US08561599B2

The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses and systems to manage exhaust gas expelled from an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the present disclosure provides an exhaust gas recirculation apparatus to distribute recirculated exhaust gas in an air stream to be introduced to an internal combustion engine, with the apparatus comprising an intake passage defined by a wall structure, the wall structure including a plurality of apertures therein configured to distribute recirculated exhaust gas into the intake passage.
US08561598B2

The present disclosure is directed to integrated injector/igniters providing efficient injection, ignition, and complete combustion of various types of fuels. One example of such an injectors/igniter can include a body having a base portion opposite a nozzle portion. The base portion receives the fuel into the body and the nozzle portion can be positioned adjacent to the combustion chamber. The injector further includes a valve carried by the nozzle portion that is movable between a closed position and an open position to inject the fuel into the combustion chamber. An actuator is coupled the valve and extends longitudinally through the body towards the base portion, and a driver is carried by the body and is movable between a first position and a second position. Thermochemical regeneration of waste heat produced by combustion and associated combustion events is captured and invested in endothermic reactions to improve efficiency of the combustion event. Hydrogen characterized fuel may be used as a heat sink.
US08561583B2

A variable cam timing phaser for adjusting phase between a first shaft and a second shaft using oil pressure from an oil pressure source including a housing assembly and a rotor assembly together defining a plurality of segments. The segments include at least one operating segment including an advance chamber and a retard chamber, the advance chamber and the retard chamber being oppositely switchable between at least a source of oil pressure and a drain, the vane being movable by oil pressure from the oil source applied to either the advance chamber or the retard chamber with the other of the advance chamber and the retard chamber being coupled to the drain and at least one assist segment including an assist chamber and a vent chamber, the vent chamber being vented to atmosphere; such that oil supplied to the assist chamber assists the motion of the vane in a direction.
US08561566B2

A coupling for coupling a fall (26) to a lifeboat (1) comprising locking portions and a receiving portion constituting a hollow (10) having a open end and an upwardly facing aperture (15). The locking portion (25), hollow (10) and aperture (15) having a form preventing the locking portion (25) from passing through the aperture (15). The coupling further comprises actuators (30, 35, 39) controlled by a controller (40). A string (27) may be provided for easy retrieval of the locking portions upon the retrieval of the lifeboat (1).
US08561558B2

Sowing heart for an individual grain sowing machine including a seed disk which can rotate in one direction of rotation R, wherein the seed disk has sowing holes in a defined arrangement; a receiving region for receiving the seed in the sowing holes and a delivery region for delivery of the seed; and a cleaning element for cleaning of the sowing holes during operation of the sowing heart between the delivery region and the receiving region. For improved cleaning action of the cleaning element for cleaning each hole, per revolution of the seed disk there being at least two separate cleaning phases which can be easily replaced at the same time. Furthermore, the invention relates to an individual grain sowing machine with a plurality of sowing assemblies with one aforementioned sowing heart at a time and a corresponding cleaning element.
US08561554B2

To provide a burner structure in which a burner is capable of highly precisely controlling the flow rate of the air for combustion within itself. An air flow passage (11) in a wind box (12) for injecting the air for combustion into a furnace (1) has a bent portion (13) just before joining with the furnace, and one or a plurality of guide vanes (14) are provided in the air flow passage (11) in the bent portion (13), and also in the bent portion (13), a drift control damper (16) is provided for varying the ratio of flow passage resistances of each of the air flow passages (11) divided by the guide vanes (14).
US08561550B2

A deck table is provided that includes a table section and a clamping mechanism that are attachable to a number of vertical posts in order to position the support surface on the posts in a horizontal position. The table section includes support surface and a bottom support that can be positioned against the posts and engaged by the clamping mechanism that extends between the posts. The clamping mechanism is rotatably attached to the table section and can be releasably engaged with the vertical posts to enable the table to be readily repositioned and/or removed from the posts, as desired, without disassembly of the component parts of the table.
US08561543B2

One embodiment of the present invention provides a polymeric ammunition cartridge and methods of making and using the same. The cartridge includes a substantially cylindrical insert connected to a substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body. The substantially cylindrical insert includes a top surface opposite a bottom surface and a substantially cylindrical coupling element that extends from the bottom surface, a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash hole positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface. The substantially cylindrical polymeric middle body includes a substantially cylindrical polymeric bullet-end and a substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end connected by a powder chamber, wherein the substantially cylindrical polymeric coupling end extends over the substantially cylindrical coupling element and covers a circumferential surface of the primer flash hole.
US08561535B2

A method of screen printing on 3D glass articles includes providing a 3D glass article having a first 3D surface with a first surface profile and a second 3D surface with a second surface profile, the first 3D surface and the second 3D surface being separated by a thickness of glass. The method includes providing a fixture having a 3D fixture surface with a fixture surface profile matching the second surface profile. The method includes providing a screen having a design, a squeegee, and an ink. The 3D glass article is supported on the fixture by mating the second 3D surface with the 3D fixture surface. The screen is positioned at a plane a distance above the first 3D surface. The ink is deposited on the screen. The squeegee is positioned at a selected orientation relative to the plane. The ink is pushed through the screen onto the first 3D surface by simultaneously contacting the squeegee with the screen, traversing the squeegee in a linear direction, maintaining the orientation of the squeegee relative to the plane, locally deflecting the screen from the plane to the first 3D surface, and locally conforming the screen to the first surface profile.
US08561530B2

A wire bobbin binding device includes a binding head having first and second coaxially aligned rotatably mounted chucks for engaging opposite sides of an empty bobbin for motor-driven rotation about a bobbin axis while a wire is wound upon the bobbin. A ring creeping clip is mounted on the binding head and moveable between an advanced position and a retracted position to selectively engage the wire and bind the terminal end of the wire.
US08561528B2

A device for heating the outside of food particles includes a substantially cylindrical tube extending with a substantially horizontal axis, a heating device configured to heat the tube on the outside, a drive device configured to drive the tube in rotation about its axis, a supply device configured to supply food particles to be heated to the interior of the tube in the vicinity of a first end of the tube, and a discharge device configured to discharge the heated food particles from the second end of the tube. The product is heated briefly by contact heating in a rotating tube, being carried along by the rotating part and detaching from the wall at a point in time due to gravity in combination with the rotating movement, and thereby coming loose from the other part of the tangle of meat.
US08561523B2

A reciprocating pump including a piston is disclosed. In some embodiments, the piston includes an annular hub, a flexible sealing element coupled to an outer surface of the hub, and a sleeve seated on the outer surface of the hub adjacent the sealing element. The sleeve is axially moveable relative to the hub to compress the sealing element. The sealing element includes a lip, which is displaced radially outward when the sleeve compresses the sealing element.
US08561520B2

A brake servo whose valve piston has a concentric sealing seat which projects axially beyond a second sealing seat, with the concentric sealing seat having at least one recess for throttling the air volume flow. The controllability and also the noise characteristics of the brake servo can be improved in this way.
US08561519B2

A multi-weapons system comprising: an active defense system (ADS) comprising a mortar launch tube mounted on a support base-plate rotatable 360 degrees; a weapons system comprising a machine gun mounted alongside the active defense system (ADS) on the support base, a motor with mechanism to rotate the support base-plate with the active defense system (ADS) 360 degrees, drive means to adjust the power capacity of the motor between that required for the active defense system and that required for the machine gun, control means to rotate and adjust the elevation of the launch tube and adjust the directional movement of the machine gun, computer and electronic means to automatically rotate and fire the active defense system display and control means to manually operate the machine gun, control means to override the manual operation of the machine gun and prevent its firing when the active defense system is automatically activated.
US08561493B2

An automated multi-group transmission of a motor vehicle comprises at least two gearing groups successively disposed in a power flow of a drive train, a clutch assembly having at least one start-up clutch, by which a connection can be established between a drive shaft of a drive motor and a transmission input shaft associated with a first gearing group, a shifting device, by which a connection can be established between the transmission input shaft and a transmission main shaft associated with a second gearing group, whereby the transmission main shaft is designed as a transmission output shaft or is at least functionally connected to a transmission output shaft, and a structure by which the tractive force gear shifting can be carried out.
US08561491B2

In an electric actuator, a first bore portion in which a driving section is accommodated, and a second bore portion that extends in parallel with the first bore portion and in which a feed screw of a drive force transmission mechanism is inserted, are provided in the interior of an elongate body. Further, a rotary drive source of the driving section and the feed screw are connected through the drive force transmission mechanism. In addition, a drive force of the rotary drive source is transmitted to the feed screw through the drive force transmission mechanism for displacing a slider disposed on an upper portion of the body along an axial direction.
US08561486B2

Devices, apparatus and methods are disclosed for non-contact pneumatic sampling and sampling of surfaces, persons, articles of clothing, buildings, furnishings, vehicles, baggage, packages, mail, and the like, for contaminating aerosols indicative of a hazard or a benefit, where the contaminating aerosols are chemical, radiological, biological, toxic, or infectious in character. In a first device, a central orifice for pulling a suction gas stream is surrounded by a peripheral array of convergingly-directed gas jets, forming a virtual sampling chamber. The gas jets are configured to deliver millisecond pneumatic pulses that erode particles from solid surfaces at a distance. In another aspect of the invention, a suction gas stream is split using an air-to-air concentrator so that a particle-enriched gas flow is directed to a particle trap and any particles immobilized in the particle trap (including any adsorbed vapors associated with the particles) are selectively analyzed to detect trace residues associated with explosives.
US08561483B1

Apparatus and method for collecting particles of both high and low vapor pressure target materials entrained in a large volume sample gas stream. Large volume active cooling provides a cold air supply which is mixed with the sample gas stream to reduce the vapor pressure of the particles. In embodiments, a chiller cools air from ambient conditions to 0-15° C. with the volumetric flow rate of the cold air supply being at least equal to the volumetric flow rate of the sample gas stream. In further embodiments an adsorption media is heated in at least two stages, a first of which is below a threshold temperature at which decomposition products of the high vapor pressure particle are generated.
US08561482B2

A sealed sensor includes a test body configured as a deformable simple parallelogram, including a one-piece test body having a generally H- or X-shaped central opening extending therethrough, whose shape determines four hinge positions of the parallelogram, between the end of each arm of the opening and one face of the test body, and the thickness thereof. At least one hinge is a measuring hinge on one side of the test body. The outer face of the body has a recess and housing for strain gauges and circuits. At least one pair of side cavities define therebetween the width of the measuring hinge(s) and the thickness of the sheets of material connecting side edges of this measuring hinge to side edges of the test body corresponding to the hinge, preventing strains generated in the measuring hinges from being affected by strains from the side edges of the test body.
US08561481B2

Disclosed are a stator assembly and a torque assembly device. The stator assembly includes a stator holder, a first stator which includes a first body making contact with an upper end of the stator holder and a plurality of first teeth extending from the first body so as to be disposed inside the stator holder, a second stator which includes a second body making contact with a lower end of the stator holder and a plurality of second teeth extending from the second body so to be alternately aligned with the first teeth inside the stator holder, and a fusion-welded material that is fusion-welded to the stator holder and the first and second bodies.
US08561473B2

In one embodiment, a force sensor apparatus is provided including a tube portion having a plurality of radial ribs and at least one fiber optic strain gauge positioned over each rib of the plurality of radial ribs. The strain gauges are comprised of a negative thermo-optic coefficient optical fiber material in one embodiment. A proximal end of the tube portion is operably couplable to a shaft of a surgical instrument that is operably couplable to a manipulator arm of a robotic surgical system, and a distal end of the tube portion is proximally couplable to a wrist joint coupled to an end effector. In another embodiment, adjacent fiber optic strain gauges with differing thermal responses are used to solve simultaneous equations in strain and temperature to derive strain while rejecting thermal effects. In yet another embodiment, a thermal shunt shell is over an outer surface of the tube portion. An advantageous surgical instrument having improved temperature compensation is also provided.
US08561466B2

The method and apparatus in one embodiment may have: providing a two-dimensional oscillator having a beam containing two principal elastic axes and two principal damping axes; driving the beam with drive components to oscillate across corners of the beam at approximately 45 degrees to sides of the beam, the drive components having forcer components that provide drive and pickoff components that provide feedback; and oscillating the beam in a normal mode and a reverse mode.
US08561465B2

A rotation rate sensor includes: a mounting device; a first drive frame having a drive, which is designed to set the first drive frame into a first oscillatory motion along an axis of oscillation relative to the mounting device; a first stator electrode; a first actuator electrode coupled to the first drive frame in such a way that in a rotary motion of the rotation rate sensor due to a Coriolis force, the first actuator electrode being displaceable in a first deflection direction relative to the first stator electrode; and an evaluation device configured to determine a voltage applied between the first stator electrode and the first actuator electrode, and to specify information regarding the rotary motion of the rotation rate sensor while taking the determined voltage value into account.
US08561464B2

Disclosed is a method for correcting an unbalance on a vehicle wheel including a rim and a tire, which includes measuring the unbalance of the vehicle wheel in an unbalance measuring station, rotating the vehicle wheel in the unbalance measuring station into a defined angular position and transmitting the defined angular position and the correction data to a control device for controlling an applicator head of a balancing station, transferring the vehicle wheel from the unbalance measuring station to the balancing station by means of a gripper arranged on a handling device and centrally locating and holding it in the balancing station, loading a corrective element which has one side coated with an adhesive and exhibits the weight amount determined in the unbalance measuring station into the applicator head of the balancing station, and rotating the vehicle wheel and/or the applicator head in dependence upon the control device in such a way that the corrective element in the cavity of the wheel rim reaches the correction plane and the attachment location on the attachment surface, and fastening the corrective element by pressing its adhesive-coated side against the attachment surface of the rim.
US08561453B2

A method and system for automatically calibrating all pressure sensors in a hydrogen storage system for a fuel cell vehicle. A pressure regulator in the hydrogen storage system, which has much greater accuracy at low pressures, is used to calibrate the high-range pressure sensors used in the hydrogen storage system. This calibration can only be done when the pressure regulator is in a fully open position. In such a condition, the pressure sensors can be calibrated to the regulation pressure value of the regulator, thus greatly improving the accuracy of the readings of the high-range sensors at the low end of their range. The calibration can be performed during fuel cell operation under certain circumstances, performed during a programmed shutdown sequence, or performed in a service procedure.
US08561448B2

A flanged duct blank has a male part defined by lead notches formed at each side of a leading end and has a female part defined by trail notches formed at each side of a trailing end. The male part includes a lock tab. The female part includes a leg part and a Z-bend. The Z-bend includes a leg part and a gap. The duct blank is repeatedly clamped and bent by a pivoting wiper to form a duct portion. The pivoting wiper includes a clench tool that has a retractable rib and a retractable roller. With the lock tab inserted into the Z-bend and the retractable rib engaged with the Z-bend, the retractable roller clenches the leg part over the lock tab to lock the male and female parts together in a duct seam.
US08561445B2

A can rounding system and method that uses arms that are able to maintain cans in a concentric arrangement during the welding process. The arms enable the can rounding system to maintain the concentric positions in order to achieve improved circular dimensions and increase the overall efficiency in the construction of cylindrical and conical structures, such as wind towers.
US08561440B1

A slide bolt lock for locking a pivoting garage door to a garage door frame includes a backing plate has a door mount adapted to fix the backing plate to the door. The backing plate includes a pair of opposed risers, each of which has an aperture therein. The backing plate further includes a lock socket. A rigid slide bolt is slidably and pivotally captured within the apertures of each riser and further includes fixed thereto a lock cover. The slide bolt and the lock cover are slidable between an extended position and a retracted position. The lock cover includes a lock mechanism adapted to selectively and lockingly engage the lock socket of the backing plate when the slide bolt is in the extended position, wherein the lock cover substantially covers the backing plate.
US08561438B2

A complex washing machine is disclosed. The complex washing machine includes an auxiliary washing machine that is capable of serving as a pedestal for a main laundry machine, such as a washing machine or a drying machine, and performing a washing operation. The auxiliary washing machine is suitable for washing a small amount of laundry while the auxiliary washing machine serves as a pedestal for supporting the main washing machine, which is placed on the auxiliary washing machine. A bearing housing, which supports a rotary shaft of a motor, and a bottom plate of a tub are connected to each other via a gasket. Consequently, the vibration generated from the tub during washing is minimized.
US08561429B2

A strengthened glass that does not exhibit frangible behavior when subjected to impact or contact forces, and a method of strengthening a glass. The glass may be strengthened by subjecting it to multiple, successive, ion exchange treatments. The multiple ion exchange treatments provide a local compressive stress maximum at a depth of the strengthened layer and a second local maximum at or near (e.g., within 10 μm) the surface of the glass.
US08561426B2

A flow restriction or metering device for a refrigerant system includes a crimped or otherwise formed tubular insert that is installed within a standard flare fitting. The flare fitting can be similar to those used for coupling two refrigerant lines, or the fitting can be part of a service valve, such as those used for charging, discharging, or servicing refrigerant systems. The insert provides a fixed orifice having a predetermined flow coefficient. The insert is removably clamped within the fitting and extends into a refrigerant line that connects to the fitting.
US08561423B2

This device (11) comprises a generator (33) for separating a mixed fluid into a refrigerant fluid and an absorbent fluid. It comprises a refrigerant fluid condenser (35), linked to a generator (33) and an evaporator (51) of refrigerant fluid linked to a condenser (35) by a feeder conduit (61) into refrigerant fluid. This device (11) also comprises a refrigerant fluid absorber (55) linked to an evaporator (51) and a generator (33). The device (11) comprises a refrigeration circuit (53) using refrigerant fluid. The circuit (53) is linked to at least a first heat exchanger (77) located outside the evaporator (51). The circuit (53) is linked to at least a first evaporation area of the evaporator (51), up and down stream from the first heat exchanger (77) to make part of the refrigerant circulate as a refrigerant fluid in the refrigeration circuit (53). For application in air conditioning for motor vehicles.
US08561416B2

A method for managing thermal energy in an internal combustion engine including an exhaust gas recirculation system and an engine cooling system includes recirculating a portion of an exhaust gas through the exhaust gas recirculation system that is in thermal communication with a first side of a thermoelectric device, flowing an engine coolant into thermal communication with a second side of a thermoelectric device, and controlling electric current between an electrical energy storage device and the thermoelectric device to transfer thermal energy between the recirculated exhaust gas and the engine coolant.
US08561413B2

A method and system operating an aircraft system are provided. The gas turbine engine system includes a low-pressure (LP) shaft, a high-pressure (HP) shaft, a constant speed mechanical drive assembly having an input and an output, the input mechanically coupled to the LP shaft, the output mechanically coupled to a constant frequency (CF) electrical generator, and an accessory gearbox assembly having an input and an output, the input mechanically coupled to the HP shaft, the output mechanically coupled to a variable frequency (VF) electrical generator.
US08561409B2

A quarl of a burner for a gas turbine engine is provided. Fuel and air is mixed and provided to the burner. The quarl is arranged to house a main flame. Stability is achieved by a quarl, which is formed from a plurality of quarl sections, wherein each quarl section includes the configuration of the conical shell of a truncated cone and are distributed consecutively one after the other in the downstream direction of the burner, wherein a most narrow part of the shell of a downstream quarl section surrounds the widest part of the shell of the closest upstream quarl section and wherein an annular channel for premixed air and fuel is arranged between two consecutive quarl sections.
US08561407B2

A hybrid solar collector and geothermal system collects low grade heat energy derived from the sun. A simple heat engine converts this energy into mechanical energy, and then into electrical energy using an air-motor-generator setup, by exploiting the difference in temperature between the solar collector and the geothermal heat sinks. Waste heat trapped in an attic is directed to the solar collector to supplement the collection of low grade heat energy. In addition, cryogenic liquid is used to create the temperature difference in the geothermal heat sink when low grade heat energy is unavailable. This system does not produce any CO2 because it does not use combustion to produce electricity.
US08561402B2

A master cylinder assembly for a hydraulic actuation system for a handlebar-steered vehicle. The master cylinder assembly generally includes a housing mountable to a frame member of the handlebar-steered vehicle and having a chamber including a fluid cavity with first and second fluid cavity regions. The first fluid cavity region is in fluid communication with the hydraulic actuation system. The housing includes discrete first and second housing portions. The first housing portion has first and second end portions. The first end portion of the first housing portion extends axially into the second fluid cavity region creating an annular gap radially outboard of the first end portion extending into the second fluid cavity region. The second end portion of the first housing portion is connected to the hydraulic actuation system. A piston assembly includes a piston slidably disposed within the fluid cavity. An actuator is operatively connected to the housing and operatively connected to the piston to slidably displace the piston between an open fluid circuit position permitting fluid flow between the first and second fluid cavity regions and a closed fluid circuit position blocking fluid flow between the first and second fluid cavity regions.
US08561381B2

A system for unstrapping and unsleeving a tray is provided. The system comprises a tray-transport configured to transport a tray in the system, a strap cutter configured to cut a strap on the tray, a strap-removal portion configured to remove the strap cut by the strap cutter, and an unsleeving station configured to remove a sleeve from the tray. The unsleeving station is configured to remove the sleeve from the tray after the strap-removal portion removes the cut strap.
US08561380B2

A system for assembling a shipping package includes a feeder feeding an envelope from a supply of envelopes and a transport mechanism that transports a shipping container from a supply of shipping containers and places the shipping container in position for the feeder to insert the envelope into the shipping container. The envelope contains a replacement presentation instrument and a shipping indicator, and the shipping indicator includes a shipping address visible through a first substantially clear window in the envelope. Each shipping container has a second substantially clear window, and when the envelope has been inserted into the shipping container, the shipping address is visible through the second substantially clear window.
US08561379B2

A sealant film for use in a film structure for the manufacture of pouches and bags for containing flowable materials, the sealant film comprising: (1) from about 2.0 to about 9.5 wt %, based on 100 wt % total composition, of an ethylene C4-C10-alpha-olefin interpolymer having a density of from 0.850 to 0.890 g/cc and a melt index of 0.3 to 5 g/10 min, the interpolymer being present in an amount that optimizes flex crack resistance as measured using a Gelbo Flex tester set up to test in accordance with ASTM F392, and minimizes reduction of thermal resistance, as measured using DSC (ASTM E794/E793) Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) which determines temperature and heat flow associated with material transitions as a function of time and temperature, and stiffness of the sealant film layer as measured using Tensile Modulus of the polyethylene films measured in accordance with ASTM Method D882; (2) from about 70.5 wt % to about 98.0 wt %, based on 100 wt % total composition, of one or more polymers selected from ethylene homopolymers and ethylene C4-C10-alpha-olefin interpolymers, having a density between 0.915 g/cc and 0.935 g/cc and a melt index of 0.2 to 2 g/10 min; and (3) from about 0 wt % to about 20.0 wt %, based on 100 wt % total composition, of processing additives selected from slip agents, antiblock agents, colorants and processing aids; and wherein the sealant film has a thickness of from about 2 to about 60 μm.
US08561374B2

An article of manufacture for wood construction, comprising: a plurality of layers facially attached to each other, each layer comprising a plurality of primary wood members, each neighboring two of the primary wood members being connected by a plurality of connecting wood members, each connecting wood member extending between the two neighboring primary wood members, each one of the layers being oriented with each primary wood member of the layer overlapping a plurality of respective connecting wood members of a neighboring one of the layers.
US08561365B2

A window assembly and method of constructing a window assembly is disclosed. The window assembly comprises a base frame assembly, an external cladding assembly, an interior trim assembly and a sash assembly. In one embodiment, the base frame assembly, external cladding assembly and interior trim assembly are constructed from one of three different types of materials. The external cladding assembly may also be snap-fit onto the base frame assembly. Further, the interior trim assembly can include a jamb extension assembly that can also be snap-fit onto the base frame assembly. The interior trim assembly may also include head, sill and side stop assemblies which can be push-fit onto the base frame assembly. Another aspect of the disclosure is a sash assembly that can be assembled as a snap-fit assembly.
US08561347B1

A portable planting system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a flexible, lightweight sack having an opening located in at least one end for receiving the soil. Opposing ends of the sack are held shut and supported by respective opposing handles which maintain the soil within the sack and allow the sack to be lifted and moved. Furthermore, the portable planting system comprises a liner which receives the sack. The liner has an upper opening for receiving the sack and opposing end openings for receiving the handles. Also, the portable planting system comprises one or more straps for containing the sack within the liner. Small holes can be poked in the exposed upper portion of the sack in order to plant individual plants and the sack prevents weeds from growing around the plants. The liner contains a portion of the water and provides stability to the portable planting system when the system is moved.
US08561344B2

A mushroom compost compacting system and method includes a roller assembly mounted to a compost receptacle to form a nip, and a web or conveyor to convey mushroom compost to the nip. Mushroom compost is compacted at the nip from an initial compost height to a final compost height. The roller assembly has a roller, a shaft, and fixtures coupled to each end of the shaft. The fixtures are adjustable to define the roller nip height. In one embodiment, the fixtures are mounted to sleeves that engage the sidewalls of the compost receptacle. In another embodiment, the ends of the fixtures are mounted to a support, which may be a joist or a separate channel extending under the floor portion of the compost receptacle, or which may be a post that forms support structure for the compost receptacle.
US08561343B2

An apparatus to project toward a tree to disburse a pheromone, comprising: a releaser removably adjacent to a capsule via an extension; whereby said releaser and said capsule are disposed adjacent to each other in a deployable state, then the releaser separates from the capsule but is still connected via said extension whereby inertia causes said releaser to move away from said capsule into an attachment state, and related methods of applying a pheromone onto a tree branch.
US08561342B2

An apparatus provides a fishing rig designed for improved performance in bottom fishing applications such as surf fishing. This fishing rig includes a hoop attached to the top of a sinker. The rig line is attached at its bottom end to the hoop, and a hook-shaped member is attached to the rig line above the hoop. Above the hook-shaped member, one or more fish hooks are attached to the rig line, and a swivel is attached at the top end of the rig line.
US08561341B1

The rifle scope alignment assembly of translucent construction enables alignment of a scope with respect to a rifle, and which is secured onto the scope via a rubber band encircling a portion of the assembly and a rearmost scope mount. The rifle scope alignment assembly includes a horizontal alignment plate that extends and retracts downwardly with respect to a housing, and which includes a groove that touch a top portion of a rifle barrel. The housing includes scope rest pins that extend rearwardly, and which engage the upper, exterior surface of the scope, and in concert with the groove of the horizontal alignment plate enable horizontal alignment of the scope with respect to the rifle. The housing is attached against a vertical alignment plate that includes a plurality of horizontal lines, which are used with the scope's cross hairs to vertically align said scope.
US08561328B2

A steam generating device includes a steam chamber provided with a hydrophilic coating. The hydrophilic coating includes an acid phosphate compound and boron, such as a salt of boron with a metallic element. T he coating promotes steaming and is resistant to flaking.
US08561325B1

A skidsteer loader grubbing attachment capable of removing vegetation by engaging the vegetation below and above ground. The grubbing attachment may include a frame, a pincer mounted to the frame, and a blade attached to the frame below the pincer.
US08561324B1

A combination livestock bedding leveler and groomer attachment preferably includes a mounting base, a mechanized equipment mounting plate, a rake arm and a leveler blade. The rake arm is pivotally mounted to one end of the mounting base and the leveler blade is pivotally mounted to the other end of mounting base. The mechanized equipment mounting plate is attached to a rear of the mounting base with any suitable method. The mechanized equipment mounting plate is supplied by numerous manufacturers. The mechanized equipment mounting plate allows the bedding leveler and groomer to be attached to a quick release mounting device retained on a skid steer, construction equipment, farming equipment or any other mechanized equipment. The rake arm includes a plurality of teeth projections for grooming soil or sand. The leveler blade includes a blade member for leveling soil or sand.
US08561321B2

An air injection nozzle has an air injection face with a number of air injection holes arrayed at an interval (Py) in first and second staggered rows. The first row and the second rows are positioned at an interval (Px). The air injection face and the sheet running face confront each other at a distance (L). The air injection holes in the air injection face have a diameter (D). The interval (Px), the interval (Py), the distance (L) and the diameter (D) satisfy Formula (1): 6≦(L/D)/(Px/Py)≦9, and Formula (2): 4≦L/D≦8. This air injection nozzle is employed as a resin film heat treating apparatus in a tenter oven to be used for manufacturing the resin film.
US08561320B2

A method for determining status of a drying cycle comprises receiving, at a first time, a first signal from a bladder pressure sensor configured to be responsive to changes in a weight of a container of the dryer, the container retaining materials to be dried. At a second time, the controller receives a second signal from the bladder pressure sensor. A change in the bladder pressure signals is calculated based on difference between the second signal and the first signal, and the change in the bladder pressure signals is interpreted as a change in the weight of the container. Based on the change in the weight of the container and the length of time, a rate of change in the weight of the container is calculated.
US08561319B2

The present invention involves to the industrial automated producing method for dewatering the sludge into the dry sludge powder and the assembly thereof. The present method is to realize the industrial automated production in the industrial automated producing assembly, especially in the main equipment, dehydrator, for dewatering the sludge into the dry sludge powder, so as to dewater the sludge having the moisture content below 85% into the dry powder having the moisture content below 5%. The method and assembly of the present invention realizes recycling, reducing, stabilizing, and reusing the sludge, and can be widely applied for dewatering process of the domestic, industrial or riverway sludge or sediment.
US08561318B2

A method for preparing a container holding high level radioactive waste for dry storage. In one aspect, the method includes: (a) providing a gas circulation system comprising a condensing module, a desiccant module, a gas circulator module; (b) connecting the gas circulation system to the canister so as to form a hermetically sealed closed-loop path that includes the cavity; (c) filling the hermetically sealed closed-loop path with a non-reactive gas; (d) circulating the non-reactive gas through the hermetically sealed closed-loop path until the condensing module is no longer removing substantial amounts of water from the circulating non-reactive gas, wherein the desiccant module is sealed off from the hermetically sealed closed-loop path during step (d); and (e) adding the desiccant module to the hermetically sealed closed-loop path and continuing to circulate the non-reactive gas through the hermetically sealed closed-loop path, the desiccant module dehumidifying the circulating the non-reactive gas.
US08561315B2

The invention includes an apparatus, system, and method for the drying of particulate agricultural matter, especially particulate crops, such grains. The present invention provides a crop particulate (i.e., grain) drying system utilizing solar energy to heat a heat transfer fluid or solution within concomitant forced-air and radiant heat systems which pass heated air through a crop particulate material contained within a conventional crop silo or bin. Electricity demand may be met through utilization of solar photovoltaic panels backed up by connection to an external power source (i.e. power utility).
US08561309B2

A shape measuring device to measure a shape of a workpiece, wherein the shape measuring device includes: the probe; a probe support shaft to pivotally support the probe; and a probe drive device to which the probe support shaft is attached to contact the probe with a measuring position of the workpiece and to move relatively the workpiece and the probe; wherein the probe is a sphere pivotally supported by the probe support shaft and has a cut face which is a shape cut so as to be nearly vertical to the probe support shaft and a shape measurement of a workpiece surface is carried out in such a manner that the cut face of the probe is faced with a face intersecting a face containing the measuring position of the workpiece surface, and a surface of the sphere is contacted with the measuring position of the workpiece.
US08561289B2

A repair method for detaching a part from a board in an electronic device module having at least the board and the part bonded with the board by a press fitting process. A repair use block having a repair use through hole is placed on the part, and a repair use bolt is fastened with a repair use female thread formed in the part, in advance, through the repair use through hole. The repair use bolt head abuts against the top surface of the repair use block, then is further fastened, whereupon the part is pulled up together with the repair use female thread upward above the board. When a repair use female thread cannot be directly formed in the part, a repair use auxiliary part which is to be pulled up integrally with the part, is interposed.
US08561288B2

Some embodiments include a connection device for electrically coupling an electrical device to a test system. The connection device can include at least one suction cup configured to be coupled to the electrical device, spring loaded connector pins configured to electrically couple the electrical device to the test system, and a support frame coupled to the at least one suction cup and the spring loaded connector pins. The at least one suction cup can include three suction cups including a first suction cup, a second suction cup, and a third suction cup, and the support frame can include a first end coupled to the first suction cup, a second end opposite the first end and coupled to the second suction cup, and a third end between the first and second ends and coupled to the third suction cup. Other embodiments of related devices and methods are also described herein.
US08561283B1

A universal bell housing which may be adapted to a variety of automotive engine and transmission combinations and method of making the same is disclosed. The bell housing is made by spin forming a sheet of steel and welding a transmission plate onto the cone. The cone and transmission plate are indexed to mount to a specified engine-transmission combination.
US08561279B2

The invention provides a spring product manufacturing line comprising: a manufacturing area 2 at which a formation device 50 attached to a base mount 52 plastically processes a spring material into a spring product; a formation device switching area 3 at which one formation device 50 is removed from the mount 52 and switched with another forming device 50; and a formation device transport line 4 that conveys a formation device 50 attached to a base mount 52 at the device switching area 3 to a manufacturing area 2; wherein the formation device 50 is provided with a plurality of formation units 54 that perform a bending process on the spring material by fluid pressure; the base mount 52 is provided with a pressure fluid line 62 that supplies pressure fluid to the formation units 54 provided at the formation device 50, and that is removably connected to each of the formation units 54; and the attachment or removal of the pressure fluid line 62 with respect to the formation device 50 is performed at the device switching area 3.
US08561276B2

A sputtering bracket includes a curved plate body, a plurality of frames, and a plurality of fastening members. The body defines a plurality of through holes and has an inner concave side. The frames are pivotally connected with the curved plate body and received in the respective through holes. Each frame is rotatable relative to the curved plate body such that either one of opposite sides thereof can be exposed at the inner concave side. The fastening members are mounted on the curved plate body body, and are spring-loaded for resilient engagement with the respective frames.
US08561275B2

Setting device with a variable setting stroke adjustment and method of setting the setting stroke of setting device. Setting device includes a housing, a pulling rod structured and arranged for movement in an axial direction, an adjustably positionable stop element structured and arranged to adjustably limit a setting stroke of the pulling rod, and a locking element movable between a closed position and an adjustment position. The stop element has at least one region with a polygonal contour, and, in the closed position, the locking element engages in a path of motion of edges of the polygonal contour and, in the adjustment position, releases the path of motion.
US08561272B2

A ductmaking apparatus forms a laminate section including a sheet metal layer and a layer of insulation fastened to the sheet metal layer. The layer of insulation is severed from a moving web of insulation by pivoting slicing movement of a knife across the moving web.
US08561269B2

Fasteners including male and female assemblies. At least one of the male or female assembly may have a flexible base that flexes to conform to a non-planar mounting surface. The flexible base is bonded to the stud and/or the socket using techniques that provide a high degree of strength to withstand repeated engagement and disengagement of the fastener. Moreover, in certain embodiments the bonding techniques eliminate the need for mechanical means (for example, threads) to secure the stud to the flexible base. Mechanical tests show that the male assembly according to certain embodiments has 62% more strength than known male assemblies.
US08561266B2

In a holder arrangement of an aircraft or spacecraft comprising a structural member, a holder comprising at least one lower part and at least one upper part is provided, and these are formed so as to be able to be clamped together to be attached with a non-positive fit to a fastening portion of the structural member. The fastening portion can be clamped between the lower part and the upper part. The holder arrangement is characterised by at least one fixing strip which can be connected to the fastening portion of the structural member in the longitudinal direction thereof and which comprises a fixing profile for fixing the holder to the structural member in the longitudinal direction of the structural member with a positive fit. An aircraft or spacecraft has at least one holder arrangement of this type.
US08561263B2

A bracelet clasp with an unfolding buckle includes a lever (2) pivotably mounted on a cap (1) by a first hinge (3a), the lever controlling a bolt (4) which is in turn mounted on the cap (1) by a second hinge (3b) distinct from the first. The bolt (4) is arranged to cooperate with a hook (22) fitted to the first arm (8) of the clasp. Elastic mechanism (5) is arranged for keeping the lever (2) in a non-raised position and the bolt (4) engaged with the hook (22) when the lever is not manually activated.
US08561260B2

A window balance assembly may include a carrier, a spring element, and a mounting bracket. The spring element may include first and second portions. The first portion may be coupled to the carrier. The mounting bracket may engage the second portion of the spring element and may selectively engage the carrier. The mounting bracket may include a first mounting surface disposed at a non-perpendicular angle relative to an exterior surface of carrier when the window balance assembly is in an uninstalled configuration. The first mounting surface may be substantially parallel to the exterior surface of the carrier when the window balance assembly is in an installed configuration and the mounting bracket is disengaged from the carrier.
US08561258B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a hubless caster that is at least as aesthetically pleasing as prior art hubless casters but that is significantly more durable. In one aspect, a hubless caster is provided that includes a frame member having two opposed sides. A generally ring-shaped mount portion projects from at least one of the two opposed sides of the frame member. In some embodiments, the hubless caster has the following three components mounted on the mount portion, in sequence moving radially outwardly from the mount portion: a) an annular backbone member defining an inner bearing race, b) a rolling element, and c) a wheel defining an outer bearing race.
US08561257B2

A surface cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner comprises an open sided air flow passage upstream of an n enclosed air flow passage extending from an opening in the surface cleaning head to an air outlet. The open sided airflow chamber comprising an upper wall and a rear depending wall extending downwardly from the upper wall. The rear depending wall has a lower end that is positioned above the lower end of wheels. The opening is provided in a rear half of the upper wall of the air flow chamber forwardly of the rear depending wall and inwardly of the sides.
US08561256B2

A floor cleaning machine includes a cleaning system, a front wheel, two rear wheels, and a drive mechanism. Each of the two rear wheels is independently driven by the drive mechanism. The operator is placed on the machine such that the operator is standing on a platform located along and above the geometrical center axis between the two rear wheels. The maximum vertical distance between the platform and the floor is 200 mm.
US08561255B2

Provided is a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner includes a suction nozzle and a main body rotatably connected to the suction nozzle.
US08561244B2

A toothbrush can include a handle and a head. At least one bristle can be attached to the head. The toothbrush can also have an illumination member, an illumination circuit and an activation device. A pliant base on the handle can be used to activate the activation device to initiate the illumination circuit.
US08561239B2

An articulating cage configured to raise and lower with respect to a fixed structure. The articulating cage comprises support structures affixed to the fixed structure and that include one or more springs. The articulating cage includes lifting arms that are pivotally connected to the support structures at one end and to a cage portion at the other end. A load chain connects to the springs at one end and to the lifting arm at the other near to the location where the lifting arm connects to the cage portion.
US08561238B1

A hitch receiver mountable tailgate ramp for loading and unloading heavy articles by wheeling said articles into and from the truck bed via said ramp. Once deployed the ramp has an arched shape to displace the load during use between the ramp's surface engaging edge and the hitch mount thereby providing a ramp with a greater load capacity than similar linear ramps. When not in use the ramp can be folded into an upright position substantially coplanar with the truck's closed tailgate. In operation the ramp is extended by pivoting the interior ramp segment until the ramp is in its arched position while the articulated post is lowered into its linear position.
US08561236B2

Stepped-edge and side-support members, systems, assemblies, and related methods for an innerspring assembly or other core are disclosed. In one embodiment, an innerspring assembly or core is provided having an interior area of a first height surrounded by one or more exterior, perimeter area(s) of shorter height(s) to provide a stepped-edge innerspring assembly or core. At least a portion of side-support members are placed onto at least a portion of the top surface of the perimeter area to provide edge-support for the innerspring assembly or core. In this manner, a greater portion of the side-support members can be disposed in the sleeping area of the innerspring assembly or core since the underlying perimeter area provides spring support to the side-support members. Further, this support can assist in retention and/or recovery of the shape of the side-support members to further prevent or reduce compression set of the side-support members.
US08561233B2

A hermetically sealed infection control bedding product such as a pillow, duvet, mattress, cushion or such like having a sealed cover and having a resiliently deformable filling material, comprising a vent means in the cover, characterized in that the vent means comprises a filter medium including a filter membrane for the removal of particles of microbial size and wherein the filter medium also comprises a strengthening layer of material for providing mechanical strength to the filter medium whereby the filter medium allows air flow therethrough but is substantially impermeable to liquid while maintaining a barrier to particles of microbial size.
US08561214B2

Articles of apparel may include a base layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface. The base layer defines an aperture extending through the base layer and from the first surface to the second surface. Cushioning elements may have a first material layer, a second material layer, and a plurality of foam components. The first material layer and the second material layer are bonded to the second surface of the base layer. The foam components are located between and secured to the first material layer and the second material layer. In addition, the foam components are positioned to correspond with a location of the aperture. In some configurations, a bonding element may be utilized to bond the first material layer and the second material layer to the base layer.
US08561213B2

A protective undergarment (10), shown in the form of shorts, includes integrally formed protective panels (22, 26, 30) that exhibit slash-proof properties. The protective areas (22, 26, 30) are made from a flexible Kevlar® knit or the like, and extend to cover the groin, crotch, substantial areas of the buttocks and the inner thigh regions of both legs. The protective panels (22, 26, 30) are externally snitched to a low thermal burden material (18, 20), such as a polyester mesh, that provides elasticity and completes the structure of the shorts (10). The Kevlar® knit is flexible and preferably lies directly against the skin of a user to provide blast wave and ballistic fragment deflection while permitting mobility in a lightweight arrangement. Varying thickness of the Kevlar® knit can be used in the protective areas (22, 26, 30) selectively to enhance protection against blast wave and fragment penetration. The shorts (10) find particular application in battlefield theatres where military personnel are exposed to bomb threats.
US08566947B1

A method and apparatus for managing alert level of the user computer is described. In one embodiment, the method for dynamically adjusting an alert level for notifying a user as to at least one threat to a computer includes applying heuristic information to environment data to identify vulnerability indicia regarding a computer, wherein the environment data comprises at least one usage statistic related to a user associated with the computer and determining an alert level based on the vulnerability indicia, wherein the user is notified of at least one threat to the computer in accordance with the alert level.
US08566946B1

Systems and methods for malware containment on connection are provided. Digital devices are quarantined for a predetermined period of time upon connection to the communication network. When a digital device is quarantined, all network data transmitted by the digital device is temporarily directed to a controller which then analyzes the network data to identify unauthorized activity and/or malware within the newly connected digital device. An exemplary method to contain malware comprises detecting a digital device upon connection with a communication network, temporarily redirecting network data from the digital device for a predetermined period of time, and analyzing the network data to identify malware within the digital device.
US08566941B2

A method and system provide security for a communication network and for one or more nodes within the network. Software can be distributed throughout the network from a centralized location or administrative console. The software can be made resident in the kernel of the operating system of a receiving node. The software can provide an observation functionality, an analysis functionality, a reporting functionality and a remediation functionality or some subset of those functionalities.
US08566937B2

An information processing terminal (40) includes: a network control unit (250); an installation control unit (260); a process control unit (200) for starting up an application and establishing cooperation among applications including the application; an access-history map updating unit (290) for updating an access-history map (281) which represents history information on an access relationship among the applications when a request is made to start up the application or to establish cooperation among the applications; and an unauthorized-cooperation-of-applications control unit (220) for (i) determining whether or not an unauthorized cooperation, which is directed at sensitive information kept secret, is established among the applications with reference to information obtained from the access-history map (281) and an application authorizing list (271), and (ii) controlling execution of the application using an application execution control technique in the case where a result of the determination shows that the unauthorized cooperation is established.
US08566934B2

A method is provided of enhancing security of at least one of a host computing device and a peripheral device. In the method, the host computing device is coupled to the peripheral device through a communication interface. The method includes transparently receiving data from one of the peripheral device and the host computing device, and storing the received data. The method further includes analyzing the stored data to identify a circumstance posing a security risk. If analyzing does not identify such a circumstance, then the method includes transparently echoing the data to the other of the peripheral device and the host. If analyzing does identify such a circumstance, then the method includes performing a security process defined by a rule. Related apparatus is provided, as well as other methods and apparatus.
US08566932B1

Reputation-based automatic remediation is applied for enforcing good network hygiene of a client. A scanning module scans the client to detect files on the client in response to an attempt by the client to connect to a secure network. A reputation score module retrieves onto the client a reputation score for each of the files detected. The reputation scores can be retrieved from a reputation database of a reputation server storing reputation data for files. A hygiene score module calculates on the client a hygiene score for the client based on the reputation scores for the files on the client. The hygiene score indicates a likelihood of the client to engage in risky behavior. The threshold determination module determines whether the hygiene score exceeds a threshold for bad client hygiene. The policy module applies a policy to the client that restricts network access in response to the hygiene score for the client exceeding the threshold.
US08566929B2

In a packet-based communication between a mobile radio and a base station in a radio communication system, an authenticity of a packet based on authentication data associated with the packet is tested. Packets that fail the authenticity test are removed from the communication. A security condition is detected when a number of failed packets for the communication exceeds a security threshold, and in response thereto, action is taken to correct or reduce the security condition. The removed packets are preferably not discarded, but instead are stored used for analysis, and based on that analysis, appropriate action can be taken.
US08566927B2

The approach defines a protection mechanism against attacks to a security enforcing operation performed by cryptographic token or smart card. It is based on an attack detector which signals the main elaboration or processing system regarding a potential attack situation. The approach addresses SIM cloning problems of telecommunications operators who use old and breakable cryptographic algorithms such as the COMP-128 and do not want to invest in updating the network authentication systems with more resistant authentication cryptographic algorithms. The approach may be applicable to the typical telecommunications operator in an emerging market that does not use state of the art technology.
US08566900B1

Using geographical information in policy enforcement is disclosed. A policy is determined based on geographical information associated with an IP address. A policy is enforced based at least in part on the geographical information. The IP address may be either a source IP address or a destination IP address. In some cases network traffic is monitored to determine the IP address.
US08566898B2

A method and apparatus for securing information in a wireless network printing system are provided. The information security method includes setting and storing service items to be allowed according to wireless security levels supported by the wireless printer, selecting one of the wireless security levels, and executing a service requested by a user if the requested service is one of allowed service items for the selected wireless security level.
US08566894B2

A system for the distribution of media is disclosed. The system comprises a network center; a delivery system for receiving data from and transmitting data to the network center; and a plurality of multimedia teller machines (MTMs) for receiving data from the delivery system, and for providing a plurality of gigablocks, wherein the gigablocks provide for secure and/or high bandwidth data.
US08566892B2

A network system includes an image projection apparatus that projects image data; a first terminal; and a second terminal where the first terminal includes an original image data storing unit that stores original image data and a corresponding information generating unit that generates corresponding information in which image identification data of the image data for projection, generated from the original image data, capable of identifying the original image data and terminal identification data for identifying the first terminal correspond with each other, and the image projection apparatus includes a request sending unit that sends, upon receiving a request for delivering the image data being projected from the second terminal, the request for delivering the original image data including the image identification data, which is included in the corresponding information stored in the storing unit, to the first terminal.
US08566870B2

A high definition television (HDTV) is capable of displaying one or more streams. Typical stream changing is accomplished by freshly determining the stream settings (frame rate, resolution, refresh method) as each stream is detected, resulting in slow to tortuously slow stream surfing. Here, the HDTV stream settings are stored in a list of present streams, so that stream surfing may continue at much higher rates without redetermining the stream settings with each stream change. The improved stream surfing may be turned on or off at user discretion. Additionally, individual streams, as well as other audio/video inputs may also be edited to user-desired stream settings by accepting user inputs. The HDTV may automatically detect HDTV settings for each currently tuned stream of a list of potential streams, or may download the HDTV setting for a specific location of the HDTV.
US08566865B2

Dynamically replaceable assets are inserted in program content and may be used for the insertion of cinematic stage props therein. Such assets can be used for advertising purposes in that images of different products and services can be inserted therein and are changeable via a network. Such assets may be created by identifying locations in the content where the assets can be inserted, establishing the assets in the identified locations, determining location and visual effects information for each asset, and creating a reference file that includes the location and the visual effects information associated with each asset. A value may be determined for each asset or advertisers may bid on the assets to yield additional advertising revenue channel for the content. The content may be played back by broadcasting the content and reference information designating parameters for inserting the assets into the content. Replacement images, such as images of products, may be obtained via a network. The visual appearance of each replacement image may be modified using visual effects information so the inserted objects appear natural as if they were part of the original scene.
US08566858B2

Automatically matching local broadcast station copies of commercial content to previously identified content that is centrally attributed to a unique identification code is provided. A local broadcast station receives digital audio and processes the contents into a data profile of 1,024 bits. The data profile is compared with a master database of other content data profiles until an identical match is found. A corresponding commercial identifier is employed to identify the subject content digital audio file to the station's Broadcast Production System. The determined commercial identifier is injected as a digital artifact into the carrier of the content digital audio file, and associatively stored with the content digital audio file. During the performance process, the appropriate commercial content digital audio file is sequenced by matching the commercial identifier associated with the digital audio file. A verification of an accurate association between the commercial identifier and the content digital audio is performed by reading the digital audio file and extracting the commercial identifier in its digital artifact form from the body of the digital audio file's carrier.
US08566857B2

A verification system that injects a inaudible identification code into a broadcast advertisement immediately prior to its radio frequency transmission is disclosed. An amplitude modulated sample sequence called a “digital artifact” containing, for example, a date and time code, is generated and inserted into the audio or video or composite audio and video data stream called a content “carrier.” The combined data signal is converted from a digital stream to an analog signal and processed by standard broadcast transmission and transmitted in the radio frequency spectrum in the conventional manner. A radio frequency spectrum radio or television receiver receives the broadcast signal and converts to a digital data stream. A decoder processes the transmitted content carrier and extracts the digital artifact from the data stream. The derived information is evaluated, quantified, and transmitted to a central control point where it is compared with original reference and identification data.
US08566854B2

An apparatus for rotating a disc is disclosed, wherein the apparatus for rotating the disc includes a rotation shaft; a turn table coupled to the rotation shaft and having a felt that makes contact with a disc; a center guide member inserted into the rotation shaft and coupled to an inner face of the disc; a clamp magnet sucking a clamp unit that is faced with the turn table and makes contact with an upper face of the disc toward the felt; an elastic member interposed between the turn table and the center guide member and the elastic member elastically supporting the center guide member in an axial direction of the rotation shaft, wherein an anti-slip torque that is applied to the upper face of the disc by using the clamp unit and the elastic member is stronger than a rotation torque that is generated by the turn table to prevent slipping of the optical disc from the turn table.
US08566844B2

Embodiments of the invention broadly provide a system configured to receive, process and broadcast generalized event notifications from components and provide these generalized event notifications (messages) to a predetermined set of subscriber components. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention broadly contemplate a messaging system providing increased system flexibility for implementing and managing changes in complex computing systems having one or more related system components.
US08566842B2

A method and computer program product for identifying a protocol used in a message are presented. The message is received at a socket associated with a port in a communication system. A portion of the message containing protocol information is identified in response to the message being received at the socket. The protocol used in the message is identified from the protocol information in the portion of the message. The message is forwarded to a process configured to process the protocol.
US08566840B2

An embodiment of the invention pertains to a method of filtering messages in a kernel of an operating system. The method includes receiving message traffic from network and determining information that indicates contents of each message in the kernel. The method also includes selectively passing the message from the kernel to one or more applications based on the information and according to at least one criterion, where the least one criterion is associated with a respective application of the one or more applications.
US08566836B2

A multi-core system on a chip (200) is described in which a speed information for each core (210, 220, 230, 240), such as the maximum operation speed (Fmax), is extracted and stored in a storage device, such as a device control registry (215), where it may be accessed and used by the operating system when allocating workload among the cores by selecting the fasted core (e.g, 210) to run any applications or tasks that can not be executed on a plurality of cores.
US08566832B1

Methods and systems for a multi-core processing system are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a first operating system (OS) core for managing kernel services. The first OS core includes a first physical memory, a first memory manager, and a first scheduler for scheduling a process to be executed, wherein the process is associated with a plurality of threads. At least two second OS cores comprise a second OS core and a third OS core. The apparatus includes a shared memory manager and a shared scheduler that are shared by the at least two second OS cores. The shared memory manager and the shared scheduler are configured to communicate with the first memory manager and the first scheduler, respectively, to initiate offloading of one or more of the threads from the first OS core to at least one of the at least two second OS cores for execution.
US08566829B1

A device for providing a plurality of virtual machines utilizes a multi-core processor having a plurality of cores, each with a memory cache, and a shared memory resource in communication with the cores. The device utilizes a cooperative, multi-level scheduler. The multi-level scheduler includes a primary scheduler and a plurality of secondary schedulers, each supporting a subset of the physical cores. The primary scheduler assigns a group of threads to one of the processor cores. The secondary scheduler associated with the processor core to which the group of threads was assigned schedules execution of individual ones of the threads. The secondary scheduler also provides an indication of lock status to the primary scheduler. The lock status information can be used by the primary scheduler to avoid preempting a thread that holds a lock.
US08566827B2

A first collection of threads which represent a collection of tasks to be executed by at least one of a collection of processing units is monitored. In response to detecting a request by a thread among the first collection of threads to access a shared resource locked by a second thread among the collection of threads, the first thread attempts to access a list associated with the shared resource. The list orders at least one thread among the collection of threads by priority of access to the shared resource. In response to determining the list is locked by a third thread among the collection of threads, the first thread is placed into a sleep state to be reawakened in a fixed period of time. In response to determining that at least one of the collection of processing units has entered into an idle state, the first thread is awakened from the sleep state before the fixed period of time has expired. Also, in response to awakening the first thread from the sleep state, the first thread is assigned to at least one of the collection of processing units and the first thread retries its attempt to access the list.
US08566824B2

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for providing disaster recovery services using virtual machines. The invention provides an inexpensive and minimally intrusive way to provide disaster recovery services including recovery of the state of computer processors and devices. The system includes a production host and a backup host that communicate via a communications link. The state of the processor and devices on the production host are periodically stored onto backup host and can be restored in the event of an emergency. Additionally, the invention includes two business methods for utilizing the system and methods for providing disaster recovery services.
US08566814B2

Described are methods and systems related to transporting one or more object packets present in a nested hierarchy of one or more system landscapes. The object packets available for transporting from source systems to target systems present in the nested hierarchy of the system landscapes is identified. A transport request is generate for a collection of object packets of each source system in the nested hierarchy of the system landscapes. The transport requests are aggregated to render a nested transport collection. The nested transport collection is transported within the nested hierarchy of the system landscapes. The nested transport collection is deployed to assign the transport requests present in the nested transport collection to the target systems present in the nested hierarchy of the system landscapes.
US08566813B2

Provided is a method and system generating an execution file. The method includes determining number-of-calls information for a number of functions and then generating the execution file by locating the functions based on the number-of-calls information.
US08566811B2

A method, system and computer program product for performance configuration of an application by setting at least one performance preference for a performance-sensitive class in the application, specifying performance preference propagation policy of the class in the application based on the at least one performance preference, and calling the class to perform performance configuration for application according to the performance preference propagation policy.
US08566807B1

A method and system for allowing for access to a Document Object Model and JavaScript of Web-page on a server-side is disclosed herein. The present invention analyzes the JavaScript of the Web-page on the server-side with a JavaScript parser and engine. The present invention converts the Document Object Model and JavaScript of the web-page into an accessible format. The present invention allows for access of the accessible format of the Document Object Model and JavaScript of the Web-page by other platforms such as JAVA, RUBY-ON-RAILS, PHP and .NET.
US08566805B2

A method and system of calibrating estimates for software projects is provided. More particularly, a method and system is provided to continuously provide calibration estimation and improvement options across a software integration life cycle. The method is implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable to: compare actual data associated with a phase of a project to expected results used to develop a strategic development plan for the project; and calibrate efforts in the strategic development plan for future activities of the project based on the actual data.
US08566799B2

Inserting, at debuggee source code lines, a breakpoint and executing. For each breakpoint encounter until exiting: encountering and removing the breakpoint, incrementing a first counter value, and resuming execution. Exiting includes saving the first counter value, a state of the call stack, and an exit location. In a second debug session, preparing the debuggee to resume from the exit location. Inserting, at the debuggee source code lines, a breakpoint and executing the debuggee. For each breakpoint encounter until a second counter value matches the first: encountering and removing the breakpoint, incrementing the second counter value, and resuming execution. When the first and second counter values match: inserting an exit location breakpoint at the exit location, executing the debuggee until encountering the exit location breakpoint, and providing the user control to resume debugging from the exit location only if the present state of the call stack matches the saved state.
US08566789B2

A powerful set of features can assist software developers in searching source code. Source code can be queried to find occurrences of source code elements mapped to domain concepts appearing in an ontology. Queries can specify a search for occurrences of particular operations performed on domain concepts within the source code. Query expansion can be used to locate related domain concepts as indicated in the ontology. Query keyword weighting can be used to emphasize one domain concept over another. Tools can be provided to create the ontology and associate the ontology with the elements appearing in the source code. Results can include user interface features assisting in navigation to a location within the source code associated with the query results.
US08566783B2

A method and navigation helper for generating constraint language codes for navigation in a constraint language editor. The constraint language editor generates model/instance-related constraint expressions according to the loaded model/instance and related constraints. The navigation is a path implementing the constraints. The method includes parsing the loaded model/instance; calculating a possible association related to the element through the type of the navigation-related element in the model/instance; and calculating a possible navigation path according to the association. A method for generating constraint language codes in a constraint language editor and the constraint language editor includes loading the model/instance; loading constraint patterns for storing parameters and a constraint code template; invoking corresponding helpers, according to the types of parameters stored in the constraint patterns; and generating constraint codes according to the generated parameters and the constraint code template.
US08566781B2

A first widget of a first view part associated with a component of a class model and with one or more members of the component, and a second widget of a second view part associated with the component of the class model and with the one or more members of the component are defined. A request for data associated with a first object instantiation of the component to populate the first widget is received, and a configuration is identified based on the first widget, the configuration specifying a data source, a data source interface, input parameters, and a mapping to one or more of the one or more members of the component.
US08566780B2

Object model based mapping may be provided. First, backend data may be received defining data constructs in a backend system. Then entity data may be received defining data constructs in an entity model. User selectable elements may then be received defining a process associating the backend data with the entity data. Next, code may be produced, based on the received user selectable elements, configured to implement the process.
US08566779B2

An apparatus and method for prioritizing tasks in a software development environment includes drag-and-drop functionality to prioritize tasks displayed in the window of a browser application executing on a user system. In one embodiment, a prioritizer screen is built at a server using information stored in a workload database object and sent to the user system over a network using interprocess communications.
US08566778B2

An integrated system may provide seamless project management for developing for an Enterprise Management Application (EMA) using a Program Development Application (PDA). The integrated system may align the EMA development experience with the development experience of using the PDA's toolset, and may deliver the capability of developing Enterprise Management projects working off of the PDA's infrastructure through proxy items. Proxy items may be generated to represent programmable objects from the Application Object Server (AOS) in the EMA for use in the PDA toolset and may appear as managed code artifacts for programming in the PDA. Proxy items may include the unique identifier linking the proxy item in the PDA toolset to its specific location in the AOS. As changes are made in PDA, the proxy items and the code behind them may be saved to the EMA in the location specified by the unique identifier.
US08566765B1

Modifying a hierarchical circuit design includes accessing hierarchical circuit data in the hierarchical circuit design; performing timing analysis and modifications on a selected portion of the hierarchical circuit data to achieve inter-block timing closure; and performing timing analysis and modifications on the hierarchical circuit data, while accounting for a modification made on the selected portion of the hierarchical circuit data, to achieve intra-block timing closure.
US08566759B2

A design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing an integrated circuit. The design structure comprises: a conductive structure surrounding and accommodating a circuit or a circuit device arranged on a substrate and at least one feed through capacitor and one transmission line associated with the conductive structure and providing the power supply and signals to the circuit or circuit device respectively. The design structure also comprises a shielding structure surrounding a circuit or a circuit device arranged on a substrate and at least one feed through capacitor or a transmission line arranged on a side of the shielding structure.
US08566756B2

In a first process, a process A, an actually measured transfer position measured by a measurement/inspection instrument is indicated by a black circle. A targeted transfer position indicated by x in a process B is located at the same position as the black circle. Assuming that the weights in the subsequent processes are the same, a targeted transfer position Xtarget indicated by x in processes C, D and E is located at a moderate position with which the total deviation from an actual transfer position (black circle) measured by the measurement/inspection instrument in a process preceding the current process is minimized, that is, at a proper position with respect to a plurality of other processes. Accordingly, the productivity of devices can be improved.
US08566752B2

Methods and method and apparatus are disclosed herein for marking electronic documents with one or more persistent selection marks. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving input representing one or more marks on a document image; determining whether the one or more marks represents a selection of a persistent selectable area that delineates information in the document image; and storing data corresponding to the selection to enable a user in the future to obtain the information in the document image by performing an action with respect to the one or more marks.
US08566750B2

Systems and methods for assigning weights to a plurality of objects are defined. Metrics associated with the objects are defined. A cursor is displayed and movement of the cursor is constrained by a control weight shape. Movement of the cursor within the control weight shape defines the weights assigned to the metrics. A display weight shape including a plurality of display weight factors is displayed. Each of the display weight factors corresponds to one of the metrics and their display corresponds to the weights assigned to the metrics.
US08566747B2

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of browsing and displaying items from a collection is provided. Information about each of plurality of items is stored in machine-readable storage media. A group of the items is selected for display. One of a plurality of image sizes is assigned to each of the items of the group. Images that are representative of each of the items of the group are displayed on a display screen using the assigned image sizes. A particular position on the display screen that is occupied by a particular one of the items of the group can be selected randomly. The image size assigned to each item can be representative of the corresponding item's rank according to at least one sorting criterion.
US08566746B2

A system and method for digital object categorization or retrieval are provided. The method includes providing for a selector to be graphically presented to a user. The selector is variably adjustable within a range, by the user, to adjust a level of noise in at least one of digital object categorization and digital object retrieval. The range of the selector is normalized over a set of digital object categories based on scores output by a trained categorizer for each of a set of labeled test objects for each of the set of digital object categories and a label for each of the test objects. Selector position information is received by the system and at least one of digital object categorization and digital object retrieval is performed, based on the selector position information. One or more of the method steps may be performed with a computer processor.
US08566743B2

Computer system, method and apparatus generate and display a graphical representation of a body of text. The graphical representation serves as a text map allowing navigation operations and other user interaction. The text map enables improved navigation of the body of text. Computer-based geographic mapping operations (e.g., zoom, pan, highlight, etc.) are used to navigate the text. The text map may have various graphical feature overlays also navigable by and interactive to the user.
US08566739B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for and input field on a graphical user interface (GUI). The graphical user interface (GUI) includes one or more input fields that, when activated in response to a stimulus, display one or more associated projected input fields showing a maximum width of the respective input fields.
US08566731B2

A requirement statement manipulation system is configured to create and edit requirement statements of various types. The requirement statement manipulation system may generate an interactive visual environment to receive input used in manipulating a requirement statement through creation or editing. The interactive visual environment may include specific requirement-type interfaces allowing requirement statements of a specific type to be manipulated. The interactive visual environment may manipulate requirement statements based on textual input, as well as through text generation.
US08566730B2

A single place where all of us can meet on an equal basis 24/7 from anywhere we can reach to, and communicate back from, in the universe is now being built. The present invention is an interface for universal information exchange over a public data network (e.g., Internet). Explicit agreements to Rules of Response are used to cause its users to identify all possible questions and disagreements expressed with symbols through the interface. The result is a universal information exchange that can be used by all as a common meeting point from anywhere to exchange and verify information, answer questions, resolve disagreements, and exchange any combination of goods and services.
US08566729B2

An editing apparatus efficiently performs cooperative editing of a document. Multiple users can edit a document in parallel using the editing apparatus which includes a screen output section, an editing screen, a section for receiving, a selection input section for inputting, and an update section for reflecting the edited content selected by a selection instruction, and updating the document.
US08566726B2

An aspect of the present invention relates to the methods and systems involved in receiving an indicator of an attempt by a user to interact with a website and presenting indicia of the website's reputation to the user, the reputation may be at least in part based on information about how an entity associated with the website treats personal information of users of the website.
US08566720B2

A method including selecting a presentation content group, displaying content identifiers corresponding to the presentation content group, selecting a content identifier, and instantly presenting a substantially live presentation content from a media provider corresponding to the selected content identifier to a user.
US08566708B1

The subject matter of this document can be implemented in, among other things, a method that includes displaying a visual representation of an electronic document. The method also includes receiving an input to affect a modification of the electronic document, the modification including two or more document change operations, and causing each of the two or more document change operations to be applied to the electronic document. The method also includes determining a redraw approach for redrawing a portion of the visual representation of the electronic document based on the two or more document change operations, such that the redraw approach includes fewer redraws than document change operations. The method further includes performing a redraw of a portion of the visual representation of the electronic document based on the redraw approach.
US08566699B2

In various embodiments, a method for processing a user request is provided. The method may include receiving input data from a user including at least natural language associated with a user request; analyzing the user input data with an intermediary agent; selecting at least one form based on analyzing the user input data; and, executing at least one update based on at least one form.
US08566698B1

A system and method for document management for processing forms on a personal computer while isolated from a network. The forms may be Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) forms stored on a personal computer isolated from a network. The forms have data fields for data submission. Data is input into a selected form and a submit command is executed to submit the entered data. Execution of the submit command stores the data to a file on the personal computer. Once the personal computer is connected to the network, the stored data is sent to a central computer connected to the network.
US08566692B2

A method of decoding, composing and rendering a scene. First information is obtained, the first information including a part of a MPEG-4 BIFS scene description stream and at least one coded MPEG-4 media stream. The first information is decoded by invoking a BIFS scene decoder and one or more specific media decoders that are required by the scene. Second information is obtained, the second information including a second part of a BIFS scene description stream that contains a reference to an external application. The second information is decoded by invoking the BIFS scene decoder and an external application decoder. An integrated scene is composed, the integrated scene including one or more decoded MPEG-4 media objects and one or more external application objects specified in the decoded scene descriptions streams. The composed integrated scene is rendered on a display.
US08566682B2

Failing bus lane detection using syndrome analysis, including a method for receiving a plurality of syndromes of an error detection code, the error detection code associated with a plurality of frames that have been transmitted on a bus that includes a plurality of lanes and is protected by the error detection code. The method includes performing for each of the lanes in each of the syndromes: decoding the syndrome under an assumption that the lane is a failing lane, the decoding outputting a decode result; determining if the decode result is a valid decode; and voting for the lane in response to determining that the decode result is a valid decode. A failing lane is then identified in response to the voting, with the failing lane being characterized by having more votes than at least one other lane on the bus.
US08566680B1

Systems and methods are disclosed for processing data. In one exemplary implementation, there is provided a method of generating H output data from W data input streams produced from input data. Moreover, the method may include generating the H discrete output data components via application of the W data inputs to one or more transforming components or processes having specified mathematic operations and/or a generator matrix functionality, wherein the W data inputs are recoverable via a recovery process capable of reproducing the W data inputs from a subset (any W members) of the H output data streams. Further exemplary implementations may comprise a transformation process that includes producing an H-sized intermediary for each of the W inputs, combining the H-sized intermediaries into an H-sized result, and processing the H-sized result into the H output data structures, groups or streams.
US08566674B2

A phase change memory may be utilized in place of more conventional, higher volume memories such as static random access memory, flash memory, or dynamic random access memory. To account for the fact that the phase change memory is not yet a high volume technology, an error correcting code may be incorporated. The error correcting code may be utilized in ways which do not severely negatively impact read access times, in some embodiments.
US08566672B2

Error correction code (ECC) checkbits are generated for each write access to a memory address based on both the data to be written (the write data) and the memory address. The ECC checkbits are stored with the data and, in response to a read access at the memory address, are employed to check for errors in both the address and the data provided in response to the read access (the read data). The ECC checkbit generation process can result, for particular memory addresses, in checkbits that can incorrectly indicate whether errors are present in the read data. Accordingly, the checkbits can be selectively inverted based on the memory address so that the checkbit pattern will not result in an incorrect error detection or correction.
US08566668B1

Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed for a novel edge memory architecture. An architecture is described wherein the extrinsic information typically stored inside the edge memory is reformatted. Instead of storing the extrinsic information for every edge, the novel edge memory stores a set of possible extrinsic information values for a check node in a “value memory.” The edge memory also stores an index for each edge in a second, “index memory,” identifying which value stored in the value memory applies to each respective edge.
US08566664B2

A product code encoder for non-volatile (NV) memory includes a first encoder that encodes data in codewords in a first dimension that is stored in the NV memory. The product code encoder also includes a second encoder that encodes data in codewords in a second dimension that is stored in the NV memory. A product code codeword is based on the codewords in the first dimension and the codewords in the second dimension.
US08566659B2

A Scan-BIST architecture is adapted into a low power Scan-BIST architecture. A generator 102, compactor 106, and controller 110 remain the same as in the known art. The changes between the known art Scan-BIST architecture and the low power Scan-BIST architecture involve modification of the known scan path into scan path 502, to insert scan paths A 506, B 508 and C 510, and the insertion of an adaptor circuit 504 in the control path 114 between controller 110 and scan path 502.
US08566646B2

Logging for an identified asset is coordinated when provided by applications implemented on multiple network elements. An indicator is set, prior to activity occurring related to the asset, to log information for the asset based on specified criteria. A first application implemented on a first network element generates, based on the indicator, a first detailed log for activity occurring related to the asset. A representation of the asset is passed to a downstream application implemented on a second network element. A second detailed log for activity occurring related to the asset is generated by the downstream application based on the indicator. The first detailed log is correlated with the second detailed log.
US08566642B2

A storage controller changes a block size to carry out a shredding process. A data shredder uses a large block size BSZ1 set by a block size setting part to write shredding data in a storage area of a disk drive and erase data stored therein. An error arising during the writing operation of the shredding data is detected by an error detecting part. When the error is detected, the block size setting part sets the block size smaller by one stage than the initial block size to the data shredder. Every time the error arises, the block size used in the shredding process is diminished. Thus, the number of times of writings of the shredding data is reduced as much as possible to improve a processing speed and erase the data of a wide range as much as possible.
US08566635B2

Systems and methods for management of replicated storage. Features and aspects hereof provide management of data replication among a plurality of storage systems in a manner substantially transparent to host systems attached to the storage systems. The storage systems are coupled to one another through a replication link. One storage systems is designated the primary storage system and all others are designated secondary storage systems. A common logical volume is defined with a common logical volume device identifier used by all of the replicating storage systems of a replication group and their respective attached host systems. The primary storage system processes I/O requests directed to the logical volume by accessing its physical storage volume and forwarding the request to be replicated to all secondary storage systems over the replication link. Secondary storage systems process I/O requests by shipping them over the replication link to the primary storage system for processing.
US08566629B2

An information processing apparatus transferring data between at least a plurality of processors through first and second routes running through first and second data transfer circuits, which retires the first and second routes so as to reduce the power consumption under the control of a system control device. The system provides a unit for measuring the amounts of data transfer on the first and second routes and measures the usage rates of the first and second routes. It monitors the measured usage rates by the system control device and, when the usage rates are below a predetermined value, controls the first or second data transfer circuit to make it retire the first or second route.
US08566628B2

A processor integrated circuit has one or more processor cores and a power management controller in a North-Bridge that generates a first power state recommendation for the one or more processor cores. The North-Bridge also receives a second power state recommendation from a South-Bridge integrated circuit. The North-Bridge determines a final power state for the one or more processor cores based on the first and second power state recommendations.
US08566627B2

A method for controlling the power used by a computer including the steps of measuring the operating characteristics of a central processor of the computer, determining when the operating characteristics of the central processor are significantly different than required by the operations being conducted, and changing the operating characteristics of the central processor to a level commensurate with the operations being conducted.
US08566623B2

A start-up control apparatus r includes a control chip, an advanced configuration and power management interface (ACPI) controller, and a firmware. The ACPI controller is used for receiving a trigger signal and sending a start-up signal corresponding to the trigger signal to the control chip if a computer system is powered off. The firmware is used for sending a status signal to the control chip after the firmware finishes initialization. Wherein the control chip is used for sending the start-up signal to a power supply to provide power for powering on the computer system after receiving the status signal.
US08566622B2

A computer wake up circuit, for awaking a computer which is in a sleep state via a computer serial port, includes an AT89 series microcontroller, a switching circuit, an input circuit. The switching circuit is coupled to the pins P3.2 (INT0) and P3.7 of the AT89 series microcontroller, for triggering the AT89 series microcontroller to output an control signal. The input circuit comprises a first resistance, a control switch, a second resistance, and a third resistance. One end of the first resistance is coupled to pin P3.1 (TXD) of the AT89 series microcontroller, the other end of the first resistance is coupled to an input end of the control switch. An output end of the control switch is coupled to the second pin of the computer serial port via the second resistance, and is coupled to the third pin of the computer serial port via the third resistance.
US08566621B2

A method for detecting temperature associated with a processor, results of the detecting being used for controlling power dissipation associated with the processor and/or apparatus and/or system employing the same.
US08566615B2

A document management system and method are disclosed herein. An example of the document management system includes a composite document generation module that generates a composite document and a secret seed that is associated with an owner or initiator of the composite document, and a key derivation module that derives, from the secret seed and using a key derivation function, at least one of a key for encryption, a key for decryption, a key for signature, or a key for verification for a participant of a workflow associated with the composite document.
US08566596B2

In an example embodiment, an apparatus comprising a transceiver configured to send and receive data and logic coupled to the transceiver. The logic is configured to determine from a signal received by the transceiver whether an associated device sending the signal supports a protocol for advertising available services. The logic is configured to send a request for available services from the associated device via the transceiver responsive to determining the associated device supports the protocol. The logic is configured to receive a response to the request via the transceiver, the response comprising at least one service advertisement and a signature. The logic is configured to validate the response by confirming the signature.
US08566589B1

Method and apparatus for identifying a web server is described. In some examples, an initial request by a client to an intended web server is identified. A fingerprint for the intended web server is determined responsive to the initial request. A subsequent request by the client to the intended web server is detected. A response to the subsequent request is received from a responding web server. Verification of the responding web server as the intended web server is performed using the fingerprint.
US08566580B2

A system for secure communication, including a first security computer communicatively coupled with a client computer via an SSL connection, including a certificate creator, for receiving certificate attributes of a server computer certificate and for creating a signed certificate therefrom, and an SSL connector, for performing an SSL handshake with the client computer using the signed certificate created by said certificate creator, and a second security computer communicatively coupled with a server computer via an SSL connection, and communicatively coupled with the first security computer via a non-SSL connection, including an SSL connector, for performing an SSL handshake with the server computer using a signed certificate provided by the server computer, and a protocol appender, for appending attributes of the signed certificate provided by the server computer within a message communicated to the first security computer. A method is also described and claimed.
US08566578B1

A method and system for ensuring compliance in public clouds using fine-grained encryption based on data ownership that includes a process for ensuring compliance in public clouds using fine-grained encryption based on data ownership that is implemented, at least in part, at a gateway computing system through which data passes from the enterprise, and/or one or more end users, prior to being sent to the public cloud. In one embodiment, the data is classified, the ownership of the data is determined, the associated encryption keys are obtained, and the data is encrypted, automatically at the gateway computing system before the data is transferred to the public cloud, and in a manner that is transparent to end-users.
US08566577B2

Methods and devices for storing sent message data are described. The sent message data corresponds to a message sent to a destination by a communication device via a server. The method includes compiling a first portion of the message which has a plurality of components; applying security encoding to the first portion; and storing the first portion. The first portion includes at least one but not all of the plurality of components in the message, and pointers to the components not included in the first portion.
US08566575B2

A computer apparatus and a method for charging a portable electronic device are provided. The method is implemented in a computer apparatus including a connector. The method includes: (a) detecting whether the portable electronic device is plugged and connected to the connector when the computer apparatus is in a power off state; (b) causing the computer apparatus to execute a boot process if the portable electronic device is plugged and connected to the connector; (c) determining whether the portable electronic device is a predetermined device; (d) sending a charging command to the portable electronic device such that the portable electronic device derives a charging current from the computer apparatus if the portable electronic device is the predetermined device; and (e) causing the computer apparatus to shut down before an operating system is loaded.
US08566548B2

In a storage management system in which a storage apparatus is connected via a network to a volume allocation management server having a performance requirement analysis unit, a volume allocation unit, and a volume performance determining unit, the performance requirements of a business application using volume-allocating data and the performance characteristics of a volume serving as a data storage destination are determined, and on the basis of the resulting information, a volume which satisfies the performance requirements is selected as the data storage destination.
US08566544B2

A compiler that enforces, at compile time, domain data access permissions and/or agent data access permissions on at least one agent to be created within a domain. The compiler identifies domain data of a domain to be created, and an agent to be created within the domain at runtime. The domain access permissions of the agent are also identified. As part of compilation of an expression of an agent, a H reference to the domain data is identified. Then, the compiler evaluates an operation that the reference to the domain data would impose on the domain data upon evaluating the expression at runtime. The compiler then determines whether or not the operation is in violation of the domain access permissions of the agent with respect to the identified domain data. Agent data access may also be evaluated depending on whether the access occurs by a function or a method.
US08566536B1

A technique for directly sharing physical memory between processes executing on processor cores is described. The technique includes loading a plurality of processes into the physical memory for execution on a corresponding plurality of processor cores sharing the physical memory. An address space is mapped to each of the processes by populating a first entry in a top level virtual address table for each of the processes. The address space of each of the processes is cross-mapped into each of the processes by populating one or more subsequent entries of the top level virtual address table with the first entry in the top level virtual address table from other processes.
US08566533B1

In operation, a first request for data is sent to a cache of a first node. Additionally, it is determined whether the first request can be satisfied within the first node, where the determining includes at least one of determining a type of the first request and determining a state of the data in the cache. Furthermore, a second request for the data is conditionally sent to a second node, based on the determination.
US08566531B2

A system and method is provided wherein, in one aspect, a currently-requested item of information is stored in a cache based on whether it has been previously requested and, if so, the time of the previous request. If the item has not been previously requested, it may not be stored in the cache. If the subject item has been previously requested, it may or may not be cached based on a comparison of durations, namely (1) the duration of time between the current request and the previous request for the subject item and (2) for each other item in the cache, the duration of time between the current request and the previous request for the other item. If the duration associated with the subject item is less than the duration of another item in the cache, the subject item may be stored in the cache.
US08566530B2

A point-in-time copy relationship associates tracks in a source storage with tracks in a target storage. The target storage stores the tracks in the source storage as of a point-in-time. A write request is received including an updated source track for a point-in-time source track in the source storage in the point-in-time copy relationship. The point-in-time source track was in the source storage at the point-in-time the copy relationship was established. The updated source track is stored in a first cache device. A prefetch request is sent to the source storage to prefetch the point-in-time source track in the source storage subject to the write request to a second cache device. A read request is generated to read the source track in the source storage following the sending of the prefetch request. The read source track is copied to a corresponding target track in the target storage.
US08566513B2

A semiconductor memory device that stores information includes: a flash memory that is managed by a predetermined file system having a parameter dependent on the semiconductor memory device; a rewrite frequency storage unit that stores a rewrite frequency of the flash memory; an ID detection unit that detects whether or not first identification information associated with the rewrite frequency is stored in the flash memory as the parameter; and a control unit that, when the ID detection unit detects that the first identification information is stored, reflects the rewrite frequency stored in the rewrite frequency storage unit, on a storage area corresponding to the first identification information.
US08566507B2

A data storage device may include a first memory board having multiple memory chips and a controller board that is arranged and configured to operably connect to the first memory board. The controller board may include an interface to a host and a controller that is arranged and configured to control command processing for multiple different types of memory chips, automatically recognize a type of the memory chips on the first memory board, receive commands from the host using the interface, and execute the commands using the memory chips.
US08566498B2

A network system and method are disclosed. The network system includes at least one docking station to which a portable electronic device is individually couplable. Each of the at least one docking station is configured to allow the portable electronic device to access a network to receive information corresponding to a personality profile associated with the respective one of the at least one docking station upon the portable electronic device being coupled to the respective one of the at least one docking station.
US08566497B2

A system for enhancing universal serial bus (USB) applications comprises an upstream processor, a downstream processor and a main controller. The upstream processor accepts standard USB signals from a USB host and independently provides responses required by USB specification within the required time frame. The upstream processor also contains storage for descriptors for a device associated with this upstream processor. The main controller obtains the descriptors by commanding the downstream processor, and passes them to the upstream processor. The downstream processor connectable to USB-compliant devices accepts the USB signals from the USB-compliant devices and provides responses required by USB specification within the required time frame. The main controller interconnects the upstream and downstream processors, and provides timing independence between upstream and downstream timing. The main controller also commands the downstream processor to obtain device descriptors independent of the USB host.
US08566482B2

A system and method for communicating DVI (digital visual interface) and HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) information is provided. The system includes a local unit operable to produce a downstream request packet in reaction to received DVI or HDMI information from a video source device and to transmit the request packet to a remote unit via a first simplex channel of a communications link. The remote unit operates to produce an upstream reply packet in reaction to received DVI or HDMI information by the remote unit from a video sink device and to transmit the reply packet to the local unit via a communications link. The system allows greater distances and allows various communications mediums to be used between the source and sink, and can communicate DVI and HDMI information and other information via a variety of different communications links.
US08566480B2

Communication with adapters of a computing environment is facilitated. Instructions are provided that explicitly target the adapters. Information provided in an instruction is used to steer the instruction to an appropriate location within the adapter.
US08566474B2

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing dynamic origination-based routing key registration in a DIAMETER network are disclosed. According to one method, origin-based routing information is received, at a first DIAMETER node, from a second DIAMETER node. The origin-based routing information specifies one or more sources such that traffic originating from one of the one or more sources should be routed to the second DIAMETER node. A routing rule is automatically generated, at he first DIAMETER node, based on the received origin-based routing information.
US08566471B1

A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing network link bonding and management is presented. At least one physical link is established between a first endpoint and a second endpoint. A logical link is established at an application server level between the first endpoint and the second endpoint, the logical link including said at least one physical link. At least one physical link is used to provide communications between the first endpoint and the second endpoint. Messages are distributed among the physical links and the received messages are ordered into a single stream for the higher layer application.
US08566468B2

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method, network component and machine-readable storage medium for validating a message received at a network component. Embodiments may include one or more of the following: receiving a message at the network component, determining a validation scenario, determining a set of validation conditions associated with the determined validation scenario, and determining whether the message passes the validation condition. Various exemplary embodiments may further include extensible condition definitions that include one or more of the following: validation fragments, element validation definitions, and element definitions. Various exemplary embodiments may use XML to define condition definitions.
US08566466B2

In order further to develop a method for changing over a serially networked system (100), in particular a serial databus system, from subnetwork operation (T), in which at least one node (22, 28) and/or at least one user (32, 38) of the system (100) is in a state of reduced current consumption and is not addressed and/or not activated by the signal level (40, 42, 44) of the data traffic on the system (100), to full network operation (G), in which all the nodes (20, 22, 24, 26, 28) and/or all the users (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of the system (100) are addressed and/or activated by the signal level (46, 48) of the data traffic on the system (100), together with a corresponding system (100) in such a way that the nodes (22, 28) and/or the users (32, 38) in the network, i.e. on the databus (10), may be simply yet effectively woken, it is proposed that the system (100) be changed over from subnetwork operation (T) to full network operation (G) through the detection of at least one defined, especially continuous and/or especially symmetrical signal level pattern (62, 64) in the data traffic on the system (100).
US08566465B2

A method includes sending a first redirect instruction to a first client in response to a first session request received at a service address, and establishing a first session with the first client in response to a second session request received at the first redirect address indicated by the first redirect instruction. Additionally, the method includes determining a first service interval has passed, and sending a second redirect instruction to a second client in response to a third session request received at the service address after the first service interval has passed. The method still further includes establishing a second session with the second client in response to the fourth session request received at the second redirect address indicated by the second redirect instruction after the first service interval has passed, and rejecting the fifth session request received from a third client at the first redirect address after the first service interval has passed.
US08566459B2

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for integrated console management in networks populated by a diverse set of console types. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or other clients, servers, hosts, and/or other machines, can be managed by a network management platform. Different machines populating the managed network can be accessed or controlled by different types of network management consoles, or client interfaces for monitoring and controlling different sets of machines. The network management platform or other node can maintain a console management engine which interacts with the various console types connected or assigned to underlying target machines. The console management engine can maintain a console translation table which invokes particular interfaces, data formats, ports, and/or other parameters of specific console packages used for underlying sets of machines. The console management engine can thereby present a unified interface to systems administrators or other users.
US08566458B2

A communication device connected to a first network receives a connection request transmitted from a second network, and sets a service existing in the first network to a data request wait state in accordance with receiving the connection request. The communication device transmits a response to the connection request in accordance with the service having been set to a data request wait state.
US08566434B2

The present invention relates to a system for managing operational facilities that is of the type which utilizes predefined events to carry out managing operations for the facilities. The system includes one or more servers adapted to receive events from a client and forward the events to a clearinghouse via a communication link. The system further includes one or more clients, each of which has a unique login identity, adapted to selectively send events to the server via the communication link. Also included is a clearinghouse connected to each of the server and each of the client via the communication link for selectively storing data from each server and each client in a database, and being adapted to selectively authorize predetermined events by each client according to the login identity of each such client, to selectively schedule predetermined events in response to data stored in the database and to monitor the status of all events stored in the database.
US08566433B2

Systems and methods for providing location based ratings services on communications networks are disclosed. Location information relating to a device, or a user associated with the device, associated with a submitted rating can be associated with a rating and stored as part of the rating. Ratings can be sorted, filtered, and/or prioritized based upon associated location information. The location information can indicate where the rating is submitted, the billing address associated with the device used to submit the rating, the location of the device when the rating was submitted, the current location of the user who submitted the rating, whether the device was roaming when the rating was submitted, if an address associated with the device is near the rated business, where the device user lives, and the like. Methods and computer-readable media embodying methods for providing differentiated user service options, are also disclosed.
US08566432B2

A system for managing storage accesses for rate guaranteed continuous data streams and non-rate-guaranteed storage requests may include a plurality of rate guaranteed requestors for data streams and one or more non-rate guaranteed requestors. A disk scheduler for the system may have a guaranteed rate queue for queuing storage requests from the rate guaranteed requestors and a non-rate-guaranteed queue for queuing requests from the non-rate-guaranteed requesters. The disk scheduler may include a bandwidth allocator coupled to the guaranteed rate queue and the non-rate-guaranteed queue. The bandwidth allocator may be configured to allocate bandwidth of a storage system between the guaranteed rate queue and the non-rate-guaranteed queue according to a predetermined ratio. The rate guaranteed requestors may be limited so that an aggregate of maximum stream rates guaranteed for each rate guaranteed requestor does not exceed the portion of the bandwidth allocated to the guaranteed rate queue.
US08566429B2

A firmware updating system and a method for updating the same are provided. The firmware updating system comprises an image updating device and an embedded device. The image updating device comprises a first storage device and a merging module. The first storage device is for storing a first header and a first file system. The merging system is for merging the first header and the first file system to output a first image file. The embedded device comprises a second storage device and a self-updating module. The second storage device is for storing a second image file. The second image file includes a second header, a second file system, and a third file system. The self-updating module is for updating the second file system of the second image file as the first file system according to the first image file.
US08566420B2

Various embodiments of the invention provide the browser of the apparatus with a NFC scripting programming language application protocol interface (API). The NFC scripting programming language API offers the necessary interface for NFC applications to the apparatus's browser. Advantageously the NFC system software can communicate and handshake with browser's scripting programming language engine. In various embodiments of the invention, a suitable scripting programming language extension having the necessary NFC library are included into the browser's scripting programming language library.
US08566404B2

Methods and apparatuses for processing an instant message from a source wireless communication device to a destination device are described herein. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method includes receiving the instant message from the source wireless communication device, the instant message having a source wireless communication identifier, a destination instant messenger identifier, and data contents; extracting the source wireless communication identifier, the destination instant messenger identifier and the data contents from the instant message; retrieving a source instant messenger identifier corresponding to the source wireless communication identifier; binding the source instant messenger identifier with the source wireless communication identifier; and transmitting the data contents with the source instant messenger identifier to the destination device over a communication network, based on the destination instant messenger identifier. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US08566387B2

Provided are techniques for, under control of an agent: receiving a request from a first database client to access a service from a set of services, wherein the agent is associated with the service; receiving a request from a second database client to access the service, wherein the agent is shared by the first database client and the second database client; combining information from the first database client and the second database client; and sending the combined information to the service using a single physical connection in a client-side Client Management Extension (CMX) connection, wherein the first database client and the second database client share the single physical connection.
US08566379B2

Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing. As an example, a data processing circuit is disclosed that includes an equalizer circuit, a noise predictive filter circuit, a data detector circuit, a data reconstruction circuit, and an adaptation circuit. The equalizer circuit is operable to receive a data input and to provide an equalized output based at least in part on an equalizer coefficient. The noise predictive filter circuit is operable to receive the equalized output and to provide a noise whitened output based at least in part on a noise predictive filter coefficient. The data detector circuit is operable to apply a data detection algorithm to the noise whitened output to yield a detected output. The data reconstruction circuit is operable to receive the detected output and to provide a reconstructed output corresponding to the equalized output based at least in part on a target polynomial. The adaptation circuit is operable to adaptively calculate the equalizer coefficient, the noise predictive filter coefficient and the target polynomial.
US08566375B1

A technique for operating on points having quantities associated therewith using a table gradient constraint is provided. The technique may include mapping the quantities onto cells, where at least one of the quantities is not on a cell prior to the mapping. The technique may further include applying a table gradient constraint to the mapped quantities, where the applying constrains quantities to maintain variation among the quantities within a bound.
US08566372B2

The disclosure provides a method for dynamically loading a relocatable file, comprising: analyzing the relocatable file; searching for a relocation section according to the information obtained through the analysis; obtaining a relocation target address after the relocation section is found and calculating an address to be relocated and a skipping distance; determining whether the skipping distance exceeds a range of a short skipping, and if the skipping distance does not exceed the range of the short skipping, then writing the relocation target address into the address to be relocated to perform relocation loading; if the skipping distance exceeds the range of the short skipping, then adding a veneer code segment and making the skipping whose distance exceeds the range of the short skipping indirectly skip to the relocation target address to perform relocation loading. Accordingly, the disclosure provides a device for dynamically loading a relocatable file, comprising: an analyzing module, a calculating module, a searching module, a determining module, and a relocation dynamic loading module. With the solution, dynamically loading a relocatable file can be realized when the calling distance of a function exceeds the range of the short skipping.
US08566361B2

Information from multiple databases is retrieved and stored on a database storage system. Multiple point-in-time copies are obtained for each database. A point-in-time copy retrieves data changed in the database since the retrieval of a previous point-in-time copy. A virtual database (VDB) is created by creating a set of files in the data storage system. Each file in the set of files created for a VDB is linked to the database blocks on the database storage system associated with a point-in-time copy of the source database. The set of files associated with the VDB are mounted on a database server allowing the database server to read from and write to the set of files. Workflows based on VDBs allow various usage scenarios based on databases to be implemented efficiently, for example, testing and development, backup and recovery, and data warehouse building.
US08566353B2

Systems and methods are provided for adding and displaying interactive annotations for existing online hosted videos. A graphical annotation interface allows the creation of annotations and association of the annotations with a video. Annotations may be of different types and have different functionality, such as altering the appearance and/or behavior of an existing video, e.g. by supplementing it with text, allowing linking to other videos or web pages, or pausing playback of the video. Authentication of a user desiring to perform annotation of a video may be performed in various manners, such as by checking a uniform resource locator (URL) against an existing list, checking a user identifier against an access list, and the like. As a result of authentication, a user is accorded the appropriate annotation abilities, such as full annotation, no annotation, or annotation restricted to a particular temporal or spatial portion of the video.
US08566352B2

Under the present invention, a multidimensional data structure (MDS) is populated with data handling methods. Specifically, each data handling method is stored in the MDS at an address that corresponds to a set of coordinate values. The sets of coordinate values are determined using responses to a plurality of questions. Once the MDS is populated, a data item can then be associated with a particular data handling method using additional responses to the same plurality of questions that are posed with respect to the data item. Specifically, using the additional responses, a set of coordinate values is determined for the data item. The data item is then associated with the data handling method(s) that is stored in the MDS at the address corresponding to the data item's set of coordinate values.
US08566345B2

Enterprise Intelligence (‘EI’) reporting in an EI framework, including: identifying, by an EI report generator, EI report criteria for inclusion in an EI report; extracting, by an EI report generator, EI report information that meets the EI report criteria from an EI data repository; assembling, by an EI report generator, the EI report information into an EI report; and presenting the EI report to an EI administrator.
US08566342B2

The present invention is directed to database applications in which the identification of entries is structured in a custom way using templates. The means for identification is used as a vehicle for submitted queries to and obtaining responses from the database such that the query and response process is significantly faster than applications presently in use.
US08566333B2

A method, system and computer program product are provided for reorganizing a database table according to multiple sparse indexes, wherein the reorganized table has superior I/O performance attributes versus the original table. More specifically, the table is reorganized such that random I/O is minimized by more tightly grouping rows in the table associated with each of the referencing sparse indexes together. This enables more associated rows from a given table relevant to a sparse index to be read into RAM for a given I/O operation.
US08566320B2

A method of selectively providing an aggregated trend obtained from at least a subset of a plurality of individual trends. The method comprises deciding whether to provide the aggregated trend by determining whether an individual trend in at least the subset of the plurality of individual trends can be at least partially identified from the aggregated trend.
US08566316B2

An information processing apparatus includes a creating block configured to create relating information for relating each of one or more news gathering materials that are data obtained as a result of news gathering in accordance with predetermined news gathering contents with an On Air material, which is abbreviated to OA material, obtained as a result of editing the one or more news gathering materials.
US08566307B2

A query governor intelligently sets tailored thresholds for a query accessing a computer database. The query governor preferably generates a tailored threshold for each query sent to the database for execution. The tailored threshold for the query is preferably compared to an estimated query execution time to determine whether to execute the query. The query governor uses one or more factors applied to a standard threshold to generate the tailored threshold. The factors preferably include user factors and query factors. These factors are dynamically adjusted by the query governor in an intelligent way to increase optimal use of the database. Other factors may include factors such as job priority factor, resource factor and an application factor.
US08566303B2

Determining and using word information entropies includes: determining one or more categories that correspond to a plurality of queries; sorting the plurality of queries into one or more groups based at least in part on the determined categories of the plurality of queries; segmenting queries that correspond to each of the one or more groups into a first plurality of phrases, wherein each phrase includes one or more words; determining occurrence probabilities for the plurality of phrases; and determining word information entropies for the plurality of phrases based at least in part on the determined occurrence probabilities.
US08566290B2

Archive management is enhanced by logically partitioning a physical cluster. Using an interface, an administrator defines “tenants” within the cluster. A namespace is a logical partition of the cluster for a collection of objects. Each namespace has a private file system. This approach enables a user to segregate cluster data into logical partitions. Using the interface, a namespace for a tenant is configured without affecting a configuration of another namespace. One configuration option is “versioning,” by which an administrator can elect to enable multiple versions of a same data object to be stored in association with a namespace. Once versioning is enabled for a namespace, the administrator can set a configuration parameter identifying a time period for maintaining a version. Preferably, versioning is dasabled for a data object under retention.
US08566282B2

Provided are a method, system, and computer program product for creating a buffer point-in-time copy relationship. A point-in-time copy function is initiated to create a new point-in-time copy relationship from a source volume comprising a first volume to a target volume comprising a second volume. A buffer point-in-time copy relationship having a source volume comprising the target volume of the first pre-existing relationship and a target volume comprising a fifth volume is created in response to detecting that the target volume of the new point-in-time copy relationship is the source volume of a first pre-existing point-in-time copy relationship and detecting that the target volume of the first pre-existing point-in-time copy relationship is the source volume of a second pre-existing point-in-time copy relationship.
US08566280B2

Provided are techniques for replication in a grid based environment. Grid control structures, including a grid command structure, are created. At an authorized node in a grid of nodes, a Data Definition Language (DDL) operation is received, the DDL operation is inserted into the grid command structure, and the DDL operation is propagated from the authorized node to one or more other nodes in the grid of nodes at the end of a transaction that inserted the DDL operation into the grid command structure.
US08566275B2

Methods and systems are described for automated processing of medical information for employment determinations. Based on an employment screening procedure for an applicant, medical information queries are automatically generated to provide instructions to medical providers for conducting physical exams and laboratory tests and for retrieving medical records. After medical information is collected according to the queries, the medical information and related requirements codes are displayed to program administrative personnel in a user-friendly format to assist in making an employment determination.
US08566274B2

A compositional recommender framework using modular recommendation functions is described. Each modular recommendation function can use a discrete technology, such as using clustering, a database lookup, or other means. A first recommendation function can recommend to a user items, such as books to check out, automobiles to purchase, people to date, etc. Another modular recommendation function can be daisy chained with the first to recommend items that are similar or related to the first recommended items, such as users who have also checked out the same recommended book, trailers that can be towed by the recommended automobiles, or vacations booked by people that were recommended as people to date. The modular recommendation functions can be used to build customized recommendation engines for different industries.
US08566270B2

A sparse representation method of text classification is described. An input text document is represented as a document feature vector y. A category dictionary H provides possible examples [h1; h2; . . . ; hn] of the document feature vector y. The input text document is classified using a sparse representation text classification algorithm that solves for y=Hβ where a sparseness condition is enforced on β to select a small number of examples from the dictionary H to describe the document feature vector y.
US08566262B2

Techniques to filter media content based on entity reputation are described. An apparatus may comprise a reputation subsystem that manages an entity reputation score for an entity. The reputation subsystem comprising a reputation manager component and a reputation input/output (I/O) component. The reputation manager component may include a data collection module that collects reputation information for an entity from a selected set of multiple reputation sources. The reputation manager component may also comprise a feature manager module, communicatively coupled to the data collection module, that extracts a selected set of reputation features from the reputation information. The reputation manager component may further comprise a reputation scoring module, communicatively coupled to the feature manager module, that generates an entity reputation score based on the reputation features using a supervised or unsupervised machine learning algorithm. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08566261B2

An interactive recommendation system generates one or more recommendations (e.g., recommended products, travel destinations, etc.) for a user based on a recommendation model. The recommendation model includes one or more criteria that are used to analyze a datastore of user characteristics (e.g., a user's age, location, past online behavior, etc.) and generate one or more recommendations based thereon. The interactive recommendation system further presents a user interface that allows the user to interactively modify the criteria of the recommendation model and to apply the modified recommendation model to the datastore in order to generate one or more modified recommendations. In this manner, for example, the user can customize the recommendations he or she receives by interacting with the recommendation system to modify the recommendation model used to generate such recommendations.
US08566249B2

A computer-implemented method for ensuring non-repudiation of a payment request and/or other action may include a step of receiving, over a network, the payment request together with a digital certificate identifying a user having caused the payment request to be generated. The certificate may include certificate-identifying information, user-identifying information, authority information that defines and delimits the authority of the user to make the payment request. The certificate-identifying information and the user-identifying information included within the received certificate may be validated. The authority information included within the received certificate may then be validated. The payment request and/or other action is then only executed when the certificate-identifying information, the user-identifying information and the authority information within the received certificate are successfully validated.
US08566248B1

An initiator service executed by a host server manages communications with wireless client devices concerning information accounts centrally stored in a data repository. In response to authenticating a user of a wireless client device, the initiator service may prompt the user to specify information to be retrieved from his information account and to specify a recipient of the retrieved information. The initiator service may then manage the retrieval and distribution of the specified information. The initiator service may also interact with a wireless client device to establish and distribute temporary authorizations to access information accounts. The initiator service may further receive promotion codes from wireless client devices and may query databases for data associated with each promotion code. Data received from the database may be transferred by the initiator service into an information account owned by the user of the wireless client device.
US08566243B1

The instant application describes a Mobile Service Provider network configured to provide its users with a secure Electronic Mail (“E-mail”) bill statement. The network includes first through third servers. The first server is configured to (i) receive, from a user, an enrollment request for a secure E-mail billing statement, the request including an E-mail address and account information and (ii) update the account of the user to reflect that the user has requested the secure E-mail billing statement. The second server is configured to (i) receive the request from the first server; (ii) generate an identifier for the request; (iii) store the request along with the identifier in a table; and (iv) validate the E-mail address of the user by sending an E-mail to the provided E-mail address, the E-mail includes the identifier. The third server is configured to (i) receive a response of the user to the E-mail sent by the second server, where the response includes the identifier and a password; (ii) validate the identifier via the second server; (iii) validate the password via the first server; and (iv) upon successful validations of the password and identifier, forward a successful authentication notice to the first server. The first server, upon receiving the successful authentication notice, is further configured to (iii) update the account of the user to reflect that the user has enrolled in the secure E-mail billing statement and (iv) request the second server to inform the user of the successful enrollment in the secure E-mail billing statement.
US08566238B2

The present invention relates to a method and a system for initiating and/or conducting a transaction that is associated with at least two corresponding declarations of intent, in particular a payment transaction, between at least two transaction parties via a processing unit (3), in which payment transaction at least one of the transaction parties uses a land line telephone or mobile telephone (1, 2) or a mobile communications device for transmitting data. The method is characterized by the transmission of data to the processing unit by at least two transaction parties within a limited time frame, and by the fact that the initiation of the data transmission of these transaction parties is effected actively by the transaction parties and not by the processing unit (3), while the data transmitted during initiation contain features that enable correlating the declarations of intent with one another.
US08566236B2

In general, the invention relates to methods and systems that record the location of a user and facilitate transactions between the user and a physical named location (e.g. business location) visited by the user. A network includes a server programmed with a database of location information, a database of user information, payment account information, and a wireless communication system capable of communicating with the user's mobile device. The location of the mobile device is ascertained and recorded. The system determines the physical named location (e.g. business location) visited by the user and provides a reference number to the user. An operator of the physical named location may use the reference number to obtain payment from the user for goods and services rendered at the physical named location.
US08566232B2

A method of organizing financial data is described in which financial data is obtained from one or more data source and imported into a computer program. The data may, for example, be bank account data obtained from a bank via a wireless connection. The computer program modifies the data so obtained into a format suitable for presentation to a user. At least some of said electronic data is obtained without being manually entered by an operator.
US08566230B2

According to some embodiments, a central controller receives a selection signal indicative of acceptance of an installment plan option for a transaction. The central controller determines an installment charge amount to include in at least two bills for a financial account. Thereafter, bills may be generated that reflect installment charges to be paid.
US08566225B2

An enhanced system and method for handling, matching and executing a diverse group of limit-priced orders in an electronic options environment is disclosed. Most of the order types disclosed are automatically repriced and reposted as the NBBO changes to increase their execution opportunities. Market maker entitlements are integrated with the order processing, so that the market maker is guaranteed an allocation of the trade if the market maker is at the NBBO when an order priced at or better than the NBBO is received. Once posted to the order book, the displayed price of an order may be eligible for preferential execution in a market maker entitlement process, regardless of whether the displayed price is original or has been automatically repriced.
US08566221B2

Joint execution type compound orders can be processed in an anonymous trading system comprising a plurality of broker nodes each of which includes an order matching functionality and a market distribution functionality. Trader agent nodes are connected to a number of dealer terminals grouped in trading floors and also to a broker node. Joint execution orders are entered as hit orders and are all matched by the broker during the hit or the order is cancelled. If matches are made the taker's trading agent does not complete any of the deals marking up the order until it knows that all the deals are executable. The system may be used to allow traders to hit bids and offers in currency pairs synthesised from other currency pairs. In this arrangement the dealer enters a simple order in the synthetic currency and the taker's trading agent converts it into a joint execution order.
US08566218B2

A method of order allocation is disclosed. The method includes receiving an incoming order, establishing an inner market representing a first portion of an order book which may be defined as a function of an inner market parameter, designating the first portion of the order book as a priority and allocating the first portion of the received incoming order based on the priority, establishing an outer market that represents a second portion of the order book that includes the remainder of the order book not represented by the inner market of the order book, assigning the received incoming order to one of the inner or outer markets as a function of the inner market parameter, allocating a first portion of the incoming order to the inner market utilizing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm, and allocating a second portion, in excess of the first portion, of the incoming order to the outer market using a pro-rata algorithm.
US08566217B2

Apparatus and methods for providing a trading recommendation. The apparatus and methods may involve using information about events and reactions to the events. The events and the reactions may be used to identify an expected impact of the event on a market. The expected impact may be used to recommend investment vehicle trades. The methods may include receiving an information item that relates to an event; receiving a sentiment indicator corresponding to the item; assigning to the item a market impact weighting index that is at least partially based on the sentiment indicator; and, based at least partially on the market impact weighting index, selecting the trading recommendation from a database of trading recommendations.
US08566212B2

Systems and methods for a trading interface with advanced features are provided. Along with providing the benchmark issue and non-benchmark issues, the trading application may also provide the trader with the ability to obtain trading information (e.g., another quad) for each of the related U.S. Treasury swaps (“T-swaps”), off-the-runs, yield curve T-swaps, and basis. In some embodiments, the trader may be provided with a customized keyboard to navigate through the trading interface. The keyboard preferably includes keys that allow the trader to quickly and efficiently switch between multiple issues in a quad. Using the keyboard, the trader may also be provided with price improvement functionality and direct dealing functionality. In some embodiments, the trading application may simultaneously display a DD ticker along with the trading quadrant that provides the trader with the progression of the direct dealings of the selected issue.
US08566198B1

A database used by a consumer reporting agency for storing application information data in association with transaction and experience information. A consumer applying for credit submits personal and financial information either verbally or by filling out a form. The application information data submitted verbally or by a form is submitted by an institution along with a request for a credit report on the consumer. The consumer reporting agency receives the request and stores the application information separately from the transaction and experience information. Each time an institution submits application information data related to the consumer, the data is accumulated in successive records and maintained. In response to a request for a report on a consumer, the consumer reporting agency forwards a response based on the application records accumulated.
US08566196B2

A method and system for determining possible future value of a portfolio of joint investors including receiving user inputs, determining an age of death of joint investors in accordance based on the current age of the respective first and second joint investors and randomly drawn numbers, and computing a future value of the portfolio using said greater age of death of the joint investors, a predetermined rate of return, and the initial value of the portfolio.
US08566191B2

An annuity is provided to an annuitant based on the performance of an investment. Assets of the investment are automatically reallocated over time and the annuity payment may change based on the performance of the automatically allocated assets. In some examples, the assets are automatically reallocated based on a demographic, which can include an age, a range of ages, and/or a gender.
US08566189B2

A computer-enabled method and system for generating a script for veterinary pharmaceutical and other animal-related product transactions comprising aggregation of participant data, including animal hospital data, veterinarian data, client data and animal data into the script, adding treatment regimen data to one or more orders associated with the script in accordance with the veterinarian's treatment plan, to enable determination of the initial date to begin filling the product, quantity of product, the number of fills and frequency to enable automatic generation of a series of autoship records including projected dates for shipping the orders to the animal owner upon verification of funds available, to print usage instructions, Rx labels, product information, shipping labels and packing slips, and to send notification emails to the animal owner and confirmation emails to the animal hospital.
US08566188B2

Systems and methods are provided to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility to store an account and a phone number associated with the account and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and to communicate with the common format processor in a common format. The common format processor is to select a first controller based at least in part on reducing cost, and to instruct the first controller of the controllers, via a first converter of the converters, to transmit a first message to a mobile device at the phone number to facilitate a transaction related to funds associated with the phone number.
US08566185B2

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 financial instrument position accounting period total analytical result, a financial instrument position accounting valuation analytical result, a financial instrument position accrual analytical result, a financial instrument position fair value analytical result, and/or a financial instrument position period average volume analytical result business object.
US08566180B2

Representing activity in an online store is disclosed. Information associated with the activities of a second visitor to the store is received. An indication of the presence of a first visitor at the store is also received. The activities of the second visitor are displayed to the first visitor.
US08566179B2

A method of presenting real estate data is provided. A plurality of property listings can be presented, and a selection of one of the presented property listings may be received from a user. The user may be associated with a financial profile, which may be specified via user input. In response to receiving the selection by the user, at least one loan offer corresponding to the property listing may be automatically presented, for example, together with the property listing. The loan offer may be at least partially based on the financial profile, and may also be based on a property corresponding to the selected property listing. For example, the property listing and the financial profile may be automatically transmitted to one or more loan providers in response to receiving the selection by the user of the property listing, and in response loan offers may be received from some of the loan providers.
US08566173B2

Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a query log, the query log including data relating to information input to an application marketplace and one or more applications available through the application marketplace, generating a map based on the data of the query log, for at least one of the one or more applications, identifying one or more applications of interest based on the map, generating an index, the index associating the at least one of the one or more applications to the one or more applications of interest, storing the index in computer-readable memory, receiving a user selection of a particular application of the one or more applications, retrieving the one or more applications of interest based on the particular application using the generated index, and providing the one or more applications of interest for display.
US08566170B1

Disclosed are various embodiments of systems, methods, and computer programs that facilitate reducing purchase hesitance. At least one product offered by a seller at an initial price is displayed to a buyer. Activity of the buyer throughout an electronic commerce system is tracked. Purchase hesitance in the activity is identified. A concession is offered to the buyer by the seller to provide incentive to the buyer to purchase the product within the electronic commerce system.
US08566169B2

A virtual gift credit system that automatically attaches gift credit to a payment account or vehicle of the gift recipient upon issuance of the gift credit is herein described. By attaching the gift credit amount to the recipient's payment account, subsequent purchases made using the payment account, and of the type associated with the gift credit, are automatically settled by applying the gift credit amount to the purchase amount. Further, the invention does not require gift recipients to share confidential account information with gift providers in order for the gift providers to bestow gift credit upon the gift recipients. Through the use of aliases, which serve to tie an identifier, such as a gift recipient's telephone number, email address or the like to a gift recipient's payment account, the invention does not require that the gift provider know any information about the financial accounts of the intended gift recipient.
US08566166B1

A computing system is configured to accept bid rules from merchants for the placement of ads for a plurality of products. The bid rules comprise a bid amount, a rule definition and a priority. The bid amount may be an absolute bid or it may be relative to base advertising rate. The rule definition comprises criteria for describing products to determine when the bid rule is applied to a product for sale. The priority indicates whether the bid rule applies to a particular product when the rule definition of more than one bid rule could be applied to a product. The computing system is also configured to generate a list of product offers based at least in part on the bids. The system may also generate reports for merchants.
US08566165B1

A performance-efficient activity-modeling system generates a group-activity model for a population group using information from an optimal subset of users of the population group. During operation, the system computes utility scores for a set of users based on a utility-scoring function, such that a respective utility score indicates a usefulness or penalty of collecting a corresponding user's contextual information. The system then selects, from the set of users, a subset of users with highest utility scores, and receives user information from each of the selected users. The system generates the group-activity model based on the user information received from the selected users.
US08566162B2

An information distribution device includes: a distribution information management table in which area information at the time of distribution indicating areas in which mobile terminals are located when advertising information is distributed from an information distributing part to the mobile terminals is recorded for each of the mobile terminals to which the advertising information is distributed from the information distribution part; a distribution area evaluation part that calculates, for each of a plurality of areas forming the distribution area and based on the area information at the time of distribution, an area visit probability indicating, of users of the mobile terminals who have been in any of the plurality of area forming the distribution area when the advertising information is distributed from the information distribution part, a percentage of those who have visited a location indicated by the advertising information; and a distribution area updating part that updates distribution area information recorded in a distribution area management table such that the distribution area only includes, of the plurality of areas, those whose area visit probability is equal to or larger than a threshold value.
US08566160B2

A system and method is described herein that selects advertisements for two or more regions of a web page based on rankings of the advertisements generated using different models. By ranking advertisements separately for each region of a web page, and choosing highest ranked advertisements for each region, advertisements can be selectively chosen such that a user is more likely to select an advertisement in each region of the web page. As a result, the user experience can be enhanced and the advertising revenue can be correspondingly increased.
US08566157B1

Methods and apparatus provide for an event tracker assigns a unique application identifier to represent a relationship between a media publisher and a client application that receives media content from the media publisher. The media publisher organizes the media content according to a media orchestration descriptor. The media orchestration descriptor identifies each segment of the media content and indicating relationships among the segments to define a presentation of the segments of the media content. The event tracker further associates an audit policy with the media orchestration descriptor where the audit policy is defined by the media publisher and received by the client application. The audit policy is applied to the client application in order to locally track events that occur with respect to the presentation of the media publisher's media content via the client application.
US08566146B1

Computer-based systems and methods for computing a score (a “target score”) for the contacts of a research department. The target score may be computed for each contact for each analyst team of the research department. The target score indicates how resources should be deployed by the research department to maximize revenue for the research department. The target score is computed based on a number of metrics. These metrics can include both analyst-team-specific contact metrics that relate to the contact-analyst team combination, as well as account metrics that pertain to the investment accounts associated with each of the contacts. Weights for the metrics may be determined using an optimization algorithm.
US08566139B2

A method and systems of safety analysis of engineering processes for safety analysis of nuclear power stations are disclosed. A distribution of risk factors is analysed on different stages of the engineering process, and safety intervals are determined where safety conditions remain invariable. The method further includes analysis of failure transitions from one safety interval into another by means of cause-effect analysis. Based on the results of this analysis, deterministic safety models are created for possible scenarios of transition of failures from one safety interval into another. The method and systems provide quantitative safety analysis and evaluation for engineering processes in variable safety conditions and enable creating valid safety requirements to perform optimization of an engineering processes control system.
US08566136B2

Systems and methods are disclosed that create a secure electronically recorded log utilizable in the field of emergency response material spill remediation. The system can receive information regarding a spill incident, wherein the information includes an approximate location of the spill incident or a description of a material spilt, populate the secure electronically recorded log with a geolocation code associated with the spill incident, wherein the geolocation code is ascertained as a function of the approximate location of the spill incident, and communicate a notification to a Project Manager assigned to oversee remediation of the spill incident or a representative of a client that supplied the information regarding the spill incident.
US08566132B2

A computerized system and computer-implemented method for enabling insurance vendor self-audits that receives referral data from a vendor, samples the referrals, assigns audit questions to each referral within the sample of referrals, presents the audit questions to the vendor and receives answers from the vendor, scores the answers based on rules, and reports the audit scores.
US08566130B2

A system for performing insurance policy audits electronically. The system optimizes service selection by tailoring an audit to an insured's business category and state(s) in which the insured does business. Initially, the insured is sent a letter and password to enter the system website. Once online, the insured is prompted to answer questions to complete the audit in a self-driven manner. Insureds can save work in progress and return to the audit later. The interactive process drives the methodology for insureds to complete the audit online, resulting in a more accurate audit at a lower average cost.
US08566129B1

A method for subrogation recovery utilizing a computer system, including providing a database having of a plurality of records of health care claims, each record including a claim, personal data of a claimant of the claim, enrollment data of the claimant in one of a plurality of primary payers of the claim, a record of at least one of charges to the payer and payment by the primary payer to the claimant for each claim, and details of the claim. The method continues with identifying search criteria for searching the records that would likely lead to subset of potentially subrogable claims, searching the plurality of records based on the criteria, analyzing the subset of potentially subrogable claims to generate lists of potentially actionable claims for each of the plurality of primary payers, and providing at the lists of potentially actionable claims to each of the plurality of the primary payers.
US08566127B1

An intermittent risk exposure liability insurance method comprising the steps of: establishing an Internet business site enabled for communication with insurers and insureds through Internet service providers; enrolling the insureds in intermittent risk exposure liability insurance policies, the policies providing for a variable insurance premium rate depending upon an intermittent use of an insured article; logging start and completion times of each intermittent use of the insured article on the Internet business site by the insured; verifying start and completion times of use of the insured article in accordance with the logged start and completion times; and applying and billing premium insurance rates in accordance with the verified and logged start and completion times of use.
US08566120B2

A health data generation system has a measuring apparatus and a user terminal. The measuring apparatus transmits to the user terminal function type information indicating function of the measuring apparatus. The user terminal selects a desired function based on the received function type information and transmits the selected function as function designation information to measuring apparatus. The measuring apparatus transmits to the user terminal parameter specifying information designating the types of parameters necessary for performing the function specified by the function designation information. The user terminal prompts a user to input individual data to the parameters and registers the individual data together with the function designation information as registration information R.
US08566119B2

A system and method for medical scan archiving and notifying medical professionals of a need for evaluation of the medical scan, having the steps of enrolling a medical professional in a computer system, the enrolling of the medical professional including a medical professional type, gathering medical data from the patient, entering the medical data gathered from the patient, an urgency type for the patient, and a medical data type for the patient into a data archival system, evaluating the urgency type for the patient related to the medical data, conducing a broadcast message to a medical professional with a medical professional type corresponding to the medical data type when the urgency type corresponds to a need for immediate reading of the medical data for the patient and retrieving the broadcast message to the medical professional and conducting a replacement broadcast when the urgency type of the medical data changes from a first state to a second state.
US08566113B2

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for providing a level of anonymity to patient records/information. A unique user identification (ID) associated with a current user is received at an interface of a computer database environment. A first role code associated with a first role of the current user is received at the interface of the computer database environment. The current user is allowed access to a defined set of patient records/information in the computer database environment. The defined set of patient records/information being defined based on the user ID and the first role code of the current user.
US08566110B2

Hacking a rental computer to use it beyond purchased rental time is prevented by plugging a time card with internal counter into a DIMM socket of the motherboard and encrypting the register locations of the time card with the private key of the motherboard to bind the time card to the motherboard. Thus, if the time card is not detected at boot or if it is removed during operation the computer is disabled. The counter counts down the rented time period as it receives clocking signals, and at the elapse of the purchased period disables the computer.
US08566109B2

A method of implementing common interest community services in a presence system comprising creating a common interest community in which an interest state of a presence message is aggregated into a group in the presence system, publishing a member presence information to the common interest community to be selectively made available to a subscribing member of the common interest community and subscribing to the common interest community for receiving the member presence information, wherein a publishing member may selectively grant an access level.
US08566098B2

A system and method are disclosed for synthesizing speech based on a selected speech act. A method includes modifying synthesized speech of a spoken dialogue system, by (1) receiving a user utterance, (2) analyzing the user utterance to determine an appropriate speech act, and (3) generating a response of a type associated with the appropriate speech act, wherein in linguistic variables in the response are selected, based on the appropriate speech act.
US08566097B2

A lexical acquisition apparatus includes: a phoneme recognition section 2 for preparing a phoneme sequence candidate from an inputted speech; a word matching section 3 for preparing a plurality of word sequences based on the phoneme sequence candidate; a discrimination section 4 for selecting, from among a plurality of word sequences, a word sequence having a high likelihood in a recognition result; an acquisition section 5 for acquiring a new word based on the word sequence selected by the discrimination section 4; a teaching word list 4A used to teach a name; and a probability model 4B of the teaching word and an unknown word, wherein the discrimination section 4 calculates, for each word sequence, a first evaluation value showing how much words in the word sequence correspond to teaching words in the list 4A and a second evaluation value showing a probability at which the words in the word sequence are adjacent to one another and selects a word sequence for which a sum of the first evaluation value and the second evaluation value is maximum, and wherein the acquisition section 5 acquires, as a new word, a word in the word sequence selected by the discrimination section that is not involved in the calculation of the first evaluation value.
US08566095B2

Systems, methods, and apparatuses including computer program products for segmenting words using scaled probabilities. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a probability of a n-gram identifying a word, determining a number of atomic units in the corresponding n-gram, identifying a scaling weight depending on the number of atomic units in the n-gram, and applying the scaling weight to the probability of the n-gram identifying a word to determine a scaled probability of the n-gram identifying a word.
US08566093B2

A method for compensating inter-session variability for automatic extraction of information from an input voice signal representing an utterance of a speaker, includes: processing the input voice signal to provide feature vectors each formed by acoustic features extracted from the input voice signal at a time frame; computing an intersession variability compensation feature vector; and computing compensated feature vectors based on the extracted feature vectors and the intersession variability compensation feature vector.
US08566092B2

The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for extracting a prosodic feature of a speech signal, the method including: dividing the speech signal into speech frames; transforming the speech frames from time domain to frequency domain; and extracting respective prosodic features for different frequency ranges. According to the above technical solution of the present invention, it is possible to effectively extract the prosodic feature which can combine with a traditional acoustics feature without any obstacle.
US08566090B2

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for referring to entities. The method includes receiving domain-specific training data of sentences describing a target entity in a context, extracting a speaker history and a visual context from the training data, selecting attributes of the target entity based on at least one of the speaker history, the visual context, and speaker preferences, generating a text expression referring to the target entity based on at least one of the selected attributes, the speaker history, and the context, and outputting the generated text expression. The weighted finite-state automaton can represent partial orderings of word pairs in the domain-specific training data. The weighted finite-state automaton can be speaker specific or speaker independent. The weighted finite-state automaton can include a set of weighted partial orderings of the training data for each possible realization.
US08566085B2

The present disclosure relates to coding and decoding technologies, and discloses a preprocessing method, a preprocessing apparatus, and a coding device. The preprocessing method includes: obtaining characteristic information of a current frame signal; identifying whether the current frame signal requires no coding operation of removing LTC according to the characteristic information of the current frame signal and preset information; and if identifying that the current frame signal requires no coding operation of removing LTC, performing the coding operation of removing STC for the current frame signal; and if identifying that the current frame signal requires the coding operation of removing LTC, performing the coding operations of removing both LTC and STC for the current frame signal. Through the technical solution provided herein, the coding operation of removing LTC is performed for only part of the input frame signals.
US08566084B2

A speech signal processing system which outputs a speech feature, divides an input speech signal into frames so that each pair of consecutive frames have a frame shift length equal to at least one period of the speech signal and have an overlap equal to at least a predetermined length, applies discrete Fourier transform to each of the frames, calculates a CSP coefficient for the pair, searches a predetermined search range in which a speech wave lags a period equal to at least one period to obtain the maximum value of the CSP coefficient for the pair, and generates time-series data of the maximum CSP coefficient values arranged in the order in which the frames appear. A method and a computer readable article of manufacture for the implementing the same are also provided.
US08566075B1

The present disclosure details apparatuses, methods, and systems for a text-to-sign language translation platform (“translation platform”). The translation platform enables efficient, real-time processing of written speech elements, such as may be supplied by a Closed Captioning feed, and conversion to sign language video clips that may be output to a video display, such as via an embedded “picture-in-picture” window. The translation platform is configurable to process homographs, synonyms, grammatical context, multiple speakers, tone of voice, and/or the like.
US08566070B2

The present invention relates to an apparatus abnormality monitoring method, and it provides a technology that can achieve accurate abnormality detection, cause diagnosis, and others. This system relates to monitoring of a newly-installed apparatus (T) among a plurality of similar apparatuses 1. In a judgment model creation module 2, for each of a plurality of (K) already-installed similar apparatuses (a, b and others), individual judgment models (prediction models) are created, and a meta prediction model for predicting a coefficient and an intercept of these prediction models from feature item values and others of each of the apparatuses 1 is created. From this meta prediction model, a prediction model dedicated to the apparatus (T) (judgment model including the prediction model) is produced. By using this judgment model, a judgment module 3T monitors the state of the apparatus (T) to perform abnormality detection.
US08566058B2

A method is provided for de-embedding measurements from a given network containing mixtures of devices with known and unknown S-parameters given a description of the network and the known S-parameters of the overall system.
US08566057B2

A method for self-adjustment of a triaxial acceleration sensor during operation includes: calibrating the sensor; checking the self-adjustment for an interfering acceleration, with the aid of a measurement equation and estimated values for sensitivity and offset; repeating the adjustment if an interfering acceleration is recognized; and accepting the estimated values for sensitivity and offset as calibration values if an interfering acceleration is not recognized. The step of checking the self-adjustment includes: estimating sensitivity and/or offset and the variance thereof; determining an innovation as the difference between a measured value of the measurement equation and an estimated value of the measurement equation; testing the innovation for a normal distribution; and recognizing the interfering acceleration in the event of a deviation from the normal distribution.
US08566053B2

A method for estimating and tracking locally oscillating signals. The method comprises the steps of taking measurements of an input signal that approximately preserve the inner products among signals in a class of signals of interest and computing an estimate of parameters of the input signal from its inner products with other signals. The step of taking measurements may be linear and approximately preserve inner products, or may be non-linear and approximately preserves inner products. Further, the step of taking measurements is nonadaptive and may comprise compressive sensing. In turn, the compressive sensing may comprise projection using one of a random matrix, a pseudorandom matrix, a sparse matrix and a code matrix. The step of tracking said signal of interest with a phase-locked loop may comprise, for example, operating on compressively sampled data or by operating on compressively sampled frequency modulated data, tracking phase and frequency.
US08566033B2

A method for determining the position of a mobile body at a given instant and for monitoring the integrity of the position of said mobile body includes a step of determining a sustained position at the given instant by adding the integral of the hybrid speed between the preceding instant and the given instant to the position of the mobile body at the preceding instant; a step of determining the sustained protection radius associated with the sustained position by adding the integral of the hybrid speed protection radius between the preceding instant and the given instant to the position protection radius of the preceding instant; a step of determining a better position at the given instant, the better position being: when information from the first positioning device is available, the position associated with a better protection radius, the better protection radius being selected by comparing the intermediate protection radius with the sustained protection radius according to a predetermined selection criterion; and, when information from the intermediate positioning device is unavailable, the sustained position.
US08566027B2

A method, system and computer readable media for route re-planning including generating enemy force movement predictions to be used during mission planning. During a mission, enemy force movements can be compared to the predictions. By using enemy force movement predictions for an initial comparison, the enemy force movements may only need to be compared to the own force mission plan if the enemy forces deviate from the predictions. When enemy force movement deviates from the predictions, new enemy force movement predictions can be generated. The new enemy force movement predictions can then be compared to the own force mission plan to determine if a route re-plan is needed. The route can be re-planned to determine a route that reduces or eliminates the chance of a lethal encounter with an enemy or threat.
US08566017B2

In a driving support apparatus for a vehicle, when a driver indicates the intension to turn by turning a turn signal switch on, vehicles traveling on a lane to which the driver intends to turn is detected based on images captured by monitoring cameras, a space to cut into between the vehicles is calculated, an entry start time of a subject vehicle is obtained based on a speed difference between a speed of the subject vehicle and a moving speed of the space to cut into, and, when the entry start time is reached, voice guidance instructing to start turning is output from an instruction unit.
US08566008B2

A control device for an internal-combustion engine designed to ensure that required responsiveness is obtained as actual torque responsiveness with respect to a torque demand even when the torque responsiveness with respect to the actuation of a particular actuator is affected by the operating conditions. A response compensating filter is provided at a preceding stage to an air inverse model, and the target torque which has been corrected by the response compensating filter is converted by the air inverse model to obtain a target opening degree of a throttle. A time constant of the response compensating filter is set on the basis of the operating conditions of the internal-combustion engine so that the responsiveness of actual torque with respect to the torque demand reaches a preset standard responsiveness.
US08566006B2

A method for controlling combustion in a multi-cylinder engine includes injecting fuel into at least one cylinder of the multi-cylinder engine and, for each cylinder, separately controlling at least one fuel injection parameter to produce a desired exhaust composition for that cylinder. A multi-cylinder engine is also disclosed.
US08565983B2

A method and a system for regulating, while the vehicle is in motion, the linear position of a fifth wheel (4) of a vehicle combination which comprises a tractor unit (1) and a semi-trailer (2), which linear position of the fifth wheel is regulated automatically on the basis of the vehicle speed. Forward movement of the fifth wheel ordered in response to an increase in the vehicle speed, in order to reduce the distance between the driving cab (3) and the semi-trailer, is effected at a faster rate of movement of the fifth wheel at times when the tractor unit is performing a gear change operation than at times when the tractor unit is not performing a gear change operation. When a rearward movement of the fifth wheel to increase the distance between the driving cab and the semi-trailer has to be effected in response to a decrease in the vehicle speed, braking of the semi-trailer relative to the tractor unit is ordered, in order thereby to facilitate the rearward movement of the fifth wheel.
US08565981B2

A method of controlling a buoyancy system for an aircraft includes: determining the roll angle φ and the pitching angle θ of the aircraft; verifying whether −φR <+R and whether −θR <θ<+θR, where φR and θR are predefined limit angles; if at least one of the angles φ and θ is no longer in its above-defined respective range, activating an automatic trigger of the buoyancy system; if the angles φ and θ are in their above-defined respective ranges, determining the altitude A of the aircraft; inhibiting the automatic trigger if A >AR, where AR is a predefined limit altitude; and if AR ≧A, and if at least partial immersion of the aircraft has been detected, activating the automatic trigger.
US08565973B2

A method for operating a motor vehicle which can be driven in at least two drive modes which differ from one another as to whether or not at least one wheel of the motor vehicle is driven is designed to increase the safety in the driving behavior when the drive mode changes, by adjusting a previously defined value which is assigned to the current drive mode for a variable that is related to a chassis device of the motor vehicle.
US08565969B2

A vehicle includes a drive train having a manual transmission. An internal combustion engine is coupled to the manual transmission via a clutch. Auxiliary devices operate auxiliary systems of the vehicle. A battery energizes electric drivers for the auxiliary devices. A power exchange unit is coupled to the manual transmission via a power takeoff port. An electric generator is coupled to the power exchange unit, and the internal combustion engine drives the generator via the power exchange unit. The battery is energized by the generator via a battery charger.
US08565955B2

A control apparatus for a vehicle is provided for a vehicle that has a normal mode and a power mode as vehicle driving characteristics. The control apparatus includes a continuously variable transmission mechanism that steplessly changes a speed ratio when rotational driving force of an engine output shaft is transmitted to a rotating output shaft; and a control portion that controls the continuously variable transmission mechanism such that, when a rotation speed is increased to a target rotation speed and a required output of an internal combustion engine when the power mode is selected is the same as when the normal mode is selected, the rate of increase in the rotation speed is greater when the power mode is selected than when the normal mode is selected.
US08565950B2

There is provided an electric vehicle including a battery that stores power, a connection unit that is to be connected a charger that communicates with a management device capable of reading identification information specific to each electric vehicle from a security token brought into proximity or in contact, a driving prohibition unit that prohibits operation of a driving mechanism in a case predetermined processing relating to charging of the battery is started after the charger is connected to the connection unit, and a driving permission unit that permits operation of the driving mechanism after the identification information of the electric vehicle is read from the security token by the management device.
US08565946B2

A system includes a first propulsion subsystem and a second propulsion subsystem. The first propulsion subsystem is operable to provide electrical energy to a first communication device when operating in an ON mode. The second propulsion subsystem is operable to provide electrical energy to a second communication device when operating in the ON mode. The first propulsion subsystem and the second propulsion subsystem are controllable in a mode of operation where if one of the first propulsion subsystem or the second propulsion subsystem is controlled to be in an OFF mode, the other of the first propulsion subsystem and the second propulsion subsystem provides electrical energy to the respective first communication device or the second communication device.
US08565936B2

An on-vehicle remote control apparatus includes a use-state determining device configured to determine whether a vehicle is in use. The vehicle has a remotely controllable on-vehicle device. An emergency-mode determining device is configured to determine whether the vehicle is in an emergency mode. A remote-control-execution determining device is configured to determine whether a remote-control executing device is permitted to execute remote control of the on-vehicle device. If the use-state determining device determines that the vehicle is in use, the remote-control-execution determining device prohibits the remote-control executing device from executing the remote control of the on-vehicle device. Even when the use-state determining device determines that the vehicle is in use, if the emergency-mode determining device determines that the vehicle is in the emergency mode, the remote-control-execution determining device permits the remote-control executing device to execute the remote control of the on-vehicle device.
US08565930B2

An ECU operates a charging unit such that a power storage device is charged by an electric power from a power supply. When a vehicle moves while charging the unit charges the power storage device, the ECU stops charging the unit to discontinue the charging of the power storage device. The ECU diagnoses a state of the charging unit after the charging of the power storage device is stopped. The ECU determines whether the charging of the power storage device is able to be resumed based on the diagnostic result. When determining that the charging of the power storage device is able to be resumed, the ECU resumes the charging of the power storage device by resuming the operation of the charging unit.
US08565921B2

Provided is a method for determining a grounding timing of a biped walking robot. Firstly, a ZMP equation which represents a trajectory of a center of gravity including a first single-leg grounded period in which the robot stands only with a first leg and a second single-leg grounded period in which the robot stands only with a second leg, following the first single-leg grounded period, is solved using a predetermined grounding timing. A second leg ZMP position representing a ZMP position in the second single-leg grounded period is then calculated. When the calculated second leg ZMP position is out of the second leg ZMP permissible area, the grounding timing is modified so that the second leg ZMP position is located in a second leg ZMP permissible area which is defined corresponding to a possible grounding area of the second leg.
US08565909B2

In an object generation system, consumable base materials are characterized in a characterization process wherein an object generation system can use a plurality of so-characterized base materials. User input representing a desired object and set of characteristics for that desired object are processed, using a computer or computing device, to derive a mapping of locations for placement of portions of the plurality of base materials such that when the mapping is provided to an object generator, the generated object approximates the representing a desired object and set of characteristics. The characterization of a base material might include elasticity of the base material, the user input might be a desired shape and elasticity, the object generator might be a 3D multi-material printer and the generated object might at least approximate the desired shape and elasticity as a result of being constructed from the plurality of base materials used by the printer.
US08565908B2

Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for equalization preference learning for digital audio modification. A method for listener calibration of an audio signal includes modifying a reference sound using at least one equalization curve; playing the modified reference sound for a listener; accepting listener feedback regarding the modified reference sound; and generating a weighting function based on listener feedback. A listener audio configuration system includes an output providing a sound for listener review; an interface accepting listener feedback regarding the sound; and a processor programming an audio device based on listener feedback.
US08565899B1

Disclosed herein are medical prostheses including a cochlear implant that includes circuitry enclosed within a housing and at least one electrode lead extending from the housing. The electrode lead comprises a conducting pathway and an electrode terminal at one end of the electrode lead. The conducting pathway connects the circuitry with the electrode terminal, and insulation (or an insulating sleeve) encloses at least a portion of the conducting pathway. In some embodiments, the electrode terminal has a lower thermal conductivity relative to the implant housing. In further embodiments, the insulation has thermal conductivity and thermal conduction properties that cause at least some thermal energy in the conducting pathway to flow into the insulation rather than to the electrode terminal. In still further embodiments, at least one of the electrode terminal or the electrode lead includes at least one thermal mass enhancing structure.
US08565898B2

A biologic intervention method and apparatus generates a persistent modification to an AV node that is physiologically stable after the agent has matured but is alterable with subsequent application of an agent. Specifically, the generic agent is used to modulate a node in a cardiac conduction system including rate control using one and a combination of a family of K+ channel or equivalent. Specifically, the channel is implemented to slow conduction by generating an outward current during optimization of action potential and repolarization phase thus decreasing the current that is available to excite downstream cells. A Kv 1.3 channel, for example, may be used as the biologic channel. The invention enables reversal of the modulation or adjustment for various heart rates (BPM) based on medical and patient-specific needs.
US08565897B2

A leadless autonomous intracardiac implantable medical device having a releasable fastener system. This autonomous intracorporeal active medical device has two distinct elements connectable together and reversibly separable from one another, with a sealed capsule body (100) housing electronic circuitry (110), and a base (200) comprising a plate (202) having an outer face and an anchoring system on said outer face to anchor the base to a wall of an organ of a patient, and an inner face forming a support for the capsule body and having a fastening system to couple releasably the capsule body to the base. The capsule body comprises on its face turned towards the base at least one projection support (108) on an electrode surface for coming into contact with the wall of the organ of the patient when the capsule body is mounted on the base.
US08565894B2

The electrode lead system of a preferred embodiment includes a series of first electrical subsystems; a guiding element that positions the series of first electrical subsystems in a three dimensional arrangement within body tissue; a second electrical subsystem; and at least one connector that couples the first electrical subsystems to the second electrical subsystem. The electrode lead system of another preferred embodiment includes a series of electrode arrays; a guide tube that facilitates implantation of electrode arrays within body tissue and temporarily contains the series of electrode arrays; and a guiding element that provides a bias on the series of electrode arrays such that (a) when contained by the guide tube, the first electrical subsystems maintain a substantially singular path within body tissue, and (b) when not contained by the guide tube, the first electrical subsystems diverge along more than one path into a three dimensional arrangement within body tissue.
US08565892B2

Nanoparticle-sized magnetic absorption enhancers (MAEs) that exhibit a controlled response to a magnetic field, including a controlled mechanical response and inductive thermal response. The MAEs have a magnetic material that exhibits the inductive thermal response to the magnetic field and is embedded in a coating, such that the MAE conforms to a particular shape, e.g., a hemisphere, a dome or a shell, that is chosen to produce the desired controlled mechanical response of the entire MAE to the magnetic field. A targeting moiety for specifically binding the MAE to a pathogen target is also provided. The MAEs are preferably bound by a flexible linker to promote the desired mechanical response, which includes interactions between MAEs that are not bound to their pathogen target for the purpose of forming spheres, spherical shells, or generally spherical dimers. Such forms contain the thermal energy produced by the thermal inductive response of the magnetic material and thus reduce collateral healthy tissue damage during hyperthermic treatment. The inventing extends to appropriate apparatus and methods for diagnostics and hyperthermic treatments employing the MAEs.
US08565889B2

An audio prostheses having a set of operating parameters is fit to an implanted patient. An audio stimulation pattern is initiated to the audio prosthesis. A fit adjustment process is performed during the audio stimulation pattern, which includes: changing a set of selected operating parameter values. Patient feedback is received that indicates a subjective performance evaluation of operation of the audio prosthesis. The process is repeated (e.g., continuously) to collect performance evaluation data related to the operating parameter values. Then the operating parameters are set based on the performance evaluation data.
US08565888B2

An automated adaptive muscle stimulation system and method are disclosed. The stimulation system includes at least one electrode assembly adapted to deliver a muscle stimulation signal to the tissue of a user, a sensor system adapted to detect a muscle response, and an electrical stimulation device operably coupled to the at least on electrode assembly and the sensor system, the electrical stimulation device including a control system operable to automatically diagnose at least one characteristic of a muscle from the detected muscle response and adjust at least one parameter of the muscle stimulation signal in response thereto to deliver an adjusted muscle stimulation signal. A dual mode muscle stimulation system adapted to accept first and second data sets and provide first and second levels of treatment data is also disclosed.
US08565884B2

An implantable medical device that includes a first molded portion and a second molded portion fusion bonded to the first molded portion at an interface. The molded portions each are based on a moldable plastic material. A component, e.g., an electrical component, for the implantable device has at least one section disposed at the fusion-bonded interface of the first molded portion and the second molded portion so that the electronic component is fusion bonded to one or both portions at the interface.
US08565875B2

A cardiac rhythm management system provides both a safe maximum pacing rate limit and a physiological maximum pacing rate limit. In one embodiment, a normal maximum tracking rate (MTR) and a hysteresis MTR are provided. The hysteresis MTR is set higher than the normal MTR and functions as a maximum pacing rate. When an atrial rate exceeds the hysteresis MTR limit, the maximum pacing rate limit is set to the normal MTR. Once the atrial rate falls below a predetermined threshold, the maximum pacing rate limit is set to the hysteresis MTR. This provides for a more rapid and natural maximum pacing rate limit for a patient, while still protecting the patient from being paced at abnormally high rates.
US08565867B2

We disclose a method of treating a medical condition in a patient using an implantable medical device including coupling at least a first electrode and a second electrode to a cranial nerve of the patient, providing a programmable electrical signal generator coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode, generating a first electrical signal with the electrical signal generator, applying the first electrical signal to the electrodes, wherein the first electrode is a cathode and the second electrode is an anode, reversing the polarity of the first electrode and the second electrode, yielding a configuration wherein the first electrode is an anode and the second electrode is a cathode, generating a second electrical signal with the electrical signal generator, applying the second electrical signal to the electrodes, reversing the polarity of the first electrode and the second electrode, yielding a configuration wherein the first electrode is a cathode and the second electrode is an anode, generating a third electrical signal with the electrical signal generator, and applying the third electrical signal to the electrodes. Each of the electrical signals can independently contain one or more pulses or one or more bursts. The number of pulses need not be equal between any two of the electrical signals.
US08565866B2

An implantable medical device has an impedance determiner for determining a cardiogenic impedance signal based on electric signals sensed by connected electrodes. A parameter calculator processes the impedance signal to calculate an impedance parameter representative of the cardiogenic impedance in connection with the diastolic phase of a heart cycle. This parameter is then employed by the device for monitoring acute decompensated heart failure status of a subject.
US08565865B2

Methods for determination of timing for electrical shocks to the heart to determine shock strength necessary to defibrillate a fibrillating heart. The timing corresponds the window of most vulnerability in the heart, which occurs during the T-wave of a heartbeat. Using a derivatized T-wave representation, the timing of most vulnerability is determined by a center of the area method, peak amplitude method, width method, or other similar methods. Devices are similarly disclosed embodying the methods of the present disclosure.
US08565858B2

A catheter is navigated within a body cavity of a patient. This navigation is enabled by the provision of the transmitter of electromagnetic radiation under platform, a receiver of electromagnetic radiation rigidly attached to fluoroscope, and a receiver of radiation rigidly attached to the catheter, all three of which are connected by wires to a computer. The computer displays, on a display unit, the image of the body cavity acquired by the fluoroscope, with an icon representing the catheter superposed on the image in the location and orientation of catheter relative to the body. There is no representational imaging device equipped with a receiver in the apparatus of the current invention.
US08565856B2

A medical imaging device has an emission tomograph, at least one ultrasonic (US) probe for providing images giving real-time information about the location of the internal organs of a subject, a tracking system for spatially locating the at least one ultrasonic probe in relation to the medical imaging device, and an image processing unit in which the location information obtained by the ultrasonic probe is used for attenuation correction of image information obtained by the emission tomograph.
US08565854B2

A method, system, computer-readable medium, use, and pulse sequence for magnetic resonance imaging or nuclear magnetic resonance is provided for determining the rate of molecular exchange between components with different diffusion characteristics. The present invention encodes the magnetic resonance signal for exchange utilizing judiciously designed protocols for varying the parameters of a pulse sequence comprising a pair of diffusion weighting blocks separated by a mixing time.
US08565850B2

The invention relates to sweat activity measurement, e.g. for determining a physiological state of a subject, embodied by a method as well as a kit with an immittance measuring circuit and electrodes with contact electrolyte. Sweat activity is considered a transport phenomenon and can be defined as a flux, e.g. gram water per skin area per second. Prior art methods determining water absorbed per gram dry stratum corneum measures skin moisture and do not truly reflect sweat activity. A periodic signal with frequency of 60 Hz or lower is applied to reduce contribution from complex admittance of the skin, and skin conductance is measured as a degree of sweat activity. The contact electrolyte allows filling of sweat ducts with sweat from sweat glands, this may be characterized in that it does not substantially fill the sweat ducts when being positioned on the skin and/or in that it has a re-absorption time constant from the sweat ducts into the Epidermis of less than 15 min.
US08565848B2

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for measuring an analyte in a host. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for transcutaneous measurement of glucose in a host.
US08565830B2

A mobile terminal and a method of displaying 3D images thereon are disclosed. A display module in a mobile terminal may include a touchscreen and a controller. The touchscreen may be configured to display a plurality of icons and to receive a touch input that sets a 3D display setting for at least one of the icons. The controller may be configured to set the 3D display setting according to a pattern of the touch input. The touch pattern may determine whether the displayed 3D image of the icon is perceived to project or recede into the touch screen and/or a magnitude of a projection or recession.
US08565829B2

A mobile terminal includes: a main device having a display unit and performing a mobile communication function, and a sub-device having an input unit, communicating with the main device, and detachably coupled to the main device, wherein the input unit includes a transparent touch panel, and at least a portion of the transparent touch panel overlaps with the display unit in a state that the main device and the sub-device are coupled. The main device and the sub-device communicate with each other when they are coupled or separated to remotely control each other.
US08565827B2

A method and an apparatus reduce power used when a traffic load is low in a base station of a wireless communication system. The base station monitors a traffic load. When the traffic load is lower than a predetermined threshold and a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) mode is used to communicate with a mobile station, the MIMO mode is converted to a Single Input Multiple Output (SIMO) mode. The base station performs communication with the mobiles stations by using the SIMO mode. According to another embodiment, when the traffic load is lower than a predetermined threshold, the base station limits the number of Resource Blocks (RBs) that may be allocated to a coverage area of the base station. A Power Amplifier (PA) bias related to a transmission output of the base station is reduced based on the limited number of RBs, thereby saving power consumption of the base station.
US08565823B2

A basestation in a cellular communication system corrects frequency errors in signals generated within the basestation. The frequency errors may be corrected on the basis of signals transmitted by one or more other basestation within the network. As an alternative, the basestation may request information from one or mobile devices that are also able to detect transmissions from other basestations.
US08565819B2

A mobile terminal including a first display unit, an interface unit configured to be connected to an external display device having a second display unit, and a controller configured to receive a connection signal indicating a connection of the mobile terminal to the display device, to play a multimedia content on the first display unit, to provide video information of the multimedia content to the external display device, and to pause the playing of the multimedia content on the first display unit.
US08565799B2

Methods and apparatus for flow data acquisition in a multi-frequency network. In an aspect, a method includes receiving flow registrations associated with flows, assigning a priority to the flow registrations, grouping the flows into flow groups based on their priority and RF channels carrying the flows, wherein each flow group is assigned a ranking, selecting a flow group based on the ranking, and acquiring flow data for the flows associated with the flow group. An apparatus includes registration logic configured to receive flow registrations associated with flows, priority logic configured to assign a priority to the flow registrations, and acquisition processing logic configured to group the flows into flow groups based on their priority and RF channels carrying the flows, wherein each flow group is assigned a ranking, select a flow group based on the ranking, and acquire flow data for the flows associated with the flow group.
US08565798B2

Systems and methods for on-the-fly characterization of an arbitrary array of antenna elements are provided. An array of arbitrary antenna elements and a reference receiver is provided. A location for a target source of signals is provided or assumed. Cross ambiguity functions are computed between the signal received by the reference receiver and the signal received by each antenna element. The cross ambiguity functions are analyzed to determine the phase and amplitude response of the antenna array to signals originating from the location of the target source of signals.
US08565789B2

A system and method are provided for improving efficiency of operation and convenience of access to a fleet of taxis, or other service vehicles, requiring rapid, on-demand dispatch to customer-determined locations. Automatic speech recognition (ASR) and/or radiolocation technology are used to automate the entry of the customer pickup location, and optionally the dropoff location and other relevant information as well. A customer speaks the pickup location into a cellular telephone which then digitizes and transmits it as a data communication to an ASR system. The ASR system decodes the digitized utterance into a pickup location which is passed to a vehicle matching and dispatch system. The vehicle matching and dispatch system matches a taxi and dispatches it to the pickup location. In one embodiment, the identified pickup location is transmitted to the customer's cellular telephone for confirmation or correction, before dispatch of the requested taxi.
US08565779B2

A method for automatically configuring a portable device comprises determining a position of the portable device and automatically configuring the portable device based on the determined position.
US08565776B2

A base station configuring a plurality of sectors adjacent to one another and controlling communication with a plurality of mobile stations, the base station including: a position determination unit configured to determine, for the mobile stations, a mobile station present at a sector boundary and in the vicinity of the base station; and a scheduling unit configured to allocate, to the determined mobile station, a frequency domain that is not used in a sector adjacent to a sector in which the determined mobile station is present.
US08565773B2

A method of enabling a soft handoff in a communication system, wherein the communication system includes a plurality of sectors and each of the plurality of sectors includes at least one base station is disclosed. The method includes: providing at least one mobile station; setting identical resources for serving the mobile station from each of the plurality of base stations in each sector; designating at least a plurality of base stations in at least one sector to participate a soft handoff; and performing a soft handoff.
US08565771B1

Aspects relate to automatically establishing neighbor relations for adjacent sectors based on one or more network events. The neighbor relations can be established between sectors that can be identified as inter-frequency neighbors or intra-frequency neighbors. In an aspect, the network events can be active call data events received from one or more mobile devices. The active call data events can be radio access bearer establishments and internal system releases. In another aspect, the network events can be idle call data events received from one or more mobile devices. If a first event ended on a first sector and a second event started on a second sector before expiration of an interval that started when the first event ended, the first sector and second sector can be defined as neighbors.
US08565767B2

Methods of handing off an access terminal in a meshed wireless system is disclosed. Data that is received by an access point in the meshed wireless system may be routed to an access terminal via a downstream serving access point. The access point may also be configured to communicate a connection state of the access terminal to a target access point if a handoff of the access terminal from the serving access point to the target access point is requested.
US08565763B2

A user device may determine whether the user device is located within a dead zone; periodically search, using a first process, for a cellular tower of a cellular network when the user device is not located within the dead zone; and periodically search, using a second process, for a cellular tower of the cellular network when the user device is located within the dead zone. The second process may consume less power of the user device than the first process.
US08565758B2

An integrated wireless network and associated method are provided for facilitating wireless communication onboard an aircraft. The integrated wireless network includes a wireless distribution system including a wired interface and a plurality of wireless radios. The wireless distribution system may also include a combiner and one or more antennas, such as leaky feeder antenna(s), extending through the cabin compartment of the aircraft. The combiner may provide the combined wireless signals to the antenna for transmission. And, the combiner may deconstruct wireless signals received by the antenna and provide the deconstructed wireless signals to a respective wireless radio. The integrated wireless network of this embodiment also includes one or more wireless data concentrators having a plurality of wireless radios in communication with the antenna. The plurality of wireless radios of the wireless distribution system and the wireless data concentrator may support wireless communications in accordance with a plurality of different protocols.
US08565755B1

Malfunctioning machine to machine (M2M) devices in a wireless network can be detected and blocked from the network. In one implementation, a device may monitor uplink traffic from a M2M device and determine, based on the monitoring, whether the M2M device is malfunctioning with respect to an uplink data rate of the M2M device. The device may transmit, in response to the determination that the M2M device is malfunctioning, one or more messages instructing network devices to delete communication sessions corresponding to the M2M device, where at least one of the one or more messages is associated with a time period value indicating a time period in which the deletion of the communication session is to be enforced.
US08565752B2

Provided are femtocell base stations and a management system therefor establishing an X2 interface between femtocell base stations. The method may include obtaining, by the femtocell base station, an Internet Protocol (IP) address of one or more neighbor femtocell base stations, and establishing the X2 interface between the femtocell base station and the neighbor femtocell base station using the corresponding, obtained IP address.
US08565751B2

A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes a step A of offering a particular service through a second radio data link established between a mobile station and a cell in the second area in a state in which a first radio data link is not established between the mobile station and a cell in the first area and a step B of suspending the offer of the particular service through the second radio data link when the state in which the first radio data link is not established continues for a predetermined time period.
US08565749B2

A mobile station 10 includes: an SMS information acquisition unit 21 configured to acquire an SMS (registration request) through line switching NW 300, the SMS including group call identification information that identifies a group call; a memory 19 configured to store the group call identification information included in the SMS (registration request) as a received call history; and a halfway participation processor 25b configured to accept calling operation for the group call associated with the group call identification information stored as the received call history, to acquire from the storage unit the group call identification information associated with the group call for which the calling operation has been accepted, and to generate an INVITE (halfway participation) including the acquired group call identification information.
US08565746B2

Systems and methods for collecting data related to events that occur in a wireless network. The method comprises receiving a data reporting profile which includes a series of executable commands which include a series of logical rules governing the manner in which reporting data should be generated and reported, compiling the executable commands of the data reporting profile into collection schema for collecting and reporting the reporting data according to the logical rules of the data reporting profile, creating a plurality of triggering criteria when reporting data should be generated based on the collection schema, creating a plurality of memory where the reporting data may be stored according to the collection schema, and scheduling the transfer of reporting data according to the collection schema.
US08565744B2

A composite quality measure helps determine a target for a vertical handover between different connection types. Various measurements are normalized, weighted and summed to produce composite quality measures. A composite quality measure may be compared to a target value and the corresponding connection may be added to a feasibility table if the composite quality measure is above the target.
US08565743B2

A method and a pervasive device for service providers to actively trigger an automatic downloading and installing process of a midlet are provided. The invention is accomplished by receiving a push message comprising midlet downloading information; parsing said push message to get said midlet downloading information; and downloading the midlet according to said midlet downloading information.
US08565742B2

A multi-standby mobile terminal and a method for providing a host function between different networks in a multi-standby mobile terminal are provided. The method includes creating a call from a first mobile terminal, as a multi-standby mobile terminal, to a second mobile terminal on a first network and to a third mobile terminal on a second network, outputting a received voice signal through a speaker from the first mobile terminal, when the voice signal is received from one of the second mobile terminal and third mobile terminal, and, transmitting, from the first mobile terminal, the received voice signal through a loopback process to the one of the second mobile terminal and third mobile terminal that does not transmit the voice signal.
US08565739B2

In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes playing a content file with a media player on a cellular telephone. Also, the method includes receiving an interrupt event. Moreover, the method includes saving state of the media player on the cellular telephone in the media player.
US08565738B2

The present invention includes a method and software application for providing a promotion to a user on a phone. The software application resides on a user's phone and “listens” for phone numbers dialed by a user. In response to the user dialing a phone number, the software determines whether a promotion or an offer for a promotion should be provided to the user. In response to determining to play or offer to play a promotion to the user, the software application on the phone effectively “intercepts” the call and plays to the user either a promotion or an offer to hear about a promotion prior to placing an outbound voice call. The software application may retrieve the promotion from local memory or may connect with a remote server to download an applicable promotion.
US08565727B2

Systems, apparatuses and methods of determining whether to permit a call to an access terminal are disclosed. A second party is determined to be available for a communication session between a first party and the second party. Location information associated with a call permissions rule set is obtained, where the call permissions rule set includes at least one rule related to whether a communication session between the first and second parties is permissible. Further, at least one rule includes one or more location-based rules. Location information is obtained that is associated with the second party. Then, it is determined whether to permit the communication session based on the obtained location information associated with the call permissions rule set and the obtained location information associated with the second party.
US08565722B1

A home network may track data usage in real time by a wireless mobile communication device while roaming in a GSM network that is separate from the home network. A Home Location Register (HLR) may receive location information indicative of the location of the wireless mobile communication device in the GSM network. An Online Charging System (OCS) may receive the location information directly or indirectly from the Home Location Register. The Online Charging System may use this location information to determine data rates and cutoff limits which are consistent with subscriber plans and are based on the location of the mobile communication device. This information may be communicated to roaming subscribers in real time and/or used to cut off data communication.
US08565713B2

A dynamic voice-based emergency notification system (ENS) provides wireless operators the ability to manage and deliver voice-based ENS services to subscribers within an alert area who are serviced by the wireless operator. The ENS services are provided efficiently with minimal impact to other wireless subscribers. In an example embodiment, only wireless devices, including any visitors or roamers, within the alert area receive ENS notifications.
US08565712B2

The present invention teaches a communications system comprising a first communications device for receiving data and a wake up signal. The first communications device comprises an active mode of operation and a sleep mode of operation for reducing power consumption. Further, the system comprises means for switching the first communications device to and from sleep mode in response to receiving the wake up signal. Further, the system comprises a second communications device for transmitting data to the first device during its active mode, while transmitting the wake up signal to the first device during its sleep mode.
US08565706B2

A RAKE receiver is adapted to receive input from at least a first and a second antenna (104a, 104b). The RAKE receiver comprises a despreading unit (303) adapted to allocate a number (Nf) of despreading fingers to a number of delay positions of a signal which is transmitted over a channel. The RAKE receiver further comprises a delay position selection unit (305) which estimates an antenna correlation (formula 1) between the at least first and second antenna (104a, 104b) and controls the despreading unit (303) according to a first strategy for allocating the number (Nf) of fingers if the antenna correlation (formula 1) is below a predetermined threshold, and according to a second strategy otherwise. The threshold (formula 2) is selected based on at least one of the following: number of available finger in the RAKE receiver (Nf), dispersion of the channel, range of direction of arrivals (Δφ).
US08565698B1

A phase locked loop and power amplifier are integrated on a single chip. To eliminate cross-talk between the components, a frequency translation block is introduced to change the output frequency of the PLL. To isolate the components from unwanted feedback, a high isolation buffer is introduced between the components. To further isolate the components, the voltage supply domains for each component are physically separated. Each separate voltage supply domain can include a separate high isolation ring, separate voltage regulator, and separate bandgap reference.
US08565694B2

A split current current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) and a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) stage are disclosed. The split current IDAC operates in a selected one of a group of DDS operating modes and provides a group of array bias signals based on the selected one of the group of DDS operating modes. Each of the group of array bias signals is a current signal. The RF PA stage includes a group of arrays of amplifying transistor elements. The RF PA stage biases at least one of the group of arrays of amplifying transistor elements based on the group of array bias signals. Further, the RF PA stage receives and amplifies an RF stage input signal to provide an RF stage output signal using at least one of the group of arrays of amplifying transistor elements that is biased.
US08565688B2

A method of reducing an amount of channel information fed back by a mobile device in a wireless communication system to a plurality of transmission points of the wireless communication system is disclosed. the method comprises measuring signal quality between the mobile device and the plurality of transmission points; determining a set of the plurality of transmission points, if the signal quality is in one of a plurality of quality regions; and feeding back the channel information to the set of the plurality of transmission points, wherein the channel information is related to a plurality of channels between the mobile device and the set of the plurality of transmission points.
US08565683B2

There are provided an adaptive collision avoidance apparatus and a method in a channel-hopping based wireless AD-HOC networks. The adaptive collision avoidance apparatus is configured to include a channel quality measuring unit that measures the quality of each channel by using receiving frames; an unavailable channel classifying unit that classifies unavailable channels not to perform communications in the future based on information on the quality of each channel; an unavailable channel propagating unit that transfers a list of unavailable channels classified as unavailable channels to adjacent nodes; and a transceiver that transmits and receives frames through channels not classified as the unavailable channels.
US08565670B2

A device, referred to as a satellite grid, includes a plurality of reception and storage ground stations (5) provided with a storage unit (13), each station (5) including elements for receiving observation data from at least one satellite orbiting around the Earth. Each station (5) is connected to at least one digital network (15) and includes at least one management module so that the different stations cooperate together in order to provide a permanent and transparent shared access to the observation data coming from at least one satellite and stored in the different stations (5), wherein the satellite grid is adapted to be accessible and viewed as a single computer resource from any access point in the network (15).
US08565663B2

A conveying apparatus has a conveying apparatus main body; and a feeding device including a placement portion that a conveyed material is placed on and a feeding portion that feeds the conveyed material into the conveying apparatus main body, the feeding device being movable between a feedable position and a stored position; and the placement portion and the feeding portion moving relatively to each other between the feedable position and the stored position.
US08565659B2

There is described a fuser roller including a surface layer of anodized aluminum oxide impregnated with a fluorine containing sealant. There is also described the method for producing the fuser member.
US08565655B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a toner image forming portion for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; a rotatable belt member, stretched by a plurality of stretching members, for carrying and conveying a recording material; a transfer member for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member onto the recording material; a bias applying portion for applying a bias for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member onto the recording material; a push-up member for pushing up the belt member from an inner surface side of the belt member, perpendicular to a recording material conveyance direction; and an execution portion executing an operation in which the recording material is separated from the belt member by a push-up operation, which is performed, during rotation of the belt member, before the bias is applied to the transfer member.
US08565654B2

A transfer station is described for an EP printer that transfers a toner image to a receiver sheet carried on a rotatable transport web. The web is wrapped around a rotatable image-bearing member to define a transfer region. A nip-forming ski adjacent to the transport web on the opposite side thereof from the image-bearing member extends upstream of the transfer region. A ski mount causes the ski to press the transport web towards the image-bearing member. Therefore, as the receiver sheet moves with the transport web, the receiver sheet engages the image-bearing member upstream of the transfer region, causing the transport web to push against the ski to provide a selected nip-spacing between the image-bearing member and the transport web in the transfer region.
US08565645B2

A unit, which is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a body of an apparatus, includes: a holding portion for holding the unit to attach and detach the unit to and from the apparatus body, the holding portion being projected from a housing of the unit; and a lock mechanism for fixing the unit to the apparatus body, wherein an operating portion of the lock mechanism is operated to retract inside a projection end portion of the holding portion, by an operation of moving the lock mechanism to a lock cancel position.
US08565640B2

An electrophotographic photosensitive drum unit includes a cylinder having a photosensitive layer at an outer periphery thereof. A drum flange provided at one end of the cylinder. A coupling member is engaged with the drum flange so that an axis of the coupling member is inclinable with respect to an axis of the drum flange. A regulation portion is provided in the drum flange so as to prevent the coupling member from disengaging from the drum flange. At least a portion of the coupling member and the regulating portion is configured to be deformed to permit the coupling member to disengage from the drum flange or to engage with the drum flange.
US08565637B2

An image-forming device includes: a main casing; a retaining member; developing units retained by the retaining member; toner cartridges; and an operating member provided at the retaining member. The retaining member is movably disposed between a position inside an accommodation space in the main casing, and a pull-out position. The toner cartridges are detachably attachable to the retaining member, when the retaining member is at the pull-out position. Each toner cartridge includes: a casing in which a through-hole is formed for supplying toner to a corresponding developing unit; and a shutter that moves between open and closed positions exposing and closing the through-hole, respectively. The operating member moves the shutter between the open and closed positions by shifting between first and second positions in which the operating member extends above the retaining member, and in which the operating member has a lower profile than in the first position, respectively.
US08565634B2

An image forming apparatus capable of ensuring a sufficient difference between amounts of light reflected from a base such as a transfer material and from a toner pattern in the detection of the toner pattern for registration correction control by a reflective optical sensor. The image forming apparatus includes a pattern generator for generating a toner pattern, a pattern detection sensor for detecting the toner pattern formed on the intermediate transfer belt, a pattern density decider for determining the density of the toner pattern that makes the amount of light received by the sensor in detection of the toner pattern equal to or less than a predetermined value.
US08565633B2

An image forming system including an image forming device forming on a recording sheet a first chromatic toner image, and a second chromatic toner image having an outermost layer of transparent toner, wherein the transparent toner has lower glass transition temperature than the chromatic toners; a fixing device having a fixing member contacting the recording sheet to heat the toner images to temperature not lower than the glass transition temperature of the chromatic toners so that the toner images are fixed; and a glossing device having a glossing member contacting the recording sheet to heat the toner images to temperature not lower than the glass transition temperature of the transparent toner and lower than the glass transition temperatures of the chromatic toners so that only the transparent toner achieves a rubber state and to cool the heated first and second toner images so that the transparent toner is solidified.
US08565630B2

A method of controlling an image forming apparatus and method thereof including a medium feeder configured to load therein and to pick up and feed a printing-target medium; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the printing-target medium that is picked up and fed; and a fixing unit configured to fix the printed medium on which the image has been formed, the method including: heating the fixing unit such that a temperature of the fixing unit reaches a fixing reference temperature determined corresponding to the printing-target medium if an printing operation is started; sensing the temperature of the fixing unit corresponding to the start of the printing operation and compensating a pickup timing temperature corresponding to whether the sensed temperature thereof is higher or lower than a predetermined first reference temperature, the pickup timing temperature being a temperature for picking up the printing-target medium; and picking up the printing-target medium when the temperature of the fixing unit that is being heated reaches the compensated pickup timing temperature.
US08565625B2

An image fanning apparatus includes: an image carrier, on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing device, which accommodates a developer for developing the electrostatic latent image into a developer image, and which includes a developer carrier that carries the developer and supplies the developer to the image carrier; a remaining quantity calculation part that calculates a remaining quantity of the developer in the developing housing; a deterioration degree storage part that stores a relationship between the remaining quantity of the developer in the developing housing and a deterioration degree of the developer caused by the developing operation; and a life determination part that determines whether the developing device has reached an end of its life based on the remaining quantity calculated by the remaining quantity calculation part and the relationship stored in the deterioration degree storage part.
US08565619B2

An apparatus for preventing collision of upstream signals is provided. The apparatus is suitable for a time division multiplexing (TDM) passive optical network (PON). The apparatus includes an optical coupler device, an optic-electron converter (O/E), a control system, and an optical signal switch module. The O/E is coupled to the optical coupler device, the control system is coupled to the O/E, and the optical signal switch module is coupled to the optical coupler device and the control system. The optical coupler device receives a first optical signal and splits the first optical signal into a second optical signal and a third optical signal. The O/E converts the second optical signal into a first electrical signal. The control system generates a control signal according to the first electrical signal. The optical signal switch module determines whether to stop the third optical signal from passing the apparatus according to the control signal.
US08565616B2

A polarized-wave-multiplexing optical transmitter including: an optical combiner generating a polarized-wave-multiplexed optical signal by polarized-wave-multiplexing a first optical modulation signal and a second optical modulation signal; an optical power fluctuation portion fluctuating optical power of the first optical modulation signal and the second optical modulation signal periodically; a total-optical-power detection portion detecting fluctuation amount of total optical power of the polarized-wave-multiplexed optical signal; and an optical power controller reducing an optical power difference between the first optical modulation signal and the second optical modulation signal based on detection result of the total-optical-power detection portion.
US08565611B2

An optically-connected system is disclosed for exchanging data among industrial automation devices, that is composed of a plurality of connection modules, where each module comprises at least two pairs of optical transmitters and receivers on the main side, and one optical receiver on the opposing main side, that are opposite with respect to another pair of transmitters and receivers in a following module; and where each one of the transmitters and receivers is adapted to communicate with industrial automation devices to cooperate for exchanging data between modules, sending one interrogation signal requesting an identity of the module and the receiver is adapted to send to each corresponding response signal containing characteristics of the receiver.
US08565609B2

A system for distributing a reference oscillator signal includes a clock having a reference oscillator and a femtosecond laser stabilized by the reference oscillator. The system also includes at least one beamsplitter configured to split the femtosecond laser. The system further includes one or more remote nodes that are spaced from the clock. The remote nodes are configured to generate reference signals based on the split femtosecond laser.
US08565604B2

An optical signal adjustment apparatus detects an optical signal intensity level of signal light components with multiple different wavelengths for each of the wavelengths in an optical detection unit and adjusts the signal light components with the wavelengths for each of the wavelengths in a variable optical attenuator to make the optical signal intensity levels of the signal light components uniform. The apparatus includes a control unit configured to successively select a detection signal associated with each of the wavelengths from the optical detection unit and generate a control signal for the wavelength based on the selected detection signal. The control signal generated by the control unit is supplied to the variable optical attenuator associated with the selected detection signal.
US08565600B2

Optical networks can comprise a branch structure with the de-multiplexing/multiplexing structure that operates to disperse a plurality of optical bands. Thus, the optical network comprises an optical network connection with a common optical channel, a plurality of de-multiplexed branch optical service connections and the de-multiplexing/multiplexing structure. In some embodiments, one optical band can be used to deliver input from a common channel to the branch node and the other optical band can carry output along the common channel from the branch node. The de-multiplexing/multiplexing element can be an arrayed waveguide grating. The AWG can have desirable architecture to efficiently provide the corresponding functions with respect to the two optical bands. Appropriate photodetectors and light sources can be associated with the AWG.
US08565599B2

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a system and method for transmitting optical markers in a passive optical network (PON) system is provided. In a particular embodiment, a method for transmitting optical markers in a PON system includes transmitting a first optical marker signal, the first optical marker signal used to identify at least one of the first optical marker signal, an upstream wavelength corresponding to the first optical marker signal, and an optical network unit (ONU) type transmitting at the upstream wavelength corresponding to the first optical marker signal. The method also includes transmitting a second optical marker signal, the second optical marker signal used to identify at least one of the second optical marker signal, an upstream wavelength corresponding to the second optical marker signal, and an ONU type transmitting at the upstream wavelength corresponding to the second optical marker signal. The method further includes, at a distribution node of the PON, routing the first optical marker signal to a first set of one or more optical fibers in a PON each corresponding to a first upstream wavelength and routing the second optical marker signal to a second set of one or more optical fibers in the PON each corresponding to a second upstream wavelength.
US08565598B2

Techniques are provided for receiving a connection request at a first network node configured to request a connection from the first network node to a second network node. At the first network node, it is determined if a path to the second network node without an optical regenerator is available for the connection. In response to determining that a path without an optical regenerator is not available, a path to the second network node is determined that has a minimum number of optical regenerators. The connection is set up using the path with the minimum number of optical regenerators.
US08565597B2

A label switching method is provided. When a Passive Optical Network (PON)-based Label Switching Path (LSP) is established, a PON logical service transmission channel is established between an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and an Optical Network Unit (ONU). According to an identifier (ID) of the PON logical service transmission channel as a PON label, a PON-based Forwarding Information Base (FIB) table on the ONU is updated, and a PON-based Label Forwarding Information Base (LFIB) table on the OLT is updated, where the PON-based LFIB table records a forwarding relationship between an ingress port plus an ingress label and an egress port plus an egress label, and the PON-based FIB table records a forwarding relationship between the ingress port plus a destination address and the egress port plus the egress label. Therefore, the problems between network segments of different forwarding characteristics, protocol variation, inter-segment conversion, and mapping and control complexity are avoided.
US08565590B2

An imaging apparatus includes: a supplying section configured to supply a driving command for driving at least a portion of a lens in a specific direction to a focal-point adjustment device for changing or adjusting a focal-point distance in accordance with power supplied to the focal-point adjustment device; and an inference section configured to infer a position, at which the lens is located after being driven in accordance with the driving command in the specific direction, on the basis of the driving command supplied to the focal-point adjustment device and on the basis of error information serving as information on an error of a driving quantity by which the lens driven by the focal-point adjustment device is moved.
US08565587B2

A recording control apparatus is connected to and in communication with a recording apparatus capable of recording a broadcasting video image on a storage unit and has two or more operating state levels that differ in power consumption. The recording control apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire program information about a program currently being viewed, a determination unit configured to determine a user's recording tendency level as to a program currently being viewed based on the program information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a control unit configured to issue a command to control the operating state level of the recording apparatus based on the recording tendency level determined by the determination unit.
US08565585B2

The reproduction device is for displaying video information comprising a plurality of chapters. The reproduction device comprises a control unit which is configured to initiate a display of a chapter menu having selectable menu items. Further, the control unit is configured to initiate a reproduction of a chapter of the video information upon selection of the dedicated menu item. The reproduction device is configured to generate attributes of the chapters which are indicative to a respective one of the chapters and to generate a display diagram of the attributes. This diagram may be displayed in the chapter menu.
US08565581B2

A method, apparatus and computer program product select content segments based at least in part on a contextual similarity level between the content segments and at least one of brightness levels, blur levels, and shake levels of the content segments. As such, a resultant video may be produced that comprises selected content segments. Accordingly, brightness levels of the content may be improved and shake and blur levels reduced while maintaining a desired field of view.
US08565578B2

A media content recording system in a subscriber network television system includes a memory for storing logic, a storage device comprising a buffer space for continuously buffering media content instances, and a processor configured with the logic to represent each of the media content instances in the buffer space.
US08565574B2

An information processing apparatus includes bank overflow flag confirming means for confirming whether a bank overflow flag is set, the bank overflow flag notifying the occurrence of a bank-full state where, in a storage area including plural banks formed therein to store data, not-yet-read data is stored in all the banks, read pointer control means for, upon confirming that the bank overflow flag is set, moving a location designated by a read pointer cyclically designating each of the banks as a bank, from which the data is to be read, to a bank positioned next to a bank at a location designated by a write pointer cyclically designating each of the banks as a bank, into which the data is to be written, and reading means for reading the data from the bank designated by the read pointer after the location designated by the read pointer has been updated.
US08565566B2

The present invention relates to a multi-mode optical fiber having a structure enabling stable production and broadening of communication bandwidth as compared with the conventional structures. The multi-mode optical fiber has a core with a diameter 2a that is doped with GeO2 and chlorine. The chlorine concentration profile in the core along the diametric direction of the multi-mode optical fiber has a shape such that the chlorine concentration at a second measurement position within a range at a distance of from 0.9 a to 1.0 a from the center of the core in the radial direction thereof is higher than the chlorine concentration at a first measurement position at a distance of a/2 from the center of the core in the radial direction thereof.
US08565561B2

Provided is a polarization independent optical isolator including: wedge-shaped birefringent crystal plates each being made of a YVO4 single crystal; a Faraday rotator 3 made of a magnetic garnet single crystal; and sapphire single crystal plates 2 and 4 bonded to light transmitting surfaces of the Faraday rotator, respectively. A light transmitting surface of each of the sapphire single crystal plates is formed in such a manner as to be offset from the c-plane of the sapphire single crystal plate. An incident angle θa of imaginary light on each of the sapphire single crystal plates, and an offset angles θoff of the light transmitting surface from the c-plane of each sapphire single crystal plates are set within predetermined ranges, the imaginary light being represented by a bisector of an angle formed by optical axes of the ordinary ray and the extraordinary ray.
US08565559B2

To achieve high-speed optical modulation using a crystal having a complicated refractive index characteristic with respect to applied electric field, provided is an optical device comprising a substrate; a dielectric film that is formed on the substrate and includes a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide that run parallel to each other; a transmission line that is formed on the dielectric film and includes a signal line arranged between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide, a first bias electrode, and a second bias electrode, the first bias electrode and the second bias electrode arranged respectively in a first region that is on a side of the first optical waveguide opposite the second optical waveguide and a second region on a side of the second optical waveguide opposite the first optical waveguide; and a drive circuit section that respectively applies a first bias voltage and a second bias voltage differing from each other to the first bias electrode and the second bias electrode, and applies a control voltage that is between the first bias voltage and the second bias voltage to the signal line.
US08565549B2

A contrast enhancement method for an image includes extracting at least one sub-band image from the image, comprising detail information at a predetermined spatial scale; determining a first gain value for each pixel, based on pixel values of the image or the at least one sub-band image; determining a second gain value for each pixel; modifying the first gain value for each pixel using the respective second gain value; and generating an enhanced image by applying the modified first gain values to respective pixels of one or more sub-band images and combining the result with the image. Determining the first gain value for each pixel comprises: estimating a dynamic range of the pixel values in a neighbourhood of that pixel; and setting the first gain value in inverse relation to the dynamic range. Determining the second gain value for each pixel comprises: estimating a probability distribution of the pixel values in the neighbourhood; and determining the second gain value based on the amplitude of the peak of the probability distribution.
US08565545B1

A computer-implemented method for restoring images may include (1) identifying an image to restore to a volume, (2) creating a synchronization map that reflects differences between the image and the volume, (3) intercepting at least one attempt to read from a region of the volume, (4) determining, based on the synchronization map, that the region has not yet been restored from the image, (5) copying the region from the image to the volume, (6) updating the synchronization map to reflect that the region has been restored, and (7) allowing the attempt to read from the region to proceed. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08565535B2

Enhanced rejection of out-of-vocabulary words, in which, based on applying an input gesture to hidden Markov models collectively modeling a vocabulary of training gestures, a likelihood that the input gesture matches each training gesture, and a quantity of states of the input gesture that match corresponding states of a modeled training gesture determined to have a highest likelihood are determined. The input gesture is rejected if the determined quantity does not satisfy a threshold.
US08565534B2

An apparatus (e.g. MFP) calculates the feature amount of a query image. The similarity between the feature amount of each image stored in a storage device and the feature amount of the query image is calculated, thereby obtaining a plurality of candidate images similar to the query image. The display order of the plurality of candidate images is determined on the basis of the job log (log data of processes executed in the past) of a device selected as a reference target.
US08565531B2

A method for detecting edge pixels in an image plane based on intensity and neutrality of a current pixel is provided. The method includes detecting the edge pixels in the image plane based on predetermined criteria. The predetermined criteria determining whether: (a) a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the specified characteristic is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; and (b) (i) a difference between a current value and the minimum value of the specified characteristic, or (ii) a difference between a current value and the maximum value of the specified characteristic is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. The predetermined thresholds are determined based on intensity and neutrality of the current pixel.
US08565529B2

A method of classifying an image taken by an image capture device, the method comprising the steps of: extracting an initial Sensor Noise Pattern (SNP) for the image; enhancing the initial SNP to create an enhanced SNP by applying a correcting model, wherein the correcting model scales the initial SNP by a factor inversely proportional to the signal intensity of the initial SNP; determining a similarity measure between the enhanced SNP for said image with one or more previously calculated enhanced SNPs for one or more different images; and classifying the image in a group of one or more images with similar or identical SNPs based on the determined similarity measure.
US08565526B2

A system and method for searching optical character recognition results of image text documents includes an image text transformer that linguistically analyzes the optical character recognition results within a context of multiple lexicons to form edited text results and creates a reflection repository having reflection files therein corresponding to the image documents from the optical character recognition results. A search engine searches the reflection files and a user device displays a first reflection file from the reflection files or a first image document from the image documents in response to searching. The files are displayed on a display associated with a user device.
US08565519B2

In general, the present disclosure describes various techniques for programmable, pattern-based unpacking and packing of data channel information, including still image, video, and audio component data. One example device comprises a programmable processor having a plurality of processing pipelines. The processor is configured to receive pattern information that specifies a pattern for a plurality of input data components, the pattern information comprising a plurality of pattern elements that are each associated with one or more of the input data components, and each input data component being selected from a component group consisting of a still image data component, an audio data component, and a video data component. For example, the input data components may comprise pixel data components, such as color channels. The processor is further configured to provide each input data component to a selected processing pipeline of the processor in accordance with the pattern information.
US08565517B2

A method and an apparatus for creating a stereo image adaptively according to the characteristic of an input image and a method and an apparatus for reproducing the created stereo image are provided. The method for creating a stereo image includes selecting one of a left view image and a right view image that constitute the stereo image and measuring the directivity of high frequency components of the selected image, and synthesizing the left view image and the right view image into a stereo image in a format depending on the measured directivity.
US08565516B2

An image processor includes a main image statistical information generator that detects a parallax of each predetermined unit of a 3D main image from main image data and generates parallax statistical information, a sub-image statistical information generator unit that detects a parallax of each predetermined unit of a 3D sub-image from sub-image data and generates parallax statistical information, a parallax controller that computes, using the statistical information, a correction amount used for correcting at least one of the main image and sub-image parallaxes so that a positional distance between the main image and the sub-image in a depth direction is within a predetermined range, a converter that converts at least one of the main image data and sub-image data so that at least one of the parallaxes of the images is corrected by the correction amount, and a superimposing unit that superimposes the sub-image data on the main image data.
US08565514B2

Data-driven guarded evaluation of conditional-data associated with data objects is used to control activation and processing of the data objects in an interactive geographic information system. Methods of evaluating conditional-data to control activation of the data objects are disclosed herein. Data structures to specify conditional data are also disclosed herein.
US08565511B1

Disclosed is an alignment system comprising: an upper reflector to couple to an end effecter and a camera kit to couple to a fixture. The camera kit includes: a plurality of light sources; a camera; and a lower reflector including a camera opening and a plurality of light source openings. The lower reflector may be approximately parallel to the fixture. The camera may be positioned beneath the camera opening and may capture light images reflected from both the lower reflector and the upper reflector from the plurality of light sources. An image processor is coupled to the camera, wherein image data associated with the captured light images is transmitted from the camera to the image processor. The image processor is used to determine an adjustment value based upon the image data to tilt the end effecter such that the end effecter is moved to be approximately parallel to the fixture.
US08565506B2

Methods, systems, and related computer program products for computer-aided detection (CAD) of anatomical abnormalities in medical images are described. A preexisting CAD environment includes a review workstation and a primary CAD processor programmed with a primary CAD algorithm. Installed into the preexisting CAD environment is an auxiliary processing system programmed to receive a first CAD report from the primary CAD processor, apply an auxiliary CAD algorithm that is independent of the primary CAD algorithm to the underlying medical image, apply a voting algorithm to the primary and auxiliary CAD findings, and generate a second CAD report that includes the voting results. The second CAD report is configured to result in a rendering by the review workstation that is highly similar to a rendering that would result from the first CAD report except that the voted CAD findings are substituted in place of the primary CAD findings.
US08565499B2

In accordance with this disclosure, methods, systems, and computer readable media for synthetic wavelength-based phase unwrapping in optical coherence tomography are provided. Synthetic wavelength phase unwrapping can be applied to OCT data and can correctly resolve sample motions that are larger than λo/2. A method for phase unwrapping of an OCT signal can include acquiring raw OCT signal data, interpolating and processing the OCT signal data to obtain a DC spectrum, comparing the raw OCT signal data to the DC spectrum to generate an interference signal, applying Gaussian windows to the interference signal to generate a two separate signals, extracting phase information from the two signals, and comparing the phase information of the two signals to produce unwrapped phase data. A value of 2π can be added to the phase data if the difference between the phase information of the two signals is less than zero.
US08565497B2

A biometric authentication device including: a biometric information acquiring unit which generates a biometric input image representing user's biometric input information; and a processing unit. The processing unit extracts, for each block obtained by dividing the biometric input image, a local feature representing the geometric feature of the biometric input information; classifies the plurality of blocks into a plurality of groups by blocks with a similar local feature; extracts a second group feature representing feature of biometric input information for each group; calculates the degree of difference between each of registered biometric information and the biometric input information based on a first group feature for each group set for a registered biometric image representing the registered biometric information and the second group feature; selects a prescribed number of registered biometric information based on the degree of the difference; and matches the selected registered biometric information with the biometric input information.
US08565492B2

Methods and systems are for evaluating an imager that produces bi-chrome images from a scanner or a digital imaging device. A method includes generating an image with a hand-held imaging device. The image from the hand-held imaging device has pixels of a first color and a second color. The image is analyzed to determine information about particles of the first and second color contained in the image, each particle comprising contiguous pixels of the same color. The particle information includes information on first and second color particle size and count. The image is determined to be acceptable or unacceptable based on predetermined objective criteria and the particle information.
US08565491B2

An apparatus for evaluating the quality of an input image is disclosed. The apparatus may include a composition pattern selection unit configured to select a composition pattern based on an attribute of the input image. The apparatus may also include a composition evaluation unit configured to evaluate the input image based on the composition pattern and the attribute. Additionally, the apparatus may include an evaluation result output unit configured to output to a display the input image and an indication of a result of the evaluation.
US08565484B2

A forest fire smoke detection method using random forest classification is provided. In the method, a first reference value is set. For consecutively captured frames, images between the frames are compared, each block, in which a number of pixels, motions of which have been identified, is equal to or greater than the first reference value, is set as a candidate block, and a keyframe is selected. The selected keyframe is compared with at least one frame previous to the keyframe and then a plurality of feature vectors are extracted from the candidate blocks. The extracted feature vectors are learned using different random forest algorithms. Probabilities output to terminal nodes for classes are accumulated, and two first cumulative probability histograms are generated. The two first cumulative probability histograms are averaged, and then a second cumulative probability histogram is generated. A detected state of each candidate block is determined.
US08565469B2

A cover-attachment assembly works in conjunction with an audio-annunciator housing that is configured to operationally mount to a wall. This audio-annunciator housing can have one or more arcuately-shaped tracks and one or more snap interfaces. The cover-attachment assembly comprises at least one arcuately-shaped guide surface that is shaped, sized, and positioned to fit within the arcuately-shaped track when pivotally attaching the cover-attachment assembly to the audio-annunciator housing. The snap interface, in turn, is shaped, sized, and positioned to lockingly mate with the audio-annunciator housing snap interface to hold the cover-attachment assembly in an installed position with respect to the audio-annunciator housing.
US08565455B2

A method and a system are described providing multiple display systems with an enhanced acoustics experience. A source audio signal having a plurality of source audio channels is generated from an audio signal source. The system includes a plurality of speakers connected to a plurality of display systems. A speaker configuration gatherer determines the spatial configuration of the speakers. An audio signal processor is provided to generate synthesized audio signal based on the contents of the source audio signal and spatial configuration of the speakers. The synthesized audio signal is mapped and delivered to the speakers to produce an enhanced sound field.
US08565454B2

The invention relates to a plate-like electrostatic actuator which comprises at least one plate-like stator with an electrode formed on its surface and at least one moving diaphragm, and in which a signal is transmitted to the electrode along a signal line. In the solution of the invention, the delay directing the sound field of the actuator is formed at least partly of an RC circuit composed of components of the actuator.
US08565452B2

A MEMS acoustic transducer, for example, a microphone, includes a substrate provided with a cavity, a supporting structure, fixed to the substrate, a membrane having a perimetral edge and a centroid, suspended above the cavity and fixed to the substrate the membrane configured to oscillate via the supporting structure. The supporting structure includes a plurality of anchorage elements fixed to the membrane, and each anchorage element is coupled to a respective portion of the membrane between the centroid and the perimetral edge of the membrane.
US08565450B2

Arrangement and method for controlling the order and selection of audio effect components using of a user-controlled crosspoint switch device. A user interface controls a processor which in turn controls the crosspoint device to set a plurality of switches forming a matrix therein, thereby allowing arbitrary control over the order and selection of audio effect components, such as pedals, connected to the matrix. The user interface enables both the pre-programming of the desired effect orders and selections as well as selection of preset stored in a memory component in real-time.
US08565442B2

A noise reduction device including a noise detection microphone including a high-frequency noise detection microphone and a low-frequency noise detection microphone for respectively detecting a high-frequency noise and a low-frequency noise generated from a noise source; a noise control unit for generating a control sound signal for cancelling a noise detected by the noise detection microphone in a control center of control space; and a loudspeaker for outputting a control sound based on the control sound signal from the noise controlling unit. The high-frequency noise microphone is disposed in a vicinity of a head portion of a user in a state in which directivity in an opposite direction with respect to the control center is added, and the low-frequency noise detection microphone is disposed outside of a sound-insulating wall.
US08565439B2

A method is provided for detecting scrambling of a radiocommunication network. The method is applied by a radiocommunication circuit capable of being connected to the network by being synchronized on a radiocommunication channel. The method includes a final detection phase, having the following steps: detection of verification of the following final condition: there are N radiocommunication channels on which the radiocommunication circuit cannot be synchronized despite detection of a power level normally sufficient for being synchronized, where N>2; and if the final condition is verified, generation of a final scrambling signal with a probability of scrambling equal to 100%. The method also includes at least one intermediate detection phase, having the following steps: detection of verification of at least one intermediate condition; and if the at least one intermediate condition is verified, generation of an intermediate scrambling signal with a probability of scrambling of less than 100%.
US08565432B2

A mobile communications system is proposed in which a two stage procedure is used for setting up Radio Bearers within a mobile communications device and UTRAN. In the first stage, both the mobile device and UTRAN perform ciphering based on an old Start value. In the second stage, the mobile device and UTRAN perform ciphering based on a new Start value. In this way, data communication using the Radio Bearers can start without waiting for the mobile device to confirm completion of the setup procedure.
US08565428B2

A network device for building up a network connection via a high-definition multimedia interface, includes a scrambler, a descrambler, a comparator and a control unit. The scrambler is utilized for generating a transmission signal according to a first seed. The descrambler is for decoding a receiving signal to generate a second seed. The comparator is for generating a comparing result according to the first seed and the second seed. The control unit is for controlling the network connection according to the comparing result.
US08565425B2

There is disclosed a method for generating data for a recording medium. The method includes receiving original content data representing a plurality of still images and identifying a first subset of the still images to be recorded with copy-protection and a second subset of the still images to be recorded without copy-protection. The method also includes converting data representing the first subset into moving image data and copy-protecting the moving image data. The method also includes generating new content data, the new content data including the copy-protected moving image data and data representing the second subset.
US08565419B2

The array of keys constituting a numeric phone keypad on a mobile communication device only partially overlaps the array of keys that make up the text input keypad creating an offset so that only subsets of the keys constituting the two keypads are common to both. With this configuration, the numeric phone keypad can be more easily distinguished from the text input keypad while still reaping the benefits of having some shared keys.
US08565413B2

A remote agent call center is functional by providing a softphone and agent bridge that allows maintaining an open telephone line to the agent's phone with or without an incoming call being connected. Incoming calls are merged into the agent bridge to allow the agent to conference with the incoming call. The softphone provides call control to allow the agent to transfer, terminate, hold, record, or the like the active call.
US08565410B2

Method, system and program product, comprising: obtaining agent parameter data; percentiling agents based on the agent parameter data, to obtain an agent distribution of agent percentiles; partitioning callers based on criteria into partitions; obtaining caller propensity data; percentiling the callers based on propensity for an outcome to obtain a caller distribution; performing distribution compensation using one algorithm selected from an edge compensation algorithm applied to the distribution of agent percentiles or the distribution of the caller percentiles, near at least one distribution edge to provide edge compensation, and a topology altering algorithm applied to either or both of the agent distribution and the caller distribution to change one or more of the distributions to a different topology; and matching an agent to a caller in one of the partitions with a closest respective percentile, where one of the caller percentile or the agent percentile has been distribution compensated.
US08565405B2

A telephone handset is provided with a user interface which includes a display unit, audio output unit and various user actuable keys. A phone controller implements and responds to instructions from the user interface. Where the instructions from the user interface request the connection of a call, the phone controller connects the handset to a PSTN via one of a plurality of connection means provided. Similarly, in the event of an incoming call connection request received via any one of the connection means, the phone controller enables the connection of the call. The user may choose to accept or reject the connection using the interface. The handling of an incoming or outgoing call is determined by a connection routing engine. The connection routing engine comprises an identification unit, a rules unit, a comparison unit and an enabling unit.
US08565401B2

A teleconference between at least two participants is evaluated by monitoring the teleconference and detecting a triggering event if more than one participant desires to speak at the same time. Upon detecting a triggering event, e.g., detecting an attempt of one or more participants to interrupt another participant, or detecting a request initiated by one or more participants to interrupt another participant, a dominant source is selected from among the ones of the participants attempting/requesting to speak based at least in part upon a determined hierarchical order of those participants attempting/requesting to speak. A participant is then selected from among the participants to have the role of the dominant participant based upon the selected dominant source and only the speech of the dominant participant is conveyed to each participant through the teleconference system.
US08565395B2

A method and system of processing call detail records (CDRs) of multiple network elements in a communication network are disclosed. The method includes identifying at least one final attempt CDR out a plurality of CDRs from the multiple network elements by at least one type of network element. At least one master CDR is built from the identified at least one final attempt CDR. Further, at least one CDR from the plurality of CDRs is correlated to the at least one master CDR according to a correlation rule. Also, the at least one master CDR is then augmented with CDR data from the at least one correlated CDR.
US08565394B2

The present disclosure is directed to updating routing patterns in an enterprise network. In some implementations, a method for routing sessions includes identifying information associated with call sessions in an enterprise network. The information includes costs to an enterprise for using carrier services during the call sessions. Routing patterns for call sessions are dynamically updated through at least a portion of the enterprise network based, at least in part, on the costs associated with the call sessions.
US08565385B2

The preferred embodiments of the present invention include providing automated passcode recovery in an interactive voice response system by providing to a caller an automated passcode recovery question and processing a caller answer to the automated passcode recovery question to authenticate the caller.
US08565375B2

An accessory, method, and system is provided for protecting the lower chamber of X-ray spectroscopic instrumentation during analysis, the instrumentation including an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and a dividing plate, the lower chamber including an X-ray detector and an excitation source, the accessory including: a frame with a centrally-located aperture extending from one side of the frame to an opposite side of the frame; an adhesive layer disposed on each side of the frame; a thin film of polymeric material disposed on one side of the frame; and a removably attached release sheet on the adhesive layer disposed on the opposite side of the frame, where the accessory is disposed on a surface of the dividing plate to protect the lower chamber of the instrumentation from damage.
US08565373B2

A method and system for automatically adjusting the gantry position to the breast height level of a patient. The automated height adjustment system for mammography imaging systems having a movable gantry associated with a fixed vertical support, comprises a tracking unit for tracking a patient's breast height level during patient's initial mammography procedure; and memory for storing the tracked breast height level along with the patient identification information. The system further comprises a processor configured to access the breast height level using the patient identification information during subsequent mammography procedures for the patient; and a drive mechanism capable of automatically adjusting the height of the gantry based on the accessed breast height level.
US08565368B1

A multi-modulus divider includes a chain of n dual modulus divider cells in cascade and connected in a ripple configuration where the last (n-k) of the divider cells are state-parked dual modulus divider cells. The state-parked dual modulus divider cells are forced to a given logical state when the divider cell is bypassed. The state-parked dual modulus divider cells ensure that the multi-modulus divider can change between different number of cells without clock glitches or clock errors. The multi-modulus divider is therefore capable of achieving a wide division range with seamless transition between division ratios.
US08565364B2

A method for providing a boron-lined neutron detector. The method includes providing a boron-containing material and providing water. The method includes mixing the boron-containing material into the water to create a water-based liquid mixture and providing a substrate of a cathode of the neutron detector. The method includes applying the water-based liquid mixture to the substrate of the cathode and removing water from the water-based liquid applied to the substrate to leave a boron-containing layer upon the substrate that is sensitive to neutron impingement. The step of providing a boron-containing material may be to provide the material to include B-10.
US08565361B2

In some embodiments, a system comprises a clock, a root node, a radio channel network, and first and second child nodes. The clock may be configured to generate a clock signal. The root node may be configured to generate a first frame including a first payload and a first overhead and generate a second frame including a second payload and a second overhead. The first and second overheads may comprise a synchronization value based on the clock signal. The radio channel network may be in communication with the root node for transmitting the first and second frames. Each first and second child nodes may be configured to perform clock recovery including frequency synchronization using the synchronization value and a respective phase-lock loop.
US08565355B2

A method for identifying asymmetry in a pulse signal is disclosed. An asymmetrical condition is when the time interval of a first input pulse signal having a first value is longer than the time of a second input pulse signal having a second value. Identifying asymmetry includes receiving and detecting the instantaneous signal values of first and second input pulse signals, and associating a unique state symbol with each distinct pair of instantaneous signal values thereby producing a sequence of state symbols. A sequence of state symbols of a first type, a second type, and a third type is identified and associated with a distinct enveloping event pattern. A macroscopic behavioral signature pattern indicating an asymmetrical condition is identified when a first symmetry event symbol of a first kind is followed by a first interval having no identified symmetry event symbol, a second symmetry event symbol of a second kind, and a second interval having no identified symmetry event symbol.
US08565352B2

Digital IQ imbalance compensation is utilized for a dual-carrier double conversion receiver. First, the effect of IQ imbalance on OFDM-based digital baseband is analyzed, showing that, in the presence of IQ imbalance, the baseband signal of each carrier is obtained from its own branch as well as the other branch. Second, IQ imbalance parameters of interest are estimated using pilot signals and compensated using only digital baseband processing.
US08565351B2

A channel impulse response (CIR)/DC offset (DCO) joint estimation for a time division synchronous code division multiple access (TDSCDMA) system includes generating from a basic midamble and received midamble an initial estimation of the CIR as a series of CIR taps; storing the initially estimated CIR taps; calculating a DC compensated CIR from the initially estimated CIR taps; filtering out the noise from the DC compensated CIR to produce the CIR estimation; and calculating the DC offset estimation from the CIR estimation.
US08565343B1

A device and method for adjusting transmit power in a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device comprises a transmitter having a power amplifier, wherein the amplifier may introduce distortion into the transmit signal. The method may periodically determine an error vector magnitude (EVM) level in the transmitter of the wireless communication device. The EVM level may be determined based on differences between an ideal transmit signal without amplification, and an actual transmit signal with amplification. The method may then adjust one or more transmit gain settings of at least one gain stage of the wireless device based on the measured EVM level in the transmitter. In one embodiment, as the EVM increases, indicating that more distortion is being introduced, the method may reduce the gain settings of the gain stage(s) to reduce this distortion. If the EVM decreases, the method may increase the gain of the gain stage(s).
US08565335B1

Based on a plurality of signals received via a plurality of single-input, multiple-output (SIMO) channels, a plurality of sets of rake coefficients in a multiple-antenna transceiver are adapted. Each signal of the plurality of signals corresponds to a single signal transmitted by a single-antenna transceiver, and each set of the adapted sets of rake coefficients corresponds to an estimate of a respective one of the plurality of SIMO channels. According to at least one selection criterion, one coefficient from each set of the plurality of sets of rake coefficients is selected. A transmit steering vector is generated based on the selected coefficients, and the transmit steering vector is applied to a signal to be transmitted by the multiple-antenna transceiver to the single-antenna transceiver.
US08565325B1

In one or more embodiments, system(s), method(s), integrated circuit(s), physical layer(s), apparatus(es), System-on-Chip (SoC), various other hardware, computer-readable and/or executable instructions, and/or technique(s) are described that enable lower power consumption and/or maximize channel utilization for devices communicating wirelessly in the 60 GHz range. These embodiments enable handheld devices to use less power when communicating with wall-powered or other higher-powered devices while still enabling the wall-powered devices to communicate effectively with each other by maximizing channel utilization.
US08565322B2

A digital broadcasting transmission and/or reception system having an improved reception performance and a signal-processing method thereof. A digital broadcasting transmitter comprises a TRS encoder for to TRS-encode a MPEG-2 transmission stream having null data for inserting a Known data and a TRS parity at predetermined positions, randomizer to input and randomize data stream from the TRS encoder, a null packet exchanger to replace the null data for inserting the Known data to the known data, and an encoder for encoding a data streams to which the Known data is inserted. Accordingly, the present invention detects the known data from a signal received from a reception side and uses the detected known data for synchronization and equalization and further uses the TRS parity for correcting error of the received signal, so that the digital broadcasting reception performance can be improved at poor multipath channels.
US08565321B2

Provided are a method and system for processing at least two consecutive MPEG Q-blocks in a communications system, one of the Q-blocks being low rate and the other being high rate. The method includes back-filling an empty portion in a first transmitted Q-block with a first portion of second type data, the remaining portion of data of the second type data being included in another Q-block prior to transmission. The second type data crosses a boundary between the first and the other Q-block when the actual number is less than a corresponding maximum number. Finally, the method includes receiving within an associated subscriber modem one of the first and the second type data and not receiving the other of the first and the second type data when the second type data crosses the boundary.
US08565320B2

Disclosed are a method of encoding/decoding video data and a device thereof. The device includes a toolbox, which stores a plurality of functional units, a reconstruction unit, which reconstructs a decoder description by receiving a compressed decoder description, a decoder description parsing unit, which converts the decoder description to an XML-based decoder description, an ADM generating unit, generates an abstract decoding model (ADM) by using the XML-based decoder description, and a decoding solution, which loads the plurality of functional units stored in the toolbox by using the ADM or the XML-based decoder description to decode input data to video data. With the present invention, it is possible to reconstruct and reassemble a decoder in various forms by using a decoder description.
US08565307B2

For encoding of a picture whose macroblock is divided into parts of various sizes, a picture encoding method is provided to appropriately reduce a coding amount of a motion vector, without lowering coding efficiency. In order to reduce a processing amount and an increase of a coding amount, which result from generation of a large number of motion vectors due to bi-directional prediction selected for a small-sized part, a motion estimation unit selects the optimal prediction method from prediction method candidates decided by a prediction-method-candidate determination unit. Thereby, when motion compensation is performed for a large-sized part, forward-directional, backward-directional, and bi-directional prediction can be permitted. On the other hand when motion compensation is performed for a small-sized part, the bi-directional prediction is prohibited but the forward-directional or backward-directional prediction is permitted.
US08565303B2

The present invention provides a method of decoding a video signal. The method includes the steps of obtaining identification information indicating an assignment method of a reference index from the video signal, reordering reference pictures for inter-view prediction according to the identification information, and decoding the video signal using the reordered reference pictures, wherein the reference index includes view information for identifying a view of the reference picture.
US08565301B2

Methods and apparatus efficiently encode multimedia data, such as live video streams. An encoding complexity of a predetermined time interval, such as 1 second, is estimated before the actual encoding that will be used. This permits the actual encoding to be performed with an a priori estimate of complexity, permitting the bits allocated for the predetermined time interval (bit rate) to be efficiently allocated within the predetermined time interval. Moreover, the estimated complexity can be provided to a device, such as a multiplexer, which can then allocate the available bandwidth for a collection of multiplexed video channels according to the encoding complexity anticipated for those video channels, which then permits the quality of a particular channel to remain relatively constant even when the bandwidth for the collection of multiplexed video channels is relatively constant.
US08565297B2

An embodiment of the invention is a technique to equalize received samples. An equalizer equalizes a multidimensional signal transmitted over a communication channel and having a dimensionality of four or higher. The equalizer is adaptively trained based on an optimality criterion.
US08565296B2

A phase comparison circuit outputs a first phase comparison signal indicating whether or not an edge of an equalization signal is in a first interval between sampling timing and timing having a first predetermined phase advance, and outputs a second phase comparison signal indicating whether or not the edge of the equalization signal is in a second interval between the sampling timing and timing having a second predetermined phase delay. A determination circuit compares a predetermined comparison target pattern with output patterns of the first and second phase comparison signals corresponding to each bit of a detection data pattern.
US08565293B2

A method and a measuring device for synchronizing measuring channel assemblies are provided. A reference signal is produced by a reference signal source. The reference signal is supplied to the individual measuring channel assemblies of the measuring device. A clock signal generator is used to produce a clock signal at a low frequency, the clock signal generator being connected to each measuring channel assembly by a respective connecting line of the same length. The clock signal is supplied through a phase corrector element for the purpose of correcting the phase of the reference signal in each measuring channel assembly to the phase of the clock signal.
US08565290B2

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising transceiver circuitry configured to obtain a data unit received over an air interface, the air interface comprising first and second radio resources, logic circuitry configured to determine whether the data unit was received over the first radio resources or the second radio resources and responsive to a determination that the data unit was received over the first radio resources, process the data unit without interference cancellation and responsive to a determination that the data unit was received over the second radio resources, process the data unit using interference cancellation.
US08565289B2

This disclosure is directed at a method, device and system for efficiently correcting errors in a communication system. An encoded signal is created from a source signal using a forward error correction technique. The encoded signal is split into a plurality of units. A first unit of the plurality of units is transmitted to a receiver through a first route. A second unit of the plurality of units is transmitted to the receiver through a second route.
US08565274B2

Techniques and devices for providing optical locking of optical resonators and lasers.
US08565272B2

A planar laser gain medium and laser system. The novel laser gain medium includes an active core having a high aspect ratio cross-section with a fast-axis dimension and a slow-axis dimension, signal claddings adapted to form reflective boundaries at fast-axis boundaries of the core, and a material adapted to minimize reflections at slow-axis boundaries of the core. In an illustrative embodiment, the laser gain medium is an optical fiber. The core and claddings form a waveguide adapted to control modes propagating in the fast-axis direction. When the laser gain medium is employed as a laser oscillator, a high reflectivity mirror and an outcoupler are positioned at opposite ends of the core to form a laser resonator adapted to control modes in the slow-axis direction.
US08565251B2

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a switch may include a processor and a plurality of line cards, each line card including a table of addresses. The processor may be configured to: (i) read, from a first line card of the plurality of line cards, addresses relating to all flooding domains present on the first line card; (ii) store the addresses read from the first line card on a memory accessible to the processor; (iii) determine a second line card of the plurality of line cards, the second line card having the presence of at least one flooding domain not present on the first line card; (iv) read, from the second line card, addresses relating to all flooding domains present on the second line card; and (v) store the addresses read from the second line card on the memory.
US08565240B2

A method for selectively controlling the flow of data through a network device is discussed. The network device has a plurality of ports, with each port of the plurality of ports having a plurality of priority queues. Congestion at one priority queue of the plurality of priority queues is detected and a virtual channel message is sent to other network devices connected to the network device causing data destined for the one priority queue to be halted. After the congestion at the one priority queue has abated, a virtual channel resume message is sent to the other network devices.
US08565230B2

Embodiments herein include systems and methods for providing a mechanism for tunneled data transport within a dual homed access network. A tunnel manager, at a first network connectivity device in a transport network, identifies the transport network configured to interconnect at least two access networks for transporting data traffic between one or more end stations connected to the access networks. The first network connectivity device is coupled to a first access network. The tunnel manager identifies a second network connectivity device. The second network connectivity device is coupled to the first access network to provide the first access network dual homed access to the transport network via the first and second network connectivity devices. The tunnel manager creates a virtual tunnel that connects the first and second network connectivity devices to a third network connectivity device across the transport network. The virtual tunnel defines a same virtual tunnel having multiple paths such that the third network connectivity device learns a single virtual tunnel for device address learning.
US08565226B1

A data transmission system used between multiple servers, a data interface device, and a data transmission method, which belong to the field of network communications, are disclosed. The data transmission system includes: a data interface device configured to receive a data stream from a server, and generate a forwarding request according to the data stream, where the forwarding request includes a destination address of the data stream; a controller device configured to generate a forwarding configuration signal according to the forwarding request; and an all-optical switching matrix configured to set an optical switching path between two data interface devices according to the forwarding configuration signal, so as to forward the data stream to a server specified by the destination address, where the two data interface devices are data interface devices connected to the source server of the data stream and the server specified by the destination address.
US08565225B2

A VOIP service and method is provided which comprises an redirecting dialer device (RDD), which connects a telephone to a POTS circuit. Responsive to DTMF signals from the telephone representative of a long telephone distance number, the RDD intercept the DTMF signals and transits alternative DTMF signals representative of an alternative telephone number of a PSTN/VOIP gateway server. Once connected to the PSTN/VOIP gateway server, the RDD then transmits the DTMF signals associated with the original long distance number. The VOIP gateway server is operative to convert the analog signals from the telephone into digital and packetized VOIP data which is transmitted through a public or private IP-based network to a remote telecommunication device associated with the original long distance telephone number. If the DTMF signals from the telephone are representative of a local telephone number, the RDD is operative to forgo transmitting the alternative DTMF signals.
US08565222B2

A server may include logic configured to receive a call-back request from a customer, where the call-back request includes an identifier associated with the customer. The server may further include logic configured to identify, based on the identifier, a call center from a group of call centers having a group of agents qualified to handle the call-back request; and logic configured to forward the call-back request to the identified call center, where the call-back request causes the identified call center to select one of the group of agents to handle the call-back request.
US08565211B2

According to an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for data transmission is provided. The apparatus includes a data processing unit generating a data symbol by performing channel coding and constellation mapping on an information bit, a single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) modulator generating an SC-FDMA symbol by performing discrete Fourier transform (DFT) on the data symbol, by mapping the DFT performed-data symbol to subcarriers, and by performing inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) on the subcarrier mapped-DFT performed-data symbol, and a plurality of transmit antennas transmitting the SC-FDMA symbol. A single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) system can effectively use frequency switched transmit diversity (FSTD) to reduce a peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and to maintain a single-carrier property.
US08565209B2

In a communication system adapted to MIMO transmission, a receiver may include a filter to filter signals received from a transmitter through the receiver antennas and having a weight matrix thereof updated by an adaptive algorithm with respect to each substream message symbol from the transmitter, and a code generator to feed back a part of the weight matrix updated by the filter, as an updated STF code, to the transmitter. The transmitter may make the transmission using the updated STF code which is optimized for a current channel state.
US08565208B2

An apparatus and method for transmitting Coexistence Beacon Protocol (CBP) in a cognitive radio system are provided. The apparatus includes a detector, a controller, and a transmitter. The detector scans channels on which neighboring Base Stations (BSs) operate through a plurality of directional antennas. The controller links the plurality of directional antennas with BSs, respectively. The transmitter receives a CBP packet through the directional antenna linked with the BS, and transmits the received CBP packet to at least one or more other BSs linked with at least one or more other directional antennas.
US08565205B2

Uplink transmission power adjustment is provided by a mobile device receiving an uplink transmission grant from a serving base station. The mobile device determines a maximum power reduction for uplink transmissions and a SAR-related power reduction. The mobile device compares these values and adjusts transmission power according to the SAR-related power reduction in response to the SAR-related power reduction exceeding the maximum power reduction. A power headroom report is generated when the determined SAR-related power reduction exceeds a previous SAR-related power reduction. This power headroom report is transmitted from the mobile device to the serving base station under various conditions.
US08565204B2

A mesh network communication system includes a plurality of access points connected to a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller where at least one access point is a detection access point (DAP) that receives reverse link (RL) wireless wide area network (WWAN) signals transmitted from a multi-mode wireless communication device. Based on an intercepted RL WWAN signal, the DAP forwards reverse link (RL) information to the WLAN controller, which then generates and sends, to the WWAN communication system, a device to access point association list (device-AP association list) comprising one or more device identifiers associated with one or more target access point identifier. The device identifier uniquely identifies a multi-mode wireless communication device within a maximum proximity of a target access point identified by the target access point identifier. The WWAN system applies the device-AP association list to efficiently manage handoffs to access points in the mesh network.
US08565197B2

A method for communicating with a network is presented. The method includes receiving an assignment of first timeslots for uplink communications, and receiving an instruction to reduce monitoring to a set of timeslots. The set of timeslots has a number of timeslots less than a number of timeslots to be monitored in accordance with the assignment. The method includes receiving a negative acknowledgement of one or more radio blocks previously transmitted to the network, retransmitting at least one of the one or more radio blocks, and, after retransmitting the at least one of the one or more radio blocks and before receiving a second instruction to reduce monitoring, reducing monitoring to the set of timeslots.
US08565189B2

A CSFB processing unit (14) of a mobile switching center (MME) of according to the present invention is configured not to perform CSFB processing to enable a mobile station (UE), which establishes a bearer in a core network of a mobile communication system of the LTE scheme, to start CS communication in a mobile communication system of the WCDMA scheme, when CS communication of the mobile station (UE) in the mobile communication system of the WCDMA scheme is restricted in a specified area, even when the mobile switching center (MME) of the mobile communication system of the LTE scheme detects that a service request signal transmitted by the mobile station contains the first identification information.
US08565188B2

A method for minimizing call drops during a serving cell change is disclosed. A first measurement report message is received from a user equipment (UE) requesting to change an active set of the UE. A second measurement report message is received from the UE indicating a change of a best cell and requesting a change of a serving cell to a target cell. The second measurement report message is processed before the first measurement report message is completely processed.
US08565186B2

The present invention advantageously provides several systems and methods for solving the trombone routing issues within an IMS/MMD network. These approaches avoid trombone routing, speed up handoff, and increase the efficiency of signaling and overall performance of an IMS/MMD network. These solutions can broadly be divided into the following categories. Piggy-backing SIP registration over MIP (Split at FA); Selective Reverse Tunneling and Tunneling between FA and P-CSCF; the SIP-based mobility protocol; use of CoA during SIP registration and call up in MIPv6; Piggy-backing SIP registration when HA and S-CSCF Co-exist; Using Dynamic Home Agents in MIPv4 FA-CoA; and the Interceptor-Caching Approach.
US08565185B2

According to some of the preferred embodiments, a method for proactively establishing a security association between a mobile node in a visiting network and an authentication agent in another network to which the mobile node can move includes: negotiating pre-authentication using a flag in a message header that indicates whether the communication is for establishing a pre-authentication security association; and one of the mobile node and the authentication agent initiating pre-authentication by transmitting a message with the flag set in its message header, and the other of the mobile node and the authentication agent responding with the flag set in its message header only if it supports the pre-authentication.
US08565184B2

The present invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for transmitting/receiving data in a relay communication system. The method comprises the steps of: setting, as a guard band, the first predetermined number of symbol transmission slots of a data transmission period in a subframe resource element of a downlink channel constituted by a control signal transmission period to which a control signal is allocated and the data transmission period to which downlink data is allocated; allocating reference signals to symbols of the data transmission period; puncturing the symbols corresponding to the guard band from among the symbols to which said reference signals are allocated; and transmitting signals to which said reference signals are allocated.
US08565180B2

This invention relates with a method for detecting a downlink control structure for carrier aggregation in communication network in which data transmission is scheduled by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). An UE receives higher layer signaling enabling carrier aggregation for the UE. The UE reads the PDCCHs of component carriers (CCs), wherein the downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCHs of each CC is read according to one of a plurality of predefined formats derived from the higher layer signaling.
US08565178B2

A method and apparatus for simultaneously communicating on at least two carrier frequencies, of which at least one carrier frequency is a licensed band and at least one carrier frequency is an unlicensed band are provided. The method includes broadcasting an operating status of the unlicensed band to a receiver device; collecting feedback data regarding channel conditions from the receiver device for both the licensed band and unlicensed band; determining, when a bandwidth request is received from the receiver device, whether to use the unlicensed band based on the channel conditions; transmitting an unlicensed band scheduling indication to the receiver device; and communicating with the receiver device using both the licensed band and the unlicensed band according to the transmitted unlicensed band scheduling indication.
US08565170B2

Techniques for scheduling data transmission on multiple carriers in a wireless communication system are described. In one design, a scheduler may receive requested power headrooms for multiple carriers from a user equipment (UE), one requested power headroom for each carrier. Each requested power headroom may be indicative of transmit power usable by the UE for transmission on an associated carrier. The scheduler may also receive queue information indicative of data to transmit by the UE. The scheduler may redistribute the requested power headrooms across the multiple carriers (e.g., based on water filling or greedy filling) to obtain redistributed power headrooms for the multiple carriers. The scheduler may schedule the UE for data transmission on the uplink based on the redistributed power headrooms and the queue information. The scheduler may obtain and send at least one granted power headroom for at least one carrier to the UE.
US08565165B2

A wireless terminal device performs first, second, and third scans in sequence to detect wireless access points; stores base station information on the detected wireless access points in a storing unit; sets a disappearance flag in base station information that correspond to a wireless access point that was detected in the first scan and not in the second scan; sets a reappearance flag in base station information that correspond to a wireless access point that was not detected in the second scan and was detected in the third scan; identifies a wireless base station corresponding to base station information in which the disappearance flag and the reappearance flag are set; and displays information on the wireless base station identified on a display unit.
US08565164B2

A wireless mesh network architecture includes a plurality of wireless nodes, with each wireless node in the network is connected to every other wireless node in the network. Each pair of wireless nodes is coupled by a link dedicated to exchange of data by the pair of nodes. The link is characterized by an agreement between two end points of the link to rendezvous for the purposes of exchanging data at a predetermined time over a predetermined channel. Methods of negotiating rendezvous characteristics, such as rendezvous channel, time, frequency, duration and transmission power ensure that the selected link is tuned to minimize interference and power usage in the WN. A handshake mechanism enables high performance data delivery with minimal packet loss. The link based architecture uses Link State Advertisements, traffic tags and spanning trees to fine tune packet flow through divergent devices in the network.
US08565160B2

Access terminals and network nodes are adapted to conduct access terminal registrations. In one example, an access terminal with a respective class designation may receive a message including a plurality of periodic registration schedules, where at least one registration schedule is associated with an access terminal class. The access terminal may determine a periodic registration schedule associated with its respective class designation, and may perform periodic access terminal registrations according to the determined periodic registration schedule. In one example, a network node can obtain a plurality of periodic registration schedules, with at least one registration schedule associated with an access terminal class. The network node can transmit a message including the plurality of periodic registration schedules, and can conduct access terminal registrations according to the plurality of periodic registrations schedules. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.
US08565147B2

A frequency block allocation apparatus based on a single carrier frequency division multiple access method includes an allocation index computation target selector that selects frequency block groups, each consisting of one or more continuous non-allocated frequency blocks from a set of non-allocated frequency blocks; an allocation index computation unit that computes an allocation index for each target pair of each frequency block group and a terminal; and a frequency block allocation unit that determines one of the target pairs to be a frequency block allocation target, in accordance with priority based on the computed allocation indexes.
US08565142B1

A base station transmits control message(s) to assign a secondary cell to a cell group in a plurality of cell groups comprising a primary cell group and a secondary cell group. The base the base station transmits a control command to the wireless device. The control command is configurable to cause transmission of a first random access preamble on a secondary cell in the secondary cell group. The control command is unconfigurable to cause transmission of a second random access preamble on any secondary cell in the primary cell group.
US08565138B1

A method of coordinating communications between a wireless MIMO base station and a plurality of wireless communication devices is disclosed. The method includes generating a series of index numbers for controlling sub-slot assignments for the plurality of wireless communication devices, providing data representing the series of numbers to the MIMO base station and each of the plurality of wireless communication devices, and controlling simultaneous communication between the plurality of wireless communication devices and the MIMO base station by reassigning access by the plurality of wireless communication devices to a plurality of sub-slots in a communication structure of unit size.
US08565136B2

Plurality of broadcasting transmitters each receives distribution of digital broadcast signals via a network (NET) to transmit them toward an area under control by using wireless waves of which the frequencies are the same. Here, when signals transmitted from the plurality of broadcasting transmitters into the area, an occurrence of a deviation of a fixed value or more poses an interference fault and results in a reception disabled state. Therefore, monitors are provided in the area to receive wireless waves from the plurality of broadcasting transmitters, monitors reception states, and controls output power, output timing, etc., of broadcasting transmitters that are transmission origins of the received wireless waves to make the reception states appropriate.
US08565135B2

Controlling power consumption in a wireless device. The wireless device may include first wireless protocol circuitry. The first wireless protocol circuitry may be configured to receive and process first signals according to a first wireless protocol. The wireless device may include a power controller coupled to the first wireless protocol circuitry. The power controller may be configured to control power consumption of elements of the first wireless protocol circuitry based on a current state. More specifically, in response to the first wireless protocol circuitry being in a listening state, the power controller may be configured to lower power consumption of one or more first elements of the first wireless protocol circuitry. Additionally, in response to the first wireless protocol circuitry being in a receiving state, the power controller may be configured to return power consumption of the one or more first elements to a higher power level.
US08565131B2

A communication device has a first communication section that supports a first communication mode having a low communication rate and a second communication section that supports a second communication mode having a higher communication rate than the first communication mode. The communication device includes a packet generation section and a communication control section. The packet generation section generates a first portion containing authentication information used for connection authentication for the second communication mode and a second portion other than the first portion. The communication control section performs control to cause the first communication section to transmit the first portion and to cause the second communication section to transmit the second portion after the connection authentication succeeds using the authentication information contained in the first portion.
US08565129B1

Methods and systems for supporting simple Internet Protocol (IP) with address translation in a proxy mobile IP (PMIP) gateway are presented. A PMIP gateway may be operable to serve wireless communication devices (WCDs) via either a PMIP mode or a simple IP with address translation mode. While the PMIP gateway is serving a given WCD in the simple IP with address translation mode, the PMIP gateway may determine that the given WCD is likely to be handed off to a network that requires the PMIP mode or a mobile IP mode. In response to making this determination, the PMIP gateway may switch to serve the given WCD with the PMIP mode.
US08565128B2

A method of handling a timer for triggering buffer status report in a user equipment of a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes starting a timer used for triggering a buffer status report (BSR), and restarting the timer in a transmission time interval (TTI) for which a semi-persistent scheduling uplink grant has been configured.
US08565126B2

The present invention relates to a method and to a transceiver (100) of a telecommunications system capable in exchanging protocol data units (PDUs) with another transceiver(s). Each PDU being identified using a sequence number. The transceiver, according to the present invention, is arranged to receive from the other transceiver a status report indicating positively acknowledged PDUs and negatively acknowledged PDUs. The transceiver (100) is further configured to compare sequence numbers in the report with previously acquired sequence numbers from previous reports and to prevent retransmissions of one or several PDUs based on the comparison.
US08565123B2

A system and method runs a multiple spanning tree protocol (MSTP) in a computer network having a very large number of bridge domains. The computer network includes a plurality of intermediate network devices, each having a plurality of ports for forwarding network messages. Within each device, a plurality of bridge domains are defined, each bridge domain is identified by a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (VID), and one or more device ports. For each port, a separate mapping of VIDs to Multiple Spanning Tree Instances (MSTIs), based on the bridge domains defined at the port, is established. Each mapping is converted to a port-based configuration digest, which is entered into Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) control messages sent from the respective port. Ports receiving STP control messages whose configuration digest values that match the configuration digests values computed for the ports are said to be in the same Multiple Spanning Tree region. Ports whose configuration digests differ from the configuration digests of received STP control messages are said to be in different regions.
US08565122B2

A method and apparatus for measuring and extracting proximity in networks are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present method receives a network from a user for analysis and extraction of a smaller proximity sub-graph. The method computes a candidate sub-graph and determines at least one Cycle Free Escape Conductivity (CFEC) proximity of at least two nodes in accordance with the candidate sub-graph. The method then extracts and presents a proximity sub-graph that best captures the proximity.
US08565119B2

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for performing network discovery and file transfer utilizing Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). According to one embodiment, a manager queries an agent device to obtain an agent device's neighbor address table comprising IP addresses of neighboring devices. IP addresses comprised in the agent device's neighbor address table may be added to a network inventory. The manager device may then iteratively query each device in the network inventory until each of the plurality of agent devices have been queried. According to one embodiment, a device may divide a data file into a plurality of sequenced partitions. A plurality of packets may be created containing the sequenced partitions. A receiving device may reconstruct the data file using the sequenced partitions.
US08565114B2

The present document discloses a solution for utilizing guard time intervals of another wireless communication system. First, it is detected in a first wireless communication apparatus of a first wireless communication system a guard time interval following a transmission of a second wireless communication apparatus of a second wireless communication system. Thereafter, the first wireless communication apparatus is configured to schedule a transmission in the first wireless communication system to a transmission time interval starting on or after the beginning of the detected guard time interval and ending within the detected guard time interval of the second wireless communication system.
US08565113B2

Network emulation techniques are provided for dynamically varying network bandwidth and/or error rate. Network emulation can be performed by determining a bandwidth range, determining a plurality of specific bandwidth values distributed across the bandwidth range, and dynamically varying available bandwidth among the plurality of specific bandwidth values for a stream of network packets. Transitioning between specific bandwidth values can be performed using a probability jump matrix. Network emulation can also be performed by varying error rates, such as dropped packets, separately or in addition to dynamic bandwidth variation.
US08565109B1

A communication-management method involves a recurring polling scheme, wherein network nodes are polled by a base station according to optimized and/or user-preferred polling intervals assigned to each network node. The polling interval assigned to a given node may be optimized to minimize and/or achieve user-preferred thresholds for energy consumption and latency associated with each network node in the sensor network. Optimized and/or user-preferred polling intervals may be constrained in accordance with various network performance considerations, for example, a recommended update interval for each network node, characteristics of the network nodes themselves, the duration of the timselots at which the network nodes are polled, and/or other network performance considerations.
US08565105B2

Aspects of a method and system for Ethernet Switching, Conversion, and PHY optimization based on link length in Audio/Video Systems are provided. In this regard, the length of a link over which a first communication device communicates with a second communication device may be determined and Ethernet PHY's residing in the communication devices may be configured based on the determination. One or both of the communication devices may comprise an Ethernet switch operable to switch packetized audio and/or video content. The packetized audio and/or video may be switched between the configured Ethernet PHY and one or more other Ethernet PHYs. Audio and/or video data may be received via the one or more corresponding Ethernet PHYs, the received audio and/or video data may be reformatted to be compatible with an audio and/or video interface, and the reformatted audio and/or video data may be transmitted via the audio and/or video interface.
US08565100B2

A method and apparatus are provided to facilitate communications with MTC devices. An apparatus may include processing circuitry configured at least to receive a broadcasted triggering message and to determine whether the triggering message identifies a machine-type communication (MTC) gateway or another device within a capillary network supported by the MTC gateway. The processing circuitry may cause at least a portion of the triggering message to be provided to a device within the capillary network in an instance in which the triggering message identifies the device within the capillary network. The processing circuitry may also be configured to determine an action requested by the triggering message in an instance in which the triggering message identifies the MTC gateway.
US08565096B2

An apparatus for determining operating characteristics of radio-frequency (RF) transmitting devices while the devices are in normal operation transmitting over-the-air RF signals. The apparatus comprises at least one signal sensor for receiving the RF signals, each sensor responsive to the RF signals received at a plurality of antennas or received at a directional antenna, an analyzer for determining signal parameters of received RF signals and for determining operating characteristics of the transmitting devices from the signal parameters, wherein each RF signal includes an identifier of the transmitting device, the apparatus using the identifier to link operating characteristics determined from the RF signals to the transmitting device, and a graphical user interface for displaying the operating characteristics for each transmitting device.
US08565091B2

A system, method, and network node for dynamically controlling throughput over an air interface between a mobile terminal and a radio telecommunication system. A Gateway GPRS Service Node (GGSN) receives a plurality of traffic flows for the mobile terminal and uses a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) module to determine a target delay class for each traffic flow. The GGSN signals the target delay class of each traffic flow to a Radio Network Controller (RNC) utilizing per-packet marking within a single radio access bearer (RAB). The RNC defines a separate virtual queue for each delay class on a per-RAB basis, and instructs a Node B serving the mobile terminal to do the same. The Node B services the queues according to packet transmission delays associated with each queue. A flow control mechanism in the Node B sets a packet queue length for each queue to optimize transmission performance.
US08565088B1

A system, apparatus, and method are directed towards selectively combining data into a packet to modify a number of packets transmitted over a network based on a detection of a transaction boundary. If it is determined to concatenate the data, such concatenation may continue until an acknowledgement (ACK) is received, or a predetermined amount of data is concatenated in the packet, or a transaction boundary is detected. If at least one of these conditions is satisfied, concatenation may be inhibited, and the packet may be sent. Concatenation is then re-enabled. In one embodiment, Nagle's algorithm is used for concatenating data into a packet. In one embodiment, an ACK may be sent based on a write completion indicator included within a packet. Receipt of the ACK may disable concatenation.
US08565074B2

An example method involves rerouting data from a logical circuit to a logical failover circuit when the logical circuit fails based on an exceeded quality of service parameter. The logical failover circuit is selected based on a committed bit rate, a variable bit rate, or an unspecified bit rate. The example method also involves rerouting data from a first set of switches to a second set of switches in the absence of a failure associated with the logical circuit. The logical circuit comprises variable communication paths, and the second set of switches are to form a route associated with the variable communication paths that is not predefined and that is dynamically defined at a time of automatic rerouting while maintaining the logical circuit through the second set of switches.
US08565071B2

A protection method in a packet transport network is provided. A protection path is established for a service data flow borne on a shared protection ring in the method, where the protection path includes a wrapping protection path and a steering protection path. Firstly, a first service data flow is sent through the wrapping protection path. Then, a service data flow node stops sending a second service data flow subsequent to the first service data flow to the wrapping protection path, and buffers the second service data flow. When the first service data flow completely passes by the service data flow node again, the buffered second service data flow is switched from the wrapping protection path to the steering protection path.
US08565067B2

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for link maintenance. A plurality of state machines operate a plurality of first links between data management nodes with each first link in an online state. A transition module transitions the plurality of first links from the online state to a degraded state and from the online state to an offline pending state in response to an offline request. The transition module further transitions the plurality of first links from the degraded state to an online pending state when a degraded link time interval expires and from the offline pending state to an offline state if all pending tasks on the plurality of first links are completed. The transition module further transitions the plurality of first links from the online pending state to the online state if each first link is validated.
US08565060B2

The invention provides an optical pickup device that ensures complete curing of adhesive when a tilt adjusting holder is glued to an objective lens holder. The optical pickup device comprises: a light source; an objective lens for focusing light emitted from the light source onto an optical storage medium; a tilt adjusting holder to which to secure the objective lens; and an objective lens holder to which to glue the tilt adjusting holder. The objective lens holder includes: adhesive joint sections for securing the tilt adjusting holder to the objective lens holder using an adhesive; a seat section on which the tilt adjusting holder abuts; and adhesive anti-overflow pockets, located between the adhesive joint sections and the seat section, for receiving the adhesive when the adhesive flows from the adhesive joint sections.
US08565043B2

An acoustic transducer that enables acoustic radiation at a low frequency and that also improves efficiency of the acoustic radiation into liquid is provided. The acoustic transducer according to the present invention includes bending vibration module 7 that is formed by at least one bending oscillating body 1 that has at least one plate type piezoelectric resonator 2 and diaphragm 3, and supporting member 9 for supporting bending vibration module 7. A plurality of bending vibration modules 7 are cylindrically arranged, and supporting members 9 radially protrude from shaft 8 provided at the center of the cylindrically arranged bending vibration modules 7 and are joined with the ends of diaphragms 3 of adjoining bending vibration modules 7.
US08565041B2

Control mechanisms, computer software and methods for driving vibrational source arrays underwater. An incoherent acquisition scheme drives individual source elements simultaneously and incoherently while a coherent acquisition scheme drives high-frequency individual source elements simultaneously and incoherently and low-frequency individual source elements simultaneously and coherently. Thus, denser coverage and an increased energy input is achieved for the source arrays.
US08565037B2

Embodiments are described including those pertaining to an input buffer having first and second complementary input terminals. One example buffer has a symmetrical response to a single input signal applied to the first input terminal by mimicking the transition of a signal applied to the second input terminal in the opposite direction. The buffer includes two amplifier circuits structured to be complementary with respect to each other. Each of the amplifier circuits includes a first transistor having a first input node that receives an input signal transitioning across a range of high and low voltage levels, and a second transistor having a second input node that receives a reference signal. The first input node is coupled to the second transistor through a capacitor to mimic the second input node transitioning in the direction opposite to the transition of the input signal.
US08565026B2

An access buffer, such as page buffer, for writing to non-volatile memory, such as Flash, using a two-stage MLC (multi-level cell) operation is provided. The access buffer has a first latch for temporarily storing the data to be written. A second latch is provided for reading data from the memory as part of the two-stage write operation. The second latch has an inverter that participates in the latching function when reading from the memory. The same inverter is used to produce a complement of an input signal being written to the first latch with the result that a double ended input is used to write to the first latch.
US08565023B2

A device comprises an address storage device. A first circuit includes a first flash memory, configured to sequentially receive first and second addresses and store the first address in the address storage device. The first circuit has a first set of control inputs for causing the first circuit to perform a first operation from the group consisting of read, program and erase on a cell of the first flash memory corresponding to a selected one of the first and second addresses. A second circuit includes a second flash memory, configured to receive the second address. The second circuit has a second set of control inputs for causing the second circuit to read data from a cell of the second flash memory corresponding to the second address while the first operation is being performed.
US08565022B2

A memory system includes a flash memory device including a first memory block group on which a least significant bit (LSB) program operation has been performed and a program operation on another bit has not been performed and a second memory block group on which both the LSB program operation and a most significant bit (MSB) program operation have been performed and a memory controller configured to check which of the first and second memory block groups a memory block selected for an LSB data read operation belongs to and set a level of a read voltage for the LSB data read operation of the selected memory block.
US08565020B2

A memory includes word lines, bit lines, memory cells each having a gate connected to one of the word lines, a word line driver configured to drive voltages of the word lines, and a sense amplifier configured to detect data of the memory cells via the bit lines. The memory cells are connected in series between the bit lines and a source to constitute cell string. The word line driver increases a verification voltage of any of non-selected word lines connected to non-selected memory cells in the cell string at a time of a verify operation in a certain writing loop of a writing stage. The writing stage includes a plurality of writing loops. The writing loops respectively includes a write operation to write data in a selected memory cell in the cell string and a verify operation to verify that the data are written in the selected memory cell.
US08565017B2

The disclosure relates to a device for supplying to at least one integrated circuit a high voltage for erasing and/or programming of a memory. The device includes at least one contact terminal linked to at least one contact terminal of the integrated circuit, a monitor for monitoring a data signal received by the integrated circuit and detecting in the data signal a write command of the memory, and a voltage supplier for applying the high voltage to a terminal of the integrated circuit when a write command of the memory has been detected by the monitor.
US08565008B2

A clock generator circuit generates a sequence of clock signals equally phased from each other from a master clock signal. The clock generator is formed by inner and outer delay-locked loops. The inner delay-locked loop includes a voltage controlled delay line that delays a reference clock applied to its input by a plurality of respective delays. Two of the clock signals in the sequence are applied to a phase detector so that the signals at the outputs of the delay line have predetermined phases relative to each other. The outer delay-locked loop is formed by a voltage controlled delay circuit that delays the command clock by a voltage controlled delay to provide the reference clock to the delay line of the inner delay-locked loop. The outer delay-locked loop also includes a phase detector that compares the command clock to one of the clock signals in the sequence generated by the delay line. The outer delay-locked loop thus locks one of the clock signals in the sequence to the command clock. As a result, all of the clock signals in the sequence generated by the delay line have respective predetermined phases relative to the phase of the command clock. One of the clock signals in the sequence is selected by a multiplexer to clock a command data latch at a time corresponding to the delay in coupling a command data bit to the latch.
US08564992B2

Proposed are a power factor correction device and its control method capable of obtaining a stable output as the output of a power supply unit while simplifying and miniaturizing the configuration. In the power factor correction device and the control method thereof including a coil and a switching element, and a control unit for controlling ON/OFF of the switching element, provided are an input voltage detection unit for detecting an input voltage of the power factor correction device, an output voltage detection unit for detecting an output voltage, and a coil current detection unit for detecting a coil current that is generated in the coil pursuant to the ON/OFF operation of the switching element. The control unit predicts an OFF time of the switching element of each switching cycle for controlling the switching element in a critical mode based on a voltage value of the input voltage detected with the input voltage detection unit, a voltage value of the output voltage detected with the output voltage detection unit, and a current value of the coil current detected with the coil current detection unit, and controls the ON/OFF of the switching element based on the prediction result.
US08564976B2

A system is provided having a first LLC power converter and a second LLC power converter. The first LLC power converter comprises a first LLC voltage source. The second LLC power converter also comprises a second LLC voltage source. The first LLC power converter also comprises a first resonant inductor, a first magnetic inductor, and a first resonant capacitor coupled to the first voltage source of the first LLC power converter. The second LLC power converter comprises a second resonant inductor, a second magnetic inductor, and a second resonant capacitor coupled to the second voltage source of the second LLC power converter. The first LLC power converter and the second LLC power converter are both magnetically couplable to a common load. A resonance of the first LLC power converter substantially matches a resonance of the second LLC power converter.
US08564974B2

In a switching power source of a flyback converter system according to the present invention, large electric power can be applied, by reducing loss of a switching element, a coil, and an output smoothing circuit, input voltage is applied to a primary coil of a transformer, and switching drive of the input voltage is carried out by a switching element, so that direct-current electric power is outputted from a secondary coil of the transformer through a rectifier circuit. The power source apparatus includes a trigger-control circuit which detects direct-current output voltage to control an “on” period, detects that current of the secondary coil becomes zero based on a voltage signal from a control coil, and turns on the switching element, and a timer circuit which is operated according to the voltage signal of the control coil, and gives an ON signal to the trigger-control circuit according to a timing signal.
US08564973B2

An inversion method and an inverter, in which a fifth switch tube, a sixth switch tube, a fifth diode, a sixth diode, and a first capacitor are added in the existing inverter circuit including a bridge arm, the fifth switch tube is connected in parallel to the fifth diode, and the sixth switch tube is connected in parallel to the sixth diode; wherein the positive pole of the fifth diode is connected to the negative pole of a direct current source, the negative pole of the fifth diode is connected to a connection circuit between a second inductor and an alternating current source, the positive pole of the sixth diode is connected to the negative pole of the direct current source, and the negative pole of the sixth diode is connected to a connection circuit between a first inductor and the alternating current source.
US08564967B2

A printed wiring board semiconductor package or PWB power core comprising singulated capacitors embedded on multiple layers of the printed wiring board semiconductor package wherein at least a part of each embedded capacitor lies within the die shadow and wherein the embedded, singulated capacitors comprise at least a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrodes and second electrodes of the embedded singulated capacitors are interconnected to the Vcc (power) terminals and the Vss (ground) terminals respectively of a semiconductor device. The size of the embedded capacitors are varied to produce different self-resonant frequencies and their vertical placements within the PWB semiconductor package are used to control the inherent inductance of the capacitor-semiconductor electrical interconnections so that customized resonant frequencies of the embedded capacitors can be achieved with low impedance.
US08564965B2

Electronic devices are provided with ejectable component assemblies. Each ejectable component assembly may include a tray that can be loaded with one or more types of removable module, such as a mini-SIM card and a micro-SIM card, and inserted into the device. Each assembly may also include a base coupled to a circuit board for electrically coupling with the removable module, a cage for biasing the module down against the base, and a guide for retaining the module at a functional insertion position within the device.
US08564964B2

Bus bars each having on one side a terminal portion for connection of an electrical component and on the other side a terminal portion for connection of circuit board are provided in an insulating block body parallel to each other to constitute a busbar block. The bus bars are prevented from uplifting by virtue of a rib integral with the block body. Recessed portions for positioning are provided in an insulating cover corresponding to the ribs, and at the same time as the busbar block is attached to the cover, the ribs are brought into engagement with the recessed portions to provide positioning of the busbar block. Terminal block constructed by terminals each having on one end thereof a terminal portion for connection of an electrical component and on the other side thereof a terminal portion for connection of circuit board, and an insulating block body holding the terminals.
US08564962B2

An electronic device includes a casing with a side plate and encasing a power module. The power module includes a locking member, a sliding member, and an elastic member sandwiched between the base and the cover. The sliding member is movable relative to the locking member between a locked position in which the locking portion of the locking member is pushed by the elastic member to extend through the cover to be blocked by the side plate of the casing, and an unlocked position in which the locking member is pressed by the sliding member to withdraw from the side plate to allow removal of the power module from the casing.
US08564942B2

A foldable keyboard includes a main keyboard and a sub keyboard. The main keyboard includes a first edge, first keys, and a first housing on the first edge. The first housing defines a first recess with at least one inlet communicating with the first recess. The sub keyboard includes a second rotatably coupled to the first edge of the main keyboard, second keys, a second housing, a latching member, and at least one ejecting member. The second housing defines a second recess with at least one outlet and at least one cavity communicating with the second recess. The latching member is movably received in the second recess. The at least one ejecting member is respectively received in the at least one cavity and can be moved to eject the latching member out of the at least one outlet and into the at least one inlet of the main keyboard.
US08564936B2

To reduce the thickness and improve the operability. It includes a first housing and a second housing placed on top of each other, and connecting means to connect the first and second housings, the connecting means being interposed between the first and second housings, wherein the connecting means engages with the first housing so as to be slidable in at least one direction with respect to the first housing, and engages with the second housing so as to be rotatable with respect to the second housing.
US08564919B2

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for detecting an overcurrent condition in a dimmer circuit having two switches, each for controlling power delivered to a load, each switch having a respective anti-parallel diode. The method comprises sensing a voltage drop across one of the anti-parallel diodes, comparing the sensed voltage drop with a reference voltage, and determining that an overcurrent condition exists if the sensed voltage drop exceeds the reference voltage. Also disclosed is a dimmer circuit embodying the method.
US08564908B2

A first sleeve rotatably extends around a shaft. First and second flanges are fixed to the shaft. A second sleeve extending around the first sleeve is fixed thereto. A first annular member fixed to the second sleeve surrounds the first flange. A second annular member fixed to the second flange surrounds a portion of the second sleeve. A first capillary seal includes a clearance between the first flange and the first annular member. A second capillary seal includes a clearance between the second annular member and the second sleeve. Lubricant is provided in the clearances in the first and second capillary seals. The second annular member and the second sleeve are designed so that the lubricant in the clearance in the second capillary seal can be viewed from a point in a radial position which is outward of the second sleeve as seen in an axial direction.
US08564907B2

A magnetic tape cartridge includes a cartridge case, a pair of cylindrical hubs rotatably provided in the cartridge case, and a magnetic tape laid between the hubs and wound around outer peripheries of the hubs. Each of the hubs has an inner diameter portion provided with a height-position determining member. The height-position determining member determines a height position of the hub in the magnetic tape cartridge by contacting a driving shaft inserted in the hub when the magnetic tape cartridge is mounted in a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.
US08564904B2

According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a reproducing section. The reproducing section detects a medium magnetic field recorded in a magnetic recording medium. The reproducing section includes a stacked film and a magnetic field application unit. The stacked film includes a first magnetization layer and a second magnetization layer. The first magnetization layer has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. A magnetization of the first magnetization layer being is fixed. The second magnetization layer is stacked with the first magnetization layer and oscillates. The magnetic field application unit is stacked with the stacked film and applies a bias magnetic field having a component along the first axis to the stacked film. A resistance of the stacked film changes in accordance with the medium magnetic field when a current not less than a value at which the second magnetization layer oscillates is passed.
US08564902B2

A magnetic head in one embodiment includes a plurality of components separated from each other by insulative portions, one of the components being a substrate; at least one connective element electrically coupling the components together; and a chiplet having at least one of read transducers and write transducers. A magnetic head in another embodiment includes a plurality of components separated from each other by insulative portions; side bars flanking the substrate; and at least one connective element electrically coupling the components together. A magnetic head in another embodiment includes a plurality of components separated from each other by insulative portions; and at least one connective element electrically coupling the components together, wherein the at least one connective element is positioned in at least one of the insulative portions, the at least one connective element having no other function than to electrically connect the components adjacent thereto.
US08564897B1

The present inventions are related to systems and methods for data processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for detecting patterns in a data stream.
US08564894B2

A lens barrel having: an imaging optical system including, a moving lens group movable in a direction of an optical axis, a first aperture disposed on an object side of the moving lens group, and a second aperture disposed on an image plane side of the moving lens group; a first optical path regulating section formed on the image plane side of the first aperture; and a second optical path regulating section integrally formed with a holding frame for holding the moving lens group, wherein the first optical path regulating section and the second optical path regulating section are configured to block, of light fluxes that pass through the first aperture to enter the second aperture, those that do not pass through the second lens group as a moving lens.
US08564892B2

A lens barrel includes a lens frame, a guide shaft, a lead screw, a nut, and a biasing spring. The guide shaft is inserted into the lens frame. The nut is threaded onto the lead screw. The biasing member biases the lens frame toward the nut. The lens frame includes a first bearing component having a first insertion hole and a second bearing component having a second insertion hole. The guide shaft hits an inner peripheral face of the first insertion hole at a first and second contact point, and hits an inner peripheral face of the second insertion hole at a third and fourth contact point. The first and second contact points are disposed on opposing side of the third and fourth contact points using as a reference a parallel plane which extends along the direction of an optical axis and passes through a guide axis.
US08564888B2

A variable power optical system includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group having negative refractive power, a variable power group having positive refractive power, and a final lens group having positive refractive power. The variable power group is provided with, in order from the object side, a first lens element having positive refractive power, a second lens element, and a third lens element. The second lens element has a convex shape on the object side. The final lens group includes a positive lens. The variable power optical system satisfies the following conditions: 10≦VdLg≦45 −1.0<(R2a−R2b)/(R2a+R2b)<1.0 where VdLg is the Abbe number of the positive lens of the final lens group with respect to the d line, R2a is the curvature radius of the object-side surface of the second lens element, and R2b is the curvature radius of the image-side surface of the third lens element.
US08564882B2

A diffractive optical element includes first and second optical members which are stacked. The first optical member includes a diffraction grating in which a plurality of raised portions each having a vertical surface and a surface inclined to the vertical surface are arranged. The second optical member includes a diffraction grating in which a plurality of recessed portions are arranged, to which the raised portions are fitted. The diffraction grating of the first optical member and the diffraction grating of the second optical member are in close contact with each other. A ridge portion of the raised portion defines a curved surface. A curvature radius R (μm) of the curved surface, a pitch P (mm) of the raised portions, and a refractive index difference Δnd between the first and second optical members satisfy a predetermined relationship.
US08564877B2

A photonic bandgap fiber includes a core of a solid material; a first cladding provided around the core; a low-refractive-index region provided in a part of a core vicinity portion of the first cladding and whose average refractive index is lower than that of the core; and a periodic structure region that is arranged in another part of the core vicinity portion of the first cladding which is made of a great many high-refractive-index portions whose refractive index is higher than that of the first cladding arranged in a periodic structure. According to the invention, it is possible to provide a photonic bandgap fiber which, when arranged in a double-clad structure, enables pump light to efficiently pump signal light.
US08564873B2

The invention relates to a display apparatus having at least one electronically controllable display element that comprises: at least one nonpolar and at least two electrically conductive or polar liquids; a fluidically sealed volume having a visible sub-volume and at least two holding volumes connected fluidically to the visible sub-volume; and at least one voltage source that is applied to a first electrode arrangement; the visible sub-volume being of planar embodiment so that when the first electrode arrangement is in the zero-voltage state, the electrically conductive or polar liquids are drawn into the respective holding volume; and the display element furthermore comprising mechanical and/or electrical means for selectably retaining in their holding volumes those electrically conductive or polar liquids which are not intended to be moved into the visible sub-volume by an impingement of voltage on the first electrode arrangement.
US08564865B2

Hologram production techniques can combine source data representing realistic information describing an environment with source data providing representational information describing a feature of the environment and/or some object interacting with the environment. The combined data is used to produce holograms, and particularly holographic stereograms including features that enhance the visualization of the environment depicted in hologram. A haptic interface can be used in conjunction with such holograms to further aid use of the hologram, and to provide an interface to secondary information provided by a computer and related to the images depicted in the hologram.
US08564861B2

A method of providing calibration data for a printer includes printing a calibration target using the printer. The target includes a plurality of patch sets, each including a plurality of test patches, each patch having a respective color. Scanned patch data for one of the sets are received from a spot scanner. The scanned patch data values are compared to respective aims to determine a reproduction error value for the scanned patch set. A processor automatically determines which of the sets should be scanned next using the calculated reproduction error value. The process is repeated until all sets have been scanned, or until the reproduction error value is less than or equal to a selected threshold. Calibration data are automatically generated using the scanned patch data.
US08564860B2

An image processor includes an identifying unit, a first correcting unit, and a second correcting unit. The identifying unit identifies a white point value of an image represented by first image data. The white point value indicates a first color temperature. The first correcting unit performs a white balance correction on the first image data such that the white point value approaches a target white point value. The target white point value indicates a second color temperature. The second correcting unit performs a brightness correction for correcting the first image data corrected by the first correcting unit into second image data such that an image corresponding to the second image data is brighter as the second color temperature is higher than the first color temperature and such that the image corresponding to the second image data is darker as the second color temperature is lower than the first color temperature.
US08564846B2

A form processing apparatus includes a storing unit configured to store definition data for scanning and processing a first form in a storage area, an image input unit configured to scan a second form to obtain a form image, a position adjusting unit configured to adjust a position of a process region representing an entry field of a process item on the form image based on a relative position of the entry field of the corresponding process item on the first form and to associate the process region on the form image with definition information of the process item defined in the definition data, and an updating unit configured to update the definition information by changing a value indicating the position of the process region in the definition information to a value indicating the adjusted position of the process region.
US08564844B2

The scanning and processing of a multi-page document is described wherein scan images are generated by optically scanning a sequence of pages of a multi-page document such as a book, processing the scan images to generate page images corresponding to original pages of the multi-page document, e.g., by deskewing and removing black border areas, and after generating a proposed page image, it is checked to determine if there is a chance that the image contains errors, by detecting if its image parameters, such as the text area coordinates (X1, X2, X3, X4, Y1, Y2) are according to target criteria which are based on a statistical analysis of the document. If the page image satisfies the target criteria, the page image is automatically accepted, and if it does not, the page image is displayed to an operator to accept or to adjust the page image.
US08564842B2

An image processing apparatus of the invention specifies, in a scanned image of an original, a first region including a specific form pattern (a two-dimensional bar-code pattern or the like) with the digital information embedded therein and a second region not including the specific form pattern to apply the image processing to the scanned image. More particularly, the image processing apparatus applies different processing to the first region and the second region, respectively. For example, a working degree to the first region is made smaller than a working degree to the second region to apply the specific image working processing to both the regions.
US08564834B2

Methods of performing print engine calibration create a color space conversion equation for a scanner of a class of printing devices, print test patches on a sheet, and scan the test patches using a scanner of the printing device to produce a scanned RGB value for each test patch. Such methods convert each scanned RGB value to an XYZ pseudo space using the color space conversion equation to produce XYZ values. These methods compare the XYZ values to second XYZ values of white paper to generate DeltaE curves for each of the test patches relative to white paper. The DeltaE curves are interpolated to form an equivalent aim curve. After the equivalent aim curve is determined, the methods periodically calibrate the same or an additional printing device that is within the class of printing devices using the color space conversion equation to produce second XYZ values.
US08564830B2

What is provided are a novel system and method for generating a sensitivity matrix for adaptive color control in a color marking device. In one embodiment, a first and second color space is identified. A total of N intermediate components are identified. Component sensitivity matrices are calculated and a sensitivity matrix is generated using a chain rule of differentiation over each successive component sensitivity matrix. The present method facilitates calibration of dynamically varying color reproduction devices.
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