US08555301B2
An integrated disk driving module is disclosed, the module including a base unit including a spindle motor fixture including an opening-formed upper plate, a lateral surface plate bent from the upper plate to form an accommodation space, and a spindle motor fixture concavely formed from the upper plate toward the accommodation space, wherein the spindle motor fixture is integrally formed with the upper plate; and a spindle motor fixed inside the spindle motor fixture to rotate a disk.
US08555285B2
A task control computer program includes computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute an operating system as a task. The computer is caused to perform determining whether there is an executable non-idle process under control of the operating system and changing a set priority of the operating system task to a priority higher than the primary priority of the operating system task when it is determined that there is an executable non-idle process with the specified time elapsed.
US08555276B2
Systems, methods, and media for transparently optimizing a workload of a containment abstraction are provided herein. Methods may include monitoring a workload of the containment abstraction, the containment abstraction being at least partially hardware bound, the workload corresponding to resource utilization of the containment abstraction, converting the containment abstraction from being at least partially hardware bound to being entirely central processing unit (CPU) bound by placing the containment abstraction in a memory store, based upon the workload, and allocating the workload of the containment abstraction across at least a portion of a data center to optimize the workload of the containment abstraction.
US08555271B2
A system and method for optional upgrading of a software application on a wireless device during the execution of the software application. The system includes receiving a request to replace a resident executable application with a different version of the application. The system further includes detecting the active execution of the resident executable application. The system also includes receiving, via a network, the different version of the application. Also, the system includes storing the different version of the application in a temporary location in response to detecting the active execution of the resident executable application. In addition, the system includes terminating the active execution of the resident executable application. The system also includes overwriting the resident executable application with the different version of the application stored in the temporary location. Further, the system includes initiating active execution of the different version of the application.
US08555270B2
A method and system are provided for splitting a live-range of a variable in frequently executed regions of program instructions. The live-range of a variable is split into multiple sub-ranges, each of which can be assigned to a different register or spilled into memory. The amount of spill code is reduced in frequently used regions of code by coalescing the live ranges based on profile information obtained after splitting the live ranges at every join and fork point in a control flow graph.
US08555269B2
Methods, software tools and systems for analyzing software applications, e.g., Web applications, are described. A software application to be analyzed is transformed into an abstract representation which preserves its information flow properties. The abstract interpretation is evaluated to identify vulnerabilities using, for example, type qualifiers to associate security levels with variables and/or functions in the application being analyzed and typestate checking. Runtime guards are inserted into the application to secure identified vulnerabilities.
US08555259B2
A computer-implemented method of finding portions of a computer program exhibiting irregular performance can include detecting an entry into a function of a computer program under test indicating a current execution of the function and, responsive to detecting an exit from the function, determining a count of a computing resource utilized by the function during the current execution of the function. The count of the computing resource can be compared with a predetermined count range to determine whether the function is nonconforming to the predetermined count range. Usage information for the computer program under test can be output to a display of an electronic device resource, the resource usage information indicating that the function does not conform to the predetermined count range.
US08555257B2
A host having a network interface communicating with a plurality of users and a plurality of target devices, a workbench tool including software development tools, the plurality of users having access to the workbench, at least one user creating a first sensorpoint module using the workbench and a database storing the first sensorpoint module, the host loading the first sensorpoint module onto at least one of the target devices.
US08555249B2
Various embodiments of systems and methods for lifecycle stable user interface adaptations are described herein. All adaptations done by partners/key users/end users to a user interface of a computer software application are preserved during the lifecycle of the application. In one aspect, the adaptations are persisted as additional metadata used for the generation of the user interface. In another aspect, the lifecycle stability is achieved by attaching the adaptations to semantically coherent set of fields placed in the UI that reappear in future releases of the computer software application.
US08555247B2
Techniques for expressing temporal relationships between lifecycle representations are provided. For example, one computer-implemented technique includes obtaining two or more lifecycle representations of at least two components of at least one computing system, annotating the two or more lifecycle representations with at least one temporal relationship, and storing the two or more annotated lifecycle representations as at least one deployment descriptor, wherein the at least one deployment descriptor is useable for managing the at least one computing system. In another computer-implemented technique, at least two internal lifecycle models of at least two components of at least one computing system are analyzed, at least one temporal relationship that exists between the at least two components are analyzed, and the at least one temporal relationship is transformed into at least one sequence of change management operations for use in managing the at least one computing system.
US08555234B2
An efficient method for selecting a minimal and statistically relevant set of SER sensitive logic devices critical to the SER robustness for a design, through identification by device type, identification nomenclature, connectivity and context. The minimal set of devices comprise the set of fault injection test points using a conventional fault injection test verification environment to establish an SER induced failure rate a logic design. The selection method affords a design independent means to evaluate any design regardless of the origin, source language or documentation by working at the common logic device level “gate-level” netlist format for the design data. The selected set of devices is distilled from the design data by successively filtering the design through a series of heuristic rule-based device identifier computer programs that group and annotate the devices into specific database records. These records are then used to organize the fault injection device test set by test behavior and relevance.
US08555231B2
An automatic wiring method includes calculating a metal area within an integrated circuit, and determining whether the metal area calculated at the calculating is smaller than a minimum metal area as a predetermined threshold value.
US08555228B2
Embodiments of an electronic design automation system are generally described herein. In some embodiments, glitch-sensitive nodes in an integrated circuit design are identified. For each glitch-sensitive node, a circuit fanin cone is analyzed to look for circuit structures that can produce glitches. The integrated circuit design can be simulated and modified if the simulation indicates that a glitch would occur in the integrated circuit design.
US08555221B2
A circuit design is partitioned for hardware-accelerated functional verification using a directed hypergraph with edge weights that are a function of slack. Slack may be computed as the difference between the early and late ranks for the source of an edge. The weight may further be computed as the difference between the edge's slack and a maximum slack value. In a preferred implementation each vertex also has multiple weights associated with resource requirements of different node types, and the partitioning is constrained to prevent vertex movement that would result in vertex weights for a given partition exceeding a partition resource capacity based on the accelerator architecture. Edge and vertex weights can be recomputed for the next level of partitioning. The partitioning process can be repeatedly iteratively until a termination criterion is met, the termination criterion being based in part on the number of directed cuts in each of the partitions.
US08555219B2
One method implementation disclosed includes detecting matching leaf cells that are functionally identical (optionally, functionally similar) and assigning matching names for the matching leaf cells to replace original, non-matching names. Optionally, digests can be calculated for the leaf cells and used to detect similarities and/or differences. The matching names are propagated to at least some higher-level cells in the hierarchical design, in place of the original names. The method can further include calculating digests for at least some of the higher level cells after the propagating of the matching names into the higher level cells. Various design matching technologies can be used in combination with cell renaming and new name propagation, not limited to use of digests. Dependency chains can be calculated to improve propagation of names through the hierarchy.
US08555213B1
Described herein are methods and systems for efficiently preparing a wafer layout for processing into a photomask. Portions of layouts containing semiconductor features and designs that are frequently used can be stored in a database. These portions can be post-decomposition, with all treatment and error checking already performed upon them. When a wafer layout is received for processing into a photomask, the processing and decomposition time can be reduced by analyzing the layout, and replacing sections of the layout with the portions from the database that have already been decomposed and processed. As these sections no longer need to be decomposed, error checked, and treated, the processing time is greatly reduced, and photomasks can be made quicker and more efficiently.
US08555208B2
Methods, systems, and tool sets involving reticles and photolithography processing. Several embodiments include obtaining qualitative data from within the pattern area of a reticle indicative of the physical characteristics of the pattern area. Additional embodiments include obtaining qualitative data indicative of the physical characteristics of the reticle remotely from a photolithography tool. In further embodiments qualitative data is obtained from within the pattern area of a reticle in a tool that is located remotely from the photolithography tool. Several embodiments provide data taken from within the pattern area to more accurately reflect the contour of the pattern area of the reticle without using the photolithography tool to obtain such measurements. This is expected to provide accurate data for correcting the photolithography tool to compensate for variances in the pattern area, and to increase throughput because the photolithography tool is not used to measure the reticle.
US08555206B2
Example methods and apparatus to present recipe progress status information are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves displaying a user interface screen associated with a recipe being executed in a process control system. The recipe includes a plurality of process phases. A plurality of process stage progress indicator are displayed in the user interface screen in an arrangement representative of the process flow of the recipe. Each of the process stage progress indicators is representative of at least one of the process phases of the recipe. A first one of the process stage progress indicators is indicative of a progress of at least one of the process phases. The first process stage progress indicator is updated in substantially real-time based on information received from the process control system.
US08555205B2
The present invention discloses a system for human and machine interface. The system includes a 3-dimensional (3D) image capture device, for capturing a gesture of a motion object in a period of time; a hand-held inertial device (HHID), for transmitting a control signal; and a computing device. The computing device includes a system integration and GUI module, for compensating the control signal according to an image signal corresponding to the motion object, to generate a compensated control signal.
US08555204B2
A computer software program, method and system has a data visualization scheme in the form of plural identifiable virtual characters in a familiar virtual environment that is relevant for the characters and in which the characters act in the context of the environment and in a manner that is indicative of the data or data set portrayed by each character. From the actions and interactions of the virtual characters in the context of the virtual environment, information about the nature and interactions of the data and data sets is quickly and intuitively appreciated by a viewer.
US08555195B2
A graphic user interface combines a position bar for moving between pages in a document and with a page bookmarking or referencing function. The position bar includes a selectable box that can be used to set a reference mark on a particular page of a document. The user interface also interprets input near the position bar to change the page to the page of the reference mark when the input is within a predefined range of the reference mark.
US08555184B2
A method of interacting with a scrollable area on a portable electronic device is described. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a method of interacting with a portable electronic device having a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising: displaying a user interface screen having a scrollable area on the touch-sensitive display; and displaying a transparent scrollbar which overlays elements of the user interface screen when a touch event is detected in a display area corresponding to the scrollable area.
US08555175B2
A display generation device, a display generation method, a program, and a content download system are provided. The display generation device for generating a display screen including one or two or more user-selectable playback control items is provided with a download section for downloading content data from a content server storing the content data, a data amount acquisition section for acquiring a data amount already downloaded and a data amount not yet downloaded by the download section among the content data, a rate acquisition section for acquiring a transmission rate of data from the content server to the display generation device, and a display screen generation section for generating the display screen including the playback control item according to the data amount acquired by the data amount acquisition section and the transmission rate acquired by the rate acquisition section.
US08555163B2
A streaming abstraction system is described herein that provides application developers a client software development kit (SDK) on top of which to build smooth streaming solutions. The system reduces development time considerably and abstracts platform specific intricacies and protocol handling on the client. In addition, the streaming abstraction system makes it possible to monetize streaming content with advanced features like advertising and analytics and provides advanced capabilities like multiple camera angles, diagnostics, and error handling. In some embodiments, the streaming abstraction system provides an intermediate layer that operates between an application and an underlying client media platform. The intermediate layer manages smooth streaming protocol handling as well as interactions with the platform-specific runtime.
US08555161B2
A first computing device opens a local copy of a document. The first computing device updates the local copy of the document to reflect a remote change. The remote change is a change made to a remote copy of the document by a user of a second computing device. The first computing device also updates the local copy of the document to reflect a local change. The local change is a change made to the local copy of the document by a user of the first computing device. The first computing device is able to concurrently update the local copy to reflect the local change and the remote change.
US08555155B2
Methods and apparatuses that automatically detect availability of a reader mode for article content in a web page addressed by a URL are described. Availability detection may be progressively performed such that cheap operations are performed first to reduce the need to perform more expensive ones. A retrieval status of the web page may be detected to determine when enough content has been retrieved to initiate a detection of the reader mode for the web page. A reader indicator may be presented in a user interface of a browser if the availability of the reader mode is detected. A user of the browser may be noted with an alternative presentation of the article content from the web page in addition to a presentation of the whole web page by the browser. If the reader mode of the web page is not available, no reader indicator may be present in the browser.
US08555146B2
Transmitters and receivers deal with streams of data, wherein the receiver is expected to begin using received data before receiving all of the data. Concurrent streams are sent and FEC coding is used with the streams and done as an aggregate. The transmitter performs FEC operations over the plurality of streams, wherein source blocks from at least two streams logically associated into a jumbo source block and FEC processing is performed to generate one or more jumbo repair block from the jumbo source block. Each of the source blocks comprises one or more source symbols from their respective stream. The jumbo source symbols can be of constant size and are suitably aligned along size boundaries that make processing efficient. Each source symbol need not be the same size, and the number of source symbols from each stream in a jumbo source block need not be the same value across streams.
US08555141B2
A flash-memory system is organized into a plurality of blocks and a plurality of pages in each block, each page having 2N data locations and K spare locations. At least one page in the memory has 2M user data sectors and each sector has 2N-M+L locations therein. Because L is at least 1 but less than 2N-M, user data is stored in the spare memory locations. By storing user data in spare locations that were previously off-limits to user data, enterprise-sized sectors can be efficiently stored in flash memories with little wasted memory, thereby making flash-memory systems compatible with existing hard-drive storage systems in enterprise system applications.
US08555135B2
Different transmissions based on different content blocks which were segmented from the same digital content according to different segmentation schemes, where each of the content blocks has any substring in common with at least one of the other content blocks, are received by a receiving radio communication station, for example a mobile telephone or a mobile network base station. Certain encoded received bits derived from different ones of the transmissions are combined into combined bits. Other encoded received bits derived from one or more of the different transmissions are provided together with the combined bits to a decoder.
US08555121B2
A scannable pulse dynamic logic gate may include an evaluation network that evaluates dynamic inputs in response to assertion of an evaluate pulse. The evaluate pulse may be generated from a clock signal such that it is shorter in duration than the clock signal. During a normal mode of operation, when the evaluate pulse is asserted, the evaluation network may discharge a dynamic node depending on the state of the dynamic inputs. The dynamic node may then drive output device(s). When the evaluate pulse is deasserted, the dynamic node may be precharged. The gate may also include scan input devices, which, during a scan mode of operation, may load scan input data onto the output node in response to assertion of a scan master clock. A storage element of the gate may receive and capture a value of the output node in response to assertion of a slave scan clock.
US08555120B2
A test system for debugging a target device includes a switch unit configured to transfer a test signal to the target device, the target device including a first intellectual property (IP) block supporting a debugging operation at a normal mode and a second IP block supporting a debugging operation at a power saving mode. The switch unit is configured to form a first signal transfer path for transferring the test signal to the first IP block at the normal mode and to form a second signal transfer path for transferring the test signal to the second IP block at the power saving mode.
US08555119B2
A test structure for characterizing a production static random access memory (SRAM) array. The test structure includes a characterization circuit having multiple memory cell columns connected in series to form a ring configuration. The characterization circuit is fabricated on a wafer substrate in common with and proximate to a production SRAM array. The characterization circuit preferably includes SRAM cells having a circuit topology substantially identical to the circuit topology of memory cells within the production SRAM array. In one embodiment, the test structure is utilized for characterizing a multi-port memory array and includes multiple memory cell columns connected in series to form a ring oscillator characterization circuit. Each cell column in the characterization circuit includes multiple SRAM cells each having a latching node and multiple data path access nodes. Selection control circuitry selectively enables the multiple data path access nodes for the SRAM cells within the characterization circuit.
US08555115B2
Long running computer implemented processes are dynamically adapted to improve data consistency. A range of process steps in a long running computer implemented process is specified. Additionally, each of the computer-implemented process partners that are associated with the execution of the long running process are identified within the range of specified process steps. Monitoring information is also collected with regard to at least one identified process partner. An automatic determination is made as to whether each monitored process partner is available before initiating execution of the specified range of process steps in an instance of the long running computer implemented process and a flow of the long running computer implemented process is transformed based at least in part upon the determination as to whether each monitored process partner is available.
US08555112B2
A method for estimating a candidate cause in a failure occurred in an information processing apparatus by a computer, the method includes retrieving, by the computer, a first set of incident information from a data storage region on the basis of failure symptom data which is set on the computer, the data storage region storing incident information, each piece of the incident information including failure symptom data, first cause data of a positive judgment result of a cause in the failure, and second cause data of a negative judgment result of the cause in the failure, each of the first set including the failure symptom data identical to the set failure symptom data.
US08555106B2
The present invention provides a data migration management apparatus that can easily create a re-execution task for re-executing an error-terminated data migration task, and also can increase the possibility of the re-execution task being successful. In a case where a data migration from a migration-source volume to a migration-destination volume fails, the management apparatus uses the information of the failed task to create a re-execution task. The management apparatus changes the configuration of a volume pair as necessary. The management apparatus manages the failed task in association with the re-execution task.
US08555104B2
A frequency adapter for synchronizing data transfers between a low-frequency module and a high-frequency module connected to an internal bus. The frequency adapter includes a low-to-high synchronization unit for synchronizing data transfers from the low frequency module to the high-frequency module, wherein the low-to-high synchronization unit is clocked by a low frequency clock; and a high-to-low synchronization unit for synchronizing data transfers from the high frequency module to the low-frequency module, wherein the high-to-low synchronization unit is clocked by a low frequency clock.
US08555101B2
A method and apparatus for enhancing/extending a serial point-to-point interconnect architecture, such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) is herein described. Temporal and locality caching hints and prefetching hints are provided to improve system wide caching and prefetching. Message codes for atomic operations to arbitrate ownership between system devices/resources are included to allow efficient access/ownership of shared data. Loose transaction ordering provided for while maintaining corresponding transaction priority to memory locations to ensure data integrity and efficient memory access. Active power sub-states and setting thereof is included to allow for more efficient power management. And, caching of device local memory in a host address space, as well as caching of system memory in a device local memory address space is provided for to improve bandwidth and latency for memory accesses.
US08555100B2
A device may include an output device to provide information to a user. The device may further include logic configured to receive an input that identifies an activity to enable while in a low power condition, monitor a power condition of the device, determine that the power condition is the low power condition, and deactivate or disable activities other than the identified activity when the power condition is the low power condition.
US08555094B2
An AC-to-DC power adapter provides DC power to an information handling system at a first higher DC voltage or a second lower DC voltage based upon a power state of the information handling system. For example, approximately 19 Volts DC power is provided if the information handling system is in an on state or if the information handling system is charging a battery. Approximately 13 Volts DC power is provided if the information handling system is in a reduced power state, such as an ACPI S3 state, with a battery having a substantially full charge.
US08555093B2
Provided is a communication device for utilization in a communication network. The communication device includes a communication process section for controlling communications in the communication network, a battery for supplying power to the communication process section, a battery control section for controlling supplying of power to the battery, a sub-board temperature detection section for detecting temperature of a battery housing section, and a temperature control section for, (A) when charging of the battery is underway and the temperature detected by the sub-board temperature detection section is outside a predetermined first charging-temperature range, controlling the battery control section to halt the charging of the battery, and, (B) when supplying of power from the battery to the communication process section is underway and the temperature detected by the sub-board temperature detection section is outside a predetermined first discharging-temperature range, halting the supplying of power from the battery to the communication process section.
US08555089B2
Information processing apparatus (100) ensures confidentiality of encryption and reduces overhead associated with processing not directly related to the encryption. The information processing apparatus (100) includes: application program (A158) that includes an instruction for encryption which uses a key; tampering detection unit (135x) that detects tampering of the program; CPU (141) that operates according to instructions and outputs a direction for encryption upon detecting the instruction for encryption; data encryption/decryption function unit (160) that controls switching to the protective mode according to the direction; and protected data operation unit (155) that stores a key in correspondence with the program, outputs the key in the protective mode, and controls switching to the normal mode, and the data encryption/decryption function unit (160) executes the encryption in the normal mode using the received key.
US08555088B2
The invention concerns a method for writing data to a memory device arrangement comprising a first and a second memory device in which the first memory device comprises data blocks numbered with block numbers and the second memory device comprises at least one reference calculated from a data block digest and its physical block number. The invention is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: calculating the digest from at least part of the data block content, receiving at least one physical block number, to which the data block contents in the first memory device is stored, encrypting the data block content, storing the data block content to the first memory device to the position pointed by the physical block number, and storing or issuing a command to save the digest, or a number derived from it, and at least one said physical block number to the second memory device. Also a system, a computer program and server computer in accordance to the invention are presented.
US08555084B2
A data encryption device performs high-speed access to an arbitrary page when encrypting data and writing it to a storage device that can be accessed in a page unit or reading data therefrom and decrypting it. The device: encrypts data and writes it to the storage device or reads data from the storage device and decrypts it by a stream cipher; uses a counter mode of a block cipher to generate pseudorandom number series; specifies a data position in the storage device based on a page number and a page block number, by dividing one page into plural page blocks having a block length of the block cipher; and uses a value determined by a function of the page number, the page block number, and an arbitrary offset value, as an initial value of a pseudorandom number to be used in the counter mode.
US08555083B1
A method may include detecting initiation of a power-management mode that suspends the functionality of at least one component of a computing device while maintaining the functionality of the device's memory. The method may also include, before the device enters the power-management mode, (1) identifying, within the device's memory, an encryption key that is required to access encrypted data stored in the device's storage device, and (2) removing the encryption key from the device's memory in order to protect against unauthorized access of the encrypted data during implementation of the power-management mode. The method may also include, upon detecting discontinuation of the power-management mode, (1) obtaining user credentials from a user of the device in order to authenticate the user and, upon successfully authenticating the user, (2) using the user credentials to regenerate the encryption key in order to enable access to the encrypted data stored in the storage device.
US08555082B1
The present disclosure includes apparatus, systems, digital logic circuitry and techniques relating to data encoding. A method performed by a system on a chip (SOC) includes receiving data to be output to a memory unit external to the SOC. Also a key for scrambling the received data is received. A proper subset of the key is identified and used to scramble the received data. The scrambled data is output to the memory unit external to the SOC.
US08555077B2
Behavioral fingerprints hold gathered data related to users' interactions with a device or devices, inter alia. Behavioral fingerprints may be used to at least partially determine a level of accessibility of the device or of an aspect of the device for the user; provide a current status of a network-accessible user associated with the device; activate or deactivate functions, programs or features of the device; generate alerts regarding the user's interaction with the device; assist in identifying a current device as a device being currently used by a network-accessible user, etc. Behavioral fingerprints may include statistical calculations on social network collected data, user input, sensor-provided data as provided by GPS, accelerometers, microphones, cameras, timers, touch-panels, or other indication or combination of the foregoing, whether originating from the device or the network. Anomalous activity associated with the device may be detected without user intervention at least in part with behavioral fingerprints.
US08555073B2
The invention relates to a motor vehicle display apparatus with an electronic device, comprising: a first memory area (117) for storing data (109), a second memory area (119) for storing at least a first certificate (178), a first interface (103) for receiving the data, a signature of the data and of the at least first certificate from a sender (107), means (123) for checking validity of the signature of the data by using the first certificate, wherein the data is only stored in the first memory area if the signature is valid, means (127) for driving a display apparatus for displaying the data stored in the first memory area, and comprising the display apparatus (136), wherein the display apparatus and the electronic device form a structural unit.
US08555069B2
Modern network communications often require a client application requesting data to authenticate itself to an application providing the data. Such authentication requests can be redundant, especially in the case of stateless network protocols. When a full authentication is performed, a conversation identifier and one or more encryption keys can be agreed upon. Subsequent authentication requests can be answered with a fast reconnect token comprising the conversation identifier and a cryptographically signed version of it using the one or more encryption keys. Should additional security be desirable, a sequence number can be established and incremented in a pre-determined or a random manner to enable detection of replayed fast reconnect tokens. If the recipient can verify the fast reconnect token, the provider can be considered to have been authenticated based on the prior authentication. If an aspect of the fast re-authentication should fail, recourse can be had to the original full authentication process.
US08555066B2
Encrypted data on mobile devices is protected by remotely storing a decryption key. In order to decrypt the encrypted data on the mobile device, the mobile device obtains the decryption key from an access control system that is remote from the mobile device. The access control system can control access to the encrypted data by controlling access to the decryption key. For example, the access control system can implement user authentication as a condition for providing the decryption key. Access to the encrypted data can also be controlled by withholding the decryption key where, for instance, a mobile device has been reported to be lost or stolen, or once an individual's access privilege has been revoked, or at certain times of the day.
US08555062B1
A system and method for preventing replay attacks on secure data transactions are provided. The method aspect of the invention comprises establishing a communicating coupling with an authorized device, receiving a signal from the device requesting a session identification number, generating the session identification number and communicating the session identification number to the device, receiving a signal from the device that comprises a request for secure data transmission and includes the session identification number and coupling the device communicatively to implement the secure data transaction provided the request is authorized based on the session identification number.
US08555052B2
A steganographic message/advertisement embedding method is presented that can be used for contextual and targeted advertising supporting unobtrusive and on-demand message/advertisement delivery. The present invention presents over two client devices, the method includes receiving, on a first client device, a primary multimedia presentation with a plurality of steganographic codes embedded therein; whereby the steganographic code is not perceivable during a rendering of the multimedia presentation and the steganographic code is associated with at least one secondary multimedia presentation. Next; the primary multimedia presentation is rendered on the first client device. The first client device receives a user selection to select at least one of the steganographic codes. In response to the user selection, a secondary multimedia presentation is presented to the user in response to receiving the user selection, wherein the second multimedia presentation is presented over a second client device which is distinct from the first client device.
US08555047B2
A Wi-Fi router with an integrated configuration touch-screen, and method to use this integrated touch screen to provide enhanced security features. The Wi-Fi router, which has a wired or optical network interface, may be factory pre-configured with hard to anticipate passwords and encryption codes, thus making even its default Wi-Fi settings difficult to attack. Besides displaying interactive menus on the touch-screen, the router may also generate touch sensitive dynamic alphanumeric virtual keypads to enable administrators to interact with the device without the need of extra computers or software. Inexperienced administrators secure in the knowledge that they may access and change even difficult to remember security settings at any time through the built-in touch-screen controller and simplified user interface, are encouraged to set up secure Wi-Fi systems. The device may optionally include security software that, upon touch of a button, can provide new randomized or otherwise obfuscated router settings.
US08555031B2
A processor is adapted for performing a QR-decomposition. The processor has a program memory, a program controller, connected to the program memory to receive program instructions, and at least one processing unit. The processing unit includes a CORDIC calculation block, and has a distributed memory structure, with separate memory blocks for storing respective parameter values.
US08555026B2
A system and method for storing variable width stack elements in a single memory stack is disclosed. In one example embodiment a first variable width stack element is split into one or more sub-elements. The width of the sub-elements may be less than or equal to a width of the single memory stack. A first memory pointer is created for providing an address of a first read pointer in the single memory stack. The first read pointer may provide an address corresponding to a first sub-element of the first variable width stack element. The first sub-element is written in a first available location in the single memory stack. A write pointer of the single memory stack is incremented when the first sub-element is written to the first available location on the single memory stack. The steps of writing and incrementing are repeated for a next sub-element until all of the sub-elements are stored in the single memory stack.
US08555017B2
A computing device, computer readable storage medium, and method for migration of a physical machine to a virtual machine are disclosed. The computing device executes an operating system installer and generates a virtual disk image at a temporary location. The computing device copies data from one or more existing partitions on a storage device to the virtual disk image, wherein the one or more existing partitions include an existing operating system and associated data. The virtual disk image is stored at a temporary location. The one or more existing partitions are then replaced with a new partition on the storage device. A new operating system is installed on the new partition. The virtual disk image is moved to the new partition from the temporary location. The virtual disk image can then be loaded into a virtual machine that runs on the new operating system.
US08555016B2
A method and apparatus for unified concurrency control in a Software Transactional Memory (STM) is herein described. A transaction record associated with a memory address referenced by a transactional memory access operation includes optimistic and pessimistic concurrency control fields. Access barriers and other transactional operations/functions are utilized to maintain both fields of the transaction record, appropriately. Consequently, concurrent execution of optimistic and pessimistic transactions is enabled.
US08555015B2
The present invention relates to a microcontroller designed for protection of intellectual digital content. The microcontroller includes a secure CPU, a real-time cipher, and a user programmable multi-layer access control system for internal memory realized by programmable nonvolatile memory. Programmable nonvolatile memory allows in-system and in-application programming for the end user. The programmable nonvolatile memory is mainly used for program code and operating parameter storage. The multiple-layer access control is an integral part of the CPU, providing confidentiality protection to embedded digital content by controlling reading, writing, and/or execution of a code segment according to a set of user-programmed parameters. The cipher incorporates a set of cryptographic rules for data encryption and decryption with row and column manipulation for data storage. All cryptographic operations are executed in parallel with CPU run time without incurring additional latency and delay for system operation.
US08555008B2
The present invention makes is possible to appropriately set the power saving control of the storage device from the management device of the storage device. In addition, the storage device executes control of the power saving for the magnetic disk device after ensuring consistency between an instruction from the administrator and the operating state of the magnetic disk device in the storage device.
US08555007B2
A storage system includes a plurality of storing unit and a data processing unit configured to store data into the plurality of storing unit. The data processing unit includes: a storage destination setting unit configured to set a journal storing unit configured to store a journal showing a data processing status of the storage system from among the plurality of storing unit, and set the plurality of storing unit other than the set journal storing unit as fragment storing unit configured to distributedly store a plurality of fragment data forming storage target data, respectively; and a distribution storage controlling unit configured to store the journal into the storing unit set as the journal storing unit by the storage destination setting unit, and distribute and store the plurality of fragment data into the plurality of storing unit set as the fragment storing unit, respectively.
US08555005B2
A memory managing apparatus and method are provided. The memory managing apparatus may determine, based on a pointer indicator bit, the target memory area on which garbage collection is to be performed, and may perform the garbage collection on the target memory area. The memory managing apparatus may generate the pointer indicator bit and store the generated pointer indicator bit in a pointer field.
US08554990B2
A nonvolatile memory system comprises a temporary power supply that supplies power in the event of an unexpected power interruption. The temporary power supply provides power while metadata stored in one or more buffers is compressed and transferred to a nonvolatile memory device.
US08554987B2
The nonvolatile memory device prevents data writing from temporarily slowing down significantly in the middle of writing data to a block when an access device writes all the data in the block in units of a smaller size than the block. The nonvolatile memory device comprises a memory controller including an interface unit configured to receive a first command that identifies a first write range for writing data, and a second command that identifies a second write range that is a part of the first write range and orders to write data to the second write range, an address management unit configured to determine, before data is written into a nonvolatile memory, a new block for writing data to the first write range based on the first command, and a read/write control unit configured to write data to the new block in response to the second command.
US08554986B2
Disclosed is a flash memory controlling method and controlling device. The flash memory controlling method including calculating a cost for each of available block recycling schemes based on a multi-block erase function when the multi-block erase function is supported, the multi-block erase function being a function that simultaneously erases data stored in a plurality of blocks of a flash memory and selecting at least one scheme from among the available block recycling schemes based on the calculated cost, and managing at least one block using the at least one method selected from among the available block recycling schemes.
US08554985B2
In an embodiment, a non-volatile memory has erasable blocks of memory cells. The one or more of the erasable blocks include a particular block to be identified by a particular group of logical block addresses corresponding to a predetermined group of sectors.
US08554979B2
A protocol controller disposed between switches in a fiber channel fabric switch circuit and disk drive units for converting a protocol to enable one-to-one connectivity established between controllers and disk drive units.
US08554974B2
Methods, apparatus, and product are disclosed for expanding functionality of hard drive bays in a computing system that include: providing, by a connector in a hard drive bay, access to two or more data communication busses of different type; receiving, by the connector of the hard drive bay, a device mounted within the hard drive bay; and communicately coupling, by the connector of the hard drive bay, the device to one of the data communication busses.
US08554968B1
A nonvolatile memory controller processes a nonvolatile memory command and generates a completion status for the nonvolatile memory command. The nonvolatile memory controller transmits the completion status to a host processing unit for storage in a completion queue of the host processing unit. An interrupt manager in the nonvolatile memory controller determines the completion queue contains an unprocessed completion status and generates an interrupt message packet. The nonvolatile memory controller transmits the interrupt message packet to the host processing unit for triggering an interrupt in the host processing unit and alerting the host processing unit to the unprocessed completion status.
US08554967B2
Flow control mechanisms avoid or eliminate retries of transactions in a coherency interconnect. A class of transaction (CoT) framework is defined whereby individual transactions are associated with CoT labels consistent with chains of dependencies that exist between transactions initiated by any of the cooperating devices that participate in a given operation. In general, coherency protocols create dependencies that, when mapped to physical resources, can result in cycles in a graph of dependencies and deadlock. To support architectural mechanisms for deadlock avoidance, CoT labels are applied to individual transactions consistent with a precedence order of those transactions both (i) with respect to the operations of which such transactions are constituent parts and (ii) as amongst the set of such operations supported in the coherency interconnect. CoT labels applied to respective transactions constitute a CoT framework that may be used by coherency managers to efficiently support concurrent in-flight transactions without retry.
US08554959B2
A circuit arrangement includes a programmable logic device. The programmable logic device includes configuration logic circuitry. The programmable logic device also includes configurable interconnects. The circuit arrangement further includes a storage device configured to provide data to the programmable logic device. The storage device communicates with the programmable logic device via a bi-directional interface.
US08554953B1
The Advanced Logic System (ALS) is a complete control system architecture, based on a hardware platform rather than a software-based microprocessor system. It is significantly different from other PLC-type control system architectures, by implementing a FPGA in the central control unit. Standard FPGA logic circuits are used rather than a software-based microprocessor which eliminate problems with software based microprocessor systems, such as software common-mode failures. It provides a highly reliable system suitable for safety critical control systems, including nuclear plant protection systems. The system samples process inputs, provides for digital bus communications, applies a control logic function, and provides for controlled outputs. The architecture incorporates advanced features such as diagnostics, testability, and redundancy on multiple levels. It additionally provides significant improvements in failure detection, isolation, and mitigation for the highest level of integrity and reliability.
US08554949B2
A method and apparatus selectively resetting a control plane in a network element is described. One embodiment of the invention is a network element with a selective reset controller that can reset the control plane of the network element without interrupting the data traffic processing of the data plane of the network element.
US08554946B2
According to an embodiment of network address translation traversal, a server agent interfaces a private network to a public network. Private IP addresses for servers located in the private network are mapped to corresponding identifiers known to clients located outside the private network. A request message sent over the public network by a client located outside the private network is received by the server agent. The request message includes a host identifier having a first portion that identifies the server agent to the public network and a second portion that identifies a server located in the private network. The second portion of the host identifier is unknown to the public network. The request message is sent to the server identified by the second portion of the host identifier using the private IP address that maps to the second portion of the host identifier.
US08554945B1
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is linked with a remote LAN to transport data packets therebetween. The WLAN includes a cellular-enabled WLAN device for communicating with a cellular network and the cellular network includes a bridge. A bridge identifier associated with the bridge is established within the cellular network. The cellular-enabled WLAN device and the remote LAN are interconnected with the bridge in response to the cellular-enabled device signaling the cellular network with the bridge identifier. The cellular-enabled WLAN device echoes WLAN network packets originating in the WLAN to the bridge. The remote LAN receives the echoed WLAN network packets from the bridge. Packets originating in the remote LAN are echoed by the bridge to the cellular-enabled WLAN device. The cellular-enabled WLAN device receives the echoed remote LAN network packets from the bridge and transmits them within the WLAN.
US08554944B2
In one embodiment, for each one of one or more content producers, access a content-producing rate at which the content producer produces one or more items of content; and for each one of one or more content consumers, access a content-consuming rate at which the content consumer consumes one or more items of content. For each one of a plurality of consumer-producer pairs, wherein the consumer-producer pair comprises one of the content consumers and one of the content producers, and the content consumer follows the content producer, select between a push strategy and a pull strategy for delivering one or more items of content from the content producer to the content consumer based on the content-consuming rate of the content consumer and the content-producing rate of the content producer.
US08554942B2
A mapping method for simplifying broadcast systems, such as Digital Video Broadcast Terrestrial (DVB-T). Broadcast address information is mapped to the Packet Identifier (PID) field of a Motion Picture Expert Group level 2 transport stream (MPEG2-TS). Table complexity can be minimized, or the service information (SI) tables can be removed without impacting hardware level discrimination of likely relevant packets.
US08554940B2
The system and method for streaming media to a viewer and managing the media comprises an enhanced service routing processor (ESRP), a real time switch management system (RTSMS), a name routing processor (NRP), and a managed media switch (MMS). The RTSMS has a reservation system. The ESRP receives media from an owner, manages the media according to media rules and order rules defined by the owner, and distributes the media to one or more switches, such as the MMS, according to the media rules and the order rules. The RTSMS is configured to receive the media rules and to receive a viewer's media request via the reservation server. The reservation system of the RTSMS processes the media request according to the media rules and builds a reservation for the requested media. The RTSMS generates the reservation to the viewer and to the NRP. The NRP receives the reservation data from the viewer and from the RTSMS. The NRP processes the reservation data and locates an MMS that can stream the media to the viewer. The NRP transmits the IP address of the MMS to the viewer and transmits the reservation data to the MMS. The viewer initiates a session or connection with the MMS using the reservation number. If the reservation data from the viewer matches the reservation data from the NRP, the MMS streams the media to the viewer.
US08554938B2
Method of controlling playback of Internet web page video on remote or high quality video displays using a remote control device, such as a smart phone. The method runs a first client browser on the remote control device, which in turn sends commands to a proxy browser with a data buffer. In response to user commands from the remote control device, the proxy browser retrieves and buffers video and non-video web page data from Internet servers, and sends this data to the remote control device. Upon user command, the proxy browser also sends selected buffered data to a second client browser that is connected to the remote or high quality video display. Media player playback commands on the remote control are echoed to a second media player on the second client browser, resulting in good synchronization between devices. Various compression, IP address adjustment, and public key methods are also discussed.
US08554937B2
A system and method for transmitting and receiving data using multicasting are provided. The system and method enables Internet Protocol (IP) communication between a server and a client that do not know IP information about the other party. The system includes an information management unit storing information about a client and a group the client belongs to, a packet generation unit generating a packet to be transmitted to the client, a packet transceiver transmitting the packet to and receiving a packet from the client through a multicast socket, and a data transmitter transmitting data to the client using the information about the client contained in the packet received from the client.
US08554934B1
A processor-implemented method for providing application single sign on leveraging a virtual local area network identifier is provided. The method comprises an authentication server providing a client device access to a network via association with a virtual local area network and a credential. The method also comprises the device invoking an application hosted on an application server and the application server identifying a virtual local area network tag associated with the device. The method also comprises the application server sending a message to the authentication server requesting linkage of the tag with a user identification associated with the device. The method also comprises the authentication server linking the tag with the user identification associated with the device and sending a message to the application server containing the identification. The method also comprises the application server using the identification to authenticate the device with the application and the device receiving access.
US08554933B2
A device receives a PDN connection request from a UE, and exchanges, with a HSS, authentication and authorization information associated with the UE. The device also constructs an APN FQDN based on the authentication and authorization information, and sends a query, that includes the APN FQDN, to a DNS server. The device further receives, from the DNS server, PGW FQDNs that contain the APN FQDN, and compares the PGW FQDNs with a FQDN associated with a SGW. The device determines, based on the comparison, a PGW, associated with a PGW FQDN that is a closest match to the FQDN associated with the SGW, to be a primary PGW for the PDN connection request. The device also determines, based on the comparison, one or more PGWs, residing within a predetermined distance of the SGW, to be one or more backup PGWs for the PDN connection request.
US08554920B2
Establishing and maintaining a moving ad-hoc network is provided. The ad-hoc network includes a plurality of equivalent cells communicationally linked together to form a linked equivalent cell network. An equivalent cell header manages each equivalent cell. Additionally, regular nodes, scattered throughout the equivalent cell network, may be provided. Regular nodes have restricted communication privileges compared to the equivalent cell headers. However, equivalent cell headers can be demoted to regular nodes and regular nodes can be promoted to equivalent cell headers as required by equivalent cell network.
US08554918B1
Backup requirements of a new client and one or more existing clients stored in a first set of first storage units are determined. Data of the one or more existing clients is then migrated from the first set of storage units to a first storage unit that is selected from a second set of storage units based on a cost calculated using a cost function based on at least backup requirements of the new and existing clients. Subsequent data of the new client and the existing clients is stored in the first storage unit.
US08554911B2
Mimicking network devices with a computing device having first and second network interface cards, the first network interface card connecting the computing device to an external network and the second network interface card connecting the computing device to a local network, including obtaining an IP address of a device on the local network, determining an IP address for the second network interface card based on the obtained IP address of the device on the local network, and assigning the determined IP address to the second network interface card.
US08554910B2
The disclosure provides a method and device for pushing data and relates to the Internet. The method includes acquiring data which meet a predetermined condition, acquiring attributes of reading-performed-users that have browsed the data, and determining a common attribute of the reading-performed-users; selecting reading-not-performed-users that have the common attribute and have not browsed the data; and pushing the data to the reading-not-performed-users. The device includes a common attribute acquisition module, a reading-not-performed-user selection module and a pushing module. According to the method and device for pushing data provided by the embodiments of the disclosure, the reading-not-performed-users that have the common attribute and have not browsed the data may be determined based on the data that meet a predetermined condition and a common attribute of the reading-performed-users, and the data are pushed to the reading-not-performed-users. Thus, the reading-not-performed-users may acquire their interesting data accurately.
US08554908B2
A configuration information collection unit 1502 and a transaction collection unit 1503 collect a transaction as the configuration information about an IT system and communication data, and stores them in a CMDB 1504. A multiplexed application detection unit 1501 detects as a candidate for a multiplexed application the software of applications multiplexed by evaluating whether or not the application names of the software of applications deployed to a target to be monitored on the IT system match each other. Then, it detects a multiplexed application by evaluating whether or not one or more of evaluation items of a subnet in which a candidate for a multiplexed application is performed, transaction context as the data relating to the names of an applications performed before and after the candidate for a multiplexed application, and transaction information as the transmission/reception data of the candidate for a multiplexed application match each other.
US08554906B2
To enable the setting of a suitable threshold for a component of each of apparatuses configuring a system. By using management software, a threshold for monitoring the performance of an apparatus to be monitored is set beforehand. When an acquired performance value exceeds the threshold, the acquired performance value is detected as a performance fault event. Further, the management software has a correlation analysis rule representing a causal relationship between the performance fault events in the managed apparatus. When detecting an event, the management software performs fault cause analysis processing to specify a fault cause apparatus and an apparatus (affected apparatus) affected by the fault from a plurality of received events.
US08554902B2
A method for maintaining a device via a remote service computer initiates a transmission of maintenance data via the device or the service computer, transmits maintenance data from the device to the service computer, and evaluates the maintenance data received from the device using the service computer. The method further transmits at least one monitoring parameter request from the service computer to the device as a function of the evaluation of the maintenance data, and at least one parameter value of the at least one requested monitoring parameter from the device to the service computer, then evaluates the at least one monitoring parameter value; and displays the evaluation of the at least one monitoring parameter value via a display device of the service computer.
US08554894B2
A network comprising a plurality of network devices is configured to implement scheduling for energy efficiency. In one aspect, a set of network devices interconnected in a line within a network is identified, and a common frame size is established. For each of the network devices of the line, active and inactive periods for that network device are scheduled in a corresponding frame having the common frame size, with the frames in the respective network devices of the line being time shifted relative to one another by designated offsets. For each of one or more of the active periods of each of the network devices of the line, received packets are scheduled for processing in that network device.
US08554883B2
Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for sharing a generic configuration across a group of network devices. An example embodiment includes sending a scope challenge to a plurality of network devices; receiving a response to the scope challenge from a plurality of in-scope network devices; sending a configuration change message including a configuration change to the plurality of in-scope network devices; and receiving a commit message from the plurality of in-scope network devices indicating that the configuration change has been committed.
US08554882B2
The present invention faces the issue of exercising a parental control over children's activities in the IMS network, in terms of registering into the IMS network as well as in terms of call establishment, and provides for a new IMS subscription model supporting a hierarchy of IMPI's, so-called ‘primary’ IMPI's and so-called ‘secondary’ IMPI's, whereby only the primary IMPI's are allowed to register themselves, whereas the secondary IMPI's can only register themselves after having been previously registered by a primary IMPI. To this end, the present invention provides for a new method and an enhanced HSS to allow the implicit registration of one or more ‘secondary’ IMPI's upon the explicit registration of an IMS subscriber with a given IMPI/IMPU pair, wherein the given IMPI is a ‘primary’ IMPI and the given IMPU is associated with a registration set of IMPI's which includes said one or more ‘secondary’ IMPI's.
US08554867B1
Methods and/or systems for efficiently handling a request from a client for a target component (e.g., file) stored on a remote or secondary node in a clustered storage system are provided. In response to a request from the client for the target component, a first node to which the client is locally connected retrieves a list of one or more logical interfaces (LIFs) and generates a response comprising an indication that the requested target component is not covered by this first node and a list of one or more internet protocol (IP) addresses that correspond to the retrieved LIFs for accessing the secondary node. This allows the client to connect locally to the secondary node so that the target component can be retrieved locally and thus more efficiently regardless of where (e.g., upon which node) the file is stored within the cluster.
US08554864B2
A synchronous control method for multi-computer is provided. The multi-computer is connected with each other through a network. The method includes the following steps: maintaining a running information list on each computer in the network, where the identifier information of all computers and the running state information of the corresponding computers are contained in the running information list; receiving a synchronous control instruction inputted by a user at any of the computers in the network; executing the synchronous control operation on the computers recorded in the running information list when the running state information of the computer receiving the instruction accords with a predetermined rule.
US08554861B2
A method and an apparatus are provided for controlling a graphical user interface to display information related to a communication session. Information relating to data produced by a first participant to the communication session is displayed on a first display unit, wherein the information produced by the first participant is displayed at a first position on the first display unit. Data is received from a second participant to the communication session, and information relating to the data received from the second participant is displayed on the first display unit, wherein the information received from the second participant is displayed at a second position on the first display unit. The first and second positions are horizontally spaced apart.
US08554854B2
Systems and methods for retrieving social network messages and/or web pages in response to search queries are described. One embodiment of the invention includes generating a word list from at least a portion of the content of the web page using a web and message server system, generating an initial list of relevant terms based upon the word list using the web and message server system, identifying additional relevant terms using messages posted to at least one social network based upon the initial list of relevant terms, and creating an updated list of relevant terms by using the web and server system to combine terms in the initial list of relevant terms with the additional relevant terms identified using messages posted to at least one social network.
US08554838B1
A collaborative communication system is disclosed. The collaborative communication system integrates a number of electronic communication tools to meet the collaborative communication needs for an enterprise, family members or friends. The collaborative communication system allows a group of users to participate in communications including chatting and accessing files among the specified users. When a users uploads a file to a file store, each of the users gets notified of the availability of the file for accessing, wherein the file is not sent to any of client machines respectively used by the users, and is downloaded to a client machine when one of the specified users associated with the client machine accesses the file in the file store, thus avoiding to distribute copies of the file to each of the users regardless they need it or not.
US08554835B1
A system and method for secure social networking is disclosed. In one embodiment, a social networking site is accessible on the Internet for use by minors that allows for adult supervision and approval for participation on the site, and provides safeguards against abuses and misuse of many social networking sites available today. In another embodiment, a social networking site on the Internet is available for use by minors that permits users to access the Internet only according to guidelines previously approved by adults for each user. The system further comprises a call screening feature that allows incoming and outgoing calls according to guidelines previously approved by adults for each user.
US08554821B2
An incrementor circuit and method for incrementing is provided that computes an output data word by increasing an input data word magnitude by one of several integer values. The incrementor circuit includes a mode increment signal circuit providing a designation of one of the integer values for increasing the input data word magnitude. A single constant incrementor is connected to the mode increment signal circuit and the input data word and provides an intermediate sum by selectively adding a constant to the input data word. A multiplex circuit logically combines selected input data word bit position values with the mode increment signal circuit designation forming logical bit position values and directs selected input data word bit position values, selected logical bit position values, and selected bit position values of the intermediate sum to form the output data word.
US08554819B2
A computation processor outputs whether a carry-out is generated, by incrementing a result of computation by 1, during rounding of the result of the computation. The computation processor includes a computing unit that performs the computation; a shift amount calculating unit that calculates a shift amount of the result of the computation; a normalizing unit that performs normalization of the result of the computation, by using the shift amount; a predicting unit that, when the result of the computation is shifted by an amount equal to or more than a predetermined shift amount by using the shift amount, predicts whether each of bits in a predetermined region of a shift result is 1, in parallel with the normalization; and a detecting unit that detects a generation of the carry-out, by receiving a normalized result from the normalizing unit and a predicted result from the predicting unit.
US08554817B2
Data rate conversion devices and methods are provided. A method for converting a first digital signal having a first sampling rate into a second digital signal having a sampling rate close to a predetermined second sampling rate comprises the following operations: when the ratio of the first sampling rate to the second sampling rate is a repeating infinite decimal, calculate at least two calibrating coefficient values and output the calibrating coefficient values according to a predetermined rule; conduct overflow operation on the output calibrating coefficient; and interpolate the first digital signal using the output calibrating coefficient and the result of the overflow operation to obtain the second digital signal such that during any period of a certain length along time axis, sampling times of the second digital signal equals to sampling times of the second sampling rate.
US08554808B2
A file management sub-system executes file migration without causing an unintended drop in the response time or the like. When a management computer issues a file migration direction, a file storage apparatus notifies client computer associated with a migration target file that file migration is scheduled. When postponement or suspension of file migration is requested by the client computer, the file migration is postponed or suspended.
US08554804B2
Systems, methods and apparatus for analyzing Internet traffic. In an aspect, a method receives at a server from a client device a report request for a report related to web site traffic; in response to the report request, sends from the server web site traffic data and application code to the client device, the application code comprising instructions that cause the client device to: generate a report to display the web site traffic data, time the display of the web site traffic data, periodically request updated web site traffic data according to the time of the display, and update the report with the updated web site traffic data; and the method sends from the server to the client device the updated web site traffic data in response to the request for updated web site traffic data.
US08554802B1
The invention enables bi-directional mobile communication by researchers, clinicians or counselors with their patients and study participants. An exemplary application is ecological momentary assessment of psychological and physical status related to weight management. The system may be combined with objective information to trigger a communication and enhance responses assessed on food choices, dietary intake, physical activity, exertion, mood and companions.
US08554790B2
A content based load balancing system receives a request for data provided by a resource. The content based load balancing system searches a content history cache for a content history cache entry corresponding to the requested data. The content based history cache then selects a resource node to service the request based on the content history cache entry corresponding to the data.
US08554778B2
Systems and methods for correlating meta-data model representations and asset-logic model representations in a system model. The system model may be deployed in conjunction with a production allocation application, whereby data pertaining to allocation changes to a production system might be more readily identified for different purposes such as, for example, technical and/or fiscal allocation.
US08554764B2
In various example embodiments, a system and associated method for fast computation content recommendation is provided. A dynamic user profile for a user is determined. The dynamic user profile is based on one or more fingerprints of viewed documents by the user. One or more relevant documents are determined based on the dynamic user profile and the fingerprints of documents in the system. A list of the one or more relevant documents is then provided to the user.
US08554763B2
A method for displaying data items in a mobile terminal includes receiving a user search request, automatically identifying data items which individually comprise the search request, and displaying a distinct number in association with each of the identified data items, wherein each of the identified data items are individually selectable responsive to a corresponding number input by a user.
US08554741B1
A host computer receives log structured data from a data storage device (DSD), wherein the log structured data comprises logical block addresses (LBAs) corresponding to a plurality of write operations performed on the DSD, and the log structured data comprises at least one duplicated instance of an LBA, wherein each instance of the LBA represents a different write operation. Timeline information related to the log structured data is displayed in an accounting window.
US08554738B2
The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can determine costs associated with updating file formats. In particular, the architecture can interface with a network-accessible data storage service in order to determine a cost-benefit to the data storage service for a wide variety of conversion scenarios applicable to the particular topology of the data storage service. For example, the cost-benefit can differ for storage services configured according to a client-server model relative to storage services configured according to a distributed topology. Regardless, the architecture can identify a legacy format, select a converter for converting the legacy format to the updated format, and then determine the cost-benefit for a variety of conversion or migration scenarios.
US08554735B1
Systems and methods which provide a hybrid network based solution for digital data file backup are shown. Embodiments utilize a transport mass storage system to provide transmission of digital data files between user equipment and a network based mass storage system. The transport mass storage system for physically transporting digital data files may be used in combination with other techniques for communicating digital data files, such as transmission of digital data files through a network link. A manifest and/or other information may be used to manage transporting, storage, and/or synchronization of digital data files. User equipment may then access the digital data files stored to the network mass storage system for various purposes using a network link. Subsequent, incremental backups and other transfers of relatively small amounts of digital data files are preferably accomplished using a network link for the transfer.
US08554732B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for managing an application execution environment on a computer. One or more aspects of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in one or more methods of managing an application execution environment, the one or more methods including: identifying which of multiple different versions of the application execution environment are installed on a computer; and managing the different versions of the application execution environment on the computer; wherein the identifying and the managing are performed using one or more of the different versions of the application execution environment.
US08554731B2
Content may be collected, annotated, and propagated in a unified process. In one example, a mobile device such as a smart phone is used to collect information. The information may be text, video, audio, etc. The information may be sent to a reaction service, which may return an annotation of the information. The annotation may be attached to the information to create an annotated document. The annotated document may be communicated to other users. Additionally, the annotated document may be stored in a way that associated the annotated document with the user who created or captured the information. The ability to capture information, obtain annotations to the information, and propagate the annotated information may facilitate the creation of social media, such as social network postings or online photo albums.
US08554728B2
Systems and methods for managing a distributed transaction process include an active transaction manager that manages transactions with an active database, a latent transaction manager that manages transactions with a merge database, a transaction log that reflects the set of transactions in the active database that are not affiliated with the transactions in the merge database, and a merge manager that uses the transaction log to determine whether to transfer control of the merge database to the active transaction manager. Systems and methods may further instruct the active transaction manager to halt transactions with the active database while the merge database is updated to reflect a set of transactions affiliated with the set of transactions in the transaction log, and instruct the active transaction manager to subsequently manage transactions to the active database and the merge database.
US08554725B2
Data replication includes generating replication data that is part of a replicated file system to be sent over a communication channel to a destination replication device; adding additional verification information to at least a portion of the replication data to prevent data corruption; and sending the replication data and the additional verification information over the communication channel to the destination replication device. The replication data with additional verification information is sent over the communication channel using a reliable protocol that allows the replication data to be verified by the reliable protocol at the destination replication device. The reliable protocol is a protocol capable of detecting most but not all data corruption introduced by the communication channel. The additional verification information includes information for verifying that replication data sent using the reliable protocol does not include data corruption that was introduced by the communication channel and undetected by the reliable protocol.
US08554718B2
A method advertises the existence of a subscriber profile service on a communication network. A first data request sent from a client device to an application server is intercepted. The first data request is modified by inserting an advertisement of contextual information relating to the existence of the subscriber profile service into the first data request prior to transmission to the application server. The modified data request is transmitted to the application server.
US08554711B2
The present invention is a method of creating decision logic. A first set of rules for the decision logic is received. The user is queried for data and this data is stored in a memory. A first decision is generated for a user based at least in part on the data. Input is received from the user for editing the first set of rules to create a new set of rules for the decision logic in the context of data. A final decision is generated derived at least in part from the data using the new set of rules.
US08554705B1
Methods and systems for performing computer based education are described herein. According to various aspects, a user is presented with computer-based education regarding completion of an objective within an interactive computing environment. When the user is ready to perform (or attempt to perform) the objective in a real-world or “live” situation, the software may place the user in a training session where other users are actually computer-controlled participants, or bots, having a prescribed level of artificial intelligence. If the user successfully completes the objective, the software may increment the level of AI until the user completes the objective while interacting with bots having a required level of AI. The user may thereafter be allowed to participate in dynamic sessions with other human users. During training sessions the user may be affirmatively led to believe that other participants are human, rather than bots.
US08554695B2
A computer-implemented process and apparatus for storing, accessing, and comparing genetic profiles in a form suitable for amateur human analysis is provided. The process includes imputing and storing data that represent individual genetic profiles which have been created using conventional genetic analysis processes. The process and apparatus allow remote consumer access via the internet to genetic profiles owned by consumer which can then be compared against other genetic profiles according to a genetic profile comparison process selected from several available processes. The resulting output of the process is a summary of the genetic profile comparison which answers the question posed by the consumer.
US08554679B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for presenting offers and processing payment transactions. A method includes receiving current location information from a mobile device associated with the user; providing a list of merchants that are in an immediate proximity to the user and receiving a selection of one of the merchants. The method further includes providing to the user for presentation on the mobile device a charge authorization form for the merchant; providing to the user a final authorization form that includes an area for a password that is associated with an account of the user; authorizing the transaction based at least in part on the receipt of the password; and providing a code for presentation on the user device to enable the user to complete the transaction with the merchant.
US08554676B2
Systems and techniques for receiving transaction information at an authentication system. The transaction information may be processed using different rule sets, based on the financial instrument used for the transaction (for example, a particular credit card, debit card, bank account, brokerage account, and the like). One or more alerts may be generated and communicated to the user. The alerts may be formatted based on user device configuration information, such as a cell phone type, email type, and the like.
US08554674B1
A user calling a payment center has the option of using an automated speech recognition payment system or a human representative to make the payment. If the user selects to make a payment using a human representative, the representative may, at some point, transfer the user into the automated speech recognition payment system. If the user has already been authenticated, he may not need to re-authenticate himself to the system. If the user selects to make a payment the automated system, and then gets transferred to a human representative during the payment process, the representative may, at some point, transfer the user into the automated speech recognition payment system. Again, if the user has already been authenticated either by the system initially or by the representative, he may not need to re-authenticate himself to the system.
US08554637B2
A business object model, which reflects data that is used during a given business transaction, is utilized to generate interfaces. This business object model facilitates commercial transactions by providing consistent interfaces that are suitable for use across industries, across businesses, and across different departments within a business during a business transaction. In some operations, software creates, updates, or otherwise processes information related to merchandise and point-of-sale transaction business objects.
US08554634B2
Methods and apparatus for issuing tickets for events are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes providing a ticket purchaser with both an electronic ticket and a duplicate replica ticket. The replica ticket provides the user a piece of memorabilia, without presenting the issue of having multiple tickets capable of being used for entry. In an additional embodiment, the replica ticket can also be used to gain access to the event.
US08554631B1
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an automated computer implemented method and system for determining authorization for a point of sale transaction, wherein the method is executed by a programmed computer processor which communicates with a user via a communication network comprising receiving a point of sale authorization request for a transaction from a customer at a merchant, via a communication network; accessing profile data associated with one or more of the customer, an account associated with the customer and the merchant involved in the transaction; applying one or more rules to the authorization request wherein the one or more rules comprises one or more of credit rules and fraud rules; applying one or more scoring algorithm to the authorization request wherein the one or more scoring algorithm indicates an assessment of risk; determining an authorization response, via a programmed computer processor, based at least in part on a combination of profile data, the one or more applied rules and the one or more applied scoring algorithms; providing the authorization response for the transaction via the communication network.
US08554626B2
A mobile communications marketing and advertising platform is described for delivering advertising content to subscribers of a telecommunications network over telecom-based channels, such as SMS, MMS and WAP Push. The platform is integrated with business tools, such as business process execution language (BPEL) based systems, business intelligence (BI) systems, Billing and Revenue Management (BRM) and business analytics monitoring (BAM) systems. By integrating these systems, the business tools can leverage the data generated by the mobile marketing and advertising platform in order to provide an improved view, analysis and understanding of the content delivery process. Similarly, the mobile marketing platform can utilize the functionality provided by the integrated business systems in order to more efficiently deliver the advertising content to subscribers.
US08554607B2
A method and system for securely voting over a network, such as a global computer network, involves a system which delivers an electronic ballot from a server with the server's private key and a vote serial number on the ballot to an individual terminal connected to the network. The ballot may be filled in and a subset of the filled-in ballot is created with a digital signature created from the individual's secret key on the subset of the ballot corresponding to the ballot choices. The subset of the filled-in ballot together with the individual's electronic signature, and a vote serial number is then delivered to the server. A data element is then created to record a subset of the ballot in a data store at the server, in which the ballot vote information is retained as a vote.
US08554600B2
A sale of a product or service may trigger a third party, such as a payment provider, to arrange for the collection of individual post-sale market data from the customer. Alternatively, such post-sale market data may be directly provided by smart devices and the like. Dependent upon the type of product or service involved, a schedule for continuously submitting post-sale market data for the product or service may be provided and the consumer may be encouraged to submit post-sale market data in accordance therewith through a variety of incentives. The received, individual, post-sale market data may be aggregated by one or more sources to determine aggregate post-sale market data for the product or service. The submitted individual data and/or the determined aggregate post-sale market data may then be provided to consumers in order to assist them in making purchasing decisions.
US08554593B2
A method, system, and computer program product for measuring and assessing an organization's business adaptability is provided. In one embodiment, a taxonomy comprising a hierarchical list of taxonomy indicators that captures organizational elements that can be used to measure an organization's responsiveness to change is created. The taxonomy indicators are industry specific. A set of weights associated with the elements of the taxonomy, indicating a relevant contribution of each element to an overall adaptability of an organization, is assigned. The set of weights are industry specific. An enterprise profile is created assigning a level of adaptability to each taxonomy indicator indicating where, in a range of scores from low to high, an enterprise rates relative to the relevant taxonomy indicator. An adaptability result of the organization from the weights, taxonomy, and enterprise profile is then calculated. The adaptability result provides a quantitative assessment of the organization's adaptability.
US08554590B1
A pension insurance plan method governs the establishing and administering of a loan premium towards a plan loan secured by participant's plan assets, eliminating adverse tax consequences to the plan beneficiary in the event of the death or disability of the borrower-participant and ensures that the full plan account balance passes intact to beneficiary in such event.
US08554586B2
A business object model, which reflects data that is used during a given business transaction, is utilized to generate interfaces. This business object model facilitates commercial transactions by providing consistent interfaces that are suitable for use across industries, across businesses, and across different departments within a business during a business transaction. In some operations, software creates, updates, or otherwise processes information related to a budget availability control register, a financial accounting view of work order, a funds commitment document, an insurance contract, and/or a project cost estimate business object.
US08554585B2
An insurance policy having a dormancy provision is provided in which the dormancy provision enables a policyholder to activate and deactivate benefits provided under the insurance policy. Also provided is a method for enabling a holder of an insurance policy with a dormancy provision to activate and deactivate benefits of an insurance policy, and includes purchasing an insurance policy having a dormancy provision and a set of associated benefits, paying premiums to maintain the set of benefits in an active state, deactivating the set of benefits; paying dormancy premiums to maintain the set of deactivated benefits in a deactivated state, and reactivating the set of deactivated benefits.
US08554563B2
A method and system for speaker diarization are provided. Pre-trained acoustic models of individual speaker and/or groups of speakers are obtained. Speech data with multiple speakers is received and divided into frames. For a frame, an acoustic feature vector is determined extended to include log-likelihood ratios of the pre-trained models in relation to a background population model. The extended acoustic feature vector is used in segmentation and clustering algorithms.
US08554558B2
An automated speech processing method, system and computer program product are disclosed. In one embodiment, a speech-to-text (STT) engine is used for converting an audio input to text data in a source language, and a machine translation (MT) engine is used for translating this text data to text data in a target language. In this embodiment, the text data in the target language is rendered on a display device, and different visualization schemes are applied to different parts of the rendered text data based on defined characteristics of the STT engine and the MT engine. In one embodiment, the defined characteristics include a defined confidence value representing the accuracy of the rendered text. For example, this confidence value may be based on both the accuracy of the conversion of the audio input and the accuracy of the translation of the text data to the target language.
US08554551B2
Configurations disclosed herein include systems, methods, and apparatus that may be applied in a voice communications and/or storage application to remove, enhance, and/or replace the existing context. Enhancing the context of a voice communication may first include suppressing an existing context component from the digital audio signal to obtain a context suppressed signal. This signal may then be mixed with a new context signal to create a context enhanced signal, which may then be encoded before transmission. When this new context enhanced signal includes a speech component, it may be encoded and transmitted at a particular bit rate. When the context enhanced signal does not include a speech component, it may also be encoded at a similar bit rate. However, depending on the state of a process control signal, portions of a digital audio signal that lack a speech component may also be transmitted at a lower bit rate.
US08554548B2
An audio decoding device can adjust the high-range emphasis degree in accordance with a background noise level. The audio decoding device includes: a sound source signal decoder which performs a decoding process by using sound source encoding data separated by a separator so as to obtain a sound source signal; an LPC synthesis filter which performs an LPC synthesis filtering process by using a sound source signal and an LPC generated by an LPC decoder so as to obtain a decoded sound signal; a mode judger which determines whether a decoded sound signal is a stationary noise period by using a decoded LSP inputted from the LPC decoder a power calculator which calculates the power of the decoded audio signal; an SNR calculator which calculates an SNR of the decoded audio signal by using the power of the decoded audio signal and a mode judgment result in the mode judger and a post filter which performs a post filtering process by using the SNR of the decoded audio signal.
US08554547B2
A voice activity detection method and apparatus, and an electronic device are provided. The method includes: obtaining a time domain parameter and a frequency domain parameter from an audio frame; obtaining a first distance between the time domain parameter and a long-term-sliding mean of the time domain parameter in a history background noise frame, and obtaining a second distance between the frequency domain parameter and a long-term-sliding mean of the frequency domain parameter in the history background noise frame; and judging whether the audio frame is a foreground voice frame or a background noise frame according to the first distance, the second distance and a set of decision inequalities based on the first distance and the second distance. The above technical solutions enable the judgment criterion to have an adaptive adjustment capability, thus improving the performance of the voice activity detection.
US08554546B2
A logarithmic frequency spectrum within a predetermined time range is calculated from a speech signal. The logarithmic frequency spectrum has a frequency element at equal intervals along a logarithmic frequency axis. A logarithmic frequency spectrogram is calculated by connecting a plurality of logarithmic frequency spectrums. A value of the frequency element along a straight line on the logarithmic frequency spectrogram is voted onto a Hough plane. The Hough plane has a voted value in correspondence with a gradient of the straight line. The voted value above a threshold and the gradient corresponding to the voted value are extracted from the Hough plane. A fundamental frequency change is calculated using the voted value and the gradient extracted.
US08554543B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating suffix rewriting rules. A method includes obtaining a plurality of canonical suffix-rewriting rules each associated with one or more words, generating a suffix tree from the words, selecting a minimum colored subset of the nodes and leaves in the suffix tree, and generating a plurality of final suffix-rewriting rules from the nodes in the minimum colored subset. Another method includes receiving applicable and non-applicable words for a suffix-rewriting rule, generating a suffix tree from the applicable words and the non-applicable words, selecting a minimum colored subset of the nodes and leaves in the suffix tree, and generating a plurality of suffix-rewriting rules, wherein each rule corresponds to a node in the minimum colored subset with a valid status.
US08554541B2
A virtual pet system includes: a virtual pet client, adapted to receive a sentence in natural language and send the sentence to a Q&A server; the Q&A server, adapted to receive the sentence, process the sentence through natural language comprehension, generate an answer in natural language based on a result of natural language comprehension and reasoning knowledge, and send the answer in natural language to the virtual pet client. A method for virtual pet chatting includes: receiving a sentence in natural language, perform natural language comprehension for the sentence, and generating an answer in natural language based on a result of natural language comprehension and reasoning knowledge. A Q&A server includes: a sentence comprehension engine unit, adapted to process a received sentence in natural language through natural language comprehension, and send a result of natural language comprehension to a reasoning engine unit; the reasoning engine unit, adapted to generate an answer in natural language based on reasoning knowledge and the result of natural language comprehension, and send the answer in natural language; a knowledge base, adapted to store the reasoning knowledge.
US08554535B2
A method of simulating a program. Compiled and interpretive techniques are combined into a just-in-time cached compiled technique. When an instruction of a program simulation is to be executed at run-time, a table of compiled instructions is accessed to determine whether compiled data for the instruction is stored in the table. If the compiled data is not therein, the instruction is compiled and stored in the table. The compiled data is returned to a simulator that is executing the program simulation. In another embodiment, before storing new information in the table, another table may be consulted to determine if the location to which the new information is to be stored is protected. If the table location is protected, the new information is not stored in the table. Rather, the new information is simply passed on to the simulator.
US08554534B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to testing policy changes associated with a production network. A virtual network that represents at least a portion of the production network can be generated. A first transaction log based on a first execution of the virtual network using test traffic and a first set of policies that are implemented in the production network can be obtained. A second transaction log based on a second execution of the virtual network using the test traffic and a second set of policies to be implemented in the production network can be obtained. Based on a comparison of the first and second transaction logs, it can be determined whether the second set of policies has a desired effect in the virtual network.
US08554531B2
A system and circuit for simulating gate-to-drain breakdown in an N-channel field effect transistor (NFET). In one embodiment, a simulation circuit includes a primary field effect transistor (FET), a first depletion mode FET and a second depletion mode FET. The first depletion mode FET and the second depletion mode FET are connected between a gate and a drain of the primary FET. A gate and a drain of the first depletion mode FET are connected to the gate of the primary FET. A gate and a drain of the second depletion mode FET are connected to the drain of the primary FET.
US08554527B2
The memory size used in DEM calculation of particle having a particle diameter distribution is suppressed.A particle simulator includes a particle-information retaining unit 11 holding particle information including position and velocity information of a particle group, a particle-number changing unit 14 assigning particle numbers specifying particles in an order in accordance with the positions of the particles to the particle, a contact-candidate-list preparing unit 16 selecting particle pairs of a target particle and another particle that may be in contact with the target particle, a contact determining unit 18 calculating contact forces generated between particles in the particle pairs on the basis of particle information and storing the contact forces in the contact-force tables, a contact-force calculating unit 19 extracting contact forces of particles having a diameter greater than particles from contact-force tables using a contact-force reference table 54, extracting contact forces of particles having a diameter smaller than the particles by specifying the storage positions in the contact-force tables using integrated-contact-candidate numbers s_jgi[i], and calculating the sum of the contact forces, and a particle-information updating unit 20 updating the particle information on the basis of the contact forces of the particle.
US08554526B2
Systems and methods are provided to implement a technique for managing physics interactions in a computer simulation, such as the interactions of objects in an online computer game. Objects in the simulation are or can become physics objects that then behave according to the rules of the physics simulator in operation. Different implementations can use different rules for how items become physics objects and for what rules are used to manage physics objects. Since physics object interactions are determined on the basis of their physical properties rather than adherence to predefined interactions, the resulting interactions are emergent and not scripted.
US08554519B2
A method and system for designing a layout of turbines on a grid is provided. The method comprises receiving wind data for each possible location of placement of a turbine on said grid; calculating an energy yield for a given layout of turbines on said grid as a nonlinear objective function, said function constrained by said wind data; implementing a bounding heuristic, said bounding heuristic comparing said calculated energy yield for said given layout of turbines to a current lower bound, and if said calculated energy yield is greater than the current lower bound, replacing the current lower bound with the calculated energy yield; and repeating the above steps for different layouts of turbines on the grid.
US08554512B2
An athletic performance data system has an athletic field data collection system for obtaining athletic performance data and athlete identifying information for plural athletes at an athletic performance event. An athletic data host server receives the athletic performance test data and athlete identifying information from the athletic field data collection system, and the athletic performance data and athlete identifying information are posted to an athletic performance web site in a separate, personalized page for each of the plural athletes.
US08554511B2
An apparatus, method and program for estimating the mass of a vehicle uses periodically detected tire rotation speed information of the vehicle wheels, calculated tire rotation acceleration information, calculated driving force of the vehicle, and estimated mass of the vehicle as a regression coefficient when the rotation acceleration information and the driving force information are subjected to linear regression. With regard to an error in calculated driving force information, a ratio is calculated between the dispersion of the error obtained one time before and an error at the current moment, and an update adjustment parameter is calculated by adding a stabilization parameter to thus obtained ratio. The calculated update adjustment parameter is used to calculate a Kalman gain so that the mass is sequentially estimated so as to reduce an update width of the regression coefficient when the error ratio is higher.
US08554504B2
Disclosed is a positioning apparatus including: an autonomous navigation sensor which is held by a pedestrian and which outputs periodic oscillation and direction information; a step length data storage section which stores step length data; a movement distance calculating section which calculates movement distance; a traveling direction calculating section which calculates a traveling direction; and a movement direction calculating section which calculates a movement direction for each step, wherein the movement distance calculating section includes a taken step angle calculating section which calculates a taken step angle from the movement direction for each step with respect to the traveling direction; and the movement distance calculating section corrects a value of the step length data so that the step length is larger as the taken step angle becomes larger to calculate a movement distance for each step.
US08554491B2
A modeling device is disclosed that easily projects characteristic information obtained from an object onto a differently-shaped object, even if the object, from which the characteristic information is obtained, has a complex shape. A modeling device in one embodiment of the present invention includes a virtually electrifying section to calculate an electric potential at a spot in a heart at the time when a predetermined voltage is applied to the heart, and a projecting section to project a fiber orientation onto a heart model created on the basis of shape information that is input to the input section. The projecting section specifies a spot to be a target of projection on the basis of the electric potential obtained by the virtually electrifying section. Use of the electric potential in specifying the spot makes it possible to easily project the fiber orientation onto any heart having complex and various shapes.
US08554489B2
Techniques for controlling properties of nucleic acid nanostructures include receiving data that indicates a sequence of nucleotides on at least a first strand of a nucleic acid. Values are determined for at least one physical property for each portion of the at least first strand. Based at least in part on a numerical model and the physical properties for each portion, a value is determined of at least one derived property of a nanostructure that comprises the at least first strand of nucleic acid. In some embodiments, information gained from the numerical model is used iteratively in order to optimize or improve one or more of the properties of the target DNA origami structure.
US08554484B2
A technique includes receiving seismic data acquired in a seismic survey in the vicinity of a reflecting interface. The survey has an associated undersampled direction. The technique includes providing second data indicative of discrete samples of incident and reflected components of a continuous seismic wavefield along the undersampled direction and relating the discrete samples to a linear combination of the continuous incident and reflected seismic wavefields using at least one linear filter. Based on the relationship, an unaliased representation of the linear combination of the continuous incident and reflected seismic wavefields is constructed.
US08554477B2
Techniques are described for providing a meeting notification and automatic modification service. A system may be configured to identify an appointment in a calendar application, identify a geographic location of the appointment, and identify, before the appointment time, a geographic location of a first participant of the appointment. Based on the geographic information, the system may identify a route extending from the geographic location of the first participant to the geographic location of the appointment, and may identify a travel time associated with the route. Based on the travel time and the appointment time, the system may determine whether the first participant is estimated to arrive at the appointment on time and, based on the determination, the system may send a message to participants of the appointment or dynamically reschedule the appointment.
US08554473B2
A method and system for calculating an energy efficient route is disclosed. A route calculation application calculates one or more routes from an origin to a destination. For each of the routes, the route calculation application uses impedance factor data associated with each segment in the route. The impedance factor is calculated using probe data when the probe data is available for a road segment. When probe data is unavailable, the impedance factor is calculated using machine learning techniques that analyze the results of the impedance factor classifications for road segments having probe data.
US08554463B2
A navigation system is for a motor vehicle. The navigation system includes a motor vehicle, an isolated, immobile memory node for storing navigation data, a wireless communication connections between the isolated, immobile memory node and the motor vehicle for transmitting the navigation data from the isolated, immobile memory node to the motor vehicle and a man-machine interface arranged in the motor vehicle for outputting the navigation data to an operator of the motor vehicle.
US08554444B2
Described is a method for operating an internal combustion engine (1), in which method at least one parameter of the exhaust gas flowing in an exhaust-gas duct (10) is detected by at least one exhaust-gas probe (30; 32), wherein the internal combustion engine (1) is at least temporarily turned over by a starting device (3), during which an injection and combustion of fuel does not take place, and during and/or after which the exhaust-gas probe (30; 32) is adjusted.
US08554440B1
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for performing vehicle traction control. Time intervals between points of rotation of a rotating vehicle output shaft are measured. Indicators of shaft rotation rate are generated using, for each generated indicator, a set of one or more of the time intervals. The generated indicators of shaft rotation rate are used to determine a value indicative of a rate of change of shaft rotation rate. An indicator of a maximum allowable output shaft rotation rate is computed. A current indicator of output shaft rotation rate is determined to exceed the maximum allowable output shaft rotation rate. In response to determining that the current indicator exceeds the maximum allowable output shaft rotation rate, a signal to trigger application of a traction control mechanism is output.
US08554439B2
A slip suppression control system for a vehicle, includes a controller configured to execute traction control for reducing a driving power of a drive wheel when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, and an ON/OFF input device which is configured to switch between a permission state in which the traction control is enabled and an inhibiting state in which the traction control is disenabled. The controller is configured to restrict switching from the permission state to the inhibiting state, in response to a command for switching from the permission state to the inhibiting state which is input to the ON/OFF input device, when a first condition including a condition that the traction control is being executed is satisfied.
US08554434B2
A method of actuating a clutch of a hydrodynamic torque converter in a self-propelling working machine such that when the clutch is engaged and thereby connects a drive input of the hydrodynamic torque converter to a drive output of the hydrodynamic torque converter, and when a service brake is actuated, the clutch is disengaged thereby separating a drive input of the hydrodynamic torque converter from a drive output of the hydrodynamic torque converter. The method comprises the steps of, when the service brake is actuated, actuating the clutch in the engaging direction, and maintaining engagement of the clutch if a device for recognizing a driving status of the working machine detects that the working machine is driving downhill.
US08554433B2
An apparatus for driving shaft rotation is provided and includes a shaft, which is rotatable about an axis thereof, a machine operably coupled to the shaft to be rotatable with the shaft and configured to be responsive to a load applied thereto and a driving element, which is configured to engage with the shaft at a first predefined speed and a second speed greater than the first predefined speed to drive shaft rotation.
US08554414B2
A rollover suppression control apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes a rollover state value detection unit which detects a rollover state value indicating that a vehicle is under rollover tendency, a braking force applying unit which performs a rollover suppression control of applying braking force to a wheel of the vehicle to suppress the rollover thereof when the detected rollover state value is greater than the control threshold value, a understeer state detection unit which detects whether a traveling state of the vehicle is a understeer state or a non-understeer state, and a setting unit which sets a first control threshold value as the control threshold value when the traveling state is detected as the non-understeer state, and which sets a second control threshold value greater than the first control threshold value as the control threshold value when the traveling state is detected as the understeer state.
US08554406B2
A method of communication between at least two automotive electronic control units, including two communication interfaces between the units enabling messages to be sent via one or the other of the interfaces, the units each including a microcontroller linked to the interfaces managing sending and receiving of the messages according to a given priority level, transmission speed and recurrence, and including a diagnostic system for checking the functionality of the interfaces, a message scheduler, the method including: introducing a logic switch into each microcontroller, for selecting one or the other interface; checking that neither interface is defective; scheduling by the scheduler the sending of messages in succession via one or the other of the interfaces; selecting one or the other of the interfaces to send the messages scheduled by the message scheduler; and sending the scheduled messages in succession by one or the other of the interfaces.
US08554403B2
A vehicle failure is diagnosed based on data recorded in an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle. Driving data pertaining to multiple parameters which are stored in the electronic control unit of the vehicle for when a vehicle failure occurs are compared with reference values representing data during normal driving in order to diagnose a failure. The device utilizes an approximate search between inspection data, that is, driving data which are stored in the electronic control unit of the vehicle to be diagnosed for failure, and reference value groups categorized by driving environment, wherein a normal value range is set for each of the aforementioned parameters categorized by driving environment, and selects the reference value group categorized by driving environment which approximates the inspection data. Furthermore, the device compares the inspection data with the normal value ranges of each parameter of the selected reference value group categorized by driving environment so as to identify parameters which deviate significantly from the normal value ranges and find the cause of the failure based on the parameters identified.
US08554402B2
A method of detecting a tire having a decreased internal pressure by making a relative comparison among wheel speeds of tires attached to the respective wheels, includes detecting wheel rotation information regarding the respective tires of the vehicle; calculating wheel speeds based on the detected wheel rotation information; calculating DEL2 as a decreased pressure determination value by comparison between a front wheel speed and a rear wheel speed; and determining, when the resultant decreased pressure determination value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, that a tire has a decreased internal pressure. The method further includes a threshold value setting step of setting the predetermined threshold value based on (a) a relation obtained in advance, depending on a difference of the mass of the vehicle, between DEL2 and a load sensitivity during a vehicle turning, and (b) a load sensitivity obtained by a turning at the time of determination.
US08554400B2
A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle to permit charging of an electric-energy storage device with an electric energy supplied from an external electric power source provided outside said hybrid vehicle, while said hybrid vehicle is held stationary; and to operate an engine for operating a lubricant supply device to supply a predetermined amount of the lubricant, during charging of said electric-energy storage device by said external electric power source, irrespective of whether a count of said motor running counter has reached a predetermined upper limit, and to reset said motor running counter.
US08554388B2
A power intervening and management panel has a low voltage power supply electrically coupled to a low voltage circuit, a power module array having a plurality of power contactor modules where each has a power contactor with a power load input and a power load output switchable between a closed and an open position and a low voltage switch operably connected thereto for switching between the closed and the open position, a low voltage signal relay module for transmitting a low voltage output signal to one of a direct digital controller and a digital timer, and an enclosure containing the low voltage power supply, the power module array and the low voltage signal relay module.
US08554386B2
Techniques for providing localized power infrastructure and data infrastructure are disclosed. A transportable system for providing localized power infrastructure and data infrastructure can include: a data network service engine configured to function as a local data network service provider; a power generation engine configured to function as a local power service provider that generates and distributes power locally; a deployment engine configured to assist in deploying one or more components of the transportable system; and a maintenance engine configured to maintain operation and security of the transportable system. In some embodiments, multiple transportable systems can be deployed and then centrally monitored or controlled as a single, utility system and/or a single data delivery infrastructure.
US08554381B2
A computer-implemented method for monitoring and analyzing energy consumption of a chemical plant in operation. Plant type specific theoretical energy consumption optimum value based on a corresponding modeled plant are determined, parameters contributing to increased energy consumption are identified and grouped. Energy consumption of a plant is periodically graphed starting from the theoretical energy consumption optimum value and getting up as an energy cascade to a current energy consumption, by adding the provided, partly retrieved single energy consumption rates of the respective parameters in groups such that the resulting energy cascade allows to monitor at least a part of the individual parameters and to automatically compare the current energy consumption of the at least one plant with an energy consumption of another plant and/or with a previous energy consumption of the at least one plant with respect to the individual parameters. Furthermore, an appropriate system is provided.
US08554376B1
The current application is directed to intelligent controllers that continuously, periodically, or intermittently monitor progress towards one or more control goals under one or more constraints in order to achieve control that satisfies potentially conflicting goals. An intelligent controller may alter aspects of control, dynamically, while the control is being carried out, in order to ensure that goals are obtained and a balance is achieved between potentially conflicting goals. The intelligent controller uses various types of information to determine an initial control strategy as well as to dynamically adjust the control strategy as the control is being carried out.
US08554374B2
A programmable controller for homes and/or buildings and their related grounds, such as thermostat, that has a display and an external interface. The external interface may be use for uploading electronic images and/or other information from an external data source, and may use the uploaded electronic images and/or other information for programming and/or updating the controller and/or for viewing the electronic images and/or other information on the display of the controller.
US08554372B2
A method of managing resources of a histological tissue processor, the tissue processor comprising at least one retort (12, 14) selectively connected for fluid communication to at least one of a plurality of reagent resources (26) by a valve mechanism (40), the method comprising the step of: nominating resources according to one of: group, where a group nomination corresponds to a resource's function; type, where a type nomination corresponds to one or more attributes of a resource within a group; station, where a station nomination corresponds to a point of supply of a resource.
US08554368B2
Methods, devices, and systems for controlling movement of a slave manipulator by an operator controlling a master manipulator in a way that the motion of that slave manipulator can be presented via a display to the operator such that the displayed position of the slave manipulator is intuitive to the operator, regardless of the actual position and orientation of the slave manipulator. Methods, devices, and systems relating to force feedback associated with medical robotic procedures.
US08554352B2
A computerized method is provided for designing a vent in a hearing aid housing shell based on an image of a patient's ear canal impression, and wherein a program is provided on a computer-readable medium. With the program, an image of a starter housing shell based on the image of the patient's ear canal impression is created which is longer than a final version of the housing shell to be created. A starter vent running from an inner canal end near the patient's ear drum to an outer end of the starter housing shell is placed inside the shell. Components are then placed substantially as deep as possible inside the starter shell but lying outside of the starter vent. Portions of the starter shell lying beyond where a faceplate is to be mounted are removed and the faceplate is mounted. The starter vent is then grown larger so that it fills substantially all space inside the shell without interfering with the components.
US08554351B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for spectrographic monitoring of a substrate during chemical mechanical polishing are described. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes storing a library having a plurality of reference spectra, each reference spectrum of the plurality of reference spectra having a stored associated index value, measuring a sequence of spectra in-situ during polishing to obtain measured spectra, for each measured spectrum of the sequence of spectra, finding a best matching reference spectrum to generate a sequence of best matching reference spectra, determining the associated index value for each best matching spectrum from the sequence of best matching reference spectra to generate a sequence of index values, fitting a linear function to the sequence of index values, and halting the polishing either when the linear function matches or exceeds a target index or when the associated index value from the determining step matches or exceeds the target index.
US08554350B2
Devices and methods to reduce ear wax clogging of acoustic ports, hearing aid systems, and feedback reduction systems are provided. A conformal hearing aid includes a hearing aid body, where the hearing aid body houses a microphone and a receiver, where the microphone is positioned within the hearing aid body to measure acoustic signals from an ambient environment, and where the receiver is positioned within the hearing aid body to emit acoustic signals toward a tympanic membrane of a user; an expandable element, where the expandable element is operatively connected to the hearing aid body, and where the expandable element is configured to encompass a circumferential portion of the hearing aid body when expanded; and an inflation management system, where the inflation management system is configured to expand the expandable element when actuated.
US08554349B2
It is possible to generate an interpolation signal in which spectrum in frequency characteristics develops in a continuous manner according to a reproduced music without increasing the sampling rate (sampling frequency) in up-sampling processing. A high-frequency interpolation device 1 includes: a frequency band determination section 2 that determines a bandwidth type of an audio signal as a frequency band determination value preset for each bandwidth according to the frequency characteristics of the audio signal; and an interpolation signal generation section 3 that selects a filter coefficient of a high-pass filter in accordance with the frequency band determination value 2, performs filtering for the audio signal by using the high-pass filter having the selected filter coefficient, and generates a high-frequency interpolation signal for the audio signal.
US08554346B2
An entertaining and informative method of displaying competitive product performance data is disclosed. The various embodiments include a method for displaying product performance data by use of animated contests between animated representatives of competing products. The contest results are relative to selected product test results. The relationship between the test results and the contest results is a mathematical approximation. Thus, a gross disparity in the displayed animated contest is indicative of a gross disparity in the performance of the products on the test. Likewise, a closely fought contest in the displayed animated contest is indicative of close performance of the products on the test.
US08554338B2
An implantable lead is provided that comprises a lead body and a header assembly. The lead body has a distal end and a proximal end. The lead body is configured to be implanted in a patient. The header assembly is provided at the distal end of the lead body and includes an internal chamber and a tissue engaging end. An electrode is provided on the header assembly. The electrode is configured to deliver a stimulating pulse. A resonant inductor is located within the chamber in the header assembly. An electrically floating heat spreader is provided on the header assembly. The heat spreader is located proximate to the resonant inductor and is positioned on the header assembly to cover at least a portion of the resonant inductor. The heat spreader is thermally coupled to the resonant inductor to convey thermal energy away from the header assembly.
US08554337B2
An implantable electrode paddle for use in a neurostimulation system may include a dorsally-projecting lead that allows all of the edges of the electrode paddle to be situated near a vertebral body for stimulation of neural structures. Embodiments may include one or more flanges for cooperating with a vertebral body and thereby stabilizing the electrode paddle. Embodiments of the present invention may also include features to allow an electrode paddle to be divided during surgery. Embodiments of the present invention may also include an electrode paddle having a plurality of paddle sections, wherein at least one of the paddle sections comprises a plurality of asymmetrically configured contacts. Embodiments of the invention include a method of assembling a neurostimulation system and a method of implanting an implantable system in a body, wherein the implantable system includes an electrode paddle that may be divided into a plurality of paddle sections.
US08554335B2
A medical device includes a pulse generator, a lead, and an electrode. The lead includes an electrode and a lead conductor connecting the pulse generator with the electrode via first and second conductive paths. The medical device includes first and second switches. The first switch is disposed along the first conductive path and includes an open state in the presence of a magnetic field and a closed state in the absence of the magnetic field. The second switch is disposed along the second conductive path and includes an open state when a voltage applied across the second switch is at or below a threshold voltage and a closed state when the voltage applied across the second switch exceeds a threshold voltage.
US08554332B2
Methods and systems for constructing a comprehensive history for an IMD are disclosed. The method includes interrogating an implantable medical device (IMD) with an interrogating external programmer device (EPD), and comparing a unique signature associated with the interrogating EPD to a stored signature, associated with a particular programmer device that most immediately previously programmed the IMD, in memory of the IMD. If the unique signature of the interrogating programmer device is not the same as the stored signature, the method includes recording the stored signature in the interrogating EPD. The method may optionally include replacing the stored signature in the IMD memory with the unique signature of the interrogating EPD if the interrogating EPD programs the IMD. A comprehensive history for the IMD may be constructed by tracing the values in the IMD and the programmer databases.
US08554325B2
A movement state of a patient is detected based on brain signals, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal. In some examples, a brain signal within a dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex of a brain of the patient indicative of prospective movement of the patient may be sensed in order to detect the movement state. The movement state may include the brain state that indicates the patient is intending on initiating movement, initiating movement, attempting to initiate movement or is actually moving. In some examples, upon detecting the movement state, a movement disorder therapy is delivered to the patient. In some examples, the therapy delivery is deactivated upon detecting the patient is no longer in a movement state or that the patient has successfully initiated movement. In addition, in some examples, the movement state detected based on the brain signals may be confirmed based on a signal from a motion sensor.
US08554319B2
An active implantable medical device of the cardiac prosthesis type, including antitachycardia atrial pacing and antibradycardia ventricular pacing therapies. The device includes circuits and control logic for detecting electrical atrial and ventricular spontaneous events (R), delivering low energy antitachycardia atrial pacing, and antibradycardia ventricular pacing, and able to deliver a ventricular pacing (V) in the absence of a detected spontaneous ventricular event (R) after a calculated ventricular escape interval (IE). The device includes a sensor delivering an endocardiac acceleration signal (EA) representative of the movements produced by the contractions of the ventricle. The ventricular sensing switches from detection of an electric potential of spontaneous ventricular depolarization (R), to detection of an endocardiac acceleration peak (PEA1) associated with a ventricular contraction in case of activation of the antitachycardia atrial pacing while post-atrial pacing refractory periods mask the detection of ventricular electrical activity.
US08554308B2
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a cardiac roadmapping technique is provided, that does not rely on the prerequisite of a phase-centric pairing of the angiogram and life images. Instead, both the pairing and accurate registration of the images are combined within a single operation, for example by using a multi-device map. This may provide for robust and precise cardiac roadmapping.
US08554303B2
A radio-frequency (RF) coil for obtaining magnetic resonance data for imaging the cervical region of a patient has a loop coil contained in a housing of an applicator assembly that is adapted for placement against the cervix of the patient, and a loopless antenna contained in a tandem applicator of the assembly, that is adapted for intracorporeal placement in the cervix of the patient.
US08554298B2
This disclosure describes systems and methods for managing the ventilation of a patient being ventilated by a medical ventilator. The disclosure describes a novel approach of displaying ventilator information integrated with oximeter information. The disclosure further describes a novel approach of alarming based on the integration of ventilator information with oximeter information.
US08554295B2
Disclosed is a set for determining whether blood obtained in puncture tools by puncturing a blood vessel is venous blood or arterial blood easily, and ensuring handling under a sterile state. A set for determining blood type has a cover body to be attached to a syringe set, and a blood type determination unit to be housed in the cover body. The blood type determination unit comprises a light projecting portion and a light receiving element, and a blue output LED and a red output LED showing a judgment result based on a signal obtained from the light receiving element. The cover body has a body and a lid that are combined with each other to cover the blood type determination unit, a partition for passing blood between the light projecting portion and the light receiving element, and a pair of measurement windows for transmitting light between the light projecting portion and the light receiving element through the partition.
US08554293B2
Provided are a mobile terminal and an antenna connection device of the mobile terminal which can reduce the number of connection paths between an antenna and a wireless communication unit and can thus minimize path loss. The mobile terminal may include a body including a first case in which an antenna is disposed and a second case in which a wireless communication unit is disposed; a mobile switch which is disposed in the second case and serves as a radio frequency (RF) input/output (I/O) port for the wireless communication unit; and an antenna connection cable which is formed in one body with the antenna and includes a connector formed at one end of the antenna connection cable, the antenna connection able being connected to the mobile switch via the connector.
US08554290B2
A portable electronic apparatus includes a first casing, a second casing movably connected to the first casing, a first elastic member provided on a surface of the second casing facing the first casing and a second elastic member provided on a surface of the first casing facing the second casing. The second elastic member includes a convex portion that elastically contacts with the first elastic member in a closed state in which the first casing and the second casing are superposed.
US08554289B2
A portable apparatus, having a slide mechanism by which an upper casing can be made to slide with respect to a lower casing, comprises: an assist mechanism, disposed between the upper casing and the lower casing, and assisting sliding of the upper casing. The assist mechanism comprises: a first support member attached pivotably to the upper casing or to a member fixed to the upper casing; a second support member attached pivotably to the lower casing or to a member fixed to the lower casing; at least one first elastic spring biasing the first support member; at least one second elastic spring biasing the second support member; and a holding case that holds the first and second elastic springs in a serially arrayed state with a direction of extension and contraction of the first elastic spring forming a prescribed angle to that of the second elastic spring, the first support member being slidably inserted in the direction of the first elastic spring, and the second support member being slidably inserted in the direction of the second elastic spring.
US08554285B2
A portable terminal with a pair of housings is provided, in which a fixed member has a through hole and is fixed to one surface of a first housing, the through hole penetrating both surfaces of the fixed member, a rotation member is fixed to one surface of a second housing, facing one surface of the fixed member, a driving member is rotatably engaged with the through hole on the other surface of the fixed member and fixed to the rotation member, and an elastic member has one end supported by the fixed member and the other end supported by the driving member, for providing a driving force to rotate the driving member. The second housing covering the first housing or moving to a position where the second housing is in parallel with the first housing by rotating along with the rotation member and the driving member around a hinge axis extended vertically with respect to the first housing by the driving force of the elastic member.
US08554284B2
Various embodiments are described for a mobile communication device having a main processor for controlling the operation of the mobile communication device; a device memory coupled to the main processor for storing a plurality of battery information profiles; and a smart battery coupled to the main processor for providing supply power. The smart battery includes a battery processor for controlling the operation of the smart battery and communicating with the main processor; and a battery memory coupled to the battery processor for storing a Battery ID indicating the model of the smart battery. The main processor is configured to communicate with the battery processor to obtain the Battery ID and to select one of the battery information profiles based on the Battery ID.
US08554283B1
The locating software for smartphone and PC is a software application that lets people know other people's job during walking outside the house. The present software can be downloaded by a client or App store. All people can use it. It helps people to access nearby emergency services. Doctors, police, firemen and the like are immediately accessible using the present software. The present software may also be used for quickly seeking friends. The present software works with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, and the like. The present software integrates with other communication technology that is used in smartphones and PCs. It works within Bluetooth range (about 100 feet), in homes, malls, parks, theaters, and the like.
US08554279B2
A boosting circuit unit supplies a boosting voltage to one terminal of a backlight. A boosting comparator compares a voltage applied to the other terminal of the backlight with a predetermined reference voltage value, and outputs a comparison result as a feedback signal reflecting the boosting voltage to the boosting circuit unit. An LED driver unit is connected to the other terminal of the backlight and supplies drive current to the backlight. An acquisition unit acquires a PWM signal, which is generated based on the content of a video signal and can be used to change the luminance of the backlight. An LPF unit outputs a time-averaged signal of the acquired PWM signal as a control signal to be supplied to the LED driver unit.
US08554265B1
Subscriber-generated broadcasts are distributed to mobile wireless devices in a mobile wireless telecommunication network. The network assists the subscriber in creating a broadcast by, for example, compiling one or more media content items of the subscriber's choosing, such as pre-recorded songs, the subscriber's recorded voice, sound effects, etc. The network stores the broadcast representation in a manner that allows it to be retrieved using a unique broadcast identifier. When the network receives the broadcast identifier from a user of a mobile wireless device, the network uses the broadcast identifier to retrieve the stored broadcast representation and transmit its associated media content to the mobile wireless device.
US08554262B2
To suppress, when communication is performed between two radio stations, interference on other radio stations located in the vicinity of them. A femto base station 1 communicates with a femto mobile station 3-1. The femto base station 1 includes a radio transmission/reception unit 11 and a radio resource control unit 15. The radio transmission/reception unit 11 measures reception quality of an uplink signal that is transmitted from a macro mobile station 3-2, which connects to and communicates with a macro base station 4, to the macro base station 4. The radio resource control unit 15 calculates an estimated loss value LE relating to a propagation loss LP between the macro mobile station 3-2 and the femto base station 1 by using a measured value of reception quality by the radio transmission/reception unit 11. Further, the radio resource control unit 15 determines a radio parameter relating to radio communication between the femto base station 1 and the femto mobile station 3-1 based on the estimated loss value LE.
US08554258B2
In a wireless communication system, an apparatus and a method are provided for controlling reverse link interference among access terminals that are power controlled by a sector of a base station. In an embodiment, the maximum effective noise power spectral density is used as a parameter for controlling the level of reverse link loading, by setting a reverse activity bit (RAB) to signal the access terminals to reduce their data rates in order to minimize interference between the access terminals if the maximum effective noise power spectral density is above a predetermined threshold.
US08554252B2
A method for transmitting short messages (5) in a telecommunications network (10) is proposed, which enables especially simple, convenient downloading of data fields (15, 20, 25, 30) of the short message (5) from a network operator (70). A notice is sent to a subscriber (60) of the telecommunications network (10) as a function of a short message (5) transmitted to the telecommunications network (10) for the subscriber (60). With the notice, data that include items of information about the makeup and/or content of the short message (5) are transmitted to the subscriber (60).
US08554250B2
The invention concerns a method of accessing information using a wireless mobile device (1) having a display (3), and video capturing unit, the method comprising: establishing a video call with a remote server (6) such that said remote server receives video images captured by said mobile device during the video call; performing image recognition to identify at least one first object (4) in said captured video; and generating a signal for transmission to said mobile device, said signal comprising information relating to said first object.
US08554244B2
A communication system and method is disclosed. The communication system comprises: a mobile communication device configurable to communicate using one of a plurality of communication protocols; and a configuration server. The configuration server is adapted to determine the location of the mobile communication device and to configure a service of the mobile communication device based upon the determined location of the mobile communication device.
US08554239B2
A baseband pool device includes a control unit, and a plurality of baseband processing units which are connected one another. The control unit is configured to determine one or more baseband processing units participating in data processing according to a size of data received by the baseband pool device and baseband data processing capabilities of various baseband processing unit, and allocate an identifier of the baseband data to be processed to each baseband processing unit participating in the data processing to construct a data allocation relationship, and respectively transmit the data allocation relationship to the baseband processing units participating in the data processing. The baseband processing units receive the data allocation relationship; and, process the received data according to the data allocation relationship, or transmit the received data to other baseband processing units of the baseband pool device, or receive data processed and then forwarded by other baseband processing units. A method for implementing baseband data distributed switch is also provided. The present invention increases the baseband processing capacity and reduces the cost.
US08554237B2
The present application discloses, inter alia, a system for improving the aggregate throughput of a wireless local area network which includes: at least one access point that is equipped with at least one transceiver configured to simultaneously transmit and receive at multiple frequencies using multiple channels; and the access point being configured to acquire channel conditions of users and to pool sets of users on the channels based on the channel conditions.
US08554223B2
A base station, a femtocell, and a handover monitoring method thereof are provided. A wireless network system comprises a server, a mobile device, the base station, and the femtocell. The base station transmits a monitoring signal to the femtocell after it obtains a piece of information corresponding to the mobile device from the server. The femtocell keeps detecting whether a signal is transmitted by the mobile device after it receives the monitoring signal. The femtocell transmits a response signal corresponding to the monitoring signal to the base station after it detects the signal transmitted by the mobile device. The base station transmits a handover signal to the mobile device after it receives the response signal so that the mobile device handovers from the base station to the femtocell. A handover monitoring from the base station to the femtocell for the mobile device is provided by the hand monitoring method.
US08554221B2
In accordance with aspects of the present invention, a method, apparatus and system for non-contention based handover based on pre-reserved target cell uplink allocations in communication systems. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a transceiver (760) configured to communicate with a source base station and a data processor (750) coupled to the transceiver (760). The data processor (750) is configured to produce a measurement report based on a signal received from the source base station, initiate transmission of the measurement report to the source base station, process a handover command received from the source base station, and enable transmission of access bursts to a target base station in a reserved window of time on an uplink shared channel.
US08554208B2
A method of managing subscriber data in a communication network, the method comprising: sending a message associated with a subscriber and including data relating to the identity of said subscriber; routing said message to a first network entity based on identity and routing information stored at a register; subsequent to receiving said message at the first network entity provisioning a second network entity with subscriber data required by said second network entity to be able to service said subscriber; and updating routing information associated with the subscriber at the register to route subsequent signalling to the second network entity.
US08554206B2
A handheld electronic device adapted to display a listing of known networks, scan for available networks, display a listing of the available networks and enable the entry of information relating to manually entered networks. In addition, the device is adapted to (1) enable the addition of preferred networks to a preferred network list wherein the preferred networks are one or more of: (i) certain of the known networks selected from the listing of known networks, (ii) certain of the available networks selected from the listing of available networks, and (iii) the manually entered networks; (2) enable the assignment of a priority value to each of the preferred networks; and (3) utilize the preferred networks for performing wireless communications when the device is in a roaming situation, wherein the preferred networks are utilized in a priority order that is based on the priority value assigned to each of the preferred networks.
US08554202B1
One or more embodiments of a method and apparatus taught herein provide for the detection of faulty wireless terminals in a wireless communication network. According to an exemplary method, an occurrence of one or more service incidents occurring for a wireless terminal during an observation time period is detected. For each service incident, a service quality score indicative of the severity of incident is determined. A performance metric is calculated responsive to the service quality scores of the wireless terminal occurring during the observation time period. The wireless terminal is determined to faulty if the performance metric exceeds a service quality threshold. A corresponding network node operable to implement the method is also disclosed.
US08554190B2
A particular method includes accessing a webpage at a web server from a mobile application executing at a mobile device. A mobile application tag may be identified in the webpage, where the mobile application tag is independent of a device type of the mobile device. The method also includes determining that the mobile application tag corresponds to a native device function of the mobile device and accessing the native device function.
US08554173B2
A position locating device comprises a position determining unit for periodically determining the position of the device and storing position data in a memory. On activation of the device, a position transmitting unit periodically transmits a terminal identifier and position data, to a base station via a satellite. A power management unit controls the periodicity of the transmission by the position transmitting means. A position determining system includes the position determining device and a base station for receiving the terminal identifier and position data and relaying the information to a first responder.
US08554168B1
Systems and methods are described for routing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) originated emergency calls. Where registered location information is not available, the present invention can attempt to identify an appropriate emergency call receiving office based on available information regarding the caller's physical location. Such information can include the IP address of the caller and, where the VoIP device is a dual mode device, the location of the last cellular base station accessed by the device. Where registered location information does exist, the present invention offers methods for ensuring that the registered location information is not obsolete and in need of updating and, in some cases, providing a manual override of call routing to the caller.
US08554165B2
The present invention provides a universal demodulation circuit, a load modulation circuit and associated method, and an associated power transfer system, all suitable for use in wireless power transfer. A power receiver with signal strength detection is also provided. Modulation of the impedance of the demodulation circuit is determinable by detecting the amplitudes of a first and a second electrical parameter, thereby demodulating data communicated by modulation of the impedance of the demodulation circuit. The modulation circuit has a communication modulator to modulate the impedance of the modulation circuit, to a predetermined minimum modulation depth, thereby to communicate data.
US08554164B2
A receiving device of a dual polarization transmission system includes: a receiver that receives an RF signal that is transmitted with the use of two orthogonal polarizations; two reception local oscillators that include PPL circuits to convert the received RF signal of each of the polarizations into an IF signal; and a demodulator that demodulates an IF signal of one polarization, which is obtained by the conversion, into a baseband signal. The reception local oscillators control a loop band of the PLL circuits in response to a signal from the demodulator.
US08554159B2
Representative implementations of direct FM/PM modulation and systems are disclosed describing frequency modulation or phase modulation of information onto a carrier signal using a divider that is remote from the carrier signal generation path.
US08554153B2
A method and control device for generating a transmit power level for a communication apparatus for operation in a wireless communication network having a network node. The control device comprises a controller adapted to generate a request message for requesting access to a communication channel, to be transmitted to the network node. The control device is also adapted to determine whether access to the communication channel has been granted in response to the request message. A transmit power control unit is adapted to generate a transmit power level for the communication apparatus in dependence of whether access to the communication channel has been granted.
US08554147B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate improved resource partitioning and interference management in a wireless communication system. Techniques are described herein for the transmission and use of various types of signaling, such as Access Request commands, Reverse Link Special Resource Utilization Message (R-SRUM) signaling, Forward Link Special Resource Utilization Message (F-SRUM) signaling, and the like, for managing interference associated with range extension, restricted association networks, and other jamming scenarios. As described herein, downlink resource coordination and interference management are accomplished through the use of Access Request or R-SRUM signaling conducted in a unicast or broadcast fashion, and uplink resource coordination and interference management are accomplished through the use of F-SRUM signaling. As further described herein, a clean communication channel such as a Low Reuse Preamble (LRP) channel can be utilized for interference management signaling and/or leveraged for determining timing of various signaling messages.
US08554145B2
A method is provided for allocating a frequency for wireless audio communications. A request is received for a frequency for wireless audio communications. The request contains the location, the time period, the quantity of required wireless communications paths and/or the available equipment for the wireless audio communications. This request is compared with information about frequency use which is stored in databases. Possible frequency ranges are outputted, and the possible frequency ranges are allocated to transmitting and/or receiving units of the requested audio communications.
US08554140B2
The invention relates to a method of pairing a first device with a second device, the first and second devices being adapted for wirelessly communicating with each other, the pairing of devices aiming at ensuring communication only between trusted devices. The invention further relates to a communication device, a system, a computer readable medium and a data processing system. The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and intuitive scheme for pairing two wireless devices. The problem is solved by providing in the first device an algorithm comprising at least the following states a) A STANDBY state where the first device is in a default state; b) A CONNECTED state where wireless communication between the first and second devices is established; c) A PAIRING state comprising a pairing search state where pairing inquiries are repeatedly issued by the first device; and further providing that when the first device is NOT in the STANDBY or CONNECTED states, the first device is automatically, repeatedly brought in the pairing search state. This has the advantage of providing an automatic scheme for pairing two wireless devices. The invention may e.g. be used for wireless communication devices, e.g. portable, low-power devices, such as listening systems.
US08554138B2
A communication device performs a method for establishing a fast path for signaling priority data. The method includes: establishing a first short range wireless data path to a second communication device for exchanging non-priority data; and establishes a second autonomous short range wireless data path to the second communication device, for exchanging priority data, wherein the second short range wireless data path comprises a wireless serial communication channel such as a radio frequency communication Bluetooth (RFCOMM) channel. An application layer in an upper layer stack of the communication device establishes both the first and the second short range wireless data paths. Non-priority data communicated to the second communication device along the first short range wireless data path is processed by the application layer. However, priority data communicated to the second communication device along the second short range wireless data path bypasses the application layer.
US08554121B2
Provided is a belt driving unit including a plurality of rollers including a driving roller; an endless belt stretched round the rollers; a driving unit that conveys the endless belt by driving the driving roller; a control unit that controls the driving of the driving roller; and a detection unit that detects the position of the endless belt in a widthwise direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the endless belt. The driving roller includes a first driving roller and a second driving roller. A direction in which the first driving roller forwards the endless belt and a direction in which the second driving roller forwards the endless belt are nonparallel. The control unit controls the position of the endless belt in the widthwise direction by driving the first driving roller and the second driving roller at different speeds on the basis of the detection result of the detection unit.
US08554117B2
A toner cartridge includes a toner containing section which contains a toner therein; a toner discharging unit which is disposed in one side of the toner containing section and has a toner discharging port; a screw member which is disposed inside the toner containing section and transports a toner inside the toner containing section to the toner discharging unit; a bearing member which holds an end of the screw member; a rotary shutter which is disposed in the toner discharging unit to be rotatable about a rotation axial line of the screw member and has a circular-arc-shaped cross-section; and a shutter opening and closing mechanism which opens the rotary shutter in conjunction with rotation of the screw member.
US08554116B2
A developer cartridge includes a casing, which accommodates a developer and is formed with an opening through which the developer is discharged. A shutter is movable between a first position to close the opening and a second position to open the opening. A first engaging part is movable between an advanced position and a retracted position. The first engaging part at the advance position allows the shutter to move between the first and second positions, and the first engaging part at the retracted position prevents the shutter from moving between the first and second positions. A maintaining member maintains the first engaging part at the retracted position in a condition where the shutter is at the first position.
US08554109B2
An image forming apparatus including plural image forming units each having an image-carrier includes: a cylindrical image-carrier body holding an image; a rotary shaft inserted in the image-carrier body, and rotatably supporting the image-carrier body; a coupling member fitted to an end portion of the rotary shaft, transmitting a rotational-drive-force to the rotary shaft; an engaging member projecting from a circumferential surface of the rotary shaft, being engaged to an engaged portion formed in the image-carrier body to disable relative rotation of the image-carrier body to the rotary shaft; and an attaching member continuously inserted into a first through hole formed in the coupling member and a second through hole formed in the rotary shaft and fixed thereto such that an angle formed between the engaging member and the attaching member is substantially 90 degrees as seen in an rotary shaft axial-direction, attaching the coupling member and the rotary shaft.
US08554098B2
A fixing apparatus including: a cooling unit which cools a non-sheet-passing area for a small-sized sheet of a fixation area to suppress a temperature rise of the non-sheet-passing area; a temperature detecting unit which detects temperatures of a central portion of a sheet-passing area and the non-sheet-passing area; and a fixing-temperature controller which performs an early-heating, restart-control operation to decrease the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area by the cooling unit for a fixation operation of a large-sized sheet while the heat source is de-energized after a fixing operation of the small-sized sheet is completed, and thereafter restart the energization of the heat source during the cooling-down operation by the cooling unit when the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area is lowered to a set target value lower than a controlled fixing temperature for fixing a toner image to the sheet.
US08554097B2
An image heating apparatus includes an image heater for heating an image on a recording material. The apparatus also includes a first temperature detecting member that detects a temperature of the image heating member, with the first temperature detecting member provided in a sheet processing region for a recording material of a minimum size. A controller is also provided for controlling electric power supply to the image heater on the basis of an output of the first temperature detecting member. Further provided is a second temperature detecting member is that is capable of detecting a temperature of the image heating member when the image heating member is contacted or is not contacted with a belt. A controller is also provided for controlling the image heating operation on the basis of the temperature of the image heating member.
US08554094B2
Certain embodiments provide an image forming apparatus including a photoconductor, a latent image forming portion, an image processing portion, a developer, a transferred body, a sensor that detects an image density of a toner image by the amount of toner attached to a surface and has a sensor characteristic in which a sensor output substantially monotonously decreases according to an increase in the amount of toner, a nonlinear amplifier that has a nonlinear amplification characteristic having one or more inflection points, and enlarges and corrects a value read by the sensor in a range where the sensor output monotonously decreases with respect to the amount of toner by amplification, and an image quality control portion that controls a forming condition of an electrostatic latent image using a correction value of a variation amount of the value at a side where the amount of toner is large in the range.
US08554087B2
A method for imaging objects through turbid media includes generating a repetitive pulsed light beam under control of a pulse shaper, propagating the light beam through turbid media, and receiving and imaging the light beam at a sensor. Propagation through turbid media causes scattering of the light, and the sensor captures scattered pulses to produce an image. The pulse shaper controls pulse width, frequency, repetition rate and chirp of the generated light pulses according to a feedback signal received from the sensor, to improve image quality. A system for imaging objects through turbid media includes a laser for generating a light beam; a pulse shaper for controlling said light beam, and a sensor, in communication with the pulse shaper, for capturing the image of said light beam through a turbid medium. Pulse width is less than 250 femtoseconds to reduce attenuation of the light beam through the turbid medium.
US08554084B2
An apparatus for transmitting Visible Light Communication (VLC) data, in which a data processor processes data to be transmitted, a modulator modulates data received from the data processor into a signal for VLC, a light output unit outputs light of a predetermined color and includes in the light a signal of any selected one characteristic among signals of two different characteristics, and a light output controller selects at least one of the signals of different characteristics, and controls the light output unit so that a signal from the modulator is output through the signal of the selected characteristic.
US08554083B2
A method for producing an electromagnetic carrier wave in the frequency range between 0.1 and 10 terahertz that is suitable for the wireless transmission of data includes generating, by an electromagnetic pump wave, at least two mixing waves with a defined frequency difference, the pump wave being configured to constitute one of the mixing waves; and producing an electromagnetic carrier wave by frequency mixing the mixing waves.
US08554081B2
An optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) and system incorporating the same for maintaining loading of WDM channels with loading signals or information signals when signals are added or dropped. The OADM may include reconfigurable band pass filters having a transmittance characteristic controllable using a command signal. Selective filtering of loading signals and/or information signals received from branch and trunk paths allows an output WDM signal including information signals on utilized channels and loading signals on all unutilized channels.
US08554079B2
A wavelength division and time division hybrid multiplexing passive optical network system, terminals and a signal transmission method are disclosed in the present invention. The system comprises: a plurality of optical modules at the optical line terminal side connecting to an office all-optical wavelength conversion unit, the all-optical wavelength conversion unit connecting with a subscriber all-optical wavelength conversion unit via a fiber, and the subscriber all-optical wavelength conversion unit connecting with a plurality of optical couplers, and each optical couplers connecting with a plurality of optical network units respectively; the present invention facilitates full use of the existing source of access network and ensures a smooth transition from the time division multiplexing passive optical network to the optical access network of the next generation without changing the structure of the current time division passive optical network.
US08554076B1
A branch-ring optical network and a technique for manufacturing a branch-ring optical network are disclosed. By connecting an outgoing optical conduit to a number of ports and one or more diffraction-grating based add/drop modules, and coupling the first distribution-node to at least one or more distribution-end-nodes having one or more diffraction-grating based add/drop modules, a branch-ring optical network that is easily constructed and maintained is formed.
US08554074B2
An optical node includes an optical routing apparatus including N ports, N is an integer greater than 2, the optical routing apparatus configured to direct light that is input to each of the N ports to all of the other N ports, and a configurable optical blocking element located in line with at least one of the N ports. A method includes broadcasting a plurality of optical signals over a plurality of ports using a broadcast element, selectively receiving a desired signal from all of the plurality of optical signals at one of the plurality of ports, and blocking the plurality of signals via a blocking element in line with one of the plurality of ports thereby preventing a multiple path of the broadcast plurality of optical signals.
US08554067B2
An apparatus includes a monitor unit configured to monitor and output an accumulation state of a monitor area, which is apart of the detection area, a control unit configured to start an accumulation for focus adjustment in a detection area, and to determine whether the accumulation is ended based on the accumulation state, and to end the accumulation, when it is determined that the accumulation is to be ended, and an adjusting unit configured to use, for a focus adjustment, an output signal in a first area including the monitor area in priority to an output signal in a second area not including the monitor area.
US08554063B2
A steam generator includes a housing, a heating unit, an electrothermal unit and a one-way valve. The housing has a chamber and a water inlet. The heating unit includes a heating portion extending into the chamber. The heating portion has a first spiral channel thereon. One end of the heating portion is formed with a vaporization room and a steam outlet. The vaporization room has a second spiral channel therein to extend the time that the water and the wet steam pass through the heating unit so as to provide a complete heating and vaporizing function. Besides, by the one-way valve coupled to the water inlet, the steam generator of the present invention is simple in structure and cost-effective, providing an automatic water supply and re-heating function.
US08554055B2
An editing device dubs stream data stored in a second recording medium. A recording unit records the specified range of stream data in a stream file in the first recording medium, based on management information recorded in the second recording medium. A stream information file in which a stream file and stream information are stored, and a playback list file in which playback section data and mark information indicating the playback point-in-time information can be stored, are recorded as management information. A management information is generated based on the relation between the specified range and the playback section data and stream information corresponding to the specified range.
US08554054B2
Automated digital video editing system to combine stored video advertising with just-in time content
A system and method are provided for an automated digital video editing system that can combine previously stored video advertising with just-in-time content video, such as breaking news, sports, traffic and weather. The system and method can deliver the combined video to mobile devices in accordance with demographic, geographic, or other criteria selected by the advertiser.
US08554051B2
A device for recording at least part of a data stream including a recording module to record records divided among a plurality of segments, the records including a record for each instance of an event type of the data stream, each segment covering a range of the positions in the data stream such that different segments cover different ranges of positions in the stream, record the value of each instance, create a refresh region in each segment, the refresh region including data from the most recently recorded instance of each event type, create a plurality of links between the records to enable traversing the records in position order, and create an indexing table including an entry for each segment, the entry for each segment including the range of the positions covered by the records of the one segment. Related apparatus and method claims are also included.
US08554048B2
An information processing apparatus includes: a detecting portion detecting a signal format of a particular reproduction interval having the longest reproduction time among contents constituted by a plurality of reproduction intervals; and a converting portion converting signal formats of the reproduction intervals of the contents other than the particular reproduction interval into the signal format of the particular reproduction interval.
US08554044B2
A splice tray includes a splice region and a fiber management region to facilitate splicing together two or more fibers. The splice tray can be pivotally coupled to one or more additional splice trays using pivot linkages to form a splice tray arrangement. A pivot linkage can include first and second laterally spaced coupling sections extending in opposite directions. A magnetic coupling arrangement can releasably secure the splice trays of a splice tray arrangement to one another.
US08554033B2
In this invention, a radio frequency identification overlay network that automates the discovery and configuration management of all physical fiber optic connections within a distributed communications network is disclosed. Miniaturized, low crosstalk RFID tags at a first fiber optic receptacle location and miniature, distributed, multiplexed reader antenna at a distant, second fiber optic receptacle location are joined by a fiber optic link which transmits both optical data and RF electronic signals. This electronic-fiber optic interface is comprised of two separated, miniaturized resonant antenna in communication with another through a resonant RF transmission line integral to the fiber optic cable. This RFID overlay network is comprised of multiplexed RFID readers, RF resonant fiber optic cables, and miniaturized RFID tags attached to the connector receptacles of network elements. The RFID overlay network interrogates tags automatically and remotely through the RF transmissive and optically transmissive fiber optic patch cords, eliminating the need for manual readout by technicians.
US08554026B2
A light transmission assembly includes a light circuit board and a light transmission module. The board is embedded with waveguide layers, the waveguides layers includes core wires and shielding lays sandwiching the core wires, the waveguide layers defines a second light port portion of which the core wires defines vertical end faces. The light transmission module includes a base and a first light port portion projecting from a first face of the base, the first light port portion defines vertical end faces, the base defines a slanting surface at a second face opposite to the first face thereof. The first and second light port portions are aligned with each other when the light transmission module is coupled with light circuit board so that light lines go directly from the core wires through the light transmission module and reflect at the slant surface.
US08554020B2
A system and method are described for creating, managing and sharing photo stories. For example, one embodiment of a computer implemented method for selecting among a plurality of different photo story templates comprises: receiving a plurality of new photos from a user the photos having metadata associated; analyzing the photos and the metadata associated with the photos; responsively grouping the photos into a plurality of different photo stories based on the analysis of the photos and the metadata associated with the photos; and selecting a set of photo story design templates for each of the different photo stories based on the analysis of the photos and the metadata associated with the photos grouped into the different photo stories.
US08554016B2
Embodiments of an image registration system and method registering corresponding images of a deformable surface are generally described herein. In some embodiments, image features of the corresponding images are converted to point features, the point features from each corresponding image are sorted based on one or more attributes of the point features, and a plurality of three-point sets are generated for each image from a selected portion of the sorted point features. Each three-point set defines a triangle. Matching triangles may be identified from the corresponding images. The corresponding point features of the matching triangles represent corresponding image features providing for at least local image registration.
US08554012B2
An image processing apparatus including an image photographing unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes a document image acquiring unit that acquires a document image including at least an image of a document, a contour extracting unit that extracts a contour of the document from the document image, the extracting the contour being performed based on luminance, a distortion position detecting unit that detects a contour straight line located at a location where a distance between the contour and a center point of a rectangle having the minimum area surrounding the contour is shortest, the contour straight line being detected as a distortion position in the document, the contour straight line being located on the contour, and a corrected image generating unit that performs a geometric correction on the document image to extend the contour to a correction reference line determined from the distortion position, and generates a corrected image having the distortion in the document image corrected.
US08554011B2
Techniques for automatic exposure correction of images are provided. In particular, the exposure of an input image may be improved by automatically modifying a non-linear function that characterizes the luminance of shadow, mid-tone, and highlight portions of the image. The input image may be segmented into a number of regions and each region is assigned a zone, where the zone indicates a specified range of luminance values. An initial zone assigned to a region of the image may be changed in order to reflect an optimal zone of the region. Based, in part, on the optimal zones for each region of the image, luminance modification parameters may be calculated and applied to the non-linear function in order to produce a modified version of the input image that improves the appearance of overexposed and/or underexposed regions of the input image.
US08554007B2
An image processing apparatus includes a storage that stores, therein, edge position data indicating the position of a first edge image that represents a first edge of a first object image representing an object in a first image, a determination portion that detects a second edge image based on the edge position data and a specific scaling factor, the second edge image representing a second edge of a second object image that represents the object in a second image, the second image being obtained by modifying the size or the resolution of the first image by increasing the number of pixels by α times (α>1) corresponding to the scaling factor, the second edge having a width equal to that of the first edge, and a removal portion that performs a process for deleting an edge of an inner area surrounded by the second edge image.
US08554003B2
An image data processing apparatus includes the following elements. A lossless compression device performs lossless compression. A configuration controller performs control so that a first configuration including a first line memory set and a decompression circuit set and a second configuration including a second line memory set are selectively set in a reconfigurable circuit. A maximum size determining device determines the maximum size of lines of the compressed image data. An output controller performs control so that, when the maximum size is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, the first configuration is set and the compressed image data is output to an image processing circuit via the first line memory set, and so that, when the maximum size is greater than the predetermined threshold, the second configuration is set and the non-compressed image data is output to the image processing circuit via the second line memory set.
US08554002B2
A Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding a multi-view image are provided. The method of encoding a multi-view image includes determining whether each of pictures included in multi-view image sequences is a reference picture referred to by other pictures included in the multi-view image sequences for inter-view prediction, and encoding the pictures using at least one of inter-view prediction and temporal prediction based on the determination result, thereby efficiently encoding and decoding the multi-view image at high speed.
US08554001B2
An encoding system may generate an edge map based on a pixel value difference between neighboring pixels in an inputted image, generate a graph by connecting pixels using the generated edge map, select a prediction value for at least one pixel based on the generated graph, and encode an image based on the selected prediction value.
US08553998B1
Systems and methods for compressing a depthmap are provided. In some aspects, a system includes an encoding module configured to group a plurality of pixels of a depthmap. Each grouped pixel of the depthmap includes a depth value and is associated with an optic ray aligned with a camera capturing the depthmap. Each of the plurality of depth values is within a predetermined offset from one another. The encoding module is further configured to generate a primitive based on the grouped plurality of pixels. The primitive includes an identification value. Each of the plurality of optic rays intersects a corresponding portion of the primitive. The encoding module is further configured to transform the depthmap based on the primitive. Each grouped pixel of the transformed depthmap includes the identification value. The system also includes a compression module configured to compress the transformed depthmap.
US08553997B1
Systems and methods for compressing a depthmap are provided. In some aspects, a system includes an encoding module configured to determine a minimum value and a maximum value of a depthmap. The encoding module is further configured to normalize the depthmap based on the minimum value, the maximum value, and an encoding model. The normalized depthmap includes a scalar value for each pixel of the depthmap. The system also includes a compression module configured to compress the normalized depthmap.
US08553993B2
A method of aided input especially for a computer management tool, the management tool being executed in a computer system possessing an operating system furnished with instrumentation services, the method including the following steps: (a) entering raw data from an exterior source, (b) extracting relevant data from the raw data, (c) using the instrumentation services to transcribe the extracted data to corresponding fields of a preexisting input interface belonging to the management tool, within a view to allowing further inputs and overall validation. Application in particular to the semi-automated input of accounting items such as supplier invoices and the like.
US08553987B2
A method and an apparatus for recognizing characters using an image are provided. A camera is activated according to a character recognition request and a preview mode is set for displaying an image photographed through the camera in real time. An auto focus of the camera is controlled and an image having a predetermined level of clarity is obtained for character recognition from the images obtained in the preview mode. The image for character recognition is character-recognition-processed so as to extract recognition result data. A final recognition character row is drawn that excludes non-character data from the recognition result data. A first word is combined including at least one character of the final recognition character row and a predetermined maximum number of characters. A dictionary database that stores dictionary information on various languages using the first word is searched, so as to provide the user with the corresponding word.
US08553985B2
An image processing apparatus which performs boundary line extraction for raster image data, comprises: a detection unit configured to detect a color region formed from a plurality of pixels having an 8-neighbor connection in the image data; a determination unit configured to determine whether the 8-neighbor connection in the color region detected by the detection unit is to be modified to a 4-neighbor connection, in accordance with a connection state of pixels connected by the 8-neighbor connection and pixels surrounding the pixels connected by the 8-neighbor connection; a modification unit configured to modify the 8-neighbor connection in the color region, a modification of which is determined by the determination unit, by converting a pixel value of a pixel neighboring the pixels connected by the 8-neighbor connection; and an extraction unit configured to extract a boundary line from image data modified by the modification unit.
US08553984B2
Techniques for determining a feature in an image or soundtrack of one or more dimensions include receiving a subject image. A sparse transformed subject image is determined, which represents the subject image with a few significant coefficients compared to a number of values in the subject image. Multiple patch functions are received, which are based on a portion of a sparse transformed image for each of a training set of images and which represent learned features in the training set. A feature is determined to be in the subject image based on the transformed subject image and the plurality of patch functions. In various embodiments, a wavelet transformation or audio spectrogram is performed to produce the sparse transformed images. In some embodiments, the feature in the subject is determined regardless of feature location or size or orientation in the subject image.
US08553982B2
A method, apparatus, and system are described for model-based playfield registration. An input video image is processed. The processing of the video image includes extracting key points relating to the video image. Further, whether enough key points relating to the video image were extracted is determined, and a direct estimation of the video image is performed if enough key points have been extracted and then, a homograph matrix of a final video image based on the direct estimation is generated.
US08553981B2
A user may perform an image search on an object shown in an image. The user may use a mobile device to display an image. In response to displaying the image, the client device may send the image to a visual search system for image segmentation. Upon receiving a segmented image from the visual search system, the client device may display the segmented image to the user who may select one or more segments including an object of interest to instantiate a search. The visual search system may formulate a search query based on the one or more selected segments and perform a search using the search query. The visual search system may then return search results to the client device for display to the user.
US08553964B2
Methods and a system to unify reconstruction and motion estimation steps in first pass cardiac perfusion MRI include a global objective function that meets data consistency, spatial smoothness, motion and contrast dynamics constraints. The global objective decomposed into simpler sub-problems which include low pass filtering of a deformed object, TV shrinkage, analytical Fourier replacement and an l2 minimizing problem. A registration tool based on the local cross-correlation similarity measure and enabled to perform both rigid and flexile deformations, is applied. Registration parameters are tuned by rigid, semi rigid and flexible models at different stages of iterations. A system to perform the methods is also disclosed.
US08553960B2
One embodiment is a unique method employing an improved image resolution recovery technique. Another embodiment is a unique system implementing an improved image resolution recovery technique. A further embodiment is a method including obtaining a sinogram based upon a measurement of an imaging system, processing the sinogram using a smoothing or fitting technique, deconvolving a system response function of the imaging system from the sinogram to provide a deconvolved sinogram, and constructing an image based upon the deconvolved sinogram. Further embodiments, forms, objects, features, advantages, aspects, and benefits shall become apparent from the following description and drawings.
US08553951B2
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a method for radiological imaging including: viewing a study, the study including a series of radiological images interfacing with the study to allow interaction with the radiological images of the study; selecting an image from the series of radiological images to form an event marker; and grouping with the selected image at least one other neighboring image within the series of radiological images to form an event, the event ranging over a plurality of images within the series. In an embodiment, the event includes at least one of: the selected image within the series and at least one subsequent neighboring image; the selected image and at least one previous neighboring image; and the selected image, at least one previous neighboring image, and at least one subsequent neighboring image.
US08553949B2
A processor-based system operating according to digitally-embedded programming instructions performs a method including identifying a group of pixels corresponding to a face region within digital image data acquired by an image acquisition device. A set of face analysis parameter values is extracted from said face region, including a faceprint associated with the face region. First and second reference faceprints are determined for a person using reference images captured respectively in predetermined face-portrait conditions and using ambient conditions. The faceprints are analyzed to determine a baseline faceprint and a range of variability from the baseline associated with the person. Results of the analyzing are stored and used in subsequent recognition of the person in a subsequent image acquired under ambient conditions.
US08553948B2
A system and related method for acquiring high quality images of the iris of an unconstrained subject comprising a camera; a controllable focusing component; a focus controller component that controls the lens to focus at successively different points within a focus range, such focus control performed without any input from measurement of whether the image is in focus or out of focus, be it based from measurements of the image or other distance metrics to the subject; and a sharpness detection component that rejects the most out-of-focus images based on measurement of focus on the image is disclosed.
US08553947B2
In real biometric systems, false match rates and false non-match rates of 0% do not exist. There is always some probability that a purported match is false, and that a genuine match is not identified. The performance of biometric systems is often expressed in part in terms of their false match rate and false non-match rate, with the equal error rate being when the two are equal. There is a tradeoff between the FMR and FNMR in biometric systems which can be adjusted by changing a matching threshold. This matching threshold can be automatically, dynamically and/or user adjusted so that a biometric system of interest can achieve a desired FMR and FNMR.
US08553946B2
A method and apparatus are described for rendering a display image generated from digital map information. The method includes the steps of: determining elevation information (20a) from the digital map information; determining display scale information (28) for the display image; and determining (22) a shading value to apply to a pixel in the display image, and applying the shading value to the respective pixel in the display image, to generate a display (24) that represents elevation information by pixel shading. The shading value varies as a function of the elevation information and the display scale information, whereby the display is generated to represent elevation information by pixel shading that varies with display scale.
US08553943B2
Embodiments include methods and systems which determine pixel displacement between frames based on a respective weighting-value for each pixel or a group of pixels. The weighting-values provide an indication as to which pixels are more pertinent to optical flow computations. Computational resources and effort can be focused on pixels with higher weights, which are generally more pertinent to optical flow determinations.
US08553937B2
An apparatus includes a video sensing device, a velocity vector estimator (VVE) coupled to the video sensing device, a controller coupled to the velocity vector estimator, and an orthogonal transfer charge-coupled device (OTCCD) coupled to the controller. The video sensing device transmits a plurality of image frames to the velocity vector estimator. The controller receives a location of an object in a current frame, stores locations of the object in one or more previous frames, predicts a motion trajectory and the predicted location of the object on it in a subsequent frame as a function of the locations of the object in the current frame and the one or more previous frames, and transmits the predicted location of the object to the OTCCD. The OTCCD shifts its image array of pixels as a function of the predicted location of the object.
US08553936B2
Many athletic endeavors require focus on a moving object and subsequent coordination of bodily movement either in response to movement of the object or in an attempt to manipulate the object. Coordinated movement of the head and eyes can be improved through training when errors in gaze/head movement-coordination are identified. There exists a need for systems and methods capable of tracking and coordinating change in position of, for example, the head relative to a participant's gaze, and then to provide feedback on a participant's error in tracking moving objects. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to the technology of gaze tracking and more particularly to the application of gaze tracking technology to aid in the development of head-and-eye-movement coordination.
US08553935B2
A system that has a remote control, e.g., a wand, equipped with a relative motion sensor that outputs data indicative of a change in position of the wand. The system also has one or more light sources and a photodetector that detects their light and outputs data indicative of the detected light. The system uses one or more controllers to determine the absolute position of the wand based on the data output by the relative motion sensor and by the photodetector. The data enables determination of the absolute pose of the wand, which includes the absolute position of a reference point chosen on the wand and the absolute orientation of the wand. To properly express the absolute parameters of position and/or orientation of the wand a reference location is chosen with respect to which the calculations are performed. The system is coupled to a display that shows an image defined by a first and second orthogonal axes such as two axes belonging to world coordinates (Xo,Yo,Zo). The one or more controllers are configured to generate signals that are a function of the absolute position of the wand in or along a third axis for rendering the display. To simplify the mapping of a real three-dimensional environment in which the wand is operated to the cyberspace of the application that the system is running, the third axis is preferably the third Cartesian coordinate axis of world coordinates (Xo,Yo,Zo).
US08553931B2
A system and method for adaptively defining a region of interest for motion analysis in digital video is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of detecting a gesture is disclosed which comprises receiving a video sequence comprising a plurality of frames, determining a region of interest which excludes a portion of the frame, and detecting the gesture within the region of interest.
US08553928B2
The present invention relates to an image processing method and image inspecting method with high versatility which enable efficient and highly accurate proof of authenticity of a digital image. The image processing method subjects at least a part of a digital image which can exist temporarily or continuously in a falsification-vulnerable environment, to a first morphology operation using a predetermined structuring element, to process the digital image. The image inspecting method subjects the digital image thus processed, to a second morphology operation using the same structuring element as in the first morphology operation. The morphology operations have the idempotent and the presence or absence of falsification can be detected by determining identity of images before and after the second morphology operation.
US08553918B2
A hearing device or another hearing apparatus is to be made smaller in terms of its dimensions. It is proposed for this purpose to develop a battery contact at least in one section as an induction coil. The current produced by the battery can thus compensate for an interference field of a telephone coil, said interference field being produced for example by a hearing device earpiece, and no separate coils need to be provided.
US08553897B2
A method of acoustically fitting a hearing aid comprises providing a plurality of audible tones, each having a predetermined frequency through stereo headphones. The tones are provided at specific sound pressure in each ear. The patient changes the relative sound pressure in each ear until a perceived direction of source of the tone is in front of the patient. The amplification or attenuation requirements of a hearing aid are modified based on the difference in the sound pressures required for the left and right ears of the patient for perceived directional sameness for each frequency band-pass channel.
US08553896B2
The present invention relates to direct voice and instrument monitoring systems and methods of use thereof.
US08553895B2
A device for generating an encoded stereo signal from a multi-channel representation includes a multi-channel decoder generating three of more multi-channels from at least one basic channel and parametric information. The three or more multi-channels are subjected to headphone signal processing to generate an uncoded first stereo channel and an uncoded second stereo channel which are then supplied to a stereo encoder to generate an encoded stereo file on the output side. The encoded stereo file may be supplied to any suitable player in the form of a CD player or a hardware player such that a user of the player does not only get a normal stereo impression but a multi-channel impression.
US08553883B2
According to the teachings presented herein, a wireless communication device reverts from subscription credentials to temporary access credentials, in response to detecting an access failure. The device uses its temporary access credentials to gain temporary network access, either through a preferred network (e.g., home network) or through any one of one or more non-preferred networks (e.g., visited networks). After gaining temporary access, the device determines whether it needs new subscription credentials and, if so, uses the temporary access to obtain them. Correspondingly, in one or more embodiments, a registration server is configured to support such operations, such as by providing determination of credential validity and/or by redirecting the device to a new home operator for obtaining new subscription credentials.
US08553879B2
Provided is a content transmission device 310 that can reduce failure of content key confirmation processing during special playback such as fast-forwarding and fast-rewinding. A key management unit 312 generates or updates a key parameter, and stores therein the generated or updated key parameter. The key management unit 312 receives a key parameter from the content reception device 340, and calculates a difference between the key parameter stored therein and the received key parameter. By using the calculated difference, a transmission control unit 313 judges whether or not to change a transmission speed at which an encrypted content portion is to be transmitted, and depending on a result of the judgment, selects one of transmission speeds and transmits the encrypted content portion in accordance with the selected transmission speed. When the difference is greater than a first threshold value, the transmission control unit 313 selects one of the transmission speeds that is slower than a current transmission speed.
US08553874B2
A cover system for a communication device and a case for the communication device are provided. The system comprises: a first cover and a second cover. The first cover has a shape to fit in a recessed region of a case of a communication device, the recessed region bounding a display opening and a speaker opening in the case; a first region adapted to cover the display opening; a second region to enclose the speaker opening; and at least one hole in the second region to provide a conduit through the first cover to the speaker opening. The second cover covers the second region and is shaped to allow ambient air to pass around the second cover to the at least one hole.
US08553871B2
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method of monitoring consumer calls placed to a business and conducted between a consumer and a business representative can comprise receiving a telephone call placed to a business from a consumer; directing the telephone call to a business representative for the business; recording a telephone conversation between the business representative and the consumer; storing the recorded conversation in a memory device; recording a plurality of conversations between a plurality of consumers and at least the business representative; providing the business representative with access to the plurality of recorded conversations in which the business representative participated so as to be able to play back at least one of the recorded conversations.
US08553869B2
A method for implementing Ring Back Tone (RBT) interworking, a Media Gateway Control Function (MGCF) device, and an Application Server (AS) are provided. A Multimedia Ring Back Tone (MRBT) service is triggered when a Circuit Switched (CS) user originates a call to an MRBT subscriber in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The method includes: receiving a message sent by an MRBT AS, where the message carries video RBT information; and notifying a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) to put through a calling terminal if determining that a video RBT needs to be played to the calling terminal according to the message. Therefore, a video RBT can be played when a CS user originates a call to an IMS user in the case of network interworking. An IMS video RBT may be played to the calling party when the CS user originates a call to the IMS user.
US08553868B2
A method, system, and computer program product for providing Intelligent Outbound Calling provides enhanced calling services even when the called party is not a customer to such a service. A method for providing calling services may comprise storing contact information for a customer, the contact information comprising information relating to a plurality of contacts associated with the customer and for each contact, a plurality of contact telephone numbers, receiving an indication of a contact selected from among the plurality of contacts, and dialing a plurality of calls to the plurality of contact telephone numbers for the selected contact.
US08553866B2
A system and method provisions dynamic call models within a network having a serving node for providing session control for user endpoint (UE) devices. A user endpoint device (UE) with agent logic, expresses dynamic context of the UE in a message and sends said dynamic context message to a serving node. The dynamic context includes a subset of devices that could be used as UEs or associated devices, network connections that terminate or emanate from said devices that could be used as UEs or associated devices, and capabilities of said devices that could be used as UEs or associated devices. The serving node logic receives said context message from the UE and constructs a dynamic call model in response. The dynamic call model having filter codes to associate service codes with application servers (ASs) in communication with the network, and each AS having service logic to provide a service.
US08553861B1
A computer-implemented method of using vendor credits to achieve load balancing in a communications network is described. Network traffic operating under a first carrier of the communications network is monitored. Initial load balancing triggers are set, by which network traffic of the first carrier is offloaded to a second carrier. It is determined whether the initial load balancing triggers have been met. It is also determined whether a vendor credit of the first carrier is available when the initial load balancing triggers have been met. One or more devices of the first carrier are offloaded to the second carrier when a vendor credit of the first carrier is available.
US08553859B1
Embodiments of the invention provide a communication device comprising a database comprising a plurality of visual Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus associated with a plurality of destinations. The communication device further comprises means for dialing a phone number of a destination, means for comparing the dialed phone number with phone numbers stored in the database, and means for displaying a form based on the comparison, wherein the form comprises one or more data request fields corresponding to a visual IVR menu associated with the dialed destination.
US08553857B2
A system establishes a telephone call between a calling party and a called party. The system receives a telephone call connection request, including identification of the called party, from the calling party and determines, based on the identification information, if the called party is currently connected to a data network. If the called party is currently connected to the data network, the system establishes the telephone call between the calling party and an instant messaging client of the called party.
US08553853B2
A method and system are disclosed for providing a low cost mechanism for remotely re-routing queries in a telecommunications network. A service control point (SCP) executes an application which causes a queries to be launched over a LAN or WAN to a remotely located data center. A primary and secondary data center are defined, in which the secondary data center operations on a ‘hot-standby’ basis. Based on a manually provided indication, maintenance personnel may telephone and interact with a voice response unit or a web-based interface, which indicates that the SCP or SCP application should route queries to the secondary data center. Similarly, the same mechanism can be used to indicate that queries should be re-routed back to the primary data center. This allows remote management for controlling the queries without having to extensively modify the related infrastructure.
US08553852B2
A method for generating a ring tone for a given caller based on a prior conversation with that caller. A portion of a conversation with a given caller is recorded and stored in memory as a ring tone. When a subsequent call is received from the same caller, identified by caller ID, the ring tone is played, alerting the user to the incoming call as well as the context of their prior communication. In alternative embodiments of the invention, a prior textual or video conversation is used as the basis for a ringtone. The invention is capable of implementation in telecommunications systems such as cellular, local exchange, and VOIP.
US08553845B2
A method for analyzing the status of a subscriber loop belonging to an access network portion of a fixed network infrastructure, the subscriber loop not supporting a broadband service wherein the access network portion includes further subscriber loops, a set of which support broadband services. The method includes the steps of collecting attenuation measures associated with said set of subscriber loops supporting said broadband services; and processing said attenuation measures to obtain an estimation of a maximum bit rate that can be offered on the subscriber loop to be analyzed.
US08553840B2
The invention provides a method of detecting neoplastic or neurological disorders comprising exposing skin or nails to X-ray diffraction and detecting changes in the ultrastructure of the skin or nails, and also provides an instrument when used in the method of detection.
US08553831B2
An imaging system and method configured to construct an image of an internal structure of an object. The imaging system including: a radiation source configured to generate both a narrow beam and a wide beam of radiation; a detector configured to detect the radiation; and at least one processing circuit configured to: determine a scatter-to-primary ratio (SPR) of the wide beam based on the narrow beam; determine a primary component of the wide beam based on the SPR to thereby separate the primary component from a scattered component of the wide beam; and construct the image using the primary component.
US08553828B2
A clock data restoration device (1A) includes a sampler portion (11), a phase comparison portion (12), a drive portion (13), a charge pump (14), a capacitive element (15), a potential adjustment portion (16) and a voltage control oscillator (17). The phase comparison portion (12) outputs a signal (UP) that becomes a significant value when the phase of a clock (CKX) delays with respect to an input digital signal, and outputs a signal (DN) that becomes a significant value when the phase advances. The drive portion (13) increases or decreases a value δ to or from a variable Δ when the signals (UP) and (DN) become a significant value, and increases or decrease a value N to or from the variable Δ when the value of the variable Δ is equal to or more than +N or when the value of the variable Δ is equal to or less than −N, and signals (UPFRQ) and (DNFRQ) are output to the charge pump (14). The potential adjustment portion (16) increases or decreases a potential at a first end of a capacitive element (15) based on the signals (UP) and (DN).
US08553822B2
Pilot transmission and channel estimation techniques for an OFDM system with excess delay spread are described. To mitigate the deleterious effects of excess delay spread, time filtering is utilized. Time filtering is utilized to combat excess delay spread effects in channel estimation. The time filtering is performed in the presence of staggered pilots and helps in improving the channel estimate in the presence of excess delay spread.
US08553820B2
A plurality of data signals are received over an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements. The data signals are transmitted over a shared spectrum in a wireless communication system. A signal having each of the data signals is received over each antenna element. The plurality of data signals are grouped into a plurality of groups. The received signals of the antenna elements are matched filtered for a first group of the plurality of groups, producing a matched filtered result. Data is jointly detected of the first group using the matched filtered result. An interference correction signal is constructed using the detected data for each antenna element. The interference cancelled result is subtracted from the received signal of each antenna element, producing an interference cancelled result for each antenna element. Data is successively detected for remaining groups using the interference cancelled result for each antenna element.
US08553809B2
A reception apparatus is disclosed which includes: a reception section configured to receive an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal known as an OFDM signal formed by modulating common packet sequences and data packet sequences, the common packet sequences being made up of packets common to a plurality of streams, the data packet sequences being constituted by packets unique to each of the plurality of streams; an acquisition section configured to acquire decoding information for decoding the original streams from the common packet sequences and the data packet sequences obtained by demodulating the received OFDM signal; and a search section configured to search for the common packet sequence needed to decode the original streams from the designated data packet sequence on the basis of the acquired decoding information.
US08553808B2
A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a signal in a frequency band using non-uniform sampling includes an analog to digital converter (ADC) (110) for sampling an analog input signal (105) to create discrete signal samples (115), an ADC exciter (120) for exciting the ADC to sample at non-uniform time periods, a digital filter (130) for converting the discrete signal samples into an energy versus frequency spectrum (300), and an energy comparator (140) coupled to an output of the digital filter. The energy comparator (140) detects the presence of any frequency bands exceeding an energy setpoint.
US08553806B2
Transmitters, receivers and associated methods are disclosed for providing phase and amplitude modulation in a carrier-less communication system (e.g., an ultra-wide band communication system). An approximate quadrature signal is provided by delaying the in-phase signal by an amount determined by various criteria, such as the bandwidths of the component signals, minimizing the mean square error between an approximate quadrature signal and the true quadrature signal, and minimizing the auto-correlation function of the in-phase signal.
US08553796B2
Precoding parameters used for precoding of a source are selected to minimize distortion that would otherwise be induced in the source during encoding and transmission of the source over a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel.
US08553791B1
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for identifying data that is designated for wireless transmission to a remote computing device. A digital signal that encodes the data for transmission across a band of radio frequency channels is generated.Multiple radio frequency channels in the band that are available are determined. The digital signal is filtered to substantially reduce a power level of the digital signal at frequencies that correspond to channels in the band that have not been determined to be available. The filtered digital signal is converted to an analog signal. The analog signal is provided to an analog transmitter that isolates the band of channels to generate an isolated analog signal and that wirelessly transmits the isolated analog signal over the multiple available channels using one or more antennas.
US08553784B2
The present invention relates to network coding and discloses a method, an apparatus, and a system for random linear network coding to prevent the complicated and time-consuming process of network coding. The coding method for random linear network includes: splitting original data into at least two data blocks sequentially; determining at least two coefficient groups, wherein a length of each coefficient group is the same as the number of the data blocks, and the coefficient group comprises two elements; performing a bitwise-AND operation on the data blocks and coefficients corresponding to the data blocks to obtain code blocks; and performing a bitwise-XOR operation between the code blocks to obtain a code packet. The present invention is applicable to the network coding which requires a high efficiency of coding.
US08553782B2
Personal object based archival systems and methods are provided for processing and compressing video. By analyzing features unique to a user, such as face, family, and pet attributes associated with the user, an invariant model can be determined to create object model adapters personal to each user. These personalized video object models can be created using geometric and appearance modeling techniques, and they can be stored in an object model library. The object models can be reused for processing other video streams. The object models can be shared in a peer-to-peer network among many users, or the object models can be stored in an object model library on a server. When the compressed (encoded) video is reconstructed, the video object models can be accessed and used to produce quality video with nearly lossless compression.
US08553776B2
A method for processing a plurality of motion vectors for a video frame to be interpolated using a first reference frame and a second reference frame, each reference frame having a content map, the method including partitioning the video frame to be interpolated into a plurality of areas; determining a number of motion vectors passing through one area of the plurality of areas based on the content maps of the first reference frame and the second reference frame; and generating a motion vector to assign to the one area based on the number of motion vectors passing through the one area. An apparatus for performing the method is also described.
US08553772B2
To achieve an encoding system including a highly efficient prediction performed in response to the content of a scene, a significance, and a motion characteristic of a moving picture and the like, a reference memory, a motion compensator receiving a parameter representing the motion of a prediction picture segment for generating a predicted picture by using arbitrary data stored in the memory based upon the parameter, and memory update unit that updates picture data in memory and controls the capacity of the memory, are provided.
US08553770B2
An image decoding method is provided for generating a predictive pixel value of a current picture to be decoded, and decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value. The method includes a first parameter calculation step of calculating a first parameter corresponding to a distance between the current picture and a first reference picture; a second parameter calculation step of calculating a second parameter corresponding to a distance between the first reference picture and a second reference picture; a judgment step of judging whether or not a value of a third parameter calculated using a value obtained by dividing the first parameter by the second parameter is a value which is represented by a plurality of bits; a predictive pixel value generation step of generating a predictive pixel value of the current picture; and a decoding step of decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value.
US08553765B2
A decoding method decodes a bit stream in an image decoding apparatus. The method includes receiving a luma quantization parameter and a weight parameter that is added to the luma quantization parameter as the bit stream. The method also includes decoding, in a decoding unit in the image decoding apparatus, the bit stream, and generating a luma component of quantized coefficients and a chroma component of quantized coefficients. Further, the method includes performing, in a dequantization unit in the image decoding apparatus, dequantization on the luma component of quantized coefficients using the luma quantization parameter and the chroma component of quantized coefficients using a chroma quantization parameter calculated on the basis of the luma quantization parameter weighted by an add operation of the weight parameter.
US08553763B2
The invention is an apparatus and method for estimating an optimized sub-pixel interpolation filter using iterative estimations as needed for sub-pixel motion compensation and motion estimation in a video codec for improving coding efficiency. Multiple iterations of adaptive interpolation filter estimation are performed including more than one iteration based on sub-pixel motion vectors. During testing of the inventive apparatus and method on various video segments, average bit rate reductions were exhibited of approximately 5%.
US08553760B2
An information processing apparatus for allowing a provider subjectively to control the manner in which to display pictures using of a plurality of video streams may include a transmission device that generates a plurality of video streams used for picture display of a single program. The multiple video streams are multiplexed into a multiplexed stream to which compose information is added. The multiplexed information together with the added compose information is supplied to a reception device. The compose information includes information designating the video streams for displaying pictures in various positions on a screen. The reception device decodes the video streams included in the multiplexed stream. The pictures from the decoded video streams are displayed on the screen in accordance with information included in the compose information. This information can be applied to apparatuses handling a plurality of video streams.
US08553756B2
A data transmission system including a device that delays a signal having a predetermined base frequency so as to generate a reference-phase signal having a reference phase, a delay signal more delayed than the reference signal by a unit of time, and an advance signal more advanced than the reference signal by the unit of time; a device that selects one of the reference-phase, delay, and advance signals so as to output a data signal in which a phase of one of the rising and falling edges of the data signal varies in accordance with values of transmitted data, and a phase of the other of the edges is constant; a device that generates a reference signal at the timing of one of the rising and falling edges of the data signal, said one having the constant phase; and a device that reproduces the data by measuring a phase difference between the generated reference signal and the data signal at the timing of the other of the rising and falling edges which has the varying phase.
US08553755B2
An interference suppression processing unit includes at least one receive path, wherein each of the at least one receive path is configured to transmit one of at least one received data sequence received from at least one antenna port, a signal generation unit configured to generate at least one signal data sequence from the at least one received data sequence, at least one signal path, wherein each of the at least one signal path is configured to transmit one of the at least one signal data sequence, at least one prefilter unit, wherein each of the at least one prefilter unit is coupled to one of the at least one signal path and a combiner including at least one input terminal, wherein each of the at least one input terminal is connected to an output terminal of one of the at least one prefilter unit, wherein the signal generation unit is configured to generate K1 first signal data sequences, wherein each first signal data sequence is identical to one of the at least one received data sequence, respectively, and K2 second signal data sequences, wherein each second signal data sequence is not identical to one of the at least one received data sequence, respectively, and wherein the number of the first signal data sequences and the second signal data sequences (K1+K2) equals the number of the at least one signal data sequence.
US08553750B2
Through the use of a least squares minimization concept, the loop length, the number of bridged taps and length of the bridged taps on a transmission line can be determined from readily available modem data. In particular, the loop length, the number of bridge taps and the length of bridged taps can be estimated by comparing a measured frequency domain channel impulse response of the transmission line to a model of a loop that is comprised of multiple sections and multiple bridge taps.
US08553743B1
Systems, apparatuses and methods for communicating messages via frequency hopping and utilizing multiple different frequency hopping sequences to facilitate the message or other data exchange. A transmitter frequency hopping sequence is provided that is derived from a set of available frequencies. A receiver frequency hopping sequence is also derived from those frequencies. The transmitter frequency hopping sequence differs from the receiver frequency hopping sequence, at least in regards to the order that the frequencies of the respective sequence will be involved in the message communication. The next frequency in the transmitter frequency hopping sequence is identified in which to transmit data. The data is transmitted at the identified communication frequency when that same frequency arises in the receiver frequency hopping sequence.
US08553742B1
A laser chip package structure includes a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible circuit board, a laser chip and a number of electronic elements. The PCB includes a supporting surface. The flexible circuit board is positioned on the supporting surface and electrically connected to the PCB. The laser chip is positioned on the flexible circuit board and electrically connected to the flexible circuit board. The laser chip is configured to emit a laser beam. The electronic elements are positioned on the flexible circuit board and electrically connected to the flexible circuit board.
US08553741B2
The invention includes a single chip having multiple different devices integrated thereon for a common purpose. The chip includes a substrate having a peripheral area, a mid-chip area, and a central area. A plurality of FETs are formed in the peripheral area with each FET having a layer of single crystal rare earth material in at least one of a conductive channel, a gate insulator, or a gate stack. A plurality of photonic devices including light emitting diodes or vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are formed in the mid-chip area with each photonic device having an active layer of single crystal rare earth material. A plurality of photo detectors are formed in the central area.
US08553737B2
Embodiments are directed to laser emitter modules and methods and devices for making the modules. Some module embodiments are configured to provide hermetically sealed enclosures that are convenient and cost effective to assemble and provide for active alignment of optical elements of the module.
US08553727B2
A particular overall architecture for transmission over a bonded channel system consisting of two interconnected MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) 2.0 SoCs (“Systems on a Chip) and a method and apparatus for the case of a “bonded” channel network. With a bonded channel network, the data is divided into two segments, the first of which is transported over a primary channel and the second of which is transported over a secondary channel.
US08553722B2
A sending device having a processing device and a plurality of transmitters performs a method for providing spatially selectable communications using deconstructed and delayed data streams. The method includes receiving a data stream, an indication of a target point for the data stream, and a target volume around the target point. The method further includes deconstructing the data stream into a plurality of data substreams and, based on a spatial relationship between a corresponding transmitter and the target point, determining a transmitter delay for each transmitter. Moreover, the method further includes determining, based on the target volume, a data interval spacing to apply between each data substream at transmission. In addition, the method includes sending, from the transmitters, the corresponding data substreams using the corresponding transmitter delays and the data interval spacing that confine reconstruction of the data substreams back into the data stream within the target volume.
US08553719B2
A method and MS apparatus for receiving a signal in a wireless communication system supporting a plurality of wireless communication schemes are disclosed. The method for receiving a signal in a wireless communication system supporting both communication of a first MS using a first wireless communication scheme and communication of a second MS using a second wireless communication scheme includes receiving from a BS a downlink signal in a downlink subframe allocated to a second zone dedicated to communication of the second MS in a downlink zone of a specific frame by the second MS. The number of downlink subframes allocated to the second zone by the BS is one, the allocated downlink subframe is a first downlink subframe of the second zone, and the first downlink subframe of the second zone is a Type-2 subframe which consists of seven OFDMA symbols.
US08553710B1
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes an intake buffer module and a flow control module configured to define an available bits indicator, the available bits indicator representing a number of unallocated bits within the intake buffer module. The apparatus further includes a transceiver module configured to transmit, to a peripheral device, a credit update frame based at least in part on the available bits indicator. The transceiver module can be configured to receive a Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frame from the peripheral device, a size of the FCoE frame being less than or equal to the number of unallocated bits. The apparatus can further include a switch fabric interface module operatively coupled to a plurality of switch fabric devices that define at least a portion of a switch fabric. The switch fabric interface module can be configured to define at least one cell based at least in part on the FCoE frame and further configured to transmit the at least one cell to at least one switch fabric device from the plurality of switch fabric devices.
US08553706B2
There is provided a powerline network that includes a number of stations including a central coordinator for coordinating transmissions of each of the stations. The central coordinator is configurable to transmit a beacon at an interval based on a phase of a powerline cycle. The interval of the beacon can be substantially equal to two periods of the powerline cycle. The interval of the beacon includes a reserved region including a persistent allocation region and a non-persistent allocation region. The beacon also includes a broadcast message including a persistent schedule and a non-persistent schedule. The persistent schedule is valid for a current beacon period and a number of subsequent beacon periods as indicated by the beacon, while the non-persistent schedule is valid for a single beacon period. The persistent allocation region and the non-persistent allocation region are determined based on the persistent schedule and the non-persistent schedule, respectively.
US08553703B2
The Station Management Entity (SME) 202 and/or Media Access Control (MAC) SubLayer Management Entity (MLME) 201 within a Hybrid Controller (HC) or wireless station (WSTA) 106, 109 for an IEEE 802.11 wireless data communications system 100 employ primitives in connection with a Schedule Quality of Service (QoS) Action frame. The primitives include: a request primitive formulated by the HC's SME 202 using the WSTA 106, 109 address and the Schedule Element from the Schedule QoS Action frame for transmission to the HC's MLME 201; a confirm primitive formulated by the HC's MLME 201 using a result code for transmission to the HC's SME 202; and an indication primitive formulated by the WSTA's MLME 201 using the Schedule Element for transmission to the WSTA's SME 202.
US08553698B2
New methods and devices for implementing an ARQ mechanism over a multi-hop connection (sender-relay-receiver) are proposed. A communication protocol is described in accordance with which data units are arranged in a sequence and each sent data unit is identifiable by a sequence position identifier. The sender implements a sending peer, the relay a relay peer and the receiver a receiving peer. Feedback messages are exchanged, which using said sequence position identifiers, carry information on a receipt of sent data units. The communication protocol provides for at least a first type and a second type of receipt information, the first type (RACK) of receipt information being indicative of a correct receipt of a data unit at a relay peer of said communication protocol, and the second type (ACK) of receipt information being indicative of a correct receipt of a data unit at a final destination peer of said communication protocol.
US08553691B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to multicasting packets in a system such as a data packet switch or router having a distributed architecture. A first device such as a line card receiving a packet that requires multicasting forwards the packet to a fabric switch where the packet is replicated to obtain one respective packet for each line card of the system. Each line card receives its respective packet from the fabric switch and further duplicates the packet to obtain a duplicate packet for each egress endpoint of a service associated with the packet that is eligible to receive such a duplicate packet. Replication and duplication of packets requiring multicasting performed in this manner efficiently uses bandwidth of the fabric switch and links connecting it to the line cards.
US08553687B2
A method and apparatus for transport encoded asset data and content data, multiplexing the transport encoded content data with a plurality of NULL transport packets to provide “place holder” for the asset data transport packets, and replacing the NULL transport packets with asset data transport packets prior to transmitting the multiplexed transport stream to a set top box.
US08553685B2
One or more devices in a provider network receive provisioning information to migrate customer devices within a customer network from an original session border controller (SBC) device of the provider network to a new SBC device, where the provisioning information includes one or more fully-qualified domain names (FQDNs) associated with the original SBC device. The one or more devices update DNS server entries for the one or more FQDNs with an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new SBC device and provide, to the customer devices within the customer network, DNS entry updates for the one or more FQDNs. The new SBC device then receives SIP session signal from the customer devices, and the configuration information associated with the customer may be deleted from the original SBC.
US08553683B2
In a first embodiment of the present invention, a non-blocking switch fabric is provided comprising: a first set of intra-domain switches; a second set of intra-domain switches; a set of inter-domain switches located centrally between the first set of intra-domain switches and the second set of intra-domain switches, wherein each of the ports of each of the inter-domain switches is connected to an intra-domain switch from the first or second set of intra-domain switches.
US08553682B2
A wireless transmit/receive unit communicates with a second wireless transmit/receive unit in a combined circuit switched (CS) session and an IP multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) session, where the second wireless transmit/receive unit uses VoIP.
US08553679B2
The embodiments disclosed include a system and method for enabling multiple service profiles on a single telecommunications device resulting in improved flexibility for a user who wishes to access different services through multiple service profiles. The user can access multiple service profiles with a single device, and therefore switch the set of services offered to the device. In one embodiment, the techniques described below are enabled through a Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”)-based next-generation network (“NGN”), such as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”) architecture.
US08553672B2
A method and a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) for multiplexing data for an enhanced dedicated channel (E-DCH) is disclosed. The WTRU receives at least one serving grant and at least one non-scheduled grant, wherein the at least one serving grant is a grant for scheduled data transmission and the at least one non-scheduled grant is a grant for non-scheduled data transmission. The WTRU determines supported enhanced dedicated channel transport format combinations (E-TFCs). The WTRU determines an enhanced uplink medium access control (MAC-e) protocol data unit (PDU) payload amount. For each logical channel, in order of priority, the WTRU multiplexes data from MAC-d flows associated with each logical channel into a MAC-e PDU, wherein each MAC-d flow is configured as either a scheduled MAC-d flow or a non-scheduled MAC-d flow, wherein on a condition that the MAC-e PDU payload amount is not equal to a supported E-TFC size, reducing the amount of data from a scheduled MAC-d flow to multiplex into the MAC-e PDU, based on a next smaller E-TFC size relative to the MAC-e PDU payload amount. The WTRU selects an E-TFC for transmission of the MAC-e PDU, wherein the selected E-TFC is a smallest E-TFC that supports the MAC-e PDU. The WTRU transmit the MAC-e PDU over the E-DCH processed in accordance with the selected E-TFC.
US08553669B2
Systems and methods for assigning customers to groups for the transmission of broadband data signals
Systems and methods are provided for assigning customers to groups for the transmission of broadband data signals. Respective linear impairment information for a plurality of customers of a service provider may be determined. Based at least in part upon an analysis of the determined linear impairment information, each of the plurality of customers may be assigned to one of a plurality of groups. The customers assigned to each of the plurality of groups are associated with similar linear impairments. Additionally, for each of the plurality of groups, one or more frequencies at which communications will be output by the service provider for receipt by the customers assigned to the respective group may be determined.
US08553668B2
A method of transmitting a signal using code division multiplexing (CDM) in order to reduce the influence of channel estimation error in a multi-input multi-output antenna (MIMO) system using transmit diversity is disclosed. That is, the method of transmitting a signal by a transmitter using a plurality of antennas includes code division multiplexing input symbols using codes according to a predetermined spreading matrix, and transmitting the code division multiplexed symbols via the plurality of antennas according to an Alamouti scheme. At this time, the predetermined spreading matrix is set such that a first component and a second component configuring interference due to channel estimation error have orthogonal phases.
US08553657B2
A system and method is provided for incorporating host-device communication in wireless IJSB (WUSB). A host (101) either uses a multicast Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP) frame on behalf of connected devices (102) to reserve wireless channel resources, a unicast DRP frame or Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) with a Poll Frame. In the case of a unicast DRP frame the number of unicast frames sent for reservation depends on the number of connected devices (102).
US08553655B1
A base station configures a primary cell group and at least one secondary cell group in a wireless device. The wireless device transmits first uplink signals in the secondary cell group employing a reference secondary cell in the secondary cell group as a timing reference. The wireless device autonomously selects a new activated secondary cell in the secondary cell group as the timing reference. The new activated secondary cell is different from the reference secondary cell. The wireless device transmits second uplink signals in the secondary cell group employing the new activated secondary cell as the timing reference.
US08553652B2
The invention discloses frame-based, on-demand spectrum contention methods and systems to share spectrum resources in cognitive radio networks in general and in Wireless Regional Area Networks (WRANs) having overlapping service areas in particular. As demand for increased spectrum usage arises, frames within synchronized superframes are allocated, on a frame-by-frame basis, based on independently chosen, equiprobable random numbers generated for each base station contending for transmission/reception use of the frames.
US08553645B2
A method and apparatus for service continuity on a mobile communication device is disclosed. The method can include receiving (320) a first service on a first carrier, where the first service can have a multicast subframe allocation pattern. The method can include establishing (340) a connection on a second carrier on a universal mobile telecommunication system. The method can include informing (350) a source of the second carrier of the multicast subframe allocation pattern of the first service. The method can include receiving (360) scheduling grants for subframes on the second carrier. The subframes corresponding to the received scheduling grants can be distinct from subframes corresponding to the multicast subframe allocation pattern of the first service. The method can include receiving (370) a second service on the second carrier based on the scheduling grants while receiving the first service on the first carrier.
US08553643B2
Techniques for performing inter-system handover are described. An Access Gateway (AGW) sends a message requesting handover of a user equipment (UE) from a first radio access network (RAN) to a second RAN. The message is sent to an Inter Access System (inter-AS) Anchor for the first RAN communicating with an SGSN for the second RAN via a Gn interface. The Inter-AS Anchor and SGSN exchange messages via the Gn interface, and the Inter-AS Anchor forwards the messages to the AGW to handover the UE from the first RAN to the second RAN. The SGSN sees the Inter-AS Anchor as another SGSN for the handover and as a GGSN after the handover. This allows the inter-system handover to be achieved with an inter-SGSN SRNS relocation procedure used for handover between two SGSNs, which reduces impact on the SGSN to support the inter-system handover.
US08553636B2
Channel selection for LTE-Advanced, or other, carrier aggregation can be performed by a method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. According to certain embodiments, a method can include determining that channel selection and constellation selection are in use or to be used. The method can also include determining that a single mapping table design for channel selection for up to four bits is in use or to be used. The method can further include selecting a communication resource from resource entries corresponding to acknowledgment and negative acknowledgment states based on the determining that channel selection and constellation selection are in use or to be used and the determining that the single mapping table design for channel selection for up to four bits is in use or to be used.
US08553633B2
The present invention deals with a method for requesting and allocating an uplink resource efficiently in a broadband wireless access system. The method of the present invention wherein a terminal requests bandwidth in a broadband wireless access system may include a step in which a bandwidth request header (BR header), including a bandwidth request message and a high-speed access message, is transmitted to a base station; a step in which uplink grant (UL grant) information corresponding to the information included in said bandwidth request message and said high-speed access message is received from said base station; and a step in which the uplink resource indicated by said uplink grant information is used to transmit data to said base station.
US08553631B2
Methods for reducing set-up time for communications among multiple user equipment (UE) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system are described. In accordance with one method, an LTE subsystem that includes a eNodeB and a Mobility Management Entity (MME): receives a request for an LTE connection from a first UE associated with a virtual channel, and responsive to contents in the request for the LTE connection, generates on behalf of the first UE, a request to transmit media on the virtual channel, which the LTE system sends to an application server to trigger an establishment of a call to deliver a media transmission from the first UE to at least one other UE associated with the virtual channel.
US08553628B2
A scheduling method of giving a chance for transmission to a plurality of terminals in the same time period, and a device therefor are provided. The scheduling method includes: transmitting first scheduling information to terminals in a network, the first scheduling information defining transmitting/receiving terminals and a transmission time period; receiving channel measurement information including inter-terminal interference information from the terminals in the network; and generating second scheduling information defining transmission time periods and a plurality of transmitting/receiving terminals that do not interfere with each other by using the channel measurement information.
US08553627B2
A method for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) using a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmit diversity scheme is described. A UCI is coded with a Forward Error Correction code to obtain a coded UCI. The coded UCI is mapped to quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols to obtain a mapped coded UCI. A phase shift pattern is selected. A phase shift from the phase shift pattern is applied to the mapped coded UCI based on an acknowledge/negative-acknowledge (ACK/NACK) to obtain a phase shifted mapped coded UCI. The mapped coded UCI is sent using a PUCCH resource on a first antenna. The phase shifted mapped coded UCI is sent using a PUCCH resource on a second antenna.
US08553625B2
A method and system for performing functions on multiple physical devices, is provided. One implementation involves connecting the physical devices via wireless links, discovering function capabilities of each physical device, wherein a function capability of a physical device comprises a local resource and a virtual resource, and collaborating among the physical devices by wireless communication to provide a set of functions including discovered function capabilities of the collaborating physical devices, wherein each function of the function base can be mapped to one or more of said resources for execution.
US08553621B2
The present invention discloses a system for supporting Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Circuit Switch (CS) telephone. The system includes a terminal gateway device, a wireless broadband module, a Subscriber Line Interface Circuit (SLIC), a SWITCH and a telephone. The present invention also discloses a method for supporting VOIP and CS telephone. By adopting the system and the method of the present invention, a subscriber can enjoy different voice services on the same telephone according to different service scenes, and a mobile operator can deploy a corresponding service in accordance with specific conditions; the present invention enhances the value-adding capability and saves communication cost.
US08553620B2
A method for transmitting data in a multiple antenna system comprises the steps of: generating a transmission signal in plural antennas through the application of a precoding eight matrix to first and second antenna clusters including the plural antennas, and transmitting the transmission signal. The precoding weight matrix is a block diagonal matrix that is configured in a precoding weight corresponding to first and second antenna clusters respectively. The precoding weight of the first antenna cluster is selected according to a channel condition, and the precoding weight of the second antenna cluster is selected regardless of the channel condition but according to a rule.
US08553616B2
A method for reducing CSG identity comparison for a mobile device in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes the steps of including RAT information in an Allowed CSG list and an Operator CSG List, wherein the Allowed CSG list and the Operator CSG List are stored in an elementary file of the mobile device and the RAT information indicates a plurality of RATs associated with a plurality of CSG identities listed in the allowed CSG list; maintaining a plurality of sub-allowed CSG lists in an access stratum (AS) layer of the mobile device according to the plurality of RATs, wherein the number of the sub-allowed CSG lists corresponds to the number of the RATs; and comparing a CSG identity associated with a first RAT with the CSG identities listed in a first sub allowed CSG list corresponding to the first RAT.
US08553612B2
Wireless transceiver apparatus for operating in a part of the RF spectrum which is shared with a co-located second wireless transceiver apparatus. The first wireless transceiver apparatus includes, a wireless transceiver unit; an arbitration interface for interfacing with an arbitration entity which arbitrates access to the shared part of the RF spectrum between the first wireless transceiver apparatus and the second wireless transceiver apparatus; wherein the arbitration interface is adapted to signal time periods when the wireless transceiver unit is operational, or requests to be operational; and wherein the arbitration interface is adapted to signal data about and commands to the arbitration entity during other time periods. An enhanced arbitration entity is adapted to automatically detect and switch between two modes of interference reduction, e.g. a first interference reduction means such as AFR, a second interference reduction means such as PTA. The arbitration entity gets the information of the first wireless transceiver via the arbitration interface.
US08553608B2
The present invention provides a bandwidth method and a relay station (RS). After receiving the bandwidth request message sent by subordinate network entity, RS judges whether it has available bandwidth; if it has available bandwidth, sending a bandwidth request message to superordinate network entity based on the available bandwidth; otherwise, requesting bandwidth from superordinate network entity using CDMA ranging codes.
US08553606B2
A transmitting system and a method of transmitting digital broadcast signal are disclosed. The method of transmitting digital broadcasting signal in a transmitter includes encoding mobile data for forward error correction to build RS frames, wherein the RS frames includes the mobile data belonging to ensembles, each ensemble being a collection of services providing same quality of service, encoding signaling data including binding information between the ensembles and the services, forming data groups, forming mobile data packets including data in the data groups, wherein each mobile data packet include an additional mobile data packets, interleaving data in the mobile data packets, wherein a fifth region of each data group includes the additional mobile data packets, transmitting the interleaved data, wherein the signaling data includes an identifier indicating a number of ensembles transmitted through a data group having the fifth region.
US08553602B2
An end device on a Zigbee network exits a power saving mode and transmits a wake notification message to the network. The network retrieves a cached status flag indicating whether the end device is defined on the Zigbee network and transmits the status flag to the end device. If the end device is undefined on the Zigbee network, the end device attempts to re-join the network. During the power saving mode, the network can cache messages intended for the end device and transmit the messages to the end device when the device exits the power saving mode.
US08553600B2
There are provided an apparatus and a method for establishing a contention window in a WiMedia wireless network. The contention window establishing apparatus includes: a parsing unit extracting the number of devices that intend to transmit data from a beacon received during a beacon period and an access category (AC) of each device; a calculation unit calculating a transmission probability of each access category (AC) on the basis of the extracted number of devices; and a contention window establishing unit establishing a contention window for each access category (AC) on the basis of the calculated transmission probability, to reduce contentions among the devices and decrease data transmission latency time, thereby maximizing efficiency in data transmission latency time.
US08553597B2
A service multiplexer of a digital broadcasting system includes a null data generator, a mobile service multiplexer, a main service multiplexer, and a multiplexer. The null data generator may generate null data. The mobile service multiplexer may multiplex and output compression encoded mobile service data, additional data for a mobile service, and null data at a pre-determined first data rate. The main service multiplexer may multiplex and output compression encoded main service data and additional data for a main service at a pre-determined second data rate. The multiplexer may multiplex the output data of the main service multiplexer and the output data of the mobile service multiplexer at a pre-determined third data rate and transmitting the multiplexed data to at least one transmitter located at a remote position.
US08553595B2
Methods of using superposition coding in a communications systems, e.g., a multi-user communications system. Superposition coding in accordance with the invention occurs in the case of an uplink by transmissions of different wireless terminals transmitting using the same communications resource, e.g., simultaneously transmitting using the same frequencies. The signals combine in the communications channel resulting in one transmission being superimposed on the other transmission. The device, e.g., base station, receiving the superimposed signals uses superposition decoding techniques to recover both signals. To obtain the benefit of the superposition, assignments of channel segments to multiple wireless terminals is controlled by the base station and/or transmission power levels are controlled by on or more wireless terminals sharing the same uplink communications resource, e.g., time slot, to make sure that the received signals from the different devices will have different received power levels making superposition decoding possible.
US08553590B2
The invention relates to devices and methods for transmitting data on a radio channel comprising to jointly encode (S4) a preamble format with a first random access configuration, forming an extended random access configuration. The extended random access configuration is then transmitted (S6) on the radio channel.
US08553589B2
Dual mode radio for frequency division duplexing and time division duplexing communication modes. In some embodiments, dual mode radio for frequency division duplexing and time division duplexing communication modes includes a multi-mode communication unit for wireless communication, in which the multi-mode communication unit allocates access for a time based communication mode and a frequency based communication mode; and a processor configured to implement at least in part the multi-mode communication unit. In some embodiments, the time based communication mode includes a time division duplexing (TDD) communication mode, and the frequency based communication mode includes a frequency division duplexing (FDD) communication mode.
US08553587B2
Techniques for optimizing steady state flow of a network are provided. The techniques include determining a first set of two or more nodes in a network, computing a steady-state flow probability of the first set of two or more nodes, and iteratively interchanging nodes from a second set of two or more nodes into the first set of two or more nodes to determine an optimum total steady state flow of the network, wherein determining an optimum total steady-state flow of the network comprises iteratively interchanging nodes until no additional improvements in steady-state flow over the computed steady-state flow probability can be obtained.
US08553583B2
A network device may receive an Ethernet frame from a first leaf user-to-network (UNI) interface in a tree. The tree includes the first leaf UNI, a second leaf UNI, and a root UNI. In addition, the network device may look up, in a table, source and destination media access control (MAC) addresses in the Ethernet frame and a field value in a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag in the Ethernet frame. The destination MAC address is associated with the second leaf UNI. In addition, the network device may identify, based on the lookup, an output port via which the Ethernet frame is to be sent from the network device. Furthermore, the network device may send, through the output port, the Ethernet frame toward the second leaf UNI in the tree via a network path that includes the first leaf UNI and the second leaf UNI. The network path does not include the root UNI of the tree.
US08553582B1
A method for processing network traffic in a modular switching device that includes a source device, a target device, and a plurality of connecting devices, includes generating a communication unit at the source device, where the communication unit is associated with a unique communication unit identifier, and where the communication unit is to be transmitted to the target device; dividing the communication unit into a plurality of transmission units, including assigning a respective position identifier to each of the plurality of transmission units, where the position identifier is indicative of a position of the transmission unit within the communication unit, and assigning the communication unit identifier to each of the plurality of transmission units; the method further comprising causing the plurality of transmission units to be transmitted in parallel to respective ones of the plurality of connecting devices, where each of the plurality of connecting devices connects the source device to the target device.
US08553570B1
Systems and methods of establishing a communications channel between a first telephony device and a second telephony device obtain information about the capabilities of various data network elements that can be used to establish the communications channel. The information about the elements is used to select a combination of elements that are used to establish the communications channel. A communications channel may also be monitored while it is in use. If the requirements for the channel change, the communications channel may also be changed accordingly. If any of the elements become incapable of providing the required level of service or functionality for a communications channel, the element may be removed from the communications channel.
US08553557B2
A device receives a first message from a first network element of a network grid. The device determines, based on the first message, whether a threshold is reached for the first network element of the network grid. The device further reprograms, when the threshold is reached, a second network element of the network grid to function in same first role as the first network element. Prior to the reprogramming of the second network element, the second network element functions in a second role that is different from the first role. The device also shifts processing from the first network element to the second network element.
US08553554B2
The invention includes a method and apparatus adapted for controlling congestion in a Radio Access Network (RAN). In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring packets received at a first network element of the RAN for an indication of congestion, where the packets are associated with a quality-of-service class, and, in response to detecting an indication of congestion in at least one of the received packets, signaling congestion status information from the first network element of the RAN toward a second network element of the RAN that is adapted for applying congestion control for the quality-of-service class. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a first network element of the RAN, from a second network element of the RAN, congestion status signaling indicative of a congestion condition associated with a quality-of-service class, and applying congestion control for the quality-of-service class in response to receiving the congestion status signaling indicative of the congestion condition.
US08553549B2
A system and method for adjusting a level of compression for endpoint devices. Endpoint devices in a network can stream audio/video traffic over a network. Such a connection between the endpoint devices can be reserved with guarantees of latency being obtained. Latency guarantees across multiple intermediary switches can be used to define a compression level for the end devices.
US08553548B2
A method and apparatus are described including determining if a communications medium is idle; determining a time interval for a reservation of said communications medium; multicasting a message for reserving said communications medium; receiving responses to said message for reserving said communications medium; and determining if a number of said received responses compared to an expected number of responses exceeds a value; performing one of initiating pending frame exchanges and multicasting data or management frames during said time interval for said reservation of said communications medium if said comparison exceeds said value; repeating said first determining act if said comparison does not exceed said value. Also described are a method and apparatus including receiving a message for a reservation of a communications medium; determining if said message specifies a receiver of the message in a list of receivers from which a response is requested; determining if said communications medium is idle; determining a time period in which to transmit said response responsive to an order in said list, wherein said list of receivers is one of a reply list of receiver addresses and a combination of a bitmap control field and a partial virtual bitmap; and transmitting said response to said message responsive to said second determination.
US08553541B2
A technique for transferring network traffic between a radio base station (RBS) node and a gateway (GW) node of a mobile telecommunications network is described. A method embodiment comprises the steps of providing a first transport link and a second transport link between the RBS node and the GW node. The first transport link is configured to transport network traffic of a higher priority and the second transport link is configured to transport network traffic of a lower priority. The method further comprises distributing network traffic over the transport links depending on an assignment between the transport links and priority settings associated with the network traffic.
US08553537B2
A switch device includes a packet forwarding table for providing load balancing across servers in a server group. Each table entry maps a hash value to a server in the server group. A hash value can be computed from the destination MAC address, destination IP address, and destination service port in the header of a received packet. The packet forwarding table is searched to find an entry with a hash value that matches the computed hash value and to identify the server to which the matching hash value maps. The switch device forwards the packet to the identified server. Implementing load-balancing decisions in hardware enables packet switching at the line rate of the switch ports. In addition, the hardware-based load balancing performed by the switch device eliminates session tables and the memory to store them, enabling the switch device to handle an unlimited number of client connections.
US08553530B1
Operating state control in redundancy protection systems is disclosed. One protecting apparatus of a redundant pair is selected to be in a first operating state in the redundant pair. Protected communication equipment for which the redundant pair provides redundancy protection transmits, to only the selected apparatus, communication traffic that includes content for further transmission from both protecting apparatus in the redundant pair. This causes the selected protecting apparatus to transition to or remain in the first operating state and the other protecting apparatus to transition to or remain in a second operating state. A protecting apparatus determines that it is to be in the first operating state if communication traffic received from the protected equipment includes content for further transmission from the protecting apparatus, and determines that it is to be in the second operating state if the received communication traffic includes no such content.
US08553521B2
A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) beamforming-based single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) system is disclosed. At the transmitter, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) is performed on transmission data to generate frequency domain data. The frequency domain transmit data is mapped to assigned subcarriers. An inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) is performed on the transmit data mapped to the assigned subcarriers to generate time domain transmit data. The time domain transmit data is transmitted via antennas. At a receiver, an FFT is performed on the received data to generate frequency domain received data. Subcarrier demapping is performed to extract data mapped on the assigned subcarriers. A channel estimator generates a channel matrix which is decomposed into U, D and VH matrices. A channel distortion and interference between transmit and receive antennas are equalized based on the decomposed channel matrices to the extracted frequency domain received data.
US08553520B2
A system and method for performing echo suppression on a server in browser-based online audio conferences without downloading or installing software on a participant's computing device is disclosed. Streams of audio communication data from the participants in an audio conference are received at the server. An echo suppression application determines the first party that speaks by analyzing the streams to locate speech data, and assigns that party as the “owner” of the audio channel. The speech data is sent to the other participants in the conference. The application then determines whether newly received audio from the owner of the channel is new speech; if so, then the party remains the owner of the channel, and the new speech data is also sent to the other parties in the conference. The channel is surrendered if no new speech is received from the owner in a defined period, and the next party that speaks becomes the new owner of the channel. The other audio data from the participants is replaced by silence.
US08553519B2
Embodiments of system and method for coordination among neighboring networks for communications over shared physical medium are provided. In one aspect, a method comprises determining, by a first domain master of a first network domain, a first number of network nodes of the first network domain that interfere with data transmission on the physical medium by at least one network node of at least one other network domain, or a second number of network nodes of the at least one other network domain that interfere with data transmission on the physical medium by at least one network node of the first network domain. The method further comprises causing, by the first domain master, one or more network nodes of the first network domain to transmit data during one of a plurality of non-overlapping time slots of a MAC cycle.
US08553516B2
A reproducing device includes a homodyne detection part that carries out homodyne detection by using reflected light of first light obtained from a recording layer as signal light and using reflected light of second light by a mirror as reference light, a signal reproducing part that obtains a reproduced signal based on the signal light, based on a result of homodyne detection, and a one-axis actuator that drives the mirror. The reproducing device further includes an optical path length servo control part that carries out driving control of the one-axis actuator in such a manner that the optical path length difference between the signal light and the reference light is kept constant, and an offset giving part that gives an offset that reduces or enlarges the amplitude difference of the reproduced signal of marks that are recorded in the recording layer and have sizes different from each other.
US08553503B2
In one embodiment, a timing relationship between two signals on an integrated circuit is measured using a ring oscillator on the die of the integrated circuit. The measured time difference is outputted in a digital form. A delay line coupled to the ring oscillator may be used to reduce uncertainty in measurement which may result from the effects of latch circuit metastability. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08553500B1
A fish type sonar includes a signal transmitting portion having an output connected to an A/D converter, a timing generating portion having an output connected to the signal transmitting portion and the A/D converter, the A/D converter having an output connected to a first buffer memory, the first buffer memory having an output connected to a display signal transmitting portion and a sea bottom detecting portion, the sea bottom detecting portion having an output connected to a display data forming portion, the display data forming portion having an output connected to a second buffer memory, the second buffer memory having an output connected to the display signal transmitting portion, the display signal transmitting portion having an output connected to the display portion of the fish sonar and the portion for displaying the letters, the sea surface, the fish and the sea bottom.
US08553494B2
An apparatus for evaluating the possibility of casing failure in a borehole measures azimuthal changes in a property responsive to azimuthal changes in axial stress. The measurements may be of acoustic velocity, magnetic permeability, and Barkhausen noise.
US08553492B2
A seismic survey system for performing offset borehole seismic survey measurement operations. The system may include a first seismic survey subsystem having a first wireless digital communication device and a second seismic survey subsystem having a second wireless digital communication device and remotely located from the first seismic survey subsystem. The first and second digital communication devices may be configured to provide a digital communication link for transporting digital information between the first seismic survey subsystem and second seismic survey subsystem. The system may be configured to enable a user at the first seismic survey subsystem to remotely modify at least a portion of a first plurality of operating parameters associated with at least one source signal device located at the second seismic survey subsystem. The system may also be configured to utilize GPS information in order to improve accuracy of source signal firing timing synchronization.
US08553491B2
The invention relates to a process for marine seismic exploration at least two different depths by means of streamers, each including a set of hydrophones, the acquisition of data at the different depths being performed in a single exploration region, and in which the position of the streamers and the hydrophones when acquiring seismic data at a first depth is independent of the position of the streamers and hydrophones when acquiring seismic data at a second depth.
US08553486B2
A semiconductor memory device and method of operating same are described. The semiconductor memory device includes a first anti-fuse array having a plurality of first anti-fuse elements that store first fuse data, a second anti-fuse array having a plurality of second anti-fuse elements that store error correction code (ECC) data associated with the first fuse data, and an ECC decoder configured to generate second fuse data by correcting the first fuse data using the ECC data.
US08553478B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first chip and a second chip stacked together with the first chip. A first memory area is formed on the second chip, and a second memory area for repairing a failure of the first memory area is formed on the first chip.
US08553475B2
A memory system includes a memory controller that writes data to and reads data from a memory device. A write data strobe accompanying the write data indicates to the memory device when the write data is valid, whereas a read strobe accompanying data from the memory device indicates to the memory controller when the read data is valid. The memory controller adaptively controls the phase of the write data strobe to compensate for timing drift at the memory device. The memory controller uses read signals as a measure of the drift.
US08553471B2
A data output buffer includes a driving unit and a control unit. The driving unit selectively performs a termination operation that provides a termination impedance to a transmission line coupled to an external pin, and a driving operation that provides a drive impedance to the transmission line while outputting read data. The control unit adjusts a value of the termination impedance and a value of the drive impedance based on an output voltage at the external pin during a termination mode, and controls the driving unit to selectively perform one of the termination operation and the driving operation during a driving mode.
US08553469B2
The present disclosure involves an apparatus. The apparatus includes a decoder that receives an input command signal as its input and generates a first output command signal as its output. The apparatus includes a register component that receives the input command signal as its input and generates a second output command signal as its output. The apparatus further includes a multiplexer that receives a control signal as its control input and receives both the first output command signal and the second output command signal as its data input, the multiplexer being operable to route one of the first and second output command signals to its output in response to the control signal.
US08553468B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to managing a memory component. A method may include performing a first erase operation according to a first set of erase parameters, determining a result of the first erase operation, modifying the first set erase parameters based on the result to produce a second set of erase parameters and performing a second erase operation according to a second set of erase parameters. A condition parameter may be maintained based on the erased parameters and/or based on a result of an erase procedure.
US08553466B2
Provided is an erasing method of a nonvolatile memory device. The erasing method applies a word line erase voltage to a plurality of word lines connected to the memory cells respectively, applies a specific voltage to a ground selection line connected to the ground selection transistor, applies an erase voltage to a substrate in which the memory string formed during the step applying the specific voltage to the ground selection line, and floats the ground selection line in response to a voltage change of the substrate.
US08553465B2
A method of programming a semiconductor memory device includes a first program step for performing a program by supplying a first program voltage, having a specific amount, to a selected word line of the semiconductor memory device for a set time and a second program step for performing a program by supplying, to the selected word line, a second program voltage which is a step pulse gradually rising from a start voltage lower than the first program voltage.
US08553462B2
Methods and apparatus for programming a memory include programming cells to a first threshold voltage, verifying programming using a first verify voltage, and applying a test read voltage to verify again that the cells are programmed to the first threshold voltage. The test read voltage is lower than the first verify voltage.
US08553461B2
This disclosure concerns memory kink compensation. One method embodiment includes applying a number of sequentially incrementing programming pulses to a memory cell, with the sequential programming pulses incrementing by a first programming pulse step voltage magnitude. A seeding voltage is applied after applying the number of sequentially incrementing programming pulses. A next programming pulse is applied after applying the seeding voltage, with the next programming pulse being adjusted relative to a preceding one of the sequentially incrementing programming pulses by a second programming pulse step voltage magnitude. The second programming pulse step voltage magnitude can be less than the first programming pulse step voltage magnitude.
US08553460B2
Aspects for program pulse generation during programming of nonvolatile electronic devices include providing a configurable voltage sequence generator to manage verify-pulse and pulse-verify switching as needed during modification operations of a programming algorithm for nonvolatile electronic devices, wherein more efficient modification operations result. In this manner, highly flexible bit sequence generation that can be easily managed by a microcontroller occurs, resulting in a shorter code length, a faster execution time, and ease of reuse in different devices. More particularly, fully compatible voltage sequence generation is introduced that can be applied on the terminals of the flash cells being modified and permits an efficient and time saving management of pulse-verify and verify-pulse switching.
US08553459B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a first string including a first number of memory cells connected in series each storing therein information in a nonvolatile manner; and a second string including a second number of memory cells connected in series each storing therein information in a nonvolatile manner, wherein the second number is smaller than the first number.
US08553458B2
Methods for segmented programming, program verify, and memory devices are disclosed. One such method for programming includes biasing memory cells with a programming voltage and program verifying the memory cells with a plurality of ramped voltage signal segments, wherein each ramped voltage signal segment has a different start voltage and a different end voltage than the other ramped voltage signal segments.
US08553454B2
Method and apparatus for using thermal preconditioning to write data to a non-volatile memory cell. In accordance with some embodiments, a semiconductor memory has an array of non-volatile memory cells, and a control circuit which stores a first write command from a host to write data to said array. A write circuit flows a write current through an unconditioned first selected cell having a first block address associated with the first write command to write the first selected cell to a selected data state, and concurrently passes a thermal preconditioning current through a second selected cell having a second block address associated with the first block address. The write circuit further passes a thermal preconditioning current through a third selected cell having a third block address associated with the second block address in response to receipt by the control circuit of a second write command from the host associated with the second block address.
US08553447B2
In a conventional DRAM, errors in reading data are likely to occur when the capacitance of a capacitor is reduced. A plurality of cells is connected to one main bit line Each cell includes a sub bit line and 2 to 32 memory cells. Further, each cell includes a selection transistor and a reading transistor, and a sub bit line is connected to a gate of the reading transistor. Since the parasitic capacitance of the sub bit line is sufficiently small, data of electric charge of a capacitor of each memory cell can be amplified without an error in the reading transistor and output to the main bit line.
US08553446B2
A nonvolatile memory element of the present invention comprises a first electrode (103), a second electrode (108); a resistance variable layer (107) which is interposed between the first electrode (103) and the second electrode (107) and is configured to switch a resistance value reversibly in response to an electric signal applied between the electrodes (103) and (108), and the resistance variable layer (107) has at least a multi-layer structure in which a first hafnium-containing layer having a composition expressed as HfOx (0.9≦x≦1.6), and a second hafnium-containing layer having a composition expressed as HfOy (1.8
US08553438B1
A voltage regulator coupled to an unregulated DC input voltage source by an input terminal, and to a load by an output terminal is disclosed. The voltage regulator converts an input voltage at the input terminal to an output voltage at the output terminal. The voltage regulator includes one or more slaves, and each slave includes a switching circuit which serves as a power switch for alternately coupling and decoupling the input terminal to an intermediate node. The voltage regulator also includes a filter coupled to the slaves, the filter including one or more inductor banks each of which having a predetermined number of inductors.
US08553433B2
In a multi-terminal HVDC power transmission network comprising at least three HVDC converter stations interconnected by at least two transmission lines, where at least one of the transmission lines is a long line, an active voltage source device is series connected to one of the transmission lines, which maintains the DC voltage of the transmission lines of the network to be within a predefined voltage range by injecting an additional DC voltage in series with the one transmission line.
US08553432B2
Method and apparatus for controlling an apparatus transmitting power between two electricity networks or between an electricity network and a polyphase electric machine), and including low-voltage power cells (C), which include a single-phase input/output connection (IN/OUT). The power cells are arranged into groups (G1-GN, GP1-GPN1, GS1-GSN2, G1′″-GN′″) such that at least one power cell per each phase of the electricity network or of the electric machine belongs to each group, and the input terminals (IN) of all the power cells belonging to the same group are connected to a common transformer, the transformer including its own separate winding that is galvanically isolated. The controllable power semiconductor switches connected to the input connectors (IN) of all the power cells supplying power to the same transformer are controlled cophasally with a 50% pulse ratio.
US08553430B2
A resonant switching power converter having adaptive dead time control provides improved efficiency along with reduced EMI/audible noise and component stresses. A dead time between pulses generated by a switching circuit is adaptively set in conformity with a value of the input voltage to the resonant switching power converter and an indication of a magnitude of the current passing through inductive element of the resonant tank of the converter. The indication of the current magnitude may be the switching frequency of the converter, or a measure of line or load current levels. The dead time can be obtained from a look-up table or computed from the current magnitude and input voltage values.
US08553425B2
An exemplary portable electronic device includes a housing, a circuit board, starting module set on the circuit board for starting the portable electronic device, and an assembly module. The assembly module helps assembles the housing and the circuit board together and forms a part of circuitry associated with the starting module. When the assembly module is disassembled from the housing and the circuit board, the starting module cannot start the portable electronic device.
US08553418B2
An assembly includes a power supply unit, a base, and an enclosure. The base includes a bottom plate. The enclosure includes a bottom panel. A flexible piece is connected to the bottom panel. The power supply unit is located on the bottom panel. The bottom panel is located on the bottom plate of the base. The flexible piece is located between the power supply unit and the bottom plate, and is elastically bent.
US08553417B2
Disclosed herein are a heat-radiating substrate and a method of manufacturing the same. The heat-radiating substrate includes: a base substrate with a heat sink, having a groove; an insulating layer formed on the base substrate by performing anodization thereon; and a circuit layer formed on the insulating layer, whereby the heat-radiating substrate with the heat-sink, made of metal material, is manufactured, thereby making it possible to protect devices weak against heat and thus solve the problem in view of reduced life span and degraded reliability.
US08553405B2
A dummy hard disk drive (HDD) is for arrangement in an electronic device. The dummy HDD includes a top plate, a first side plate, a bottom plate, and a second side plate which can be formed into either a rigid box, or into a thick flat plate.
US08553400B2
Electronic displays and metal micropatterned substrates are described comprising a graphic defined by a contrasting area adjacent the graphic. In one embodiment, the graphic is visible when the display is viewed with reflected light and the graphic is substantially less visible or invisible when viewed with backlighting transmitted through the metal micropatterned substrate. The graphic and contrasting area have a total metal micropattern density that differs by no greater than about 5% and more preferably by no greater than 2%.
US08553399B2
An electronic device includes an enclosure defining a first receiving hole and a locking assembly. The first receiving hole defines a first passing portion and a first locking portion smaller than and communicating with the first passing portion. The locking assembly includes a fixed member fixed to the enclosure and a rubber cover tightly sandwiched between the fixing member and the enclosure. The rubber cover includes a block portion extending to and received in the first passing portion of the first receiving hole. When a fastener on a wall is positioned at the first locking portion by way of the first passing portion, the block portion of the rubber cover blocks the first passing portion to prevent the fastener from moving away the first locking portion.
US08553391B2
In an electronic component, a laminate includes a plurality of laminated ceramic layers and a mounting surface defined by outer edges of the plurality of laminated ceramic layers, the outer edges being continuously located adjacent to each other. Capacitor conductors are disposed on the ceramic layers and include exposed portions that are exposed at the mounting surface between the ceramic layers. An electroconductive layer defining an external electrode is arranged to directly cover the exposed portions and is formed by plating so as to be made of plated material. Another electroconductive layer covers the above-mentioned electroconductive layer and partially covers surfaces of the laminate, and it is made of a material including metal and one of glass and resin.
US08553388B2
An electronic device is provided for controlling a current. The electronic device includes a first MOS transistor coupled with a gate to a common gate node, with a source to ground and with a drain to a pin so as to receive from the pin a current to be controlled. There is a second MOS transistor coupled with a gate to the common gate node, with a source to ground and with a drain so as to receive a reference current controlled by a control loop. There is a first resistor coupled between the common gate node and ground.
US08553381B2
A voltage spike protection system minimizes a voltage spike by connecting a resistive clamp to a power source when the voltage spike is detected. The voltage spike detection system disconnects the resistive clamp after a portion of the voltage spike is dissipated.
US08553376B2
A fault tolerant synchronous rectifier PWM regulator system and method are disclosed. In the system and method, a force commutated synchronous rectifier is operable to be coupled to an electrical bus, and a low side switch is operable to be coupled to a common ground. In addition, a first fuse is coupled to the force commutated synchronous rectifier and the low side switch, and is operable to open in response to a first fault. Furthermore, an inductor is coupled to the first fuse, the force commutated synchronous rectifier and the low side switch, and a second fuse is coupled to the inductor and is operable to be coupled to a current source and to open in response to a second fault.
US08553360B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic recording head including a write pole having increasing magnetic moment from a leading edge of the write pole to a trailing edge of the write pole, and methods for manufacturing the same. The write pole may be formed with a plurality of different magnetic material layers having different magnetic moments. A first magnetic layer may be formed with a first magnetic material adjacent a leading edge of the write pole. A second magnetic layer having a greater moment may be formed on the first magnetic layer, thereby increasing the magnetic moment from the leading edge of the write pole to the trailing edge of the write pole.
US08553357B1
A data storage system includes one or more hard disk drive systems and an air moving device. The hard disk drive systems may include one or more drive mechanical modules that store data and a drive control module electrically coupled to the drive mechanical modules. The drive control modules may control mechanical operations in the drive mechanical modules. The drive control module includes a circuit board assembly and heat producing components coupled to the circuit board assembly. Air passages on each side of the printed circuit board assembly allow a stream of air to flow across heat producing components on at least one side of the printed circuit board assembly.
US08553356B1
A disk drive including a disk having a top surface, a cover positioned over the disk, and a disk limiter protruding from the cover toward the disk. The disk limiter is configured to contact a portion of the top surface of the disk when the disk is deflected toward the cover, and has a middle portion between two end portions. At least one portion of the disk limiter curves or slopes in a direction away from the disk.
US08553348B2
A disk drive. The disk drive includes a head, an actuator, and a controller. The head accesses a disk. The actuator is configured to support the head and to move the head by action of a voice-coil motor in a substantially radial direction of the disk. The controller is also configured to perform servo control of the actuator by using servo data read out by the head. The controller includes at least one of a plurality of notch filters having a fixed center frequency inserted in a servo-control loop. The controller is configured to increase an attenuation rate by at least one of the plurality of notch filters having the fixed center frequency at a designated frequency, when a target position of the head is at a position selected from the group consisting of a position outside of a specified region and a position within the specified region.
US08553344B2
A method for maintaining paired data between tape cartridges and linking the paired data to through medium auxiliary memory devices is presented. One method includes providing a first tape cartridge possessing a first medium auxiliary memory device and a first tape medium and a second tape cartridge possessing a second medium auxiliary memory device and a second tape medium. Data maintained on the first tape medium can be copied to the second tape medium. A first record can be stored on the first medium auxiliary memory device indicating that data on the first tape medium was copied to the second tape medium. Likewise, a second record can be stored on the second medium auxiliary memory device indicating that data on the second tape medium originated from the first tape medium.
US08553342B2
Disclosed herein is a camera module having a MEMS actuator and a driving method thereof, the camera module with a MEMS actuator, including, a MEMS actuator moving a lens with electrostatic force, for focus adjustment, an electrostatic capacity measurement unit measuring electrostatic capacity produced in the MEMS actuator, a foreign substance determination unit determining if foreign substances exist in the MEMS actuator, and outputting a trigger signal when a foreign substance exists, and a MEMS actuator drive unit driving the MEMS actuator to a reiterated vibration using the trigger signal outputted from the foreign substance determination unit.
US08553332B2
A display device includes; a display panel, a lens substrate facing the display panel, an air layer disposed between the display panel and the lens substrate, and a light refraction portion disposed on a surface of the lens substrate facing the display panel, wherein an average refractive index of the light refraction portion taken along a plane substantially parallel to the display panel increases in a direction substantially parallel to a path of light from the display panel to the lens substrate.
US08553321B2
The disclosure generally relates to imaging optical systems that include a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field lying in an object plane in an image field lying in an image plane, where at least one of the mirrors has a through-hole for imaging light to pass through. The disclosure also generally relates to projection exposure installations that include such imaging optical systems, methods of using such projection exposure installations, and components made by such methods.
US08553318B2
Optical amplifying device, gain control method, optical transmission device, and gain control device
An apparatus includes: an optical amplifier configured to perform optical amplification for gain by controlling so as to be a target gain; a correction power calculator configured to calculate, in response to amplified spontaneous emission light input to the optical amplifier, correction power corresponding to an amount of gain depression in a bandwidth in which spectral hole-burning occurs in the optical amplifier; and a gain controller configured to calculate, using the correction power calculated in the correction power calculator, a gain for controlling the optical amplification performed in the optical amplifier and perform, using the calculated gain, a control operation so that the gain of the optical amplification becomes the target gain.
US08553317B2
An electrophoresis device, includes: a migrating particle; a porous layer including a fibrous structure holding a non-migrating particle having optical reflection characteristics different from optical reflection characteristics of the migrating particle; and a light-transmissive dividing wall including part of the porous layer.
US08553312B2
An electronic device includes a substrate, a functional element formed on the substrate, an electrolytic element provided on at least one of a side of the substrate on which the functional element is formed and a side of the substrate opposite to the side on which the functional element is formed, configured including a solid-state electrolyte layer and a pair of electrodes for holding the solid-state electrolyte layer in between, and capable of applying electrolysis to water, and a sealing member for sealing the functional element and the electrolytic element.
US08553309B2
A blade speed adjustable mechanism includes: a board having an opening; a shutter blade opening or closing the opening; a drive lever supported by the board and bringing the shutter blade into an overlapped operation or an expanded operation; a biasing member engaging the drive lever and biasing the shutter blade in an overlapped direction or in an expanded direction; a ratchet member engaging the biasing member and having ratchet teeth; an engagement member holding the ratchet member at a desired stop position and adjusting an biasing force of the biasing member by changing the stop position. The engagement member has a plurality of pawl portions different from each other in length. The pawl portion engages the ratchet tooth to hold the ratchet member at the stop position. A difference in length between the pawl portions is shorter than a distance corresponding to a pitch of the ratchet teeth.
US08553308B2
A method for monitoring movement of at least one moving mirror in a MEMS device comprising one or more moving mirrors, and wherein the monitoring is based upon capacitance changes over time in the MEMS device. The method comprises the steps of: if the at least one moving mirror is an in-plain mirror, then: a. providing DC voltage to the MEMS device in addition to a driving voltage required for the movement of that at least one moving mirror; b. measuring current proportional to capacitance changes associated with the movement of the at least one moving mirror; and c. monitoring the movement of the at least one moving mirror based on the measured current. If the at least one moving mirror is a staggered mirror, then: d. measuring a current associated with the movement of the at least one moving mirror; e. identifying a plurality of ripples associated with capacitance changes in the MEMS device over time, in the measured current; and f. monitoring the movement of the at least one moving mirror based on the identified plurality of ripples.
US08553307B2
Disclosed is a double-projection apparatus. The double-projection apparatus includes a frame, a carrier, two eccentric axles, a mirror-twisting axle, two scanning mirrors and two piezoelectric actuators. The carrier is provided in the frame, and includes an opening defined therein. Each of the eccentric axles includes an end connected to the frame and another end connected to the carrier. The mirror-twisting axle is provided in the opening. The scanning mirrors are provided in the opening and connected to two sides of the mirror-twisting axle. The piezoelectric actuators are connected to two sides of the frame.
US08553303B2
An optical scanner includes: a light reflecting section having a light reflecting surface; a supporting section supporting the light reflecting section; a movable section supporting the supporting section; at least a pair of movable beams extending from the movable section and disposed in such a way that the movable beams face each other; a displacement section connected to the movable beam; two drive beams each extending from the displacement section; and a supporting frame supporting the drive beams, wherein the movable beams each include a bending section which is bent and deformed in a thickness direction of the supporting frame, and an end on the side of the movable section of the supporting section is fixed in a position more distant from the light reflecting section than an end face on the side of the light reflecting section of the movable section.
US08553295B2
An image reading apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a reading unit configured to read an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a calibration member including a white reference region for acquiring correction data for correcting image information acquired by reading the image on the sheet with the reading unit, and a driving unit configured to move the calibration member so as to locate the white reference region in a position where the reading unit can read the white reference region if the correction data is acquired, and to locate a region other than the white reference region in a position that faces the sheet to be conveyed and is not brought into contact with the sheet if the sheet is conveyed.
US08553285B2
In image processing according to the prior art, the important part of photographic image data (referred to herein as the object) could not be determined and therefore required human participation.A computer 21 which is the core of image processing calculates an edginess which is an image variation from a differential value of data for adjacent picture elements in a step SA110, and determines object picture elements by selecting only images with a large variation in steps SA120, SA130. As optimum parameters for contrast correction and lightness compensation are calculated from image data for object picture elements in steps SA310-SA330, image processing indicators based on object picture elements are determined, and optimum image processing can be performed automatically. After summing a luminance distribution for each area of the image, which is a feature amount, while uniformly selecting picture elements in a step SB110, a reevaluation is performed by a weighting determined for each area in a step SB120, and a luminance distribution strongly influenced by the luminance distribution of the photographed object is thus obtained with uniform sampling. After determining the intensity of this luminance distribution insteps SB130-SB150, the image data is converted in a step SB160, and image processing can therefore be performed with optimum intensity while reducing the processing amount.
US08553284B2
A dot pattern including a block defined as a rectangular area of a square or a rectangle of a medium face, such as printed matter. A straight line in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction configuring a frame of the block each are defined as a standard grid line. Virtual reference grid points are provided at predetermined intervals on the reference grid line. Reference grid point dots are placed on respective virtual reference grid points. Straight lines that connect the virtual reference grid points to each other and are parallel to the reference grid lines are defined as grid lines. A point of intersection of grid lines is defined as a virtual grid point. A dot pattern is generated by arranging one or a plurality of information dots, each of which has a distance and a direction around the virtual grid point.
US08553283B2
A control method for controlling a printing apparatus configured to print image data and capable of conveying a printed sheet to a postprocessing apparatus configured to trim the printed sheet identifies and manages a region to be cut off by trimming and another region not to be cut off by the trimming and allows a user to easily edit an image included in the region to be cut off by the trimming. The control method includes displaying the image data, editing the displayed image data, obtaining information about a trimming position at which the postprocessing apparatus trims the sheet, and executing control for permitting editing of a first region, which is a region to be cut off by the postprocessing apparatus according to the obtained information and for restricting editing of a second region not to be cut off by trimming by the postprocessing apparatus.
US08553282B2
This invention reduces an increasing capacity of image data by using PQR (spectral auxiliary coefficients) in addition to CIELAB (fundamental stimulus values), compared to conventional CIELAB. To accomplish this, image data holding fundamental stimulus values and spectral auxiliary coefficients is input. Output colors corresponding the input fundamental stimulus values and spectral auxiliary coefficients are calculated. An image size corresponding to the spectral auxiliary coefficient is smaller than that corresponding to the fundamental stimulus.
US08553276B2
An image reading apparatus includes a contact glass having a light control glass part having transmittance changeable by an applied voltage; a scanner part reading an original placed on an original placement surface of the contact glass and outputting image data in a storage part; a projector part projecting image information onto the contact glass from a side opposite to the original placement surface; and a control part controlling the voltage applied to the light controlling glass part. When the scanner part is operated, the control part causes the transmittance of the contact glass to increase and the projector part stops projecting the image information, and when the scanner part is not operated, the control part causes the transmittance of the contact glass to decrease and the projector part projects the image data stored in the storage part onto the contact glass.
US08553270B2
In an image forming apparatus, even when power supply to the apparatus is stopped, it is possible to let the user recognize that an electronic file to be used has been erased, and that a necessary electronic file will be erased when the apparatus is to be used after next power on, so that wasteful power supply to the apparatus can be reduced. When the power is shut off, an auto-erased file list or a to-be-erased file list is displayed on electronic paper 108, in accordance with display setting contents set by the user before power off.
US08553251B2
An information processing apparatus determines whether data to be printed has an attribute indicating that printing is required to be performed according to a printing function in which data received from an external device is printed after a user input is received via an operation unit of the printing device. When the data to be printed has the attribute indicating that printing is required to be performed according to the printing function, the information processing apparatus controls the printing device that is capable of performing the printing function so that the data to be printed is printed according to the printing function.
US08553242B2
An image forming apparatus including a control section which detects an offset of a recording sheet being conveyed, the offset being in a main scanning direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording sheet; performs an offset regulation control which adjusts a main scanning direction image area signal in accordance with the offset; and forms a patch at a non-transfer area on an image carrier, wherein the control section performs a first control based on the offset of the recording sheet for the offset regulation control while a sub scanning direction image area signal is active for image forming on the recording sheet, and performs a second control for the offset regulation control while the image area signal in the sub scanning direction is inactive.
US08553235B1
A cursor maneuvering device comprises a cavity containing a plurality of colored lights and an image sensor and covered with a light mixing plate. The colored lights are located in the cavity in an as largely departed as possible manner and illuminate a pointing device contacting the surface of the light mixing plate. The image sensor detects a hue of light illuminating the pointing device and controls a cursor depending upon the hue. Changes in the hue of a moving pointing device are translated into movement of the cursor on the display of an electronic device. The pointing device may be anything touching the light mixing plate, for instance a finger.
US08553229B2
A fine particle measuring method of performing optical measurement of fine particles introduced into a plurality of sample fluidic channels provided at predetermined distances on a substrate by scanning light to the sample fluidic channels is disclosed. The method includes: sequentially irradiating the light to at least two or more reference regions provided together with the sample fluidic channels; detecting a change of optical property occurring in the light due to the reference regions; and controlling timing of emission of the light to the sample fluidic channels.
US08553185B2
A transflective liquid crystal display panel includes a substrate, a gate electrode, a reflective electrode, a first insulating layer, a patterned semiconductor layer, a source electrode, a drain electrode, a patterned reflective layer, a second insulating layer, and at least a transmissive pixel electrode. The gate electrode and the reflective electrode are both formed by a first patterned conductive layer, and the source electrode, the drain electrode, and the patterned reflective layer are both formed by a second patterned conductive layer. Furthermore, a plurality of contact holes are formed in the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer. Moreover, the transmissive pixel electrode is filled into the contact holes to be electrically connected with the drain electrode, the reflective electrode, and the patterned reflective layer, respectively.
US08553179B2
A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal layer which contains a liquid crystal composition; a pair of substrates opposed to each other across the liquid crystal layer; alignment layers placed on liquid crystal layer sides of the pair of substrates, respectively; and polarization plates placed on opposite sides from the liquid crystal layer sides, respectively. The pair of substrates includes a thin-film transistor substrate including a thin-film transistor for controlling molecule alignment of the liquid crystal composition, and a color filter substrate including a color layer containing pixels of different colors. A blue pixel, which is one of the pixels of different colors, is larger in area than any of the pixels of other colors. A loss of light in a short-wavelength range is thus reduced.
US08553170B2
A light emitting diode (“LED”) backlight assembly. The LED backlight assembly has a bottom container which has a bottom plate and a side edge surrounding the bottom plate, a plurality of light emitting diode printed circuit boards (“LED-PCBs”) on the bottom plate, and a connector which is closely located to edge located LEDs. The connector of the LED-PCB is closely located to an LED driving board, which is disposed at a lateral space of a lateral part of the bottom container to limit a vertical thickness of the backlight light assembly.
US08553169B2
A display device includes a display panel having an upper surface and being configured to display an image, a mold frame configured to receive the display panel, and a lower receiving member having an inner wall disposed on a peripheral area thereof and being configured to receive mold frame and the display panel. The mold frame includes a peripheral area disposed around an open portion of the mold frame, and a side wall disposed in the peripheral area. The side wall of the mold frame is connected to the inner wall of the lower receiving member, and the panel supporter of the mold frame is disposed on the upper surface of the display panel to support the display panel.
US08553164B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a p-type driving thin film transistor and an n-type driving thin film transistor in a non-display region, and a pixel thin film transistor connected to a gate line and a data line in a display region. The liquid crystal display device further includes a pixel electrode that covers and directly contacts a third drain electrode of the pixel thin film transistor, a shield pattern that covers and directly contacts each of the first source electrode and the first drain electrode of the p-type driving thin film transistor and the second source electrode and the second drain electrode of the n-type driving thin film transistor, and a shield line that covers and directly contacts the data line and a third source electrode of the pixel thin film transistor.
US08553161B2
Discussed are a color filter array substrate with sensing lines capable of sensing a user's touch, and a method for manufacturing the color filter array substrate, wherein the color filter array substrate comprises a plurality of first sensing electrodes at fixed intervals on a substrate; a plurality of second sensing electrodes respectively interposed between each of the first sensing electrodes, wherein each second sensing electrode is provided at a predetermined interval from each first sensing electrode; and a plurality of conductive black matrixes respectively overlapped with the plurality of first sensing electrodes, wherein the plurality of conductive black matrixes are formed to electrically connect the neighboring first sensing electrodes provided with the second sensing electrode interposed in-between.
US08553155B2
A system and method for improved comb filtering. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise method steps and system components that generate a signal indicative of the quality of a field-combed signal. A first signal indicative of inter-field and inter-line signal difference substantially inside the chroma frequency band may be generated. An indication of field comb quality may be determined based at least in-part on the first signal, and a corresponding signal may be generated. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise method steps and system components that generate a comb-filtered signal. A field comb signal and line comb signal may be generated. A comb-filtered signal may be generated based on the field comb signal, line comb signal, and the signal indicative of the field comb quality.
US08553153B2
An operation mode adjustment device (309) for adjusting an operation mode of an electronic product (300) comprises a detection unit (303) for automatically detecting whether an environment in which an electronic product (300) connectable to the operation mode adjustment device (309) is currently located is a shop environment, and an adjusting unit (304) for automatically adjusting an operation mode of the electronic product (300) based on whether the detected environment in which the electronic product (300) connectable to the operation mode adjustment device is currently located is a shop environment.
US08553148B2
Methods and apparatus to distinguish a signal originating from a local device from a broadcast signal are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes analyzing a first predetermined characteristic of a video component of the audio-video signal to generate a first indication of the source of the audio-video signal, analyzing a second predetermined characteristic of an audio component of the audio-video signal to generate a second indication of the source of the audio-video signal, and determining if the audio-video signal was generated by a local device based on the first and second indications.
US08553138B2
An image capture apparatus includes an image capture unit having a plurality of exposure adjustment functions including an electronic shutter function for changing an exposure time within a frame period and configured to capture an image of a subject to obtain image data, and an image-capture control unit configured to allow the image capture unit to execute an image capture operation of capturing a plurality of frames of image data having continuity in time at a fixed frame rate and configured to perform exposure adjustment control in accordance with a subject brightness level obtained during the execution of the image capture operation, the exposure adjustment control being performed using preferentially an exposure adjustment function other than the electronic shutter function.
US08553133B2
A focusing apparatus includes a setting unit configured to set a focus detection area to be focused among a plurality of focus detection areas, a memory configured to store focus correction information based on a focusing status of a focus lens in each of the focus detection area to be focused and another focus detection area, a focus detection unit configured to detect the focusing status of the focus lens in the other focus detection areas, and a focusing unit configured to move the focus lens for focusing based on the focusing status of the focus lens detected in the other focus detection area. The focusing unit corrects the focusing status of the focus lens detected in the other focus detection area based on the focus correction information stored in the memory and achieves focusing.
US08553127B2
This invention can reduce the circuit scale by synthesizing OSD data to be superposed on a picture of each resolution by using common OSD data. According to this invention, a video resolution converter converts an HD (High Definition) video signal into an SD (Standard Definition) video signal such as an NTSC or PAL video signal. A memory controller receives a sync signal identical to an SD picture obtained by frequency-dividing an HD video signal, and a sync signal based on an SD video signal, and reads out OSD data (4 bits per pixel) from the memory on the basis of these sync signals. The OSD data read out on the basis of the SD video signal is synthesized with the SD video signal by an SD_OSD_MIX unit, and then output. The OSD data read out on the basis of the SD sync signal synchronized with the HD is multiplied by an integer by an OSD resolution converter, synthesized with an HD video signal by an HD_OSD_MIX unit, and then output.
US08553121B2
An image sensor includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion units disposed in line and column directions, transfer capacitances that store a signal read out from the (n−1)th line (n being an integer of 2 or more) of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, transfer capacitances that store a signal read out from the nth line of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a system control CPU that controls the image sensor. While a level of a predetermined driving pulse generated within the image sensor changes during the period where the signal of the (n−1)th line stored in the transfer capacitance is read out from the transfer capacitances, the system control CPU control not to output the signal of the (n−1)th line from the transfer capacitances.
US08553117B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming an image signal by receiving a flux of photons at a convex photodetector such as a hemispherical photodetector. The convex photodetector includes a plurality of photosensors. Each photosensor has a different orientation with respect to a propagation vector of the flux of photons. The photosensors generate a respective plurality of intensity signals. Each of the intensity signals is related to the respective orientation of the photosensor that generates it. The intensity signals are received by a signal processor, such as a digital signal processor, which uses the intensity signals to compute an image signal related to the intensity signals and thereby produce a focused output image.
US08553103B1
Compensation of ambient illumination. A visible image of an object with ambient illumination is captured. Image brightness of at least a portion of said object of said visible image is sampled. A difference between sampled image brightness of at least said portion of said object and a target brightness profile is determined. The difference is compensated for by projecting additional illumination onto said object.
US08553101B2
A solid-state image sensing device comprises a first readout circuit configured to read out a signal from a pixel array including a plurality of pixels, a signal holding unit configured to hold the signal read out from the first readout circuit, a second readout circuit configured to read out the signal held in the signal holding unit, and a current control unit configured to control an electric current flowing through at least part of the first readout circuit while the first readout circuit reads out the signal. The current control unit controls an electric current flowing through the at least part of the first readout circuit in a moving image capturing mode to be smaller than an electric current flowing through the at least part of the first readout circuit in a still image capturing mode.
US08553097B2
A kernel estimation section (222) of an image processing device of the present invention is configured such that, when performing estimation of a blur kernel based on a contracted degraded image that has a first resolution, the kernel estimation section performs the estimation based on an initial value of a blur kernel that has a resolution corresponding to the first resolution. Thereafter, when performing estimation of a blur kernel based on a contracted degraded image that has a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution, the kernel estimation section performs the estimation based on an initial value of a blur kernel that has a resolution corresponding to the second resolution. The kernel enlargement section (223) extracts interest points of a blur kernel received from the kernel estimation section 222 (S16), performs an enlargement transformation on coordinates of the interest points (S18), and connects new interest points obtained by performing the enlargement transformation on the coordinates of the interest points (S20), thereby generating an initial value of a blur kernel that has an increased resolution (S22).
US08553096B2
Systems and methods for performing digital image stabilization implemented in a digital camera. The digital camera includes a gyroscope to measure motion of the digital camera and processes the signals from the gyroscope to track the total displacement of an image sensor over a series of frames of video. The algorithm implemented by the digital camera includes a processing block for correcting a DC bias in the signals from the gyroscope, a filter for attenuating the signals during periods of high acceleration, a processing block for detecting the start of a panning motion, and a processing block for quickly retracing the digital image stabilization correction back to the center of the image sensor during a panning motion.
US08553090B2
A portable image capture and camera device is provided including a device body, and an upper panel displaceably engaged to the body, and having an image capture module disposed thereon. A lower panel is also displaceably engaged to the body, for receiving and supporting a subject when the lower panel is deployed to an open position. The upper panel is translatable to deploy from a stowed position to a first deployed position to image a subject disposed on the lower panel (card reader mode), and to a second deployed position to image objects remote from the device (camera mode).
US08553073B2
Decoding a multiview video signal comprises: receiving a bitstream comprising encodings of multiple views of the multiview video signal, each view comprising multiple pictures segmented into multiple segments; and obtaining a predictor for illumination compensation of a first segment with respect to a reference picture using an offset value for illumination compensation of at least one neighboring segment adjacent to the first segment according whether the reference picture associated with the first segment is the same as a reference picture associated with the neighboring segment.
US08553069B2
The present invention provides mathematically accurate image processing algorithms for extracting natural looking panoramic images and distortion-free rectilinear images from images acquired using a camera equipped with a wide-angle lens which is rotationally symmetric about an optical axis and devices implementing such algorithms. Imaging systems using this method can be used not only in security•surveillance applications for indoor and outdoor environments, but also in diverse areas such as video phone for apartment entrance door, rear view camera for vehicles, visual sensor for unmanned aerial vehicles and robots, camera phone, PC camera, and broadcasting camera. Also, it can be used to obtain panoramic or rectilinear photographs using a digital camera.
US08553062B2
An optical scanner includes a third f-theta lens, an eccentric cam, an attaching portion, a first supporting member, a second supporting member and a spring. A distance between a face opposed to the first side-face of the third f-theta lens in the first supporting member and a face opposed to the second side-face of the third f-theta lens in the second supporting member is set to be longer than a distance of the third f-theta lens in its lateral direction. The spring is disposed opposed to the first side-face or the second side-face, and presses the third f-theta lens so that the third f-theta lens is in contact with the eccentric cam and either of the first supporting member and the second supporting member.
US08553059B2
A thermal printer head that is highly efficient to manufacture is provided, which includes: a first substrate (11), including a first main surface (110), a first inclined surface (111) that is inclined relative to the first main surface (110), and a second inclined surface (112) that is inclined relative to the first main surface (110); an electrode layer (3), laminated on the first main surface (110), the first inclined surface (111), and the second inclined surface (112); a resistor layer (4), having a plurality of heat dissipation portions (41) respectively laminated on the first inclined surface (111) and crossing separated parts in the electrode layer (3); a driving integrated circuit (IC), for controlling the current passing through each heat dissipation portion (41); and a plurality of wires (81), respectively joined to the driving IC and joined to the second inclined surface (112) through the electrode layer (3).
US08553057B2
A fixing mechanism for fixing a thermal print head module is disclosed. The thermal print head module is pivoted to a casing. The fixing mechanism includes a base, a linkage member and a plurality of positioning structures. The base is disposed on the casing. The linkage member is pivoted to the base and the thermal print head module. The linkage member is driven by the thermal print head module when the thermal print head module is rotated relative to the casing, such that the linkage member is pivoted to different positions relative to the base. The plurality of the positioning structures is disposed on the linkage member for fixing the linkage member, so as to position the thermal print head module in corresponding positions.
US08553054B2
A thermal-transfer laminate film includes a base film, an untransferring release layer, and an image protection layer. The untransferring release layer is provided on the base film and includes a first thermoplastic resin having a first I/O value. The image protection layer is provided on the untransferring release layer and includes a second thermoplastic resin having a second I/O value, an absolute value of a difference between the first I/O value and the second I/O value being larger than 0.40.
US08553053B2
Determining pixel behavior type of a pixel or a group of pixels of a LCD and triggering adjustment in drive power of the pixel or the group of pixels based on the pixel behavior type. The pixel behavior type indicates relative motion of areas on the LCD in a video. A pixel behavior determination module directs one or more selected pixels of the LCD to be driven relative slower or faster based upon content of video that the selected pixels display. Operations include identifying an active window from a plurality of windows corresponding to a plurality of applications running on the host device and setting the drive power of those pixels that correspond to the active window based on speed of a video displayed on the active window. Operation may also include adapting LCD drive power on a pixel by pixel basis based upon user input and/or remaining battery life.
US08553052B2
Display device, with a plurality of display elements arranged in the shape of a bar, wherein each display element can represent at least one first display state (off) and one second display state (on), and a value being shown can be indicated by the second display state (on) of at least one display element assigned to the value, so that an intermediate value between the value being displayed and a succeeding or preceding value can be represented by activating the preceding or succeeding display element.
US08553046B2
An apparatus and method for detecting and handling thin lines in a raster image includes reading depth values for each pixel of an n×m block of pixels surrounding a substantially central pixel. Differences are then calculated for selected depth values of the n×m block of pixels to yield multiple difference values. These difference values may then be compared with multiple pre-computed difference values associated with thin lines pre-determined to pass through the n×m block of pixels. If the difference values of the pixel block substantially match the difference values of one of the pre-determined thin lines, the pixel block may be deemed to describe a thin line. The apparatus and method may preclude application of an anti-aliasing filter to the substantially central pixel of the pixel block in the event it describes a thin line.
US08553042B2
In an embodiment, a memory controller includes multiple ports. Each port may be dedicated to a different type of traffic. In an embodiment, quality of service (QoS) parameters may be defined for the traffic types, and different traffic types may have different QoS parameter definitions. The memory controller may be configured to schedule operations received on the different ports based on the QoS parameters. In an embodiment, the memory controller may support upgrade of the QoS parameters when subsequent operations are received that have higher QoS parameters, via sideband request, and/or via aging of operations. In an embodiment, the memory controller is configured to reduce emphasis on QoS parameters and increase emphasis on memory bandwidth optimization as operations flow through the memory controller pipeline.
US08553040B2
An automated method of quantifying a set of processing resources used by an image transform operation is described. The method receives a set of image processing instructions for performing the transform operation, and, for the set of image processing instructions, generates data that estimates the amount of processing resources required to perform the set of image processing instructions. The method associates the data with the set of image processing instructions, the association allowing evaluation of the data at run-time to facilitate execution of the set of image processing instructions on a particular processing unit having a particular set of processing resources. In addition, an automated method of concatenating a plurality of image processing instruction sets, where each image processing instruction set includes data representing an estimate of processing resources required by the image processing instruction set is described.
US08553031B2
The instant application describes a display device for switching a display mode between a first display mode for displaying a stereoscopic image with an eyewear device, and a second display mode, which is different from the first display mode. The display device includes a signal generator, which generates a timing signal for notifying a timing of an increasing period of an incident light amount to left and right eyes or a stop signal for stopping the adjustment operation as a control signal, which is transmitted by a transmitter to the eyewear device. The transmitter transmits the timing signal for the first display mode while the image is displayed in the first display mode. If the display mode is then switched from the first to second display mode, the transmitter sequentially transmits the stop signal and the timing signal for the second display mode to the eyewear device.
US08553018B2
A technique for driving a column of pixels that include light emitting elements. The technique incorporates feedback data provided from feedback data sources connected to the data line and to feedback line of the array, pixel driving circuit with feedback path. The technique can also include block of the reference elements for input signal corrections.
US08553015B2
There are provided an electronic device that enables a user to perform handwriting input in one-subject display of a content and to call, from an item, a one-subject display screen of the item to which handwriting is added, and a control method of the electronic device. Electronic device includes input keys, a touch panel, a display, a ROM storing a content database, a hard disk, and a CPU. Display is a sensor-incorporated display that can accept the handwriting input. CPU searches the item from content database, based on an instruction. CPU displays an item display screen based on the searched item on display. CPU displays, on display, handwritten expression corresponding to the handwriting input so as to superimpose the same on the item display screen. CPU stores the handwritten expression in hard disk as handwritten memo data. When the item is selected, based on the instruction, CPU displays, on display, a screen in which the item display screen corresponding to the selected item, and the handwritten expression stored in the storage are superimposed.
US08553012B2
A first apparatus for displaying drawings comprises a housing having an aperture, a drawing sheet comprising electro-optic material movable through the aperture between closed and open positions, and a writing device for writing on the sheet as it moved between its closed and open positions. A second apparatus comprises a display member having a viewing surface, support means for supporting this display member above a floor, an electro-optic medium disposed on the display member, and a movable writing head for writing on the electro-optic medium. Another display comprises an optic medium with two display states visible through a viewing surface. A touch screen is disposed on the opposed side of the optic medium from the viewing surface, and the optic medium is deformable such that pressure applied to the viewing surface will be transmitted to the touch screen.
US08553005B2
The user interface system of the preferred embodiment includes: a layer defining a surface, a substrate supporting the layer and at least partially defining a cavity, a displacement device coupled to the cavity and adapted to expand the cavity thereby deforming a particular region of the surface, a touch sensor coupled to the substrate and adapted to sense a user touch proximate the particular region of the surface, and a display coupled to the substrate and adapted to output images to the user. The user interface system of the preferred embodiments has been specifically designed to be incorporated into an electronic device, such as the display of a mobile phone, but may be incorporated in any suitable device that interfaces with a user in both a visual and tactile manner.
US08552997B2
An electronic device includes a base, a touch-sensitive input surface spaced from and moveable relative to the base, and an actuating arrangement between the base and the touch-sensitive input surface. The actuating arrangement is arranged to vary a force on the touch-sensitive input surface in response to detection of a touch event on the touch-sensitive input surface. The actuating arrangement includes an actuator including a piezoelectric disk coupled to a substrate that includes an elastically deformable truncated disk.
US08552995B2
A touch sensor senses the presence of an object at one of a plurality of channels on a surface of the touch sensor, wherein proximity of the object to the touch sensor results in a change in capacitance at the position of the channel. The touch sensor includes a drive circuit and a charge sensing circuit, each coupled to each of the channels. The charge sensing circuit includes at least one charge measurement capacitor. A measurement cycle is applied to the touch sensor having a drive portion and a sense portion. During the drive portion a charge is applied to the channels and therefore the charge measurement capacitors of the touch sensor, and during a sense portion the charge measurement capacitors are discharged by a predetermined amount and the remaining charge on the charge measurement capacitors is measured.
US08552992B1
A method is disclosed for specifying textual input for a computing device using a multi-directional input device. Each character of a textual group is associated with a different angle. Each character of the textual group is displayed on a display screen at the associated angle. A swipe angle of a directional swipe received at a multi-directional pointing device is determined. The associated angle closest to the swipe angle is identified. The character of the textual group corresponding to the identified angle on the display screen is highlighted.
US08552991B2
A portable computer includes a main body casing comprising an upper plate and a supporting portion disposed below the upper plate, and a touch-pad seated on the supporting portion and to sense coordinates touched on a plate surface to generate a position data of a pointer, the supporting portion comprising a lateral wall bent from the upper plate, and a seating portion bent from the lateral wall and formed with an opening in one area thereof.
US08552989B2
Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
US08552982B2
Improvements in accurately sensing a user manipulandum of a force feedback device. A force feedback device, coupled to a host computer, includes an actuator for outputting forces on a manipulandum and a sensor for detecting a position of the manipulandum. In one feature, a raw sensor value representing manipulandum position is adjusted based on compliance between sensor and manipulandum, where the adjustment can be based on a compliance constant and an output force. In another feature, a range of motion of the manipulandum is dynamically calibrated from startup. One boundary value of an assigned initial range is set equal to a received sensor value if the sensor value is outside the initial range, and the other boundary value is adjusted to maintain the size of the initial range unless the other boundary value has already been sensed outside the initial range. In another feature, manipulandum position is accurately sensed by filtering raw sensor values for overshoot values occurring at limits to manipulandum motion and using the filtered value in the dynamic calibration. In another feature, sensing inaccuracies caused by compliance in the device are decreased by normalizing a raw sensor value to a normalized range of motion that includes a saturation zone at each end of the range that adjusts sensor values over a saturation level to the saturation level.
US08552981B2
A multidirectional input device includes ring-shaped resistance element layer 18, first conductive layer 22 and second conductive layer 23 shaping in arcs corresponding to resistance element layer 18, and knob 14 having ring-shaped protruded section 14D. Resistance element layer 18 has at least a pair of electrodes and is formed on flexible insulating substrate 16. Protruded section 14D brings resistance element layer 18 into contact with first conductive layer 22 or second conductive layer 23 when the knob is tilted. When a given voltage is applied to the electrodes and the knob is tilted, resistance element layer 18 comes in contact with first conductive layer 22 or second conductive layer 23, so that an output signal of a high resolution concerning a tilt angle can be obtained. The output signal is supplied to a microprocessor and calculated, then an angle or a direction is detected and recognized.
US08552973B2
A liquid crystal display device where one display region of the liquid crystal display panel is divided into a first display region and a second display region along a border line in the direction in which scanning signal lines extend, a video signal line to which TFT elements of pixels in the first display region are connected and a video signal line to which TFT elements of pixels in the second display region are connected are electrically isolated from each other. Pixels having TFT elements connected to one of two adjacent video signal lines and pixels TFT elements connected to the other of the two adjacent video signal lines are alternate in a column of a number of pixels aligned in the direction in which the video signal lines extend in the first display region and the second display region.
US08552971B2
An LED driving circuit drives multiple channels of light emitting units which provide a function as a backlight for a liquid crystal panel. An interface unit receives a luminance setting signal that specifies the luminance for each channel. The LED driving circuit drives each of the multiple channels of light emitting units with a luminance that corresponds to the luminance setting signal.
US08552955B2
A receiver for an LCD source driver of an LCD panel includes a converter, a comparing circuit and a decoding circuit. The converter converts two pairs of differential current signals into two pairs of differential voltage signals. The comparing circuit is coupled to the converter for generating reference signals based on differences between the two pairs of differential voltage signals. The decoding circuit is coupled to the comparing circuit for generating data signals, clock signal, setting signals, and control signals based the reference signals.
US08552954B2
A liquid crystal display system for improving display color mismatch utilizes a pixel-charge delay circuit to generate a new latch-data signal for a source driver of the liquid crystal display system according to an output-enable signal and a latch-data signal generated by a timing control circuit of the liquid crystal display system. Therefore, when the source driver charges a pixel on an mth gate line, a switch corresponding to a pixel on an (m−1)th gate line is already completely turned off.
US08552944B2
A pixel structure on a display panel comprises three sub-pixels where each sub-pixel can be arranged to a first transmissive region and a second transmissive region. The first transmissive region has a first transistor along with a first photo-resistant layer as well as the second transmissive region has a second transistor along with a second photo-resistant layer. The first photo-resistant layer and the second photo-resistant layer of different thickness or area are formed on a color filter. There exists a function relation between data signals received from the first transistor and the second transistor. Using these two data signals and combining the photo-resistant layers of different thickness or area will make each sub-pixel generate new level of brightness in gray scale and increase the number of displaying colors.
US08552941B2
A light emitting display apparatus, capable of protecting light emitting elements by preventing overcurrent from flowing into the elements, and a method of driving the light emitting display apparatus are disclosed. In one embodiment, the light emitting display apparatus comprises a pixel portion comprising a plurality of pixels for emitting light in response to a data signal and a scan signal, a data driver for generating and transmitting the data signal to the pixel portion; a scan driver for generating and transmitting the scan signal to the pixel portion, a timing controller for controlling the data driver and the scan driver, and a controller for detecting a current flowing through each of the pixels and blocking light emission of the pixel portion in case that the detected current is greater than a predetermined value.
US08552937B2
A pixel circuit includes: a switching transistor whose conduction is controlled by a drive signal supplied to the control terminal; a drive wiring adapted to propagate the drive signal; and a data wiring adapted to propagate a data signal. The drive wiring is formed on a first wiring layer and connected to the control terminal of the switching transistor. The data wiring is formed on a second wiring layer and connected to a first terminal of the switching transistor. A multi-layered wiring structure is used so that the second wiring layer is formed on a layer different from that on which the first wiring layer is formed.
US08552932B2
A plasma display device is provided. The plasma display device includes a plasma display panel (PDP) which includes an upper substrate on which a plurality of black matrices are formed; and an external light shielding sheet which is disposed at a front of the PDP and includes a base unit and a plurality of pattern units that are formed on the base unit and that have a lower refractive index than the base unit. A distance between a pair of adjacent black matrices is 4-12 times greater than a distance between a pair of adjacent pattern units. Therefore, it is possible for a plasma display device to effectively realize black images and enhance bright room contrast with the aid of an external light shielding sheet which is disposed at a front of a PDP and which absorbs and shields as much external light incident upon the PDP as possible. Also, it is possible to reduce the probability of occurrence of the moire phenomenon and enhance the luminance of images displayed by a PDP by forming a plurality of pattern units on an external light shielding sheet so that the distance between the pair of adjacent pattern units can fall within a predetermined percentage range of the distance between the pair of adjacent black matrices formed on a PDP, or that the width of the pattern units can fall within a predetermined percentage range of the width of black matrices formed on the PDP.
US08552931B2
A sensor is provided having an array of electrostatic sensor elements with each sensor element being capable of producing a respective output signal when the sensor is directed to a region of an object being sensed, the output signals being separately available at the sensor output to provide information relating to the electrostatic charge distribution across the region, and the sensor being configured such that at least two electrostatic sensor element are interlinked by means of a differential input charge amplifier, each input to the differential input charge amplifier includes a decoupling device, and the differential input charge amplifier is associated with an integrating or augmenting amplifier to further condition the image signal presented to the controller.
US08552926B2
Disclosed herein is an image display apparatus, including: a light source; and a scanning section adapted to scan a light beam emitted from the light source; the scanning section including (a) a first mirror, (b) a first light deflection section, (c) a second mirror, and (d) a second light deflection section; the second light deflection section including an external light receiving face; the second light deflection section having a plurality of translucent films provided in the inside thereof; the translucent films having a light reflectivity R2 at a wavelength of the light beam which satisfies: R2≦k ×{(P2/t2)×tan(ζ2)}1/2 where k is a constant higher 0 but lower than 1, P2 an array pitch of the translucent films, t2 a thickness of the second light deflection section, and ζ2 an angle formed between the light emitting face and the translucent films.
US08552920B2
A patch antenna synchronously generating a circularly polarized wave and a linearly polarized wave comprises a first radiator radiating a circularly polarized wave with respect to an antenna signal, a first substrate provided at a part or the whole of the rear surface of the first radiator, a second radiator provided at a part or the whole of the rear surface of the first substrate and radiating a linearly polarized wave with respect to the antenna signal, and a second substrate provided at a part or the whole of the rear surface of the second radiator.
US08552910B2
Systems and methods of locating missing endpoints in a utility meter network include periodically receiving electronic GPS data including coordinates identifying the physical location of a mobile meter reading device and collecting radio frequency (RF) data transmissions sent by one or more missing endpoints in proximity to the mobile meter reading device. Energy levels associated with the RF data transmissions can be used to determine a signal strength indicator for each transmission. The transmissions are collected while the mobile meter reading device is positioned in at least first and second different locations relative to each missing endpoint. A triangulation procedure is electronically implemented using the GPS coordinates and the signal strength indicator for a given missing endpoint as determined in the at least first and second different locations in order to identify an estimated location for the given missing endpoint, which is provided as electronic output to a user.
US08552909B2
A location calculating method includes acquiring measurement information by receiving satellite signals from positioning satellites and storing the acquired measurement information in a storage unit in association with acquisition time, calculating movement information that includes a movement direction and a movement distance by using a detection result of a sensor unit that at least includes an acceleration sensor and storing the calculated movement information in the storage unit in association with calculation time, and calculating a location at desired time by using at least the measurement information of which the acquisition time satisfies a predetermined proximity time condition and the movement information of which the calculation time is between the acquisition time of the measurement information and the given desired time.
US08552908B2
A high fidelity simulation of Doppler that may exactly replicate the phenomenology of the physical world. Compute the linear (Line of sight) kinematics (Slant Range, Radial Velocity, and Radial Acceleration) for each of a multiplicity of emitter-receiver pairs in accordance with exact 3D vector mathematics. Smoothly interpolate the linear kinematic parameters to produce accurate instantaneous values of these parameters at sample rates sufficient to produce negligible error effects in the presence of realistic aircraft maneuvers. Calculate the Doppler frequency, in accordance with well known physics, from the emitter carrier wavelength and a high sample rate. Calculate the Doppler effect as a differential phase (Doppler frequency×sample time) and apply the effect as incremental phase shifts to the carrier signal.
US08552901B2
An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a plurality of single slope ADCs, a ramp generator, and digital output circuitry. Each single slope ADC includes an analog input operable to receive an analog input signal, a ramp input operable to receive an analog ramp signal, a comparator operable to compare the analog input signal to the analog ramp signal, and an output operable to produce a digital representation of the analog input signal based upon the comparison, wherein the plurality of single slope ADCs are operable to receive analog ramp signals that are out of phase with each other. The ramp generator that is operable to generate analog ramp signals for each of the plurality of single slope ADCs. The digital output circuitry is operable to receive outputs from each of the plurality of single slope ADCs and to produce a digital representation of the analog input signal based thereupon.
US08552896B2
A DAC for converting a sequence of digital words into a corresponding analog signal. The DAC includes: a thermometer code generator fed by the sequence of digital words for providing N parallel outputs, each one of the outputs having one of two discrete levels; and an amplifier section having a plurality of N amplifiers, each one of the N amplifiers being fed by a different one of the M outputs. Each one of the amplifiers is driven into saturation in response to one of the two discrete levels or pinched-off in response to the other one of the two discrete levels. A combiner sums outputs of the N amplifiers producing a sequence of analog signals having levels related to the decimal values of the sequence of the digital words. An interconnection network interleaves connections between the thermometer code generator and the plurality of amplifier sections.
US08552895B2
Disclosed herein is a sigma-delta modulator, including an integration circuit, a first DAC unit, and a second DAC unit. The integration circuit includes first and second terminals, and integrates a voltage supplied via the first terminal. The first DAC unit alternately supplies a first voltage obtained at one end of a first resistor to the first terminal and the second terminal. The second DAC unit alternately supplies a second voltage at the other end of a second resistor to the second terminal or the first terminal. The second DAC unit supplies the second voltage to the second terminal when the first DAC unit supplies the first voltage to the first terminal. The second DAC unit supplies the second voltage to the first terminal when the first DAC unit supplies the first voltage to the second terminal.
US08552878B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for bypassing a voltage drop. A protection module allows electric current to flow from an electric power storage device to a load. The protection module prevents electric current from flowing to the electric power storage device. The protection module includes a voltage drop between the electric power storage device and the load. A power source detection module detects an absence of electric power from an electric power source. The electric power source provides electric current to the load when electric power from the electric power source is present. A bypass module bypasses the protection module and the voltage drop in response to the power source detection module detecting the absence of electric power from the electric power source. A conservation module delivers, to the load, electric current flowing through the power source detection module.
US08552875B2
Systems, methods, and devices that efficiently control the operating state of an electromagnetic lock under power on and power off conditions are presented. A lock component includes a solenoid component (e.g., bi-stable latching solenoid) that holds a lock pin in a locked or unlocked position without using power to hold the lock pin in the desired position, and using power to transition from one position to another position. A sensor component senses when power to the lock component will be lost, and if the lock pin is not in the desired position for the power off condition, the lock pin can be transitioned to the desired position, and if the lock pin is in the desired position for power off condition, the lock component can maintain the lock pin in the desired position, while the lock component is in the power off condition.
US08552872B2
A transmitter for animal training device capable of switching modes between a rheostatic mode and an intensity selection mode is provided. Switching from rheostatic mode to intensity selection mode is done by fitting a select knob to a volume switch, setting a mode selection switch to a vibrations mode, and operating both an adjust mode select switch and a power switch at the same time. When in intensity selection mode, a user is able to adjust the volume level in multiple stages. When the select knob is fitted to the volume switch and is rotated, a ball plunger engages in grooves of the select knob, so that the select knob is stopped at the volume level a user desires. With adaptation of the select knob or volume knob to the volume switch, vibrations or shock level are adjusted in rheostatic mode or intensity selection mode.
US08552869B2
The present invention is directed to an interrogator, method of discerning metal and radio frequency identification (RFID) objects, and an interrogation system employing the same. In one embodiment, the interrogator includes a metal sensing subsystem configured to provide a first signal having a signature representing a presence of a metal object, and a RFID sensing subsystem configured to provide a second signal having a signature representing a presence of a RFID object. The interrogator also includes a control and processing subsystem configured to discern a presence of at least one of the metal and RFID objects from one of the first and second signals.
US08552866B2
The invention provides an RFID tag with means for determining when such tag has been tampered and means for securing the tag to an object. The tag may use an optical or infrared transmitter/receiver pair for detecting active tag removal from the object to which it is attached; and a method of attaching the tag holder to rounded objects regardless of object diameter while still preserving tamper capability of the active tag. Alternatively the tag may use an infrared radiation sensor to determine a change infrared radiation that occurs when the tag is removed from a person, and a light sensor to determine when tag has been tampered.
US08552860B2
Applications for detecting binaural sounds and customizing binaural sounds for users. A system is disclosed having: an interface for obtaining a plurality of desired responses; a system for generating a binaural recipe, wherein the binaural recipe includes left side audio signals and right side audio signals for inducing the plurality of responses; and an output system for playing the left side audio signals and right side audio signals. A further system is disclosed for detecting binaural sounds, including: an input system for obtaining a left side audio signal and a right side audio signal within an environment; a binaural sound detector for evaluating the left side audio signal and the right side audio signal to determine whether a binaural sound is present; and an alarm system for generating an alert when the binaural sound is detected.
US08552853B2
A power connector has a plate member that has a central opening therethrough, and a front side and rear side. An electrical connector member is attached to the plate member and positioned within the central opening. The electrical connector member has a base that is attached to the plate member and a plurality of power pole electrical conductors. The plurality of power pole electrical conductors comprises four power pole electrical conductors arranged in two columns wherein each column has two power pole electrical conductors. Two brackets are attached to the front side of the plate member. Each bracket is substantially perpendicular to the front side of the plate member and the electrical connector member is located between the pair of brackets. The plate member has through holes sized for receiving fasteners, so as to allow the plate member to be attached to a wall, article of furniture or other structure.
US08552850B2
A method and a system are provided for adaptive vehicle operation. The method includes the steps of sensing a position and an orientation of a near-to-eye display device worn by the vehicle operator, determining a direction of gaze of the vehicle operator in response to the position and the orientation of the near-to-eye display device, and selectively generating an alert signal in response to the direction of gaze of the vehicle operator.
US08552846B2
A method for driving a matrix of elements responding to the absolute value of the activation voltage avoiding crosstalk, the matrix (4) composed of elements (3) arranged in M rows and N columns with a first (2) and second (2′) electrodes to apply the activation voltage. When elements (E3C,E6C,E8C) located on a common activation column (CC) and on activation rows (R3,R6,R8) are to be excited, the method including applying a row activation voltage (V3) to the first electrode (2) of the elements (3) located on activation rows (R3,R6,R8); applying a column activation voltage (V0) to the second electrode (2′) of the elements (3) located on common activation column (C); applying a common row voltage (V1) to the first electrode (2) of the elements (3) located on all the rows of the matrix (4) except for the activation rows (R3,R6,R8); applying a common column voltage (V2) to the second electrode (2′) of the elements (3) located on all the columns of the matrix (4) except for the common activation column (C).
US08552842B2
The invention provides apparatus for controlling a search lamp using a wireless transmitter and receiver. The transmitter responds to user inputs by providing a wireless digitally encoded modulation signal containing information indicating at least one operation in a set of operations the search lamp is able to perform. The receiver responds to the wireless digitally encoded modulation signal by providing a control signal for controlling the functionality of the search lamp. The functionality may include, for example, moving the search lamp left/right and/or up/down, a sweep on/off @ +/−45 degrees; X/Y/Z movement (Z when motors run simultaneously); Diagonal sweep (motors run simultaneously); Fast/Slow sweep (50%/100%). The transmitter and receiver are programmable to communicate on a unique 16 bit digital code setting that provides about 65K different code settings, which may also include a random code setting.
US08552838B2
A passive wireless system for monitoring a protected area. The passive wireless system comprises at least one passive sensor for sensing an event, a reader for receiving signals from the at least one passive sensor, a plurality of exciters disposed within the protected area for transmitting a radio frequency pulse at a variable time interval to the at least one passive sensor, and a controller for controlling each of the plurality of exciters to transmit the radio frequency pulse at the variable time interval. The radio frequency pulse powers the passive sensors.
US08552836B2
An alignment system for coupling a component to a vehicle includes at least one sensor target coupled to the component, and a controller assembly configured to transmit a signal towards the sensor target and receive a reflected signal from the sensor target, wherein the controller assembly is configured to output an orientation dataset for the component relative to the vehicle using the reflected signal. The system also includes a processing device communicatively coupled to the controller assembly, wherein the processing device is programmed to translate the orientation dataset and cause a set of component positioning signals based on the orientation dataset to be displayed at a user interface.
US08552831B2
A chip varistor is provided with a varistor section and a plurality of terminal electrodes. The varistor section is comprised of a sintered body containing ZnO as a major component, exhibits the nonlinear voltage-current characteristics, and has a pair of principal surfaces opposed to each other. The plurality of terminal electrodes are connected each to the varistor section. Each of the terminal electrodes has a first electrode portion connected to either of the principal surfaces and a second electrode portion connected to the first electrode portion.
US08552812B2
An electronic device comprises first, second and third inductors connected in series and formed in a metal layer over a semiconductor substrate. The first and second inductors have a mutual inductance with each other. The second and third inductors having a mutual inductance with each other. A first capacitor has a first electrode connected to a first node. The first node is conductively coupled between the first and second inductors. A second capacitor has a second electrode connected to a second node. The second node is conductively coupled between the second and third inductors.
US08552803B2
Techniques are provided for dynamically biasing an amplifier to extend the amplifier's operating range while conserving power. In an embodiment, a detector is provided to measure the amplifier output to determine an operating region of the amplifier. The output of the detector may be input to a bias adjuster, which outputs a dynamic voltage level supplied to at least one bias transistor in the amplifier. Multiple embodiments of the detector and bias adjuster are disclosed.
US08552798B2
A method for offset compensation of a switched-capacitor amplifier comprises a reset phase (φ1) and at least one working phase (φ2). An output voltage (Vout) of the amplifier (amp) is fed according to a damped feedback loop gain (AB(1)) to a first amplifier input (ain1) in the reset phase (φ1) as a function of an offset voltage (Voff). In the least one working phase (φ2), an offset of the amplifier (amp) is compensated as a function of the offset voltage (Voff) by superimposing the output voltage (Vout) onto an input voltage (Vin) of the amplifier (amp) according to a loop gain (AB(2)).
