US08453257B2
The various embodiments of the present invention include techniques for securing the use of data deduplication activities occurring in a source-deduplicating storage management system. These techniques are intended to prevent fake data backup, target data contamination, and data spoofing attacks initiated by a source. In one embodiment, one technique includes limiting chunk querying to authorized users. Another technique provides detection of attacks and unauthorized access to keys within the target system. Additional techniques include the combination of validating the existence of data from the source by validating the data chunk, validating a data sample of the data chunk, or validating a hash value of the data chunk. A further embodiment involves the use of policies to provide authorization levels for chunk sharing and linking within the target. These techniques separately and in combination provide a comprehensive strategy to avoid unauthorized access to data within the target storage system.
US08453255B2
A method for monitoring stored procedures is disclosed. The method performs on-line and inline monitoring of stored procedures for detecting table access operations performed by the procedures. This allows the enforcing of access control policies, correlation rules and audit rules on stored procedures. The monitoring is performed using mapping information gathered about each stored procedure that can be executed by a database server. The method comprises parsing an incoming transaction submitted by a client; determining whether the incoming transaction includes an invocation of a stored procedure; obtaining a query group corresponding to the stored procedure; applying an access control policy on the query group; and asserting an unauthorized event if the query group is not compliant with the access control policy.
US08453254B2
A content receiver writes out, together with content received from a content server, time supply source designation information indicating a second time supply source designated by a copyright protection system (DRM) to an exchangeable medium in association with the content. When the time supply source designation information is recorded in the exchangeable medium, a content reproducer performs viewing expiration time determination for the content recorded in the exchangeable medium referring time obtained on the basis of the second time supply source indicated by the time supply source designation information instead of a first time supply source referred to in order to specify present time used in determining a viewing expiration time in a content protection system (CPS).
US08453253B2
A method of operating a controller device of an electronic cutting machine. The method includes writing a controller device identifier to memory of the cartridge, writing a cartridge identifier to memory of the controller device, and permitting communication between the controller device and the cartridge.
US08453243B2
A system and method that trusts software executables existent on a machine prior to activation for different types of accesses e.g. execution, network, and registry. The system detects new executables added to the machine as well as previously existent executables that have been modified, moved, renamed or deleted. In certain embodiments, the system will tag the file with a flag as modified or newly added. Once tagged, the system intercepts particular types of file accesses for execution, network or registry. The system determines if the file performing the access is flagged and may apply one or more policies based on the requested access. In certain embodiments, the system intercepts I/O operations by file systems or file system volumes and flags metadata associated with the file. For example, the NT File System and its extended attributes and alternate streams may be utilized to implement the system.
US08453242B2
According to an embodiment of the invention a method of detecting malware in a system comprises positioning a filter driver between an operating system for the system and applications or files in the system. The filter driver receives requests for resources from the applications or files and relays the requests to the operating system. The filter driver receives responses to the requests, which include handles; records information associated with the handles in a handle list; and relays the responses to the applications or files, which open the handles. Potential malicious code is detected by analyzing information associated with the open handles. In particular embodiments, analyzing information associated with the open handles may comprise analyzing system resources referenced by the open handles.
US08453241B2
A method of securing against an unauthorized transmission within an authorized multimedia transmission from a sending data processor to a receiving data processor. The method includes altering the network transmission to interfere with the unauthorized transmission and render the unauthorized transmission invalid to the receiving data processor while not noticeably interfering with the streaming multimedia transmission. Monitoring for retransmissions or retransmission requests also serves as an indicator to an administrator that an unauthorized transmission is occurring. The method of this invention can be implemented by network administrator middleboxes such as firewalls.
US08453240B2
A secure communication module that accepts a cryptographic message if a nonce value for the received message is greater than the largest nonce value yet seen. If the received nonce value is not the largest nonce value yet seen, the secure communication module compares the received nonce value with a nonce acceptance window. If the nonce value falls outside the nonce acceptance window, the secure communication module rejects the received message and assumes a replay attack. Alternatively, if the nonce value falls within the nonce acceptance window, the secure communication module compares the received nonce value with a replay window mask. If comparison with the replay window mask indicates that the received nonce value has been seen before, the secure communication module rejects the received message and assumes a replay attack. Otherwise, the secure communication module accepts the message and adds the received nonce value to the replay window mask.
US08453235B1
Provided is a method and system for controlling access to a mail transfer agent (MTA), included in a mail server infrastructure (MSI), by a client, which is either a mail user agent (MUA) or an MTA not included in the MSI, and features determining whether to grant access to a client based upon the accesses made to this and other MTAs at the present time or in the past. To that end, the method includes receiving a request for access to the one of the plurality of mail transfer agents by the client. Access between the client and other MTAs is determined to obtain an existing access profile. A conditional access profile is developed from the existing access profile and from the request. The conditional access profile is compared against a permissible access profile to determine whether to grant the request. If it is determined that the conditional access profile does not violate the rules and criteria, the access is granted. Otherwise, access is denied. Also disclosed is a system that carries-out the functions of the method.
US08453232B1
A technique of providing a cryptographic service on a computer having a processor includes deploying an executable cryptographic agent set on the computer, each executable cryptographic agent from the executable cryptographic agent set being a set of instructions executed on the processor. The technique also includes activating an executable cryptographic agent on the computer, each executable cryptographic agent being constructed and arranged to generate cryptographic codes which change over time in response to activation of the agent. The technique further includes providing, to an application running on the computer, access to the executable cryptographic agent through a Personal Computer/Smart Card (PC/SC) interface of the computer.
US08453225B2
The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for form-based single sign-on by a user desiring access to one or more protected resources, e.g., protected web pages, protected web-served applications, etc. In various embodiments, a single sign-on (SSO) module is in operation on an intermediary device, which is disposed in a network to manage internet traffic between a plurality of clients and a plurality of servers. The intermediary device can identify an authentication response from a server and forward the authentication response to the SSO module. The SSO module can complete a login form in the authentication response with a client's authentication data, return the completed login form to the server and forward cookies associated with the authentication response to the client. In various embodiments, multiple login forms can be completed, transparently to the client, by the SSO module on a client's behalf and reduce time expended by a client in obtaining access to protected resources.
US08453223B2
A method for operating a security device comprises receiving a request for a transaction from a programmable device executing an application obtained from an application controlling institute, and verifying a validity of the transaction. A user is alerted, in which the user indicates an acceptance of the request. A one-time identifier is generated. The one-time identifier comprises a security device identification, a transaction number, a date and a time. The one-time identifier is communicated to the programmable device, in which the application verifies a validity of the security device identification and instructs the programmable device to communicate the one-time identifier and transaction to the application controlling institute for processing. The application controlling institute verifies validity of the one-time identifier and processes the transaction, wherein said security device, application programmable device and application controlling institute securely processes the transaction.
US08453222B1
A user's possession of synchronized data is used as an authentication factor. When the user requests an authentication configuration change, an authentication server requests the user to prove possession of synchronized data for that user. The user launches an authentication module on a client device hosting a local copy of the synchronized data. The authentication module creates a hash of the local copy and transmits the hash to the authorization server. Upon successfully verifying the received hash using a server copy of the synchronized data, the authentication server considers the user authorized and thus allows the user to make the authorization configuration change.
US08453220B2
Embodiments provide systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for enabling a client to associate with a device. In various embodiments, the device may transmit cryptographic data to a client. Based on and utilizing the cryptographic data, the client may associate with the device.
US08453210B2
A file sharing system includes a web server, a first electronic device, and a second electronic device. The web server includes an authorizing module and a server storage module. The server storage module is capable of storing files uploaded from a first electronic device. The authorizing module is capable of recording an authorizing setting from the first electronic device to authorize a second electronic device to access the files in the server storage module.
US08453202B2
Methods and apparatus are described for facilitating communication among a plurality of entities via an interoperability network. Each entity has policy data corresponding thereto governing interaction with the entity via the interoperability network. A message is transmitted from a first one of the entities to a second one of the entities. The first entity has first policy data corresponding thereto and the second entity has second policy data corresponding thereto. The transmitted message was handled in the network according to combined policy data representing a combination of the first and second policy data.
US08453192B2
A system may include a set-top box to detect a trigger and capture a first snapshot from a first television channel in response to detecting the trigger and based on a set of slideshow configuration parameters. The system may further provide the first snapshot to a display as a part of a television slideshow.
US08453189B2
The present invention is directed to a method and system for retrieving information about television programs. This includes a website being connected to that includes information about a television program being watched. The information from the website is downloaded and then processed. Further, the information is then either displayed along with the television program being watched or stored for later playback.
US08453188B2
Utilization of stored of personalized information and communication preferences in a profile in a STB in a structured format or via cookies allows at least a combination of feature rich telephony applications, with the personalized data stored in STBs facilitating feature rich communications sessions. Providing advanced multimedia communications applications using personalized data resident in STBs could allow an entity to provide, for example, many previously unavailable services, and therefore provide considerable new business potential. The personal information stored in the STB can convey many exemplary benefits, such as communication preferences, alternate contact modalities, payment preferences, priority preferences, trusted contacts, personal information, as well as multimedia messaging, etc. The integration of the personal information with the intelligent personal agent also enhances the user experience.
US08453183B2
A system and method of processing a satellite signal is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes receiving a satellite signal at a receiver, where the satellite signal includes a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) portion and a radio frequency (RF) portion. The method also includes decoding the satellite signal to produce a digital MPEG transport stream signal that includes the MPEG portion, by removing the RF portion from the satellite signal without substantially altering the MPEG portion. The method also includes transmitting the digital MPEG transport stream signal to a vestigial sideband (VSB) modulator, where the VSB modulator transmodulates the digital MPEG transport stream signal to a VSB signal.
US08453176B2
An exemplary aspect is directed toward one or more solutions that are capable of providing feedback information about OCAP/ACAP/IMS solutions generally related to audience acceptance and satisfaction, and extensions thereto. For example, one exemplary aspect is directed toward information, such as consumer feedback about their viewing choices, being gathered, evaluated and distributed. Even more specifically, an exemplary aspect is directed toward the use of information, such as personalized or customized information and personal preferences contained in an STB combined with an OCAP/ACAP/IMS intelligent personal agent and application(s) to provide advanced interactive and interoperable services to both obtain and distribute feedback about OCAP/ACAP/IMS services.
US08453167B2
A locking mechanism for installation on a device body, which includes an actuating element, includes a bezel having a through hole and a first positioning portion spaced apart from the through hole, and a locking element including a front operating portion extending through and movable along the through hole in a left-right direction, at least one guide pin extending in a front-rear direction, and an engaging portion. A press button is mounted slidably on the guide pin, and includes a contact portion adapted to be spaced apart from the actuating element in the left-right direction. The front operating portion is operable to move the press button between non-operative and operative positions, where the contact portion is adapted to be placed out of and in alignment with the actuating element, respectively. The engaging portion engages the first positioning portion when the press button is in the non-operative position.
US08453162B2
Method, parser, messaging system, computer program and computer program product for handling context information associated with a message flow in a messaging system, the message flow having processing nodes for processing the message. A request is received at the parser to perform a first operation associated with the message. An indication of the context information to retrieve from a context store is obtained. This context information is for use by at least one of the processing nodes in the message flow for determining how to process the message. The context information is retrieved from the context store and a logical representation of the context information is then created in a format accessible by at least one processing node in the message flow.
US08453158B2
A method, an apparatus, and a system for enhancing application reliability of a script-based service are disclosed. The method includes: analyzing data source information of a script-based service; obtaining current state information of the data source of the script-based service according to the analysis result; and judging the availability state of the script-based service according to the obtained current state information. With the technical solution of the present invention, a related analysis function is added to a script-based service server to analyze related data source information in the script-based service logic and mark the script-based service. In this way, a user can know the state of the script-based service when requesting a service, thus avoiding unnecessary service trials, saving system resources, and improving the user experience.
US08453153B1
A load balancer evenly distributes processing loads to multiple computing devices. A data structure may be divided into multiple files, each of which corresponds to an estimated load value. The files are assigned to the computing devices in such a way that the processing load at each of the computing devices and the number of files assigned to each of the computing devices is generally balanced.
US08453144B1
Some embodiments provide a method for adapting a system configuration. The method identifies a first configuration for a first computer system. The method retrieves a configuration information for a second computer system from a library that stores configuration information that includes several operating systems and several kernels. The method defines a second configuration that is based on (i) the first configuration and (ii) the retrieved configuration information. The method hosts the second configuration at the second computer system. The second computer system is a computer system in several computer systems of a server hosting environment.
US08453141B1
A computer system and method for installing a software product. A computer system includes a client coupled to a server. The client obtains an installation package of files to be used to install the software product and for each file, determines if there is a later file version available. The client creates a temporary folder. For each file, if a later version is not available, the client adds a link to the temporary folder that refers to the file in the installation package and if a later version of a file is available, adds a link to the temporary folder that refers to the later version of the file. The client executes an installation operation on the temporary folder. For only those files for which a later file version is available, the client may add links that refer to files downloaded from a server and stored in an update folder.
US08453139B2
The present invention provides a technique of executing a suitable file from plural files of the same type. In a game apparatus, a ROM medium with game data recorded therein is loaded into a drive device. A patch file acquisition unit acquires a patch file for the game data, and stores the patch file in a HDD. The ROM medium and the patch file respectively include boot files for initiating a main program. An execution processor loads into the memory, the boot file having newer version information, and executes a boot sequence. The execution processor does not execute the boot sequence, when the ROM medium is not loaded into the drive device, and executes the boot sequence, as a condition that the ROM medium is loaded into the drive device.
US08453137B2
An image forming apparatus includes a storage section that stores programs for carrying out processes, an updating data selection section that selects an updating data for at least one of programs from an updating data group, based on a program that is started or is startable, and an updating section that updates at least one arbitrary program stored in the storage section based on the selected updating data.
US08453136B1
A method and an apparatus are described for allowing several different applications to incrementally collaborate while making changes to a circuit design.
US08453132B2
A technique for reducing non-local access, in dynamically generated code that resides in a code buffer of a non-uniform memory access computer system including multiple nodes, for improving overall performance of dynamic optimization systems. In one example embodiment, this is accomplished by partitioning the code buffer into multiple smaller code buffers and assigning each of the multiple smaller code buffers to one of the multiple nodes. Statically determining which methods in the generated code are executed by a thread and then to place those methods in associated one of the multiple smaller code buffers to reduce memory latencies introduced by non-local accesses.
US08453123B2
Method, system, and computer program product embodiments of a time-based trace facility for facilitating software debugging without interfering with the run-time behavior, performance or resource usage of the traced software are provided. The trace facility resides in a different address space than the target address space and uses different time-slices of CPU resources to execute the instructions in the address spaces. The trace facility uses a cross-memory mode to read the state data from the target address space in accordance with a time schedule. The trace facility writes the state data to a trace area, which may be located in either the target or trace address spaces or external storage. With this approach, the trace facility can read a large amount of state data frequently to construct the type of historical record needed to analysis run-time behavior, performance and resource usage.
US08453118B2
Techniques are provided for testing one or more applications across multiple operating systems (OSs) using virtualization. A device includes a virtualization application and a dispatcher. The virtualization application allows a plurality of guest OSs to execute on a device. The dispatcher is configured to cause a particular file to be stored in a particular location. Each guest OS includes a listener that detects when a file is stored in the particular location. When the listener of each guest OS detects that the particular file is stored in the particular location, the guest OS is configured to perform one or more tasks associated with the particular file. Each guest OS is configured to generate output in response to performing the one or more tasks. The dispatcher is further configured to analyze the output from each of the guest OSs.
US08453113B2
The present disclosure provides a computing device being configured to execute a configuration software tool for providing a plurality of function blocks and connections between function blocks in a visual representation of configuration data of an intelligent electronic device, wherein each function block is for executing a function in the intelligent electronic device. The configuration tool comprises computer-executable instructions for retrieving hardware configuration data relating to external variables created by second configuration software, and for causing the computer to generate a visual representation having the plurality of function blocks and said hardware configuration data. The present disclosure also provides a configuration system of an intelligent electronic device for power transmission and distribution.
US08453108B1
In one approach, a method is described of generating an interface for an operating system kernel. The method calls for creating an input file, where the input file includes a node structure for the interface. A kernel component of the interface is generated from the input file. A user space component of the interface is also generated from the input file.
US08453107B2
Defining a layout of diagram elements. A method includes receiving user input. The user input includes one or more declarative statements specifying conditional patterns based on attributes of diagram elements. The conditional patterns define layouts of diagram elements. Implementation of the layouts is dependent on conditions defined in the declarative statements and one or more values of one or more of the attributes. The method further includes organizing the conditional patterns as a pattern definition. The pattern definition is stored on a computer readable medium. The pattern definition is stored such that the pattern definition is retrievable by an application program that uses the pattern definition to evaluate the conditional patterns using values of attributes of one or more diagram elements. The application is also configured to display representations of the diagram elements according to the layouts when conditions for implementing the layouts are satisfied.
US08453106B2
Described herein are interactive graphical user interfaces that visualize execution behavior of source code together with theoretical execution behavior of the source code together with the source code itself. Structure of the source code is analyzed to determine theoretical execution behavior of the source code. Thereafter, symbolic execution of the source code is undertaken to output an execution trace. The execution trace is shown together with the theoretical execution behavior of the source code.
US08453097B2
A method and system for generating and matching complex series and/or parallel combinations of nominally identical initial elements to achieve compound values having constant ratios to the initial elements and to each other is disclosed. The ratios between compound values can be held constant to almost any desired degree of accuracy, with potential errors greatly reduced from those typical in the construction of individual elements of different values. Since the initial elements are nominally identical, the ratios between values depend primarily upon the connections of the initial elements, rather than their geometry, and thus remain virtually constant regardless of variations in the manufacturing process.
US08453089B2
An approach is provided for pattern adjusted timing via pattern matching. Embodiments include receiving data corresponding to a problematic layout pattern associated with at least one performance characteristic and data corresponding to an integrated circuit layout design, scanning the integrated circuit layout design for the problematic layout pattern, identifying at least one portion of the integrated circuit layout design substantially matching the problematic layout pattern, and modifying a netlist associated with the integrated circuit layout design, the modification being based on the at least one performance characteristic.
US08453085B2
Estimating the latency time of the clock tree of an ASIC including: providing a netlist and a placement related to the clock tree of the ASIC; extracting a number of the load timing devices connected by the clock tree according to the netlist related to the clock tree; extracting a physical distribution area of the load timing devices connected by the clock tree according to the placement related to the clock tree; estimating a latency time of the clock tree according to the relationship between the number of the load timing devices, the physical distribution area of the load timing devices and latency time of the clock tree in design data related to the ASIC design.
US08453072B2
Tools and techniques allow visual media to be edited by superimposing a parameter adjusting mechanism on the visual media itself and adjusting parameter settings based on user input detected by the parameter adjusting mechanism. In a visual media editing application, the parameter adjusting mechanism is superimposed on visual media so that the user can keep his eyes on the visual media and so that the visual media itself is not obscured by other user interface controls and windows as the user edits it. The user sets control points on the visual media that act as a fixed reference points for subsequent user input. The parameter adjusting mechanism detects subsequent user input calculates new parameter settings based on that input.
US08453069B2
A thin client system transmits screen data including one or more windows operated in a server apparatus to a client apparatus, and displays the screen data in the client apparatus. The system includes a list display section, a selection information transmitting section, and an active state setting section. The list display section displays, in the client apparatus, a list of window names of the windows operated in the server apparatus, in response to a list display instruction operation by the user. The selection information transmitting section transmits information that a desired window is selected, when a name of the desired window is selected by the user among the window names displayed by the list display section. The active state setting section renders a window corresponding to the information active in the server apparatus, when the information that the window is selected is transmitted by the selection information transmitting section.
US08453064B2
An image forming apparatus is provided with an original capturing portion, a print portion, an operation portion, a management portion that manages various provided information, and a control portion that controls the original capturing portion, the print portion, the operation portion, and the management portion. A display apparatus that has a display screen visible from a back face or a side face of the image forming apparatus is disposed on at least one side face of an image forming apparatus case, and the control portion displays various provided information managed by the management portion on the display screen.
US08453055B2
A user interface apparatus includes a position identification unit to identify a first position where a first touch is generated on a display screen; a priority assignment unit to respectively assign priorities to menu items displayed on the display screen; and a menu item movement unit to move the menu items to the first position as a destination according to the assigned priorities and in response to the first touch. A user interface method in a touch device includes identifying a first position where a first touch is generated on a display screen, respectively assigning priorities to menu items displayed on the display screen, and moving the menu items to the first position according to the assigned priorities in response to receiving the first touch.
US08453053B2
A method is provided for generating reports for a computer monitored or aided environment that has a server-side module, a client-side module and a database, the server-side module, client-side module and database being interconnected, The method includes creating a report layout, the report layout containing a predefined number of dynamic fields at predetermined positions; associating, at the server-side, each dynamic field with a data source; collecting, at the server-side, information for each dynamic field according to the associated data source; storing the information in the database; and displaying the information for each dynamic field on a display according to the report layout. The report layout is shared universally for the generation of a displayed report and a printed report.
US08453050B2
In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for creating and editing electronic documents. One embodiment of the inventive method involves generating an electronic document in a first document format type, in accordance with one or more user-specified parameters, and converting the electronic document from the first document format type into a second document format type, in accordance with a user instruction to finalize the electronic document. In one embodiment, the first document format type is a structured document format type, such as hypertext markup language or extensible markup language, while the second document format type is a secure document format type such as portable document format.
US08453049B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for delaying code parsing. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a resource that includes markup language code and executable code embedded within the markup language code, invoking the markup language code without parsing the executable code, extracting the executable code from within the markup language code, and invoking the executable code.
US08453048B2
Various embodiments provide techniques for time-based viewing of electronic documents. Examples of electronic documents include websites, webpages, text documents, web-based documents, and so on. In at least some embodiments, a time-based viewer is provided that enables a user to select a particular date and/or time for which to view an electronic document. The user can then navigate through the electronic document and view how the document will appear or did appear at the selected date and/or time. In at least some embodiments, a page container is provided that can include definitions for different versions of a page of an electronic document. According to some embodiments, the different versions of the page can correspond to different publication dates for the page. In some implementations, the time-based viewer can access a page container to retrieve a particular version of a page for display.
US08453046B2
A document processing apparatus for generating a binder document by binding a plurality of original documents makes access to a storage unit for storing the binder attribute information of the binder types of a plurality of kinds of binder documents, and acquires the binder attribute information corresponding to the binder type of the binder document to be generated. Also, the document processing apparatus acquires the document type of each of the plurality of original documents selected to be bound into the binder document to be generated. The binder document is generated employing the plurality of selected original documents, based on the document type acquired regarding the plurality of selected original documents and the binder attribute information.
US08453044B2
Methods and systems relating to inferential networks are provided herein. This technology is further directed to methods and systems for making and using inferential networks. Still further, this technology is generally directed to making one or more inferential networks by using data generated from directed searches of collections of linked databases.
US08453039B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for media defect detection. For example, a data transfer system is disclosed that includes a data detector, a defect detector and a gating circuit. The data detector provides a soft output, and the defect detector is operable to receive the soft output and the data signal, and to assert a defect indication based at least in part on the soft output and the data signal. The gating circuit is operable to modify the soft output of the detector whenever the defect indication is asserted.
US08453031B2
Various embodiments for differentiating between data and stubs pointing to a parent copy of deduplicated data are provided. Undeduplicated data is stored with a first cyclic redundancy check (CRC) seed. A stub pointing to the parent copy of the deduplicated data is stored with a second CRC seed. Subsequent to reading the deduplicated data, the first CRC seed is associated with the undeduplicated data, and the second CRC seed is associated with the stub. A CRC check is performed using one of the first and second CRC seeds. If the CRC check is positive, an I/O operation is allowed to proceed. If the CRC check is negative, an additional CRC check is performed using another one of the first and second CRC seeds.
US08453018B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for sending failure information from a solid state drive (SSD) to a host device. In operation, an error is detected during an operation associated with a solid state drive. Additionally, a command is received for failure information from a host device. Further, the failure information is sent from the solid state drive to the host device, the failure information including failure information associated with the solid state drive.
US08453010B2
A method for recovering data from a failed tape cartridge is presented. The reliability of a tape cartridge is assessed via the number of read errors encountered. If the number or read errors is excessive, the tape cartridge is deemed unreliable and the tape cartridge is restricted from storing anymore data. A search is performed to look for duplicate data and if found a copy of the duplicate data is stored to a replacement tape cartridge. The replacement tape cartridge assumes all identity of the original failed tape cartridge.
US08453008B2
A communication apparatus includes: a transmitting unit, a receiving unit and a control unit. The transmitting unit transmits video data to an external apparatus via a first transmission line. The receiving unit receives a command from the external apparatus via a second transmission line. The control unit that resets the transmitting unit without resetting the receiving unit if a communication error relating to the first transmission line is detected, and resets the receiving unit without resetting the transmitting unit if a communication error relating to the second transmission line is detected.
US08453003B2
A communication method is provided to reduce an overhead of inter-processor synchronization for a communication phase in collective communication and to speed up the collective communication. Each of processors in a parallel computer start a previous process before a collective communication phase in which communications are performed at a same time among the processors through a inter-processor network. Each processor executes a synchronization command in advance at a time when a portion of the previous process for a predetermined time t is left. The inter-processor synchronization control section transmits a synchronization completion notice to each processor, if a synchronization condition is met. For the period, each processor executes the previous process in parallel. Then, the plurality of processors enter the collective communication phase.
US08452999B2
A method of processing data using a data processor having an operating system for performing tasks of an application program, and a power and performance controller controlling parameters and modes of execution of the tasks by the data processor. The power and performance controller includes a performance predictor producing an estimation of required performance of the data processor for the tasks taking account of inactive periods of the tasks and adjusting the performance and power consumption of the data processor in response to the estimation. The performance predictor distinguishes for each of the tasks between: —available inactive periods of the task during which the operating system is available to continue to process the same task, and—unavailable inactive periods of the task during which the operating system is not available to continue to process the same task. A substantial improvement is obtained in quality of service, with fewer missed deadlines in performance of the tasks.
US08452997B2
A method and system are provided in which a multimedia processor comprises a first portion associated with a first of a plurality of power domains and a second portion associated with a second of the plurality of power domains. The first portion and the second portion of the multimedia processor are integrated on a single substrate. Data may be transferred from the first portion to the second portion and, upon completing the transfer, the first portion may be powered down and state information associated with it stored. The state information may be stored in an external SDRAM. The data in the second portion of the multimedia processor may be transferred to an external device through a peripheral module in the second portion. When a trigger event associated with the data transfer to the external device occurs, the first portion may be powered up and rebooted using the stored state information.
US08452991B2
A partition that is executed by multiple processing nodes. Each node includes multiple cores and each of the cores has a frequency that can be set. A first frequency range is provided to the cores. Each core, when executing the identified partition, sets its frequency within the first frequency range. Frequency metrics are gathered from the cores running the partition by the nodes. The gathered frequency metrics are received and analyzed by a hypervisor that determines a second frequency range to use for the partition, with the second frequency range being different from the first frequency range. The second frequency range is provided to the cores at the nodes executing the identified partition. When the cores execute the identified partition, they use a frequencies within the second frequency range.
US08452990B2
To provide a browsing terminal and the like with high security, which can effectively prevent contents data stored in a terminal from being stolen unlawfully by a third party even if the terminal is accidentally lost. The browsing terminal includes: a receiving part for receiving contents data; a volatile memory for storing the received contents data; a display device with a memory function, which displays the contents data stored in the volatile memory; and a secondary battery for supplying power to the volatile memory and the display device.
US08452984B2
A method comprising the steps of creating a random permutation of data from a data input by executing at least one of a Pseudo-Random Permutation (PRP) and a Pseudo-Random Function (PRF), creating a first data block by combining the random permutation of data with a received second data block and executing an ε-differentially uniform function on the result of the combination, XORing the result of the ε-DU function evaluation with a secret key, and reducing the first data block to a first message authentication code.
US08452976B2
A customer can control access to information about the customer stored in a database by selecting one or more policies, where each policy specifies conditions and/or rules for accessing information associated with the policy, and for each selected policy the user selects portions of the customer's information for association with the selected policy. The customer can create or specify one or more policies for accessing information. In another method, information about the customer stored in the database includes personal information about customer, including contact information for people associated with the customer, and facts about the customer, e.g., contact information for family members professionals who provide service (e.g. doctor, lawyer, banker), emergency contacts, medical information, for example blood type, allergies, medications, blood type, organ donor status.
US08452966B1
A system verifies an identity of a content sender by receiving content purporting to originate from a content sender, and performing a validation of the content to determine a purported identity of the content sender. The system prepares and transfers verification data to an address associated with the purported identity of the content sender. In response to transferring the verification data, the system receives a verification response to the verification data, and performs a validation of the verification response to verify the purported identity of the content sender.
US08452960B2
A system for content delivery operates as a static network device for delivering content to a mobile node. The system includes a transceiver adapted to receive a device identifier over a public network from the mobile node, the device identifier based on a combination of user-configurable and non-user-configurable parameters of the mobile node, a processor operatively coupled to the transceiver and to memory storing executable code. Executed, the code enables the processor to access a database of authorized device identifiers corresponding to known mobile nodes, establish, in response to the received device identifier matching one of the authorized device identifiers, a secure private network (SPN) with the mobile node, the established SPN tunneling across a segment of the public network, obtain the content for the mobile node, and send the content to the mobile node via the SPN.
US08452953B2
Insulin pump programming software is disclosed that permits selectively modifying insulin pump configuration files. The software facilitates retrieving a source file consisting of a configuration file or portion thereof from a source location. The source file may include general configuration data and insulin delivery data. Once retrieved, the source file may be edited, then the entire source file or a portion thereof may be saved to a target configuration file at one or more target locations. Only the portion of the target configuration file corresponding to the saved source file or portion thereof is replaced by the source file.
US08452952B2
An example of a method for facilitating split booting includes executing a base system image file of a system, initializing components of the first computing device, loading the extended system image file, and executing the extended system image file from the first computing device without booting the first computing device. The base system image file and an extended system image file of the system are built from a single executable system image file of the system. An example of a method for building system images includes building, as a single executable file, a system image file of a system and dividing the system image file into a base system image file and an extended system image file. An example of a machine-readable storage medium having code for carrying out the method, an apparatus having the machine-readable storage medium, and an apparatus having means for carrying out the method is disclosed.
US08452948B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for intermixing different types of machine instructions. One embodiment of the invention provides a protocol for intermixing the different types of machine instructions. By adhering to the protocol, different types of machine instructions may be intermixed to concurrently update data structures without leading to unpredictable results.
US08452940B2
A method and system writes data to a memory device including writing data to varying types of physical write blocks. The method includes receiving a request to write data for a logical block address within an LBA range to the memory device. Depending on whether the quantity of valid data in the memory device meets a predetermined criteria, the data is written to a specific chaotic block, a general chaotic block, or a mapped block. The mapped block is assigned for writing data for the LBA range, the specific chaotic block is assigned for writing data for contiguous LBA ranges including the LBA range, and the general chaotic block is assigned for writing data for any LBA range. Lower fragmentation and write amplification ratios may result by using this method and system.
US08452936B2
A method of managing storage device resets in a system using shared storage is provided. A reset instruction is received at a shared storage device from a first node. In response, the storage device is at least partially reset, including aborting one or more queued I/O commands including a first I/O command received from a second node. A reset notification timer is started. If an I/O command is received from the second node during the reset notification timer, in response to receiving the I/O command the second node is notified of the storage device reset such that the second node can determine that the first I/O command was aborted. If no I/O command is received from the second node during the reset notification timer, at the expiration of the timer, the second node is notified of the storage device reset such that the second node can determine that the first I/O command was aborted.
US08452932B2
Data back-ups are a critical task of any information technology department. Data back-ups are typically performed using some type of back-up tape systems. Internet based data storage systems now offer data storage services at low prices. To take advantage of such services, a system and method for efficiently back-up data volumes is disclosed. The data back-up system divides data volumes into fingerprinted data slices. Redundant data slices are then removed. Unique fingerprinted data slices are then copied to an internet based storage provider.
US08452931B1
A computer-implemented method for simultaneously providing multiple data protection functions may include identifying a storage appliance that provides a plurality of data protection functions to a production system. The computer-implemented method may also include identifying a splitter channel from the production system to the storage appliance. The computer-implemented method may further include creating a synchronization channel from the production system to the storage appliance. The computer-implemented method may additionally include transmitting changes made to data on the production system to the storage appliance via the splitter channel. The computer-implemented method may also include synchronizing data on the production system to the storage appliance via the synchronization channel. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08452929B2
A system and method for managing the storage of data in non-volatile memory is described. In an aspect, the data may be described by metadata and a transaction log file that are checkpointed from a volatile memory into the non-volatile memory. Actions that take place between the last checkpointing of a metadata segment and log file segment are discovered by scanning the non-volatile memory blocks, taking account of a record of the highest sector in each block that is known to have been recorded. Any later transactions are discovered and used to update the recovered metadata so that the metadata correctly represents the stored data.
US08452927B2
Various methods, devices and systems are described for providing distributed storage services. A data storage device is capable of initiating a communication session with an external entity such as a local host computer (and vice versa) coupled directly to the data storage device, a remote server computer, or directly with remote data storage devices with or without intervention by a local host computer.
US08452926B2
A digital system is provided with a memory interposer module configured to be coupled between a processor module and a memory module. The memory interposer module has a memory controller configured to couple to the memory module. It also includes a first memory emulator configured to couple to the processor module via a connector, wherein the first memory emulator is configured to emulate the memory module. There is an arbiter coupled between the memory controller and the memory emulator. A second memory emulator is connected to the arbiter, wherein the second memory emulator is also configured to emulate the memory module. Each memory emulator is operable to stall a memory request when a conflict occurs.
US08452922B2
A method for hot backward compatible upgrade of a storage system includes: a) configuring each virtual partition (VP) to be controlled by a primary data server and a secondary data server b) configuring each data server to have primary responsibility over all logical block addresses (LBAs) corresponding to at least two virtual partitions and to have secondary responsibility over all LBAs corresponding to at least two other virtual partitions; c) responsive to a shut-down of a data server, i) re-configuring primary responsibility over each VP previously primary controlled by the shut-down server such that it becomes primary controlled by a server previously configured as a secondary server with respect to this VP; ii) re-allocating secondary responsibility over each VP previously secondary controlled by the shut-down server in a manner that each such VP becomes secondary controlled by a server other than the newly assigned server with primary responsibility.
US08452921B1
A physical host machine determines that a storage device from a network storage system is available to the host machine as a pass-through disk. Virtualization software running on the host machine assigns the pass-through disk to a temporary resource group on the host machine. The pass-through disk is logically attached to the virtual machine running on the host machine and made available to an operating system and application running on the virtual machine.
US08452917B2
A load reduction dual in-line memory module (LRDIMM) is similar to a registered dual in-line memory module (RDIMM) in which control signals are synchronously buffered but the LRDIMM includes a load reduction buffer (LRB) in the data path as well. To make an LRDIMM which appears compatible with RDIMMs on a system memory bus, the serial presence detector (SPD) of the LRDIMM is programmed with modified latency support and minimum delay values. When the dynamic read only memory (DRAMs) devices of the LRDIMM are subsequently set up by the host at boot time based on the parameters provided by the SPD, selected latency values are modified on the fly in an enhanced register phase look loop (RPLL) device. This has the effect of compensating for the delay introduced by the LRB without violating DRAM constraints, and provides memory bus timing for a LRDIMM that is indistinguishable from that of a RDIMM.
US08452916B2
Solid state storage device controllers, solid state storage devices, and methods for operation of solid state storage device controllers are disclosed. In one such solid state storage device, the controller can operate in either an expansion DRAM mode or a non-volatile memory mode. In the DRAM expansion mode, one or more of the memory communication channels normally used to communicate with non-volatile memory devices is used to communicate with an expansion DRAM device.
US08452911B2
A method and system for managing maintenance operations in a multi-bank non-volatile storage device is disclosed. The method includes receiving a data write command and associated data from a host system for storage in the non-volatile storage device and directing a head of the data write command to a first bank in the and a tail of the data write command to a second bank, where the head of the data write command only includes data having logical block addresses preceding logical block addresses of data in the tail of the data write command. When a status of the first bank delays execution of the data write command the controller executes a second bank maintenance procedure in the second bank while the data write command directed to the first and second banks is pending. The system includes a plurality of banks, where each bank may be associated with the same or different controllers, and the one or more controllers are adapted to execute the method noted above.
US08452903B2
Embodiments disclosed herein provide for capability identification for accessories coupled with a mobile computing device. During capability identification an accessory can request capability information from a mobile computing device. In some embodiments, the accessory can specifically request capability information associated with a specific lingo. In response, the mobile computing device can respond with a message that indicates the capabilities of the mobile computing device that are supported. In some embodiments, the capabilities can be those capabilities associated with the specified lingo. In some embodiments, if the mobile computing device does not support a lingo, then the mobile computing device can respond to the request from the accessory with a negative acknowledgement.
US08452880B2
Embodiments of the present invention include a method and system for verifying intended contents of an electronic message comprising: accessing an electronic message destined for a recipient comprising a link to an intended data source. The method further includes accessing the intended data source and computing a first message digest value associated with the intended data source. Additionally, the method includes sending the electronic message and the first message digest value to the recipient. The recipient side may check the message digest value against a recently generated value and alert the recipient of any digest mismatch that represents a recent change in the intended data source.
US08452878B2
A user is provided the ability to request through a set top box or other terminal that a media session be replicated to another terminal. The control channel associated with the replicated media session is assigned to the requesting terminal so that the user of the requesting terminal can control the playback experience of a plurality of different terminals.
US08452876B1
A graphical user interface for configuring policies which manage traffic over a computer network. An implementation of the invention disassociates the definition of traffic policies from their logical and physical application to the network and its constituent devices. One implementation allows a network manager to define traffic policies through user inputs such as dragging and dropping rule templates with a mouse. An implementation further allows such policies to be logically applied to parts and subparts of the computer network through the dragging and dropping of the policies and defined network endpoints. One implementation of the invention then provides multiple views of these policies as applied.
US08452875B2
A resource allocation apparatus 100 is an apparatus that allocates resource utilization amounts of m consolidation subject servers Si to be consolidated to n consolidation destination servers (n
US08452851B2
Members of a social network user's social graph are automatically segregated into overlapping clusters according to patterns of their past communications. Each cluster within the social graph represents a group of members having a high degree of intra-cluster communication or other connection with one another. The clustering is performed according to a sorting or ranking in accordance with non-principal eigenvectors of connectivity matrices describing the intra-cluster communications/connections. The overlapping clusters exhibit maximum internal density and minimum external sparsity.
US08452847B2
A system and method for processor sharing between in-range devices. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise establishing a wireless communication link between a first system and a second system, for example, utilizing respective communication modules. A processing capability of the second system that is available for use with the first system may be identified, for example, by respective processing capability identification modules. An indication of the identified processing capability may be output, for example, by respective output modules of at least one of the first and second systems. A request for utilizing the identified processing capability of the second system with the first system may be received, for example, by respective interface modules of at least one of the first and second systems. The requested processing capability of the second system may be utilized with the first system, for example, by respective processing modules of the systems.
US08452846B2
A highly predicable quality shared distributed memory process is achieved using less than predicable public and private internet protocol networks as the means for communications within the processing interconnect. An adaptive private network (APN) service provides the ability for the distributed memory process to communicate data via an APN conduit service, to use high throughput paths by bandwidth allocation to higher quality paths avoiding lower quality paths, to deliver reliability via fast retransmissions on single packet loss detection, to deliver reliability and timely communication through redundancy transmissions via duplicate transmissions on high a best path and on a most independent path from the best path, to lower latency via high resolution clock synchronized path monitoring and high latency path avoidance, to monitor packet loss and provide loss prone path avoidance, and to avoid congestion by use of high resolution clock synchronized enabled congestion monitoring and avoidance.
US08452836B2
A method and electronic system for exchanging data between a handheld device and another computer system are described. A data file is transferred to the handheld device using the install application of a synchronization manager. The transferred file is stored as a digital stream file with its native data encoding. After synchronization, a message is sent to notify the exchange manager about the data file. The exchange manager then uses an application registry to identify the application program that corresponds to the file stream based on the extension of the stream file. The pertinent application program is then invoked and the stream file is dispatched to the application for processing. During processing, the pertinent application then formats the stream file such that the data file becomes a record within the database file that is associated with the pertinent application.
US08452826B2
A method and apparatus provide digital frequency channelization of a digitally sampled input stream having a first bandwidth. The method and apparatus are implementable in software, firmware or hardware and convert a first set of real samples from the input stream into a first plurality of complex samples with a first functional block performing filtering, decimation and tuning functions, convert the first plurality of complex samples into a first pair of consecutive USB and a first pair of consecutive LSB complex samples with a second functional block performing filtering, decimation and tuning functions, and convert the first pair of consecutive USB and the first pair of consecutive LSB complex samples into a two pairs of complex USB and LSB complex samples with a pair of third functional blocks performing filtering, decimation and tuning functions, and apply the two pairs of complex USB and LSB complex samples to a string of n pairs (for n greater than or equal to one) third functional blocks each performing filtering, decimation and tuning functions.
US08452813B2
A method for modeling a test space is provided. The method comprises defining a coverage model including one or more variables, wherein respective values for the variables are assigned, one or more definitions of value properties for said variables with assigned values, and one or more restrictions that limit combination of variable values that are legal for the model, wherein at least one of said restrictions is defined using at least one value property.
US08452810B2
A manufacturing execution system contains a depicting device for depicting at least a part of a productive process to a hierarchically structured set of entities and an application programming interface for managing data in a data base and for inputting a tree into the application programming interface. The tree representing a hierarchical relationship between at least two entities of the hierarchically structured set of entities. A program device provides a method accessible by the application programming interface. The method is adapted to manipulate the hierarchically structured set of entities. A manipulating device is provided for manipulating the entities of the tree according to the method.
US08452807B2
System, apparatus, method, and article for techniques to associate media data with related information. A mobile computing device includes a media manager module. The media manager module processes a media file including metadata. The media manager module retrieves a first content from a metadata field in the metadata. The media manager module retrieves a second content from a field in an application file associated with an application client. The media manager module compares the first and second contents and determines whether the first and second contents are associated. If the first and second contents are associated, the media manager module retrieves the second content and inserts the second content in a second metadata field of the media file.
US08452806B2
A computer-implemented method for navigating a database including a plurality of records having attributes, the method including transmitting a webpage configured to display selectable filters associated with record attributes; receiving at least one attribute value based on a filter selection; transmitting a mini query to the database for a count of records in the database that satisfy the at least one attribute value; receiving the count of records; transmitting the count of records to be rendered on a display device; transmitting a full query to the database for record indicators in the database that satisfy the at least one attribute value; receiving the one or more record indicators; and transmitting the one or more record indicators.
US08452805B2
Preserving context and providing suggestions for genealogy searching. A method includes storing in a storage medium previous user interaction with a genealogical research system from a previous genealogical research session. Initiation of a new genealogical research session is detected. In response to the new research session and based on the previous user interaction with the research system, the system provides suggestions for continuing genealogical research.
US08452802B2
A distributed audio visual (AV) system including a plurality of media servers, a media renderer, and a control point which are connected to each other via a peer-to-peer network is provided. Each of the media servers includes a content directory management unit (CDMU) and a query content information (QCI) module, wherein the CDMU includes a synchronizer module and a content information maintainer (CIM) module. The synchronizer module synchronizes content information of AV contents stored in all the media servers. The CIM module records the content information and establishes an integrated content directory list according to the content information. The QCI module queries the content information. The control point obtains the integrated content directory list from one of the media servers and queries the content information related to all the AV contents, so as to control the media renderer to play the AV contents.
US08452796B2
A search site on a network performs information search by a keyword. When a Web page is selected among those detected by the information search, the keyword, a text in the selected Web page and the Web page's address are interconnected and recorded as one search record in a recording device. And then, it is judged whether or not there exist in one or more then one document, any words that match any keywords included in the search records recorded in the recording device. If there exists a word that matches a keyword, the display data to display the document with just a part of the text as least and/or the Web page's address included in the same search record as the keyword, is created, and a job is executed using the display data.
US08452790B1
Some embodiments provide a system that provides a UI for delivering content to a content reviewer. The UI includes (i) a first UI tool for receiving a user query and for searching a set of content items based on the user query, (ii) a second UI tool for retrieving a set of tags associated with each particular content item, and (iii) a third UI tool for generating a list of content items based on the retrieved tags. In some embodiments, each tag in the set of tags is associated with a computed metric. The tags are sorted based on this metric in some embodiments. The metric of some embodiments is based at least partly on a user type. User types include content provider, content retriever, and content evaluator. In some embodiments, the UI also includes a UI tool for receiving content or presenting the list of content items through a communications network. In various embodiments, the communications network may be a network of networks (e.g., the Internet), a private network, a public network, a wireless cellular network, etc.
US08452779B1
Methods and apparatus for targeted message delivery are disclosed. A set of document delivery transactions are initiated with respect to a set of intended document recipients. The initiating includes sending to each of the set of intended document recipients a respective one of a set of URLs for requesting delivery of one or more documents designated with respect to a respective document delivery transaction. Each of the set of URLs is identified with a respective one of the set of intended document recipients. In response to actuations of respective ones of the set of URLs, the one or more documents designated with respect to the respective document delivery transaction are delivered from a centralized document repository. Analytic measures are recorded with respect to the delivering the one or more documents. The analytic measures include a measure of actuations of each of the URLs. A target for a subsequent communication is identified.
US08452773B1
Improved techniques utilize a cross-referencing database which correlates terms which describe product information across multiple taxonomies. The cross-referencing database is independent of the taxonomies used to organize the product information in different departments and is thus able to correlate terms across multiple taxonomies. As a consequence, a user looking at product information in one taxonomy (e.g., a marketing department) can locate precisely where that product information resides in another taxonomy (e.g., the support department) despite the fact that the two taxonomies may refer to that same product using different terms and likely places those terms in different places.
US08452772B1
Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufactures for addressing popular topics in a social sphere. The method or the system continuously monitors conversations in online forum(s), identifies trend(s) of interest, identifies one or more content items that match the trend(s), and delivers the one or more content items to appropriate forum(s). The method or the system may aggregates conversations in a target forum to identify a trend and automatically responds to the trend by identifying and delivering matching existing content items to a target forum. The method or the system may further catalog a newly created content item upon creation and may identify a trend by employing some third-party products or services, by executing one or more Internet bots to monitor the online conversions, or by using trending application(s) offered by forums or social network websites.
US08452767B2
Text analysis devices, articles of manufacture, and text analysis methods are described according to some aspects. In one aspect, a text analysis device includes processing circuitry configured to analyze initial text to generate a measurement basis usable in analysis of subsequent text, wherein the measurement basis comprises a plurality of measurement features from the initial text, a plurality of dimension anchors from the initial text and a plurality of associations of the measurement features with the dimension anchors, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access a viewpoint indicative of a perspective of interest of a user with respect to the analysis of the subsequent text, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the viewpoint to generate the measurement basis.
US08452757B2
A technique for finding the nearest match in a computer storage system is provided. A query statement includes a new operator that indicates that a user desires to access a set of rows that contain a value nearest to a target value. An index is accessed that is based at least in part on a column reference included in the statement. The index comprises a plurality of leaf nodes, where each leaf node comprises one or more entries, where each entry contains a key value, corresponding to the column reference, and a reference to a row in a table. Because leaf nodes in an index are ordered and linked to one another, a portion of the index need only be scanned once. The set of rows from the table are returned that are referenced by one or more entries whose column values are nearest to the target value.
US08452753B2
The invention relates to a method for retrieving a web document provided by a web server, where the method comprising the usual steps of requesting a web document from the web server and replying with the web document, extended by the steps of requesting an analysis according to an inspection requirement, analyzing the content of the web document according to inspection requirements at the web server, and replying an analyzing result. The invention relates inter alia to a web document description language, a web server, a web document transfer protocol, and a computer software product for retrieving a web document.
US08452747B2
A search engine receives user-submitted queries, determines web pages that are relevant to those queries, and returns relevance-ranked lists of references to the relevant web pages. Additionally, the search engine adds each query's terms to a query log. An automated process asynchronously examines the log and locates questions therein. For each question so located, the process determines whether that question already is contained in a database of questions maintained by an online question-and-answer system that is separate from the search engine. For each such question that is not already contained in the stored database of questions, the process automatically adds that question to the question database. As a result, the set of questions used by the online question-and-answer system grows even in the absence of any further direct question submissions by users of the system.
US08452745B2
A search system, method and computer program are disclosed in which characters of a search term are captured as they are entered into a client system (20) and used to predict search terms. Search results are obtained for a predetermined number of the predicted search terms and cached at the client system (20). Upon determining the complete search term has been entered, search results corresponding to the complete search term are displayed.
US08452743B2
An improved approach is described for handling locks and locking for hierarchical structures. The approach efficiently captures lock information for hierarchical nodes as well as for the enforcement of derived locks. Support is provided for locking of leaf nodes as well as for locking of intermediate nodes.
US08452735B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to selecting a data restore point with an optimal recovery time and recovery point. An exemplary embodiment includes generating a problem search criterion for an entity with corrupted data. Dependencies relied on by the entity to function are determined. At least one event signature match is found that comprises information for an event being logged in a event log, and is associated with the dependencies. At least one data restore point created prior to an occurrence of a particular event in the at least one event signature match is selected. The particular event having caused the data to be corrupted. The at least one data restore point is selected to restore data to a storage system with the corrupted data.
US08452733B2
Embodiments presented herein provide systems and methods for managing data decay. A system is provided for maintaining metadata about data attributes or relationships between data. A data decay engine can read the metadata and perform a decay calculation. The type of decay calculation can be associated with the type of data or be determined from user inputs. The decay engine can provide a score as to the staleness of the data. An update engine can determine specific data attributes that may require updating. The update engine may be able to update the data from external data sources.
US08452728B2
The present invention provides a system and method for bi-directional synchronization of a cache. One embodiment of the system of this invention includes a software program stored on a computer readable medium. The software program can be executed by a computer processor to receive a database asset from a database; store the database asset as a cached file in a cache; determine if the cached file has been modified; and if the cached file has been modified, communicate the cached file directly to the database. The software program can poll a cached file to determine if the cached file has changed. Thus, bi-directional synchronization can occur.
US08452719B2
The present disclosure provides novel techniques for defining empirical models having control, prediction, and optimization modalities. The empirical models may include neural networks and support vector machines. The empirical models may include asymptotic analysis as part of the model definition as allow the models to achieve enhanced results, including enhanced high-order behaviors. The high-order behaviors may exhibit gains that are non-zero trending, which may be useful for controller modalities.
US08452709B2
Embodiment of the invention describe methods and systems for verifying customer supplied financial account information verification using debit and credit transactions. These methods include electronically transmitting an electronic debit and credit transaction to the customer financial account, based on the customer supplied financial account information. The method also includes electronically transmitting a first statement descriptor, as part of at least one of the electronic debit transaction and the electronic credit transaction, that includes a first verification code. The method also includes electronically receiving, from the customer, a second verification code, and comparing, by the computer system, the transmitted first verification code with the received second verification code with respect to each other. The method also includes verifying, by the computer system, the customer supplied financial account information based on the comparison of the verification codes.
US08452702B1
A method, system and program product, the method comprising: accessing databases, comprising (i) aggregated account information for a plurality of government-backed insured interest-bearing aggregated deposit accounts held in a plurality of recipient depository institutions, and (ii) client account information; obtaining client account transaction information of client accounts of a first financial institution; obtaining a first amount of funds for the first financial institution; allocating the first amount of funds to other of the recipient depository institutions; allocating a second amount of funds sourced from other of the financial institutions to the first financial institution, based on criteria; netting the first amount and the second amount to obtain a net amount; if the net amount is different from zero, allocating a positive or a negative third amount, to make the second amount equal to the first amount, so no transfer is necessary.
US08452696B1
Municipalities, local authorities and agencies fine property owners for property infractions each year. When these property fines are not collected, they are turned into a lien assessed against the property, which is superior to other liens, title, and claims until paid. These liens are assessed for violations and accumulated on the real estate title. In many cases these liens are never collected, resulting in the loss of revenue to municipalities, local authorities and agencies. The described methodology is a process to improve on the collectability of these liens. Information is analyzed and categorized according to probability of collection. Once the system determines the value of the special assessment lien, upfront funding can be offered to the municipalities, local authorities and agencies. The system manages the debtor information and communications in order for the municipalities, local authorities and agencies to track collection efforts that contribute to the recovery of lost revenues.
US08452684B1
A method A computer-implemented method of creating an SBA 7 (a) index of floating rate pools comprising: (1) forming one or more candidate pools based on specific characteristics of SBA 7 (a) floating rate pools; (2) determining one or more selection criteria for including one or more candidate pools in an index; (3) comparing the one or more candidate pools to the selection criteria; (4) and if the criteria is met, then (5) weighting the pool and (6) storing said pool in the index.
US08452680B1
Tokenless biometric authorization of transaction between a consumer and a merchant uses an identicator and an access device. A consumer registers with the identicator a biometric sample taken from the consumer. The consumer and merchant establish communications via the access device. The merchant proposes a transaction to the consumer via the access device. The access device communicates to the merchant associated with the access device. After the consumer and merchant have agreed on the transaction, the consumer and the identicator use the access device to establish communications. The access device communicates to the identicator the code associated with the access device. The identicator compares biometric sample from the consumer with registered biometric sample. Upon successful identification, the identicator forwards information regarding the consumer to the merchant. These steps accomplish a biometrically authorized electronic financial transaction without the consumer having to present any personalized man-made memory tokens.
US08452679B2
Apparatus, methods and media for providing a supply chain link performance change indicator. The apparatus may include, and the methods and media may involve a processor module, a receiver module and an output device. The processor module may provide to a user a vector selection control. The receiver module may receive financial data corresponding to the supply chain link. The financial data may include a plurality of vectors. The receiver may receive via the vector selection control a first vector identifier corresponding to a first vector in the plurality of vectors and a second vector identifier corresponding to a second vector in the plurality of vectors. The output device may provide to the user a first supply chain link performance change indicator corresponding to the first vector and a second supply chain link performance change indicator corresponding to the second vector.
US08452670B2
A computer-enabled method for efficiently displaying automatically generated, customizable views of a master product item catalog of veterinary pharmaceutical and other animal-related product item records provided by a centralized pharmacy to a large number of veterinarians, veterinary hospitals and customers, the views comprising administrator views, hospital staff views and user views, the views being selectively excludable and modifiable by each hospital administrator via an exception-type customization and hospital manageable database, access to which is provided for each hospital on the central pharmacy's server, each hospital being enabled to provide customers and staff of the hospital access to its customized catalog via point-of-sale and e-commerce points of access over the Internet or other network.
US08452669B2
A method and apparatus for communicating a purchase request to a dealer immediately. A Data Center system has a system database accessible to a plurality of dealers. A potential buyer submits a purchase request over a computer network to the Data Center system. The purchase request may include product identification data and buyer location information. The Data Center system identifies at least one appropriate dealer to receive the purchase request. The Data Center creates a purchase request record from the data and information provided in the purchase request. The Data Center then communicates the purchase request to the appropriate dealer by immediately storing the purchase request record into the system database such that the purchase request is accessible only to the at least one identified dealer. The purchase request becomes available to the at least one identified dealer immediately upon the creation of the purchase request record.
US08452661B2
A system for safely recharging and charging electrically powered vehicles, including hybrid powered vehicles, includes an electrical charging station for connecting the vehicles to a source of Ground Fault Protected electrical power, an authorization device for permitting an operator of the vehicle to utilize a secure electronic content distributor. The system also includes a metering system for recording the amount of electrical power or electricity utilized to charge or recharge the vehicle. A cover is hinged to the charging station and includes an aperture sized to secure said power cord to said electrical connection output. A locking pin assembly secures the cover in a closed position while said position indicator is engaged and maintains the cover in a closed position until an authorization to release the cover is received.
US08452659B2
A method and apparatus that for matching consumers with product or service providers is disclosed. The method may include establishing one or more profiles from one or more product or service providers, establishing one or more profiles from one or more consumers, receiving a consumer's subject matter request, matching the consumer with one or more products or service providers based on at least one of the consumer's profile and subject matter request, and providing the consumer's contact information to the matched one or more products or service providers.
US08452658B2
A method and apparatus that for matching consumers with product or service providers is disclosed. The method may include establishing one or more profiles from one or more product or service providers, establishing one or more profiles from one or more consumers, receiving a consumer's subject matter request, matching the consumer with one or more products or service providers based on at least one of the consumer's profile and subject matter request, and providing the consumer's contact information to the matched one or more products or service providers.
US08452651B2
A method of providing rewards to a user by storing, in a portable computing device, user profile data which may be accessed by a merchant terminal only if allowed by the user. A merchant terminal interacts with the portable computing device by accessing the user profile data from the portable computing device if allowed by the user, and providing the user with a reward in accordance with the user profile data allowed by the user to be accessed by the merchant terminal, wherein the merchant terminal provides a relatively greater reward to the user when the user allows relatively more user profile data to be accessed by the merchant terminal and a relatively lesser reward to the user when the user allows relatively less data to be accessed by the merchant terminal.
US08452648B2
A computer-assisted method of facilitating the marketing, redemption, and reimbursement of prepaid vehicle services in a vehicle service network. A network administrator screens vehicle service stations, and accepted participant service stations pay fees, which may be used to advertise the network to consumers. The network administrator enrolls consumers in the network as members, and receives prepaid vehicle service fees from the members to credit member accounts in exchange for vehicle services to be rendered by the participant service stations. The administrator issues voucher data to the members and associates the voucher data with member accounts. Members redeem the voucher data at participant service stations, wherein the voucher data is used to verify membership, authorize vehicle services at the participant service stations, and debit the member accounts. The participant service stations send receipt data to the administrator, which reimburses the participant service stations for the rendered vehicle services.
US08452645B2
A system and method, such as an interface, for real time redemption of currency of two or more reward programs. The interface allows a participant to redeem in real time currency of one program in which a participant has an account with currency of one or more other programs in which the participant also has an account. Thus, the participant can selectively use in real time the currencies from two or more programs for redemption via one of the programs.
US08452637B2
Techniques are presented for rescheduling manufacturing releases. A plurality of release information elements are identified based on a first run of a first advanced planning system. The release information elements comprise dates of planned manufacturing release and quantity. The plurality of release information elements are sorted based on associated demand-likelihood factors and a plurality of sorting criteria. Swapping candidates are selected and swaps are performed based on the demand-likelihood factors and at least one swapping constraint. The plurality of release information elements are then fixed and output as results. A second run of an advanced planning system is optionally performed before output and may include stability features.
US08452636B1
A system comprises a data integration module to receive data from two or more different financial service systems, a data transformation module to transform the data, a data storage module to store the transformed data in a persistent raw data store, an analytic module configured use a business rule to condition data stored in the persistent raw data store, and a report module to organize the conditioned data for reporting. A system comprises a business rules engine, an analytic engine to automatically generate a result data set using a rule, and a report engine organize data extracted from the result data set in a report. A system comprises a raw data storage module to store persistent raw data, a processed data storage module to store processed data, a decision module configured to determine a scope of a business rule and adaptively apply the business rule to the data.
US08452631B2
Techniques are disclosed for keeping calendars up-to-date, whereby a person's working hours, events, and actual availability are accurately reflected. In response to user-generated input and/or application-generated input, working hours can be updated and calendar events can be added to, deleted from, or changed on the user's calendar. This makes it easy for users to keep calendars (including working hours) up-to-date and helps both people and applications that use calendar data. Profiles are preferably used to specify working hours, and a particular user may have one or more profiles available (including a default profile); the user can then easily select from among these profiles to update the working hours for a date/day, or a range of dates/days. Preferences may be associated with the profiles, providing a convenient way of isolating information that applies only to a particular set of working hours.
US08452624B2
An online reservation system including a fare search engine is described. The system comprises a database of published fares, a database of rules attached to the published fares and a fare family solver to categorize the published fares into sets of predefined generic fare families on the basis of the rules attached to the published fares. The fare family solver further comprises a generic partitioning fare family database holding the attributes of each predefined generic fare family allowing to determine to which fare family the published fares belong to. The attributes of each predefined generic fare family are first set up by a fare family composer operated by an administrator of the system.The online reservation system of the invention allows returning to the end-users of online travel service providers travel solutions categorized in families of fares having various ranges of prices and levels of restrictions attached to.
US08452618B2
Systems and methods for providing targeted content to a patient who has received a prescription for medication. The systems and methods generally provide the content prior to the Point of Sale (POS) of the actual prescription allow patients to review the content and possibly act on it prior to actually obtaining the medication. Depending on embodiment, the content may be provided by a pharmacy at or around the time of dispensing or by a physician at or around the time of prescribing.
US08452615B2
A computer-implemented method for managing operating-room resources in a hospital includes the steps of receiving at least one surgery request, identifying the resources required for surgery associated with the surgery request, capturing initial data on availability of the resources, capturing initial patient data, and establishing a pre-scheduled operating-room plan based on an initial optimization, and the further steps of capturing current data on availability of the resources, capturing current patient data and establishing a current operating-room plan based on a current optimization. A computer-based system for managing operating-room resources in a hospital and a modular computer-based system for managing operating-room related processes in a hospital are also disclosed.
US08452608B2
A method of delivering a prescription drug discount via a cellular message on a cellular carrier network includes capturing a prescription token in a memory of a cellular device. The cellular device processes the prescription token to sending a message artifact as a cellular message, such as SMS message, over a carrier network to a discount service computer. The discount service computer receives and parses the message artifact, and reconstructs the prescription token. The discount service computer includes an eligibility database of prescription drug patients, cell numbers, and prescription drug identities. The prescription token is matched to a record, and otherwise a corresponding record is generated for the prescription token. The discount service computer accesses a discount database to retrieve a discount coupon relevant to the record of the eligibility database and the prescription drug identity. The discount coupon is sent by response text message to the cellular device.
US08452605B2
An embodiment of an apparatus for generating audio subband values in audio subband channels has an analysis windower for windowing a frame of time-domain audio input samples being in a time sequence extending from an early sample to a later sample using an analysis window function having a sequence of window coefficients to obtain windowed samples. The analysis window function has a first group of window coefficients and a second group of window coefficients. The first group of window coefficients is used for windowing later time-domain samples and the second group of window coefficients is used for windowing an earlier time-domain samples. The apparatus further has a calculator for calculating the audio subband values using the windowed samples.
US08452603B1
Methods and systems for enhancement of device accessibility are described. In an example, an operating system configured to be executed on a device, may be configured to support a plurality of software applications and to support a plurality of modes of operation of the device. A given software application may include a user-interface comprising a user-interface item having a text in a first language. The operating system may be configured to receive a selection of the user-interface item of the given software application. Based on the operating system being in an accessibility mode common to the plurality of software applications, the operating system may be configured to determine a translation of the text into a second language; and a voice output corresponding to a spoken utterance of the translation of the text. The operating system further may be configured to provide, by the device, the voice output.
US08452596B2
To enable selection of a speaker, the acoustic feature value of which is similar to that of an utterance speaker, with accuracy and stability, while adapting to changes even when the acoustic feature value of the speaker changes every moment, a long-time speaker score is calculated (log likelihood of each of a plurality of speaker models stored in a speaker model storage with respect to the acoustic feature value) based on an arbitrary number of utterances, for example, and a short-time speaker score is calculated based on a short-time utterance, for example. Speakers are selected corresponding to a predetermined number of speaker models having a high long-time speaker score. Speakers are selected corresponding to the speaker models, the number of which is smaller than the predetermined number and the short-time speaker sore of which is high, from among the speakers having a high long-time speaker score.
US08452591B2
A device comprising an audio information processor to receive at least one audio stream encoded according to a first protocol by a remote network processing device, the audio stream having associated comfort noise information to indicate a level of background noise available for presentation during silence periods associated with the audio stream, the audio information processor to decode the received audio stream according to the first protocol and to encode the decoded audio stream according to a second protocol, and a background noise translator to convert the comfort noise information received with the audio stream into a format compatible with the second protocol.
US08452586B2
Components of a method and system that allow identification of music from the song or sound using only the sound of the audio being played. A system built using the method and device components disclosed processes inputs sent from a mobile phone over a telephone or data connection, though inputs might be sent through any variety of computers, communications equipment, or consumer audio devices over any of their associated audio or data networks.
US08452570B2
A system for testing a blood glucose measurement engine includes a host device emulator having a measurement engine port communicatively coupled to a communications port and electrically coupled to a power supply. A diagnostic computer may be communicatively coupled to the communications port of the host device emulator. The diagnostic computer may include a processor and a memory having computer readable and executable instructions. When the blood glucose measurement engine is communicatively coupled to the measurement engine port, the host device emulator simulates connection to a host device by facilitating the communication of signals between the diagnostic computer and the blood glucose measurement engine. The processor executes the computer readable and executable instructions to: transmit control signals and diagnostic signals to the measurement engine, receive and analyze data signals transmitted from the measurement engine, and monitor a glucose measurement process performed by the measurement engine.
US08452564B2
Disclosed is a method of determining geometric errors in a machine tool or measuring machine having a mobile unit for moving a target within a measuring volume. The method includes the steps of generating a succession of laser beams in different directions by means of an interferometer, and, for each direction, moving the target into a number of points along the beam; measuring, by means of the interferometer, the abscissa of each of the points from an origin located along the direction of the beam; acquiring the coordinates of each of the points by means of the machine; and determining error parameters of the machine on the basis of the abscissas measured by the interferometer, and the coordinates of the points acquired by the machine.
US08452563B2
Provided is an error measurement and correction device of a stage of a wafer prober. The error measurement and correction device includes a jig member, a vision module, a central processing unit, and an interface unit. The jig member is disposed on a chuck on the stage, and the vision module is disposed on an upper plate of the wafer prober disposed at a position facing the jig member to enable the camera of the vision module to acquire images of the patterns of the jig member and transmits the acquired images to the central processing unit. The central processing unit acquires images of the patterns of the jig member disposed on the chuck by using the vision module to extract reference position information, moves the stage at a unit interval of the pattern, acquires images of the patterns of the jig member again to extract measured position information, and generates and stores mapping data by calculating difference between the measured position information and the reference position information. The central processing unit corrects the movement position information on the stage to be moved by using the mapping data when the stage is moved, so that irrespective of physical deterioration of the stage, the stage can be moved to an accurate position.
US08452557B2
A system is provided which includes a signal generator for generating a periodic excitation signal and an analog to digital converter, wherein the system is configured to apply the periodic excitation signal to a network including a known first impedance and a second impedance and to take a first set of M digital samples of a first signal relating to the first impedance and a second set of M digital samples of a second signal relating to the second impedance with a sampling frequency that is an integer multiple of the frequency of the periodic signal. The system is further configured to determine the impedance value of the second impedance by calculating a relative phase difference between the first signal and the second signal using the first set of digital samples and the second set of digital samples.
US08452547B2
Systems and methods are provided for determining the size of particles within a fluidized bed reactor. The pressure of gas adjacent a gas inlet and adjacent a gas outlet of the reactor are measured with pressure sensors. An algorithm is applied to at least one of the pressure measurements to determine the size of particles within the reactor. The determined size of the particles can be used to control the operation of the reactor. A dosing system and method is provided for measuring defined volumes of particles for transport to the reactor.
US08452546B1
A method of processing sequencing data obtained with a polymer sequencing system identifies the most likely monomer sequence of a polymer, regardless of stochastic variations in recorded signals. Polymer sequencing data is recorded and two or more distinct series of pore blocking signals for a section of the polymer are recorded. A value is assigned to each series of pore blocking signals to obtain multiple trial sequences. The probability that each of the trial sequences could have resulting in all of trial sequences is calculated to determine a monomer sequence with the highest probability of resulting in all of the trial sequences, termed the first iteration sequence. The first iteration sequence is systematically altered to maximize the combined probability of the first iteration sequence leading to all the trial sequences in order to obtain a most likely sequence of monomers of the polymer.
US08452545B2
A method and system is disclosed that enables a less error-prone and preferably automatic assignment of pre-prandial and post-prandial blood glucose values associated with a meal to improve determining the difference between pre-prandial and post-prandial blood glucose measurements as follows. Blood glucose measurements are read and provided with a relative or absolute time mark and labeled as pre-prandial and reading out post-prandial blood glucose measurements provided with a relative or absolute time mark from the memory of a blood glucose measuring instrument. The chronological sequence of the blood glucose measurements labeled as pre-prandial are determined. The post-prandial blood glucose measurements that correspond to each of the pre-prandial blood glucose measurements are determined by applying a time selection criterion. The difference between corresponding pre-prandial and post-prandial blood glucose measurements is determined. The difference values are displayed that have improved diagnostic value.
US08452543B2
Provided herein are methods and computer-implemented systems for using computer simulations to predict likelihood of a cell population associated with a pathophysiological condition acquiring resistance to a therapeutic agent, to screen for therapeutic agents effective to suppress acquisition of resistance within a cell population and to treat the pathophysiological conditions associated therewith. The computer simulation comprises at least an input/out system and a mathematical model, including operably linked equations, parameter values and constant values, of growth response over a period of time of a cell population in contact with an therapeutic agent. Also provide is a method for determining a best-fit mathematical model of adaptation of a microbial population to a therapeutic agent over time and using the model to simulate microbial population behavior to a therapeutic agent.
US08452539B2
Percolation theory is applied to establish a connection between magnetization decay of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements and residual carbon dioxide saturation (Scr). As a result, estimations of Scr are obtained through use of an NMR tool in a formation and appropriate processing. Data may be displayed as a log.
US08452534B2
Conventionally, there has been a learning route-search device that stores therein, as deviation sections, actual traveling routes deviated from optimum routes, and performs route search by substituting, with any one of the deviation sections, a route found by the device if a starting point and an ending point of this deviation section are included in the found route. Such a device substitutes a route with a corresponding one of the deviation sections without exception, and therefore, may sometimes find a circuitous route that is not desired by a user. Provided is a technology by which learned routes are applied in a more appropriate manner in accordance with routes to be found. A route search device is provided with a deviation determining unit adapted to determine whether or not a route deviated from a route found by a route search unit has been taken in travelling. If a route deviated from the route has been taken in travelling, the route search device stores, in association with one another, a road link relating to a position at which the deviated route has started, a road link relating to a position at which retaking of the found route has started, and the deviated route taken in the travelling. The route search device then substitutes at least a part of the foregoing found route with the thus stored route.
US08452533B2
A navigation system for an automotive vehicle capable of communicating with a remote communication device includes a host communication device connected to the remote communication device over a communication network to transmit voice data. A hands free communication unit having a speaker and a microphone is configured to connect with the host communication device so as to communicate with the remote communication device through the speaker and microphone. The vehicle navigation system also includes a voice recognition engine in communication with the hands free communication unit through a voice data link. A route generation unit is connected to the hands free communication unit and the voice recognition engine. The hands free communication unit is capable of transmitting the voice data originating from the remote communication device to the voice recognition engine over the voice data link. The voice recognition engine processes the voice data to extract a destination which is transferred to the route generation unit to determine a navigation route.
US08452532B2
Exemplary methods, systems and components enable selective control of an operational mode for a vehicle that is subject to an administrative standard. In some instances a qualified person or entity may attain a preferred consequential result related to a user-selected vehicle operation mode that may involve a vehicle operation paradigm and/or a vehicle travel route and/or a vehicle travel destination. In some embodiments, implementation of the selected vehicle operation mode may modify a conformity status of the vehicle relative to the administrative standard.
US08452527B2
A method is provided for automatically locating a container in a stowage location of a container ship for loading and unloading of the container ship in container terminals. The method includes the following steps: obtaining the position information of the container ship from container ship positioning units, obtaining the position information of the container from container positioning units when the container is in its stowage location, and determining the stowage location of the container in the container ship by first computing a relative position of the container in the container ship based on both the position information of the container ship and the position information of the container and then correlating the relative position with a stowage plan of the container ship.
US08452522B2
A control method and a control device of an engine are introduced. During the process of the engine controlling, the control unit does the adaptive learning for the actual target value of the feedback of different aims, and following the dynamic spectrogram generation strategy optimizing compares the adaptively learning parameter of the same working status and the same time with the basic spectrogram parameter. If the compared result doesn't meet the condition, then keep the basic spectrogram parameter. And if it meets the condition, then the engine generates the dynamic spectrogram parameter. Based on the dynamic spectrogram combination strategy, the engine combines the basic spectrogram parameter and the dynamic spectrogram parameter generated to the combined spectrogram parameter instead of the basic spectrogram parameter.
US08452518B2
An exhaust control system comprises a total loss determination module and a fuel control module. The total loss determination module determines a total energy loss rate of exhaust upstream of a location in an exhaust system based on a convective energy loss rate upstream of the location, a conductive energy loss rate upstream of the location, and an oxidation energy gain rate upstream of the location. The fuel control module receives a target temperature for the exhaust at the location and determines a target input energy rate based on the target temperature, a temperature of exhaust input to the exhaust system, and the total energy loss rate. The fuel control module controls a rate of fuel injection into the exhaust system upstream of an oxidation catalyst based on the target input energy rate.
US08452517B2
An air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus according to the present invention comprises an air-fuel ratio sensor having a protective cover and an air-fuel ratio detection element accommodated in the protective cover, and imbalance determining means. The imbalance determining means obtains a detected air-fuel ratio abyfs based on an output Vabyfs of the air-fuel ratio sensor every elapse of a constant sampling time ts, and obtains, as an indicating amount of air-fuel ratio change rate, a difference (detected air-fuel ratio change rate ΔAF) between a present detected air-fuel ratio abyfs which is newly detected and a previous air-fuel ratio abyfsold which was detected the sampling time ts ago, an average of the detected air-fuel ratio change rate ΔAF, and the like. The imbalance determining means determines that the air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders state is occurring, when a magnitude of the indicating amount of air-fuel ratio change rate is larger than an imbalance determination threshold.
US08452515B2
A method for simulating a compressor of a gas turbine may generally include determining a predicted pressure ratio and a predicted mass flow of the compressor based on a model of the gas turbine, monitoring an actual pressure ratio and an actual mass flow of the compressor, determining difference values between at least one of the predicted pressure ratio and the actual pressure ratio and the predicted mass flow and the actual mass flow, modifying the difference values using an error correction system to generate a compressor flow modifier and using the compressor flow modifier to adjust the predicted pressure ratio and the predicted mass flow.
US08452512B2
A slip suppression control system for a vehicle comprises a monitored value detecting device for detecting a monitored value corresponding to a difference between a rotational speed of a front wheel of the vehicle and a rotational speed of a rear wheel of the vehicle; a threshold determiner unit configured to determine a relationship between the monitored value detected by the monitored value detecting device and plural thresholds; and a controller configured to execute traction control for reducing a driving power of a drive wheel based on determination of the threshold determiner unit; wherein the plural thresholds have at least first and second thresholds, and the second threshold is set larger than the first threshold; and wherein the traction control includes an amount-change-based control.
US08452505B2
A re-generation instruction apparatus has a re-generation instruction computer that receives brake operation information from a re-generation control computer for calculating an energy loss in a total energy from speed reduction by the brake operation of the driver, which is lost by a re-generation brake system. The calculated energy loss is utilized for preparing notification for the driver in various situations such as a pre-travel notification, a during-travel notification and/or an after-travel notification.
US08452486B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless appliance for monitoring a vehicle. The wireless appliance includes a microprocessor configured to select a vehicle-communication protocol of a host vehicle, and then communicate with the host vehicle through the vehicle-communication protocol. The appliance also includes a vehicle-communication circuit, in electrical communication with the microprocessor, which collects diagnostic data from the host vehicle using the vehicle-communication protocol. A GPS module, also in electrical communication with the microprocessor, generates location-based data. For transmitting these data, the appliance includes a first wireless transmitter operating on a terrestrial network and a second wireless transmitter operating on a satellite network. The microprocessor selects the first or second wireless transmitter for transmitting the diagnostic and location-based data.
US08452478B2
A diagnostic tool for a vehicle, includes a signal translator communicating with the vehicle in at least one protocol, an input unit for inputting information, a processor controlling a software according to the input information from the input unit and communication with the vehicle from the signal translator, the processor controlling a reception of diagnostic data of the vehicle through the signal translator, an input and output unit receiving and transmitting audio and video signals controlled by the processor, a memory storing a software controlled by the processor, the memory storing audio and video information, and transferring the audio and video information through the input and output unit; and a display unit displaying information according to the received and processed audio and video signals stored in the memory.
US08452476B2
In a dialogue system for a motor vehicle, the dialogue system including a plurality of control keys, assigning a function from a predefined set of functions to at least one of the control keys in such a manner that the function is executed upon actuation of the control key. At least one of the functions which can be assigned to the control key is configured as the master function. During the execution of the master function the current value of at least one parameter of a subordinate function that correlates with at least one state of the motor vehicle is determined, and the subordinate function is executed as a function of this value.
US08452475B1
A system for scheduling aircraft maintenance includes communications electronics configured to receive data from systems onboard one or more aircraft while the aircraft are in flight. The system further includes computing electronics configured to receive the data from the communications electronics and to update a maintenance schedule for the one or more aircraft based on the received data.
US08452472B2
A driving control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle is provided with: an internal combustion engine, a power dividing mechanism generator; an electric motor capable of outputting power according to electric power supplied from at least one of the generator and a storage battery, to a drive shaft; a changing device capable of changing an operating state of the generator, from one state to the other state out of a first state in which the rotating shaft of the generator can rotate and a second state in which a rotating shaft of the generator is fixed in a stop state; and a controlling device for controlling the changing device to change the operating state of the generator from the one state to the other state in a predetermined period in which the rotating shaft of the generator does not rotate.
US08452468B2
A steering system includes: a steering wheel; a steering wheel sensor configured to detect an operation angle of the steering wheel; an actuator configured to turn an outboard engine; a plurality of turn angle sensors including a first turn angle sensor configured to detect a turn angle; and a control unit configured to calculate a controlling turn angle, and to drive the actuator to turn the outboard engine in accordance with a difference between the controlling turn angle and the turn angle. If an anomaly of the first turn angle sensor is detected, the control unit continues to drive the actuator based on information from a second turn angle sensor in a normal state, and drives the actuator so as to limit the turn angle of the outboard engine as compared with a case in which the first turn angle sensor is in a normal state.
US08452464B2
A materials handling vehicle automatically applies a steer correction maneuver if an object is detected in a steer bumper zone in front of the vehicle. A controller detects whether an object is in front of the materials handling vehicle and automatically determines whether a steer correction maneuver should be to the right or left of the traveling direction of the materials handling vehicle. The materials handling vehicle automatically steer corrects the vehicle, e.g., at a determined steer angle that is opposite the direction to the detected position of the object, and accumulates the distance traveled by vehicle while steer correction is being performed. The vehicle then automatically counter steers the vehicle, e.g., by a determined steer amount, in the opposite direction as the steer correction for a percentage of accumulated steer distance traveled. After performing the counter steer maneuver, the vehicle may, for example, resume a substantially straight heading.
US08452460B2
The present invention provides an apparatus for fluidics-based automated orientation of plant embryos. The apparatus comprises flow channels, flow direction means, an orientation detector and a control unit. The orientation of embryos suspended in liquid flowing individually through the flow channels is constrained to cotyledon-first or cotyledon-last orientation by dimensional constraints. The orientation is determined by the orientation detector. Embryos not oriented as desired are directed into a reservoir tube by the flow direction means, after which the flow is directed from the reservoir tube to the outlet thereby having reoriented the embryo. Means of sorting viable embryos from other objects are optionally included in the apparatus.
US08452455B2
In a control device of a plasma processing system, a communication unit is configured to receive processing information related to a carrier of a next processing lot. A determination unit is configured to determine whether the processing information received by the communication unit has pre-treatment information related to one of the plasma processing devices. When it is determined that the processing information has the pre-treatment information by the determination unit, a generation unit is configured to generate an object for declaring execution of the pre-treatment for the carrier of a next processing lot if a desired condition of transferring of the carrier is satisfied. In addition, if the object is generated by the generation unit, a process executing control unit is configured to start the pre-treatment for the target object in the carrier of a next processing lot without any notification that the carrier reaches a destination plasma processing device.
US08452446B1
A pill dispensing device includes a base with a top surface and a bottom surface, a transfer tray assembly coupled to the top surface of the base, a controller, and a plurality of vibrating tray assemblies. Each vibrating tray assembly couples to the top surface of the base and includes a pill tray, at least one spring support, a pill tray electric motor, and at least one optical sensor. The pill tray has an open end which is positioned above the transfer tray assembly. The at least one spring support is coupled between the top surface of the base and the pill tray. The pill tray electric motor couples to the pill tray and an offset weight. Each pill tray electric motor electrically couples to the controller. An optical sensor couples to the pill tray.
US08452445B2
A method for distinguishing and sorting seeds containing a genetic element of interest from a bulk sample. In various embodiments, the present invention comprises associating a marker with at least some of the seeds containing a genetic element of interest of the bulk sample, exciting the seeds using an photonic emitting device, evaluating at least some of the seeds of the bulk sample for the presence or absence of the marker, and sorting the seeds containing a genetic element of interest based on the presence or absence of the marker. In various other embodiments, the method may comprise associating a red fluorescent protein marker with at least some of the seeds containing a genetic element of interest of the bulk sample, evaluating at least some of the seeds of the bulk sample for the presence of the red fluorescent protein marker using an evaluating device, and sorting the seeds containing a genetic element of interest based on the presence of the red fluorescent protein marker. In some embodiments, the red fluorescent protein marker is discernable when excited by a certain energy and the evaluating step comprises exciting the seeds containing a genetic element of interest with the certain energy and detecting an emission resulting at least in part from the exciting step.
US08452443B2
An industrial robot system including a workcell including a load area and a process area. A detector detects when a human enters the load area. A manipulator is located in the workcell. At least one positioner is adapted to hold a workpiece and to change the orientation of the workpiece about at least one axis while the manipulator processes the workpiece. A station exchanger is movable about an axis and adapted to move, upon command, the manipulator or the positioner between the load and process area. Each of the axes is provided with a motor and a drive unit. An axis controller is adapted to switch between executing a first task in which the axes of the positioner and the station exchanger are commanded to a standstill, and a second task in which the axes of the positioner and the station exchanger are allowed to move. A safety controller is adapted to supervise, upon detecting that a human is entering the load area, whether any of the station exchanger or the positioner is moving, and to generate a signal which disables the drive unit of the moving axis if it is detected that any of the supervised axes is moving.
US08452434B2
User is allowed to designate a desired mode defining the respective numbers of channels and mixing buses, and processing for mixing input signals of the number of channels corresponding to the designated mode is performed repetitively to generate signals for the individual buses. The time of arrival of the last step in the mixing processing for the number of channels, corresponding to the designated mode, is detected to output an accumulation result obtained at the last step, and new accumulation is started with a digital audio signal inputted at a step following the last step. Digital audio signals processed by a first signal processing circuit are stored into a memory and transmitted to a second signal processing circuit via a cascade-connection. The second signal processing circuit adds the audio signal, processed for each of the steps, to audio signals input via the cascade-connection and writes added signal into the memory.
US08452430B2
An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The apparatus comprises an information receiving unit receiving a downmix signal including and a plurality of preset informations; an external preset information receiving unit receiving a plurality of external preset informations being inputted from external; an external preset applying-determining unit determining whether the plurality of the external preset informations applies to the downmix signal; an external preset information selecting unit selecting one external preset information, if the plurality of external preset informations is selected; and a rendering unit controlling the object by applying the external preset information to the all data regions.Accordingly, an audio signal can be efficiently reconstructed by individually selecting and applying external preset information by a data region unit or by selecting and applying the same external preset information to a whole downmix signal. And, feedback information can be received from a user by displaying an object adjusted by having external preset rendering parameter applied thereto on a screen, according to a characteristic of an audio source.
US08452423B2
Methods and systems for the design and implementation of optimal multivariable MPC controllers for fast-sampling constrained dynamic systems utilizing a primal-dual feasibility approach and/or a graph approach. The primal-dual feasibility approach can compute and store matrices defining constraints of quadratic programming problems in an off-line part in order to calculate vectors of Lagrange multipliers and an optimizer. Then primal-dual feasibility can be checked in an on-line part using the Lagrange multipliers and the optimizer can provide a unique optimal solution for the constrained dynamic system. The graph approach can compute and store the matrices and the vectors, and also prepare and store a structure of directed graph in off-line part. An optimizer for a given parameter vector can be determined in on-line part using the directed graph, the matrices and the vectors.
US08452418B2
A neural probe device includes a housing configured to receive a nerve fiber of a subject and an anchor disposed within the housing and configured to fix the nerve fiber relative to the housing. The device further includes a plurality of actuatable, moveable electrodes disposed in the housing along a length of the nerve fiber, each moveable electrode comprising a plurality of projections containing one or more electrodes thereon, wherein actuation of the moveable electrode causes the moveable electrode to move generally transverse to a long axis of the nerve fiber and penetrate the nerve fiber with the plurality of projections. The device is also optionally configured to inject a growth factor into the nerve fiber to maintain the viability of the nerve fiber.
US08452413B2
A medical data system including a plurality of receivers configured to wirelessly receive medical data via a signal.
US08452409B2
In various embodiments, the invention disclosed herein provides systems, devices and methods for providing electrical stimulation to a patient. An electrical mechanical interconnection is provided to facilitate user friendly systems and devices. Exemplary therapeutic electrical stimulation devices include a shoe connected mechanically and electrically to a conductor that provides signals for electrical stimulation.
US08452406B2
A neurostimulation system includes a neural stimulation lead having a proximal portion and a distal portion and including a plurality of electrodes along the distal portion. The plurality of electrodes are configured for positioning proximate a portion of the autonomic nervous system. A neural stimulation circuit, coupled to the plurality of electrodes, delivers neural stimulation pulses to the plurality of electrodes. A processor and controller is configured to control the neural stimulation circuit to deliver first neural stimulation pulses to each of a plurality of electrode configurations. Each electrode configuration includes one or more of the plurality of electrodes. The processor and controller is further configured to receive information related to motor fiber activity that is induced in response to delivery of the first neural stimulation pulses to each of the plurality of electrode configurations and to identify the electrode configurations that induce the motor fiber activity.
US08452402B2
A reflectance-type optical sensor includes one or more photodiodes formed in a semiconductor substrate. A well having sidewalls and a bottom is formed in the top surface of the substrate, and a reflective layer is formed on the sidewalls and bottom. A light-emitting diode (LED) is mounted in the well, so that light emitted laterally and rearwardly from the LED strikes the sidewalls or bottom and is redirected in a direction generally perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate. The optical sensor can be fabricated using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques.
US08452400B2
Cardiac protection pacing is applied to prevent or reduce cardiac injury and/or occurrences of arrhythmia associated with an ischemic event including the occlusion of a blood vessel during a revascularization procedure. Pacing pulses are generated from a pacemaker and delivered through one or more pacing electrodes incorporated onto a percutaneous transluminal vascular intervention (PTVI) device used in the revascularization procedure. The pacemaker generates the pacing pulses according to a predetermined cardiac protection pacing sequence before, during, and/or after the ischemic event.
US08452399B2
A constant current pacing apparatus and method for pacing uses, for example, H-bridge circuitry and a constant current source connected to the H-bridge circuitry. Further, for example, protection is provided from high voltage pulses applied to the patient via one or more other medical devices.
US08452394B2
Electrical crosstalk between two implantable medical devices or two different therapy modules of a common implantable medical device may be evaluated, and, in some examples, mitigated. In some examples, one of the implantable medical devices or therapy modules delivers electrical stimulation to a nonmyocardial tissue site or a nonvascular cardiac tissue site, and the other implantable medical device or therapy module delivers cardiac rhythm management therapy to a heart of the patient.
US08452393B1
A defibrillation system that utilizes a unique defibrillator paddle assembly. The defibrillator paddle assembly has a handle and a paddle head. The paddle head contains the conductive surface that is used to contact the muscle tissue of the heart during a defibrillation attempt. The paddle head is connected to the handle by a flexible connection. The flexible connection enables the relative orientation between the handle and the paddle head to be selectively adjusted. Accordingly, a physician can selectively change the orientation of the paddle head in relation to the handle in order to more effectively utilize the paddle assembly during a specific circumstance. The flexible connection between the handle and the paddle head can be adjusted either by manual bending or by utilizing adjustment controls that are present on the handle of the paddle assembly.
US08452389B2
An exemplary method includes providing information (e.g., a left atrial pressure, a NYHA class, echocardiographic information, etc.), based at least in part on the information, determining a weight and, based at least in part on the weight, determining a threshold for use in intrathoracic impedance monitoring. Such an exemplary method may include comparing an intrathoracic impedance to the threshold, comparing an intrathoracic impedance change to the threshold, or comparing a product of intrathoracic impedance and time to the threshold. Various exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc., are disclosed.
US08452383B2
Techniques, apparatus and systems that use an optical probe head to deliver light to a target and to collect light from the target for imaging and monitoring a target while a separate radiation is applied to treat the target.
US08452380B2
The invention is an interface device and system for establishing an operating interface between an injector device and diagnostic imaging equipment. In one embodiment, the interface device may permit an operator to concurrently operate and control the injector device and the imaging equipment. The interface device may permit the injector system and the imaging system to communicate information regarding their current and future operational status with each other. The interface device may be used to synchronize the operation of the imaging equipment and the injector device. In one embodiment, the injector device and the imaging equipment may be able to communicate with each other directly or through the interface device via a communications protocol comprising binary logic signals. The binary logic signals may comprise one or more of a low strength signal, a high strength signal, an oscillating signal that oscillates between low and high signal strength, and combinations thereof.
US08452369B2
The present invention provides an electronic device for sensing and/or actuating, the electronic device comprising at least one microneedle (10) on a substrate (1), each of the microneedles (10) comprising at least one channel (7, 8) surrounded by an insulating layer (6). The present invention also provides a method for making such an electronic device for sensing and/or actuating.
US08452366B2
Embodiments described herein may include systems and methods for monitoring physiological parameters of a patient. Specifically, embodiments disclose the use of a flexible circuitry in a medical sensor that is small and lightweight and easily bendable, such that it may be comfortably affixed to a patient while also providing added electronic functions, such as digital conversion and wireless capability.
US08452361B2
An ocular sensor (110) is proposed for verification of at least one analyte in an eye fluid. The ocular sensor (110) is composed of at least one sensor material which is designed to change at least one optical characteristic in the presence of the at least one analyte. Furthermore, the ocular sensor (110) comprises at least one sensor chip which has at least one integrated optical detector (122) for verification of the optical characteristic. A measurement system (166) is also proposed for verification of at least one analyte in an eye fluid, which measurement system (166) comprises an ocular sensor (110) according to the invention as well as an evaluation unit (168) which is designed to interchange information with the sensor chip (118).
US08452357B2
A non-invasive method of determining the concentration of an analyte uses Raman or fluorescence spectral information. A high-intensity band of light is applied to one side of skin tissue. The high-intensity light enters the skin tissue and generates a Raman or fluorescence signal. A Raman-generating material or fluorescence-generating material is placed in a location nearest the other side of skin tissue. The Raman-generating or fluorescence-generating material is located generally opposite of the entry of the applied high-intensity light. The Raman or fluorescence signal is collected and the analyte concentration is determined using the collected Raman signal.
US08452350B2
A portable communication terminal comprising of the present invention includes a first wireless communication unit 102 corresponding to a first wireless communication system, an interface 107 to which an external apparatus 200 can be removably connected, a determination unit 111 for determining whether the external apparatus 200 connected to the interface 107 includes a second wireless communication unit 202 corresponding to a second wireless communication system, a battery voltage detection unit 104 for detecting a battery voltage of a power supply unit 103 including a battery, and a control unit 111 for controlling the external apparatus 200 based on whether a communication by the first wireless communication unit 102 is present, a determination result of the determination unit 111, and the battery voltage detected in the battery voltage detection unit 104. Thereby, an influence on the main communication system due to the addition of the sub-communication system is reduced, so that a multi mode communication depending on the battery voltage can be efficiently carried out without any unpredictable situation for a user to occur.
US08452346B1
To address a time related problem with mobile station ringtones, such as sleep disturbing ringtone generation, a mobile station may be configured to offer the user an option or feature such as might enable programming of ringtone settings as a function of one or more time periods. When the feature is selected, it allows the user to program settings configuring the device to adjust one or more controllable parameters of ringtone for incoming calls and/or incoming messages based on current time in relation to the time program settings. For example, the user might set different ringtone settings for different time slots for each day and/or different time slots on certain days of the week.
US08452342B2
In one aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is disclosed for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device with a touch screen display. A list of items comprising missed telephone calls is displayed. Upon detecting user selection of an item in the list, contact information is displayed for a respective caller corresponding to the user selected item. The displayed contact information includes a plurality of contact objects that include a first contact object, comprising a telephone number object having a first telephone number associated with the missed telephone call, and a second contact object. Upon detecting user selection of the second contact object, a communication with the respective caller is initiated via a modality corresponding to the second contact object.
US08452340B2
A method of providing a user interface on a mobile device for enabling a user to select acoustic equalizer settings for voice call downlink audio signals, the mobile device including an internal microprocessor, a display in communication with the microprocessor, and at least one input means in communication with the microprocessor, the method including receiving a request from the user for displaying the user interface, in response to the request, displaying the user interface on the display, the user interface including a plurality of predetermined acoustic equalizer settings, wherein the user selects one of the equalizer settings using the input means, receiving the selected equalizer setting at the microprocessor, storing the selected equalizer setting at the microprocessor, and processing the voice call downlink audio signals according to the selected equalizer setting.
US08452330B2
A mobile terminal and method for providing terminal related information in a power-off state of the terminal are discussed. According to an embodiment, the mobile terminal includes at least one storage unit; and a contactless controller configured to receive a request for information related to the mobile terminal from a requesting device in the power-off state, to obtain the requested information from the storage unit in the power-off state, and to transmit the obtained information to the requesting device in the power-off state.
US08452326B2
The present invention relates to an arrangement supporting dual mode operation or communication with a core network node using a first and a second mode via a first and a second interface respectively. It comprises parameter handling means adapted to collect or receive first parameters comprising configurable traffic load related parameters and second parameters comprising current network traffic dependent parameters. It also comprises selecting means comprising calculating means adapted to use the configurable parameters and the current parameters of the parameter handling means to select the first or the second mode as operation mode for a connection of a mobile station to the core network.
US08452317B2
Methods and apparatus related to the sharing of wide area network (WAN) uplink bandwidth with peer to peer communication signaling usage are described. The base station regulates the level of interference from the peer to peer signaling by generating and transmitting peer to peer transmission power control signals intended for peer to peer wireless terminals in the local vicinity. A base station transmits into a downlink frequency band a signal, e.g., a beacon or broadcast channel signal, to be used by a peer to peer wireless terminal in controlling its peer to peer transmit power level into the corresponding uplink frequency band. The peer to peer wireless terminal receives and evaluates the base station signal. The determined information from the evaluation is used in determining whether or not peer to peer signal transmission is permitted and/or in determining a peer to peer transmission power level.
US08452310B1
A coverage map for a wireless network is generated. The network includes a server communicating with clients in a coverage area. The clients are mobile devices. At the server, location and reliability information from each client is received. The server then constructs and maintains the coverage map according to the location and reliability information. The coverage map is used to deliver telematic information from the server to the clients in response to requests by the clients.
US08452299B2
In addition to other aspects disclosed, a portable base station requests a mobile handset to measure signal strengths associated with a portion of a code space. The portable base station also sends a message that represents the signal strength measurements to a remotely located control station.
US08452297B2
A method of random access channel (RACH) optimization for a mobile device in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a system information message for RACH configuration optimization, from a network of the wireless communication system, and determining whether to send a first RACH measurement report, used for the network to perform the RACH configuration optimization, to the network, according to existence of a field in the system information message.
US08452290B2
While receiving content for a service at a user device via a particular delivery route, detecting a request for delivery of subsequent content for the service via a secure alternate delivery route. The user device may concurrently receive delivery of the subsequent content via the particular delivery route and the secure alternate delivery route. The detected request may be generated based on QoS associated with the received content of the service. The detected request may be received from a communication network and may comprise identification information for the particular delivery route. The secure alternate delivery route may be determined based on the identification information for the particular delivery route. A communication session profile may be generated and/or determined based on the secure alternate delivery route. The communication session profile is utilized for the requested delivery of the further content via the secure alternate delivery route.
US08452288B2
A method for a handover with consideration of neighbor base stations' circumstances is disclosed. The method for a handover with consideration of neighbor base stations' circumstances by a mobile station in a wireless communication system includes transmitting a handover request (MOB_MSHO-REQ) message to a serving base station, receiving a handover response (MOB_BSHO-RSP) message including a base stations list made with consideration of the neighbor base station's circumstances from the serving base station, and selecting a base station among neighbor base stations except some base stations of the base stations list and transmitting a handover indicate (MOB_HO_IND) message including a information of the selected base station to the serving base station.
US08452282B2
A mobile communication method includes a mobile station transmitting a location registration request on the basis of a pilot signal, a network device judging, in response to the received location registration request, whether or not access to a specific radio base station from the mobile station is permitted, the network device rejecting location registration processing when the access is judged not to be permitted, and the network device making a determination so that the transmission power of the pilot signal in the specific radio base station is reduced when the number of rejections of location registration processing exceeds a predetermined number of times.
US08452280B2
If a control unit detects that it is located outside the service area, searching for a base station on the basis of information stored in a first list storage area is conducted with a certain cycle by a first searching means and searching for a base station on the basis of information stored in a second list storage area is conducted in a gradually extended cycle, in accordance with the number of times Cs of searching for the base station, by a second searching means.
US08452271B2
The described method and system enables a telematic operator to determine a connectivity standing of devices requiring a port change from one wireless carrier to another. In particular, a modem initiates a call to each affected mobile directory number (MDN) and verifies connectivity to the correct vehicle using a telematic authentication encrypted key with appropriate verification of the stored MIN, electronic serial number (ESN), and station ID (STID). The list of verified devices of good connectivity is used to facilitate the MIN change to those telematic devices whereby a higher probability of success is most likely to occur. Moreover, by distinguishing devices most likely to commit a MIN port on the first attempt, a potential impact population whereby success is not likely is also developed, so that further appropriate scrutiny or action can be executed for problematic devices.
US08452258B2
Disclosed is a method and system for implementing account billing which incentivizes shared mobile phone usage. The owner of a phone, or other device capable of making phone calls, would receive a credit to their phone account balance, from the telephone service provider, when they share their phone with another user and allow that user to make a phone call or other transaction by logging into their account using the shared phone, making the phone call or other mobile transaction and then returning the phone.
US08452257B2
A system, method and prepaid payment mobile phone configured to display a current prepaid balance. The prepaid payment mobile phone receives a debit balance request from input on the mobile phone. After retrieving an encoded current balance, the mobile phone displays the amount. The current balance may be calculated by the phone after a transaction, or the phone may receive a debit balance via a short message service notification.
US08452256B2
A communication system includes: a base station device that performs wireless communication with a mobile terminal; a gateway device that is connected to the base station device and provides the mobile terminal via the base station device with a connection path to a network; an authentication server that is connected to the gateway device and issues an authentication key to the mobile terminal via the gateway device and the base station device; and a position search server which outputs a request requesting determination of position of the mobile terminal, wherein, the authentication server identifies the authentication unit from the first registration table, and outputs the request to the identified authentication unit, the authentication unit identifies the data path unit or paging controller unit from the second registration table, and the position search server obtains position information of the mobile terminal from the identified data path unit or paging controller unit.
US08452245B2
A transmitter and method for determining impedance measurement in an active radio frequency transmitter of an antenna are provided. Voltage and current samples are obtained from a modulating signal delivered to an antenna. The voltage and current samples are converted from analog to digital format, and decimation occurs to reduce the number of samples. Complex demodulation is performed of each of the voltage and current samples to baseband levels and decimation of the voltage and current samples is performed to reduce the number of samples. An impedance estimate can then be estimated from the voltage and current samples.
US08452244B2
The present invention provides for a method of controlling discontinuous reception cycles in a mobile radio communications device, and discontinuous transmission cycles in a mobile radio communication network device, and comprising the steps of monitoring the number of consecutive discontinuous reception and transmission periods within which no data is received, monitoring the number of consecutive discontinuous reception and transmission periods within which data is received, and varying the said discontinuous reception cycle responsive to the result of said monitoring.
US08452241B2
Enhanced granularity operational parameters adjustment of components and modules in a multi-band, multi-standard communication device. For supporting two-way communications, a communication device includes receiver and transmitter modules. Each module includes various components that are configurable and/or programmable based on a protocol and band pair by which the communication device is operating. The communication device is a multi-protocol and multi-band capable communication device capable to operate in accordance with any one protocol and band at a first time and another protocol and band at a second time. The various components within each of the receiver and transmitter modules can be adjusted using one or more operational parameters. In some instances, a given component can be controlled by more than one operational parameter. Alternatively, certain components are controlled only one operational parameter. The operational parameters that configure the components may be calculated, retrieved from a memory, and/or determined using other means.
US08452235B2
Exemplary embodiments are directed to communicating information relating to wireless charging. A power transmitting system includes a host device with a transmit antenna. A communication interface conveys receiver information, which includes unique identifier information, from a receiver device to the host device. A controller on the host device monitors and processes the receiver information to generate notification information, which is presented to a user on a user-perceivable notifier. The transmit antenna generates an electromagnetic field at a resonant frequency to create a coupling-mode region within a near-field of the transmit antenna. The system can detect a presence of a receiver device with a receive antenna that is in the coupling-mode region and process a request for power from the receiver device. The system can also notify a user when a host device is leaving a designated region and whether the host device includes expected receiver devices.
US08452234B2
A communication system is provided comprising a living body-side electrode which primarily capacitively couples with a living body, an environment-side electrode which primarily capacitively couples with an external environment, and a circuit board on which a circuit which processes a signal which is output from at least one of the living body-side electrode and the environment-side electrode is mounted, wherein the circuit board is not placed between the living body-side electrode and the environment-side electrode.
US08452231B2
A repeater mediates traffic between a network transceiver and a user transceiver in a wireless communication system. The repeater comprises a network unit that maintains a network link with the network transceiver, a user unit that maintains a user link with the user transceiver, a two-way communication pathway between the network unit and the user unit adapted to communicate signals between the network transceiver and the user transceiver in autonomous repeater hops between the network transceiver and the network unit, between the user transceiver and the user unit, and between the network unit and the user unit including downlink transmission from the network unit to the user unit and uplink transmission from the user unit to the network unit, and a detection unit coupled to the network unit and the user unit adapted to detect frame timing of downlink and uplink transmissions respectively by detecting a preamble sequence of downlink and/or uplink transmissions.
US08452225B2
Systems and methods for creating a mathematical model for use in identifying discourse elements are described. A plurality of first essays relating to a particular subject are received, where each first essay is in an electronic format. Annotations for each first essay are received, where each annotation identifies at least one discourse element. Features are identified with a processor, where each feature is exhibited by at least one identified discourse element. Empirical frequencies are computed with a processor, where each empirical frequency relates to the presence of a feature with respect to the identified discourse elements across the plurality of first essays. Each empirical frequency is associated with the related identified discourse element with a processor. The empirical frequencies are utilized to select discourse elements in at least one second essay.
US08452212B2
A charging member includes a conductive metal shaft and a conductive elastic layer. The conductive elastic layer comprises a rubber material containing 50% to 100% by weight of epichlorohydrin rubber containing 56 mol % or more of an ethylene oxide and a calcium oxide having an average particle size D50 of 18 μm or smaller.
US08452209B2
In an image forming apparatus, a computing unit computes phase shift amounts A(i) for every correction relative phase angle θ(j) based on an amplitude B of a reference compressional wave αa, an amplitude C(i) of a detection compressional wave α(i), and a relative phase angle φ(i). A setting unit specifies the phase shift amounts A(i), and sets a correction relative phase angle θ(j) corresponding to the specified phase shift amounts A(i). A correction unit corrects, based on the correction relative phase angle θ(j) set by the setting unit, a relative phase shift between a periodic variation in the circumferential speed of a first image bearing member and a periodic variation in the circumferential speed of a second group image bearing member by operationally controlling at least one of first and second drive units.
US08452208B2
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a developing cartridge. The developing cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of the apparatus. A cartridge supporting member is movable, while detachably mounting the developing cartridge, between an inside position that is inside of the main assembly of the apparatus to mount the developing cartridge to the main assembly of the apparatus, and an outside position that is outside of the main assembly of the apparatus to remove the developing cartridge from the main assembly of the apparatus. When the cartridge supporting member detachably supports a plurality of such developing cartridges, and when the cartridge supporting member is moved from the outside position to the inside position, force receiving portions of the developing cartridges are contacted to force applying portions of the apparatus at different points of time.
US08452195B2
A printing device configured to print a diagnostic plot, the diagnostic plot including a cockle pattern, a main media advance pattern, and a secondary media advance pattern, wherein the cockle pattern, main media advance pattern, and secondary media advance pattern are for providing feedback and for adjusting printing characteristics associated with the printing device. A method of adjusting vacuum levels in a vacuum system of a printing device including generating a diagnostic plot on media; the diagnostic plot including a cockle pattern, a main media advance pattern, and a secondary media advance pattern, and accepting adjustments to printing parameters on the printing device based on printing defects displayed on the diagnostic plot.
US08452190B1
A signal processing system includes an input for receiving an input signal, a light source for generating an optical carrier signal having a pre-determined wavelength, a modulator for receiving the input signal and the optical carrier signal and modulating the optical carrier signal based upon the input signal, and an optical filter having a plurality of signal channels, wherein at least one of the signal channels is locked by a reinsertion of the optical carrier signal to pass signals having a wavelength substantially the same as the wavelength of the optical carrier signal.
US08452156B2
With this invention, at least one of a video file containing video information, a still picture file containing still picture information, and an audio file containing audio information and a management file having management information on a control method of reproducing the information in the file are recorded on an information storage medium. This realizes a data structure that causes the recording and deleting places on the information storage medium to correspond spuriously to places on a single tape, such as a VTR tape. Use of the data structure provides users with an easy-to-use interface.
US08452154B2
A video stream may include portions that are stored while other portions are being displayed. In one embodiment, a portion of the video stream may be stored in digital storage media at one instance while in the next instance another portion of the stream is being read out of the storage media.
US08452146B2
A process for manufacturing an optical fiber includes: drawing an optical waveguide from a glass preform; applying a layer of a first coating material on the optical waveguide; curing the first coating layer material to obtain a first coating layer; applying a layer of a second coating material onto the first coating layer; applying a layer of colored coating material onto the second coating layer; curing the second coating material and the colored coating material in a single step to obtain a second coating layer superposed on the first coating layer and a colored coating layer superposed on the second coating material layer, the obtained second coating layer having an elastic modulus higher than that of the first coating layer and lower than that of the colored coating layer. An optical fiber and an apparatus for producing it are also provided.
US08452143B2
A high power fiber laser system has a combiner configured of a plurality of single mode (SM) fibers which are fused together so as to define an output end of the fiber combiner. The fused SM fibers radiate respective fiber outputs, which collectively define a multimode (MM) combiner output. The SM fibers each are configured with such an optimally small numerical apertures (NA) that the MM combiner output is characterized by a minimally possible beam quality factor (M2) for the plurality of SM fibers. To reduce the possibility of burning of the components of the fiber laser system with a multi-kilowatt combiner output, a coreless termination block is fused to the output end of the fiber combiner and configured so as to provide expansion of the combiner output without modifying the minimally possible M2 factor thereof.
US08452139B1
This document provides techniques, apparatus and designs for using electro-optic WGM resonators that support two different families of optical WGM modes with different quality factors in various applications. A radio frequency (RF) resonator is formed on the optical resonator and structured to supply an RF field and spatially overlaps the RF field of the RF resonator with the first and second optical whispering gallery modes to cause RF energy in the RF field at a first RF carrier frequency to couple with the first optical whispering gallery mode and RF energy in the RF field at a second RF carrier frequency to couple with the second optical whispering gallery mode.
US08452137B2
An optical backplane is provided that has at least first and second side walls that are generally parallel to one another and at least one optical relay element disposed on at least one of the parallel side walls. An optical signal is coupled into the optical backplane through an entrance facet of the backplane. The optical signal is maintained within the optical backplane by internal reflection at the parallel side walls of the backplane. The optical relay element receives the optical signal reflected off of one of the side walls and reflects and refocuses the optical signal to guide the optical signal and prevent it from diverging as it propagates through the backplane from the entrance facet to the exit facet.
US08452135B2
A method of measuring fiber twist in a multi-core optical fiber bearing an FBG with polarization dependent reflectivity. The state of polarization of the launched light is adjusted until the reflected FBG wavelength is maximal, indicating that light reaching the FBG is linearly polarized, and the polarization axis of the light reaching the FBG is aligned with the slow birefringent axis of the FBG; the SOP of launched light is now measured. Bending experienced by the fiber is measured conventionally, and birefringence produced by bending of the multi-core optical fiber is calculated. A candidate amount of twist between the launch location and the FBG is proposed, and the corresponding twist-induced birefringence is calculated. When calculations show that light with the launched SOP becomes linearly polarized and aligned with the FBG after traversing a fiber section with the calculated birefringences and proposed rotation, the amount of twist has been properly identified.
US08452133B2
To remove an underline even if a business document includes a chart or even if the underline touches a character string, provided is an underline removal apparatus that removes an underline area from binary image data including the underline area touching a character string, the underline removal apparatus including: an underline search processing unit that executes a line template matching process by setting a point on the binary image data as a starting point to set a rectangular line template, tracing pixels included in the line template, and extracting a polyline indicating underline position coordinates; and an underline removal processing unit that uses the polyline to execute a process of obtaining background borderline coordinates between the underline area and a background area and character borderline coordinates between the underline area and the character string obtained by applying an interpolation process to a part in the underline area touching the character string and to execute a process of replacing an area surrounded by the background borderline coordinates and the character borderline coordinates by a color of pixels of the background area.
US08452122B2
An image processing apparatus includes: an assumed deteriorated image pixel value computing unit configured to calculate a pixel value of an assumed deteriorated image, wherein deterioration of a target image configured of multiple channels is assumed, for each of the channels as an assumed deteriorated image pixel value; a pseudo target image pixel value computing unit configured to calculate, regarding a pixel of interest that is a pixel of the target image corresponding to the assumed deteriorated image, a pixel value estimated for each of the channels as a pseudo target image pixel value for each of the channels based on the pixel values of the pixel of interest, and pixels adjacent thereto; and a restored image creating unit configured to create a restored image restored from the target image based on the calculated assumed deteriorated image pixel value and the calculated pseudo target image pixel value.
US08452117B2
Systems and methods for block noise detection and filtering are disclosed. One embodiment includes, computing difference magnitudes in pixel values for adjacent pixels in the image. The difference magnitudes can include horizontal difference magnitudes for horizontally adjacent pixels and vertical difference magnitudes for vertically adjacent pixels. One embodiment further includes using normalized sums of the difference magnitudes to determine a set of noise characteristics of the block noise and a set of image characteristics of the image and configuring inputs to the block noise filter using the set of noise and image characteristics.
US08452111B2
Arrangements are provided for real-time variable compression and decompression schemes. In one arrangement, compressed images are stored as collections of tiled line textures representing breadth-first trees. In another arrangement, an image is decompressed directly on a GPU employing a microcode pixel shader. The arrangements allow for variable compression that can take into account complex local variations in light and shadowing. In this way, areas of high contrast may have significant detail preserved. The arrangement may be employed in a number of applications, including real-time shader image decompression, lighting and relighting, static shadow maps, dynamic texture packing, geometric representations, displacement maps, and so on.
US08452109B2
In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, assembling a feature vector for the image file, the feature vector containing information regarding a likelihood that a selected pair of regions of the image file are of a same intrinsic characteristic, for example, a same texture, providing a classifier derived from a computer learning technique, computing a classification score for the selected pair of regions of the image file, as a function of the feature vector and the classifier and classifying the regions as being of the same intrinsic characteristic, as a function of the classification score.
US08452101B2
A feature extraction method includes: the step of grouping a cluster of features, in which an internal of the respective features is less than or equal to a predetermined grouping interval, to form a feature group, for a plurality of features of which feature information including at least information of a position and a feature type is included in a predetermined feature information storage unit; the step of excluding the feature, not suitable for use in an image recognition process of the feature with respect to image information, from the cluster of the features within the feature group; and the step of extracting a part or all of one or more of the features within the feature group remaining as a result of the exclusion step as a target feature suitable for the use in the image recognition process.
US08452099B2
An image of a known text sample having a text type is generated. The image of the known text sample is input into each OCR engine of a number of OCR engines. Output text corresponding to the image of the known text sample is received from each OCR engine. For each OCR engine, the output text received from the OCR engine is compared with the known text sample, to determine a confidence value of the OCR engine for the text type of the known text sample.
US08452097B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for extracting circumscribed rectangles of one or more characters in a transplantable electronic document. The apparatus comprises a command and resource extraction device for extracting text-segment-related commands and original font resources; a division device for dividing the original font resources into fonts; a font replacement device for seeking fonts, and obtaining font resources after font replacement; a measurement information extraction device for extracting character shape measurement information of the characters; and a calculation device for calculating the circumscribed rectangles of the characters.
US08452092B2
An image processing device includes a demosaicing section that receives an image that includes a first color signal, a second color signal, and a third color signal, and performs an interpolation process that interpolates a missing color signal among the first color signal, the second color signal, and the third color signal on each pixel of the image, and an image output section that outputs an output image based on an image obtained by the interpolation process and output from the demosaicing section. The demosaicing section performs a space-variant interpolation process that implements a different interpolation process depending on a pixel position on a first image that has information within a first wavelength band. The demosaicing section performs a space-invariant interpolation process that implements an interpolation process independently of a pixel position on a second image that has information within a second wavelength band.
US08452082B2
A method of processing a digital image having a predetermined color pattern, includes converting the predetermined color pattern of the digital image into a converted digital image having a different desired color pattern; and using algorithms adapted for use with the desired color pattern for processing the converted digital image.
US08452081B2
A method for determining a three-dimensional model from three or more images comprising: receiving three or more images, each image being captured from a different viewpoint and including a two-dimensional image together with a corresponding range map; designating a plurality of pairs of received images, each pair including a first image and a second image. For each of the designated pairs a geometric transform is determined by identifying a set of corresponding features in the two-dimensional images; removing any extraneous corresponding features to produce a refined set of corresponding features; and determining the geometrical transformation for transforming three-dimensional coordinates for the first image to three-dimensional coordinates for the second image responsive to three-dimensional coordinates for the refined set of corresponding features. A three-dimensional model is determined responsive to the three or more received images and the geometrical transformations for the designated pairs of received images.
US08452079B2
A reference image and a synthesis image covering an area outside the viewfield of the reference image are synthesized as one piece of display image data in a manner reflecting the positional relationship of the images at the image capturing. The display image data is displayed with a partial area thereof presented on a display screen, and the partial area is moved in response to a shift instruction.
US08452063B2
Among other things, on a two-dimensional electronic display are shown simultaneously: (a) at least a partial body view of a surface of the human model on which a location of a skin lesion on a corresponding real human has been indicated, and (b) an image of the lesion area that corresponds to the partial body view of the human model.
US08452060B2
A ridge flow based fingerprint image quality determination can be achieved independent of image resolution, can be processed in real-time and includes segmentation, such as fingertip segmentation, therefore providing image quality assessment for individual fingertips within a four finger flat, dual thumb, or whole hand image. A fingerprint quality module receives from one or more scan devices ridge-flow—containing imagery which can then be assessed for one or more of quality, handedness, historical information analysis and the assignment of bounding boxes.
US08452056B2
An image pickup device that acquires images is controlled by an image pickup device controller that accepts image acquisition requests from multiple application programs, and an application scheduler selects application programs to be executed. Information indicative of the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates required for each of the multiple application programs is stored and used to select multiple concurrently executable application programs on the basis of the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates. An image acquisition scheduler determines the timing and intervals at which the multiple executable application programs repeat receiving image data from the image pickup device, without overlapping in terms of time. In addition, an operations section, which explicitly presents concurrently executable application programs to a user and commands the startup of these programs, is displayed on a navigation screen menu.
US08452050B2
A system for counting objects, such as people, crossing an area includes a camera configured for capturing video images along a surface in the area. The surface includes a plurality of detectable features on the surface. A user interface allows an individual to define a region where object detection is desired. A processor processes the images and counts a detected object in the region when criteria for counting are satisfied.
US08452046B2
A method includes receiving an image of a storage tank at a processing system, where the storage tank is capable of storing one or more materials. The method also includes processing the image to identify a level, profile, or amount of sludge or sediment present in the storage tank. Processing the image could include segmenting the image into multiple segments and using the segments to identify a non-linearity in the image. The image could be segmented into segments having different grey levels using grey level values associated with previously-identified sediment or sludge. The identified level or amount of sludge or sediment could be used to automatically schedule maintenance for the storage tank.
US08452034B2
Method and apparatus for signal processing an input signal in a hearing assistance device to avoid entrainment, the hearing assistance device including a receiver and a microphone, the system comprising using a gradient adaptive lattice filter including one or more reflection coefficients to measure an acoustic feedback path from the receiver to the microphone of the hearing assistance device.
US08452033B2
An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.
US08452023B2
Systems and methods to reduce the negative impact of wind on an electronic system include use of a first detector that receives a first signal and a second detector that receives a second signal. A voice activity detector (VAD) coupled to the first detector generates a VAD signal when the first signal corresponds to voiced speech. A wind detector coupled to the second detector correlates signals received at the second detector and derives from the correlation wind metrics that characterize wind noise that is acoustic disturbance corresponding to at least one of air flow and air pressure in the second detector. The wind detector controls a configuration of the second detector according to the wind metrics. The wind detector uses the wind metrics to dynamically control mixing of the first signal and the second signal to generate an output signal for transmission.
US08452022B2
Disclosed herein is a digital filter circuit for producing a noise reduction signal for reducing noise based on a noise signal outputted from a microphone which collects the noise, including: an analog/digital conversion section; a first digital filter section; an arithmetic operation processing section; a second digital filter section; and a digital/analog conversion section. The first digital filter section and/or the second digital filter section are configured such that a predetermined attenuation amount is obtained within a predetermined range in the proximity of a sampling frequency around the sampling frequency.
US08452021B2
An embodiment of a hearing assistance apparatus for performing a Real Ear Measurement (REM), comprises a hearing assistance device housing, a microphone within the housing, an earhook connected to the housing, and a flexible tube. The house has a first opening for guiding sound into the housing to the microphone. The housing and the connected earhook form an interface, where the earhook has a shape to provide a slot near the interface of the housing and the earhook. The tube guides sound, and has a first end and a second end. The first end of the flexible tube and the slot of the earhook cooperate to retain the first end of the flexible tube in the slot of the earhook and flush with the housing to provide a sound-tight connection with the first opening.
US08452019B1
A test system is configured to perform testing and calibration on a sound processing system by generating a test sound signal and measuring the outputs of the sound processing system in response to the test sound signal. The test system includes precision measurement instrumentation for measuring amplitudes and phases of signals generated by the sound processing system. The test system transmits configuration signals to the sound processing system to programmatically adjust one or more programmable gains and delays of the sound processing system.
US08452015B2
A method for key distribution includes steps or acts of: deprecating a first key on a server; receiving a request from a client wherein the client request includes the deprecated key; verifying the client request by using the deprecated key provided in the client request to decrypt the client request; and sending a communication to the client advising that the first key has been updated. An additional step of sending instructions to the client on obtaining the updated key may also be provided. Additionally, instructions on obtaining the updated key may be sent to the client.
US08452014B2
Group key management in a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) may be provided. Each network node associated with the MANET may comprise a group distribution key and a list of authorized member nodes from which a group key manager may be elected. The group key manager may periodically issue a new group key to be used in protecting communications among the network nodes. A compromised node may be excluded from receiving updated group keys and thus isolated from the MANET.
US08452012B2
A system and method for establishing a connection on a mobile computing device includes generating a secret on a trusted platform of the mobile computing device. The secret is transported to a subscriber identity module (SIM)/Smartcard on the mobile computing device. A secure local communication channel is established between the trusted platform and the SIM/Smartcard using the secret.
US08452006B2
In one embodiment, a cryptography processor compatible with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for encrypting and decrypting has a memory storing each element of an AES State, normally 8-bit long, in a corresponding memory space that is at least 9 bits long. Using the larger memory spaces, the processor performs modified AES transformations on the State. A modified column-mixing transformation uses bit-shifting and XOR operations, thereby avoiding some multiplications and modulo reductions and resulting in some 9-bit State elements. A modified byte-substitution transformation uses a 512-element look-up table to accommodate 9-bit inputs. The modified byte-substitution transformation is combined with a modified row-shifting transformation. The memory has data registers each holding four State elements. A modified expanded key schedule is used in a modified round-key-adding transformation that is combined with the modified column-mixing transformation, wherein all four elements stored in a single data register are processed together in some operations.
US08451987B1
Service disruptions in a 911 system are detected by receiving reports from mobile positioning centers that detail certain activities of the 911 system. These reports are compiled into a log. Parts of this log are then searched for conditions that would indicate a service disruption. For example, a certain number of errors appearing in the log in the last six hours may indicate a service disruption. If a condition that would indicate a service disruption is found, a notice is generated so that action may be taken.
US08451984B2
A system and method for providing a call-for-help capability is provided by the invention. The system comprises a central location having a dedicated telephone line having a specified caller identification known to a speakerphone system located in the general location of a person who uses the system for emergency signaling. The person is provided with the speakerphone system and a pendent for generating an emergency signal containing the person's identifier. When received at the central location, a telephone number of the speakerphone system corresponding to the identifier is determined and a telephone call is made on a telephone channel having the specified caller identification. When any call is received by the speakerphone system, its caller identification is examined to determine if the caller identification of the telephone call is the same as the specified caller identification. If so, the telephone line is automatically made to go offhook and the call is directed to a speaker associated with the speakerphone system for hands-free operation. If not, the telephone receiver associated with the speakerphone system is allowed to ring-in in the normal way for manual activation by the person.
US08451969B2
Described herein are an apparatus, system and method for timing recovery in processors by means of a simplified receiver architecture that consumes less power consumption, has lower bit error rate (BER), and higher jitter tolerance. The apparatus comprises a phase interpolator to generate a clock signal; a first integrator to integrate a first portion of a data signal over a duration of a phase of the clock signal; a first sampler to sample the first integrated portion by means of the clock signal; a first circuit to store a first edge sample of the data signal; a second sampler to sample the stored first edge sample by means of the clock signal; and a clock data recovery unit to update the phase interpolator based at least on the sampled first integrated portion and sampled stored first edge sample of the data signal.
US08451966B2
Disclosed herein is an information processor, including: a receiving section configured to receive an OFDM signal transmitted in accordance with an OFDM system; a FFT arithmetically operating section configured to carry out FFT for a signal within a predetermined interval of the OFDM signal; a delay profile estimating section configured to estimate delay profiles from the OFDM signal received by the receiving section; an inter-symbol interference amount estimating section configured to estimate inter-symbol interference amounts for a plurality of candidates for the predetermined interval, respectively, by using the delay profiles estimated by the delay profile estimating section; and a searching section configured to search for the candidate having the minimum inter-symbol interference amount estimated by the inter-symbol interference amount estimating section from among the plurality of candidates in the predetermined interval, and supply data on the candidate thus searched for as the predetermined interval to the FFT arithmetically operating section.
US08451960B2
Embodiments provide improved systems and methods of gain control and calibration for wireless transmitters. In particular, embodiments allow linear gain control over the entire transmitter gain control range, independent of temperature/process variations. Embodiments require very low power consumption compared to existing approaches. Embodiments may also be used for gain control calibration during production time, thereby substantially reducing production calibration time and cost.
US08451957B2
Systems and methods for time synchronization of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based communications are disclosed. A cyclic prefix (CP) correlation-based timing synchronization method is disclosed for early path (e.g. first-received path) detection for OFDM-based communication. Systems and methods are disclosed for performing double peak value detection in an OFDM-based system for reliably detecting an early (e.g., first-received) path in a received OFDM symbol for use in timing synchronization. In the double peak value detection method, a first peak value detection is performed to detect the path with the largest power, and a second peak value detection is then performed to detect a desired early (e.g., first-received) path. A compensation linear curve is used to facilitate the second peak value detection.
US08451953B2
A method for detecting a space-time block code is provided. The method includes randomly selecting one initial candidate layer (xN) with respect to a signal vector {tilde over (y)}, applying a DF algorithm to first J number of layers (xN−1, xN−2, . . . , xN−J) with respect to all the available candidate symbols within the initial candidate layer (xN) to generate candidate symbols of each of the J number of layers, re-arranging the J number of layers, selecting the lowest layer of the re-arranged J number of layers as a new candidate layer, performing a DF process on the other remaining layers, excluding the new candidate layer, to generate N-dimensional candidate symbol vectors xi, and performing a maximum likelihood detection on the xi to detect an N-dimensional input vector {circumflex over (x)}.
US08451950B2
The present invention relates to the field of receiving data and/or demodulating a data transmission signal. The present invention provides a method of and/or device for determining a data signal imposed on a phase jitter modulation signal. In one form, the invention relates to the field of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and the transmission of data between a tag and an interrogator.
US08451948B2
A carrier recovering apparatus, in which degradation of the demodulation performance caused when a pilot signal cannot be normally received is suppressed, includes a rotation calculator for multiplying a baseband signal and an oscillation signal and outputting a multiplied signal; a pilot signal extractor for extracting a pilot signal from the signal output from the rotation calculator; an error detection controller for outputting a phase error between the pilot signal and a reference signal as a value restricted within a given range; a loop filter for smoothing the phase error output from the error detection controller and outputting the smoothed phase error; and a variable frequency oscillator for generating a signal in accordance with the output of the loop filter and outputting the generated signal as the oscillation signal.
US08451944B2
A method for processing user symbols with Tomlinson Harashima precoder (THP) in a base station, of a wireless system having K user terminals (UEs) which communicate with the base station via an uplink channel and corresponding downlink (DL) channel, comprises estimating a DL channel matrix Hk; determining receiver processing matrix Vk; computing an effective matrix DL channel Heff; performing QR decomposition of Heff; computing THP matrices; calculating scalar weights for the UEs; processing user symbols by the THP having the THP matrices to produce an output of filtered vector symbols for the UEs; directing output of the THP to the channel represented by the DL channel matrix through which communications occur in the wireless system with the UEs; performing additional receiver processing on the transmitted signals at the UEs based on Vk for each of the K UEs; and using the scalar weights on the transmitted signals at the UEs.
US08451943B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and a device for transmitting a signal, and relate to the field of communications. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are: the method for transmitting a signal, including: determining a peak clipping threshold of a signal according to f(MCS), where MCS represents a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the signal, and f(MCS) is a corresponding relationship between the MCS and noise at a receiving end; performing peak clipping on the signal by using the peak clipping threshold to obtain a peak-clipped signal; and transmitting the peak-clipped signal. According to the embodiments of the present invention, different peak clipping thresholds may be selected according to different MCSs, and thus, the reliability of data transmission is improved.
US08451939B2
A radio communication apparatus includes a baseband signal generator to generate digital data; a clock generator to generate 2N pulse signals corresponding to the digital data; a selector to select one of the 2N pulse signals; and a short pulse generator to reduce a pulse width of the signal selected by the selector, wherein the 2N pulse signals include a whole-period non-transmission pulse, a whole-period transmission pulse, and 2N-2 partial-period transmission pulses, when the partial-period transmission pulse is selected, a band pass filter outputs a signal that lasts for part of a period having a 1-symbol length, when the whole-period non-transmission pulse is selected, the band pass filter outputs a signal attenuated by offsetting signals corresponding to the whole-period non-transmission pulse, and when the whole-period transmission pulse is selected, the band pass filter outputs a signal that lasts for a whole of the period having the 1-symbol length.
US08451937B2
The disclosure is directed to a multi-channel encoder. The multi-channel encoder is configured to generate an encoded data stream. The multi-channel encoder includes a plurality of channel encoders, and a processor configured to allocate time slots in the encoded data stream to each of the channel encoders to vary the rate of data provided by each of the channel encoders into the encoded data stream.
US08451934B1
A method and system for increasing the throughput of a wireless channel that sends different data on different multi-path components. The channel can be pre-mapped or dynamically mapped, and the different transmissions can be modulated by different complexity signals such as adaptive quadrature amplitude modulation (AQAM). Each multipath component is coded with a signature that will allow it to be separated at a receiver that has an omni-directional antenna. Common signature techniques can be offset PN codes, orthogonal spreading vectors, orthogonal alphabets and other signature techniques. The received channels can be combined for an overall increase in data-rate or used separate as multiplexed data.
US08451921B2
A method for adaptively learning a sparse impulse response (100) of a continuous channel to which an input signal (x(t)) is applied and which delivers an output signal (y(t)), comprising the following steps: low-pass filtering the input signal and the output signal and obtain a filtered input signal (xF(t)) and a filtered output signal (yF(t)) sampling the filtered input signal and the filtered output signal with a sampling rate below the Nyquist rate and obtaining a sampled input signal (xS(t)) and a sampled output signal (yS(t)) retrieving from the sampled input signal (xS(t)) and the sampled output signal (yS(t)) an estimate (400) of the sparse impulse response (100) of the continuous channel.
US08451920B2
An apparatus for setting a pilot subcarrier in an antenna selects candidates of power value variables of a pilot subcarrier existing within a predetermined range, and calculates and extracts pilot subcarriers of a predetermined number on the basis of a nonlinear function among the candidates of the selected power value variables. Next, the apparatus removes pilot subcarriers of a predetermined number from the extracted pilot subcarriers of a predetermined number in accordance with a rule and configures the antenna on the basis of position values of final pilot subcarriers except for a virtual subcarrier among the removal result. Further, the apparatus configures the antenna on the basis of the power value by determining the sum total of the power values corresponding to the position values of the final pilot subcarriers to correspond to the number of pilot subcarriers.
US08451918B1
A spur detection and spur cancellation apparatus in a multiple sub-carrier digital communication receiver includes a spur detection block that estimates, using one or more Fourier transforms, a frequency location of a narrowband interference spur in a received digital signal that includes a plurality of sub-carriers, and a spur cancellation block that attenuates the estimated narrowband interference spur. The spur detection block may use a fast Fourier transform (FFT) and/or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to locate a frequency and to measure a discrete power spectra of the narrowband interference spur. A channel state information block in the receiver may adjust a channel state information metric based on the located frequency and/or the measured discrete power spectra of the narrowband interference spur.
US08451915B2
A method for transmitting control information by transmitting a reference signal from a first transceiver to a second transceiver, in response to the reception of the reference signal, determining at the second transceiver a plurality of control channel elements based upon the received reference signal, jointly encoding the plurality of control channel elements at the second transceiver to generate a control signal, and transmitting the control signal from the second transceiver to the first transceiver.
US08451914B2
Methods and apparatus for allocating repeating time periods in a wireless, communication system. A timing reference, such as a beacon is identified. An overhead set of repeating time periods is identified, the overhead set of repeating time periods having an overhead signal periodicity related to the beacon. A data payload set of repeating time periods having a data payload periodicity related to the beacon time period is identified. The overhead set of repeating time periods is divided into a fixed bit-use subset of repeating time periods and a flexible bit use subset of repeating time periods.
US08451910B1
A method and apparatus for real time adjustment of wireless transmission in a media device (e.g., webcam), as opposed to a server or computer. In one embodiment, the adjustment, or dynamic tuning, involves tracking available bandwidth of the radio signaling rate and varying one of the retry rate, compression and frame rate. Also, the adjustment can be made on the basis of forecasts based on past behavior. A tracking and control algorithm is used to modulate the video bit-rate from the camera with the dynamic bit-rate available in a WiFi link.
US08451900B2
In a global motion estimation, profiles (Prof1, Prof2, ProO, Prof4) are determined of frames (FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4) of an input video signal. Each profile comprises a value, for each pixel in a first direction of the frame, which is obtained by combining pixels in a second direction of the frame. The profiles are updated (Upd Prof) with a first shift (Δx′12, Δx′2, Δx′34) to obtain updated profiles (Prof1′, Prof2′, Pro3′), and the updated profiles are matched (S/M) to obtain a secondary shift (Δx′12, Δx′23). Preferably, the first shift is a zero shift. The updating may be effected by shifting one of the profiles over the first shift to obtain a shifted profile, and subtracting another one of the profiles from the shifted profile. If the second direction is the vertical direction, the profile may comprise a vertically combined (e.g. averaged) pixel value for each pixel in the horizontal direction.
US08451869B1
A network device includes a substitutor and a transmitter. The substitutor receives input columns of concurrently received input symbols. Each of the input columns includes one input symbol from each of a plurality of parallel input lanes. The substitutor generates output columns corresponding to the input columns, wherein each of the output columns includes one output symbol for each of a plurality of parallel output lanes. The substitutor replaces the output symbols of a selected column of the output columns with alignment symbols. The selected column is immediately followed by a second column, and the second column is immediately followed by a third column. The substitutor replaces the output symbols of the second column with disposable symbols, and replaces the output symbols of the third column with boundary symbols. The transmitter drives data onto a communications medium in response to the output symbols generated by the substitutor module.
US08451868B2
Systems, methods, and processor readable media are disclosed for encoding and transmitting first media content, second media content and triggering instructions to a digital radio broadcast receiver such that the triggering instructions arrive for immediate execution to trigger immediate rendering of the second media content in synchronization with the first media content.
US08451864B2
A passive optical network (PON) processor comprises a packet processor for processing packets belonging to a certain flow through a plurality of processing stages of a programmable data-path; a microprocessor-data for performing one or more user-defined functions in the programmable data-path on designated packets belonging to the certain flow, wherein packets of respective flows to be processed by the microprocessor-data are designated in a flow table; a microprocessor-control for managing connections handled by the PON processor; a data-path bus for connecting the packet processor and the microprocessor-data, wherein the designated packets are transferred between the packet processor and the microprocessor-data on the data-path bus; and a control-path bus for connecting the packet processor and the microprocessor-control.
US08451849B2
A solution for establishing a session of a real-time media communication service in a communication system comprising at least two separately administered subsystems. The session establishment comprises receiving a request for session initiation, querying subscriber information related to the requested session, and initiating the session according to the queried subscriber information. The invented method comprises detecting that the terminating subscriber does not belong to the same subsystem as the originating subscriber, determining a defined transit server associated with the terminating subscriber, said transit server having access to a subscriber database of the subsystem of the terminating subscriber, and querying subscriber information related to the requested session with a first control message comprising parameters of the requested session to the transit server. The solution allows a connection to be established between users of a real-time media communication service for subscribers of separate administrative subsystems so that operators of each subsystem may possess full control of their own network elements, and the internal connection establishment procedures need minimal alterations for the functionality.
US08451847B2
An intermediate node device, for which a method of control is provided and of which a provided network system includes a plurality, may receive a data packet from an upper intermediate node device and generate a first acknowledgement (ACK) message and a second ACK message with respect to the received data packet. Also, the intermediate node device may transmit the first ACK message to the upper intermediate node device, and transmit the second ACK message to an upper intermediate node device which is separated by a predetermined number of hops.
US08451841B2
A method and an apparatus for processing a call to an aggregate endpoint device over a network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a session request by an application server, wherein a route header for the session request comprises an aggregate endpoint identifier, and determines at least one Public User Identity (PUID) of the aggregate endpoint device in accordance with the aggregate endpoint identifier. The method obtains a Serving-Call Session Control Function Fully Qualified Domain Name (S-CSCF FDQN) of a Serving-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) that performs a termination processing for the aggregate endpoint device, and forwards the session request to the S-CSCF with a route header that comprises the PUID of the aggregate endpoint device.
US08451836B2
In the field of optical network communication technologies, a method, a device, and a system for transmitting a constant rate data stream are provided. The method for transmitting the constant rate data stream by the first network device includes: receiving a constant rate data stream; calculating an input rate of the constant rate data stream or a rate difference between the input rate and a standard rate of the constant rate data stream in each cycle of a reference clock; encapsulating the constant rate data stream into a Gigabit-Passive Optical Network (GPON) Encapsulation Method (GEM) frame by using a bit as a minimum encapsulation unit; and encapsulating the GEM frame into a GPON Transmission Convergence Layer (GTC) frame, and sending the GTC frame to the second network device through a GPON network. Therefore, the technical solutions may be widely applied to the GPON network.
US08451834B2
Determining availability of a destination for computer network communications that include providing on a caching device a destination availability cache comprising at least one cache entry representing availability of a destination and providing, from the caching device to a source, through computer network communications, information indicating the availability of the destination. In typical embodiments, the cache entry comprises a network address of a destination device and a time limitation for the cache entry.
US08451833B2
A transparent routing device disposed within an access network configured in accordance with one or more lower-layer protocols is disclosed herein. The device includes a set of subscriber-side ports. Each of the subscriber-side ports is associated with a plurality of virtual subscriber-side interfaces disposed to effectively terminate a corresponding plurality of subscriber-side connections with subscriber host devices served by the access network. The device further includes at least one network-side port through which communication occurs with an external network in accordance with a higher-layer protocol. A routing table is configured to establish a correspondence between network addresses of the subscriber host devices and the plurality of virtual subscriber-side interfaces. During operation of the device, packets received through the at least one network-side port are forwarded to corresponding ones of the virtual subscriber-side interfaces based upon network addresses of the packets.
US08451830B2
A system and a method for measuring quality of a multimedia service transceived via a VoIP service and notifying a user of a result of the measurement are disclosed. An embodiment of the present invention includes a VoIP multimedia server configured to loop back sample multimedia data received from a multimedia terminal providing a VoIP multimedia service, analyze a quality measurement result received from the multimedia terminal, calculate a quality measurement score, convert the quality measurement score into voice data, and transmit the voice data to the multimedia terminal, and a multimedia terminal configured to transmit the sample multimedia data to the VoIP multimedia server via a packet network, measure the quality of loopback sample multimedia data looped back from the VoIP multimedia server, transmit the quality measurement result to the VoIP multimedia server, receive the voice data of the quality measurement score, and output a voice.
US08451826B2
According to embodiments of the present invention, there are provided a method, system and apparatus for determining validity of location information in a packet-switched network. A method for determining if location information associated with an endpoint in a packet-switched network is valid, the location information having been stored in a memory, comprises obtaining an access device identifier associated with an access device responsible for handling a communication session between the endpoint and the packet-switched network. The access device identifier is then compared with a last known access device identifier associated with the endpoint to enable determining if the location information is valid.
US08451817B2
A method and apparatus for determining if a packet is a duplicate packet are disclosed. The method includes determining if a field of a duplicate packet map (DPM) indicates the packet is the duplicate packet. The determination is made using a packet summary value (PSV) corresponding to the packet. The apparatus (a network device, for example) includes a duplicate packet map (DPM), which can be used to make the foregoing determination.
US08451816B2
Multi-mode WLAN/PAN MAC. A novel solution is presented in which a MAC (Medium Access Controller) is implemented that includes multiple functionality types. This MAC may include functionality supporting communication according to one or more of the IEEE 802.11 WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) related standards and also to one or more of the standards generated by the IEEE 802.15.3 PAN (Personal Area Network) working group. By providing this dual functionality of a multi-mode WLAN/PAN MAC, a communication device may adaptively change the manner in which it communicates with other communication devices. For example, in an effort to maximize throughput and overall efficiency of communication within a communication system, certain of the various devices may change from using the WLAN related standards to using the PAN related standards, and vice versa, based on any one or more of a variety of operational parameters including system configuration.
US08451814B2
Disclosed herein are methods and systems that may help a WiMAX base station function without a GPS signal by providing a high-stability reference signal via a subcarrier of a broadcast signal, such as an FM radio signal. An exemplary broadcast station may therefore be configured to phase-lock a subcarrier signal to a GPS signal, and include this subcarrier in its broadcast signal, thereby providing the subcarrier signal for use by a base station as a high-stability reference signal for local-oscillator stabilization at the base station. The broadcast station may further modulate a timing signal onto the subcarrier signal. An exemplary base station may therefore receive the broadcast signal, decode the broadcast signal to acquire the subcarrier signal, and use the subcarrier signal to stabilize its local oscillator, rather than using a GPS signal. The base station may further demodulate the subcarrier to acquire the timing signal, which the base station may use for frame-start synchronization, instead of a GPS signal.
US08451802B2
According to one embodiment, an anchor access gateway receives packets from a home agent. The packets are destined for an access terminal, and the anchor access gateway serves the access terminal. The packets are forwarded to the access terminal. The anchor access gateway receives a handoff request from a target access gateway. The handoff request requests a handover from the anchor access gateway to the target access gateway. The packets are forwarded to the target access gateway in accordance with the handoff request.
US08451798B2
A carrier configuration method for a multi-carrier communication system having a base station (BS) and a terminal is described. The BS divides multiple component carriers (CCs) of the terminal to multiple CC groups, wherein the CCs using at least one identical configuration parameter are divided into the same CC group. The BS transmits a CC configuration message comprising at least one configuration parameter data to the terminal, wherein the configuration message comprises or does not comprise at least one CC configuration indicator. If the configuration message comprises the CC configuration indicator, the terminal will receive the CC configuration message, and configure the configuration parameter of the configurations of the CCs indicated by the CC configuration indicator according to the configuration parameter data; otherwise, the terminal will configure the configuration parameter of the configurations of the default CCs (e.g. all of the CCs currently used by the terminal, or primary CCs).
US08451797B2
A mobile node includes a processor, a network interface, and a storage device having computer program code for execution by the processor. The computer program code includes a network layer for transmitting and receiving packets and an intermediate driver that transmits packets to the network layer and receives packets from the network layer using a virtual interne protocol (IP) address to identify the mobile node. The intermediate driver transmits packets to the network interface and receives packets from the network interface using a routable actual IP address to identify the mobile node. The intermediate driver permits the actual IP address to change when the mobile node moves from a first subnet to a second subnet without a corresponding change in the virtual IP address. A corresponding NAT associates the virtual IP address with a second actual IP address when the NAT is notified that the mobile node is in the second subnet.
US08451787B2
A set of specific sequences including a set of root sequences and cyclic shifts thereof is searched, wherein it is started from a root sequence index indicating a root sequence of ordered root sequences, available cyclic shifts of the root sequence are included, and it is continued with a next root sequence if necessary for filling the set, interpreting the ordered root sequences in a cyclic manner.
US08451784B2
Systems, methods, and apparatus that facilitate optimal idle mode reselection are presented herein. A virtual neighbor component can be configured to create at least one virtual neighbor object and associate the at least one virtual neighbor object with at least two wireless access points. A reselection component can be configured to facilitate idle mode reselection between a wireless access point of the at least two wireless access points and another wireless access point based on, at least in part, the at least one virtual neighbor object.
US08451774B2
To control the communication quality on the terminal basis without making the base station more complicated, it is provided a communication system, comprising at least one computer and a gateway that is connected to the at least one computer through a first network. The gateway is connected to at least one terminal through a second network. The at least one terminal performs communications with the at least one computer via the gateway. The gateway estimates quality of the communications between the gateway and the at least one computer in the first network; and determines a priority for the communications between the gateway and the at least one terminal in the second network according to the estimated quality of the communications in the first network.
US08451770B2
Techniques to implement MBMS services in a wireless communication system. In one aspect, a method is provided for processing data for transmission to a plurality of terminals. Frames of information bits (which may have variable rates) are provided to a buffer implementing a matrix. The matrix is padded with padding bits based on a particular padding scheme to support variable frame rates. The frames are then coded based on a particular block code to provide parity bits. The frame of information bits and the parity bits are then transmitted to the terminals. In another aspect, a method is provided for controlling the transmit power of a data transmission to a plurality of terminals. In accordance with the method, TPC streams are received from the terminals and processed to obtain a stream of joint power control commands used to adjust the transmit power of the data transmission.
US08451768B2
A system, method, and apparatus are provided for a source to choose a partner/relay from at least one candidate to transmit at least part of a message from the source to destination. The choice depends on the channel conditions of the source and when the source is experiencing poor channel quality to the destination, the source selects the candidate and the modulation modes of the source and partner/relay such that the frame error rate (FER) of the source is lowered. Otherwise, a modulation mode is selected for each of the source and the partner/relay that most improves the gain in throughput of the source. The present invention applies to modes consisting of binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), and 16-state quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM).
US08451765B2
A method includes: sending, by an RNC, MBMS data to base stations of the target cells or sectors, distributing the same time and frequency resources, scrambling code and midamble to the cells or sectors to transmit the MBMS data, sending information of the distributed resources, scrambling code and midamble to the base stations and UEs of the target cells or sectors; and rotating, by each of the base stations, the MBMS burst signal to be sent by a random phase, sending the rotated signal to the UE using time and frequency resources distributed by RNC. A system includes an RNC, base stations and a UE, and each of the base stations includes a phase processing module and a signal sending module.
US08451759B2
A WCDMA enabled user equipment device configured to have functions collectively or selectively idle to conserve power. A discontinuous receiver is used to detect and read network messages and report the messages to the computer within the WCDMA enabled user equipment device. The computer then activates functions previously powered down to receive incoming messages for the user of the device. The discontinuous receiver is also used when the device is active to read network messages, freeing a modem of the device to operate on user messaging; and therefore, enhancing user related performance.
US08451751B2
A source-assisted channel management method in a distributed spectrum cognitive radio wireless network handling a source of multimedia stream data handles a plurality of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) forming a group, and manages channels with no separate controller that is referenced in applicable IEEE standard. The source makes the reservation on behalf of the device group knows traffic schedule, and determines out-of-band channel scanning, back up channel and channel vacation. The method uses a flexible MAC superframe structure and proactively scans for back-up channels which could be used in lieu of the current channel, identifies devices in the group which should vacate a current channel when any one device from the group of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) detects an incumbent, and make a determination as to when the wireless network should vacate the current channel based on said traffic schedule. The method ensures that no interference is caused to existing users and maintains QoS.
US08451747B2
The present disclosure discloses a method for transmitting data based on a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) standard, the method includes: setting a control parameter for analyzing and processing IP packet; receiving the IP packet from an IP layer and storing the IP packet into a receiving buffer according to the control parameter; scanning the IP packet in the receiving buffer, analyzing packet header information of the IP packet, adjusting a sending order of the IP packet according to the control parameter and sending the IP packet to a sending buffer according to the sending order; and sending the IP packet in the sending buffer to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity according to the sending order. The present disclosure further discloses a method for transmitting data based on a TDD standard.
US08451745B2
In one embodiment, a method for automatically probing endpoint in a network for performance and fault management is provided. The method may comprise receiving instructions to auto probe endpoints, the instructions comprising probe characteristics and endpoint indicators. The method may further comprise querying an information base to identify endpoints and to obtain information on the identified endpoints that conform to the endpoint indicators. Based on the instructions and the information obtained for the identified endpoints, one or more probe packets may be generating to be transmitted to the identified endpoints. The generated probe packets may further be scheduled for transmission to the identified endpoints. New endpoints may continue to get discovered based on a notification mechanism which exists. Likewise, endpoints leaving the discovery domain may be identified.
US08451740B2
A method and apparatus are presented for compensating drifts in access terminals occurring during a sleep time. The method includes determining whether a sleep time exceeds a threshold, buffering time domain samples containing acquisition pilots and a paging channel, powering down RF circuitry in the access terminal after buffering samples, processing the samples to compensate for drift, and determining whether the access terminal was paged based upon the processed samples. The apparatus includes a digital front end, an FFT engine coupled to the digital front end, a symbol buffer coupled to the FFT engine, a processor coupled to the digital front end, FFT engine, and symbol buffer, and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory further comprising instructions for executing the method.
US08451739B2
Systems and methods for detecting device failures in a network having nodes coupled to a central controller, in which a first of the nodes communicates with the central controller via a second of the nodes. When the second node determines that the first node has not transmitted a predetermined number of messages over a predefined number of time periods, the second node provides a failure alert to the central controller. The central controller records a failure alert received from the second node in a log. Based on a set of failure alerts received from a number of nodes recorded in the log, the central controller determines whether the first node has failed.
US08451738B2
A signal transmitting apparatus includes: a plurality of data transmission lines that transmit output data to a memory; a plurality of delay units that are correspondingly connected to the plurality of data transmission lines, that delay test data according to a delay signal for a predetermined time, and that output the delayed test data to each of the data transmission lines; and a transmitting/receiving controller that compares the stored data in the memory with the test data to adjust the delay signal, and that outputs the adjusted delay signal to each of the plurality of delay units. With this configuration, when data is transmitted to a memory through a data bus, a delay value can be adjusted among a plurality of signal lines constituting a data bus, and thus signal transmission can be performed uniformly.
US08451736B2
A method for relieving network node congestion includes determining a moving average of an aggregated load on a network node that routes network traffic using historical data for a period of time for a portion of a communication network that includes the network node. Demand on the network node is projected based on the moving average. A current level of congestion on the network node is determined. A level of congestion on the network node is projected based on the projected demand and the current level of congestion. Available capacity of other network nodes in the portion of the communication network is estimated. A determination is made whether the projected level of congestion can be relieved using the estimated available capacity of the other network nodes. The communication network is reconfigured to relieve the projected level of congestion when the projected level of congestion can be relieved.
US08451724B2
Methods and systems are disclosed for providing parties with levels of transparency into filtering functionality of network traffic inspection implementations. Embodiments include receiving a filter change request from a subscriber over a network that defines a modification to a set of filter criteria for filtering network traffic, the filter criteria being stored in association with the subscriber in a filter criteria data store; updating the set of filter criteria in the filter criteria data store as a function of the filter change request; receiving a content dataset relating to the network traffic; identifying the content dataset as being associated with the subscriber; retrieving the set of filter criteria associated with the subscriber from the data store; and filtering the network traffic as a function of the set of filter criteria. Embodiments further provide layers of access for different entities to the filtered traffic.
US08451719B2
A video stream admission method including receiving one or more parameters of a video stream, indicative of a required bandwidth for the video stream, in a plurality of different quality levels and determining based on the received one or more parameters, whether a channel can meet a predetermined condition for each of the plurality of quality levels, according to an available bandwidth of the channel.
US08451711B1
The invention is directed to techniques for processing messages to be transferred from a first network to a second network, the method comprising the steps of receiving a message at a second data communications device coupling the first and second networks, determining that the message is associated with a data path through a first data communications device that couples the first and second networks independently from the second data communications device and processing the message to maintain a connection associated with the message, the connection existing between a first computerized device operating in the first network and a second computerized device operating in the second network.
US08451710B2
Low power wireless communication techniques may be employed in devices that communicate via a wireless body area network, a wireless personal area network, or some other type of wireless communication link. In some implementations the devices may communicate via one or more impulse-based ultra-wideband channels. Inter-pulse duty cycling may be employed to reduce the power consumption of a device. Power may be provided for the transmissions and receptions of pulses by charging and discharging a capacitive element according to the inter-pulse duty cycling. Sub-packet data may be transmitted and received via a common frequency band. A cell phone may multicast to two or more peripherals via wireless communication links.
US08451703B2
An optical pickup includes a light source, an optical system for irradiating a recording medium including a plurality of recording layers with light from the light source, a diffraction optical element that divides light reflected from the recording medium into a plurality of optical fluxes and diffracts the fluxes, and an optical detector receiving the optical flux diffracted by the diffraction optical element. The optical detector includes a light receiving element detecting a focus error signal, wherein a longitudinal direction of the light receiving element is arranged to coincide with a circumferential direction of the recording medium, or arranged to be inclined to a circumferential or radial direction.
US08451693B2
A compression post capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) is provided. The compression post CMUT includes a first electrode, a top conductive layer having a pattern of post holes, a moveable mass that includes the first electrode. The compression post CMUT further includes an operating gap disposed between the top surface of the top conductive layer and a bottom surface of the moveable mass, a pattern of compression posts, where a proximal end the compression post is connected perpendicularly to a bottom surface of the moveable mass, where the pattern of compression posts span through the pattern of post holes. The top conductive layer includes the second electrode that is electronically insulated from the first electrode, where the pattern of compression posts compress to provide a restoring force in a direction that is normal to the bottom surface of the moveable mass.
US08451689B2
The present invention discloses an ultrasonic apparatus with an adjustable horn. The ultrasonic apparatus comprises a transmission device, a horn and an ultrasonic transceiver device. The horn and the transmission device are geared by a helical gear. The ultrasonic transceiver device is connected to the end of the helical gear. When the transmission device moves the horn to a first position, the ultrasonic transceiver device is applied for on/off control; while the transmission device moves the horn to a second position, the ultrasonic sensor is applied for digital control.
US08451687B2
A technique includes receiving seismic data, which are indicative of pressure measurements and pressure gradient measurements acquired in a seismic survey of at least one subterranean formation. The technique includes modeling an image of the subterranean formation(s) as a function of the pressure measurements and the pressure gradient measurements. The technique includes determining the image based on the modeling.
US08451684B2
Embodiments are directed to systems and methods (200, 300) that enable spatial variability of surface waves to be accounted for in dispersion correction in seismic data processing. This yields superior surface wave noise mitigation, with reduced likelihood of attenuating signal. Embodiments are operative with spatially inhomogeneous media.
US08451681B2
A semiconductor storage device includes a memory cell array having memory cells positioned at respective intersections between a plurality of first wirings and a plurality of second wirings, each of the memory cells having a rectifier element and a variable resistance element connected in series, and a control circuit selectively driving the first and second wirings. The control circuit applies a first voltage to the selected first wiring and applies a second voltage to the selected second wiring to apply a certain potential difference to a selected memory cell positioned at a intersection between the selected first and second wirings, and brings at least one of nonselected first wirings into a floating state.
US08451676B2
A semiconductor device may include, but is not limited to, a first signal line, a second signal line, and a first shield line. The first signal line is supplied with a first signal. The first signal is smaller in amplitude than a potential difference between a power potential and a reference potential. The second signal line is disposed in a first side of the first signal line. The second signal line is supplied with a second signal. The second signal is smaller in amplitude than the potential difference. The first shield line is disposed in a second side of the first signal line. The second side is opposite to the first side. The first shield line reduces a coupling noise that is applied to the first shield line from the second side.
US08451669B2
In some embodiments related to a memory array, a sense amplifier (SA) uses a first power supply, e.g., voltage VDDA, while other circuitry, e.g., signal output logic, uses a second power supply, e.g., voltage VDDB. Various embodiments place the SA and a pair of transferring devices at a local IO row, and a voltage keeper at the main IO section of the same memory array. The SA, the transferring devices, and the voltage keeper, when appropriate, operate together so that the data logic of the circuitry provided by voltage VDDB is the same as the data logic of the circuitry provided by voltage VDDA.
US08451665B2
A method for operating a non-volatile memory device includes selecting a word line of a plurality of word lines in response to a program command and an received address, determining whether the selected word line is a word line set among the word lines, performing an erase operation on a second word line group of the word lines in response to a result of the determining, and performing a program operation on the selected word line.
US08451659B2
A method for driving a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device is provided. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory device has source/drain diffusion layers spaced from each other in a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate, a laminated insulating film formed on a channel between the source/drain diffusion layers and including a charge storage layer, and a gate electrode formed on the laminated insulating film, the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device changing its data memory state by injection of charges into the charge storage layer. The method includes, before injecting charges to change the data memory state into the charge storage layer: injecting charges having a polarity identical to that of the charges to be injected; and further injecting charges having a polarity opposite to that of the injected charges.
US08451649B2
A bit-line sense amplifier includes a latching unit and a control unit. The latching unit has a plurality of field effect transistors coupled between first and second bit lines. The control unit controls application of a bias voltage to a set of the field effect transistors such that respective pre-charge voltages are generated at the first and second bit lines with drain currents flowing in the field effect transistors during a pre-charge time period, without a bit line bias voltage and with a minimized number of transistors.
US08451648B2
According to one embodiment, a resistance-change memory includes a memory element in which its variable resistance state corresponds to data to be stored therein, a pulse generation circuit which generates a first pulse, a second pulse, a third pulse, and a fourth pulse, the first pulse having a first amplitude which changes the resistance state of the memory element from a high- to a low-resistance state, the third pulse having a third amplitude smaller than the first amplitude to read data in the memory element, the fourth pulse having a fourth amplitude between the first amplitude and the third amplitude, and a control circuit which controls the operations of the memory element and the pulse generation circuit. The control circuit supplies the fourth pulse to the memory element after supplying the first pulse to the memory element.
US08451644B2
A non-volatile sampler including a row line for receiving an input signal to be sampled, the row line intersecting a number of column lines, non-volatile storage elements being disposed at intersections between the row line and the column lines; a bias voltage source connected to the column lines, the bias voltage source for selectively applying a bias voltage to at least one of the non-volatile storage elements to cause the at least one of the storage elements to store a sample of the input signal at the instance the bias voltage is applied.
US08451643B2
Provided is a semiconductor memory device including a memory cell; a writing driver providing a program current to the memory cell to write data in the memory cell; a sense amplifier processing a read operation reading data written in the memory cell; and a controller providing a rewriting signal for rewriting data read from the sense amplifier in the memory cell to the writing driver after the sense amplifier repeatedly applies a read operation more than a predetermined number of times.
US08451639B2
Automatic voltage selector control circuit for test sets with tap selectable line input transformers
An input adaptable electrical test set provides for the automatic detection of the power source connected to the test set, as well as automatic configuration of the test set to accommodate the identified power source. Prior to identification of the power source, a circuit breaker isolates a main transformer associated with the test set from receiving power from the power source. The main transformer includes a primary winding and a secondary winding, the primary winding having first, second and third tap positions that allows the transformer to be configured in one of two states depending on the power source connected to the test set. An automatic input voltage detection circuit monitors the input voltage provided by the unidentified power source and identifies the power source based on the monitored voltage. Based on the identification of the power source, the automatic input voltage detection circuit selects the configuration of the main transformer and the circuit breaker is closed to allow power from the power source to be supplied to the main transformer.
US08451636B2
A static converter that includes a power converter circuit having a plurality of interconnected module branches. Each module branch may have one or more electrically series-connected two-pole submodules as switchable voltage sources which each include a capacitor as an energy store and power semiconductors as electronic switching elements. A device for precharging the capacitors is included that has at least one power electronics device for providing an adjustable precharge current. The at least one power electronics device, being supplied with power by an auxiliary supply system and being connected to a converter bridge via a precharge transformer, can be used to achieve a sufficiently high voltage level for the capacitors of the submodules when the converter is started up so as to achieve firstly the minimum voltage for supplying power to the power semiconductors and secondly the minimum voltage for synchronization to the systems.
US08451635B2
The switching power supply device includes: an input unit which receives an input voltage; a transformer which includes a primary winding and a secondary winding; an output unit which provides an output voltage; a switching element; and a control circuit. The control circuit includes: a T2on measuring unit which measures a secondary-side conduction time period; a frequency control circuit which provides a second signal used for changing an on-frequency of the switching element in order to narrow a difference between the measured secondary-side conduction time period and a reference value; a primary current detecting circuit which detects a primary current; a current comparing circuit which provides a third signal used for turning the switching element off when the detected primary current becomes equal to a threshold value; and an oscillation control circuit which controls on-off switching of the switching element according to the second signal and the third signal.
US08451632B2
An exemplary embodiment of a flyback power converter includes a transformer for power transfer, a high-side transistor, a low-side transistor, two diodes, a control circuit, and a high-side drive circuit. The high-side transistor and the low-side transistor are coupled to switch the transformer. The two diodes are coupled to said transformer to circulate energy of leakage inductance of the transformer to an input power rail of the power converter. The control circuit generates a switching signal coupled to control the high-side transistor and the low-side transistor. The high-side drive circuit is coupled to receive the switching signal for driving the high-side transistor. The transformer has an auxiliary winding generating a floating power to provide power supply for said high-side drive circuit.
US08451621B2
A semiconductor component and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor component, wherein the semiconductor component includes stacked semiconductor die. In accordance with embodiments, the semiconductor component includes a substrate having a component receiving area and a plurality of bond pads. A semiconductor chip is attached to the component receiving area. An electrical connector is coupled to the semiconductor chip and the substrate. A second semiconductor chip is mounted or attached to one of the ends of the electrical connector such that this end is positioned between the semiconductor chips. A second electrical connector is coupled between the second semiconductor chip and the substrate. A third semiconductor chip is mounted over or attached to the second electrical connector such that a portion is between the second and third semiconductor chips.
US08451615B2
A printed circuit board includes a top layer and a bottom layer. A power supply and an electronic component are located on the top layer. The power supply is connected to the top layer and the bottom layer through a first via. A number of second vias extends through the top layer and the bottom layer, and is electrically connected to the top layer and the bottom layer. A right-angled triangular void area without vias defined therein is formed on the printed circuit board, between the second vias and the electronic component. The second vias are arranged on a hypotenuse of the void area.
US08451611B2
An object is to achieve a compact design by using a dead space in an inverter box effectively, to improve cooling properties of heat-generating electrical components disposed on a control circuit board of an inverter, and to increase flexibility of wiring layout. In an inverter box provided at a periphery of a housing, a heat-dissipating flat portion that is parallel to a control circuit board of an inverter is formed, and electrical components are disposed in a space between the heat-dissipating flat portion and the control circuit board. Preferably, the electrical components are installed so that the back faces thereof abut against the heat-dissipating flat portion either directly or via a heat-conducting member. More preferably, faces of the electrical components on the board side abut against the control circuit board.
US08451608B2
A storage device testing system cooling circuit includes a plurality of test racks. Each of the test racks include a test slot compartment and a test electronics compartment. Each of the test slot compartments includes multiple test slots, and one or more cooling conduits configured to convey a cooling liquid toward the test slots. Each of the test electronics compartments includes test electronics configured to communicate with the test slots for executing a test algorithm, and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the one or more cooling conduits. The heat exchanger is configured to cool an air flow directed toward the test electronics.
US08451605B2
An enclosure of an electronic apparatus, includes a chassis and a fan bracket assembly. The fan bracket assembly is mounted in the chassis. The fan bracket assembly includes a first fan bracket with a first fan mounted therein and a second fan bracket with a second fan mounted therein. The second fan bracket is pivotably mounted on the first fan bracket, and configured to be positioned at different positions relative to the first fan bracket.
US08451604B2
A mechanism is described for chimney-based cooling of computer components. A method of embodiments of the invention includes determining heat-emitting components of a computing device. The method further includes coupling a chimney to one or more of the heat-emitting components such that chimney effect of the chimney is used to guide air associated with a component in and out of the chimney.
US08451596B2
An electronic device with a cleaning mechanism that is capable of cleaning a display panel thereof is provided. The electronic device includes a display panel, a main portion, a hinge structure, a sliding device, and a first spring. The hinge structure includes a fixing portion, a rotating portion having a first contact surface, and a spring holder having a second contact surface. When the rotating portion rotates on the fixing portion, the first contact surface contacts the second contact surface and presses against the spring holder so that it rotates with the rotating portion. The sliding device includes a cleaning material contacting the display panel. Two end portions of the first spring are respectively fixed to the spring holder and the sliding device. When the spring holder stretches the first spring to move the sliding device, the cleaning material cleans the display panel.
US08451593B2
An electronic device includes an enclosure and a fixing member. The enclosure defines an accommodating hole and includes a bottom wall defining a pair of receiving portions. Centers of the pair of receiving portions define a straight line. The accommodating hole is configured on a perpendicular bisector of the straight line. The fixing member includes a guiding part, a pair of sliding portions, a control portion and a resilient member. The guiding part and the bottom wall cooperatively define a receiving room receiving the sliding portions. Each of the pair of sliding portions includes a hooking portion and a blocking portion. The control portion includes a fixing portion received in the receiving room and an operating portion passing through the accommodating hole. The resilient member includes a pair of driving ends engaging with the hooking portions and a triggering end engaging with the fixing portion.
US08451591B2
An appliance control panel is described. The control panel includes a front metal panel, a rearwardly positioned polymeric decorated film and an adhesive layer disposed between the panel and the decorated film. The film overlies an electronic control module which typically includes various displays and press-type switches. Various markings and indicia on the decorated film are visible through openings in the panel and the adhesive layer.
US08451588B2
A solid electrolytic capacitor that includes an anode body, a dielectric overlying the anode body, a solid electrolyte overlying the dielectric, and a colloidal particle coating that overlies the solid electrolyte. The coating is formed from a colloidal particle dispersion. The particles of the dispersion contain at least two different polymer components—i.e., a conductive polymer and a latex polymer. One benefit of such a coating is that the presence of the latex polymer can help mechanically stabilize the capacitor during encapsulation due to its relatively soft nature. This helps limit delamination of the solid electrolyte and any other damage that may otherwise occur during formation of the capacitor. Furthermore, the latex polymer can also enhance the ability of the particles to be dispersed in an aqueous medium, which is desirable in various applications.
US08451584B2
A solid state energy storage device has two electrodes, a membrane separator and a solid electrolyte having a substantially solid solvent, a salt and a mediator. The energy storage device stores electric charge by both Faradaic and non-Faradaic systems. The energy storage device may include activated carbon mixed with the electrolyte and sonicated to provide connection between the activated carbon and the mediator. The energy storage device is hot pressed to increase conductivity. The two electrodes may be asymmetric in amount of reduced and oxidized species of mediator.
US08451579B2
A metalized film capacitor includes a first dielectric film, a first metal thin-film electrode provided on a surface of the first dielectric film, a second dielectric film provided on the first metal thin-film electrode, and a second metal thin-film electrode provided on the second dielectric film, such that the second metal thin-film electrode faces the first metal thin-film electrode across the second dielectric film. The surface of the first dielectric film has a surface energy ranging from 25 mN/m to 40 mN/m. The metalized film capacitor exhibits high heat resistance and a preferable self-healing effect.
US08451573B1
An overvoltage protection device for protecting a wind turbine against overvoltage is provided. The overvoltage protection device includes an electrical transformer for transforming electrical power generated by a wind turbine generator from a low-voltage region to a medium-voltage region. The electrical transformer includes at least one secondary winding electrically connected to the generator of the wind turbine, at least one primary winding electrically connected to an electrical utility grid receiving the generated electrical power, and at least one counter-winding for receiving a counter-current. A winding direction of the counter-winding is opposite to a winding direction of at least one of the primary winding and the secondary winding. Furthermore, a detection unit for detecting overvoltage at the transformer, a determination unit for determining the counter-current on the basis of the detected overvoltage, and a current driver unit for flowing the counter-current through the counter-winding are provided.
US08451571B2
Provided is a power supply integrated circuit including an overheat protection circuit with high detection accuracy. The overheat protection circuit includes: a current generation circuit including: a first metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor including a gate terminal and a drain terminal that are connected to each other, the first MOS transistor operating in a weak inversion region; a second MOS transistor including a gate terminal connected to the gate terminal of the first MOS transistor, the second MOS transistor having the same conductivity type as the first MOS transistor and operating in a weak inversion region; and a first resistive element connected to a source terminal of the second MOS transistor; and a comparator for comparing a reference voltage having positive temperature characteristics and a temperature voltage having negative temperature characteristics, which are obtained based on a current generated by the current generation circuit.
US08451568B2
The invention relates to a remotely-controllable circuit breaker, including a first circuit breaking unit, remote control unit, and housing. The first circuit breaking unit and the remote control unit are disposed in the housing; the first circuit breaking unit operates to switch on or off loads and electric lines; the remote control unit operates to control the interruption of the remotely-controllable circuit breaker via a remote control signal; and the housing is made of insulating and flame-retardant materials.
US08451567B2
A CPP (Current Perpendicular to Plane) MR (Magnetoresistive) read head and its method of fabrication includes a patterned CPP MR sensor stack having a SAF (Synthetic Antiferromagnetic) free layer structure that is longitudinally biased by the combination of an exchange biasing layer formed over the sensor stack and hard biasing layers that are formed adjacent to the patterned sides of the stack. The combination provides the stack with high resolution reading capabilities without the necessity for a narrow read gap formed by closely spaced top and bottom shields. Sixteen embodiments are described that provide different versions of the exchange biasing layer, different positions of the hard biasing layers and different patternings of the CPP MR sensor stack.
US08451565B1
In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower shield layer, a sensor stack positioned above the lower shield layer, the sensor stack including a free layer, a layered hard bias magnet positioned above the lower shield layer and on both sides of the sensor stack in a track width direction, and an upper shield layer positioned above the hard bias magnet and the sensor stack. The hard bias magnet includes a perpendicular anisotropy film positioned above the lower shield layer and aligned with both sides of the sensor stack in the track width direction, wherein the perpendicular anisotropy film directs magnetic fields in a direction perpendicular to planes of formation thereof, and an in-plane anisotropy film positioned above the perpendicular anisotropy film, wherein the in-plane anisotropy film directs magnetic fields in a direction of planes of formation thereof.
US08451562B2
A magnetic write head having write pole and a wrap-around-trailing magnetic shield having side portions that are separated from the write pole by tapered non-magnetic side gap layers. The tapered non-magnetic side gap layers provide a non-magnetic side gap width that increases with increasing distance from the ABS, thereby providing optimal protection against adjacent track interference at the ABS while minimizing write field loss to the shield in regions away from the ABS.
US08451560B2
Methods for fabrication of tapered magnetic poles with a non-magnetic front bump layer. A magnetic pole may have a tapered surface at or near an air bearing surface (ABS), wherein a thickness of the write pole increases in a direction away from the ABS. A non-magnetic front bump layer may be formed on the tapered surface of the magnetic pole and away from the ABS. The front bump layer may increase the separation distance between a shield layer and the magnetic pole near the tapered surface, thereby improving the performance of the write head.
US08451559B1
A novel disk drive enclosure includes a disk drive base having a bottom portion and four side walls that define a cavity therebetween. At least one disk is mounted in the cavity. The disk drive also includes a top seal that includes a peripheral portion that overlies each of the four side walls and a central portion that spans the cavity. A metal flange protrudes from all four side walls of the disk drive base, and is folded over the peripheral portion of the top seal along all four side walls. The top seal is continuously adhered to the metal flange along an entire length of all four side walls. The disk drive enclosure encloses helium gas.
US08451557B2
In a disk drive device, a magnetic recording disk is to be mounted on a hub. A base plate rotatably supports the hub through a bearing unit. A projecting portion is formed on the upper surface of the base plate having a cylindrical side surface centered along the rotational axis of the motor. A laminated core is formed by laminating magnetic steel sheets and has a ring portion and a plurality of teeth radially extending from the ring portion. The disk drive device has a tubular vibration-deadening ring. The outer surface of the vibration-deadening ring is press-fitted into the ring portion at least at a position, along the motor's rotational axis, closer to the upper surface than to the lower surface of the laminated core; and the inner surface of the vibration-deadening ring is fixed to the side surface of the projecting portion.
US08451545B2
This invention provides an image capturing optical system in order from an object side to an image side comprising: a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface; a second lens element; a third lens element; a fourth lens element with both the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof being aspheric, and the fourth lens element is made of plastic; and a fifth lens element with negative refractive power, both the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof being aspheric, at least one inflection point is formed on at least one of the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof, and the fifth lens element is made of plastic. By such arrangement, photosensitivity and total track length of the system can be reduced, and better image quality can be obtained.
US08451541B2
Interfering double images that occur with curved windshields made from laminated glass during night driving in transmission and with head-up displays in reflection can be reduced by a wedge-shaped thermoplastic intermediate film. The wedge-angle profile required for compensation of double images is determined locally as a function of pane shape and installation situation. If the vehicle has a head-up display system, the wedge-angle progression can be determined in the HUD field such that double images are prevented there in reflection. However, outside the HUD field, a wedge-angle progression that compensates double images in transmission is selected. The specifically adapted wedge-angle profile enables better compensation of double images than is possible with a film with a constant wedge angle.
US08451540B2
Disclosed is a film suitable for improvement of luminance, contrast and view angle of a liquid crystal display. Specifically disclosed is a retardation film having a thickness of 30-500 μm, a light transmittance of not less than 85%, and an Nz factor of not less than 10.
US08451534B2
A microscope system includes: an illumination unit; a light control direction unit specifying quantity of light output from the illumination unit; a storage unit storing voltage-related information in which a direction value specified by the light control direction unit and a voltage value to be applied to the illumination unit are associated with each other and are set, the direction value being in an entire range that can be specified by the light control direction unit under each observation condition, the voltage value corresponding to the direction value; a light quantity control unit controlling the quantity of the emitted light; and a control unit acquiring the voltage value corresponding to the specified direction value from the voltage-related information corresponding to the observation condition, and allowing the light quantity control unit to control the quantity of light based on the acquired voltage value.
US08451522B2
An optical scanning apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the same, overcoming spot rotation due to scanning line curvature and wavefront aberration deterioration, including an incident optical system for guiding beam emitted from a light source to a deflector, and an imaging optical system for forming image of the beam deflected by the deflector on a scanning surface. In sub-scanning section, the beam enters the deflecting surface obliquely to plane perpendicular to a deflector axis. Each of incident and exit surfaces of an imaging optical element is a surface in which a tilt angle of sagittal line changes from on-axis toward off-axis in sub-scanning direction, the tilt angle indicating gradient of normal to sagittal line on meridian line with respect to main scanning section. The incident and exit surfaces each have the same sign for a difference between change rates of axial and off-axial tilt angles of sagittal line.
US08451513B2
A method and apparatus align an adjuster with an edge of media supported by a tray. The adjuster is operably coupled to a gauge that moves in response to movement of the adjuster. A sensor senses the gauge to detect a dimension of the media while the media is supported by the tray.
US08451496B2
In an information processing apparatus, in response to designation of a paper setting via a user interface of a printer driver, a print setting generation unit determines whether the designated paper setting corresponds to a paper type relating to back side paper based on paper type setting information acquired from a printer. Further, the print setting generation unit performs control to prevent a print setting designated as an inhibition rule in the print setting inhibition rule information from being designated by the user interface, if it is determined that the designated paper setting corresponds to the paper type relating to the back side paper and print setting inhibition rule information associated with the paper type corresponding to the designated paper setting is stored in a print setting inhibition rule management database.
US08451488B2
An image processing apparatus reads out job ticket data indicating first conditions used for executing a job and a permission to change each of the first conditions and lack thereof. The image processing apparatus, then, reads out a functional conditions table indicating a first group made by grouping second conditions having a common concept and a second group made by grouping the first group having a common concept. Then, the image processing apparatus presents, as options for changing a first condition to which applying a change is prohibited, second conditions included in a first group to which a second condition that is the same as the first condition belongs. The image processing apparatus presents, as options for changing a first condition to which applying a change is allowed, second conditions included in a second group to which a second condition that is the same as the first condition belongs.
US08451483B2
In an MFP having various and many functions and part of the functions introduced as optional functions, in order to appropriately introduce an optional function related to a frequently used function, a CPU of the MFP executes a program including the steps of; receiving and storing information of an optional function recommended for a standard function used frequently, from an FSS server computer (S3110); when a function is selected by a logged-in user (YES at S3020), determining whether or not any recommended optional function is stored (S3030); when a recommended optional function is stored (YES at S3030), displaying an image recommending the optional function related to the function selected by the user (S3050); and transmitting, as a job completing process, selected functions to the FSS server computer (S3080).
US08451482B2
A printing apparatus and print control apparatus exchange and acquire unique apparatus information. The print control apparatus determines whether it can process data received from an information processing apparatus. When the print control apparatus determines that it cannot process the data, it transfers the data to the printing apparatus based on the acquired apparatus information, and notifies the information processing apparatus that the print control apparatus has not processed the data. The printing apparatus determines whether it can process data received from the information processing apparatus. When the printing apparatus determines that it cannot process the data, it transfers the data to the print control apparatus based on the acquired apparatus information, and notifies the information processing apparatus that the printing apparatus has not processed the data.
US08451480B2
A CPU of an image forming apparatus executes a program including: the step (S210) of reading address information if a single-touch call number is input (YES at S208); a step (S230, S232) of transmitting image data using a line registered in advance; and a step (S230, S232, S226) of transmitting image data using line (1) if the line (1) is input, using line (2) if the line (2) is input and using a free line otherwise, if the line is not registered in advance.
US08451473B2
Techniques are provided for displaying encoded data that represent a) features and options currently supported by a printing device, b) a printer identifier for the printing device, and c) network service interface data for a network service, wherein the network service interface data allow a mobile device to send print settings selection data and electronic document identification data to the network service; and processing print data and causing a printed version of an electronic document reflected in the print data to be printed by the printing device.
US08451472B2
Print verification is done by scanning the printed copies, thereby forming a stream of scanned images of the specific pages. Digitized images from the stream are then spatially aligned page by page, line by line and pixel (pel) by pixel (pel) with corresponding digitized images in a stream of source images. The source and scanned images are compared to find pel sequences that are different. These differences represent defects in the printed copies.
US08451468B2
A processor is provided, the processor including: an obtaining unit that obtains abnormality information related to an abnormality from an image forming device in which the abnormality occurs; an abnormality information storing unit that stores the abnormality information obtained by the obtaining unit as history information; a failure position information storing unit that stores failure position information for each phenomenon related to the abnormality; an extracting unit that extracts the failure position information corresponding to the latest abnormality information and abnormality information similar to the latest abnormality information among the abnormality information stored in the abnormality information storing unit from the failure position information storing unit; and an output unit that outputs an extracted result extracted by the extracting unit as specific deciding information of a cause related to the occurring abnormality.
US08451460B2
A monitoring system is disclosed, designed to detect the depth of deposition of a substance on a′ surface (12), such as the depth of dust in a ventilation shaft. The monitoring system includes a light source (14) and a sensor (16, 30). The light source is arranged to transmit light across a detection surface and the sensor is on the other side of the detection surface. When a substance, such as dirt or grease, is deposited on the surface it obstructs the light and the amount of light reaching the sensor decreases. A processing means (26) detects the decrease in light and from this the depth of the deposition on the surface can be calculated. Preferably the sensor comprises a CCD array (32), and the substance throws a shadow on the array. The processing means can then determine the depth of the substance from the position on the array of the edge of the shadow. Preferably the monitoring system is placed in a low power ‘sleep’ mode in between intermittent operations for detecting the depth of the substance. In this, way, it can be battery operated and the battery life is preserved.
US08451453B2
The subject of the present invention is a dynamic sensor of physical quantities with optical waveguide with optically-pumped amplifier medium, which requires no interferometer or reference sensor and which makes it possible to obtain at least the same level of performance, in terms of sensitivity, as known sensors of this type, and this waveguide is linked at one end to a selective mirror, and comprises at its other end an interrogation laser, the reflection of which on the selective mirror produces a wave which, by interference with the incident wave, provokes the periodic saturation of the gain of the waveguide.
US08451442B2
Method and apparatus for performing spectroscopy, include the combining of first and second light beams to form a reference beam, focusing the first and second light beams and the reference beam onto a sample, receiving a reflected light beam from the sample at a monochromator, and viewing a predetermined wavelength band of the reflected light beam from the monochromator. Portions of the first and second light beams, which may be visible and IR forms of electromagnetic energy, are heterodyned through a crystal. A monochromator receives a reflection of the reference beam from the sample, and Fourier transformation is performed on the output of the monochromator. The first and second beams of electromagnetic energy can be split to form first and second component beams and the reference beam, all of which are propagated to the sample.
US08451441B2
A method for calibrating a device for monitoring the curvature of a stiffener (18) of a flexible sea line: A monitoring device has a deformable rod (26) having a central axis (C) and at least three optical sensors (29, 30, 31) maintained pressed against the perimeter of the rod (26). The method includes the steps, for different consecutive orientations of bending planes around the central axis; bending the rod (26) according to the same curvature radius; measuring the deformation of the sensors (29, 30, 31) during the bending; using the measured deformations to extrapolate a sine function of the deformation for each sensor according to the orientation of the bending plane; calculating error-correction coefficients according to the angular shift between the extrapolated sine functions and according to the amplitude of the extrapolated sine curves.
US08451429B2
A dichroic mirror configured to separate a first type of radiation in a first wavelength range having an upper boundary from a second type of radiation in a second wavelength range having a lower boundary greater than the upper boundary of the first wavelength. The mirror includes a substrate, and a stack having a reflective surface facing away from the substrate and a width that increases stepwise in a direction towards the substrate. The stack is formed by alternating layers of first and second materials on the substrate. The reflective surface has steps with a width greater than the upper boundary of the first wavelength and less than the lower boundary of the second wavelength.
US08451427B2
An illumination optical system which illuminates a surface to be illuminated on the basis of light from a light source has a first optical path in which a diffractive optical element can be arranged at a first position thereof; a second optical path in which a spatial light modulator with a plurality of optical elements arrayed two-dimensionally and controlled individually can be arranged at a second position thereof; and a third optical path which is an optical path of light having passed via at least one of the first optical path and the second optical path and in which a distribution forming optical system is arranged. The distribution forming optical system forms a predetermined light intensity distribution on an illumination pupil located in the third optical path, based on the light having passed via at least one of the first and second optical paths.
US08451426B2
In an exposure apparatus, exposure light from a lamp (continuous light source) (9) is applied at an exposure station (exposure section) (2) to a substrate (4), which is being transferred at a fixed speed in a fixed direction by a substrate transfer section (5), through a mask (11) arranged on an optical axis (optical path) (S) of an exposure optical system (3). At the time of exposing an image of an opening section (11a) of the mask (11) on the substrate (4), the front edge and the side edge (pattern edge) of a pixel (reference pattern) (18) previously formed on the substrate (4) are photographed by a linear CCD (20) of an imaging section (6), and a reference position in the transfer direction and a direction vertical to such direction on the substrate (4) is detected. When the pixel (18) imaged by the imaging section (6) is shifted to an exposure position (E) form an imaging position (F), the exposure station (2) continuously exposes an exposure region along the transfer direction of the substrate (4) while adjusting the position of the mask (11) so that the position of the mask (11) matches with the reference position on the substrate (4).
US08451424B2
An exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by projecting an image of a pattern on the substrate (P) via a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (1). The exposure device (EX) has a liquid supply mechanism (10) which supplies the liquid (1) between the projection optical system (PL) and the substrate (P). The liquid feeding mechanism (10) stops the supply of the liquid (1) when abnormality is detected. This suppresses influence to devices and members in the periphery of the substrate caused by leakage of the liquid forming a liquid immersion area, thereby realizing satisfactory exposure processing.
US08451422B2
A system is disclosed to isolate an environmental chamber of an immersion lithographic apparatus, to which an immersion fluid comprising liquid, is provided from an external environment. Further, there is disclosed a system for measuring flow rate and/or vapor concentration of a gas using a transducer to send and/or receive an acoustic signal.
US08451421B2
The present invention is directed to the provision of an optical pickup apparatus in which a liquid crystal optical element constructed by combining an aberration correcting liquid crystal panel and an nλ/4 liquid crystal panel in an integral fashion is mounted in a tilted position. More specifically, the invention provides a liquid crystal optical element includes a first liquid crystal layer having a first rubbing direction and for correcting aberration, a second liquid crystal layer having a second rubbing direction and combined with the first liquid crystal layer in an integral fashion, and a transparent electrode for generating a potential difference across the second liquid crystal layer in order to control an amount of phase difference for the light beam passing through the second liquid crystal layer, and wherein the angle (ψ) that the second rubbing direction makes with the first rubbing direction is determined in accordance with the tilt angle (α) so that the second liquid crystal layer functions as an nλ/4 plate. The invention also provides an optical pickup apparatus incorporating such a liquid crystal optical element.
US08451419B2
A touch panel and methods for manufacturing the same is provided. The method for manufacturing a touch panel includes providing a substrate and forming a photospacer layer on the substrate. Subsequently, a single lithography process is performed to the photospacer layer to define a main spacer and a sensor spacer. After forming a conductive layer on the main spacers and sensor spacers, a part of the conductive layer is removed to expose a top part and a part of a upper side of the main spacer. Accordingly, the conductive layer on the top part of the main spacer can be completely removed. In addition, the aperture ratio loss due to over-etching the conductive layer on the color filter can be prevented by the conductive layer remained on a lower side of the main spacer.
US08451418B2
A liquid crystal display device having a high definition screen in which a pixel electrode is formed in a region surrounded by a gate line and a drain line, and a trapezoidal protrusion having an upper surface and inclined surfaces is formed below the gate line. Since a TFT is formed over a trapezoidal protrusion and a channel portion is formed over the upper surface and the inclined surfaces of the trapezoidal protrusion, the width of the channel portion can be enlarged compared to that of a channel portion formed over a plane. The pixel electrode is in contact with a source electrode at the inclined surface of the trapezoidal protrusion. This configuration allows the TFT and a contact of the pixel electrode and a source electrode to be formed over part of the trapezoidal protrusion.
US08451415B2
A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device includes: a first step of attaching a polarizing plate to an outer surface of a liquid crystal panel; a second step of attaching a tape carrier package (TCP) to the liquid crystal panel; a third step of coating a resin onto a rear surface of the TCP and a connection portion of the liquid crystal panel and the TCP; a fourth step of inspecting the TCP and the liquid crystal display panel; a fifth step of inserting the liquid crystal panel into a transferring means; a sixth step of transferring the transferring means; a seventh step of extracting the liquid crystal panel from the transferring means; a eighth step of attaching the TCP to a printed circuit board (PCB); a ninth step of inspecting the PCB, the TCP and the liquid crystal panel; and a tenth step of assembling the liquid crystal panel and a backlight unit with a plurality of frames.
US08451414B2
A color image display device is provided which is capable of displaying an image with no differences in color balance between end portions and inner portions of anon-rectangle image display region. The color image display device includes an end portion unit pixel formed in an edge portion of a display region in which a color image is displayed and including end portion sub-pixels which correspond to a plurality of kinds of primary colors respectively in a one-to-one relationship and an inner unit pixel formed in an inside of the display region with respect to the end portion unit pixels and including inner sub-pixels which correspond to the plurality of kinds of primary colors respectively in a one-to-one relationship. With such a configuration, a relative area proportion of the end portion sub-pixels that correspond to the primary colors respectively in a one-to-one relationship is set equal to that of the inner sub-pixels that correspond to the primary colors respectively in a one-to-one relationship. The plurality of kinds of the end portion sub-pixels is arrayed in accordance with a position or a shape on an outer edge of the display region, an array direction of the plurality of kinds of the end portion sub-pixels and an array direction of the plurality of kinds of the inner sub-pixels configured to intersect each other.
US08451407B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate including pixels, each having a transmissive area and a reflective area, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrates. Each of the pixels includes first and second thin film transistors which output a data signal in response to a first gate signal, a transmissive pixel electrode disposed in the transmissive area and electrically connected to the first thin film transistor to charge a first pixel voltage based on the data signal, a reflective pixel electrode disposed in the reflective area and electrically connected to the second thin film transistor to charge a second pixel voltage based on the data signal, and a voltage controller which controls the first pixel voltage and the second pixel voltage in response to a second gate signal, which is generated after the first gate signal.
US08451391B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having a pixel defined by at least three sub-pixels including a blue sub-pixel, a backlight which emits, toward the liquid crystal display panel, light that brings a color temperature to a predetermined level when the pixel displays white, and a color tone correction circuit which corrects a color tone of a color displayed by the pixel. When the pixel displays a color containing at least one predetermined color component that is other than a white component and a blue component, the color tone correction circuit performs a correction to set a luminance of the blue sub-pixel lower than an original luminance.
US08451382B1
Provided herein are methods and systems that provide automatic compensation for frequency attenuation of a video signal transmitted over a cable. In accordance with an embodiment, a system includes an equalizer and a compensation controller. The equalizer receives a video signal that was transmitted over a cable, provides compensation for frequency attenuation that occurred during the transmission over the cable, and outputs a compensated video signal. The compensation controller automatically adjusts the compensation provided by the equalizer based on comparisons of one or more portions of the compensated video signal to one or more reference voltage levels.
US08451381B2
A image distortion correction unit which corrects a distortion of a projected image includes: a switching unit which operates in response to an operation signal from a Keystone remote controller button to switch correction by a trapezoidal distortion correction process and correction by a corner distortion correction process back and forth; a determination unit which determines whether any one of the correction by the trapezoidal distortion correction process and the correction by the corner distortion correction process has been performed; and a prohibition unit which prohibits switching the trapezoidal distortion correction process and the corner distortion correction process back and forth if the determination unit determines that any one of the correction by the trapezoidal distortion correction process and the correction by the corner distortion correction process has been performed and the operation signal is also received from the Keystone remote controller button.
US08451376B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for automatic gain control (AGC) for analog television signals using feed-forward signal path delay. Adjustments to the AGC frequency response are achieved by introducing an intentional delay in the signal path of sufficient length to allow time for measurement of a horizontal sync pulse level and for application of a feed-forward amplitude correction based upon this measurement to the same horizontal line.
US08451372B2
An image shooting apparatus, before the frame rate is actually changed, causes the aperture to transit to a value which ensure that the amount of exposure before the change of the frame rate is ensured after the change, in correspondence with the exposure time that can be ensured during the high-speed shooting; and causes the exposure time to transit to the exposure time that can be ensured during the high-speed shooting, so that the frame rate is changed quickly and the image is reproduced smoothly when a portion corresponding to the frame rate change is reproduced.
US08451371B2
A device that analyzes an image. The device includes a circuit that receives an image that includes a plurality of pixels. The circuit creates a histogram of the image and analyzes the histogram to determine an acceptable exposure of the image. The histogram may include a plurality of bins versus a population of pixels associated with each bin. By way of example, the bins may be associated with an intensity of light. The images and histograms may include data defined by low dynamic range number of bits and/or an extended dynamic range number of bits. Certain features and criteria of the image may be determined and analyzed to determine whether the image has an acceptable exposure. If the image is unacceptable, an exposure characteristic can be changed and the process can be repeated until an acceptable image is obtained.
US08451369B2
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to photoelectrically convert light of an object image formed by an imaging optical system to generate a signal, a first detection unit configured to detect a focusing state of the imaging optical system based on the signal generated by the imaging unit, a sensor configured to generate a signal different from the signal generated by the imaging unit without using the imaging optical system, and a second detection unit configured to detect an in-focus position of the imaging optical system based on the signal generated by the sensor. The sensor is located such that an amount of overlap between a detection range of the first detection unit and a detection range of the second detection unit at a first object distance is equal to an amount of overlap between those at a second object distance that is close to an infinite distance side compared to the first object distance.
US08451356B2
An example embodiment may include a system and method for correcting luminance disturbances in an imaging device. The example method can detect a luminance level disturbance in the output of an imager and provide a signal to a digital signal processor (DSP) that a luminance disturbance was detected, before the DSP begins processing the output of the imager. The DSP can then correct or adjust the resulting output to compensate for the luminance disturbance.
US08451354B2
An time-delay-integration image sensor comprises a matrix of photosensitive pixels organized in rows and columns, a first matrix of memory cells associated with control and adding means to store accumulated brightness levels of several rows of pixels in a row of memory cells. The first memory cell matrix is provided with the control and adding means to store in its rows accumulated brightness levels of the rows of a first half of the pixel matrix. The sensor comprises a second memory cell matrix associated with the control and adding means to store accumulated brightness levels of the rows of the second half of the pixel matrix in a row of the second memory cell matrix. Means are provided for adding the levels accumulated in a row of the first memory cell matrix to the levels accumulated in a corresponding row of the second memory cell matrix.
US08451352B2
An image pickup apparatus allowed to obtain parallax information while preventing a decline in apparent resolution. An image pickup apparatus includes: an image pickup lens having an aperture stop; an image pickup device including a plurality of pixels and obtaining image pickup data based on light received on the plurality of pixels; and a microlens array arranged between the image pickup lens and the image pickup device so that one microlens is allocated to 2×2 pixels in the image pickup device. The plurality of pixels are disposed in a fashion of two-dimensional arrangement along two directions rotated a certain angle with respect to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, respectively.
US08451344B1
An electronic device can utilize one or more image capture elements on the sides or edges of the device to capture image information in a way that is more discrete than for conventional devices with a single camera on a back of the device. Further, the ability to utilize cameras on multiple sides of the device provides enhanced capability. Devices can utilize information such as the current orientation of a device to select one or more appropriate image capture elements to activate at a given time. The image information can be used to provide information about the user's surroundings, such as the names of people in a meeting, without making it obvious that the user is trying to determine that information.
US08451339B2
A system is disclosed for the automated correction of optical and digital aberrations in a digital imaging system. The system includes (a) digital filters, (b) hardware modifications and (c) digital system corrections. The system solves numerous problems in still and video photography that are presented in the digital imaging environment.
US08451324B2
Disclosed are a 3D image display apparatus and method. The 3D image display apparatus may adjust a number of viewpoints of a 3D image, distance between viewpoints, and other parameters through varying a display pattern of a viewing zone generating unit and a distance between an image display unit and the viewing zone generating unit. Accordingly, the 3D image display apparatus may effectively express the 3D image suitable for various viewing circumstances.
US08451319B2
The present invention includes a method for removing redundancy of panoramic images. The method includes the steps of: (a) specifying respective locations of multiple panoramic images by referring to respective shooting places of the multiple panoramic images; (b) recognizing a specific object included in each of at least two panoramic images as the identical object by referring to the respective locations of the multiple panoramic images and respective directions of the specific object therein; and (c) determining top n images of the specific object considered to have top n degrees of precision in an image matching process among all the object images which are recognized as the identical object as a reference image(s) for the specific object.
US08451309B2
An optical scanning apparatus includes an optical deflector that deflects a light beam at a substantially constant angular velocity and an optical system that condenses the deflected light beam onto a to-be-scanned surface thereby performing optical scanning of the to-be-scanned surface. The to-be-scanned surface is a surface of a latent image carrier having a charge generation layer that generates carriers and a charge transport layer. A driving unit drives the optical deflector at a scanning frequency at which exposure is attained in a state where the carriers generated at the charge generation layer of the latent image carrier substantially stay still.
US08451306B2
A reference voltage generation circuit includes a first current-mirror circuit including a first MOS transistor connected to a first power source and a second MOS transistor of the first conductive type connected to the first power source; a second current-mirror circuit including a third MOS transistor and a fourth MOS transistor; a first resistor connected to the first node; a first bipolar transistor having a collector connected to the first resistor, an emitter connected to a second power source, and a base connected to the first node; a second bipolar transistor having a collector connected to the second node, an emitter connected to the second power source, and a base connected to the first bipolar transistor; a fifth MOS transistor connected between the first power source and an output terminal; and a third resistor connected between the output terminal and the second power source.
US08451305B2
In order to secure printing quality, a head unit includes a thermal head having a heating body formed on one surface of a glass substrate made of a transparent glass material, the heating body being configured to generate heat when supplied with external power, and a support body is laminated onto the glass substrate in a stacked state. The glass substrate and the support body include a plurality of lamination reference marks and a plurality of head positioning reference marks, respectively, which are disposed so as to be mutually aligned in a direction along the one surface of the glass substrate.
US08451302B2
A multi-primary-color display device includes a number of pixels, each of which includes a first subset including red, green and cyan subpixels and a second subset including blue and yellow subpixels. In each pixel, the subpixels included in the first subset are arranged in series in one direction, while the subpixels included in the second subset are arranged in series in the same direction as the subpixels of the first subset.
US08451301B2
A color display device includes a plurality of pixel display elements and a driving circuit. Each of the pixel display elements includes a plurality of sub-pixel display elements. Each of the sub-pixel display elements includes first and second supports, first and second electrodes attached to inner faces of the first and second supports, respectively, a solution disposed between the first and second electrodes, and particles dispersed in the solution. The particles of the sub-pixel display elements of a same one of the pixel display elements are electrically polarizable by voltage signals supplied by the driving circuit, the voltage signals having the same predetermined driving frequency.
US08451298B2
Displays, and methods of displaying images with the displays, which have quantized display characteristics for each of the pixels are disclosed. The displays and methods relate to both spatially and temporally dithering images so that the effective resolution of the display is higher than the result of the native spatial and intensity resolutions of the display, defined by pixel size, pitch, and number of quantization levels of each of the pixels.
US08451296B2
An apparatus includes a display unit, a classification unit configured to classify a plurality of images into a landscape-oriented image and a portrait-oriented image, a detection unit configured to detect whether the apparatus is in the landscape orientation or in the portrait orientation, and a control unit configured to display a plurality of images in one orientation of the landscape-oriented image and the portrait-oriented image on the display unit in response to an instruction, and thereafter display a plurality of images in the other orientation on the display unit. The control unit determines the orientation of the image to be displayed first based on a detection result upon receiving the instruction.
US08451295B2
A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof, which are suitable for facilitating a user to use the terminal, are disclosed. The present invention includes providing multimedia relevant data in graphic data to a graphic processing unit, rendering a graphic frame using non-multimedia relevant data in the graphic data and providing the rendered graphic frame to the graphic processing unit, enabling the graphic processing unit to combine the multimedia relevant data and the rendered graphic frame together, and displaying the combined data and frame on a display unit. Accordingly, since a large-scale graphic data is processed in a manner of being appropriately distributed to a controller and a graphic processing unit of a terminal, an execution speed of the terminal can be enhanced.
US08451290B2
An apparatus for converting a color of an image includes an object region determination unit to determine a 3D object display region in an input image, a color gamut determination unit to determine whether a color of a pixel that constitutes the 3D object display region is included in a predetermined color gamut, a user preference information receiver to receive user preference information corresponding to the input image, and a color converter to convert the color of a pixel to an output color based on the user preference information.
US08451285B2
A method for improving motion blur and contour shadow of a display displaying images having a number of frames includes transforming a second average gray scale into a third average gray scale when a first average gray scale for displaying a first frame is unequal to the second average gray scale for displaying a second frame. A luminance corresponding to the second frame is generated according to the third average gray scale and at least one luminance query table. The third average gray scale is greater than the first average gray scale and the second average gray scale or less than the first average gray scale and the second average gray scale.
US08451284B2
Systems and techniques for processing sequences of video images involve receiving, on a computer, data corresponding to a sequence of video images detected by an image sensor. The received data is processed using a graphics processor to adjust one or more visual characteristics of the video images corresponding to the received data. The received data can include video data defining pixel values and ancillary data relating to settings on the image sensor. The video data can be processed in accordance with ancillary data to adjust the visual characteristics, which can include filtering the images, blending images, and/or other processing operations.
US08451282B2
The invention relates to data accessing method and apparatus, and more particularly to data accessing method and apparatus for accessing a first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer compatible with mini-low voltage differential signal (mini-LVDS) transmission interface. The image data accessing apparatus comprises a FIFO memory for storing the image data, and a controller for accessing the FIFO memory in circular manner; wherein the controller writes the image data in pixel-basis and reads the stored image data in channel-basis.
US08451273B2
Provided are a method and apparatus for obtaining a minimum cost vector for making a skyline object in a multi-dimensional space. The method includes calculating respective vector values having a query point and respective moving points to which the query point is moved as both end points in a multi-dimensional space having a plurality of coordinate axes, and selecting a vector value whose moving point is included in a skyline and has the minimum distance value from the query point as the minimum vector value from among the vector values.
US08451269B2
A three-dimensional data set is accessed. A two-dimensional plane is defined that intersects a space defined by the three-dimensional data set. The two-dimensional plane defines a two-dimensional data set within the three-dimensional data set and divides the three-dimensional data set into first and second subsets. A three-dimensional view based on the three-dimensional data set is rendered on such that at least a portion of the first subset of the three-dimensional data set is removed and at least a portion of the two-dimensional data set is displayed. A two-dimensional view of a first subset of the two-dimensional data set also is rendered. Controls are provided that enable visual navigation through the three-dimensional data set by engaging points on the multi-touch display device that correspond to either the three-dimensional view based on the three-dimensional data set and/or the two-dimensional view of the first subset of the two-dimensional data set.
US08451268B1
Manipulating a three-dimensional object displayed in a multi-touch display device includes displaying a three-dimensional object in two dimensions on the multi-touch display device. Placement of one or more touch points on the multi-touch display device is detected. For each detected touch point, a location of the touch point on the multi-touch display device is determined and a matching contact point on a surface of the three-dimensional object that is displayed by the multi-touch display device at the location of the touch point is also determined. Movement of at least one of the touch points is detected. Subsequent to the detected movement of the one or more touch points, a three-dimensional transformation of the three-dimensional object is determined that results in a display in which the contact points on the surface of the three-dimensional object remain displayed substantially at the locations of their matching touch points.
US08451265B2
In one aspect, images of an event are obtained from a first video camera and a second camera, where the second camera captures images at a higher resolution than the first video camera. A particular image of interest is identified from the images obtained by the first video camera, e.g., based on an operator's command. A corresponding image which has been obtained by the second camera is then identified. The second image is used to depict virtual viewpoints which differ from the real viewpoints of the first and second camera, such as by combining data from a textured 3d model of the event with data from the second image. In another aspect, a presentation includes images from a first camera, followed by an animation of different virtual viewpoints, followed by images from a second camera which has a different real viewpoint of the event than the first camera.
US08451263B2
In one embodiment, a driving circuit includes first, second, third and fourth transistors each having first and second electrodes, and a control gate electrode. First and second input signals for producing alternating current voltage are inputted to the respective first electrodes of the first and second transistors. The first electrode of the third transistor and the second electrode of the fourth transistor are commonly connected with an output terminal. The second electrode of the third transistor and the first electrode of the fourth transistor are respectively connected with first and second voltage sources. The control gate electrodes of the third and fourth transistors are respectively connected with the second electrodes of the first and second transistors. The driving circuit further includes first and second potential holding devices to control the switching operation of the third and fourth transistors to output the first and second voltages.
US08451262B2
Disclosed is a method of driving a display panel, which includes a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, a first pixel column electrically connected to an N-th gate line and a second pixel column electrically connected to an (N+1)-th gate line adjacent to the N-th gate line (wherein N is a natural number). In the method, compensation data of the first pixel for compensating for a kickback deviation between the first and second pixel columns is generated using first data and second data corresponding to the first and second pixel columns, respectively. The compensation data of the first pixel column and the second data of the second pixel column are converted to data voltages of an analog type to output the data voltages to the data lines.
US08451256B2
A gate-on voltage/LED driving voltage generator includes an inductor boosting an input voltage through a PWM voltage and the input voltage, a diode and capacitor rectifying the boosted voltage, a first output terminal outputting the rectified voltage to supply an LED driving voltage to an LED, and a second output terminal supplying the rectified voltage to a gate driving circuit. Further, an aging test apparatus of an LCD device, which includes a high LED driving voltage generator in an HVS power board, and an HVI power board, may selectively perform an aging test according to a backlight unit of the LCD. Further, a DC-DC converter having the gate-on voltage/LED driving voltage generator, and the LCD including the DC-DC converter are provided.
US08451252B2
An image sensor for a touch screen, which is installed at an edge of the touch screen and comprises an image sensing element and an optical imaging system, wherein the optical imaging system comprises: at least two separated lenses to constitute at least two optical paths, wherein each of the lenses includes a concavo-convex lens, an objective lens of each of the lenses is faced to the touch screen, an overlapping area of fields of the view of the objective lenses covers the touch screen, a touch object on the touch screen is imaged by each of the optical paths in the optical imaging system respectively, and the formed image is projected on the image sensing element. The image sensor can locate the touch object by utilizing stereo photography. Moreover, the optical imaging system can utilize the interlocked electronic shutters to realize time division multiplex of the image sensing element by the different optical paths, or utilize individual optical paths to realize area division multiplex of the image sensing element.
US08451245B2
A system for generating haptic effects senses at least two generally simultaneous touches on a touchscreen and, in response, generates a dynamic haptic effect.
US08451240B2
A method includes detecting a sheet corresponding to a plurality of characters on a touch-sensitive input device; detecting, by the touch-sensitive input device, a touch; determining a next character output; in response to determining that the touch is associated with a location on the sheet, which location is associated with the next character, providing tactile feedback to identify the next character.
US08451239B2
A driving circuit and method for a touch panel having a plurality of scan lines includes a detection module, an interruption module and a selective scan module. The detection module can periodically scan the scan lines, so as to detect whether the touch panel is controlled by touch. The interruption module can turn off the detection module when the touch panel is not controlled by touch. The selective scan module can select at least one set of scan lines from the plurality of scan lines to periodically and synchronously scan the set of selected scan lines when the detection module is turned off, where scanning of the selected scan lines detects whether the touch panel is touched.
US08451236B2
A touch-sensitive display screen has at least two input modes for touch input. In an absolute input mode, positional information is interpreted in an absolute sense: an on-screen object or cursor can be moved, selected or activated by tapping or touching the screen at the location of the object itself or at a desired location for the object. In a relative input mode, touch input provided on the display screen is interpreted in a manner similar to a virtual joystick or a virtual touchpad. In the virtual joystick relative mode, input is interpreted relative to a reference point on the screen. In the virtual touchpad relative mode, input is interpreted according to a direction of motion of a contact point.
US08451232B2
In one aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method in a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display includes: displaying content on the touch screen display, wherein the content includes a plurality of user input elements; detecting a contact by a finger with the touch screen display; choosing a user input element in the plurality of user input elements based on proximity of the user input element to the contact; displaying information associated with the chosen user input element over the displayed content; detecting a break in the contact by the finger with the touch screen display; and receiving input for the chosen user input element.
US08451211B2
An exemplary dimming control apparatus of generating a dimming control signal for a display area is provided. The dimming control apparatus includes a data analysis module and an output module. The display area includes a plurality of pixels. The data analysis module receives a plurality of first pixel values corresponding to the pixels, respectively, where the first pixel values correspond to a first frame; in addition, the data analysis module derives a first characteristic value corresponding to the first frame according to a distribution of the first pixel values, and generates a first dimming value according to at least the first characteristic value. The output module is coupled to the data analysis module, and generates the dimming control signal corresponding to the first frame according to at least the first dimming value.
US08451206B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel (LCD panel), an area light source device which illuminates the LCD panel, a driving unit which drives the LCD panel and the area light source device, and a control unit which controls the driving unit. The LCD panel includes display pixels. The area light source device includes plural kinds of light sources which are successively turned on in one frame period. The control unit includes means for controlling the driving unit in a manner to execute video signal write and reset signal write after the video signal write, in a period in which one of the plural kinds of light sources is turned on in the one frame period. The video signal write and the reset signal write are executed with the same polarity, and a polarity of potential of the display pixels is reversed between frame periods.
US08451202B2
A display assembly may include a plurality of pixel elements, of which a set of pixel elements include both a display cell and a memory cell. The display cell and the memory cell may be connected to receive data from a common source at the same time.
US08451192B2
A telecommunication device configured to project an ambiently displayed image at a location proximate to the telecommunication device on a surface that is substantially parallel to a plane formed by a body of the telecommunication device is described herein. The telecommunication device is further configured to detect an interaction with the ambiently displayed image and perform an action based on the detected interaction.
US08451191B2
In a display system which includes a plurality of space management units which are hierarchically connected, and each of which manages a predetermined space region as a management space region, a content management unit which manages one or a plurality of contents, and a plurality of display units which display information on display regions. Wherein each of the plurality of display units displays a content arranged in a subspace corresponding to a self display region in the management space region.
US08451187B2
A removable tool for adjusting the elevation of a satellite antenna having a shaft, a knob engaging the threads of the shaft at one end, a pivot member slideably disposed over the shaft threads; an upper pin for selectively engaging a hole at the other end of the shaft and with upper holes on the antenna mount; and lower pin for selectively engaging a pivot hole in the pivot member and lower holes on the mount. When the knob is turned the shaft adjusts the elevation in the mount by pivoting between the two bracket pairs.
US08451179B2
Various embodiments of a mobile computing device are described. In one embodiment, the mobile computing device comprises an internal antenna system and a first housing coupled to a second housing by one or more electrically conductive sliding portions, the one or more electrically conductive sliding portions to operate as radiating arms for the internal antenna system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08451168B2
A new method for bias estimation on multiple frequencies with a Kalman filter is proposed. It consists of four steps: First, a least-squares estimation of ranges, ionospheric delays, ambiguities, receiver phase biases and satellite phase biases is performed. The code biases are absorbed in the ranges and ionospheric delays, and a subset of ambiguities is mapped to the phase biases to remove linear dependencies between the unknown parameters. In a second step, the accuracy of the bias estimates is efficiently improved by a Kalman filter. The real-valued a posteriori ambiguity estimates are decorrelated by an integer ambiguity transformation to reduce the time of ambiguity resolution. Once the float ambiguities have sufficiently converged, they are fixed sequentially in a third step. Finally, a second Kalman filter is used to separate the receiver and satellite code biases and the tropospheric delays from the ranges.
US08451167B2
The method of determination of the position of a mobile receiver using at least four satellites of which at least one first satellite transmits a first signal on one frequency, the broadcasting of the first signal being single-frequency, and of which at least one second satellite transmits second and third signals respectively on a first and a second frequency, the broadcasting of the signals being two-frequency, the receiver including means for reception of at least two frequencies, makes it possible to determine the position by a calculation of at least four pseudo-distances corresponding to the distances between each satellite and the receiver. The calculation of a pseudo-distance at the first frequency includes a step of estimation of the inter-frequency bias between the first and second frequencies.
US08451158B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems, apparatuses and methods for performing analog to digital conversion. For example, an analog to digital converter circuit is discussed that includes an analog input, a number of analog to digital converters and a generalized beamformer. The analog to digital converters are operable to receive the analog input and to yield a number of digital streams. Each of the analog to digital converters samples the analog input with different phase offsets. The generalized beamformer is operable to weight and combine the digital streams to yield a digital output.
US08451157B2
A digital-to-analog upconverter directly converts a baseband digital value comprising a plurality of bits to an RF analog signal to combine digital-to-analog operations with frequency upconversion operations. One exemplary digital-to-analog upconverter comprises a plurality of conversion units, one for each of the plurality of bits in the baseband digital value, and an output node coupled to each of the conversion units. Each conversion unit generates a weighted analog signal at a low frequency or at a radio frequency responsive to the corresponding input bit and an oscillator signal at RF. The weighting factor of each conversion unit corresponds to a relative weighting of the corresponding bit. The output node combines the weighted analog signals to generate a combined RF analog signal representative of the baseband digital value.
US08451156B2
This disclosure relates to analog to digital conversion using irregular sampling. A method may include combining an analog signal with a feedback signal into a combined signal, filtering the combined signal using a digital noise shaping filter into a combined noise shaped signal, modulating the combined noise shaped signal into a modulated signal, generating samples of the modulated signal, and reconstructing as a digital signal the analog signal from the samples of the modulated signal.
US08451154B2
A method of calibrating a pipelined analog to digital converter having a plurality of DAC elements and an additional calibration DAC element is provided. In the method as provided herein, a combination of positive, negative and zero reference voltages are applied to the element under calibration and positive and negative reference voltages are applied to the additional calibration DAC element to obtain four calibration states. An error of the DAC element under calibration is extracted by calculating an average of the difference between the four calibration states.
US08451145B2
CONSTRUCTIVE DEVICE INTRODUCED INTO A KEYBOARD FOR SECURITY OF INFORMATION AND SECRET PROCESSES STORED BY ELECTRONIC MEANS characterized by including a protective mechanism for the keyboard system which makes attacks impossible by mechanical manipulation, mechanical perforation, part separation, chemical short circuits or the insertion of intrusive devices. One of the objectives of this invention is to provide a constructive device for a keyboard in order to impede the insertion of unauthorized access devices into their internal circuits, guaranteeing the internal inviolability of installed equipment at the point of sale and providing a significant increase in the security of the keyboard system.
US08451141B2
An intersection visibility determination device includes an ECU that determines visibility at an intersection. When a host vehicle approaches an intersection with a stop sign, the ECU calculates conflict points at which a trajectory vector of the host vehicle intersects with virtual trajectory vectors of intersecting objects, which are presumed to come from the right side and the left side of the intersection, respectively. The conflict points are calculated based on information on types and traveling positions of the intersecting objects. The ECU sets visibility determination areas at the intersection as viewed from the host vehicle based on the positions of the conflict points, the right-side and the left-side visibility target distances, and the current location of the host vehicle, and calculates, based on the visibility determination areas, visibility distances that are used as visibility parameters indicating whether the visibility at the intersection is good or poor.
US08451133B2
A capacitor providing a thermal alert includes a wound film capacitor for carrying a large current when coupled to an AC generator. The wound film capacitor includes a hollow core extending from one end to another end of the capacitor. Also included are an in-line thermal switch, which is disposed in the hollow core for sensing a predetermined temperature; and a light indicator, which is coupled to the thermal switch. A single housing is integrally formed from an upper cover and a lower cover for housing the capacitor, the thermal switch and the light indicator. The upper cover of the housing is formed from translucent material. The thermal switch is configured to disconnect the wound film capacitor from the AC generator upon reaching the predetermined temperature, and activate the light indicator to emit a light. The upper cover is effective in transmitting the light from inside the housing to outside of the housing. The light indicator includes an incandescent light bulb, a neon bulb, or a light emitting diode (LED).
US08451132B1
The portable heat and smoke detection system includes a detecting means that is portable and remotely located with respect to an alarming means. The alarming means informs the end user to the detection of smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide via the detecting means. The detecting means may or may not include a light and audible alarm; whereas the alarming means may include a light, audible alarm, cellular telephoning capability, text messaging capability, and/or an e-mail capability.
US08451128B2
An asset protection system maintains a radio frequency field or signal in a monitored area. Assets have tags attached to them and are placed in the monitored area. The tags have a mechanism to attach them to the objects and have electronic components on board including a microprocessor, motion detector, radio frequency circuitry, audible alarm generator and in some cases, a passive EAS element. The tags are normally idle in the monitored area, but when the motion detector indicates that a tag is being moved, the RF circuitry checks for a signal or field at an expected frequency. If the tag does not detect a signal, the tag electronics determine that the tag has left the monitored area and generate an audible alarm. If a signal is detected, the tag returns to an idle state once it stops moving. The tags may also alarm if tampered with.
US08451123B2
A wireless power interface includes first coil, a plurality of coils, and a control module. Each of the plurality of coils has a different orientation with respect to at least one axis of a multi-dimensional axis system. The control module is configured to enable at least one of the plurality of coils based on electro-magnetic coupling between the first coil and the at least one of the plurality of coils such that power is derived via the electro-magnetic coupling.
US08451121B2
A method for monitoring objects in a three dimensional target area and or business process decision making. The methods include calibration, recalibration, operation and rules compliance for a radio frequency object monitoring system. Location tags are placed throughout a three dimensional area in predetermined positions and used to determine relative position, movement and or distances of objects with and without object tags. Repeated scanning and comparison of data provides a database by which the object monitoring system responds according to predetermined rules.
US08451119B1
A method of adjusting operation of an RFID tag for an environment is described. The method includes sensing an aspect of the environment. The method also includes sending an instruction, based on the sensed aspect of the environment, to the RFID tag. The instruction encoded in a TUNE command. The instruction causes the RFID tag to perform a specific act. The specific act includes one of the following: turning a sub-circuit of the RFID tag's semiconductor chip on; turning a sub-circuit of the RFID tag's semiconductor chip off; altering a bias current within a sub-circuit of the RFID tag's semiconductor chip; altering a bias voltage within a sub-circuit of the RFID tag's semiconductor chip; and, adjusting a threshold within a sub-circuit of the RFID tag's semiconductor chip.
US08451109B1
A system that includes at least one processor, a first set of sensors connected to a first means for controlling a vehicle and electronically connected to the at least one processor, wherein the first set of sensors includes at least one sensor, a second set of sensors connected to a second means for controlling a vehicle and electronically connected to the at least one processor, wherein the second set of sensors includes at least one sensor, at least one alarm electronically connected to the at least one processor, and computer executable instructions readable by the at least one processor and operative to activate the at least one alarm when the first set of sensors detects the absence of an operator's hand, and the second set of sensors detects the absence of an operator's hand.
US08451108B2
In an on-vehicle information providing device including an input device 1 for inputting information corresponding to operation, on-vehicle information equipment 2 for executing processing corresponding to the information input, an active safety system 3 for monitoring surrounding conditions of the vehicle and generating caution information, a liquid crystal display device 4 for displaying a processing result of the on-vehicle information equipment, and a head-up display (HUD) 5 for displaying the information delivered from the on-vehicle information equipment or from active safety system, the on-vehicle information equipment sends, if any display interrupt request is made from the active safety system during execution of the display processing onto the HUD, a display switching control request to the HUD by suspending the display processing, and the HUD switches from a state of displaying the information from the on-vehicle information equipment to a state of displaying the information from the active safety system in response to the display switching control request from the on-vehicle information equipment.
US08451107B2
An imaging system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor (12) and a display device (15) for displaying images representative of image data captured by the imaging sensor. The imaging sensor (12) has a rearward field of view when mounted at the vehicle. The imaging system generates a plurality of graphic overlays (130a, 130b, 130c) on the displayed images to enhance the driver's cognitive awareness of an object rearward of the vehicle. The graphic overlays comprises a plurality of graphic overlay segments. The graphic overlay segments convey three dimensional information to a person viewing the displayed images and the graphic overlays. The imaging system may adjust at least one of a color, an intensity and a rate of flashing of at least one of the plurality of graphic overlay segments in response to an object being detected rearward of the vehicle and within a distance threshold.
US08451103B2
A mobile device for controlling a vibration includes an input unit configured to receive an input from a user or an external device; an output unit configured to generate an output; a vibration pattern generation unit configured to generate a vibration, and to move a center of the vibration within the mobile device according to the input from the input unit or the output from the output unit; and a control unit configured to control the vibration pattern generation unit so as to create a moving vibration sensation from a movement of the center of the vibration.
US08451098B2
Various embodiments of the invention combine a passive RFID tag with a manually switchable battery for additional transmit range when needed. In some embodiments, connecting the battery may also modify the contents of the data transmitted from the RFID tag. This feature may be particularly useful in applications in which a device generally only needs to identify itself as being in a small area, but may occasionally need to send out an alert with greater range.
US08451097B2
An improved Interrogator (and method of operation) for use in a radio frequency identification system wherein at least one tag modulates a radio frequency signal by modulated backscatter operations.
US08451083B2
A coil component is provided with a magnetic substrate made of magnetic ceramic material, a thin-film coil layer containing a coil conductor formed on one principal surface of the magnetic substrate, a plurality of bump electrodes formed on the principal surface of the thin-film coil layer, and an insulating resin layer formed on the principal surface of the thin-film coil layer excluding formation positions of the bump electrodes. Each bump electrode has an exposure surface on a bottom surface and on two side surfaces of a layered product composed of the magnetic substrate, the thin-film coil layer and the insulating resin layer. A corner of the each bump electrode has a notch portion. The insulating resin layer includes a center resin portion provided in a center of the principal surface of the thin-film coil layer and a plurality of corner resin portions provided in the notch portion of each bump electrode.
US08451080B2
The magnetic force between the electromagnet and plunger of a magnetic actuator, the electromagnet including a coil generating magnetic flux when the coil is energized, can be increased by locating a near field plate on the electromagnet. The near field plate has a spatially modulated surface reactance configured to focus the magnetic flux within a region of the plunger, such as the central portion of an end portion of the plunger proximate the electromagnet, so as to increase the magnetic force between the electromagnet and plunger. Examples also include permanent magnet based actuators and the use of other magnetic field focusing devices.
US08451074B2
A load breaking switch including a rotor embodied as a switch shaft segment, and a contact arm pivotally mounted in the rotor pivotable between an ON and OFF position about an axis of rotation and at the free end of which is a contact piece which is pivotable with the contact arm and is in contact with an opposite fixedly arranged contact piece when the contact arm is in its ON position. Current flows through the switch via the contact pieces and the contact arm. The contact arm is pivotable into its OFF position when the current flowing via the contact pieces exceeds a rated current value or an overload current value. A magnetizable area is spatially arranged inside the rotor such that the current flowing through the contact arm in this area induces a magnetic field which exerts a torque on the contact arm.
US08451073B2
The present invention relates to a resonator device having a stacked arrangement of laminated layers including a plurality of dielectric layers, and at least one resonator comprising a short-circuit electrode, a first capacitor electrode and a second capacitor electrode. Each electrode comprises at least a portion of a layer of electrically conductive material provided on a surface of one of the dielectric layers. The second capacitor electrode is disposed spaced, in the stacking direction, from the short-circuit electrode and the first capacitor electrode. The short-circuit electrode and the second capacitor electrode are electrically interconnected by a first electrical connection comprising at least one via hole penetrating one or more of the dielectric layers.
US08451072B2
High frequency circuits for wireless, digital and microwave applications place requirements upon the impedance of their signal lines, interconnects and packaging. In designing and implementing the substrates for these signal lines it is beneficial to employ meta-materials to provide the desired impedance. Such meta-materials providing a means to provide modified permittivity and permeability for the substrate, these being different than the real permittivity and permeability of the insulator used. In an example embodiment, a substrate is configured as a meta-material. It is desirable therefore to have a means to model these meta-material aspects of the signal lines rapidly and accurately allowing the circuits, interconnects and packages to be designed and implemented without expensive and exhaustive iterative experimental characterization. Within the cited invention design parameters for the meta-material structure are determined in dependence upon input parameters characterizing the conductive medium, dielectric medium enveloping the conductive material, and the pre-determined shapes of the conductive medium.
US08451071B2
An oscillator having: (A) a transistor for producing an oscillating output signal at an output electrode of the transistor. The oscillator includes; (B) a bias circuit for producing a bias signal for the transistor, said bias circuit including an amplifier coupled to the output electrode of the transistor; and (C) a circuit coupled between an output of the amplifier and a control electrode of the transistor, for isolating the bias signal provided by the amplifier from the oscillating signal.
US08451069B2
An oscillator having a negative resistance device and a resonator includes: a transmission line connected to the negative resistance device, a three-terminal device including a first terminal connected to the signal line side of the transmission line at a terminal part, a second terminal connected to the grounding line side of the transmission line and a third terminal receiving a control signal applied thereto; a first regulation unit for regulating the control signal to be applied to the third terminal; and a second regulation unit for regulating the voltage to be applied to the second terminal, the first and the second regulation unit being adapted to regulate respectively the control signal and the voltage so as to make the characteristic impedance of the transmission line and the impedance between the first and the second terminal show an impedance matching. The power consumption rate of the stabilizing circuit can be reduced.
US08451068B2
Provided is an oscillator using an MEMS resonator, which can reduce an influence of noise of a TIA and improve phase noise characteristics of an oscillator output. The oscillator includes an MEMS resonator, a TIA, a buffer amplifier, and a current/voltage converter that couples, by electromagnetic induction, with a wiring line via which an output of the MEMS resonator is fed to the TIA, so as to convert a current flowing in the wiring line to a voltage and output the voltage to the buffer amplifier. Thus, the oscillator output is extracted from the current/voltage converter. Further, the current/voltage converter is provided in the form of an oscillation output coil provided so as to surround the wiring line in a noncontact manner, in which oscillation output coil one end is connected to ground and the other end is connected to the buffer amplifier.
US08451060B2
An amplifier device including a gain stage, an output stage, at least one phase compensation circuit and at least one coupling suppression device is provided. The gain stage has at least one feedback node. The output stage is coupled to the gain stage and has an output node for outputting an output voltage. Each of the at least one phase compensation circuit is coupled between a corresponding one of the at least one feedback node and the output node. Each of the at least one coupling suppression device is coupled between a corresponding one of the at least one feedback node and a respective coupling node, and is spontaneously turned on in response to a change of a voltage level at the corresponding feedback node when the corresponding feedback node is coupled by noise, thereby suppressing the change of the voltage level at the corresponding feedback node.
US08451057B2
A switching amplifying method or a switching amplifier for obtaining a linearly amplified replica 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 amplifier comprises: an inductor means; a switching unit for switching a current from a DC voltage to the inductor means; a controllable diodes unit for blocking a current when the current from the DC voltage to the inductor means is switched on, and conducting the current from the inductor means to a filter unit when the current from the DC voltage to the inductor means is switched off; an amplifier control unit to control the switching unit and the controllable diodes unit according to the input signal and the current of the inductor means; the filter unit to filter the current from the inductor means to get an output signal.
US08451055B2
An apparatus includes: a unit that stores the look-up table including distortion compensation coefficients; a unit that selects addresses according to an input signal, acquires coefficients stored at the selected addresses, and performs the predistortion of the input signal by using the acquired coefficients; a unit that calculates an error signal by comparing with the input signal a feedback signal that indicates an output of a power amplifier to which a result of the predistortion is inputted; a unit that calculates coefficients from the error signal and the acquired coefficients by using the adaptive algorithm; a unit that, for each of the selected addresses, selects coefficients as adequate coefficients from among the calculated coefficients according to the error signal; and a unit that, for each of the selected addresses, calculates an average value of the adequate coefficients and replaces a stored coefficient in the look-up table with the average value.
US08451052B2
An input stage for an instrumentation system may include a resistor coupled between an input terminal and a summing node, and an amplifier arranged to maintain the voltage at the summing node. In anther embodiment, an instrumentation input system may include an input stage to receive a signal to be measured, and a variable gain amplifier having an input coupled to an output of the input stage, wherein the variable gain amplifier comprises two or more gain stages. A variable gain amplifier may include an attenuator having an input and a series of tap points and a series of low-inertia switches to steer outputs from the attenuator to an output terminal.
US08451046B2
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a circuit may include a transmission switch and a dummy switch coupled at its output to the output of the transmission switch. The transmission switch may be configured to be selectively enabled and disabled based on a control signal received at a gate of the transmission switch. The transmission switch may be further configured to receive a first polarity of a differential signal at its input and pass the first polarity of the differential signal to its output when enabled. The dummy switch may be configured to be disabled and to receive a second polarity of the differential signal at its input, the second polarity of opposite polarity of the first polarity.
US08451035B2
The present disclosure provides an emulator mapping process on a system-on-a-chip (SoC) for debugging. The implementation reduces manual intervention and makes the emulation mapping process very generic and technology independent and hence it reduces overall project cycle time. In the present disclosure, the SoCs containing analog delay locked loops are made suitable for emulation by configuring analog delay locked loop module in parallel with a synthesizable delay logic module. Further, selection logic is provided to select any one of the module at a time.
US08451033B2
A millimeter-wave wideband frequency doubler stage for use in a distributed frequency doubler includes: a differential input pair of transistors, each transistor having respective gate, drain and source terminals, wherein the source terminals are coupled together to a first power supply node and the drain terminals are coupled together at a first node to a second power supply node; first and second pairs of bandpass gate lines coupled to the gate terminals of the transistors; and a pair of bandpass drain lines coupled to the drain terminals of the transistors.
US08451032B2
High voltage isolation capabilities are provided using a first integrated circuit die that includes an inverting circuit path and a non-inverting circuit path coupled to receive a single-ended signal and to generate a differential signal from the single-ended signal for transmission over an isolation link. A second integrated circuit die includes a differential Schmitt trigger circuit coupled to the differential signal communicated over the isolation link and to supply at least one output signal corresponding thereto. An isolation barrier is disposed between the inverting and non-inverting circuit paths and the differential Schmitt trigger circuit and includes at least two isolation capacitors coupled to respectively transmit each portion of the differential signal.
US08451027B2
An apparatus includes a first sensing circuit operative to drive a node with a first sample of an input signal during a first phase of a clock signal. The apparatus includes a second sensing circuit operative to drive the node with a second sample of the input signal during a second phase of the clock signal. An output signal on the node includes the first and second samples and has a bit rate that is N times the rate of the clock signal. N is an integer greater than one. In at least one embodiment of the apparatus, during the second phase of the clock signal, the first sensing circuit provides a high impedance to the node, and during the first phase of the clock signal, the second sensing circuit provides a high impedance to the node.
US08451024B2
The present invention relates to electronic driver circuits, and more particularly, to low power electronic driver circuits having low manufacturing costs. The present invention is a circuit design that utilizes two transistor types that can be manufactured together thereby reducing the number of processing steps and masks and resulting in lower cost.
US08451016B2
A testing mechanism for testing magnetically operated microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches at a wafer level stage of manufacture includes an electromagnetic fixture configured to be received in a standard probe ring. The electromagnetic fixture is rotatable, relative to the probe ring, to permit adjustment of orientation of a generated magnetic field relative to the MEMS devices of a subject wafer. The testing mechanism also includes a probe card with probes positioned to contact test pads on the subject wafer. During operation, the probe card is positioned over the wafer to be tested, with the test probes in electrical contact with respective contact pads of the wafer, and the electromagnetic fixture is positioned above the probe card. An electrical potential is applied across the switches on the subject wafer, and the electromagnetic fixture is energized at selected levels of power and duration. Current flow across each switch is measured to determine one or more of: open circuit contact resistance, closed circuit contact resistance, response time, response to switching magnetic field, frequency response, current capacity, critical dimensions, critical angles of magnetic field orientation, etc. Wafer level testing enables rejection of non-compliant switches before the cutting and packaging levels of manufacture.
US08451001B2
An adapter assembly that works with a standard utility meter to wirelessly transmit data about consumption. The adapter assembly generates information about consumption by cooperating with a pointer or shaft of an index (or index bracket) of a utility meter. In some versions, the adapter assembly includes an upper portion and a lower portion that interface together. The upper portion and the lower portion are configured to maintain alignment with the pointer/shaft and not create stress on the index.
US08450992B2
A current mirror apparatus includes an input stage receiving an input current, Iin, and no additional bias current. The apparatus includes at least one output stage coupled to mirror the input current as an output current Iout. The input and output stages include insulated gate transistors. A minimum required voltage drop (Vin) across the input stage is approximately 2Von+2Vth, wherein Vth is a threshold voltage of a selected one of the insulated gate transistors, wherein Von is a drain-to-source saturation voltage of the selected transistor. A minimum required voltage drop (Vout) across the output stage is approximately 2Von.
US08450985B2
An energy recovery circuit receives and stores energy associated with switching transitions in a power converter having a first switch and a second switch configured to be operated to selectively apply a voltage source to an output load. The energy recovery circuit includes an inductive element, a diode, and a capacitive element. The inductive element receives at least a portion of electrical current flowing through one of the first switch and the second switch. The at least a portion of the electrical current flows through the diode to charge the capacitive element with a voltage. The energy recovery circuit includes a recovery power converter to transfer the voltage from the capacitor.
US08450980B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a resilient power supply having a charger to charge a battery with a low voltage and to provide back-up battery power to a system; and a main power supply to provide a plurality of voltages for operation of the system. The resilient power supply may be used to discharge the battery into the main power supply upon loss of alternating current (AC) power in the system.
US08450972B2
A system for recording writing performed on a surface includes a rechargeable stylus, a rechargeable eraser, and a charging station for one or both of the rechargeable stylus and the rechargeable eraser. Each of the rechargeable stylus and the rechargeable eraser includes a pair of charging rings. The charging rings are disposed so as to contact a corresponding pair of charging contacts on a receptacle on the charging station for the stylus or the eraser. The receptacle, charging contacts, and charging rings cooperate to charge rechargeable stylus or the rechargeable eraser when the stylus or eraser is placed into the receptacle.
US08450969B2
A system for automatically charging electrically powered automated guided vehicles in which a unique identification tag is attached to each vehicle in the system. A reader is positioned to periodically read the tags on each vehicle as the vehicle passes near the reader. The reader then produces an output signal which identifies the vehicle as an input signal to a processor. The processor receives the signal from the reader and is programmed to determine if the vehicle is scheduled for an electrical recharging. If so, the processor generates an output signal to the vehicle to divert the vehicle to an electrical charging station. At the charging station, an electrical charger automatically engages electrodes on the vehicle to initiate and thereafter complete the electrical charge.
US08450962B2
A control system for a motor includes a current regulation controller for generating a terminal voltage command. The terminal voltage command is used for converting a supply voltage to a three phase voltage to power a motor. The control system also includes a terminal voltage command feedback module for controlling the terminal voltage command. The terminal voltage command feedback module compares the terminal voltage command to a determined voltage limit of the supply voltage and generates a d-axis current adjustment command in accordance with the comparison. The d-axis current adjustment command is used for reducing the terminal voltage command below the determined voltage limit. The control system also includes a summer coupled with the terminal voltage command feedback module. The summer adds the d-axis current adjustment command to a d-axis current command received from a lookup table.
US08450961B2
A converter and an inverter are connected via a clamp circuit. The converter performs commutation in accordance with any of a first commutation mode in which trapezoidal waves are compared with a carrier and a 120-degree conduction mode. A diode of the clamp circuit is short-circuited by a shorting switch. The shorting switch is rendered conductive when a power factor reduces or a power supply voltage reduces, and capacitors of the clamp circuit are connected in series between DC power supply lines. The converter performs commutation in accordance with the 120-degree conduction mode, not in accordance with the first commutation mode, while the shorting switch is conductive.
US08450954B2
An electric motor apparatus comprising a rotor component rotating with respect to a stator component. A rotational position indicator generates rotational position information indicative of a relative orientation of the rotor and stator components. A rotor winding control unit is fixedly mounted on the rotor component and is coupled to a rotor supply voltage supplied to the rotor component. The rotor control unit generates a rotor waveform in dependence on the rotational position information and applies the rotor waveform to a rotor winding arrangement. A stator winding waveform generator generates a stator waveform in dependence on the rotational position information and applies the stator waveform to a stator winding arrangement. The rotor waveform and stator waveform are generated in synchronization with the relative orientation of the rotor and stator components in order to synchronize mutual interactions of the rotor winding arrangement and the stator winding arrangement with the relative orientation.
US08450948B2
By monitoring the temperature of an LED and the temperature of a controller chip for the LED, a thermal foldback control is employed to gradually decrease the driving current of the LED before the LED or the controller chip is over heated, so as to prevent an over temperature protection from being triggered to shutdown the controller chip to cause the LED to undesirably flicker.
US08450945B2
A high-frequency lamp (10) for low-pressure and high-pressure applications, and a method for the operation thereof, that is particularly suitable for improving the characteristics with regard to efficiency, emission spectrum, cost, and long life, in that the use of an ignition unit is no longer necessary, even at very low high-frequency power, due to an impedance transformer (26) connected downstream of a power amplifier (20), because the application of as high a voltage as possible to an ionization chamber (16) is successfully achieved by the impedance transformation.
US08450941B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and circuits for use with a system including a light emitting element (e.g., a laser diode or light emitting diode) that is driven by a current produced by a current output digital-to-analog converter (DAC), wherein the light emitting element or the DAC is powered by a supply voltage produced by a voltage supply. In accordance with an embodiment, a measure indicative of a voltage at an output of the DAC is obtained, wherein the voltage at the output of the DAC is indicative of a voltage headroom available for the DAC. The measure indicative of the voltage at the output of the DAC is compared to one or more predetermined references, and the supply voltage is controlled based on the comparison(s).
US08450935B2
A series connected light string using LEDs connected to an AC power source is disclosed. In order to make some or all of the lights color change, twinkle, and/or flash, controllers are provided in series with all or some of the LEDs. Because the supply source AC, but the active elements are essentially rectifiers, the circuit becomes a half wave DC circuit. Half wave DC will cause unpredictable behavior in DC circuit components. This will cause the controller to shut down during the zero voltage portion of the pulsating DC cycle. To prevent this a current supplying element is placed in parallel with the controller.
US08450933B2
A plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a plasma processing execution portion, a discharge state detecting unit, a window portion, a camera, a first storing portion, a second storing portion and an image data extracting unit. When an abnormal discharge is detected, the image data extracting unit extracts at least moving image data showing a generation state of the abnormal discharge from the first storing portion and stores the extracted moving image data in the second storing portion. When plasma processing is ended without the detection of the abnormal discharge, the image data extracting unit extracts, from the first storing portion, moving image data of a predetermined specific period or still image data of a specific period derived from the moving image data of the first storing portion and stores the extracted moving image data or the extracted still image data in the second storing portion.
US08450931B2
A process for reducing Ag electromigration in electronic circuitry includes the step of treating the electronic circuitry with an electromigration resistant composition. This process is useful in fabricating electronic devices having electronic circuitry that is close together, such as resistors, capacitors, and displays, e.g., a plasma display panel (PDP) or a liquid crystal display (LCD).
US08450919B2
The invention relates to an illuminant compound for a discharge lamp (1), said compound having an emission spectrum in the green spectral range and being designed to absorb the radiation emitted in the visible spectral range by an Hg source and to convert said visible radiation of the Hg source into the emission spectrum of the illuminant compound. The invention also relates to a discharge lamp comprising an illuminant compound of this type.
US08450918B2
According to the embodiments, an easy-to-fabricate light-emitting apparatus is provided in which a plurality of phosphors is disposed so as not to overlap each other. The light-emitting apparatus includes a light source that emits excitation light; a substrate having a protrusion and recess configuration where first planes and second planes which intersect the first planes are formed periodically; first phosphor layers formed on the first planes and absorbing the excitation light to emit a first fluorescence; and second phosphor layers formed on the second planes and absorbing the excitation light to emit a second fluorescence with a wavelength different from that of the first fluorescence.
US08450912B2
An actuator element includes: a piezoelectric body; a pair of electrodes mutually opposing to each other via the piezoelectric body; a diaphragm to which the piezoelectric body sandwiched between the pair of electrodes is bonded; and a base substrate arranged to oppose a movable part including the piezoelectric body and the diaphragm, the movable part being displaced in a direction toward the base substrate by application of a drive voltage to the pair of electrodes, wherein polarization (Pr)-electric field (E) hysteresis characteristics of the piezoelectric body are biased with respect to an electric field, and by application of a voltage in an opposite direction to the drive voltage, to the pair of electrodes, the movable part is displaced in a direction away from the base substrate.
US08450907B2
A sound generator includes a transducer converting electric energy to mechanical energy, a mechanical amplifier mechanically amplifying a vibration generated in a piezoelectric component of the transducer, and a radiation plate radiating a sound wave from a signal amplified by the mechanical amplifier, wherein the radiation plate includes a first step having a height for compensating for a first resonance frequency and a second step having a height for compensating for a second resonance frequency.
US08450904B2
A piezoelectric device includes IDT electrodes and solves various problems resulting from the IDT electrodes. The piezoelectric device has a configuration in which a piezoelectric thin-film and a support are bonded together such that the piezoelectric thin-film is supported by the support. IDT electrodes and interconnect electrodes are provided on a surface of the piezoelectric thin-film that is located on the support side. The piezoelectric thin-film includes a region in which the IDT electrodes are provided and on which no support is provided but an opening is formed. This allows the IDT electrodes and the piezoelectric thin-film and the IDT electrode-formed region of the piezoelectric thin-film to not be in contact with the support, thereby defining a membrane including only the piezoelectric thin-film and the IDT electrodes as elements, the piezoelectric thin-film and the IDT electrodes being disposed therein and being important for properties of the piezoelectric device.
US08450898B2
An insulator for a stator assembly includes at least a first insulator adapted to be mounted to the stator core and structured to insulate the stator core from the coils. The at least one insulator includes structure to perform at least one additional function. For example, the structure may include a support member to support and/or locate the PCBA on the stator core, a wire guide to guide cross-over wires that form a connection between coils, and/or positioning structure to precisely position the PCBA with respect to the coils.
US08450892B2
A machine for generating electricity has an exciter rotor with a plurality of coils, and is associated with a shaft to be driven by a source of rotation. A diode bridge is connected downstream of the exciter rotor to provide a rectifier for an AC current generated by rotation of the exciter rotor. The diode bridge rectifies the AC generated current into DC current, which is passed downstream to windings for a main rotor. A snubber circuit is positioned intermediate said rectifier and said main rotor, said snubber circuit including both a resistor and a capacitor.
US08450891B2
A device for rectifying the current of a rotary electric machine comprising a bearing (50) with through openings (51) for a coolant, that comprises at least one module (100) including a holder (10, 16) for holding current rectifying members (93, 94) having the same phase as the machine, said holder (10, 16) including a heat sink (16) with vanes (18) at least partially covering an opening (51) in the bearing (50). A rotary electric machine including such a current rectifying device. Application: alternators of automotive vehicles with internal ventilation.
US08450889B2
A high speed electric motor for use in a variety of applications. The electric motor an electric motor including a motor housing or stator, a rotor having a commutator and brushes for contacting the commutator at a predefined area known as the contact area. Additionally, the motor includes a forced air cooling assembly. The forced air cooling assembly includes a centrifugal fan for creating air flow, a manifold for accelerating the air flow. The manifold having exit ports and the exit ports being positioned directly over the contact area for directing the accelerated air flow at the contact area and the motor housing having at least one opening aligned with the contact area and at least a second opening defining an exit vent. Additionally, a method of cooling the motor in accordance with the invention is also disclosed.
US08450885B2
In a coolant-cooled linear motor includes an armature including armature windings and a cooling jacket arranged to surround the armature windings, the cooling jacket unit includes four cooling jackets defining four side faces parallel to the extension direction of the armature and two end blocks defining two opposite end faces in the extension direction of the armature, the cooling jackets and the end blocks being connected to one another in a box shape. Each of the cooling jackets has an internal space to be supplied with a coolant; and a field magnet unit includes a yoke made of a ferromagnetic material and permanent magnets arranged in the yoke, one of the armature and the field magnet unit making relative movement with respect to the other.
US08450879B2
A power control apparatus comprises a transducer having an output (12,13) which is connected to a remotely activated device (25) mounted in a mains consumer unit (14). When a predefined parameter is detected, the device (25) is activated to connect a load (29) between the switched live output (18) of a residual current device RCD (15) and the neutral input (17) thereof, thereby creating an imbalanced current flow on the live and neutral output terminals (18,19) of the RCD (15) which causes contacts (20,21) inside the RCD (15) to disconnect the supply to an appliance circuit (22).
US08450876B2
Aspects of the invention are directed to systems and method for limiting losses in an uninterruptible power supply. In one aspect, the present invention provides an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) comprising an input to receive input power having an input voltage, an output to provide output power having an output voltage, a neutral line, an automatic voltage regulation (AVR) transformer coupled to the input and the output of the UPS and having an input, an output, a core and at least one switch controllably coupled to at least one of the core, the input and the output, and a means for isolating the core of the AVR transformer from the neutral line when the input voltage is substantially equal to a defined output voltage.
US08450868B2
An object of the invention is to provide a wind turbine generator or a tidal current generator which is equipped with a hydraulic transmission and achieves a superior power generation efficiency, and a operation method thereof. The wind turbine generator 1 comprises a hydraulic pump 12 of a variable displacement type which is rotated by the main shaft 8, a hydraulic motor 14 of a variable displacement type which is connected to the generator 20, and a high pressure oil line 16 and a low pressure oil line 18 which are arranged between the hydraulic pump 12 and the hydraulic motor 14. The pump controller 32 obtains a target torque of the hydraulic pump 12 at which a power coefficient becomes maximum, and then sets a displacement Dp of the hydraulic pump 12 based on the target torque and the pressure in the high pressure oil line 16. The motor controller 34 sets a displacement Dm of the hydraulic pump 14 based on a discharge amount Qp of the hydraulic pump obtained from the displacement Dp of the hydraulic pump 12 so that the rotation seed of the generator 20 becomes constant.
US08450860B2
A power switch component having a semiconductor switch and a contacting applied to a contact zone of the semiconductor switch is introduced. The contact zone has a semiconductor layer and a metal plating applied to the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer has at least one conducting region and at least one non-conducting region situated directly under the metal plating.
US08450855B2
A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate which has a plurality of pad electrodes provided on a top surface thereof and has an approximately rectangular shape; a rewiring layer which is provided with a plurality of contact wiring lines connected to the plurality of pad electrodes, is disposed on the semiconductor substrate through an insulating film, and has an approximately rectangular shape; and a plurality of ball electrodes which are provided on the rewiring layer. A plurality of first pad electrodes among the plurality of pad electrodes are arranged on an outer circumference of the semiconductor substrate to be along a first side of the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of first ball electrodes among the plurality of ball electrodes are arranged on an outer circumference of the rewiring layer to be along the first side, and any one of the plurality of first ball electrodes is connected to the first pad electrode positioned below the corresponding ball electrode through the contact wiring lines, and the first pad electrodes are not disposed on the lower side of the first ball electrodes positioned at an end of the first side.
US08450852B2
A wiring substrate includes plural wiring layers and plural insulation layers being alternately stacked one on top of the other. The plural insulation layers are formed with insulation resin having the same composition. The plural insulation layers are formed with a filler having the same composition. The filler content of each of the plural insulation layers ranges from 30 vol % or more to 65 vol % or less. The thermal expansion coefficient of each of the plural insulation layers ranges from 12 ppm/° C. or more to 35 ppm/° C. or less.
US08450838B2
An electro-optic apparatus has an electro-optic panel, driver semiconductor chips bonded onto the terminal portion of the electro-optic panel, and two protection films either or both of which are transparent, wherein the electro-optic panel is sealed by being sandwiched between the two protection films, and one protection film that covers the terminal portion has openings for exposing the driver semiconductor chips.
US08450837B2
In a hybrid integrated circuit device, a circuit board on which an island portion of a lead is fixedly attached and a control board on which a control element and the like are mounted are disposed in an overlapping manner. The circuit board and the control board are integrally encapsulated with an encapsulating resin. A transistor disposed on an upper surface of the circuit board and a control element mounted on an upper surface of the control board are also covered by the encapsulating resin. Thus, a module in which an inverter circuit and a control circuit are integrally encapsulated with resin is provided.
US08450836B2
A digital circuit portion (6) and an analog circuit portion (7) are formed in a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate (4). A via (20) is formed in a region between the digital circuit portion (6) and the analog circuit portion (7). The via (20) extends through the semiconductor substrate (4) from a front surface to a back surface thereof, and is made of a dielectric (2) having its surface covered by a metal (1). The metal (1) is grounded. Signal interference between the analog circuit portion (6) and the digital circuit portion (7) is reduced by the via (20).
US08450834B2
This disclosure relates to a spacer structure of a field effect transistor. An exemplary structure for a field effect transistor includes a substrate; a gate structure that has a sidewall overlying the substrate; a silicide region in the substrate on one side of the gate structure having an inner edge closest to the gate structure; a first oxygen-sealing layer adjoining the sidewall of the gate structure; an oxygen-containing layer adjoining the first oxygen-sealing layer on the sidewall and further including a portion extending over the substrate; and a second oxygen-sealing layer adjoining the oxygen-containing layer and extending over the portion of the oxygen-containing layer over the substrate, wherein an outer edge of the second oxygen-sealing layer is offset from the inner edge of the silicide region.
US08450828B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, including a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to each other. A power semiconductor element includes a first electrode in a first region at the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a second electrode at the second main surface. A current flows between the first electrode and the second electrode. The semiconductor device also includes a guard ring of a second conductivity type, in a second region at the first main surface, at a more outer circumference than the first region. A semi-insulating insulation film covers the second region. A dielectric film in the second region covers the semi-insulating insulation film. A flow block portion in a third region at the first main surface, at a more outer circumference than the second region, prevents a flow out of the dielectric film.
US08450827B2
Apparatus and methods for a MOS varactor structure are disclosed An apparatus is provided, comprising an active area defined in a portion of a semiconductor substrate; a doped well region in the active area extending into the semiconductor substrate; at least two gate structures disposed in parallel over the doped well region; source and drain regions disposed in the well region formed on opposing sides of the gate structures; a gate connector formed in a first metal layer overlying the at least two gate structures and electrically coupling the at least two gate structures; source and drain connectors formed in a second metal layer and electrically coupled to the source and drain regions; and interlevel dielectric material separating the source and drain connectors in the second metal layer from the gate connector formed in the first metal layer. Methods for forming the structure are disclosed.
US08450824B2
According to one embodiment, an optically transmissive metal electrode includes a plurality of first and second metal wires. The first metal wires are disposed along a first direction, and extend along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The second metal wires are disposed along a third direction parallel with a plane including the first and second directions and intersecting the first direction, contact the first metal wires, and extend along a fourth direction parallel with the plane and intersecting the third direction. A first pitch between centers of the first metal wires is not more than a shortest wavelength in a waveband including visible light. A second pitch between centers of the second metal wires exceeds a longest wavelength in the waveband. A thickness of the first and second metal wires along a direction vertical to the plane is not more than the shortest wavelength.
US08450823B2
Disclosed is an integrated circuit (100) comprising a substrate (110) carrying a plurality of light-sensitive elements (112) and a blazed grating (120) comprising a plurality of diffractive elements (122) for diffracting respective spectral components (123-125) of incident light (150) to respective light-sensitive elements (112), the blazed grating (120) comprising a stack of layers, at least some of these layers comprising first portions, e.g. metal portions (202, 222, 242) arranged such that each diffractive element (122) comprises a stepped profile of stacked first portions with a first portion in a higher layer laterally extending beyond a first portion in a lower layer of said stepped profile.
US08450819B2
In a plasma torch unit, a conductor rod having a spiral shape is disposed inside a quartz pipe having a surface coated with boron glass, and a brass block is disposed on the periphery thereof. While a gas is being supplied into a cylindrical chamber, a high-frequency power is supplied to the conductor rod and a plasma is generated in the cylindrical chamber, so that a base material is irradiated with the plasma.
US08450813B2
There is provided a fin transistor structure and a method of fabricating the same. The fin transistor structure comprises a fin formed on a semiconductor substrate, wherein a bulk semiconductor material is formed between a portion of the fin serving as the channel region of the transistor structure and the substrate, and an insulation material is formed between remaining portions of the fin and the substrate. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the current leakage while maintaining the advantages of body-tied structures.
