material is dividing into temporal segments. Each segment is examined to determine whether the soundtrack of the segment contains speech sufficient for analysis and if so, metadata are generated based on analysis of the speech. If not, the segment is analysed by comparing frames thereof with those of stored segments that already have metadata assigned to them. One then assigns to the segment under consideration stored metadata associated with one or more stored segments that are similar.
US08433562B2
Methods for estimating speech model parameters are disclosed. For pulsed parameter estimation, a speech signal is divided into multiple frequency bands or channels using bandpass filters. Channel processing reduces sensitivity to pole magnitudes and frequencies and reduces impulse response time duration to improve pulse location and strength estimation performance. These methods are useful for high quality speech coding and reproduction at various bit rates for applications such as satellite and cellular voice communication.
US08433560B2
A rule based apparatus and method for modifying word annotations in an annotated text base is described. The apparatus includes an index creator component for creating an index of word annotations. An annotations modifying component for modifying word annotations, and a retriggering component, responsive to said annotations modifying component, for retriggering a rules engine to modify all occurrences of a matching word annotation in said annotated text base and updating the index of word annotations with the modified occurrences of a matching word annotation in said annotated text base.
US08433554B2
An approach for predicting performance and capacity of an information technology (IT) system before the IT system is built is described, where the predicting uses a database of performance statistics measured for reusable software modules. A performance simulation modeling tool receives a set of performance statistics of a test computer. The set of performance statistics is associated with a set of software modules included in a library of reusable software modules. The set of software modules is required to build a target IT system. The set of performance statistics is received from a database of performance statistics resulting from individual executions on the test computer of each reusable software module in the library. The performance simulation modeling tool predicts computing resources required by the target IT system. The computing resources prediction follows the receipt of the set of performance statistics and precedes the target IT system being built.
US08433553B2
A programmed computer and method are described for generating a processor design. The method carried out by the programmed computer comprises providing an initial model for the processor, specifying a plurality of resources in terms of resource parameters and their mutual relations. Furthermore, statistics are provided indicative of the required use of the resources by a selected application. Thereafter, a reduced resource design is generated by the programmed computer by relaxing at least one resource parameter and/or limiting an amount of resources specified in the initial specification on the basis of the statistics.
US08433541B2
A method and system for monitoring the operation of a wind energy installation. State data relating to the wind energy installation is recorded and discrepancies are found between the state data and an associated comparison value. A failure probability of the wind energy installation is determined based on any found discrepancy. An availability value for the wind energy installation is determined from the ratio of the actually produced amount of electrical energy to the total amount of energy which can potentially be produced. The availability value and the failure probability are then combined to form a repair priority, which is associated with the wind energy installation. Accordingly, more uniform operation of wind energy installations can be achieved.
US08433522B2
This invention constructs a highly safe system for processing information for providing semantic information and/or information associated with the semantic information useful for each individual organism through effective utilization of differences in nucleotide sequence-related information among individual organisms. This system comprises steps of: (a) obtaining positional information representing a position in a nucleotide sequence in accordance with a request for an object and/or service; and (b) evaluating adequacy of transmission of nucleotide sequence-related information corresponding to the positional information obtained in step (a), based on the flag information associated with the positional information for evaluating adequacy of transmission of nucleotide sequence-related information associated with the positional information representing a position in a nucleotide sequence.
US08433513B2
In one aspect, a system and method is provided whereby map-related requests from mobile devices are used to store and aggregate routes. The routes are then used to determine optimum directions in response to subsequent requests.
US08433506B2
A method of providing weather information for an aircraft trajectory to a flight management system (FMS) includes selecting a unique subset of temperature data points from weather data points along an aircraft trajectory and sending corresponding weather data points to the FMS.
US08433500B2
A control system for a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine includes a timing adjustment module and a combustion control module. The timing adjustment module, per combustion event, advances timings of N fuel injections and retards timings of M fuel injections and spark during a transition from HCCI combustion to mixed-mode combustion. The combustion control module subsequently retards the timings of the N fuel injections and advances the timings of the M fuel injections and the spark to desired timings, respectively, wherein the N fuel injections and the M fuel injections occur sequentially during each combustion event of the HCCI engine, and wherein N and M are integers greater than or equal to zero.
US08433499B2
An apparatus for detecting imbalance abnormality in an air-fuel ratio between cylinders in a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprises a turbocharger, a bypass passage, a waist gate valve, an air-fuel ratio sensor, and a stepless transmission. The imbalance abnormality is detected based upon a variation degree in output of the air-fuel ratio sensor. The internal combustion engine and the stepless transmission are controlled in such a manner that an actual operating point of the internal combustion engine moves on a predetermined operating line in a coordinate system defined by an engine rotational speed and engine torque. The operating line is changed in such a manner that, when the actual operating point is outside of a waist gate valve opening region at the time of detecting the imbalance abnormality, the actual operating point moves into the waist gate valve opening region.
US08433498B2
Methods, a fuel supply system, and a computer readable medium embodying a computer program product are provided for controlling rail pressure in a fuel supply system comprising a fuel pump, an injector and a rail connecting the injector to the pump. At least one of the methods includes, but is not limited to establishing a relationship between said rail pressure and a leak rate of the injector, estimating a fuel drain rate from said rail based on a fuel injection rate, the rail pressure and said rail pressure/leak rate relationship, estimating a desired intake flow rate of said pump based on said fuel drain rate, and controlling the pump to operate at said desired intake flow rate.
US08433491B2
A deceleration system may be used for decreasing a speed of a vehicle having a plurality of wheels. The deceleration system may include a brake command receiving device configured to receive a brake command for decelerating the vehicle, a brake command sensor configured to determine a brake magnitude and a brake rate based on the brake command, a control device configured to generate a plurality of electronic brake signals based on the brake magnitude and the brake rate, and a plurality of braking devices, each of which is configured to receive one of the plurality of electronic brake signals, convert the respective electronic brake signal to a mechanical brake force, and impart the mechanical brake force to at least one of a rotor or a drum of the respective wheel, thereby causing a deceleration of the vehicle.
US08433475B2
A maintenance computer system for an aircraft, including a network partitioned into a secured avionics zone and an open zone. The system includes a first software module accommodated in the avionics zone and a second software module accommodated in the open zone, the first module configured to follow a fault-finding logic tree, and the second module configured to present an electronic maintenance document, with the path along the fault-finding logic tree followed by the first module automatically and synchronously generating a presentation by the second module of pages of the maintenance document associated respectively with nodes of the tree.
US08433473B2
A system and method is provided for indicating an efficiency level of energy usage by an automotive vehicle to a passenger in the vehicle. The system includes a computer-readable storage medium, a controller, an interior-lighting system, and a display unit. The controller processes energy usage signals to obtain the given operating mode of the vehicle as well as indications of energy usage amounts that the passenger can control. The controller determines the efficiency level of energy usage by the vehicle based on the energy usage amounts and the given operating mode. The interior-lighting system illuminates at least a portion of the passenger compartment with ambient light having defined characteristics including a luminance and a color, the ambient light indicating the efficiency level. The display unit displays a graphical representation of the efficiency level.
US08433469B2
A propulsion drive system is operated by a controller to propel an industrial vehicle along a path in an unmanned mode. An autonomous processor module sends commands to the vehicle controller in response to messages received via a communication network from a guidance and navigation system. The guidance and navigation system transmits a message over the communication network, wherein that message contains a first numerical value specifying the velocity and a second numerical value specifying an amount that the propulsion drive system is to turn a wheel of the industrial vehicle. The message also specifies a maximum speed limit and indicators commanding that a load carried by the industrial vehicle be raised and lowered. The autonomous processor module transmits a feedback message indicate actual vehicle operating parameters to the guidance and navigation system.
US08433468B2
A robotic mower home finding system includes a charging station connected to an outer boundary wire loop, and a vehicle control unit on the robotic mower that directs a traction drive system to drive the robotic mower along a path offset a specified distance from an outer boundary wire loop toward the charging station. The vehicle control unit changes the specified distance randomly or incrementally so that the robotic mower does not take the same path to the charging station each time.
US08433463B1
A vehicular interface may include an electromechanical interface between a handheld electronic device and subsystems on a vehicular bus or network. In selected embodiments the interface may operate in a “master mode” when a handheld device, such as a tablet computer or smart-phone, is not inserted therein. In this mode the interface may serve as a master controller and accesses and controls various subsystems on a vehicle (such as engine control subsystems, media controllers, navigation systems, sensors and transducers) as a master controller. In one embodiment, when a tablet device is inserted into the interface, the interface may automatically switch to “slave mode” in which it acts as an adapter or interface between the tablet device and the vehicular subsystems. In this mode of operation the user's exclusive interface is through the tablet computer and the tablet computer serves as the master controller for the system.
US08433459B2
An aircraft guidance system for assisting in airport navigation includes: at least one airport database comprising topology data of an airport, called airport DB; at least one configuration database comprising aircraft configuration data and the position of a guidance point; a positioning system delivering aircraft kinematic and attitude parameters; at least one computer generating a 2D view of the representation of the airport notably comprising navigation indications and a representation of the aircraft; and at least one display for displaying the representation of the airport. In the system, a first symbol is generated on the display indicating the position of an early guidance point, corresponding to the position of the guidance point at a future time.
US08433456B2
A system and method for controlling power windows of a vehicle includes a receiver mounted on the vehicle for receiving an open window request signal wirelessly from a portable device, at least one exterior condition sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting an adverse exterior condition relative to the vehicle, and a controller mounted on the vehicle for communicating with the receiver and the at least one exterior condition sensor. The controller commands opening of the one or more power windows when the receiver receives the open window request signal provided the at least one exterior condition sensor does not detect an adverse exterior condition relative to the vehicle.
US08433453B2
An electric power leveling controller includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information of electric energy consumption from a power consuming device consuming electric energy from the power source and electric energy charged into a power storage device, a storage unit that stores a specific threshold value for each power storage device, and a control unit that causes a first power consuming device to be power-supplied by the power source, causing the power storage device corresponding to the first power consuming device to be charged with a difference between the specific threshold value and the electric energy consumption, causing the power source to supply to a second power consuming device electric energy corresponding to the specific threshold, and causing the power storage device corresponding to the second power consuming device to discharge to the second power consuming device the difference between the electric energy consumption and the specific threshold value.
US08433450B2
An optimization and control system for a utility plant that uses fan based air cooled condensers controls the operation of the power generation system at the plant in conjunction with the operation of the air cooled condensers so as to run the power plant at an optimum operating point associated with minimizing or reducing the cost energy produced by the plant. The optimization and control system includes an optimizer having a numerical solver that determines values for a set of control variables associated with an optimal operating point of the plant and an expert system that oversees and modifies the control variable settings prior to providing these settings to a plant controller. The numerical solver uses an objective function and one or more models of plant equipment to determine the operating point of the plant that minimizes the cost per unit of useful energy generated by the plant.
US08433440B2
A solution comprising cost-effective methods and techniques for converting a traditional vending machine into a vending machine with a graphical user interface, multimedia advertising and info kiosk capabilities. A key aspect of this invention is the integration of a consumer DVD player in a vending machine, in which the graphical user interface is implemented as DVD Menu structures stored on a DVD disc that also contains the video clips. Another aspect of this invention, is the changed logic of a traditional vending machine to delay item dispense until a video clip has been played. The present invention provides interfacing methods between a DVD player, a Vending Machine Controller and an optional microcontroller. These methods can be used to implement a communication protocol between a DVD player and a microcontroller. The methods and techniques of the invention can be integrated in an MDB peripheral device of a vending machine.
US08433434B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for a near non-adaptive virtual metrology for wafer processing control. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing control comprises diagnosing a chamber of a processing tool that processes a wafer to identify a key chamber parameter, and controlling the chamber based on the key chamber parameter if the key chamber parameter can be controlled, or compensating a prediction model by changing to a secondary prediction model if the key chamber parameter cannot be sufficiently controlled.
US08433429B2
There is described an engineering systems and generating projects. The projects are used by runtime systems for the control of device and machine modular arrangements. The projects are not completely unmodifiable, instead an individualization layer is provided: particular data input possibilities for base data used by the runtime system are provided with an attribute, which gives whether the data entry in the project shall be unmodifiable or whether said entry may be optionally modifiable by the runtime system. A change is correspondingly optionally carried out with the runtime system. The actual core of the project, however does not need to be re-programmed such that a reversion to the engineering system is not necessary.
US08433428B2
Systems and methods for managing machine tools are provided. When a current abnormality occurs in one of at least one machine tool, a specific failure category is determined according to the current abnormality, and at least one suggested combination of parameters is generated according to the specific failure category and a transaction database, wherein the specific failure category is one of a plurality of predefined failure categories, and each suggested combination of parameters includes a plurality of associated parameters, which are commonly retrieved for the specific failure category. Each transaction data in the transaction database records a plurality of parameters corresponding to a failure category, wherein the parameters are the parameters whose parameter values are retrieved from the at least one machine tool, having the abnormality according to the failure category.
US08433416B2
The invention relates to a stimulation device for creating complex or multi-purpose tissue stimulation. Many typical stimulation devices suffer from deficiencies in providing complex stimulation patterns. Using a circuitry operable or programmable to repeat and skip stimulation settings, a complex stimulation set may be created. The repeating and skipping functionality may be implemented in hardware or software. In this manner, complex stimulations may be derived from simple circuitries. Furthermore, these stimulations may be used to treat pain, stimulate bone growth, and control motor disorders, among others.
US08433403B2
NMES systems and methods for stimulating muscle tissue, and in some embodiments deep muscle tissue. The impedance near the surface of the skin is controllably increased to increase the percentage of energy delivered to a subject that stimulates muscle tissue.
US08433392B2
The present invention provides an MRI system for imaging of a subject over extended field-of-view (FOV) that employs both accelerated data acquisition, which is employed while the subject is stationary, and traditional data acquisition, which is employed while the subject is moved through the MRI system. This approach provides improved spatial resolution and time efficiency compared to traditional extended FOV imaging techniques.
US08433384B2
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for cerebral oximetry. A modulated optical signal based on a digital code sequence is transmitted to the human brain. A temporal transfer characteristic is derived from the modulated optical signal. Oxygen level in the brain is determined based on the temporal transfer characteristic.
US08433381B2
The arrangement method of superconducting wires of a superconducting cable, includes: in a case where a refrigerator is installed at one of terminal structures provided on both sides of a superconducting cable, and a cooling fluid is passed through the superconducting cable by a pump for cooling, setting the numbers of superconducting wires of sections of the superconducting cable installed between the terminal structures on both the sides to be different depending to temperatures of the sections, wherein the numbers of superconducting wires are increased from the section of the superconducting cable having the lowest temperature to the section thereof having the highest temperature while maintaining a current-carrying capability.
US08433376B2
A small form factor communication device. The small form factor communication device incorporates a multi-purpose control allowing the functionality of the small form factor communication device to be accessed. The multi-purpose control provides feedback allowing the user to operate the small form factor communication device by touch.
US08433367B2
A mobile communication terminal having a menu that can be constructed using a mobile flash includes an input device section for inputting a reproduction request of a flash movie; a Man Machine Interface (MMI) loading a corresponding movie file based on the reproduction request; a bridge module performing a communication with the MMI to monitor navigation events; a memory section for storing a Extendible Markup Language (XML) document having information about a handset configuration and a menu tree configuration of the terminal; an engine section parsing the XML document read from the memory section to map the XML document with the flash movie and analyzing the parsed XML document according to the navigation events; and a play section for outputting the analyzed XML document contents through a display section.
US08433365B2
Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to incorporating a fax machine function into a mobile device. A camera on the mobile device is used to scan or capture an image of an existing document. Logic on the mobile device converts the image into a fax transmittal that can be transmitted to a fax machine. Once the fax transmittal is ready, a connection is initiated with a traditional fax machine across one or more networks, and the fax transmittal is sent to the fax machine at a speed determined by the slower device. Upon a successful transmission, the connection is terminated, and a report is generated.
US08433358B2
In a radio communication system having a primary station and a plurality of secondary stations, the power of uplink and downlink channels between the primary station and a secondary station is controlled in a closed loop manner by each station transmitting power control commands to the other station. In response to these commands the receiving station adjusts its output power in steps.By combining a plurality of received power control commands before adjusting its output power the receiving station may emulate the ability to use a smaller power control step size than its minimum, thereby improving performance under certain channel conditions. In one embodiment when the required power control step size is less than the minimum step size of a particular station, that station processes a group of power control commands to determine whether to adjust its output power by its minimum step size. In an alternative embodiment the power control step size is fixed when the combining algorithm is used. The invention is applicable to power control in both primary and secondary stations.
US08433356B2
A method transmits data packets in a radio system between an emitter and a receiver. A nominal energy is defined for each data packet and each transmission according to a quality requirement for the reception by the receiver. An emission power required for each data packet is determined according to the quality requirement for the reception of the data packet. The transmission data packet is formed from a plurality of data packets. A first transmission emission power is defined for a first transmission of the transmission data packet according to the determined emission powers for the individual data packet. The first transmission of the transmission data packet is carried out with the first transmission emission power. A retransmission emission power is calculated according to a nominal transmission power derived from the nominal energy, for the transmission data packet and the emission power for at least one previous transmission of the transmission data packet.
US08433353B2
Method of communication, on a radio channel in a network comprising a plurality of telecommunications nodes with which are associated respective values of a metric, including emitting, from a first node, a request on the radio channel, and subsequent to the receipt of the request by at least one second node, emitting a response message with a delay determined as a function of the metric value associated with said second node.
US08433352B2
An access node (e.g., BSC, RNC) and a method are described herein for implementing a traffic allocation technique and improving a success rate of a connection setup for an access terminal. In addition, a wireless telecommunication system is described herein which includes an access node (e.g., BSC, RNC), and one or more radio sites (e.g., BTSs), wherein an access terminal is located within a radio coverage area of one of the radio sites, and wherein the access node is configured to implement a traffic allocation technique and is further configured to improve a success rate of a connection setup for the access terminal.
US08433351B2
A method of controlling spectrum use in a first wireless communications system, the first wireless communications system being operable to take part in a spectrum assignment process involving at least the first wireless communications system and one or more other wireless communications systems, the method comprising in a single instance of the spectrum assignment process, exchanging a first portion of spectrum for a second, different portion of spectrum, by assigning the first portion of spectrum from the first wireless communications system to the one or more other wireless communications systems and accepting the assignment of the second portion of spectrum from the one or more other wireless communications systems to the first wireless communications system.
US08433347B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for verifying a network management short message of a wireless public phone. The method comprises: receiving a network management short message containing a sending party number, a sending party short message center number and a short message content; comparing the sending party number with a pre-stored number; when the sending party number is consistent with the pre-stored number, comparing the sending party short message center number with a pre-stored short message center number; when the sending party short message center number is consistent with the pre-stored short message center number, comparing the short message content in the network management short message with a pre-stored short message content; and when the short message content in the network management short message is consistent with the pre-stored short message content, confirming that the verification of the network management short message succeeds.
US08433344B1
A computer-implement method for displaying a tier of risk in a region of a map displayed via a mobile computing device. The method includes displaying, in real-time on the map, a present location of the mobile computing device. The method also includes retrieving data corresponding to the tier of risk for the region shown on the map. The method further includes marking, according to a predefined marking technique, the region of the map according to the retrieved data.
US08433342B1
A method and system for personalized venue marketing is disclosed herein. An application that is resident on a mobile communication device of a patron sends personally identifiable information and the identifying device address to a server when the patron enters a venue. The server associates the identifying device address of the mobile device with the patron in a CRM database for the venue. The identifying device address allows for tracking of the patron by WiFi sensors positioned throughout the venue.
US08433333B2
A radio network controller of a wireless telecommunications network having an umbrella cell base station for an umbrella cell and capacity cell base stations for capacity cells within the umbrella cell includes a network interface from which a message is sent to the umbrella base station of the umbrella cell to search for capacity cells within the umbrella cell to redirect traffic of an AT from the umbrella cell to at least one of the capacity cells, and at which eligible capacity cells to which traffic of the AT can be redirected is received. The controller includes a processing unit which selects target capacity cells from the eligible capacity cells to which traffic of the AT will be redirected. A method for a radio network controller of a wireless telecommunications network having an umbrella cell base station for an umbrella cell and capacity cell base stations for capacity cells within the umbrella cell.
US08433320B2
The present invention concerns a method for determining a wireless telecommunication device to which a hand-over of a mobile terminal has to be conducted, wherein plural wireless cellular telecommunication devices transfer the same physical cell identity to mobile terminals. The method comprises the steps of: receiving at least one measurement report, determining, from the received measurement report that a hand-over of the mobile terminal has to be conducted to a wireless telecommunication device which transfers the same physical cell identifier as the one transferred by at least another wireless telecommunication device, obtaining a list of wireless telecommunication devices which transfer the same physical cell identifier, reducing, using a fingerprint table, the list of wireless telecommunication devices which transfer the same physical cell identifier, starting the hand-over of the mobile terminal.
US08433315B2
Telephone apparatus, including a cable television (CATV) network interface, which is adapted to be connected to a CATV network so as to receive downstream cellular telephone communication signals transmitted at a downstream intermediate frequency (IF) via the CATV network from a base-station transceiver system (BTS) operative in a cellular telephone network. The apparatus includes a telephone interface, which is adapted to connect to a cellular telephone operative in the cellular telephone network via a physical connection.The apparatus also includes signal conversion circuitry, which is adapted to convert the downstream communication signals received at the downstream IF via the CATV network interface to downstream radio-frequency (RF) cellular telephone signals compatible with the cellular telephone network, and to convey the downstream RF cellular telephone signals to the cellular telephone via the physical connection.
US08433314B2
An integrated device provides functionality of both a PDA and cellular telephone. Features include a power button offering control of both the computing and telephony functions of the device; a lid that turns the device on and off and controls additional telephony functions; a jog rocker that activates the device and is used to select from a variety of menu options; application buttons that offer direct access to applications stored on the device, and which can be configured to operate in conjunction with secondary keys to offer added functionality; a keyboard that enables data input into the device; an automatic word completion function that verifies and corrects a user's typing in real time; and a simplified keyboard navigation system that allows the navigation of menus using keyboard shortcuts.
US08433313B2
A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes the steps of: transmitting, from a higher-level node to a macro radio base station, an “INIT(SCTP)”, when the higher-level node detects that no SCTP connection is established with the macro radio base station; and transmitting, from a home radio base station to a higher-level node, an “INIT(SCTP)”, when the home radio base station detects that no SCTP connection is established with the higher-level node. The higher-level node does not transmit “INIT(SCTP)” to the home radio base station, even when detecting that no SCTP connection is established with the home radio base station.
US08433309B2
A RF data communication device operates in at least two states. In a first state, the device transmits a response to an RF transmission if specific data therein represents an inquiry as to the presence of one or more RF data communication devices and if specific data therein corresponds to a class maintained by the device. The device does not transmit a response if specific data in the RF transmission is not representative of an inquiry as to the presence of one or more RF data communication devices, or if specific data therein does not correspond to at least one maintained class. In a second state, the device does not transmit a response when specific data is included therein that is representative of an inquiry as to the presence of one or more RF data communication devices and specific data therein corresponds to at least one maintained class.
US08433304B2
Embodiments of the disclosed invention include a system and a method for displaying cellular caller ID on TV. In accordance with one embodiment, the caller ID information of a caller calling a cellular device of a subscriber is received at a mobile switching station. The caller ID information is routed to a cable head end. The cable head end transmits the caller ID information and television content to a home location associated with the subscriber for displaying the caller ID information on a television.
US08433302B2
A wireless device receives a list of available themes and premium content from an activation server. The wireless device may select a theme for download and activation. The activation server verifies that the wireless device has access to the theme or premium content and then authorizes the wireless device to activate the theme or premium content. If the theme or premium content is not resident on the wireless device, the activation server may transmit the theme or premium content to the wireless device.
US08433278B2
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for selecting a network for use by a communication device to process a data transmission. In the method, the following actions are conducted: tracking transmission characteristics of networks used by the device; maintaining a set of options for the device relating to the networks, including at least one option based on the transmission characteristics; utilizing a selected option identify a selected network to process the data transmission by the communication device; and processing the data transmission using the selected network.
US08433276B2
A sampling circuit and a receiver with which filter characteristics compatible with the reception of wideband signals can be realized with a high degree of freedom in the setting of the filter characteristics. More specifically, the sampling circuit is capable of removing adjacent interfering wave signals while keeping in-band deviation small. The sampling circuit is equipped with a discrete-time analog processing circuit group, wherein multiple discrete-time analog processing circuits are connected in parallel, a synthesizer that synthesizes the output signals from each of the circuit systems and outputs same, and a digital control unit that outputs control signals. Each of the discrete-time analog processing circuits is configured to include multiple rotate capacitor units, which each includes a main rotate capacitor and a sub-rotate capacitor, and only the main rotate capacitors share electric charge with a buffer capacitor included in the synthesizer.
US08433275B2
A system and method for minimizing a DC component of a received signal are disclosed. As one example, a system for minimizing a DC component of a signal in a wireless receiver is disclosed, which includes a programmable filter operable to filter the signal with at least one of a low cutoff frequency and a high cutoff frequency, and a transition unit coupled to the programmable filter, the transition unit operable to transition the programmable filter between the high cutoff frequency and the low cutoff frequency.
US08433266B2
A power supply apparatus for a radio frequency power amplifier (RFPA) is provided, where the output end of a voltage controlled voltage source (VCVS) and the output ends of N current controlled current sources (CCCSs) are coupled in parallel to supply power to the RFPA. The apparatus further includes an nth sampling unit, configured to sample the sum of the output currents of the first (n−1) CCCSs and the VCVS to obtain an nth sampling signal; and an nth filtering unit, configured to filter the nth sampling signal according to a predefined nth passband and output the filtered nth sampling signal to an nth CCCS, thus controlling the output current of the nth CCCS. The nth passband is lower than an (n−1)th passband. The switching frequency of the nth CCCS is higher than the switching frequency of an (n−1)th CCCS. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and n is a positive integer smaller than or equal to N.
US08433260B2
A base-station failure predictor comprises an interface to at least one sub-unit of a base-station of a mobile communications network, an alarm memory, and an alarm evaluator. The base-station failure predictor is adapted to receive a plurality of alarms from the at least one sub-unit of the base-station via the interface. The plurality of alarms are stored in the alarm memory, and the alarm evaluator is adapted to analyze the frequency of the plurality of alarms to assess a likelihood of failure of the at least one sub-unit concerned. A base-station failure prediction method is also proposed. Furthermore, a computer program product with instructions for the manufacture and a computer program product enabling a processor to carry out the base-station prediction method are also proposed.
US08433259B2
Disclosed herein is a gyrator circuit, including, a first transconductance amplifier, a capacitor, and a second transconductance amplifier, wherein the differential input terminals of the first transconductance amplifier and the differential output terminals of the second transconductance amplifier being separated from each other.
US08433253B2
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a mixer circuit at a receiver of an RFID interrogator may operate at a power supply voltage selected based at least in part on a power level of the self-jammer signal. The mixer circuit may operate at a higher power supply voltage if the expected power level of the self-jammer signal is higher, and may operate at a lower power supply voltage if the expected power level of the self-jammer signal is lower.
US08433252B2
An UE receives a downlink data channel from a BS, calculates a reception quality value related to the downlink data channel, monitors a transmission rate of an uplink data channel to BS, and reduces the calculated reception quality value based on a result of the monitoring.
US08433242B2
The present disclosure teaches an active antenna array for a mobile communications network. The active antenna array comprises a plurality of first polarization antenna elements and a plurality of second polarization antenna elements. The plurality of first polarization antenna elements is connected to a first protocol signal generator. The plurality of first polarization antenna elements are adapted to radiate an individual first protocol transmit signal. An individual one of the plurality of second polarization antenna element is connected to an individual one of a plurality of second protocol signal generators. The plurality of second polarization antenna elements is adapted to radiate an individual second protocol transmit signal. An individual one of the plurality of first polarization antenna elements and the individual one of the plurality of second polarization antenna elements are adapted to receive both, an individual first protocol receive signal and an individual second protocol receive signal.
US08433236B2
A paper processing apparatus includes: a discharging unit that discharges the paper onto a staple tray; a paper returning unit that reverses the paper discharged by the discharging unit and performs alignment in a conveying direction by abutting the paper against a rear end reference fence; a supporting unit that supports the discharging unit in a state capable of coming in contact with or separating from the paper; a contact and separation unit by which the discharging unit comes in contact with or separates from the paper; and a pressurizing unit that is moved by the contact and separation unit, does not load the discharging unit in a standby state where the discharging unit is held apart from the paper, and applies contact pressure in a state where the discharging unit is in contact with the paper.
US08433228B2
Apparatuses useful for printing and methods of stripping media from surfaces in apparatuses useful for printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of an apparatus useful for printing comprises a first roll; a belt including an inner surface and an outer surface, the first roll and the outer surface of the belt forming a nip; and a stripping member located internal to the belt. The stripping member includes at least a first stripping surface and a second stripping surface having a smaller curvature than the first stripping surface. The stripping member is rotatable to selectively position one of the first stripping surface and the second stripping surface in contact with the inner surface of the belt. The one of the first stripping surface and the second stripping surface facilitates stripping of a medium fed to the nip from the outer surface of the belt.
US08433225B2
In an intermediate transfer belt unit, elastic bodies are provided on respective inner circumferences of side edge portions of an intermediate transfer belt along with the circumferential direction. Rotating members are attached to respective opposite ends of a follower roller rotatably and concentrically with the follower roller, so as to face respective elastic bodies of the intermediate transfer belt. Each of the rotating members is composed of a tapered section, a bottom receiving section to keep bending of the intermediate transfer belt within a certain amount, a small diameter section forming an escape groove for receiving the elastic body of the intermediate transfer belt, and a large diameter section.
US08433221B2
A secondary transfer facing roller includes a roller part that has a through-hole penetrating in a rotary shaft line direction at a rotation center position, and a penetrating shaft member penetrating the through-hole of the roller part and spinning the roller part on a surface of the penetrating shaft member. Eccentric cams are fixed to both end regions that are not located in the roller part, so as to rotate integrally with the penetrating shaft member. A position regulating cam and an abutting roller form a gap between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller immediately before a transfer sheet enters a transfer nip part. While the gap is formed, current flows between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller via the position regulating cam and the abutting roller.
US08433217B2
A cooling mechanism for a photoreceptor includes: a photoreceptor of cylindrical shape; a pair of flanges respectively attached to both ends in an axial direction of the photoreceptor; a rotational shaft that is inserted into a shaft center of the photoreceptor; a holder that is disposed to face a first flange and rotatably supports the rotational shaft; and a main body frame that supports the holder. In such a cooling mechanism for a photoreceptor, an air duct is configured by the through hole formed in the flange and the concave portion formed on the holder, and discharges air flow generated inside the photoreceptor to the outside thereof.
US08433213B2
A cleaning device includes a normally charged toner cleaning unit, a reversely charged toner cleaning unit, and a pre-cleaning unit. The normally charged toner cleaning unit has a normally charged toner cleaning member, a normally charged toner recovery member, and a normally charged toner scraping member. The reversely charged toner cleaning unit has a reversely charged toner cleaning member, a reversely charged toner recovery member, and a reversely charged toner scraping member. The pre-cleaning unit has a pre-cleaning member, a pre-recovery member, and a pre-scraping member.
US08433211B2
A disclosed developing device includes a toner carrying member having electrodes, a toner supply unit supplying the toner to the toner carrying member, and a hopping electric field generator unit generating electric field to cause the toner hopping on the toner carrying member by applying a pulse voltage to the electrodes. The hopping electric field generator unit includes a pulse voltage generator circuit generating the pulse voltage, a first direct-current power source supplying bias to the pulse voltage generator circuit for regulating a peak value of the pulse voltage, and a second direct-current power source having a same polarity with a toner charging polarity, and outputting a variable voltage level. The hopping electric field generator unit controls the peak value of the pulse voltage by changing an output of the first power source and a mean thereof by changing an output of the second power source.
US08433210B2
An image forming apparatus for performing image formation by using an electrophotographic process, the image forming apparatus including: a control section for judging existence of necessity of correction of process conditions in the electrophotographic process based on environment dependence characteristic information of a resistance value of a member that is used for the electrophotographic process and constitutes the image forming apparatus and environment change information in the own apparatus, and performing the correction based on the result of the judgment.
US08433208B2
An image forming apparatus has a rotary guide including a path for a sheet being conveyed. The guide is rotatable so that an exit of the path faces one of at least two conveyance destinations. A motor rotates the guide, and a detector outputs a detection signal when a predetermined posture of the guide is detected. An instructing section outputs instruction signals to the motor to rotate the guide toward the predetermined posture. A judging section judges whether a detection signal has been received in response to the instruction signal, and a notifying section counts a consecutive occurrence number of a judgment result to the effect that no detection signal was received in response to the instruction signal this time and gives a notification prompting an inspection request of the image forming apparatus when the consecutive occurrence number reaches a set number.
US08433195B2
A system comprises an optical network terminal (ONT) that terminates an optical fiber link of an optical network to provide an optical network interface. The ONT may include an optical module that receives optical signals via the optical fiber link and converts the optical signals to electrical signals and an optical media access control (MAC) unit that converts at least some of the electrical signals to data units. The optical MAC unit may be selectively configurable to support a plurality of optical network protocols. For example, the optical MAC unit is selectively configurable to support two or more of BPON protocol, a GPON protocol, a GEPON protocol and an active Ethernet protocol. In one instance, the optical MAC unit is selectively configurable to support at least one active optical network protocol and at least one passive optical network protocol.
US08433192B2
The present disclosure provides dynamic performance monitoring systems and methods for optical networks to ascertain optical network health in a flexible and accurate manner. The present invention introduces accurate estimations for optical channel performance characteristics based either on existing channels or with a dynamic optical probe configured to measure characteristics on unequipped wavelengths. Advantageously, the dynamic performance monitoring systems and methods introduce the ability to determine physical layer viability in addition to logical layer viability.
US08433191B2
An optical ring network has one or more working wavelengths and multiple protection wavelengths adapted to support the working wavelength(s). Routing tables may be used in network nodes to assign traffic of a failed working wavelength to a protection wavelength. The protection technique may be applied to networks employing, for example, Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM).
US08433183B2
A recording apparatus and a recording method that can record both moving picture data and still picture data in a form reproducible by various reproducing apparatus. The moving picture data is compressed by an MPEG system by an MPEG encoder, formed into data for recording corresponding to a predetermined recording format by a format forming unit, and then recorded on a DVD. The still picture data is compressed by a JPEG system by a JPEG encoder, and recorded on the DVD separately from the moving picture data. In predetermined timing, the still picture data compressed by the JPEG system and recorded on the DVD is read, the still picture data is converted into I-pictures of the MPEG system by a format converting unit, and then the I-pictures of the MPEG system are recorded onto the DVD in the predetermined format via the format forming unit.
US08433178B2
A BD-ROM stores PlayList information. The PlayList information defines a playback section of each of a plurality of AV clips and includes MainPath information and SubPath information. The MainPath information designates one of the AV clips as a Main Clip and defines a portion of the Main Clip as a primary playback section. The SubPath information designates another one of the AV clips as a SubClip and defines a portion of the SubClip as a secondary playback section that is to be played back in synchronism with the primary playback section. The BD-ROM stores, the one of the AV clips designated as the SubClip along with an EP_map. The EP_map shows a plurality of entry points on the SubClip in a one-to-one correspondence with entry times on the SubClip timeline.
US08433173B2
An object is to provide a content reproduction system in which matching of a content reproduction apparatus and a device is performed flexibly and efficiently. For this purpose, the content reproduction system includes a content reproduction apparatus which reproduces a content including at least one of audio and an image, and a device connected to the content reproduction apparatus, in which the content reproduction apparatus is provided with acknowledging unit which acknowledges a driving condition of the device and a controlling unit which operates according to the acknowledged driving condition.
US08433168B2
A section of active optical fiber (11) which comprises an active core (1), an inner cladding layer (2) and an outer cladding layer (3). The diameter of said core 1) and the thickness of said inner cladding (2) change gradually along the length of said section of active optical fiber (11). This forms tapered longitudinal profile enabling a continuous mode conversion process along the length of the section of fiber (11). The method for fabricating a section of tapered active optical fiber comprises the steps of fabricating a preform for drawing active optical fiber from said preform, installing said preform into a drawing tower, drawing optical fiber in said drawing tower and altering at least one of the two parameters including the take-off preform speed and the take-up fiber speed during drawing of the optical fiber.
US08433166B2
A multi-core optical fiber 1A in which a plurality of cores can easily be identified even in the case where they are symmetrically arranged in its section has seven cores 10 to 16, a visual recognition marker 20, and a shared cladding 30 enclosing the seven cores 10 to 16 and the visual recognition marker 20. The cores 10 to 16 and the visual recognition marker 20 extend along the fiber-axis direction. The respective refractive index of the cores 10 to 16 is higher than the refractive index of the cladding 30. The refractive index of the visual recognition marker 20 differs from that of the cladding 30. In the cross-section perpendicular to the fiber-axis, the cores 10 to 16 are arranged such that they have 6-fold rotational symmetry and line symmetry. The visual recognition marker 20 is arranged at a position which breaks such symmetry.
US08433160B2
A measurement device including a fastener for use in attaching a first member to a second member, in which the fastener has an aperture extending through a length of the fastener, and a first optical fiber located within the aperture, in which the first optical fiber includes at least one fiber Bragg grating sensor. At least a portion of the first optical fiber can be secured within the aperture. A first end of the first optical fiber can be connected to an associated first optical connector and a second end of the first optical fiber can be connected to an associated second optical connector.
US08433157B2
A system and method for three-dimensional (3D) acquisition and modeling of a scene using two-dimensional (2D) images are provided. The system and method provides for acquiring first and second images of a scene, applying a smoothing function to the first image to make feature points of objects, e.g., corners and edges of the objects, in the scene more visible, applying at least two feature detection functions to the first image to detect feature points of objects in the first image, combining outputs of the at least two feature detection functions to select object feature points to be tracked, applying a smoothing function to the second image, applying a tracking function on the second image to track the selected object feature points, and reconstructing a three-dimensional model of the scene from an output of the tracking function.
US08433151B2
An image coding apparatus includes: a transformation unit that transforms spatial domain image data having plural pixels, by a pixel block including plural pixels as a unit, into plural coefficient groups each including plural frequency domain coefficients; a grouping unit that classifies the plural coefficient groups into plural groups for classification of values in these coefficient groups; a quantization coefficient calculation unit that calculates a quantization coefficient used for quantizing plural coefficients included in the respective plural coefficient groups based on the number of coefficient groups classified in the plural groups and the values of the coefficient groups classified in the plural groups; a quantization unit that quantizes the respective plural coefficients included in the respective plural coefficient groups obtained by the transformation by using the calculated quantization coefficient; and a coding unit that encodes the plural coefficients included in the plural quantized coefficient groups to generate codes.
US08433147B2
An encoding apparatus includes: a first processing unit performing predetermined first processing of image data to be encoded before performing encoding; an encoding unit performing the encoding of the image data of which the first processing has been performed by the first processing unit to generate a code stream; a second processing unit performing predetermined second processing of the code stream generated through the encoding of the image data performed by the encoding unit; and a control unit controlling a processing speed of the encoding performed by the encoding unit in accordance with a processing speed of the first processing by the first processing unit and a processing speed of the second processing by the second processing unit.
US08433144B2
Systems and methods for detecting red-eye artifacts in a digital image are provided. In this regard, a representative system, among others, includes a processing device that facilitates execution of programs stored in the image processing device and memory that is electrically coupled to the processing device. The memory is configured to store the programs that include a red-eye detection manager, which is configured to detect a red-eye in the digital image based on the detection of excited state of normal-eye that causes the red-eye.
US08433142B2
Methods and apparatus to detect differences between images are disclosed. An example method to identify image differences disclosed herein comprises electronically determining whether a difference between a first block of pixels of a sample image and a second block of pixels of a reference image is resolvable using a transformation operation, when the difference between the first and second blocks is determined to be unresolvable, but not when the difference between the first and second blocks is determined to be resolvable, including the first block in an unresolved difference region of the sample image, and electronically generating a difference signature representative of the unresolved difference region, the difference signature to identify the unresolved difference region of the sample image.
US08433140B2
Methods and computer-readable media for propagating content category information to images stored in a database are described. A seed image that is associated with a known content category is received. A content-based image retrieval is conducted using the seed image as a search query image. A number of search result images are identified. The content category is propagated to the search result images. Metadata associated with the search result images is aggregated and analyzed to identify domains that should also be associated with the content category. Additional images that are associated with the domain are identified and the content category propagated thereto. The process is iterated using the additional images as search query images for the content-based image retrieval.
US08433133B2
A method of detecting generally rectangular objects in an image comprises determining candidate rectangles in the image based on detected corners in the image, ranking the candidate rectangles on the basis of a set of differentiating factors and detecting objects in the images based on the ranked candidate rectangles.
US08433132B2
Efficient representation of color digital pathology images (DPI) is described herein, which is accomplished by exploiting properties unique to such images. The method decomposes the data into constituent parts whose relative importance is able to be specified, allowing the data to be accurately represented with less bit precision, less spatial resolution or less spectral resolution. Two specific areas where the method is able to be utilized include: (1) more-efficient image compression; and (2) more efficient processing of the data. Efficient image compression is accomplished by assigning fewer bits to less-important colors. Efficient data processing is accomplished by processing only those colors, or combinations of colors, that are deemed important.
US08433126B2
A check and U.S. bank note processing device configured to process both checks and U.S. bank notes. The device comprises an input receptacle configured to receive checks and U.S. bank notes and an output receptacle. The device further comprises a transport mechanism configured to transport the checks and U.S. bank notes from the input receptacle past an image scanner. The image scanner is configured to obtain an image of each check and U.S. bank note transported past the image scanner. The device is configured to determine the serial numbers of U.S. bank notes transported past the image scanner. The device further comprises a memory configured to store the determined serial numbers of U.S. bank notes.
US08433108B2
A method for fingerprinting video comprising identifying motion in a video as a function of time; using the identified motion to create a motion fingerprint; identifying peaks and/or troughs in the motion fingerprint, and using these to create a reduced size points of interest motion fingerprint. Reduced size fingerprints for a plurality of known videos can be prepared and stored for later comparison with reduced size fingerprints for unknown videos, thereby providing a mechanism for identifying the unknown videos.
US08433106B2
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with increasing face detection speed are described. One example method includes determining whether to control a face detection process to selectively perform a face detection in a patch in a digital image. The face detection may be based, at least in part, on determining whether the patch overlaps a face previously identified by the face detection process. The example method may also include providing a signal to control the face detection process to perform the face detection upon determining that a patch overlap does not exceed an overlap factor.
US08433099B2
The pixels located at equal intervals in a shot image are converted into intensity components and applied with a differential filter. The number of the obtained variations that have values larger than or equal to a certain value among the obtained variations is counted. Then discrimination of a vehicle shot in the target image is executed on the basis of the counted value. The counted value varies depending on a size of a shot object in a shot image. The counted value is large when an occupied area of the object is large, and the counted value is small when the occupied area of the object is small. By so doing, it is advantageously possible to properly discriminate a vehicle.
US08433086B2
A hearing apparatus and in particular a hearing device is to be provided, in which interference noises are to be reduced however as natural an acoustic image as possible is consequently retained. To this end, a hearing apparatus with a first signal processing channel, into which a noise reduction device is integrated and a second signal processing channel, which has the same input as the first signal processing channel and into which no noise reduction device, but instead a level limitation device is integrated, is proposed. An adding device adds the output signals of both signal processing channels to form an overall output signal. A passive input level-dependent noise reduction can thus be realized, with which quiet signals can be heard again despite the noise reduction.
US08433082B2
An intra-oral appliance for transmitting sound via bone conduction and optimized for comfort, safety, speech intelligibility, eating and drinking and extended wear by the user including an actuator to provide bone conduction sound transmission; a transceiver coupled to the actuator to cause the actuator to generate sound; and a first chamber containing the actuator and the transceiver, said first chamber adapted to be coupled to one or more teeth of the user.
US08433081B2
A bone conduction device, comprising: a sound input element configured to receive an acoustic sound signal; an electronics module configured generate an electrical signal representing said acoustic sound signal; and a transducer, comprising a mass configured to move in a rotational direction, configured to generate a vibrational force in a tangential direction with respect to a recipient's bone.
US08433069B2
A software defined radio device and a download server store a plurality of common keys in common key data. The download server arbitrarily determines a common key from the common key data and conveys information identifying the common key to be used to the software defined radio device. An authenticator of the software defined radio device identifies a common key from the common key data using the information identifying the common key, authenticates using the common key, and performs subsequent communications using the common key. When sending software, a hash value is attached for confirming the security. A device ID of the software defined radio device is also attached to data for confirming which software defined radio device receives the software. The software is securely downloaded by a common key encryption having smaller processing requirements than those of a public key encryption.
US08433067B2
In order to encrypt a part of an input image in such a manner that the encrypted part can be located for decryption, means for regularly converting pixel values in the area to be encrypted and generating a pattern unique to the pixel value conversion in order to encrypt the area to be encrypted; means for setting a specified positioning marker for locating an encryption position at two or more of the four corners of the area to be encrypted; and means for setting one or more checking marks for verifying appropriateness of a decrypted image in the encrypted area before the decryption are included.
US08433054B2
A telecommunications equipment mounting assembly is disclosed herein. The assembly includes a housing adapted for holding telecommunications equipment such as an optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical converter modules. The telecommunications equipment mounting assembly also includes an adapter plate removably connected to the housing. The adapted plate includes structure for managing both fiber optic and copper cable.
US08433053B2
A design interface is described for maintaining call information for creating a voice user interface. An initial set of sample call paths is defined for a dialog application. Each sample call path has associated call information including a sequence of system prompts and caller responses that model a user interaction through the dialog application for the sample call path. A call design database stores the call information. A set of subsequent call paths is defined for the dialog application using the call information in the call design database. The call information in the call design database is updated to reflect current versions of the call information for all the call paths.
US08433047B2
A method for collecting data to measure market-share for a defined telecommunication market. A market of interest is defined and a random panel of numbers is created. A call set-up is initiated to the created random panels by generating signaling messages wherein the signaling messages access a Calling Name Services (CNAM) database, a Local Number Portability (LNP) database, an E-911 Automated Location Information (ALI) database and a Line Information Database (LIDB) using signaling system 7 (SS7) protocol. Generated signaling messages access ENUM (Telephone Number Mapping) database and Internet Protocol (IP) Peering database using IP. The response to the generated signaling messages are used to determine assignment status, business ownership, businesses versus residential status and the technology employed for a given number in the created panel. In one embodiment, the process is repeated over a period in order to determine changes to the market-share and derivative metrics for the telecommunication market.
US08433046B2
A line control apparatus having a first interface for connecting to a telephone line, a second interface for connecting to a facsimile apparatus, and a third interface for connecting to a telephone, includes: a first detecting unit that detects a calling signal transmitted from the telephone line and a second detecting unit configured to detect a signal from the telephone line, such signal having a voltage lower than a voltage that the first detecting unit can detect. In accordance with the second detecting unit having detected a signal from the telephone line, the control unit switches from a state wherein the first interface and the third interface are connected to a state of not being connected.
US08433045B2
A computer telephony system allows a user to control different communications terminals at different times via a second system, external to the computer telephony system. The computer telephony system comprises a plurality of communications terminals each of which has an identifier. The computer telephony system further comprises means for generating a key and for recording internally a mapping linking the key and the identifier of a first communications terminal and means for changing the mapping, on a request by the user, so as to link the key with a second communications terminal. In operation, the key is provided to a second system, external to the computer telephony system and accessible by the user. According to one aspect, the computer telephony system further comprises means for issuing a computer telephony message comprising the identifier of the first communications terminal to a communications controller in response to receiving from the second system the key and a computer telephony command provided to the second system from the user.
US08433042B2
A device, method, and system for routing communications to an output of a communications device, such as a mobile telephone, based on the format of an incoming communication and an output mode of the communications device is disclosed. An incoming speech communication can be delivered to a speaker output or forwarded to a format converter to create a text communication that can be delivered to a display output. An incoming text communication can be delivered to a display output or forwarded to a format converter to create a speech communication for delivery to a speaker output. The output mode of the communication device can be set according to device settings, application settings, or location of the device, or a combination thereof. The invention provides new delivery options for communications which can be inure appropriate for a location or current use of the communication device than those previously available.
US08433041B2
A system for enabling a user of a communication device to both handle an incoming call and originate an outgoing call without having to touch the communication device, by way of exchange of voice messages with the communication device. The system is operative for receiving a signal produced by a microphone associated with the communication device and for processing this signal in an attempt to detect at least one of a plurality of spoken commands potentially contained therein. The plurality of spoken commands comprises at least one spoken call handling command and at least one spoken call origination command. In response to detecting a spoken call handling command, the system causes handling of an incoming call destined for the communication device in accordance with the detected spoken call handling command. In response to detecting a spoken call origination command, the system causes an attempt to establish an outgoing call using the communication device in accordance with the detected spoken call origination command.
US08433040B2
A telephone switchboard provides various operating voltages to a telephone in different operation modes. The telephone switchboard includes a control unit, an output control circuit and a voltage converter. The control unit detects the operation mode of a telephone and generates control signals to the output control unit. The output control unit controls direction of current flowing through the telephone according to the control signal, and generates a feedback signal according to any change in the operation mode of the telephone. The voltage converter receives the feedback signal and converts the received power to a suitable output operation voltage according to the feedback signal. The telephone switchboard is capable of providing various operation voltages to the telephone in the different operation modes.
US08433036B2
The invention provides methods, systems and detector arrangements for scanning an object moving in a first direction that includes the steps of irradiating the object with radiation having a peak energy of at least 900 keV, providing a first detector region having a thickness of at least 2 mm and a second detector region having a thickness of at least 5 mm where the second detector region is arranged to receive radiation that has passed through the first detector region, and detecting the radiation after it has interacted with or passed through the object in order to provide information relating to the object.
US08433028B2
In an embodiment, a circuit includes a buffer circuit including a buffer input and an output terminal and a latency locked loop (LLL) circuit. The LLL circuit includes a signal input for receiving an input signal, a feedback input coupled to the output terminal, and a signal output coupled to the buffer input. The LLL circuit is configured to control a propagation delay between the signal input and the signal output to produce a substantially constant total delay from the signal input to the output terminal.
US08433020B2
A high-speed serial data transceiver includes multiple receivers and transmitters for receiving and transmitting multiple analog, serial data signals at multi-gigabit-per-second data rates. Each receiver includes a timing recovery system for tracking a phase and a frequency of the serial data signal associated with the receiver. The timing recovery system includes a phase interpolator responsive to phase control signals and a set of reference signals having different predetermined phases. The phase interpolator derives a sampling signal, having an interpolated phase, to sample the serial data signal. The timing recovery system in each receiver independently phase-aligns and frequency synchronizes the sampling signal to the serial data signal associated with the receiver. A receiver can include multiple paths for sampling a received, serial data signal in accordance with multiple time-staggered sampling signals, each having an interpolated phase.
US08433009B2
A method of determining as to whether a received signal includes a data signal is provided. The method provided includes determining a first value based on a cyclic auto-correlation of the received signal and determining a second value based on the cyclic auto-correlation of the received signal. The method provided further includes determining as to whether a received signal includes a data signal based on a comparison of the first value and the second value.
US08433008B2
A RF receiver that comprises: (i) a complex mixer for converting a version of the RF signal to a complex baseband signal comprising an in-phase component and a quadrature component; (ii) one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) connected to the complex mixer for digitizing the in-phase component and the quadrature component of the complex baseband signal; and (iii) a digital signal processor (DSP) connected the one or more ADCs. The DSP is programmed to mitigate interference in the complex baseband signal by a process that comprises the steps of: (i) performing at least one cross correlation operation involving L-length segments of the digitized in-phase and quadrature components of the complex baseband signal; and (ii) concatenating the cross-correlated L-length segments of the digitized in-phase and quadrature components of the complex baseband signal to produce digitized interference mitigated in-phase and quadrature components of the complex baseband signal.
US08433000B2
The invention relates to a circuit and method for receiving a signal of which—at the receiver end—the frequency is basically unknown. By sampling the data and deriving the frequency of the signal (or actually: the data rate of the data carried by the signal) and setting a phase locked loop in the receiver to the derived—estimated—circuit, the receiver can very quickly tune in to the frequency of the signal. Hence, no embedded or accompanying clock is required for the signal. Oversampling of the signal by the receiver front end is preferred, though.
US08432999B2
An efficient algorithm is described for use with OFDM receivers that characterizes the impulse response of a communication channel using frequency domain techniques that reduce computational and memory requirements, relative to time-domain cross-correlation methods, without sacrificing algorithm performance. An FFT engine is used to transform a time domain input sequence, the transformed sequence is multiplied by the conjugate of the expected sequence, the product of several sequences is averaged, then the FFT engine transforms the average back to a time domain sequence, the magnitude of which is the impulse response of the channel.
US08432985B2
Techniques for transmitting pilot and for processing received pilot to obtain channel and interference estimates are described. A terminal may generate pilot symbols for a first cluster in a time frequency block based on a first sequence and may generate pilot symbols for a second cluster in the time frequency block based on a second sequence. The first and second sequences may include common elements arranged in different orders and may be considered as different versions of a single sequence. The terminal may transmit the pilot symbols in their respective clusters. A base station may obtain received pilot symbols from multiple clusters in the time frequency block. The base station may form each of multiple basis vectors with multiple versions of the sequence assigned to the terminal and may process the received pilot symbols with the multiple basis vectors to obtain a channel estimate for the terminal.
US08432984B2
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a typical multi-carrier technique that has been applied by many advanced wireless communication systems, e.g., 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX. In order to support high mobility transmission, the sub-carrier spacing of multi-carrier systems is made large enough to overcome the Doppler frequency offset. However, this large sub-carrier spacing results in lower transmission efficiency since the CP (Cyclic Prefix) consumes a considerable of radio resources. The present invention provides an adaptive scheme to determine the sub-carrier spacing in which the default sub-carrier spacing is set to support lower mobility, while the adaptively adjusted sub-carrier spacing based on User Equipment (UE) mobile velocities is set to support higher mobility.
US08432981B1
Various techniques are provided to detect a state of a communication signal. In one example, a method of detecting a state of a signal includes receiving a differential communication signal comprising a positive portion and a complementary negative portion. The method also includes generating a common mode voltage signal from the positive portion and the negative portion of the communication signal. The method also includes rectifying the positive portion and the negative portion of the communication signal to provide a rectified signal. The method also includes comparing the common mode voltage, signal with the rectified signal. The method also includes generating a high frequency detect signal in response to the comparing. The method also includes determining whether the communication signal is in an idle state or a high frequency state based on the high frequency detect signal.
US08432980B2
A multiple-input multiple-output multi-band OFDM transmission system (400) employs a data interleaving arrangement that is backwards compatible with specifications for a legacy interleaver. In one embodiment, an input data stream is parsed into two or more separate data streams by a round robin parser (310) and each of the separate data streams is shifted by a corresponding number of symbols and then interleaved by a legacy interleaver (340i). In another embodiment, data for a plurality (N*i) of symbols is split into N sequential groups of data, each group corresponding to one of N MIMO spatial streams, each stream including data for i symbols. Each group is then interleaved by a legacy interleaver (520i). In a third embodiment, an input data stream is interleaved by a scaled version of the legacy interleaver (610), and then parsed by a round-robin parser (620).
US08432979B2
A cyclic shift of a reference signal is quantized as a combination of a cell specific cyclic shift with an outcome of a pseudo-random hopping, and an indication of the cell specific cyclic shift is broadcast in the cell. In one embodiment the cyclic shift is quantized as a modulo operation on a sum of the cell specific cyclic shift, the outcome of the pseudo-random hopping, and a user specific cyclic shift, in which case an indication of the user specific cyclic shift is sent in an uplink resource allocation and a user sends its cyclically shifted reference signal in the uplink resource allocated by the uplink resource allocation. The cyclic shift may also be quantized according to length of the reference signal as cyclic_shift_symbol=(cyclic_shift_value*length of the reference signal)/12; where cyclic_shift_value is between zero and eleven and cyclic_shift_symbol is the amount of cyclic shift given in reference signal symbols.
US08432978B2
An apparatus and method are provided for arranging tones to isolate signals between base stations (BSs) in a high rate packet data (HRPD) system. Packet data is received from a higher layer and the received packet data is channel-coded and modulated. Guard tones are inserted into symbols of the modulated packet data. Pilot tones are inserted using pilot tone arrangements based on preset pilot tone offsets. The packet data symbols to which the pilot tone arrangements have been applied are spread such that BSs for transmitting different broadcast contents are distinguished from each other. A cyclic prefix (CP) is inserted after performing an inverse Fourier transform on the spread packet data symbols, and the symbols are transmitted.
US08432975B2
Apparatuses and methods for processing a picture frame are provided. The apparatus comprises a decoder, a memory, and an image processing unit. The decoder decodes blocks of the picture frame and deblocks decoded blocks to generate deblocked blocks. The memory stores the decoded blocks and deblocked blocks. The image processing unit acquires decoded or deblocked blocks through different paths, for example, from the decoder or from both the decoder and memory depending on whether a next MB row is required for deblocking.
US08432973B2
According to one embodiment, an interpolation frame generation apparatus generates an interpolation frame image to be inserted between continuous frame images. The interpolation frame generation apparatus includes a motion vector detection module and a generation module. The motion vector detection module is configured to execute block matching processing in each of a plurality of blocks included in the continuous frame images and specify one motion vector on an interpolation frame. The generation module is configured to, for an interpolation block in which the motion vector detection module specifies one motion vector, generate an interpolation frame image based on the motion vector, and for an interpolation block in which the motion vector detection module does not specify one motion vector, generate an interpolation frame image based on the frame image containing no motion vector component.
US08432954B2
A video processing system may include a video deserializer, a video serializer and a programmable video processing device. The video deserializer may have an input for receiving a serial data stream containing video data and a serial to pseudo-parallel converter, coupled to the serial data stream, for generating a plurality of serial output lanes from the serial data stream. The video serializer may have a plurality of inputs for receiving serial data streams and a pseudo-parallel to serial converter, coupled to the plurality of input serial data streams, for generating a single serial data stream from the plurality of input serial data streams. The programmable video processing device may be coupled to the video deserializer and the video serializer, and may have a plurality of interface pins for receiving the plurality of serial output lanes from the deserializer and for transmitting the plurality of serial data streams to the serializer.
US08432945B2
In a laser module (310), single-emitter laser diode chips (110) are positioned at different heights on opposite sides of the module's combined output beam (114). Each laser diode chip (110), and its corresponding fast and slow axis collimators (130, 134), and turning mirror (140) are positioned on a corresponding heat-dissipating surface region (340). High thermal stability and output power are obtained in some embodiments even if the modules are combined to obtain higher-level modules (310-2). Other features and embodiments are also provided.
US08432938B2
A method and system for transmitting video information from a sender to a receiver over a wireless channel, is provided. Video information bits are placed into multiple data packets, and transmitted in a burst sequence from a sender to a receiver over a wireless channel in a first time frame. Transmission of each data packet is separated from transmission of the next data packet by an inter-frame time period which is shortened by a channel switching duration. Then, selected video information bits are retransmitted to from the sender to the receiver in a second time frame.
US08432928B2
A handover control method carried out at a mobile station for switching a destination base station in a multi-hop network includes a reception step of receiving a communication signal and information of neighboring base stations used to identify a base station existing in the surrounding area of the base station transmitted from the base station, and a control step of controlling handover on the basis of the signal and information thus received. The control step includes a present destination decision step of deciding the base station currently connected, a switching decision step of using the information of neighboring base stations to decide whether or not the base station to be connected is to be switched over, and a switching step of switching over the base station to be connected on the basis of the decision result of the switching decision step. Thus unnecessary handover operations can be reduced.
US08432926B1
Aspects of the disclosure provide an arbitration system for scheduling access of a plurality of clients to a shared resource. The arbitration system includes a plurality of association circuits corresponding to a plurality of profiles, a plurality of trigger circuits respectively coupled to the plurality of association circuits, and a selection circuitry. Each association circuit is configured to associate clients with the corresponding profile based on client attributes. Each trigger circuit is configured to periodically generate triggers at a rate based on the corresponding profile of the coupled association circuit, and each trigger causes the associated clients of the corresponding profile to be placed on a list of eligible clients. The selection circuitry is configured to select, for a time slice in a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) frame, a client from the list of eligible clients using an arbitration scheme for accessing the shared resource.
US08432920B2
Apparatus having corresponding methods and computer programs comprise a communication circuit to establish an infrastructure mode wireless connection with a wireless client through a wireless access point, and to establish a direct link setup (DLS) mode wireless connection with the wireless client; and a control circuit to select either infrastructure mode or DLS mode for communication with the wireless client based on at least one characteristic of the infrastructure mode and DLS mode wireless connections; wherein the communication circuit exchanges frames of data with the wireless client using the selected mode.
US08432917B2
An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method provides for concurrent sessions to be maintained by multiple endpoints.
US08432914B2
A packet network device includes a route processor that operates to maintain one or more forwarding tables and it includes one or more line cards that operate to process information received by the packet network device from the network and to forward the information to its correct destination. The route processor also operates to identify which incoming prefixes can be used to update the forwarding tables or to identify prefixes stored in the packet network device that can be redistributed from one network protocol to another network protocol running on the route processor. A table management function running on the route processor operates to identify the best match between an incoming prefix and information included in policy statement associated with both an ordered prefix-list and a radix tree structure.
US08432882B2
Systems and methods for de-combining a single combined data stream into a plurality of original data streams, where each original data stream has its own timing information, and passing respective original data steams to, e.g., one or more DVB-T modulators for broadcast into, e.g., a single frequency network. The original data streams and the single combined data stream may be, e.g., MPEG-compliant data streams.
US08432879B2
In a method of transmitting control channel symbols in an OFDM communication system downlink in each sub-frame, the OFDM communication system including one or more transmit antennae, for each transmit antenna, each of the OFDM symbols of a control channel which are to be transmitted over the air is mapped to each of the corresponding non-punctured logical resource elements of one virtual control resource block VCRBp,k. For each transmit antenna, the logical resource elements in each virtual control resource block VCRBp,k are mapped to physical resource elements in each of the first L OFDM symbols so that the physical resource elements are uniformly spaced over the entire transmission bandwidth. For each transmit antenna, the physical resource elements are transmitted to user equipment.
US08432875B2
The present invention discloses a method and device for sending a message in a physical uplink control channel. The present invention overcomes the problem that an index of the physical uplink control channel corresponding to a ACK/NACK message can not be represented implicitly in prior art by using the known downlink information, which includes an index of the control channel element where control signaling associated with downlink data is located and an index of a sub-frame where the downlink data is located. Therefore, the index of the physical uplink control channel where the ACK/NACK message associated with the downlink data is located can be represented and the ACK/NACK message can be sent in an appropriate physical uplink control channel.
US08432871B1
In general, the invention is directed to techniques for offloading mobile data traffic from a mobile core network to a broadband network. For example, as described herein, a breakout gateway forwards a service request from a mobile device and addressed to a service node. The service node designates an access point name (APN) for offload such that data traffic associated with service requests specifying the designated APN is to be offloaded to an offload network. The service node receives the service requests from the breakout gateway and, if the service request specifies the designated APN, the service node sends a request to the breakout gateway. The breakout gateway receives the request and assigns a routable PDP address to the mobile device. An offload module on the breakout gateway redirects mobile data traffic to the offload network when the source PDP address of the traffic is the previously assigned PDP address.
US08432859B2
The present invention provides a method involving an access network and user equipment that supports communication over an air interface using a plurality of component carriers. The method includes transmitting information indicating that a first component carrier is an anchor carrier for the user equipment. The information is transmitted from the access network in a first field of the first component carrier, which selected from the plurality of component carriers. The method also includes transmitting information indicating that one or more second component carriers is allocated as a non-anchor carrier for the user equipment.
US08432849B2
An arrangement is provided for modeling the performance of a communication network. One or two sigmoid functions may be used to model the performance of a physical layer versus the SINR of a transmission channel across all of the available modulation and coding schemes. The sigmoid function(s) abstract(s) away all of the available modulation and coding choices to provide an estimate for the PHY throughput. This estimate can then be utilized by higher network layers to obtain the network throughput at the application level, which may then be used to produce a data stream by an application source. Based on the data stream thus produced, the quality of information to be transmitted via a channel, when received, may be estimated.
US08432841B2
The user equipment comprises a radio transmitter arranged to transmit data packets to a receiver on an uplink channel and a receiver arranged to receive data packets transmitted from a transmitter on a downlink channel. The user equipment comprises circuitry that analyzes the received data packets.
US08432834B2
In one embodiment, techniques for processing voice collisions are provided. A voice collision of two or more voice streams associated with two or more speakers is determined. The voice collision of the two or more voice streams is dynamically disambiguated. The two or more voice streams are then rendered such that the voice collision is disambiguated. The voice collision may be disambiguated using spatial relocation, buffering, etc.
US08432833B2
A device may include a maintenance association endpoint configured to select a maintenance association endpoint identifier, transmit the maintenance association endpoint identifier to one or more other maintenance association endpoints, and automatically assign the maintenance association endpoint identifier to the maintenance association endpoint if it is determined that the maintenance association endpoint identifier is available based on a conflict message received from one of the one more other maintenance association endpoints.
US08432831B2
A routing method for a cluster-based wireless sensor network is provided for improving lifespan of the network and reducing network traffic. A routing method is proposed for a wireless sensor network having a sensor field defined by a plurality of clusters each including a plurality of sensor nodes and a header node, one of the cluster is a head cluster including a sink node. The routing method includes announcing, at least one sensor node which is the sensor node detected an event, the event; requesting, at the sink node, the source node to transmit data required for ubiquitous services; and transmitting, at the at least one source node, data to the sink node. Announcing the event includes relaying, at the at least one source node, a data announcement packet from a source cluster to which the source node belongs to a destination cluster which is arranged along an ith second direction axis through the header nodes of the clusters arranged along a first direction axis of the source cluster. The routing method of the present invention reduces the transmission amounts of data request and data packets, thereby conserving the energy and bandwidth, resulting in improvement of network life time.
US08432829B2
A method for allocating the number of code words and power according to physical channels carrying data includes: determining initial power and an initial number of code words; adjusting the initial power and the initial number of code words in balanced mode according to resource utilization of data transmission physical channels to select a transport block size (TBS) suitable for data transmission, where the power and the number of code words corresponding to the TBS suitable for data transmission are allocated power and number of code words. An apparatus for allocating the number of code words and power according to physical channels carrying data is also provided. With the present application, it is guaranteed that the number of code words and the power may be allocated in balanced mode.
US08432823B2
The invention relates to a method of accessing a channel in a wireless network having a plurality of communication nodes, the method comprising identifying a first channel available for use, forming a cognitive network to manage utilization of said first channel, said cognitive network comprising a leader node and at least one of said plurality of said communication nodes, managing said cognitive network by means of said leader node including identifying a second channel available for use in an event that said first channel being no longer available for use, and switching to said second channel upon said second channel being identified.
US08432820B2
A method and system are described for establishing an end-to-end route for data to traverse a wireless network, including calculating a link cost function, calculating a quantized link cost function using the calculated link cost, function, calculating a quantized cost of each of a plurality, of end-to-end routes for data to traverse the wireless network, wherein the plurality of end-to-end routes include routes between a same set of nodes in the wireless network, wherein, the quantized cost of each of the plurality of end-to-end routes for data to traverse the wireless network is performed using the quantized link cost function and selecting one of the plurality of end-to-end routes, for data to traverse the wireless network based on the quantized cost of each of the plurality of end-to-end routes. Also described is a node in a wireless network configured to participate in the establishment of a bi-directional end-to-end route for data to traverse the wireless network.
US08432796B2
An apparatus for detecting and adjusting volumes levels may include a processor capable of receiving data from a carrier(s). The processor is also capable of receiving trigger control signals from a trigger control and arranging the data into frames that are stored in a buffer. The processor is also capable of determining whether the trigger control signals include data indicating whether a determination regarding adjustment of a volume level of the data is required. The apparatus also includes a packet analyzer capable of calculating an average volume level associated with the frames when a determination reveals that adjustment of the volume level is required and is capable of generating categories, corresponding to intensity levels and categorizing the frames according to the intensity levels based on the average. The packet analyzer is also capable of determining whether to adjust the volume level based on a category assigned to the frames.
US08432794B2
A method and apparatus for selecting multiple transport formats and transmitting multiple transport blocks (TBs) in a transmission time interval simultaneously with multiple hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) processes in a wireless communication system are disclosed. Available physical resources and H-ARQ processes associated with the available physical resources are identified and channel quality of each of the available physical resources is determined. Quality of service (QoS) requirements of higher layer data to be transmitted are determined. The higher layer data is mapped to at least two H-ARQ processes. Physical transmission and H-ARQ configurations to support QoS requirements of the higher layer data mapped to each H-ARQ process are determined. TBs are generated from the mapped higher layer data in accordance with the physical transmission and H-ARQ configurations of each H-ARQ process, respectively. The TBs are transmitted via the H-ARQ processes simultaneously.
US08432790B2
A hierarchical protection switching framework uses detectors and protectors. A protector registers with a detector to receive notifications. A detector identifies a condition and the interested protector, and notifies the interested protector. The protector in response to the notification, typically either performs protection switching or notifies another protector of the condition. This protection switching is an extensible operation, and typically may include, but is not limited to switching traffic to a backup facility from a facility corresponding to the condition and switching traffic to a backup component from a component corresponding to the condition. The decision of a protector whether to notify another protector of the condition can be made based on different factors, such as, but not limited to a failure of the protection switching by the protector, a database lookup operation to identify whether notification of another particular condition has been received or not received, etc.
US08432787B2
A SoftRouter architecture deconstructs routers by separating the control entities of a router from its forwarding components, enabling dynamic binding between them. In the SoftRouter architecture, control plane functions are aggregated and implemented on a few smart servers which control forwarding elements that are multiple network hops away. A dynamic binding protocol performs network-wide control plane failovers. Network stability is improved by aggregating and remotely hosting routing protocols, such as OSPF and BGP. This results in faster convergence, lower protocol messages processed, and fewer route changes following a failure. The SoftRouter architecture includes a few smart control entities that manage a large number of forwarding elements to provide greater support for network-wide control. In the SoftRouter architecture, routing protocols operate remotely at a control element and control one or more forwarding elements by downloading the forwarding tables, etc. into the forwarding elements. Intra-domain routing and inter-domain routing are also included.
US08432785B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for performing interference suppression in spatial division multiple access (SDMA) systems. When the number of receive antennas of a receiver is equal or larger than the number of spatial streams intended for the receiver, the receiver may perform interference suppression on the signals received on all of its antennas. In addition, certain aspects of the present disclosure present a flexible SDMA technique in which a plurality of channel estimates that may be received from an explicit feedback or estimated implicitly, are combined. The combined channel estimate may be used in calculating the SDMA weights.
US08432779B2
A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium, such as BD-ROM, capable of preventing unauthorized duplication of data streams, written thereon, onto another medium, such as a BD-RE or BD-R, which includes physical mark information, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, reproducing, and restricting playback of the recording medium to prevent unauthorized duplication.
US08432775B2
An SPM driver drives a spindle motor. A VCM driver drives a VCM. A DC/DC converter (switching regulator) receives a power supply voltage from an external circuit, and generates a stabilized voltage. Linear regulators each receive a power supply voltage from an external circuit, and each generates a stabilized voltage. A shock detection circuit detects vibration of a device mounting the driving circuit. A power monitoring circuit monitors the power supply voltage, and generates a power-on reset signal which is switched to a predetermined level whenever the power supply voltage is cut off. An ADC converts the back electromotive voltage that occurs at the VCM into a digital signal. A serial interface receives data from an external host processor, which is used to control the driving circuit. Cutoff circuits are arranged between the capacitors, which are to be charged using the induced current that occurs at the SPM, and the power supply terminal. When the power supply voltage is cut off, each cutoff circuit disconnects the corresponding capacitor from the power supply terminal.
US08432773B2
A thermally-assisted magnetic head that has an air bearing surface (ABS) facing a recording medium and that performs magnetic recording while heating the recording medium includes: a magnetic recording element that includes a pole of which an edge part is positioned on the ABS and which generates magnetic flux traveling to the recording medium; a waveguide that is configured with a core through which light propagates and a cladding, surrounding a periphery of the core, at least one part of which extends to the ABS; a plasmon generator that faces a part of the core and that extends toward the ABS side; and a bank layer that is positioned between the plasmon generator and the pole, and of which an edge part on the ABS side protrudes relative to the plasmon generator.
US08432770B2
A method for detecting the surface character of objects in road traffic or of persons, especially pedestrians, vehicles, obstacles and the like, in which signals are emitted from a vehicle that are reflected by a person or an object, and in which the reflected signals are received and evaluated in the vehicle, wherein the emitted signals are transmit pulses whose echo pulses are received, and based on the signal characteristics of the echo pulses, the surface character is inferred, and from that, it is inferred whether a person or an object is positioned in front of the vehicle.
US08432766B2
A memory system includes a master device, such as a graphics controller or processor, and an integrated circuit memory device operable in a dual column addressing mode. The integrated circuit memory device includes an interface and column decoder to access a row of storage cells or a page in a memory bank. During a first mode, a first row of storage cells in a first memory bank is accessible in response to a first column address. During a second mode, a first plurality of storage cells in the first row of storage cells is accessible in response to a second column address during a column cycle time interval. A second plurality of storage cells in the first row of storage cells is accessible in response to a third column address during the column cycle time interval. The first and second pluralities of storage cells are concurrently accessible from the interface.
US08432765B2
A method of managing power consumption by a memory in a memory device includes determining whether the device is powered by a depletable power supply, and if it is determined that the device is powered by a depletable power supply, changing a behavior of the memory to regulate power consumed by the memory.
US08432760B2
A screening method for testing solid-state memories for the effects of long-term shift and random telegraph noise (RTN). In the context of static random access memories (SRAMs), each memory cell in the array is functionally tested with a bias voltage (e.g., the cell power supply voltage) at a severe first guardband sufficient to account for worst case long-term shift and RTN effects. Cells failing the first guardband are then repeatedly tested with the bias voltage at a second guardband, less severe than the first guardband; if the tested cells pass this second guardband, the suspect cells are considered to not be vulnerable to RTN effects. Over-screening due to an unduly severe guardband is avoided, while still screening vulnerable memories from the population.
US08432757B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a pattern data generator configured to generate certain pattern data in a training operation mode, and an output driver configured to drive the pattern data to output training data with a slew rate corresponding to an external command in the training operation mode.
US08432754B2
A disclosed synchronous memory control apparatus for enabling reception of data read from a memory circuit in synchronism with a strobe signal from the memory circuit includes a mask circuit masking the strobe signal using a mask signal; a timing measuring circuit delaying the strobe signal in plural units of delay and latching data of each of the delayed strobe signals; and a mask generating circuit generating the mask signal. The timing measuring circuit latches the data of each of the delayed strobe signals at the first rise edge of the corresponding masked strobe signal. The mask generating circuit includes a delay circuit having plural units of delay. A start timing of the mask signal is adjusted in synchronism with an internal clock, and a signal having a delay amount corresponding to a selected unit of delay by the delay circuit is outputted as the mask signal.
US08432753B2
A memory chip including a plurality of storage elements, a receiver and a program module. Each of the storage elements has a measurable parameter. The receiver receives N target values from a memory controller, where N is an integer greater than zero. The programming module adjusts corresponding measurable parameters of N storage elements of the plurality of storage elements to the N target values.
US08432751B2
Techniques and circuitry are disclosed for implementing non-volatile storage that exploit bias temperature instability (BTI) effects of high-k/metal-gate n-type or p-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS or PMOS) transistors. A programmed bitcell of, for example, a memory or programmable logic circuit exhibits a threshold voltage shift resulting from an applied programming bias used to program bitcells. In some cases, applying a first programming bias causes the device to have a first state, and applying a second programming bias causes the device to have a second state that is different than the first state. Programmed bitcells can be erased by applying an opposite polarity stress, and re-programmed through multiple cycles. The bitcell configuration can be used in conjunction with column/row select circuitry and/or readout circuitry, in accordance with some embodiments.
US08432750B2
A high speed voltage mode sensing is provided for a digital multibit non-volatile memory integrated system. An embodiment has a local source follower stage followed by a high speed common source stage. Another embodiment has a local source follower stage followed by a high speed source follower stage. Another embodiment has a common source stage followed by a source follower. An auto zeroing scheme is used. A capacitor sensing scheme is used. Multilevel parallel operation is described.
US08432748B2
In a memory cell array, a plurality of memory cells connected to word lines and bit lines are arranged in a matrix. A data storage circuit is connected to the bit lines and stores write data. The data storage circuit includes at least one static latch circuit and a plurality of dynamic latch circuits when setting 2k threshold voltages (k is a natural number equal to 3 or more) in each memory cell in the memory cell array. A control circuit refreshes data by moving the data in one of the plurality of dynamic latch circuits to the static latch circuit and further moving the data in the static latch circuit to one of the plurality of dynamic latch circuits.
US08432740B2
Programming algorithms suitable for non-volatile memory devices are presented, where the usual staircase type of waveform is decomposed into multiple passes. The same pulses are used, but their order is different, being broken down into N subsets of every N-th pulse so that there are N programming passes. For example, in a four pass version the first pass would sequentially have pulses (1, 5, 9, . . . ) of the staircase; the second pass would have pulses (2, 6, 10, . . . ); and so on for the third and fourth passes. By using a large step size for stepping up the program voltage VPGM, pre-verify and shifted verify margins for the different passes, a narrow distribution can be obtained with multiple passes. Also, in a complementary set of features, a quick pass write (QPW) can be done without the drawback of doing QPW verify by the use of shared verify levels.
US08432736B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a memory cell array having multiple memory cells, a data input/output buffer for temporarily storing data to be stored in the memory cells, and a data scanner for scanning the data stored temporarily in the data input/output buffer. The nonvolatile memory device further includes control logic for reading address information of a memory cell in which at least a portion of the data is to be stored and selectively performing a data scan operation according to the read address information.
US08432734B2
A nonvolatile memory device detects a first memory cell to be successfully programmed in a program operation for multiple memory cells connected to a wordline, and then detects a number of program loops required to successfully program the remaining memory cells connected to the wordline. An initial program voltage of subsequent program operations is then adjusted based on the detected number of loops.
US08432732B2
Techniques and corresponding circuitry are presented for the detection of wordline leakage in a memory array. In an exemplary embodiment, a capacitive voltage divider is used to translate the high voltage drop to low voltage drop that can be compared with a reference voltage to determine the voltage drop due to leakage. An on-chip self calibration method can help assure the accuracy of this technique for detecting leakage limit.
US08432721B2
Programming a variable resistance element includes: a writing step of applying a writing voltage pulse to transition metal oxide comprising two stacked metal oxide layers to decrease resistance of the metal oxide, each metal oxide layer having different oxygen deficiency; and an erasing step of applying an erasing voltage pulse, of different polarity than the writing pulse, to the metal oxide to increase resistance of the metal oxide. |Vw1|>|Vw2|, Vw1 representing voltage of the writing pulse for first to N-th writing steps, and Vw2 representing voltage of the writing pulse for (N+1)-th and subsequent writing steps, N being at least equal to 1, te1>te2, te1 representing pulse width of the erasing pulse for first to M-th erasing steps, and te2 representing pulse width of the erasing pulse for (M+1)-th and subsequent erasing steps. M>1. The (N+1)-th writing step follows the M-th erasing step.
US08432714B2
A method and an arrangement are disclosed for balancing load between parallel connected inverter modules, which inverter modules are arranged to supply a common load. The method can include providing similar switching instructions for parallel connected inverter modules, determining on the basis of phase currents of each parallel inverter module a first time period for each output phase of each inverter module for correcting current imbalance by advancing or delaying turn-on or turn-off time instants of switch components of the inverter modules, and advancing or delaying the turn-on or turn-off time instants of the switching instructions based on the first time period. The method also can include determining temperatures of each output phase of each inverter module, modifying the switching instructions for one or more of the parallel inverter modules for controlling the temperatures of the output phases, and controlling the inverter modules with a switching instruction in which the turn-on or turn-off times have been advanced or delayed in respect of one or more parallel modules and further modified in respect of one or more inverter modules.
US08432707B2
Card design with fully buffered memory modules and the use of a chip between two consecutive modules
An AMB component and a connection interface for a memory installation with fully buffered Dimm memory modules connected in series. The AMB component is disposed on a connecting line from memory modules to a memory controller of the memory installation to re-amplify the connecting line between two consecutive FBD memory modules. The connection interface includes an AMB amplifier component for the connection of a main memory card that includes at least one processor, to an auxiliary memory card of the type having a series of memory modules. Two series of FBD memory modules are connected to respective FBD channels in the auxiliary memory card using FBD connectors in a daisy-chain arrangement.
US08432703B2
A fixing apparatus for a circuit board includes a bottom plate, a number of supporting posts, a number of sleeves, and a number of fasteners. The supporting posts are formed on the bottom plate. The sleeves are detachably installed on the supporting posts, respectively. The fasteners extend through the circuit board and the corresponding sleeves, to engage in the supporting posts, respectively.
US08432682B2
An electronic device includes a housing defining a slot, a card socket, a slot cover moveably received in the slot, and an elastic piece. The card socket is capable of ejecting an electronic card out when pressed. The cover defines a through hole and an elastic hook engaging the slot to retain the cover in the slot. The elastic piece includes a base facing the first through hole, and a pair of arms connected to opposite ends of the base and abutting against the cover. The elastic piece is urged to be deformed to push the cover when the base is pushed by an object passing through the through hole, causing the hook to disengage from the slot. Then the base pushes the card to move inwardly, causing the card socket to push the card and the cover to move out of the slot in union.
US08432676B2
A display for a notebook computer can include a display panel and a frame configured to house the display panel. The frame can have a one-piece construction from a rear surface of the frame to a front surface of the frame. A method of making a display for a notebook computer is also provided. The method can include the steps of providing a frame and inserting a display panel into the frame. The frame can have a one-piece construction from a rear surface of the frame to a front surface of the frame.
US08432675B2
In one embodiment, a computer display includes a display screen, an outer housing that surrounds the display screen, and a light integrated into the outer housing.
US08432671B2
An external extension for holding a portable computer includes a base, a keyboard module disposed on a first area of the base, a pin set disposed on a third area of the base and electrically connected to the keyboard module, and a protecting cover disposed on the first area in a pivotable manner and adjacent to a second area of the base. The protecting cover covers the keyboard module when the protecting cover pivots relative to the base at a first position. The protecting cover is for holding the portable computer when the protecting cover pivots relative to the base at a second position and a side of the protecting cover contacts against a lateral side of the second area, so that a visual angle can be formed between the portable computer and the keyboard module.
US08432670B2
A tray assembly for mounting a disk drive includes an enclosure; and a tray mounted to the enclosure. The tray includes a tray body configured to receive the disk drive, a handle pivotably mounted to the tray body, and a securing member pivotably mounted to the tray body. The handle is configured to secure the tray body to the enclosure as the handle rotates. The securing member is configured to engage the handle as the tray body is in a secured state.
US08432664B2
A cylindrical sealing member for a capacitor has a circular first plane and a circular second plane placed oppositely to the first plane, and is provided with two lead holes that penetrate the first and second planes. This sealing member for a capacitor contains butyl rubber, and inorganic material oblate particles having flat surfaces. The sealing member includes a first portion, and a second portion in the vicinity of an outer circumference of the sealing member as well as in the vicinity of the two lead holes. In the first portion, the inorganic material oblate particles are scattered such that flat surfaces thereof are oriented substantially in parallel with the first plane. In the second portion, the inorganic material oblate particles are scattered such that the flat surfaces thereof are oriented substantially perpendicularly to the first plane.
US08432659B2
A shaft current control brush ring assembly includes a cup and a brush ring assembly secured within the cup. The cup is secured to a motor faceplate, within a recess formed in the faceplate by interference fit, or by means of a clamp attached to the faceplate. A slinger can be associated with the brush ring assembly.
US08432650B2
A control system comprises a solid-state switch, a mechanical current interrupting device, and a control module. The solid-state switch is connected in series with a power source and an intake air heater. The mechanical current interrupting device is connected in series with the power source and the solid-state switch. The control module selectively closes the solid-state switch to provide power to the intake air heater. The control module also causes the mechanical current interrupting device to mechanically interrupt current flow to the intake air heater when a voltage of the intake air heater is outside of a desired range.
US08432647B2
An arrangement and a method for distributing power supplied by a power source to two or more of loads (e.g., electrical vehicular systems) is disclosed, where a representation of the power taken by a particular one of the loads from the source is measured. The measured representation of the amount of power taken from the source by the particular one of the loads is compared to a threshold to provide an overload signal in the event the representation exceeds the threshold. Control signals dependant on the occurring of the overload signal are provided such that the control signal decreases the output power of the power circuit in case the overload signal occurs.
US08432634B2
An apparatus includes plural spaced apart sensors arranged along a direction of motion of a medium, and a processing circuit to receive signals from the sensors, determine a difference of the signals, and identify an error built into the medium based on the difference.
US08432622B2
An image capturing lens system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element and a fourth lens element. The first lens element with negative refractive power has a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface. The second lens element with positive refractive power has a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface. The third lens element with negative refractive power is made of plastic material, and has a concave image-side surface, wherein an object-side surface and the image-side surface of the third lens element are aspheric. The fourth lens element with positive refractive power is made of plastic material, wherein an object-side surface and an image-side surface of the fourth lens element are aspheric.
US08432614B2
An optical device including a light waves-transmitting substrate having two major surfaces and edges, has optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection, and a plurality of partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) carried by the substrate. The partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) are parallel to each other and are not parallel to any of the edges of the substrate. One or more of the partially reflecting surfaces (22a, 22b) is an anisotropic surface.
US08432605B2
An electrophoretic display device comprises: a first substrate including a first electrode; a first insulation layer provided on the first electrode; a fluid layer provided on the first insulation layer and having fluid and charged particles; a second substrate facing the first substrate with the fluid layer therebetween and including a second electrode facing the first electrode; and a second insulation layer provided between the second electrode and the fluid layer and facing the first insulation layer.
US08432598B2
A transparent conductor structure includes a transparent, insulating substrate and a discontinuous, transparent conducting layer established on the substrate. The discontinuous conducting layer is partitioned into a plurality of segments, each of which has a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 10 μm. Two or more of the segments are connected together by i) a metal trace disposed on or between them, or ii) a mesh, formed from a plurality of metal traces, disposed across a surface of the segments.
US08432596B2
This vibrating mirror element includes a mirror portion swingable on a first axis, a driving portion, including a free end and a fixed end, for swinging the mirror portion by deformation and a shaft portion provided between the mirror portion and the driving portion to extend along the first axis. The free end of the driving portion is connected to the shaft portion, while the fixed end of the driving portion is fixed on a side of the driving portion closer to the mirror portion and in the vicinity of the shaft portion.
US08432594B2
A mirror actuator includes a turning axis for turning a mirror; a support section for supporting the turning axis so as to be capable of turning; and a sliding contact member that is arranged on the turning axis and is opposed to the support section in a direction parallel to the turning axis with a predetermined clearance from the support section. The turning axis is biased in one direction parallel to the turning axis. This biasing causes the sliding contact member to contact the support section.
US08432589B2
A multi-layer body having a carrier substrate and a transparent layer at least partially arranged in a window or in a transparent region of the carrier substrate. The transparent layer has at least a first subregion and a second subregion with a varying refractive index, which are arranged in mutually juxtaposed relationship in the layer plane defined by the transparent layer, and are at least partially arranged in the window or in the transparent region of the carrier substrate. Each of the subregions has a plurality of periodically arranged nodes which form an optical-action element for producing an optical effect which is different in the front view and in the rear view in the incident light mode.
US08432582B2
Compensation for rendering device non-uniformities is provided for halftoned images. A spatially dependent tone reproduction curve (TRC) provides compensation values. Pixel location information is used to access TRC values. For example, the values are modification values. The modification values are added to the pixel values to generate combined values. Quantization is applied to the combined values to prepare compensated image data for rendering. For example, Rank Ordered Error Diffusion is applied to the combined values. The combined values may include diffused error from previously processed pixels. Gray values may be estimated for the respective pixels. The estimated gray values may be used to access compensation information from a TRC that is both spatially and gray value dependent. Mathematical basis decomposition is used to reduce TRC memory requirements. For example, Discrete Cosine Transformation, Singular Value Decomposition or Principal Component Analysis is used to determine a compact form for the TRC.
US08432580B2
An error diffusion processing method and apparatus quantizes an input grayscale value of a pixel (m, n) of an input image based on a determination of whether the input grayscale value belongs to one of ranges divided by a plurality of thresholds. The ranges include at least one shadow area which is darker than a median grayscale value, and the input grayscale value is quantized to a predetermined grayscale value which is brighter than the median grayscale value in a predetermined method and thereby a binary grayscale value of the pixel (m, n) is determined. The error diffusion processing method and apparatus obtains an error from the input grayscale value and the binary grayscale value of the pixel (m, n), and distributes the error to neighboring pixels of the pixel (m, n) according to a predetermined error diffusion coefficient and modifies input grayscale values of the neighboring pixels. Therefore, an undesirable shadow area appearing due to the overlapping of toner particles can be prevented, and also an image similar to the input image in grayscale level can be obtained.
US08432578B2
Provided is a serial printer including: a reading unit configured to read a raster image from a manuscript medium; an analysis unit configured to derive a horizontal distribution of pixels darker than a background color of the manuscript medium in each band including a predetermined number of lines with respect to the raster image; a threshold derivation unit configured to derive a fixed threshold according to a length L of a section in which a cumulative frequency of the horizontal distribution of an edge of the band does not exceed a predetermined temporary threshold; and a movement distance control unit configured to reduce the movement distance of a printing head according to a section in which the cumulative frequency of the horizontal distribution from the edge of the band exceeds the fixed threshold.
US08432569B2
An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, an information processing apparatus and a printer driver generator that generates a printer driver and a unique authentication key for the printer driver. The information processing apparatus gives the unique authentication key to a job generated according to the printer driver currently installed thereon, and transmits them to the image forming apparatus. And the image forming apparatus executes the job if the authentication key received therefrom and an authentication key recorded in the image forming apparatus are identical.
US08432562B2
An image forming apparatus has a new application management system. A platform provided in the image forming apparatus manages applications also provided in the image forming apparatus. An operation screen display application included in the application managed by the platform displays operation screens. Objects to be operated by the operation screens are the applications managed by the platform.
US08432558B2
For generating photo albums on events such as weddings, the photo albums can always be generated in the same quality. A professional photographer photographs the bride and groom on a wedding. Images are read from a developed film and stored in a file server. A template used for generating a photo album is added with composition information representing composition of images to be inserted in image insertion areas therein. When an operator selects one of the images to be inserted in any one of the image insertion areas with reference to an editing screen having a catalog display field and a template display field, processing information representing a magnification ratio and/or a trimming position is generated based on the composition information so that the selected image has the composition appropriate for the image insertion area. The selected image is processed according to the processing information.
US08432557B2
An information processing apparatus connectable to a printing apparatus which prints an image on a recording medium, including: a display; a storage device which stores an application program which generates an image data of the image as a display data to be displayed on the display, and a printer driver which generates a driver data to be transmitted to the printing apparatus based on the display data generated by the application program; a controller which includes a display-data acquiring section which acquires the display data from the application program, a driver-data acquiring section which acquires the driver data from the printer driver, and a comparing section which compares the display data acquired by the display-data acquiring section and the driver data acquired by the driver-data acquiring section, and the controller displays a comparison result by the comparing section on the display.
US08432553B2
Phase differences associated with a defocused wavefront can be determined from a single color image. The color image, which is a measurement of intensity as a function of wavelength, is used to calculate the change in intensity with respect to wavelength over the image plane. The change in intensity can then be used to estimate a phase difference associated with the defocused wavefront using two-dimensional fast Fourier transform solvers. The phase difference can be used to infer information about objects in the path of the defocused wavefront. For example, it can be used to determine an object's shape, surface profile, or refractive index profile. It can also be used to calculate path length differences for actuating adaptive optical systems. Compared to other techniques, deriving phase from defocused color images is faster, simpler, and can be implemented using standard color filters.
US08432551B2
One embodiment of a ring laser gyroscope discussed herein includes a cavity containing a gain medium having a first linewidth, a first plurality of reflective surfaces coupled to the cavity, and at least one medium exciter operable to excite the gain medium. The first plurality of reflective surfaces includes at least first, second, and third reflective surfaces. The first, second, and third reflective surfaces are positioned to reflect light along a path defined in the cavity between the plurality of reflective surfaces. The excited gain medium induces first and second laser fields within the cavity. A portion of the cavity contains an absorption medium having a second linewidth that is narrower than the first linewidth of the gain medium. The absorption medium reduces the gain of the first and second laser fields at a first range of frequencies.
US08432546B2
Systems and methods for probing a Raman signature of a sample with a resolution exceeding the diffraction limit are described. These systems, called GASSE (Gain Saturated Stimulated Emission) and iGASSE (interferometric GASSE), are detecting a Raman signal produced in a sample located at the focal spot of a Gaussian pump pulse. Two additional pulsed laser beams (Stokes beams), a central Stokes beam having a Gaussian beam profile and another Stokes beam having an annular beam profile, are also focused to the focal spot. The spatial and temporal phases of the laser pulses are adjusted to produce destructive interference over most of the temporal width of Stokes pulses, which causes emission from the central Stokes beam to narrow well below the diffraction limit. A two-dimensional image of the sample is produced by scanning the combined beams across the sample. The system may find applications in biomedical and semiconductor technology.
US08432544B2
A detection method of bisphenol A by the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy includes: soaking and extracting bisphenol A present in a sample with an organic solvent to form an extraction solution, adding methanol to the extraction solution to cause a polymer to precipitate from the extraction solution and leaving a filtrate behind, filtering and concentrating the filtrate, diluting the concentrated filtrate to volume with methanol, filtering the diluted filtrate through a filter with a pore size of 0.45 μm to obtain a pretreated sample; detecting bisphenol A present in the sample by Raman spectroscopy under an incident laser power of 100 to 300 mW, and a scan time of 2 to 20 seconds; mixing the pretreated sample with the colloidal gold in an appropriate ratio, followed by adjusting pH value, and then carrying out the detection of bisphenol A present in the sample by Raman spectroscopy.
US08432528B2
A manufacturing apparatus of display element which forms highly reliable drive circuits or thin-film transistors on a flexible substrate, a manufacturing method, and a highly reliable display element are provided. A display element (50) includes a flexible substrate (FB), a first partition wall and second partition wall (BA) formed by pressing the flexible substrate, a lyophobic surface (PJ) formed on surfaces of the first partition wall and the second partition wall, and electrodes (S, P) formed by applying droplets onto a groove portion formed between the first partition wall and second partition wall. It is also possible for a lyophilic surface to be formed on the surface of the groove portion (GR) between the first partition wall and second partition wall (BA).
US08432527B2
Light guide devices comprising an intermediate layer of low refractive index between higher refractive index elements are described. The light guide devices are suitable for use in backlights.
US08432524B2
Provided is an illuminating device wherein replacement of a light source is facilitated and generation of luminance nonuniformity is suppressed. An illuminating device (10) is provided with a light source module (5) which is attached to a bottom section (1a) from a rear surface side of a case member (1). On a prescribed section on the bottom section (1a), a through hole (1b) is formed, and a prescribed section of the through hole protrudes to the side of a storing space (10a). An LED (6) is arranged to face a light incoming surface (3a) of a light guide plate (3) by having the LED (6) protrude to the side of the storing space (10a) through the through hole (1b).
US08432521B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes: a first substrate; a second substrate facing the first substrate; a first electrode and a second electrode formed on the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein a first alignment polymer configured to provide an alignment force to the liquid crystal is at a portion of the liquid crystal layer near the first substrate.
US08432520B2
A liquid crystal display device in which alignment control in a vertical-alignment-type liquid crystal layer is excellent at a side portion or a corner portion of a pixel electrode. The liquid crystal display device includes a pixel electrode including openings of slits as an alignment control mechanism, a common electrode including linear protrusions as an alignment control mechanism, the electrodes opposed to each other, and a vertical-alignment-type liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the electrodes, wherein the linear protrusion is placed at a position where the linear protrusion controls alignment in the liquid crystal layer inside a position where an oblique electric field generated at the edge of an corner portion of the pixel electrode at the time when a voltage is applied between the electrodes controls the alignment in the liquid crystal layer.
US08432518B2
A liquid crystal display device including first and second substrates; liquid crystal contained between the substrates; a polymer which determines directions in which liquid crystal molecules tilt; a plurality of gate and data bus lines; and a plurality of picture elements. At least one of the picture elements includes a switching element, and first and second sub picture element electrodes. The first sub picture element electrode connects to the switching element and the second sub picture element electrode connects, via capacitive coupling, to the switching element. The first substrate further includes a control electrode that is connected to the switching element and the first sub picture element electrode. The control electrode is capacitively coupled to the second sub picture element electrode through an insulating film. The area of the second sub picture element electrode is larger than the area of the first sub picture element electrode.
US08432511B2
There are provided a plane light source and an LCD backlight unit having the same. A plane light source having a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in a light emitting device matrix having rows and columns at a substrate according to an aspect of the invention includes a first matrix having a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in rows and columns; and a second matrix having a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in rows and columns, each of the light emitting devices located within a quadrangle formed by four neighboring light emitting devices included in the first matrix, wherein a pitch S between one light emitting device included in the light emitting device matrix and another light emitting device most adjacent to the one light emitting device satisfies the following equation to obtain uniform luminance distribution at a position distant from a light emitting surface of the light emitting device by an optical length l, S .ltoreq. l 2 .times. tan(.theta. 2+.alpha.), Equation where −.pi./18.ltoreq..alpha..ltoreq..pi./18 is satisfied, and .theta. is an orientation angle of the light emitting device.
US08432504B2
A backlight unit in which warping in a diffusion plate can be sufficiently prevented includes a light source, a diffusion plate arranged to diffuse light emitted from the light source and including a catching portion in a peripheral portion thereof, a support pedestal arranged to support the diffusion plate, an optical sheet arranged on the diffusion plate, and a diffusion-plate presser member arranged to engage with the catching portion of the diffusion plate and to sandwich the diffusion plate between the support pedestal.
US08432499B2
The present invention provides a display device that can be provided as a final product such as a television receiver simply by assembling a display panel and a backlight and is excellent in workability in assembling the display panel to the backlight while securing a wide effective display region. The display device according to the present invention includes an LED 52, an LED board 51 on which the LED 52 is mounted, a liquid crystal panel 11, a first cabinet Ca, a second cabinet Cb, and a reflection sheet 60. The liquid crystal panel 11 is configured to provide display using light from the LED 52. The liquid crystal panel 11 is attached to the first cabinet Ca. The LED board 51 is attached to the second cabinet Cb. The reflection sheet 60 is configured to reflect the light from the LED 52. The first cabinet Ca and the second cabinet Cb are engaged with each other and configured as an outer case that forms an exterior of a liquid crystal display device 10. The reflection sheet 60 is arranged on the inner surface of the second cabinet Cb in a state in which the reflection sheet 60 is supported by the LED board 51.
US08432490B2
An information display method implemented in a display system is provided, comprising an electric appliance and a remote controller. First, when receiving message input, the electric appliance determines whether to display the message on the main display in accordance with the specific mode. If the specific mode is in a first mode, the received message is displayed on the display of the remote controller and is kept from displaying on the main display. If the electric appliance is not in a first mode, the received message is displayed on the main display.
US08432483B2
A method that includes determining that a device mount power supply included within a device mount is compatible with an electronic device power supply included in an electronic device. The method further includes receiving power transferred from the device mount power supply via a power connection that is provided by a device mounting adapter that is affixed to the device mount and configured to couple the electronic device and the device mount and align the electronic device and the device mount to facilitate charging the electronic device power supply; and charging the electronic device power supply with power received from the device mount power supply via the power connection.
US08432478B2
Image-taking apparatus including lens apparatus operable between housed state and image-taking state
A lens apparatus is disclosed, which can control the position of a lens unit driven by an actuator such as a vicecoil motor in a non-energizing state of the actuator easily. The lens apparatus comprises: a first lens unit and second lens unit moving in an optical axis direction, respectively; a first actuator driving the first lens unit; and a second actuator driving the second lens unit. The first lens unit is driven by the second lens unit that is driven by the second actuator in a nonenergized state of the first actuator, and a member is provided in one of the first and second lens units. The member contacts the other lens unit in the nonenergized state.
US08432477B2
The lens barrel includes a lens frame and a cam frame. The lens frame has a body supporting a lens element in the optical system, at least three through-holes formed in the lens frame body, at least three cam members arranged on the lens frame body and at least one protruding member that protrude from the lens frame body. The cam frame has a body, at least three projection members extending from the cam frame body and inserted through the through-holes, at least three cam grooves formed in the cam frame body and the projection members to guide the cam members and to movably support the lens frame with respect to the cam frame body. The cam frame also has at least one auxiliary groove to guide the protruding member. One end of the auxiliary groove is disposed in the circumferential direction between two adjacent projection members.
US08432476B2
A portable electronic device comprises a display facing in a first direction, a video camera facing in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction, and a wireless communications receiver operable to receive supplementary image data from a remote image source, the supplementary image data comprising an indication of where a supplementary image is positioned with respect to a reference image. The portable electronic device is arranged in operation to display a captured image from the video camera on the display of the portable electronic device. When the captured image comprises all or part of the reference image as displayed on a separate display associated with the remote image source, the portable electronic device is arranged in operation to display the supplementary image positioned with respect to the reference image, instead of the corresponding part of the captured image.
US08432466B2
A single array of image sensors is used to obtain a plurality of different images at different levels of admitted exposure light from a common source level of exposure light. More particularly, first and second matrices of light-admitting elements are deployed in a single camera and disposed relative to focal lens light in front of corresponding first and second matrices of light-sensitive image sensors that are arrayed in a singular focal plane array in the camera and react equally to equal levels of color image information. The respective matrices of light-admitting elements transmit color image information from exposed focal lens light at different levels of brightness to their corresponding matrices of light-sensitive image sensors, wherein first and second images are acquired at the respective different levels of brightness from the respective matrices of the image sensors, and pixel data from the images combined to produce an HDR image.
US08432464B2
A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens unit having a positive refracting power and including a reflecting member having a reflecting surface, a second lens unit having a negative refracting power, a rear lens unit group having a positive refracting power as a whole and including at least three lens units, which includes in order from the object side, a third lens unit, a fourth lens unit, and a fifth lens unit. An aperture stop is provided between the second lens unit and the fourth lens unit. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens unit is kept stationary, the second lens unit is located closer to the image side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, and the distances between the lens units change. The first lens unit includes, in order from the object side, a negative lens component, the reflecting member, and a rear sub-lens unit including a first positive lens element and a second positive lens element. The second lens unit includes a plurality of lens elements including a negative lens element. The zoom lens satisfies certain conditions.
US08432449B2
An integrated method for modeling the handoff between cameras for tracking a specific individual, including: creating a representation of overlaps, gaps, and allowable movement among the fields of view of the cameras, wherein the representation is modeled as states in a Hidden Markov Model (HMM); training the HMM using video of people walking through the fields of view of the cameras; selecting a person to be tracked; and identifying the best camera area using the HMM.
US08432445B2
According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus connected to a camera device that images a processing target includes: an image information acquisition unit; an accumulation subtraction image information creation unit; a feature amount information creation unit; and an action content identification unit. The image information acquisition unit sequentially acquires, from the camera device, image information formed by imaging the processing target thereby. Based on a temporal change of the image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit, the accumulation subtraction image information creation unit accumulates subtraction information for a predetermined period, which is made by motions of a person present in a room, and creates multivalued accumulation subtraction image information. The feature amount information creation unit creates feature amount information in the accumulation subtraction image information, which is created by the accumulation subtraction image information creation unit, from a region where there is a density gradient in the accumulation subtraction image information. The action content identification unit identifies an action content of the person present in the room from the feature amount information created by the feature amount information creation unit.
US08432442B2
A method of recognizing a self location of an image acquisition device by acquiring an image of two or more reference objects is provided. The method of the present invention comprises setting an actual camera plane, two or more reference object planes, and two or more virtual viewable planes located between the actual camera plane and the reference object planes; projecting the reference objects to a corresponding one of the virtual viewable planes; calculating a distance between a viewing axis and the reference objects and a distance between the viewing axis and images on the actual camera plane, the images corresponding to the reference objects; and sensing the self location of the image acquisition device by using an orientation and a zoom factor of the image acquisition device and coordinates of the reference objects, wherein the zoom factor is a ratio of a length of the reference object plane and a distance between the reference object plane and the virtual viewable plane, and the actual camera plane, the virtual viewable plane, and the reference object plane are perpendicular to the viewing axis.
US08432435B2
A catadioptric camera creates image light fields from a 3D scene by creating ray images defined as 2D arrays of ray-structure picture-elements (ray-xels). Each ray-xel captures light intensity, mirror-reflection location, and mirror-incident light ray direction. A 3D image is then rendered from the ray images by combining the corresponding ray-xels.
US08432422B2
A transferred medium is provided. In one exemplary embodiment a transferred medium includes a projection part projected in a transferring direction. The projection part can be integrally formed at a front end of the transferred medium. The transferred medium can have a plate shape that can be nipped between a feed driving roller that is rotationally driven and a feed driven roller that is rotationally driven in contact with the feed driving roller. The transferred medium can also be configured to be transferred in the transferring direction with the rotation of the feed driving roller. Further, the transferred medium can include a plurality of the projection parts at its front end in a direction perpendicular to the transferring direction of the transferred medium with a predetermined pitch. Other embodiments of a transferred medium are also disclosed.
US08432421B2
A thermal print head includes a heating resistor for forming images on a print target by generating heat, and a driver for controlling power supply to the heating resistor. The thermal print head also includes a storage unit and a controller. The storage unit stores print data inputted from outside. The controller causes a transfer action and a printing action to be repeated alternately, wherein the transfer action includes retrieving print data from the storage unit and transferring the retrieved print data to the driver, and the printing action includes causing the driver to retain the transferred print data and supplying power to portions of the heating resistor selected in accordance with the print data retained by the driver, so as to conduct printing.
US08432416B2
A method for adjusting a page display manner, a mobile electronic device, and a storage medium thereof are provided. In the present method, a scaling signal is first received. Then, a display ratio of a page in a touch screen is adjusted according to a variation of the scaling signal. If the display ratio is smaller than or equal to a specific ratio, the page is adjusted according to the display ratio and other open pages are displayed along with the page on the screen. Thereby, a user can resize the page, inspect all the open pages, and switch between all the open pages simply through the touch screen. As a result, it is made very convenient to browse multiple pages by using the mobile electronic device.
US08432415B2
An image processing method is provided. The image processing method is applicable to a display having a stream of drawing as an input for selecting at least a portion of an image thereon as a selected image region. The method includes steps of identifying the input as a closed region input and then performing an image operation.
US08432411B2
A method, computer-usable medium, and system for processing graphical data for display on a multi-component display is disclosed. Embodiments improve the display quality of multi-component displays by modifying graphical data to preemptively compensate for distortion caused by interstitial layers and/or display screens of the multi-component display, thereby enabling display of graphical objects from multi-component displays with improved optical characteristics. For example, where components of a multi-component display blur displayed images, graphical data used to display graphical objects may be modified to sharpen the graphical objects before display. The pre-sharpening amplifies the high frequency components of the displayed graphical objects to compensate for the dampening caused by passing the graphical objects through the components of the multi-component display.
US08432409B1
A computer readable medium embodies a set of instructions. The set of instructions includes an instruction to manipulate a processor to determine a first value representative of a source memory location of a source storage component, a second value representative of a destination memory location of a destination storage component, a third value representative of a number of lines of a data block to be transferred from the source storage component to the destination storage component, a fourth value representative of a number of bytes to be transferred per line of the data block, a fifth value representative of a byte width of the source storage component and a sixth value representative of a byte width of the destination storage component. The instruction further is to transfer a data block from the source storage component to the destination storage component based on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth values.
US08432407B2
A method and system for controlling the algorithmic elements in 3D graphics systems via an improved 3D graphics API is provided. In one aspect, in a 3D graphics system having privatized formats with privatized drivers used to increase the efficiency of display, existing problems are eliminated that are associated with multiple redundant copies of the publicly formatted graphics data made in host system memory pursuant to various graphics operations e.g., lock and unlock operations. The ability to make a system copy of publicly formatted data is exposed to the developer, eliminating the creation of unnecessary, and redundant copies. Efficient switching between the privatized and public format remains hidden from the developers so that applications execute efficiently while removing consideration thereof from the developers. Thus, developers are free to consider other tasks. In the event that a developer wishes to make a copy of the data, the data is copied pursuant to an operation that the developer calls and over which the developer has control, ensuring that multiple redundant copies of the graphics data are not made in host system memory.
US08432406B1
An apparatus, system, and method for clipping graphics primitives are described. In one embodiment, a graphics processing apparatus includes a clipping unit that is configured to produce and issue ni initial outputs based on execution of a set of clipping operations, wherein ni represents the number of the initial outputs that are issued by the clipping unit prior to context switching, and the initial outputs partially define a clipped graphics primitive. The graphics processing apparatus also includes a control unit connected to the clipping unit. The control unit is configured to preserve an initial execution state of the clipping unit in response to an initial command for context switching, wherein the initial execution state is preserved based on ni.
US08432405B2
A variable rendering system is described that automatically transitions between hardware-accelerated rendering and software rendering of application data based on system performance and without user interaction or noticeable impact on the user experience. When hardware-accelerated rendering is available, the system renders application data using hardware-accelerated rendering. If an event occurs that causes hardware-accelerated rendering to fail, then the system dynamically transitions from hardware-accelerated rendering to software-accelerated rendering. Periodically, the system attempts to transition back to hardware-accelerated rendering.
US08432399B2
Techniques for displaying path-related information. Techniques are provided for generating and displaying graphical representations for a path. In one embodiment, a radial vector plot is generated and output for a path.
US08432395B2
The three dimensional surface shape of a specular reflective object can be determined by examining a captured image reflected from the object. Flat specular reflective surfaces, e.g. a mirror, provide an undistorted reflected image, while curved surfaces reflect a distorted image altered by the surface shape. By analyzing one or more captured images of the distorted reflection, one can estimate the shape of the surface that caused the distortion. A captured distorted image can be compared to a reference undistorted image for which one knows some geometric properties. A system to capture and process such images can be assembled from a few components including a computer to generate and process the images, a display to project the image onto the reflective object, a digital camera to capture the reflected image and a positioning device on which to orient the components with respect to each other.
US08432389B2
The present invention provides a panel, including: a plurality of pixel circuits disposed in rows and columns and each including a light emitting element for emitting light in response to driving current, a sampling transistor for sampling an image signal, a driving transistor for supplying the driving current to the light emitting element, and a storage capacitor for storing a predetermined potential; and a power supplying section configured to supply a power supply voltage of a high potential or a low potential at a time to all of the pixel circuits arranged in rows and columns; the power supplying section setting the power supply voltage to be supplied to the low potential, with which the gate-source voltage of the driving transistor becomes higher than a threshold voltage of the driving transistor, by Q times within a one-field period, Q being equal to or greater than 2.
US08432385B2
In a display device including a substrate, a pixel portion, and a driver circuit having first to ninth transistors and first and second inverters, the various transistors are configured such that one of a source and a drain of the fifth transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the first transistor. In embodiments, the electrical connection may be a direct connection. Additionally, a switch may be provided that is directly connected to an output terminal of the second inverter.
US08432373B2
A touch panel having a first panel and a second panel, wherein the first panel has a voltage providing area connected to a power source and the second panel has a patterned resistive element facing the voltage providing area so that when a touch event on the touch panel occurs, the first panel is caused to make contact with and provide a voltage to the second panel at one or more contact points on the resistive element. By measuring the voltage on one or both ends of the resistive element, it is possible to determine the two-dimensional coordinates of each contact point. The touch panel can have one or more resistive elements located at different touch areas for sensing one or more touch points in a touch event.
US08432360B2
An input apparatus includes: an operation section operated by a user for generating a corresponding value corresponding to a motion of an image displayed on a screen of an image display section of an electronic apparatus; a detection section detecting a detection value for generating the corresponding value corresponding to the motion of the image by an operation of the operation section; a calculation section calculating the corresponding value from the detection value detected by the detection section; a transmission section transmitting the corresponding value calculated by the calculation section to the electronic apparatus by a radio wave; and a capture section capturing the detection value detected by the detection section from the detection section in a time period when the corresponding value is not transmitted to the electronic apparatus by the radio wave.
US08432355B2
A drive method is provided for a display device using the movement of 5 charged particles with a pixel area, with each pixel having first and second drive electrodes (20,23; 22) and a pixel electrode (26). The method comprises a reset phase to move the particles in each pixel towards the first drive electrode (20,23), a pixel data loading phase, to cause selected particles either to stay in the vicinity of the first drive electrode (20,23) or move towards the 10 pixel electrode (26), and a drive phase to distribute the particles which have moved towards the pixel electrode over the pixel electrode (26). The address phase is line-by-line but can be made short, and the other phases can be carried out in parallel for all pixels, saving time.
US08432352B2
A backlight driving circuit and a method for driving the same, which are capable of preventing a flicker phenomenon and delay of response, are disclosed. The backlight driving circuit includes a selective filtering unit for comparing dimming signals currently supplied for a current frame with dimming signals previously stored for a previous frame, to determine how abruptly an image of the current frame has varied from an image of the previous frame, and outputting the dimming signals for the current frame after modulating duty ratios of the dimming signals for the current frame selectively.
US08432346B2
A liquid crystal display apparatus is disclosed which can prevent occurrence of flicker regardless of display modes. The apparatus includes a liquid crystal modulation element which includes a liquid crystal layer between a first electrode and a second electrode, a controller which controls a potential difference to be applied between the first and second electrodes. The apparatus operates in first and second modes, which are different in the light amount entering the element. A memory stores first information for the first mode and second information for the second mode as controlling information on a potential difference between the electrodes for suppressing flicker within a certain range. The controller controls the potential difference between the electrodes based on the first information when the first mode is set and controls the potential difference between the electrodes based on the second information when the second mode is set.
US08432345B2
Disclosed herein is a display apparatus, including, a pixel array section including a plurality of pixel circuits arrayed in rows and columns of a matrix and each including a light emitting portion, a plurality of signal lines disposed individually for the pixel columns of the matrix array of the pixel circuits and connected to the pixel circuits belonging to the pixel columns, and a selector circuit for distributing display signals given thereto in a time series from an input signal line time-divisionally to the signal lines, the pixel array section has, in regard to any of combinations of those two signal lines which are individually connected to the pixel circuits which belong to those two pixel columns which neighbor with each other, a first wiring region, and a second wiring region.
US08432344B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display comprising a pixel electrode comprising a first sub-pixel electrode, a second sub-pixel electrode and a third sub-pixel electrode, separated from each other; a first thin film transistor connected to the first sub-pixel electrode; a second thin film transistor connected to the second sub-pixel electrode; a gate line connected to the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor; a data line, insulated from and crossing the gate line, connected to the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor; and a first storage line, parallel with the gate line, extending across the first sub-pixel electrode, wherein the first and second thin film transistors comprise a gate electrode connected to the gate line, a source electrode connected to the data line and a drain electrode connected to the first sub-pixel electrode and the second sub-pixel electrode respectively, and the drain electrode of the first or second thin film transistor overlaps with the third sub-pixel electrode.
US08432343B2
A liquid crystal display device and driving method thereof is disclosed, which is capable of removing afterimages from a screen when a power source is turned-off, the liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal panel including a plurality of pixels defined by a plurality of gate and data lines crossing each other; a gate driver for driving the gate lines; a data driver for charging the pixels with analog video signals through the data lines; and a discharging unit for discharging voltage from the pixels by controlling the output of gate driver to make all the gate lines being divisionally driven or to make all the gate lines being driven at the same time when a power source is turned-off.
US08432337B2
A method of controlling a luminance of a light source is presented. The method entails generating red, green, blue and white data using red, green and blue data, applying a color weight according to contribution to luminance by each of the red, green, blue and white data to generate pixel luminance data, setting a luminance level of the light source based on the pixel luminance data, determining local information on a pure color block in a frame image by using the pixel luminance data, and adjusting the luminance level of the light source based on the local information on the pure color block. A display device that utilizes such method is also presented.
US08432333B2
To provide a reliable high brightness and definition image display by inhibiting a possible increase in fan noise and promoting cooling of an upper, hot portion of a display panel module, various boards, and image processing electronic components, an image display includes a flat display panel module, a display surface side cover on a display surface side of the display panel module, a non display surface side cover on a non display surface side of the display panel module, a display driving board, a power supply board, and a cooling fan, wherein a case of the cooling fan is larger than a distance between the display panel module and the non display surface side cover in an area where the cooling fan is installed, and a first end of the case of the cooling fan closer to the non display surface-side cover is positioned above a second end of the case closer to the display panel module.
US08432329B2
The invention provides an antenna arrangement for a wireless communication system arranged to have at least one transmit mode and at least one receive mode, the arrangement comprising at least three directional antennas (601, 602, 603) in an antenna configuration. Each directional antenna is arranged to have an azimuthal radiation pattern shaped as a beam, each beam covering an angular sector, such that a combined radiation pattern of all beams in a first transmit mode is arranged to provide a full 360° omnidirectional coverage. By combining localization and polarization (P1, P2) of the directional antennas an omnidirectional radiation pattern substantially without null-depths in the azimuthal plane can be created when the radiation pattern of the directional antennas are combined. The invention also provides a corresponding method and a base station for communication with mobile terminals in a telecommunications network equipped with the antenna arrangement.
US08432323B2
A radio is presented in which a short-range antenna, along with a speaker, is contained within a non-conductive speaker bracket. The antenna is a PIFA that is bent and extends through the speaker bracket so that the distance between the free end of the PIFA and various metallic components of the radio including the chassis and speaker is maximized. The structure containing the PIFA is flexible and also contains a contact area where feed/ground contact for the PIFA is made as well as contact for audio components including a speaker and microphone. A flexible cable and extension portion of the flexible structure routes the signals to the audio components far enough away from the PIFA so that the amount of crosstalk is insignificant. The free end of the PIFA and launch pad where feed/ground contact for the PIFA is made are non-planar.
US08432320B2
A mobile terminal comprising: a casing with at least one body which has electronic means; an antenna arrangement having at least one antenna element (14) provided on or within said body or on or within at least one of several bodies of said casing in a defined spatial relation to a conducting chassis part (12) of the body or the respective bodies allowing a high frequency interaction between the antenna arrangement and the conducting chassis part, said conducting chassis part being limited by a periphery of the conducting chassis part. Said antenna element has at least one arm (16a, 16b) which extends outwardly of said periphery along at least one chassis part edge for promoting said high frequency interaction or/and that said antenna arrangement has at least two arms (16a, 16b) of different length which are provided by the same or at least two different antenna elements and which extend in different or opposed directions along at least one chassis part edge, wherein a shorter arm (16b) has an effective electrical length shorter than a quarter wavelength at a resonance frequency within the or a particular predetermined frequency band and a longer arm (16a) has an effective electrical length longer than a quarter wavelength at said resonance frequency, to improve the band width of said frequency band.
US08432319B2
An antenna device, wherein the polarization is improved by an identical antenna or substrate, and a higher gain and a smaller size are provided even when the installation conditions are changed. The antenna includes a base provided with a power feed point electrically connected to a power feed unit in a wireless circuit, an antenna element set up on the base and electrically connected to the power feed point, and a ground pattern provided on the base. The antenna element includes a rise part which rises from the base and an element part extending from the top edge of the rise in any direction in the plane parallel to the base. The ground pattern is divided into at least two ground regions by a boundary, and a ground connection part which electrically and locally connects the ground regions.
US08432310B1
The present invention is a method for utilizing a positioning receiver, such as a GPS receiver, as a height of burst sensor. The method uses the difference in time-of-flight between a line-of-sight (ex.—on-time, direct) GPS signal and a multipath (ex.—delayed, reflected) GPS signal to determine distance and time to the ground. This may be accomplished with a high degree of accuracy due to the precision timing capabilities of the GPS.
US08432307B2
A radar device includes an antenna having at least two linear arrays of radiating elements being orthogonal to one another, a first array being used to focus a transmission beam in a first plane and a second beam being used to focus a reception beam in a second plane, orthogonal to the first plane. The focussing of the beam is obtained in the first plane by colored emission followed by a reception beam formation by computation, and in that the focussing of the beam is obtained in the second plane using reception beam formation by computation. The colored emission is carried out by combining antenna transmission sub-arrays in such a manner as to form a sum channel and a difference on reception channel according to the monopulse technique.
US08432295B2
A utterance type road traffic information providing system comprises a roadside apparatus (100) installed along a road where vehicles travel, in a parking lot, or near a parking lot and adapted for transmitting alarm information by wireless communication, a utterance type vehicle-mounted device (200) adapted for receiving the alarm information by wireless communication from the roadside apparatus (100) and outputting the alarm information and mounted in the vehicle, and a administration server (300) for communicating various information with the roadside apparatus (100). The utterance type vehicle-mounted device (200) has a predetermined operating unit and a control unit. The control unit provides again a utterance type output from the beginning by sound according to the alarm information supplied from the roadside apparatus (100) when a predetermined operation of the operating unit is made. By a simple method, the alarm information is again confirmed (re-outputted).
US08432285B2
A multi-mode RFID tag includes a power generating and signal detection module, a baseband processing module, a transmit section, a configurable coupling circuit, and an antenna section. In near field mode, the configurable coupling circuit is operable to couple the transmit section to a coil or inductor in the configurable coupling circuit to transmit an outbound transmit signal using electromagnetic or inductive coupling to an RFID reader. In far field mode, the configurable coupling circuit is operable to couple the transmit section to the antenna section, and the multi-mode RFID tag then utilizes a back-scattering RF technology to transmit the outbound transmit signal to RFID readers.
US08432278B2
A network-enabled device is provided. The provided network-enabled device includes at least one light indicator, and an electronic circuit capable of controlling brightness of said light indicator and driving said light indicator in a manner that allows simultaneous indication of at least a first dimension and a second dimension of said network-enabled device's operational state on said at least one light indicator using at least a first method and a second method of status indication. The present invention reduces the size, cost, and complexity—both internal and aesthetic—of network-enabled devices by combining the functions of the network LED (or a set thereof) and the device LED (or a set thereof) in a single status LED (or a set thereof).
US08432277B2
An alarm device includes: a detection device which detects an occurrence of an abnormal condition within a monitoring area; a transmission device which transmits an alarm signal when the detection device detects the abnormal condition; and an output device which, after the transmission device has transmitted the alarm signal, outputs an alarm after a lapse of a predetermined time after the transmission.
US08432268B2
A vehicle security system for a vehicle of a type including a vehicle data communications bus connected to a plurality of vehicle devices may include at least one vehicle security sensor interfacing with the vehicle data communications bus for generating a pre-warning signal or an alarm signal, depending upon a sensed threat level. The vehicle security system may also include an alarm indicator and a vehicle security controller. The vehicle security controller may interface with the vehicle data communications bus for causing the alarm indicator to generate a pre-warning indication based upon the pre-warning signal, or for causing the alarm indicator to generate an alarm indication based upon the alarm signal.
US08432265B2
A wireless sensor reader is provided to interface with a wireless sensor. The wireless sensor reader transmits an excitation pulse to cause the wireless sensor to generate a ring signal. The wireless sensor reader receives and amplifies the ring signal and sends the signal to a phase-locked loop. A voltage-controlled oscillator in the phase-locked loop locks onto the ring signal frequency and generates a count signal at a frequency related to the ring signal frequency. The voltage-controlled oscillator is placed into a hold mode where the control voltage is maintained constant to allow the count signal frequency to be determined.
US08432263B2
A system and method includes an RFID tag that is associated with an object or person. The object or person can actuate a call signal to summon a responder, who would be a person fitted with a BODYWARE™ electronic device that is compatible with electromagnetic signals from the RFID tag. As the responder moves into proximity to the RFID tag, initial information is acquired by a BODYWARE™ electronic device from the signals being emitted by the RFID tag. This cues the responder appropriately for the next step of inputting additional event information or data, which information or data is collected, stored, analyzed and reported as is desired or required by the particular system with which the invention is used. Means are also provided to actuate training methodology to maximize the likelihood of acquiring accurate event data, with feedback being provided to the responder for teaching proper data collection methodology.
US08432260B2
A system and method for simply and securely pairing Bluetooth devices in a vehicle. A Near Field Communication (NFC) read-only tag is placed in the vehicle such that a user can pass an NFC-enabled Bluetooth device near the tag, which then transfers encryption key data for the vehicle's Bluetooth device to the user's Bluetooth device. Various embodiments are disclosed for initiating the pairing process with the vehicle's Bluetooth device, which ordinarily remains in a silent mode for security reasons. Once the pairing process has been initiated, and the user's Bluetooth device has been passed near the NFC tag, the pairing process is completed with no further action required by the user.
US08432256B2
To provide an information providing service system for railroad users, which enables provision of appropriate information according to a running status or the like of a train used by railroad users to improve convenience when the railroad users acquire information. A passenger who is holding an IC ticket with a wireless communication function and is on a car can acquire car information held by a train-information management device or information held by a ground system based on the car information held by the train-information management device via wireless communication of the IC ticket, and the passenger can confirm the acquired information on a display screen of the IC ticket.
US08432251B2
A device for capturing biometric characteristics, the device having an optical sensor with a field of view covering a detection zone for detecting optical characteristics, and an electronic control unit that is connected to the sensor in order to control it, the control unit being placed at least in part in the field of view of the sensor and includes a memory containing at least one signature resulting from at least one reference optical characteristic of the control unit as seen by the sensor, and a comparator module for comparing the signature with at least one corresponding signature that results from at least one optical characteristic of the control unit as supplied by the sensor.
US08432231B2
A clock system includes a digital phase/frequency detector (DPFD), a buffer, a digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) including a sigma-delta modulator (SDM), an adder, a first frequency divider. The DPFD may have a first input for a reference input clock and a second input for a feedback signal, and outputting a difference signal representing a phase and/or frequency difference between the reference input clock and the feedback signal. The first frequency divider may have an input for a clock signal and a control input coupled to the adder. The system clock also may include a phase-locked loop (PLL) including a phase/frequency detector that has a first input coupled to the output of the DCO and a second input that is phase-locked to the first input, and a second frequency divider coupled from the second input of the PLL to the second input of the DPFD.
US08432222B2
Apparatus and methods for electronic amplification are provided. In one embodiment, an amplifier includes a first adaptive level shifter (ALS), a second ALS, a first transconductance amplification circuit, a second transconductance amplification circuit, and a transimpedance amplification circuit. The first ALS and the second ALS are electrically coupled to the first and second transconductance amplification circuits to improve the input voltage range and common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of the amplifier. The transimpedance amplification block is electrically coupled to the first and second transconductance amplification blocks and generates an output voltage of the amplifier. The first ALS receives a differential input voltage, and the second ALS is configured to receive a feedback signal configured to change in relation to the output voltage signal.
US08432221B1
A switching amplifying method or a switching amplifier for obtaining one or more than one linearly amplified replicas of an input signal, is highly efficient, and does not have the disadvantage of “dead time” problem related to the class D amplifiers. Said switching amplifying method comprises the steps of: receiving and pulse modulating the input signal for getting a pulse modulated signal; switching a first pulsed voltage from a DC voltage supply unit according to the pulse modulated signal and switching on a first switchable free-wheeling diode means unit when the polarity of the input signal is positive; switching a second pulsed voltage from the DC voltage supply unit according to the pulse modulated signal and switching on a second switchable free-wheeling diode means unit when the polarity of the input signal is negative; filtering the first pulsed voltage, the second pulsed voltage for outputting an output signal.
US08432219B1
An amplitude control system including one or more multi-element array power amplifiers (MEA-PA), each MEA-PA including multiple amplifiers, multiple capacitors, and multiple enable circuits. Each amplifier has an input coupled to a common input node and an output coupled to a corresponding one of multiple intermediate nodes. Each capacitor has a first end coupled to an output node and a second end coupled to a corresponding intermediate node. The enable circuits are collectively controlled by an amplitude control value, and each is operative to enable or disable a corresponding amplifier. The enable circuits may be dynamically controlled to modulate amplitude. A coupling circuit may be provided to couple an intermediate node to a reference node when a corresponding amplifier is disabled to adjust a coupling ratio. Each amplifier, when enabled, may receive one of multiple supply reference voltages. The capacitors may have equal capacitance or may be binary-weighted.
US08432216B2
The invention provides a data-path cell specifically adapted to its environment for use in an integrated circuit produced on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SeOI) substrate. The data-path cell includes an array of field-effect transistors, each transistor having a source region, a drain region and a channel region formed in the thin semiconductor layer of the SeOI substrate, and further having a front gate control region formed above the channel region. In particular, one or more transistors of the data-path cell further includes a back gate control region formed in the bulk substrate beneath the channel region and configured so as to modify the performance characteristics of the transistor in dependence on its state of bias. Also, an integrated circuit including one or more of the data-path cells and methods for designing or driving these data-path cells.
US08432215B2
A charge pump for transmitting energy and data has a primary side, a secondary side and a first coupling capacitance by way of which the primary side is connected to the secondary side, wherein the primary side is designed to periodically transmit energy in the form of a charge packet to the secondary side with the first coupling capacitance during a charge pump interval, the primary side being designed to impress an item of data on the charge pump interval by modulation, wherein the secondary side is designed to receive the item of data by demodulating the charge pump interval, wherein the secondary side is designed to impress an item of data on the charge pump interval by modulation, and wherein the primary side is designed to receive the item of data by demodulation of the charge pump interval.
US08432214B2
A programmable temperature sensing circuit includes a comparator, first and second CTAT sensing elements, first and second PTAT reference circuits, and a selection circuit. When a selection signal is a first logic state, an output terminal of the first PTAT reference circuit is coupled to the second CTAT temperature sensing element for providing a first threshold voltage to the second input of the comparator. When the selection signal is a second logic state different from the first logic state, a series-connection of the first PTAT reference circuit and the second PTAT reference circuit are coupled to the second CTAT temperature sensing element for providing a second threshold voltage to the second input of the comparator. The comparator provides an output voltage indication when a voltage provided by the first CTAT sensing element compares favorably with the selected one of the first or second threshold voltages.
US08432212B2
A switching element having an electromechanical switch (such as an electrically conductive membrane switch, for example a graphene membrane switch) is disclosed herein. Such a switching element can be made and used in a switching power converter to reduce power loss and to maximize efficiency of the switching power converter.
