US08573283B2
To produce at least two bonded-together layers (11, 13; 11′, 13), it is proposed that the material of at least one of the layers (13) is melted and subsequently, by spray compacting with a spray cone (10, 10′), is applied to the other layer, which is moved in relation to the spray cone (10, 10′), in such a way that the material composite is thereby produced.
US08573281B2
Cord tensioning systems are provided for top down/bottom up coverings to prevent entanglement of lift cords about associated wrap spools by correlating rotation of the wrap spools with translating threaded nuts mounted on threaded shafts rotating in unison with the wrap spools whereby abutment of nuts associated with lift spools prevent over movement of rails associated with the spools and thus entanglement of the lift cords associated therewith.
US08573275B2
A method and apparatus for detecting exposed and partially separated metal cords 17 in a cut end of a metallic cord reinforced strip 17 includes the steps of conveying and cutting the strip 17 and separating the cut ends and passing the conveyed cut strip 17 past a sensor means 40 for detecting any exposed partially separated metal cords or filaments. The preferred sensor means 40 includes a pair of closely spaced electrically conductive rollers 41, 42, a power source connected to one of the other rollers 41 or 42. When an exposed wire 26 touches both rollers 41 and 42 a circuit is closed giving indication of an exposed wire cord condition.
US08573268B2
A distribution apparatus for media and, in particular, for beverages may include a vessel suitable for holding the media, a first supply line which supplies the vessel with a first, liquid medium, and a second supply line which supplies the vessel with a second, gaseous medium. The first supply line and the second supply line are arranged in a stationary manner with respect to one another and the vessel is arranged such that it can rotate with respect to the first supply line and the second supply line. The first supply line and the second supply line open into the vessel in a region of the vessel which is above a filling level of the first, liquid medium.
US08573266B2
An apparatus for filling containers, in particular bottles, has at least one transport device for transporting the containers, at least one filling device for filling the containers and a tempering device for tempering a bottom area of the container. The tempering device is located at least at times at least partially in or below the bottom area of the transported containers and the filling device is arranged at least at times at least partially in or above a mouth area of the transported containers. The tempering device is mounted on the apparatus in such a way that tempering during or after filling becomes possible.
US08573253B2
There is disclosed a valve assembly for a gas container capable of appropriately discharging a gas from the gas container, even if a valve of a discharge passage has a failure or the like. The valve assembly for the gas container disposed at the gas container has, as passages which allow the inside of the gas container to communicate with the outside, a filling passage which fills the gas container with the gas and a discharge passage which discharges the gas. Furthermore, the valve assembly has a filling-side valve disposed at the filling passage and configured to close this passage, a discharge-side valve disposed at the discharge passage and configured to close this passage, a communication path which connects a downstream side of the discharge-side valve to a downstream side of the filling-side valve, and a shut-off valve disposed at the communication path. When the discharge-side valve does not open due to the failure or the like, the shut-off valve is opened to allow the gas to flow through the filling passage, the communication path and the discharge passage in this order.
US08573249B2
A relief valve for an oil pump, may include a housing defining a relief space, a plunger slidably disposed in the relief space and dividing the relief space into a housing chamber and a plunger chamber, an elastic member elastically supporting the plunger and being compressed by oil pressure of the main gallery, wherein the oil pressure of the main gallery may be relatively lower than an oil pressure under a warm-up state of the engine, a locator disposed under the plunger and supporting the elastic member, a plug coupled to a lower portion of the housing under the relief space and supporting the locator such that a modulus of elasticity in the elastic member may be changed by a change in seat position of the elastic member, and a negative pressure supplier selectively generating negative vacuum pressure in the locator such that a height of the locator changes.
US08573248B2
A gas flow valve having pneumatic vibration dampening device to reduce the vibrations created by the flow of gas through the gas valve. The gas valve includes a gas flow conduit that terminates at a discharge opening. A valve member is movably positioned relative to the discharge opening and allows gas flow in a flow condition and prevents the flow of gas in a seated position. The valve member includes a gas passage formed within the valve member. At least one flexible membrane is mounted to the valve member and surrounds an outlet opening of the gas passage. The flexible membrane is inflated as the flow of gas within the gas flow conduit increases such that the flexible membrane contacts an inner surface of a stabilizing conduit. The interaction between the flexible membrane and the stabilizing conduit reduces the vibrations created by the flow of gas past the valve member.
US08573241B2
Systems and processes may provide field-initiated testing and/or control of fluid regulatory systems. In one aspect, a fluid regulatory testing system may include a field test initiator and a fluid regulator control system. The field test initiator may alter control signal delivered to the fluid regulator control system upon activation of a user input device. The fluid regulator control system may receive control signals from the field test initiator and generate fluid regulator control signals. The fluid regulator control system may also detect whether a control signal has been altered, and initiate a fluid regulator testing sequence, if the control signal has been altered. The fluid regulator control system may include a latch mode. When a latch mode is commenced, generation of fluid regulator control signals based on received control signals and/or alteration of a position of a fluid regulator may be inhibited.
US08573240B2
A collapsible truss assembly is described herein. One component includes a layered u-bracket including a first u-bracket connected to the collapsible truss assembly, having a first channel, a first surface opposing the channel, and a first aperture that spans from the first surface to the first channel and is of a particular diameter. The layered u-bracket also includes a second u-bracket having a second channel, a second surface opposing the second channel, and a second aperture that spans from the second surface to the second channel and is of the particular diameter. For the layered u-bracket, the second channel is flush with the first surface, and the first and second apertures are aligned.
US08573236B2
Disclosed is a method and a respective apparatus for ultrasonic wet treatment of a plate-like article, which comprises: bringing a solid element, which is connected to a transducer in close proximity to a surface of a plate-like article so that a gap is formed between the solid element and the plate-like article, the gap having a distance d2 between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, dispensing liquid for filling the gap between the solid element and the plate-like article, and detecting ultrasonic waves and/or controlling the distance d2, by measuring the distance d2, comparing the measured distance with a desired distance d0 and adjusting the distance accordingly.
US08573234B2
Process and system for removing printing in metallic packages used in drinks, food and other applications in general, comprising the removal of ink before the cure thereof, by means of spray with ink remover liquid and non abrasive friction. Preferably, said liquid is an alkaline aqueous solution, which is sprayed onto the package surface simultaneously with the friction thereof with a soft and non abrasive element. In a preferred embodiment, said friction results in the rotation of the package around the longitudinal axis thereof, which is mounted on a rotative support, and the soft non abrasive element in contact with the surface thereof keeps motionless.
US08573233B2
A cosmetic container with a transparent window has a main base, a cover with the transparent window and mounted on the main base, a lateral movement base mounted between the main base and the cover, a longitudinal movement base mounted on the main base and a transmission element connecting to the lateral and longitudinal movement bases. The transparent window allows a user to recognize kinds and colors of cosmetics that are mounted on the lateral movement base therethrough. When the transmission element is driven by the longitudinal movement base, the transmission element drives the lateral movement base consequently to push the lateral and longitudinal movement bases outwardly. Thus, it is easy to open or close the cosmetic container with only one hand.
US08573231B2
A hair styling tool having a plurality of bristles and one or more movable members extending radially outward from the core and movable between opposing positions is provided. The movable members move between a retracted position where the divider is fitted between and even with or slightly above or slightly below the bristles to engage the hair and an extended position where the divider is moved out beyond the bristles to disengage the hair from the bristles. The hair styling tool having the movable member which engages and disengages the hair with the bristles minimizes tangling of the hair while brushing. The hair styling tool may be a rotating brush optionally equipped with a motor.
US08573228B2
A system includes (i) a needle for insertion into a port of an implantable infusion device, and (ii) a receiver apparatus having a port location signal receiver module capable of receiving a signal from the implantable infusion device regarding spatial orientation of the port. The system further includes a processor operably coupled to the receiver apparatus and capable of determining the orientation of the needle relative to the port based on the received signal. The system also includes a display operably coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to cause the display to graphically render trajectory of the needle relative to the port. The port is graphically rendered as a target structure having a reference area. The needle is graphically rendered as an object moveable relative to the target structure. Occupation of the reference area by the object indicates trajectory alignment of the port and the needle.
US08573222B2
An inserter for placing a T-shaped intrauterine device inside a patient's uterus and a T-shaped intrauterine device are disclosed. The inserter includes a sleeve part and a plunger part, the sleeve part includes a tube and a first engaging member and the plunger part includes a rod, a handle attached to the rod and a second engaging member. The first and the second engaging members are configured for reversibly engaging the sleeve part and the plunger part to temporarily lock the relative position between the tube and the rod. The T-shaped intrauterine device includes a pair of wings having a relaxed extended configuration and a contracted folded configuration and an elongated contraceptive body suspended from a junction between the wings.
US08573221B2
A device for occluding a cervix has an elongated conduit sized and shaped to extend from a proximal end outside the vagina to a distal end near the cervix. A loop sized to fit around an exocervix is provided at the distal end. The loop is sufficiently flexible to be tightened and loosened around the exocervix. The device has a rod inside the conduit. The rod has a distal end and a proximal end, and the loop is joined to the distal end of the rod. Moving the rod longitudinally relative to the conduit tightens or loosens the loop.
US08573220B2
A device (11) for facilitating tracheotomy. The device comprises a first branch (92), which is adapted to be introduced down the trachea of a patient, such that the end thereof is located below the larynx, and a second branch (114), adapted to be arranged on the outside of the neck with the end thereof located adjacent to the site intended for the tracheostoma. The end of the second branch comprises a guiding tube for a needle, and the end of the first branch comprises a protection plate. When the needle is moved towards the skin through the guiding tube and penetrates the skin and tracheal wall in order to provide said tracheostoma, the needle is directed towards the protection plate, and may engage it after passage through the tracheal wall. In such a manner the other side of the tracheal wall is protected. Furthermore, the tracheostoma will automatically be located at the best position.
US08573219B2
A nasal ventilation interface including a pair of tubes configured to deliver a ventilation gas. The tubes are attachable at a first end to a ventilation gas supply hose and engageable at a second end with a person's nostril. A coupler is configured to align the pair of tubes with the person's nostrils, wherein each tube has an absence of pneumatic interconnection with the other tube.
US08573216B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for storing breathing masks in a tall and narrow space and deploying the masks from that space. The apparatus may be embodied as a removable cartridge containing a breathing mask assembly housed within a frame. The cartridge is comprised of a first side and second side which can move relative to the frame. The first side includes a hinge. In operation, the cartridge slides relative to the frame and rotatably opens via the hinge after the cartridge substantially exits the frame. A breathing mask is released to a user after the first and second halves rotatably separate.
US08573214B2
A cushion for a patient interface that delivers breathable gas to a patient includes a base wall structured to be connected to a frame, an underlying support cushion extending away from the base wall towards the patient's face in use, and a membrane provided to substantially cover at least a portion of the underlying cushion. The membrane is adapted to form a continuous seal on the patient's face. The underlying cushion has a spring-like connection with the base wall. The underlying cushion and/or base wall define a spring constant that varies along a length of the seal.
US08573210B2
A nitric oxide delivery device including a valve assembly, a control module and a gas delivery mechanism is described. An exemplary gas delivery device includes a valve assembly with a valve and circuit including a memory, a processor and a transceiver in communication with the memory. The memory may include gas data such as gas identification, gas expiration and gas concentration. The transceiver on the circuit of the valve assembly may send wireless optical line-of-sight signals to communicate the gas data to a control module. Exemplary gas delivery mechanisms include a ventilator and a breathing circuit. Methods of administering gases containing nitric oxide are also described.
US08573209B2
A gas delivery system including a gas delivery device (100), a control module (200) and a gas delivery mechanism is described. An exemplary gas delivery device includes a valve (107) assembly with a valve and circuit including a memory (134), a processor (122) and a transceiver (120) in communication with the memory. The memory may include gas data such as gas identification, gas expiration and gas concentration. The transceiver on the circuit of the valve assembly may send wireless optical line-of-sight signals to communicate the gas data to a control module. Exemplary gas delivery mechanisms include a ventilator (400) and a breathing circuit (410). Methods of administering gas are also described.
US08573205B2
The invention provides an improved ventilation method and method for controlling a ventilator apparatus in accordance with same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of controlling a ventilator apparatus comprising the steps of placing a ventilator in a mode capable of adjusting airway pressure (P) and time (T), monitoring expiratory gas flow, analyzing the expiratory gas flow over time (T) to establish an expiratory gas flow pattern, and setting and/or adjusting a low time (T2) based on the expiratory gas flow pattern. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a method of controlling a ventilator apparatus comprising the steps of placing a ventilator in a mode capable of adjusting airway pressure (P) and time (T), and setting a low airway pressure (P2) of substantially zero cmH2O.
US08573204B2
A dosing device can be activated by a vacuum air stream of a user for the inhalation of a powder substance, particularly medicine, which is arranged in a supply chamber and which can be brought out of the same into an open emptying-ready position by a dosing chamber of a dosing rod when the mouthpiece-closure cap is removed. In particular, in order to improve dispensing, the provision of two air paths, of which one serves to open and empty the dosing chamber, and/or the second air path penetrates directly into a ring chamber in order to mix with the air flow containing the substance.
US08573203B2
In accordance with non-limiting examples, a nebulizer includes a main body comprising an air channel section and further comprising a mixing chamber and a venturi positioned to be placed within the patient's oral cavity and configured to receive medicine and air and mix the medicine and air within the mixing chamber and receive the air flow through the venturi and cause the medicine entering the mixing chamber to be atomized by the action of air flowing through the venturi. An air flow sensor is associated with the main body and configured to measure the air flow created by the patient's one of at least inhaling and exhaling air.
US08573184B2
An engine control apparatus having a unit for calculating the mean value of the angular acceleration with respect to each cylinder; a unit for calculating the variance of the angular acceleration with respect to each cylinder; a unit for estimating the torque and the air/fuel ratio with respect to each cylinder on the basis of the mean value and the variance; and a unit for controlling at least one of the intake air amount, the fuel injection amount and the ignition timing with respect to each cylinder on the basis of the estimated torque and air/fuel ratio.
US08573182B2
A method for improving starting of an engine that may be automatically started is provided. In one example, spark timing of an automatically started engine is in advance of spark timing for an operator requested engine start. The approach may reduce vehicle driveline disturbances.
US08573181B2
Throttle control systems and methods for internal combustion engines to reduce throttle oscillations
A throttle control system includes a pressure comparison module and a throttle plate control module. The pressure comparison module determines an inlet pressure upstream from a throttle body and an outlet pressure downstream from the throttle body. The throttle plate control module controls a position of a throttle plate based on the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure.
US08573177B2
The present invention provides reduced fatigue stress levels in a stressed area of an engine crankcase by lowering the outer edges of the crankshaft bearing cap fracture-split lines without changing the central axis location of the crankshaft in the crankcase. This is accomplished by causing the fracture-split lines of the bearing caps to angle downward from the horizontal plane of the crankshaft axis to a slightly lower position at the outer edges of the bearing caps. This lowers the outer edges of the bearing caps sufficiently to allow larger radii to be formed on the lateral connectors of the crankcase support webs with the adjacent sidewalls of the crankcase. Accordingly, the fatigue stress levels in the crankcase web members are reduced without requiring a significant change in the crankcase dimensions.
US08573174B2
An ECU executes a program including the steps of carrying out fluctuation suppression control in a case where a request to start an engine has been made, a rotation mode has been selected, and a motor is being driven and canceling fluctuation suppression control in a case where a full drive mode has been selected and engagement between a pinion gear and a ring gear has been completed.
US08573171B2
A valve control device for an internal combustion engine with an engine valve and a camshaft having a cam profile including a first lift profile is disclosed. The device includes a first body and second body. The device is configurable in first and second configurations. When in the first configuration, relative movement between the first and second body, caused when said first lift profile engages a cam engagement surface, inhibits a valve actuating linkage from actuating said engine valve. Embodiments of the device include a means which, when in the second configuration, prevents relative movement between the first and second bodies when the first lift profile engages the cam engagement surface to enable the valve actuating linkage to actuate said engine valve, and when the device is in the second configuration, the means may be arranged so substantially all of the force exerted as the valve is actuated is compressive.
US08573165B2
Actuating device for a recirculation pump of a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine comprising a pulley suitable for being rotationally driven by the engine, a driven shaft for driving the pump and an electromagnetically controlled coupling interposed between the pulley and the driven shaft, in which the electromagnetic coupling comprises an electromagnet, coupling mechanism controlled by the electromagnet and mobile between an engagement position in which the pulley is connected to the driven shaft and a disengagement position, and an elastic member for maintaining an engagement member in the engaged position when the electromagnet is not energized.
US08573163B2
When the temperature of coolant in an engine is greater than or equal to a half-warm-up determination value, an engine cooling control section opens a valve to mix the coolant in two coolant circuits. Accordingly, even if the temperature of the coolant in the engine fluctuates due to mixing coolants at different temperatures, such fluctuation occurs in a temperature range lower than the determination value for the warm-up completion of the engine. This prevents a control procedure for the time before the warm-up completion and a control procedure for the time after such completion from being performed in a repeating, alternating manner. As a result, when the coolant circulating in the first coolant circuit and the coolant circulating in the second coolant circuit are mixed together, control that should be performed based on the coolant temperature in the engine is carried out without hindrance.
US08573143B2
An emissions recycling system is used on a vehicle towing an agricultural implement to enrich the fertility of the soil. The system includes an exhaust collector for collecting exhaust emissions from the internal combustion engine of the towing vehicle and an exhaust distribution system for injecting at least a portion of the exhaust emissions collected by the exhaust collector into the ground worked by the ground working tools of the agricultural implement. Fertility of the soil is enriched by bioactivity within the soil's micro flora which consumes the greenhouse gas and emissions.
US08573138B2
A portable table includes a pedestal arranged to be penetrated into the ground and a tray member arranged to be selectively supported on a top end of the pedestal so as to remain readily separable for transport or storage. A beverage holder arranged to be slidably supported on an upper portion of the pedestal. The pedestal has an offset portion arranged to prevent downwardly sliding of the beverage holder below the upper portion of the pedestal. The tray member includes an upper supporting surface and stiffening ribs therebelow having a matching profile for nested stacking of a plurality of tray members separated from their respective pedestals.
US08573137B2
A hollow upper deck panel for a plastic pallet has a solid top surface and is produced by forming a tubular hot plastic parison and directing the parison between blow mold sections to form upper and lower sheets for the deck panel. The lower sheet is blow molded by pressured air within the parison into a mold section to form spaced inverted U-shaped open ribs projecting upwardly and with top portions fused to the upper sheet. The upper sheet is blow molded by the air around retractable blades to form spaced closed double wall ribs projecting downwardly between the open ribs and have bottom portions fused to the lower sheet. The closed double wall ribs extend transversely to the open ribs and have end portions fused to the open ribs. The support structure for the upper deck panel defines spaces for receiving parallel spaced forks of a forklift truck.
US08573134B2
A shelf guard 20 comprises at least one protective member 22 having at least an inner-facing (i.e. towards a support structure 40) surface 23 and at least one mounting member 24 having at least an inner-facing surface 27 that are preferably both made from a transparent and substantially rigid material, such as plastic or acrylic. An attachment element 30 (such as an adhesive strip or double sided tape) is included on the inner-facing surface 27 of at least one mounting member 24 to secure the shelf guard 20 to a shelf 40 by adhering to the shelf's underside surface 44 with the inner-facing surface 23 of the at least one protective member 22 extending upwardly from the edge of the support structure 40 to define an upwardly extending protective wall along the edge, thereby preventing objects stored on a surface of the support structure 40 from falling off the edge of the support structure 40. The attachment element 30 is preferably an adhesive having a peel-away protective film 32 that is removed immediately prior to installation.
US08573122B1
A switch device having a base, a first electrically conductive pad coupled to the base, a second electrically conductive pad coupled to the base, a first electrically conductive projection and a second electrically conductive projection. The second electrically conductive pad is spaced apart from the first electrically conductive pad by a first predetermined distance. The first electrically conductive projection is coupled to the first electrically conductive pad and extends into the first gap. The second electrically conductive projection is coupled to the second electrically conductive pad and extends into the first gap. The second electrically conductive projection is spaced apart from the first electrically conductive projection by a second predetermined distance. The first and second electrically conductive projections form an electrical interface.
US08573121B2
A digital offset inking system includes an ink chamber that contains ink, and deposits ink onto an inking member. The ink is transferred to an ink transfer member, which is then transferred to an image transfer member. An ink removal member removes leftover or excess ink from the ink removal member. A cleaning member cleans the ink removal member.
US08573116B2
An in-line heating device for a liquid food or beverage preparation machine in which liquid is circulated through the heating device and then guided into a brewing chamber. This heating device includes a thermoblock with a metal mass that incorporates an inlet, an outlet and a heating chamber extending therebetween to form a passage for guiding the liquid circulating through the mass, with the mass arranged to accumulate heat and to supply heat to the liquid; and one or more electric components that are rigidly secured onto or into the thermoblock and that are connected to a printed circuit board or a flex-print arranged to control the thermoblock. The electric components are rigidly connected to the printed circuit board or flex-print, in particular via rigid connector pins or blades or rigid plug and socket members.
US08573114B2
A method and apparatus for forming a beverage. A brewer may be operated so that when water or other beverage precursor is detected to be heated to a desired temperature, the liquid may be provided to a brew chamber to form a beverage. In one embodiment, detection of the water temperature may be performed by a temperature cut off switch (TCO) which is normally closed to provide power to a water heater, but opens when the water reaches a predetermined temperature. Opening of the TCO may cause delivery of the liquid to the brew chamber, e.g., by causing pressurization of a reservoir containing the liquid. In another embodiment, control of delivery of water from the reservoir may be made based on power interruption to the heater. For example, an air pump may be controlled to deliver air to the reservoir in response to power to the heater being cut off.
US08573113B2
A piston and cylinder assembly includes a housing defining a bore. A piston is sized to reciprocate in the bore. A first sealing member provides a sealing engagement between the piston and a wall of the bore. A first bushing, of a first material, is around a first portion of the piston toward a first end of the piston. A second bushing, of a second material, is around a second portion of the piston toward a second end of the piston. The first and second bushings guide the piston within the bore. The first material is different than the second material.
US08573111B2
A load sense connection is provided between the implement rockshaft cylinders and the load-sensed power source. However, to avoid tractor starting difficulty, a valve structure is provided in the power beyond fluid line to keep the fluid line closed when starting the tractor. This valve structure provides a hydraulic latching function that allows the load-sensed power source to be activated and deactivated depending on the SCV function. The load-sensed power source is activated when the rockshaft cylinder(s) is fully extended and remains activated or latched when the SCV is returned to neutral. The load-sensed power source is deactivated or unlatched when the rockshaft cylinder is retracted.
US08573100B2
The present invention relates to a loading magazine for guiding bar material on an automatic lathe with at least one spindle head that is displaceable in the longitudinal direction. According to the invention, the channel system of a loading magazine of this type is guided on a linear axis and coupled to at least one spindle head, which can be moved in a longitudinal manner, of the automatic lathe such that the bar-guiding channel system can be moved synchronously with the spindle head in drag operation. The formation zones for vibrations in the transition region between the loading magazine and automatic lathe are thus reduced.
US08573089B2
A speed change operation apparatus includes a pivotal body operatively connected to a trunnion shaft to be pivotally displaced in response to an operational displacement by an operational tool, a positioning body operatively coupled with the pivotal body so as to be pivotally displaced in response to a pivotal displacement of the pivotal body, a main urging mechanism for applying an urging force to the pivotal body via the positioning body for returning the pivotal body from an operational position to the neutral position, and an auxiliary urging mechanism for applying an auxiliary urging force to the pivotal body for returning the pivotal body from the operational position to the neutral position.
US08573085B2
A power unit for a vehicle includes first and second clutches, that transmit/interrupt rotary power from a primary reduction gear mechanism to first and second main shafts, arranged at respective ends of the first and second main shafts with selectively established multispeed gears provided among a countershaft, and the first and second main shafts. The primary reduction gear mechanism includes: a single driving gear provided on a crankshaft; a first driven gear supported by a first main shaft for relative rotation therewith at a position adjacent to the first clutch and meshes with the driving gear; an intermediate driving gear rotating with the first driven gear; an idle gear that meshes with the intermediate driving gear, and supported by the countershaft for relative rotation therewith; and a second driven gear, that meshes with the idle gear, and supported by the second main shaft for relative rotation therewith.
US08573080B2
An actuator comprising a body in which a rod is mounted to slide, the actuator including a screw extending inside the rod to co-operate with a nut secured to the rod, the screw being driven in rotation by a motor. The rod is associated with a piston that slides in a cavity of the body so as to define two chambers therein, the chambers being filled with hydraulic fluid and being put into communication via fluid transfer means fitted with at least one regulator member adapted to throttle the fluid expelled from one of the chambers, in at least one travel direction of the rod.
US08573079B2
Disclosed is a combination of six substantially identical interconnected rotating masses, with a pair each of the rotating masses being configured to rotate in one of each of the three planes (X, Y, and Z). Regardless of the orientation of the six masses, each pair of the six interconnected rotating masses may share substantially the same center of gravity and generate a separate yet interactive kinetic energy and angular momentum in each of the three planes, thereby providing resistance to rotational forces from external sources. This is known as “equal force presence.” In one embodiment, the rotating masses are ring-like masses. In alternative embodiment, the rotating masses are solid masses, similar to flywheels.
US08573077B2
A method for inspecting a wafer and a system. The system includes: a chuck; and a robot that includes a movable element connected to a detachable adaptor selected from a group of diced wafer detachable adaptors and non-diced wafer detachable adaptors; wherein a diced wafer detachable adaptor is shaped such to partially surround the diced wafer and comprises at least one vacuum groove adapted to apply vacuum on a tape that supports the diced wafer; and wherein the robot is adapted to fetch the wafer from a cassette and to place the wafer on the chuck.
US08573076B2
A non-destructive inspection (NDI) device is described that includes a robotic arm, a storage device proximate the robotic arm, and a plurality of NDI probe assemblies disposed within the storage device. Each NDI probe assembly includes at least one transducer operable for NDI of a part and a tool operable as a mechanical interface between the robotic arm and the corresponding NDI probe assembly. Each NDI probe assembly is configured for a specific NDI task, for NDI of a part, and the robotic arm is operable for selectively engaging the tools and movement of the probe assemblies for the NDI of at least a portion of a part.
US08573072B2
A method for removing a fluid substance from a sealed collection device comprising a cap and a fluid-holding vessel, where the method aids in venting air from the collection device when the cap is penetrated by a fluid transfer device used to withdraw a fluid substance from the vessel. Venting is aided by incorporating a pause step between penetrating the cap and contacting the fluid substance held by the vessel with the fluid transfer device or by contacting the cap at a slower speed than the fluid transfer device enters the collection device after the cap has been penetrated.
US08573070B2
A robotic system comprises an end effector including an electromagnetic clamp, a force sensor attached to the end effector for measuring force exerted by the clamp against a work piece surface, and a plurality of normality sensors. The normality sensors are positioned about the force sensor to determine whether the clamp is normal to the surface before the force sensor makes contact with the surface.
US08573069B2
A stress sensing device senses a shear force and a pressing force. The stress sensing device includes a support body, a support film, first and second piezoelectric parts and an elastic layer. The support body has an opening defined by a pair of straight parts perpendicular to a sensing direction of the shear force and parallel to each other. The support film having flexibility closes off the opening. The first piezoelectric part is disposed over the support film and straddling an inside portion and an outside portion of the opening along at least one of the straight parts of the opening as seen in plan view. The second piezoelectric part is disposed to the inside portion of the opening and set apart from the first piezoelectric part as seen in the plan view. The elastic layer covers the first piezoelectric part, the second piezoelectric part, and the support film.
US08573053B2
A container (20) to receive liquids to aid in the volumetric measuring and mixing thereof, said container (20) including a hollow body (21); a bottom wall providing a base (22); a first chamber (27) at least partly enclosed by said base (21) and to receive a first liquid; a top (24) via which the first liquid is delivered to said first chamber (27); a second chamber (28), the second chamber (28) being provided to receive a second liquid and being partitioned from the first chamber (27) but communicating therewith to provide for the flow of at least part of said second liquid to said first chamber; graduations (33) associated with said second chamber (28), said graduations (33) extending in a predetermined direction (34), with said second chamber (28) having a cross section transverse of said direction (34); and wherein said first chamber (27) has a cross section generally parallel to said base (22) that is greater than said cross section of said second chamber (27).
US08573047B2
A passive RFID transponder sensor system includes a sensor assembly having a focused field transponder antenna with a highly magnetically permeable transponder antenna stem, and a reader antenna with an electrical reader coil generating a magnetic field having magnetic flux extending between the reader antenna and a sensor assembly. The electrical transponder coil and the electrical reader coil are coupled by the magnetic field, so that information can be transferred to and from the sensor assembly through the magnetic field by which the electrical transponder coil and the electrical reader coil are coupled.
US08573046B1
A combined tread depth measurement tool and pressure gauge for treaded pneumatic tires includes a housing, an abutment surface, and a pneumatic pressure sensor. The pneumatic pressure sensor includes a measurement element with a graduated numerical indication of pneumatic pressure on at least one side and a colored indication of tire depth on at least one side. The colored indication includes at least three distinct colors, the three distinct colors each having widths corresponding to ranges of tread depths in reference to a terminal end of the measurement element. A combined tread depth measurement tool and pressure gauge for treaded pneumatic tires includes a body assembly and a spring clip. The body assembly includes a housing with three color bands having distinct colors, a pneumatic pressure sensor, and a measurement element. The spring clip includes a sliding portion and a clip portion with a tire engagement end.
US08573038B1
A test rig that reproduces high temperature and high pressure conditions found in a gas turbine engine for testing materials under these conditions. The test rig includes a combustor surrounded by an upper plenum chamber and an exhaust plenum that receives a hot gas stream from the combustor. A transparent channeling vessel guides the hot gas stream from the combustor over a test specimen on which a material to be tested is mounted. The hot gas stream exits the clear channeling vessel and into the exhaust plenum where the stream is cooled by diluting the stream with cooling air. A viewing portal is located in the exhaust plenum so that the material can be observed through the clear vessel.
US08573032B2
A leak detecting apparatus for detecting flaws in a surface submerged in liquid is provided that includes a vacuum head for contacting the surface and forming a vacuum chamber filled with liquid between the surface and the vacuum head, the vacuum head including a multi-surface elastomer seal for contacting the surface; and a vacuum generator for pulling gas through a flaw in the surface into the vacuum head and to the gas separation chamber so as to displace the liquid from the gas separation chamber. A method for detecting flaws in a surface submerged in liquid is also provided.
US08573026B2
A method for ascertaining volume- or mass-flow of a medium in a pipeline, or measuring tube, of radius (r) via a sound entrainment method, wherein ultrasonic measuring signals are transmitted and/or received along a plurality of defined sound paths (m). During a calibration phase, successive, different flow profiles (v(r)) of a measured medium are established in the pipeline, or in the measuring tube, and wherein, for each flow profile (v(r)), a defined volume flow, or a defined mass flow, is ascertained, wherein, on the basis of measured values (vx(r1) . . . vx(rm)) ascertained in the separate measuring paths (m), each flow profile (v(r)) established in the pipeline, or in the measuring tube, is described by a characteristic parameter set (a1, . . . , an with nεN) and wherein, for each flow profile (V(r)), on the basis of the defined volume- or mass-flow and on the basis of the measured volume- or mass-flow, a flow-profile-dependent correction factor MF(a1, . . . , an) is calculated, and wherein, subsequently in measurement operation, a volume- or mass-flow ascertained via the parameter set (a1, . . . , an, with nεN) is corrected with the flow-profile-dependent correction factor MF(a1, . . . , an) determined during the calibration phase.
US08573020B2
Can shells are produced with tooling installed on a mechanical press, and the tooling includes an upper retainer supporting a blank and draw die enclosing an outer pressure sleeve and an inner pressure sleeve surrounding a die center punch, all having pistons. An air chamber is connected by air spring passages to the inner pressure sleeve piston, and the outer pressure sleeve receives the same air as the air chamber or lower pressure air. The die center punch has an insert which initiates the drawing of a cup, and the inner pressure sleeve and die center punch have contoured surfaces which mate with opposing surfaces on a die core ring to form and clamp the chuckwall of the shell during downstroke of the press. A panel punch has peripheral surfaces which form the panel wall and countersink of the shell during upstroke of the press.
US08573011B2
An antitheft device designed to be attached to an off-the-shelf commodity item, preferably a piece of clothing, in particular in close proximity to the edge of the item, including a first so-called fastening part, provided with a nail-type pinning element, a second so-called attachment part, including a recess capable of receiving the said pinning element, a locking system designed to retain the pinning element in the said recess, the two parts being connected to one another so as to be movable relative to one another when the pinning element is outside the recess, and a spring providing the elastic mobility of the fastening part in relation to the attachment part.
US08573008B2
An optical fiber production system and method are provided for producing optical fiber. An optical fiber is drawn from a preform in a furnace and passes through a treatment device under a reduced pressure in the range of 0.01 to 0.80 atm. The treatment device cools the bare optical fiber as it cools to a temperature in the range of at least 1,600° C. to 1,300° C. A non-contact fiber centering device is located near an exit of the treatment device to provide centering of the optical fiber as it exits the treatment device.
US08572998B2
A machine for making ice-cream products includes a whipping and freezing unit with a horizontal axis, and an inspection door connected to one end of the whipping and freezing unit to allow access to the inside of the unit. The inspection door has a dispensing hole so that the whipping and freezing unit can be put in fluid communication with the outside environment and a dispensing door for selectively opening and closing the dispensing hole. The dispensing door includes a separator, having an opening, able to rotate relative to the inspection door so that the dispensing hole is selectively opposite the opening and allows controlled dispensing of ice-cream products from the whipping and freezing unit.
US08572995B2
An air conditioner (10) includes a refrigerant circuit (20) including a plurality of indoor heat exchangers (27). A controller (1) for controlling operation of the air conditioner (10) includes a change unit (5) configured to change a set temperature Tem to a value larger than a current value when the minimum target superheat degree SHsm of target superheat degrees SHs determined for the respective indoor heat exchangers (27) is higher than a predetermined value SHt.
US08572985B2
A gas turbine engine pneumatic system for controlling an air bleed valve includes a variable orifice device for controllably discharging air from the pneumatic system in order to reduce a maximum air pressure applied to the air bleed valve, to a predetermined level. A filter device is provided to filter the air discharged from the variable orifice.
US08572983B2
A gas turbine engine component includes a gas path wall having a first surface and second surface and an impingement baffle having impingement holes for directing cooling fluid onto the first surface of the gas path wall. A cooling hole extends through the gas path wall. The cooling hole continuously diverges from an inlet in the first surface to an outlet in the second surface such that cross-sectional area of the cooling hole increases continuously from the inlet to the outlet. A longitudinal ridge divides the cooling hole into lobes.
US08572980B2
A burner for a combustion chamber of a turbine, with an injection device for the introduction of at least one gaseous and/or liquid fuel into the burner is proposed. The injection device has at least one body arranged in the burner with at least two nozzles for introducing the at least one fuel into the burner, the body being configured with a streamlined cross-sectional profile which extends with a longitudinal direction perpendicularly or at an inclination to a main flow direction prevailing in the burner. The carrier air plenum is provided with holes such that carrier air exiting through the holes impinges an inner side of a leading edge portion of the body.
US08572977B2
The present combustor of gas turbine engine includes: a fuel injection unit including a fuel spray part to spray a fuel so that a diffusion combustion region is formed in a combustion chamber, and a pre-mixture supply part to supply a pre-mixture of a fuel and an air so that a pre-mixture combustion region is formed in the combustion chamber; and a fuel supply unit to supply the fuel to the fuel spray part and pre-mixture supply part. The fuel supply unit includes: a pilot fuel passage and a main fuel passage to supply the fuel to the fuel spray part and the pre-mixture supply part, respectively; an assembled fuel passage to supply the fuel to the pilot and main fuel passages; and a fuel distributor disposed at a branch point where the assembled fuel passage is connected to both the pilot and main fuel passages. The fuel distributor is configured to automatically control amounts of the fuel to be distributed to the pilot fuel passage and to the main fuel passage in accordance with the fuel pressure.
US08572974B2
A fluid delivery system in a gas turbine engine includes an electric motor, a first fluid pump system and a second fluid pump system. The electric motor operates at a variable speed. The first pump system includes a first pump driven by the motor to deliver a first fluid to the gas turbine engine. The second pump system includes a second pump driven by the motor to deliver a second fluid to the gas turbine engine, the second pump having a variable displacement.
US08572968B2
A solar thermal power plant is provided comprising a solar collection system and a steam-electric power plant. The solar collection system comprises one or more tube radiation absorbers containing a thermal fluid therewithin, the system being configured to heat the thermal fluid by passing the thermal fluid through the one or more tube radiation absorbers while the absorbers are irradiated with solar radiation. The steam-electric power plant comprises an intermediate-pressure steam turbine, a low-pressure steam turbine, at least one additional steam turbine having an inlet pressure higher than that of the intermediate-pressure steam turbine, and piping containing a working fluid. Each turbine is associated with a heat exchange system adapted to transfer heat from the thermal fluid to the working fluid.
US08572966B2
A heat engine apparatus for use in association with a borehole and a method of operating a heat engine in association with a borehole. The apparatus includes a first heat exchanger assembly in fluid communication with a proximal segment of the borehole, a second heat exchanger assembly in fluid communication with a distal segment of the borehole, a circulation barrier for providing a seal between the apparatus and the borehole in order to isolate the proximal segment of the borehole and the distal segment of the borehole from each other, and a heat engine associated with the first heat exchanger assembly and the second heat exchanger assembly, wherein the heat engine is a gas phase closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine. The first heat exchanger assembly, the second heat exchanger assembly, the circulation barrier and the heat engine are all adapted to be inserted in the borehole.
US08572965B2
A chimney has a lower portion substantially in the shape of a pyramid and an upper portion forming a cylindrical portion that extends with a predetermined dimension upwardly and is provided in a ceiling portion of a building of a coil yard that is used for temporary storage of the hot-rolled coil which is an intermediate iron and steel product acting as a high-temperature heat radiator that is manufactured using the hot-rolling equipment of an iron and steel mill. A power generating turbine is provided at a predetermined position in the cylindrical portion. An intake duct is provided on a lower end portion of the side walls of the building. Hot-rolled coils that are in a high-temperature condition after manufacture are successively imported into the coil yard and accumulated and stored until transfer to a subsequent processing step. An ascending airflow is generated by sequential heating of air introduced into the building from the intake duct using heat retained in the hot-rolled coils. The power generating turbines are rotated by the ascending airflow passing through the cylindrical portion of the chimney to thereby execute wind power generation. As a result, the heat retained in the high-temperature heat radiator manufactured by introduction of heat can be efficiently used.
US08572960B2
A method for operating a compressor, which supplies an internal combustion engine that is assigned to the compressor at its output end with air compressed to a boost pressure, in which the boost pressure is reducible by releasing the compressed air at least partially via a pressure release valve. The air released via the pressure release valve is used for driving a compressor wheel of the compressor.
US08572954B2
A work machine powered by an internal combustion engine having an exhaust aftertreatment device and air cleaner positioned over the top portion of the engine, which is mounted in the work machine chassis. A frame is releasably connected to the chassis through an adjustable mounting with three axis adjustment and the air cleaner is mounted to the frame. A carriage is releasably mounted to the frame and carries the exhaust aftertreatment device to enable independent removal for servicing and/or replacement.
US08572952B2
Methods and systems are provided for managing particulate emissions in an engine including a particulate filter and a CO2 sensor downstream of the filter. A CO2 sensor may be used to infer the presence of particulate matter in the exhaust, downstream of the filter. By sensing particulate matter in the post-filter exhaust, filter degradation may be identified.
US08572950B2
In an internal combustion engine, inside of an engine exhaust passage in order from an upstream side, a hydrocarbon feed valve, oxidation catalyst, and exhaust purification catalyst are arranged. On the exhaust purification catalyst, platinum and rhodium are carried and a basic layer is formed. Hydrocarbons are intermittently fed from the hydrocarbon feed valve while maintaining the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst lean. At this time, the feed of hydrocarbons is controlled so as to ensure the continued presence of the reducing intermediate on the basic layer.
US08572949B2
A flow guide (8) is provided for an exhaust system (3) of an internal combustion engine (1), especially in a motor vehicle. The flow guide (8) has at least one U-shaped guide plate body (13), which can be mounted with its U-base (14) on a pipe section (4′) of the exhaust system (3) and whose U-legs (15) form in the mounted state a flow guide plate (15) each. The flow guide plate cooperates with an exhaust gas stream (19) being guided in the pipe section (4′) during the operation of the exhaust system (3).
US08572947B2
The present inventions include a boundary layer ejector fluidically connecting boundary layer bleed slots from an external surface of an aircraft to reduce aircraft/nacelle/pylon drag, reduce jet noise and decrease thrust specific fuel consumption. In one embodiment a boundary layer withdrawn through the boundary layer bleed slots is entrained with an exhaust flow of a gas turbine engine. In another embodiment a boundary layer withdrawn through the boundary layer bleed slots is entrained with a flow stream internal to the gas turbine engine, such as a fan stream of a turbofan. Members can be provided near an outlet of a passageway conveying the withdrawn boundary layer air to locally reduce the pressure of the fluid in which the withdrawn boundary layer air is to be entrained. A lobed mixer can be used in some embodiments to effect mixing between the boundary layer and a primary fluid of the ejector.
US08572942B2
A seed pan apparatus has an elongated seed pan plate with parallel right and left edges, a curved configuration and a pointed front end. An engagement mechanism attaches the plate to a harvester cutting header such that the plate is above two adjacent guard fingers, such that an open slot is defined between the right edge of one plate and the left edge of an adjacent plate and the edges of the slot are in proximity to the outer edges of the guard fingers under the adjacent plates. The point is offset to make one front tapering edge forming the point longer than the other. The inclination, height, and fore and aft position of the seed pan plate can be adjusted.
US08572931B2
A bale wrapping mechanism for feeding bale surface wrapping material to an inlet of a baling chamber containing a bale to be wrapped includes a support arrangement for supporting a plurality of wrapping material supply rolls disposed with their adjacent ends either overlapping each other or disposed in axially aligned or end-to-end relationship with each other. In the case of overlapping ends, the adjacent runs of material respectively emanating from the plurality of supply rolls overlap each other and are applied to the circumference of a bale being wrapped in an overlapped arrangement. In the case of axially aligned supply rolls and when the wrapping material is a spreadable net material, a material spreading arrangement is located between the supply rolls and an inlet to the baling chamber and acts to spread the net so that adjacent runs of wrapping material respectively emanating from the plurality of material supply rolls overlap each other and remain overlapped as they are applied to the bale.
US08572925B2
A frame assembly supports an article. The frame assembly comprises a frame member having a plurality of walls extending between a first end and a second end. The walls define an interior of the frame member. The frame assembly also comprises at least one foldable cornerlock. The foldable cornerlock has first and second body portions movable relative to each other. A method of manufacturing the frame assembly comprises the steps of forming at least one notch in the frame member spaced from the ends of the frame member, inserting the foldable cornerlock into the notch, and bending the frame member about the notch of the frame member.
US08572919B1
A flooring system and a divider for use therewith. The divider transitions between a first and second flooring and includes a first member and a second member that are snap-fittingly engageable with each other. A protrusion from the first member is received in a recess in the second member. The protrusion has a curved terminal end which enables the first member to pivot relative to the second member. In a first position a lower surface of the first member is parallel to a lower surface of the second member. In a second position, the lower surface of the first member is angled relative to the lower surface of the second member. A second protrusion extends outwardly from the first member and into a second recess in the second member. The first member includes a flange which extends laterally outwardly beyond a side surface of the second member.
US08572912B2
A cover profile (1) for floors for adaptation to different applications is described, having at least one cover flange (10), having a fastening attachment (9), which divides the cover flange (10) into two legs (12, 13), on the bottom side of the cover flange (10), and having at least one bending groove (14), which is parallel to the profile axis, on the bottom side of at least one of the legs (12, 13), which are preferably of different widths. In order to provide advantageous design conditions, it is proposed that the cover flange (10) carry a coating (11), which forms a film hinge (16), on its outer side opposite to the fastening attachment (9) in the area of the bending groove (14), and the two leg sections on both sides of the bending groove (14) be supported against one another by a hinge block (19).
US08572909B2
A flat roof racking system configured for receiving solar panels having electrically conductive frames, the racking system comprising substantially parallelly disposed panel support structures, spacer bars and retaining and grounding clips pairs, each panel support structure comprises a first end, a second end, a top member having a first channel section connected to a second channel section and two ends, and a bottom member having a channel section and two ends. The first and second channel sections are disposed in a plane but at an angle from one another and each end of the bottom member is fixedly connected to an end of the top member such that the top member is configured to make a first tilt angle at the first end with the bottom member and a second tilt angle at the second end with the bottom member.
US08572902B2
A method for installing roof insulation includes adhering the insulation to a covering membrane material or retaining the insulation by an overlapping cross-bar, track or joint. Elongate cables stretch across the insulation and membrane material to secure the insulation and membrane material to roof deck.
US08572878B2
A cocking/de-cocking mechanism for semi-automatic striker-fired pistols having a multi-function cocking lever for controlling, by rotational movement, the cocking or arming of the tiring pin, while effecting de-cocking by the lateral displacement of the cocking lever on its support pin.
US08572877B2
A box magazine for a firearm may have a housing with two substantially different widths. A wider region may accommodate four columns of cartridges and may have tapered surfaces at one end that lead into a narrower region which may accommodate an interlocked and staggered double column of cartridges. Cartridges in the wider region may be separated into two staggered double columns by a free standing dividing wall and may be advanced by inner and outer contoured followers that may be nested together to form a single follower assembly surrounding the freestanding wall and that may be driven by the outer follower's spring. An inner follower spring may remain nested within the outer follower such that the two followers coordinate the advance of the two separated double columns of cartridges toward tapered surfaces that merge the two double columns into two single columns proximate the top of the dividing wall.
US08572870B2
A dragline bucket includes a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls and a rear wall that collectively define a cavity. The sidewalls each have a large downward taper of at least about 7 degrees in at least its forward area. In an alternative embodiment, the sidewalls each have an upward taper in its rearward area which alleviates the need for a spreader bar. The dragline bucket collects earthen material with minimal disruption of the material.
US08572860B2
An instrument for measuring a depth of a hole in bone can comprise an instrument body having a cannulated sleeve that extends between a first end and a second end. A first reference portion can be disposed at the first end and a second reference portion can be disposed at the second end. A probe can selectively and alternatively translate in first and second opposite directions through the cannulated sleeve between a first measuring position and a second measuring position. The probe extends outwardly a distance spaced from the first reference portion in the first measuring position and extends outwardly a distance spaced from the second reference portion in the second measuring position.
US08572853B2
A garden shears has a first shear, a second shear and two joined pressing arms. The first shear has a handle portion, and a positioned first pivot hole and an first eccentric pivot hole. The second shear has an elliptical second pivot hole, and a sidewall of the second pivot hole has a limiting surface. A sliding slot is disposed on the second shear, and a limiting indentation is disposed along an outer sidewall between the second pivot hole and the sliding slot, with a second cutting portion extending from an upper section of the second shear. The two joined pressing arms respectively have a connecting rod at a lower section and an Z-shaped upper section; an elliptical engaging pivot hole is disposed on each arm, and a third pivot hole is disposed at the upper section and used to be engaged with a first spacer.
US08572852B1
A safety cutting device comprises, in an exemplary embodiment, a housing, a longitudinally movable blade positioned within the housing, and a longitudinally movable guard positioned substantially adjacent the blade. Additionally, the device provides a means for substantially preventing the blade from extending through a first end of the housing when the guard is in a retracted position, such that the blade is incapable of extending out of the housing without first extending the guard. In further embodiments, the device provides a pair of longitudinally movable guards flanking the blade and configured for selectively moving independent of one another, thereby allowing both right- and left-handed users to operate the device without having to change any settings or reconfigure the orientation of the guards or blade. In such further embodiments, the blade is substantially prevented from extending without at least one of the guards first being moved out of the retracted position.
US08572851B2
A folding knife incorporates an opening assist mechanism that functions to drive the blade from the closed to the open position. A torsion spring is retained axially on the blade axis pin and within a bushing that is stationary relative to the knife handle. One leg of the spring is fixed relative to the handle. The opposite leg of the spring extends through and rides in a partial annular groove in the bushing and acts on the blade as it is moved between the open and closed positions.
US08572847B2
Method and apparatus in a steam generator that employs tube support plates within a shroud that is in turn disposed within a shell. The tube support plates are made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than that of the shroud. The tube support plates are aligned during fabrication, with minimal clearances between components. Using a tube support displacement system, a controlled misalignment is then imposed on one or more tube support plates, as the steam generator heats up. Displacement to produce misalignment is produced only when the steam generator is heated. The tube support plate displacement system has only one part, a push rod, which is internal to the steam generator shroud, thereby minimizing the potential of loose parts. The tube support plate displacement system can be used to provide controlled misalignments on one or more tube support plates, in the same or varying amounts and directions, and with one or more apparatus being provided for any individual tube support plate.
US08572845B2
A mold system for manufacturing wind turbine blades includes two mold halves shaped for molding respective mold halves. A first mold is supported by a hinge system which is capable of moving the mold from a first position wherein the mold faces upwards to a position wherein the first mold faces the second mold. A final linear displacement of the first mold is carried out by actuators which may be integrated with the first or the second mold. The actuators are engaged with the hinge system so that the first mold is displaceable or the hinge system holding the first mold is displaceable. In both alternatives the actuators merely transfer the load of the first mold to a support via the hinge system.
US08572844B2
A turbine engine airfoil includes an airfoil structure having an exterior surface that provides a leading edge. A first cooling passage includes radially spaced legs extending laterally from one side of the leading edge toward another side of the leading edge and interconnecting to form a loop with one another. A trench extends radially in the exterior surface along the leading edge. The trench intersects one of the first and second legs to provide at least one first cooling hole in the trench.
US08572840B2
Power may be supplied to an electronic module according to various techniques. In one general implementation, for example, a system for supplying power to an electronic module may include a printed circuit board, the electronic module, and a conductive foil. The board may include a number of contact locations on a first side, with at least one of the contact locations electrically coupled to a via to a second side of the board. The electronic module may be electrically coupled to the contact locations on the first side of the board and receive electrical power through the at least one contact location electrically coupled to a via. The foil may be adapted to convey electrical power for the electronic module and electrically coupled on the second side of circuit board to at least the via electrically coupled to a contact location that receives electrical power for the electronic module.
US08572828B2
The present invention includes a mounting structure for mounting a component between a first member and a second member. According to the mounting structure, the component is first placed on a surface of the first member. Then, the second member is fitted with the component by a fitting device, so that the component is positioned relative to the second member. Thereafter, the component is fixed in position relative to the first member by a joint device.
US08572823B1
A process and apparatus for tracking a deceased body. The apparatus includes a processor and at least one remote computer system adapted to read and store a unique biometric input from a deceased body. The biometric input is catalogued with a unique identifier. Prior to cremation of a deceased body at a crematorium, the biometric input is scanned and matched to stored data to verify the identity of the deceased body. The deceased body is cremated in a retort furnace, processed in cremains processor and stored in a locking urn with the unique identifier such that the identity of the remains is shown.
US08572815B1
A universal tie down assembly includes first and second longitudinal belts comprising reinforced webbing made from a flexible fabric material. Each belt includes a buckle end and an anchor end. The anchor end is a loop of the reinforced webbing. At least one longitudinal slot is woven into an edge of at least one of the belts. The length of the slot is at least as great as the width of the belts. The assembly includes a novel open under load buckle having a receiving part (female part) and an insertion part (male part). The buckle end of one of the belts is adjustably disposed in a belt opening of one of the insertion part and the receiving part and the buckle end of the other of the belts forms a sewn loop that loops through a belt opening of the other of the insertion part and the receiving part.
US08572814B2
Systems and methods are provided herein that provide for bag cutting and closure.
US08572813B2
A fixed-loop key ring having an elongated filament with a barrel-shaped head at one end and a locking element at the opposite. Engagement of the locking element in the head forms a nearly circular loop for retaining one or more objects through their eyelets. The barrel-shaped head has a longitudinal bore of decreasing width that intersects a lateral channel entering from the top of the barrel, creating a step at the bore-channel interface. The locking element may be a bifurcated tip with a tapered distal end defined by opposing steps flanking a notch, the notch/steps compressing when inserted into the bore to permit the tapered portion to pass through and into the lateral channel, yet inhibiting withdrawal when engaged to the step inside the barrel-shaped head. A flat-bladed tool may plastically deform the locking element for permanent engagement via insertion between the bifurcations through the lateral channel.
US08572812B2
A foldable portable information terminal includes an upper unit having a display unit on its one side, a lower unit having operation keys on its one side, and a movable connecting mechanism connecting the upper unit and the lower unit allowing the upper unit to be opened, closed, and freely rotated with respect to a longitudinal direction of the lower unit. The displaying mode of the display unit whose direction varies depending on a position of the upper unit is changed depending on a positional relationship of the upper unit and the lower unit.
US08572811B2
A furniture hinge for a hinged lid is arranged in a horizontally swiveling manner on a body of a piece of furniture includes a fastening plate and a swivel plate that is arranged in a swiveling manner on the fastening plate by two lever arms that are arranged as parallel linkages. The hinge includes a damping device that can be fixed on the fastening plate. The damping, device includes a damping cylinder and a piston rod that can be displaced in a dampened manner inside the damping cylinder, whereby the piston rod is mechanically linked with a lever arm.
US08572810B2
A furniture hinge, comprising a fitting part, a hinge cup that is articulated thereto for fastening to furniture parts, and a cushioning apparatus for cushioning a relative movement between the fitting part and the hinge cup, wherein the cushioning apparatus is disposed in or on the hinge cup, wherein the cushioning apparatus comprises a housing having first fastening means, and second fastening means are disposed on the hinge cup, wherein the housing of the cushioning apparatus can be inserted from above into the hinge cup and in the installed position is disposed substantially completely inside the hinge cup, wherein the housing of the cushioning apparatus and the hinge cup can be connected to each other in said installed position by the first and second fastening means.
US08572802B2
A cleaning appliance of the canister type includes a substantially spherical floor engaging rolling assembly comprising a fluid inlet for receiving a fluid flow and a device for acting on the fluid flow received through the inlet, and a steering mechanism for steering the cleaning appliance.
US08572800B2
A floor cleaner has a base assembly which comprises a body composed of an upper casing and a lower casing, a sweeping member mounted on the front side of the body, a steam generating member mounted at the rear side of the body, a pad tray with protrusions formed thereon to which a pad is attached, the protrusions made of a material that is softer than the material of the pad tray, and an attachment/detachment member that attaches and detaches the pad tray to and from the bottom face of the lower casing.
US08572799B2
A cleaning robot system includes a robot and a robot maintenance station. The robot includes a chassis, a drive system configured to maneuver the robot as directed by a controller, and a cleaning assembly including a cleaning assembly housing and a driven cleaning roller. The robot maintenance station includes a station housing and a docking platform configured to support the robot when docked. A mechanical agitator engages the roller of the robot with the robot docked. The agitator includes an agitator comb having multiple teeth configured to remove accumulated debris from the roller as the agitator comb and roller are moved relative to one another. The robot maintenance station includes a collection bin arranged to receive and hold debris removed by the mechanical agitator.
US08572798B2
A scratch-off card surface remover comprised of a single body assembly. The single body assembly contains a forward extruded scraping tip wherein the tip is a half sphere shape that contains a flat plane scraping edge and of which this shape is directly centered on and extending from the forward area of an elliptical mount formed directly to a middle obtruded hollow barrel hand grip further directly formed to an aft hollow barrel section containing two oppositely correlated perforations for the insertion of a means by which to carry and store the assembly. The horizontal movement of the single body assembly as applied to the surface of a scratch-off card empowers the scraping characteristic of the scraping tip portion of the assembly.
US08572789B2
The present invention relates to a separating apparatus for separating particles from a fluid flow. Particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having such a separating apparatus for removing dust particles from a dust laden airstream. The separating apparatus includes a first cyclonic cleaning stage including at least one cyclone, and an electrostatic filter located downstream of and in fluid communication with the at least one cyclone, wherein at least a portion of the electrostatic filter is located longitudinally through the separating apparatus, at least a portion of the first cyclonic cleaning stage being arranged around the electrostatic filter.
US08572787B2
A bridge deck suspended from a support beam where the deck describes a laterally curved shape, for example an arch having an apex between two deck ends. The support beam describes a laterally curved shape similar to that of the deck, for example an arch having an apex and two ends opposite to the apex that are secured in a base (foundation) in the ground. The support beam is generally inclined from the support's base foundations to the apex at an angle sufficient to position the support above the deck. The support's relative position, dimensions and shape are such that the majority of the supporting beam is above and approximately horizontally aligned with corresponding points of the deck, thereby allowing suspension cables to extend near vertically between attachment points on the support beam and corresponding attachment points on the aligned portions of the deck.
US08572781B2
A device and method for elevating and supporting a patient's extremity to facilitate convenient examination and treatment of the extremity. The device includes a base, longitudinally-spaced upstanding support members extending upwardly from the base, and extremity securing mechanisms mounted to the upstanding support members upon which a patient's extremity can be positioned. The method generally includes extending a patient's extremity longitudinally across the extremity securing mechanisms and bringing the extremity to rest thereon. Caregivers and surgical teams are thus provided with access to the full circumference of the portion of the patient's extremity that extends between the extremity securing mechanisms. Several embodiments of the device incorporate means for assisting in the lifting of a patient's extremity to a desired height, including hydraulic rams, levers, and inflatable bladders.
US08572777B1
An adjustable bed base is disclosed in which the adjustable bed base comprises a pair of opposed side members, an adjustable foot assembly and an adjustable head assembly with each assembly comprising a first panel adapted to be connected to one of the opposed side members, a second panel adapted to be connected to the other one of the opposed side members, and a central panel adapted to receive the first panel and the second panel with the first panel and the second panel being movable relative to the central panel to adjust a length of each of the assemblies.
US08572775B1
A crib is provided that includes a drop gate that pivots relative to a stationary portion of a wall from an open position to a closed position. The crib may include a hinge that in the closed position of the drop gate forms a cavity therein that has a height that is sufficiently large to enable a finger of a child to extend into the cavity to be adjacent a pivot axis of the hinge, without being pinched by the hinge. Also, the crib may include a stop surface of a latch device that contacts a projection in a cavity of a striker plate to prevent pivoting of the drop gate into an interior space of the crib. The cavity in the striker plate may include sufficiently large spaces above and below the projection to receive a finger of a child therein without the finger being pinched.
US08572764B2
One or more gloves are disclosed herein. A glove body comprises a glove body internal surface that defines a palm compartment enveloping at least part of a user's palm, a glove body external surface, and a wrist aperture that provides an opening for the user's hand. Digit appendages comprise a digit appendage internal surface that extends the palm compartment to envelop all/part of the user's digit, and a digit appendage external surface. One or more sensors are attached to the glove body to detect one or more hand exercise events that involve a user hand exercise. A memory component, powered by a battery, stores the hand exercise event, upon receiving a hand exercise event detected by a sensor. A device interface delivers the one or more hand exercise events from the memory to a device, upon connection to the device.
US08572762B2
A load bearing weight distribution device is provided. The device comprises a flexible, yet rigid, back brace, a waist belt, wherein the waist belt is connected through a housing to back brace, and a vertical and circumferential tensioning mechanism. The back brace comprises flexible body with arms. The vertical and circumferential tensioning mechanism comprises a first securement strap and a second securement strap. The load bearing weight distribution device is designed for use with armor vests and other similar devices. First and second securement straps connect upper front portion of the armor vest through first and second channels and first and second rings, respectively, of the back portion and through first and second passages of the armor vest, respectively, for attachment to a securement device positioned on a lower front portion of the armor vest.
US08578511B2
A thermal probe includes a support element, a conductive pattern and a tip. The support element has a slit or a through hole and has a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface. The conductive pattern is disposed at the first surface. The tip has a base and a pinpoint. The pinpoint is disposed at the base and passes through the slit or the through hole and highlights from the first surface. The base is connected with the second surface. The tip of the thermal probe of the invention can be replaced, and user can choose the best combination of the tip, conductive pattern and support element according to their needs.
US08578499B1
A script-based scan engine is embedded in a webpage requested by a client computer from a web server. The script-based scan engine may be embedded in the webpage by injecting the script-based scan engine in a header of the webpage in a computer security device between the client computer and the web server, or by integrating the script-based scan engine in the webpage as a library. The script-based scan engine executes in the client computer when the webpage is received by the client computer. The script-based scan engine scans the webpage for web threats, which may include malicious codes, exploits, and phishing, for example. The webpage is allowed to be rendered by a web browser in the client computer when the webpage is deemed safe by the script-based scan engine.
US08578498B2
Methods for using integrity checking techniques to identify and locate computer viruses are provided. A method for virus localization for each of three types of virus infections is provided, including the steps of computing a sequence of file blocks, calculating hashes for the sequences of file blocks from a host file and calculating hashes for the same or related sequences of file blocks from an infected file, and comparing the hashes from host file to the hashes from the infected file from the same or related sequences of file blocks such that when some of said first hashes and said second hashes do not match, a location of a virus is output. Methods for computing the sequence of file blocks depending on the type of virus infection, and for calculating the hashes using a collision resistant hash function, a digital signature scheme, a message authentication code, or a pseudo-random function.
US08578497B2
A system and method of analysis. NX domain names are collected from an asset in a real network. The NX domain names are domain names that are not registered. The real network NX domain names are utilized to create testing vectors. The testing vectors are classified as benign vectors or malicious vectors based on training vectors. The asset is then classified as infected if the NX testing vector created from the real network NX domain names is classified as a malicious vector.
US08578493B1
A method and system to detect botnet beaconing event based on a beacon detection rule set to generate a beacon alert, which is in turn used to trigger an elevated exfiltration detection activity by reducing various thresholds in an exfiltration detection rule set.
US08578485B2
Systems and methods for identifying content in electronic messages are provided. An electronic message may include certain content. The content is detected and analyzed to identify any metadata. The metadata may include a numerical signature characterizing the content. A thumbprint is generated based on the numerical signature. The thumbprint may then be compared to thumbprints of previously received messages. The comparison allows for classification of the electronic message as spam or not spam.
US08578483B2
Systems and methods are provided for preventing unauthorized modification of an operating system. The system includes an operating system comprised of kernel code for controlling access to operation of a processing unit. The system further includes an enforcement agent executing at a higher privilege than the kernel code such that any changes to the kernel code are approved by the enforcement agent prior to execution.
US08578480B2
Computer-implemented systems and methods for identifying illegitimate messaging activity on a system using a network of sensors.
US08578473B2
A method of verifying a password and methods of encryption and decryption using a key generated from a one-time pad. In one embodiment, the method of verifying includes: (1) receiving a password attempt, (2) retrieving a pointer from memory, (3) searching a one-time pad based on the pointer to retrieve a password, (4) comparing the password attempt with the password and (5) generating a new pointer if the password attempt matches the password.
US08578471B2
According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes an input to input a password, a biological authentication device including a storage unit for storing biological information and identification information, and an authentication controller. The authentication controller sets and holds identification information to be stored in the storage unit of the biological authentication device, and permits a password input using the input to be substituted by authentication using the biological authentication device when the identification information held by itself and the identification information stored in the storage unit of the biological authentication device match. The authentication controller includes a setter to perform a setting for the identification information stored in the storage unit of the biological identification device and held by itself, on both conditions of authentication establishment with a registered password entry using the input and authentication establishment using the biological authentication device.
US08578461B2
This document discusses, among other things, a method for authenticating a browser executing on an auxiliary device with a web service executing on a portable electronic device. The method includes receiving a request for a resource from the browser, determining whether the request identifies a protected resource, and selectively authenticating the request based on whether the request identifies a protected resource.
US08578457B2
This invention relates to processes of personal user authentication in computer and mobile wireless communications networks to perform transactions including payments. The process provides remote user authentication in various computer networks, the Internet inclusive, to perform secure transactions such as e-commerce and remote banking (on-line banking, remote banking, direct banking, home banking, internet banking, PC banking, phone banking, mobile-banking, WAP-banking, SMS-banking, GSM-banking, TV banking).
US08578452B2
The invention proposes a method for securely creating a new user identity within an existing cloud account in a cloud computing system, said cloud computing system providing cloud services and resources, said cloud account comprising cloud user identities, said method comprising enabling a first user to access the cloud services and resources using a first security device, wherein it comprises authenticating to the first security device, creating a new user identity within the cloud account for a second user using the first security device.
US08578449B2
A domain controller hierarchy includes one or more hub domain controllers in communication with one or more local domain controllers, such as local domain controllers at a branch office. The hub domain controller(s) is writable, while the local domain controller(s) is typically read-only. Non-secure and secure information is partitioned to specific local domain controllers at the one or more hub domain controllers. The non-secure and secure information is then passed from the hub domain controller only to the local domain controller associated with the given partition at the hub domain controller on request. For example, a user requests a logon at a client computer system at a local branch office, and the logon is passed from the local domain controller to the hub domain controller. If authenticated, the user logon account is passed to the local domain controller, where it can be cached to authenticate subsequent requests.
US08578447B2
A method, computer readable medium and apparatus for performing content aware optimized tunneling in a communication network are disclosed. For example, the method authenticates a user endpoint device, establishes a tunnel to the user endpoint device if the user endpoint device is authenticated, analyzes content of a data packet transmitted through the tunnel to determine if the tunnel should be re-directed, and re-directs the tunnel to a gateway general packet radio services support node light based upon the content of the data packet.
US08578435B1
A method performed by a central network device, such as a network edge device, or a CMTS, determines whether some of a plurality of user devices coupled to a communication device are transmitting at substantially their respective maximum power output level over a given channel. If the central device determines that some of the devices are operating at near their maximum output level (“power pegged,) the central device searches for another channel that can carry the traffic of the power pegged devices at reduced data rate. If another channel can accommodate transmission of signals of the power pegged device, the central device instructs the power pegged devices to tune to the new channel at a reduced data rate compared to the data rate of the current channel.
US08578423B2
An interactive television program guide with remote access is provided. The interactive television program guide is implemented on interactive television program guide equipment. A remote program guide access device is connected to the interactive television program guide equipment by a remote access link to provide a user with remote access to program guide functions.
US08578420B2
A method apparatus for automated display video programming guide information includes filtering programming information using filtering rules to determine viewing events of interest to a user. The method and apparatus further includes displaying on a first screen portion, the viewing events in a chronological order based on a display time for each of the viewing events. The method and apparatus further includes displaying a selector in the first screen portion such that the selector is operative to select one of the viewing events and displaying on a second screen portion, event information relating to a selected one of the plurality viewing events when the selector is proximate to one of the viewing events. The method and apparatus further includes resolving a scheduling conflict between a first viewing event and second viewing event to generate a list of program guide information.
US08578418B2
A user-profile server for providing a user-tailored entertainment experience across different entertainment devices includes a network connection for coupling the user-profile server to a network. The user-profile server is configured for storing a user profile corresponding to a user identifier, and receiving via the network an electronic bookmark, the electronic bookmark being associated with the user identifier and pertaining to content that was not finished by a user at a first entertainment device. The user-profile server is further configured for updating the user profile to include the electronic bookmark, and communicating via the network at least the electronic bookmark to a controller of a second entertainment device to thereby allow the second entertainment device to play the content automatically starting from a position in the content corresponding to a position indicated by the electronic bookmark. The first entertainment device and the second entertainment device are different devices.
US08578413B2
An interactive television program guide with remote access is provided. The interactive television program guide is implemented on interactive television program guide equipment. A remote program guide access device is connected to the interactive television program guide equipment by a remote access link to provide a user with remote access to program guide functions. An interactive television program guide system based on multiple user television equipment devices in a single household is provided. The system provides a user with an opportunity to adjust program guide settings with a given one of the interactive television program guides. Program guide setting include features related to setting program reminders, profiles, program recording features, messaging features, favorites features, parental control features, program guide set up features (e.g., audio and video and language settings), etc.
US08578404B2
Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for program telecast monitoring using watermarks are disclosed. An example method for program monitoring disclosed herein comprises obtaining a sequence of watermarks detected from a presentation of media content at a monitored site, and comparing a data pattern obtained from the sequence of watermarks with a set of possible data patterns to identify a particular program transmission of the media content, the set of possible data patterns being associated respectively with a set of possible transmissions of the media content. An example method to watermark media content disclosed herein comprises encoding the media content with a sequence of watermarks, a watermark in the sequence of watermarks including content identifying payload data, and modifying the sequence of watermarks to also include a data pattern associated with a particular transmission of the media content.
US08578399B2
A method, system, and apparatus are provided for exposing and calling workbook models via remote function calls. According to the system, a client computer executes a spreadsheet program for creating a workbook model. The workbook model may be published to a server computer along with data defining a function name and the cells that should be used as inputs and outputs to the model. The system also includes a server computer that receives and responds to remote function calls directed toward workbook functions. When a function call is received at the server computer for a workbook function, the server computer populates the cells in the workbook identified as inputs with input parameters received with the function call and recalculates the workbook. The data contained in the output cells is then returned as a reply to the remote function call.
US08578390B2
A communications manager in a telecommunications transaction server communicates service request messages and service response messages between one or more remotely executing service request processes and one or more service applications executing on the transaction server. A main thread in the communications manager monitors connections requests and initializes other threads. A unique logical communications connection is established between one of the service request processes and the communications manager. The communications manager creates both a read thread and a write thread for each logical communication connection that is validated and active. The read thread communicates service request messages from a service request process to an appropriate service application. The write thread communications service response messages from the service application to the service request process that issues the service request message. A monitor thread collects service response messages from a queue and directs them to the appropriate write threads via an in-memory write queue.
US08578384B2
A selected thread is scheduled to run on a corresponding master of a multiple threaded processing system. When the priority of the selected thread is high, the selected thread is run on the corresponding master. When the priority of the selected thread is low and the corresponding master is in an operational mode, the selected thread is run on the corresponding master. When the priority of the selected thread is low and the corresponding master is in a low power mode, the selected thread is selectively run on the corresponding master based on an amount of time that the corresponding master has been in the low power mode since its most recent entrance into the low power mode.
US08578377B2
A computer-implemented method, an accelerator hardware unit, and an article of manufacture for supporting virtual machine migration. The method includes: acquiring a task request from a task queue of an accelerator hardware unit; extracting identification information of a related virtual machine from the task request; determining whether the identification information of the related virtual machine matches the identification information of a virtual machine to be migrated, where the identification information of a virtual machine to be migrated is recorded in a virtual machine identification information table; and deleting the task request from the task queue if the extracted identification information matches the identification information of a virtual machine to be migrated.
US08578372B2
The present invention is related to a business-in-a-box (BiB) integration server and BiB integration method. The BiB integration server includes a software package acquisition module for acquiring the installation package of at least one piece of software according to an installation information; a software installation module, for installing at least one piece of software on at least one hardware platform that constitutes the BiB according to the installation information; and a software package transmission module, for transmitting the software installation package to at least one client terminal. The present invention further provides a BiB service system, comprising a BiB apparatus, and a BiB remote console for controlling the BiB apparatus. Further, the present invention provides a BiB integration method corresponding to the BiB integration server. Through the apparatus and method, it is achieved flexible integration of hardware and software, allowing a third party to freely plug in new software and to manage the installed software.
US08578364B2
A method for dynamically managing operating system resources of a computing device. Each of the operating system resources have one or more data elements. The method includes: at an observer module of the operating system, monitoring stability and/or usage of the one or more data elements of each of the operating system resources, selecting an unused and/or unstable operating system resource data element; and removing a selected operating system resource data element.
US08578362B2
A method for updating software on an electronics system that includes a processor switchable between modes and non-volatile memory includes over-writing original application software stored in an application sector of the memory to store cloned boot software such that original boot software remains in the memory, switching the system to a mode that accesses the cloned boot software, storing a temporary key in a key sector of the non-volatile memory that overrides an original key and is configured to instruct the processor to boot the cloned boot software upon initialization, over-writing the original boot software in the boot sector to store new boot software after storing the temporary key, storing a new key in the memory that is configured to instruct the processor to boot the new boot software upon initialization, erasing the temporary key, and switching the system to a mode that accesses the new boot software.
US08578358B2
A macroscalar processor architecture is described herein. In one embodiment, a processor receives instructions of a program loop having a vector block and a sequence block intended to be executed after the vector block, where the processor includes multiple slices and each of the slices is capable of executing an instruction of an iteration of the program loop substantially in parallel. For each iteration of the program loop, the processor executes an instruction of the sequence block using one of the slices while executing instructions of the vector block using a remainder of the slices substantially in parallel. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US08578345B1
The launch of an installer or uninstaller is detected. A process lineage tree is created representing the detected launched installer/uninstaller process, and all processes launched directly and indirectly thereby. The detected installer/uninstaller process is represented by the root node in the process lineage tree. Launches of child processes by the installer/uninstaller process and by any subsequently launched child processes are detected. The launched child processes are represented by child nodes in the tree. As long as the installer/uninstaller process represented by the root node in the tree is running, the processes represented by nodes in tree are exempted from anti-malware analysis. The termination of the installer/uninstaller process is detected, after which the processes represented by nodes in the process lineage tree are no longer exempted from anti-malware analysis.
US08578339B2
A system and method for automatically analyzing virtual machine bytecode of a software application and adding additional bytecode operable to determine information regarding database access performed by the software application are described. According to one embodiment of the method, program code of a software application may be received, wherein the program code includes bytecode for a virtual machine. The bytecode may be automatically analyzed to detect access to a database. The method may operate to automatically add additional bytecode to the bytecode of the software application, where the added bytecode is operable to determine information regarding the access to the database.
US08578329B1
A method and system for creating a software application code for building an application comprising multiple Replaceable Self-Contained Components (RSCCs) is disclosed. The method includes creating each RSCC by instantiating and initializing an object instance of a Replaceable Component Class (RCC) that substantially encapsulates construction code of a Self-Contained Component (SCC). A method for creating communication code for allowing necessary collaboration between the RSCCs uses a Service Registration Object (SRO), implements necessary coupling code within the RSCCs that provide services for registering its services with the SRO and implements necessary coupling code within the RSCCs that require services for finding and getting the required services from the SRO. Another method for creating necessary communication code between any two RSCCs includes implementing appropriate coupling interfaces in each of the two RSCCs and implementing necessary communication code in the software application code using the coupling interfaces of the two RSCCs.
US08578328B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, a computer system and its computer program which are for presenting a candidate to be linked with a component when the component is to be linked to another component in a web application. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of: displaying at least two components on a display device; allowing a user to select at least one tag from tags (first tags) on one component (a first component) of the at least two components; identifying a second component having the same tag as the selected first tag; and presenting the identified second component to the user.
US08578327B2
A system includes a source database storing a targeted source code having references to hard-coded configuration information. A converter is in communication with the source database and is configured to replace the hard-coded configuration information in the targeted source code with soft-coded configuration information. A method includes searching the targeted source code for references related to hard-coded configuration information, receiving new reference names for the references, each of the new reference names corresponding to at least one of the references and being related to soft-coded configuration information, and replacing the references related to hard-coded configuration information with the corresponding new reference name to generate a targetless source code with the soft-coded configuration information.
US08578326B2
Local areas of a visualized modeling language diagram are viewable at different levels of detail without losing information such as model elements and their connectivity. Multiple elements are associated with a group element, which has a visual portion derived from the appearance of a group member element. Connectors between group member elements and non-member elements are suppressed in favor of replacement connectors between the group element and the non-member element(s). The integrity of incoming and outgoing connections to the group is maintained relative to the rest of the model. Ungrouping elements restores the elements to their original state. Grouping can be applied locally to one or more parts of the visual model.
US08578325B2
A system for automating at least a portion of a communication application development cycle using a communication virtual machine that automatically interfaces with an existing network system and provides an engine for executing designed application models over the existing network system.
US08578320B2
Design variable value sets for predetermined design variables are generated, and for each of the predetermined design variables, parameter value sets for predetermined parameters are generated. For each combination of them, circuit simulation is carried out to obtain a performance item value set for predetermined performance items. Then, for each of the design variable value sets, and further for each of the parameter value sets generated for a corresponding design variable value set, combinations of the design variable value set and parameter value set are identified, for which performance item values for all of the predetermined performance items are not less than performance item values obtained for a combination of the corresponding design variable value set and a corresponding parameter value set, and a yield rate is calculated by dividing the number of identified combinations by the number of parameter value sets generated for the corresponding design variable value set.
US08578319B2
Methods and apparatus are described in which, at design-time a thorough analysis and exploration is performed to represent a multi-objective “optimal” trade-off point or points, e.g. on Pareto curves, for the relevant cost (C) and constraint criteria. More formally, the trade-off points may e.g. be positions on a hyper-surface in an N-dimensional Pareto search space. The axes represent the relevant cost (C), quality cost (Q) and restriction (R) criteria. Each of these working points is determined by positions for the system operation (determined during the design-time mapping) for a selected set of decision knobs (e.g. the way data are organized in a memory hierarchy). The C-Q-R values are determined based on design-time models that then have to be “average-case” values in order to avoid a too worst-case characterization. At processing time, first a run-time BIST manager performs a functional correctness test, i.e. checks all the modules based on stored self-test sequences and “equivalence checker” hardware. All units that fail are deactivated (so that they cannot consume any power any more) and with a flag the run-time trade-off controllers, e.g. Pareto controllers, are informed that these units are not available any more for the calibration or the mapping. At processing time, also a set of representative working points are “triggered” by an on-chip trade-off calibration manager, e.g. a Pareto calibration manager, that controls a set of monitors which measure the actual C-Q-R values and that calibrates the working points to their actual values. Especially timing monitors require a careful design because correctly calibrated absolute time scales have to be monitored.
US08578317B2
Disclosed herein are rouging methods and devices for a flip-chip package. The flip chip includes several outer pads and several inner pads. The routing method includes: setting an outer sequence based on the arrangement order of the outer pads; setting several inner sequences based on the connection relationships between inner pads and the outer pads; calculating the longest common subsequence of each inner sequence and the outer sequence, defining the connection relationships between the inner pads and the outer pads corresponding to the longest common subsequence as direct connections, and defining the connection relationships between the inner pads and the outer pads that do not correspond to the longest common subsequence as detour connections; establishing the routing scheme of the flip chip based on the connection relationships between the inner pads and the outer pads.
US08578315B2
Scheduling of parallel processing for regionally-constrained object placement selects between different balancing schemes. For a small number of movebounds, computations are assigned by balancing the placeable objects. For a small number of objects per movebound, computations are assigned by balancing the movebounds. If there are large numbers of movebounds and objects per movebound, both objects and movebounds are balanced amongst the processors. For object balancing, movebounds are assigned to a processor until an amortized number of objects for the processor exceeds a first limit above an ideal number, or the next movebound would raise the amortized number of objects above a second, greater limit. For object and movebound balancing, movebounds are sorted into descending order, then assigned in the descending order to host processors in successive rounds while reversing the processor order after each round. The invention provides a schedule in polynomial-time while retaining high quality of results.
US08578303B1
A method for compensating an effect of a patterning process is illustrated. The main concept of the method for compensating the effect of the patterning process is to add or subtract the correction amounts for all segments according to the set of the comparison values at the set of the evaluation points. Compared with the delta-chrome optical proximity correction method, the run time of the method for compensating the effect of the patterning process is reduced, the memory usage of the method for compensating the effect of the patterning process not increased, and the correction accuracy of the method for compensating the effect of the patterning process is not reduced.
US08578299B2
A computing device in a system for motion detection comprises an image processing device to determine a motion of an object of interest, and a graphical user interface (GUI) module to drive a virtual role based on the motion determined by the image processing device. The image processing device comprises a foreground extracting module to extract a foreground image from each of a first image of the object of interest taken by a first camera and a second image of the object of interest taken by a second camera, a feature point detecting module to detect feature points in the foreground image, a depth calculating module to calculate the depth of each of the feature points based on disparity images associated with the each feature point, the depth calculating module and the feature point detecting module identifying a three-dimensional (3D) position of each of the feature points, and a motion matching module to identify vectors associated with the 3D positions of the feature points and determine a motion of the object of interest based on the vectors.
US08578285B2
Providing secure user-centric information via one or more user platforms operated by one or more users. Multiple channels are configured and implemented, through which information relevant to a given user is presented for user interaction via one or more user platforms associated with the user. A user profile is established identifying user preferences and one or more platform identities. The user profile is managed to grant the user access to specific ones of the multiple channels. In one example, user(s) and user platform(s) are authenticated to receive respective portions of the secure user-centric information based on user identities and platform identities. If authenticated, channel information relating to one or more of the multiple channels is transmitted to one or more users/user platforms, based on information access rights and/or security protocols respectively associated with the corresponding channels, the user(s), and the user platform(s).
US08578283B2
Methods to allow, suppress, or reformulate a presentation of a UI element invoked by a computer program are provided. One method includes applying an administrator-configurable heuristic to determine whether to allow a native presentation of the UI element, to suppress the native presentation of the UI element, or to enable a reformulated presentation of the UI element. The method further includes one or more of suppressing and reformulating the UI element in accordance with a determination of the heuristic.
US08578282B2
An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) (100) for creating a touchless Virtual User Interface (VUI) 120 is provided. The IDE can include a development window (152) for graphically presenting a visual layout of user interface (UI) components (161) that respond to touchless sensory events in a virtual layout of virtual components (261), and at least one descriptor (121) for modifying a touchless sensory attribute of a user component. The touchless sensory attribute describes how a user component responds to a touchless touchless sensory event on a virtual component.
US08578280B2
Method, software, and system for efficiently enabling n-way collaborative work using common software over a network of computers. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each participant in a collaborative session starts up a common software application, which includes a collaboration component. This collaboration component is used to establish a common session that includes all interested parties. The collaboration component replicates operations performed on any one instance of said application to all other instances participating in the same session, so the effect is as if all members of the session were sharing a single instance of the application on a single computer. In one aspect, the collaboration component also supports broadcast of audio and video over a computer network, to enable session participants to see and/or hear each other, and further includes other features that support collaborative work.
US08578277B2
A chart is presented in a host application. The chart is managed by communicating data corresponding to the chart to a separate application and providing functionality for editing the data in the separate application. The presentation of the data in the separate application is distinct from the presentation of the chart in the host application. Changes to the data are communicated the host application when the data is edited in the separate application. The communicated changes to the data are reflected in the presentation of the chart in the host application.
US08578268B2
A method for rendering an electronic document (ED). The method includes obtaining an intermediate format of the ED having multiple containers corresponding to multiple linked textboxes in the ED; obtaining a data structure including a root node associated with a string for distribution across the multiple linked textboxes and multiple segment nodes including multiple pointers to the multiple containers; executing a traversal of the multiple segment nodes; generating, during the traversal, multiple intermediate pages by applying a layout engine to the multiple containers referenced by the multiple pointers, where the string is distributed across the multiple intermediate pages; and generating a rendered page of the ED by substituting the container with an intermediate page corresponding to the container.
US08578266B2
The present invention is directed to a system and method for processing a markup language file having one or more portions. Specifically, the system downloads a first markup language file using the hyper text transfer protocol and references the first markup language file by its uniform resource location or by a name of a local file on a system on which a user is operating. The first markup language is parsed for one or more portions of the first markup language file. Each portion of the first markup language file is stored into a directory structure containing folders, subfolders, and files complying with the structure of the first markup language file.
US08578251B1
Power-saving and area-efficient BCH coding systems are provided that employ hybrid decoder architectures. The BCH decoder architectures comprise both special-purpose hardware and firmware, thereby taking advantage of both the speed of special-purpose hardware and the energy-efficiency of firmware. In particular, the error correction capabilities of the BCH decoders provided herein are split between a hardware component designed to correct a single error and a firmware component designed to correct the remaining errors. In this manner, firmware operation is bypassed in situations where only one error is present and the complexity of the necessary hardware is significantly reduced.
US08578239B2
One or more embodiments provide a decoding technique (and its approximate decoding technique) enabling a stable operation even if a noise variance is low at the implementation with a fixed-point arithmetic operation having a finite dynamic range. A technique is provided for causing a computer to perform calculation using a sum-product decoding method (belief propagation method) with respect to LDPC or turbo codes. For calculating an update equation of a log extrinsic value ratio from an input, a (separated) correction term is prepared obtained by variable transformation (scale transformation) of the update equation so that the update equation is represented by a sum (combination) of a plurality of terms by transformation of the equation and a communication channel noise variance is a term separated from other terms constituting a sum of a plurality of terms as a term to be a factor (scale factor) by which a log is multiplied. With an estimated communication channel noise variance as an input, the (separated) correction term is approximated by a simple function so as to cause the computer to make calculation (iteration) on the basis of a fixed point on bit strings of finite length (m,f: m is the total number of bits and f is the number of bits allocated to the fractional part).
US08578234B2
A data link layer tunneling technique improves the throughput of high speed data in noisy wireless environments. Recovering lost frames transmitted between a packet sending unit and a packet receiving unit in a data communications system generally comprises (a) identifying a failure to successfully receive a missed frame at the packet receiving unit; (b) establishing a logical tunnel channel at the packet receiving unit to acknowledge the next successfully received frame; (c) starting a first timer at the packet receiving unit; (c) upon receiving a tunnel establishment request from the packet receiving unit, the packet sending unit resending the missed frame on the logical tunnel channel and starting a second timer; and (d) the packet sending unit resending the missed frame a specified number of times until receiving an acknowledgement from the packet receiving unit.
US08578228B2
A media stream comprising rich media scene packets and scene update packets is complemented with a data packet defining an exit point for interrupting rendering rich media of the stream and a scene update packet associated with the data packet and defining an entry point back to rendering rich media of the stream. The exit-entry point pair defines an alternative media rendering route that can be used by user terminals to recover from errors in the media stream.
US08578220B2
An information processing system includes an electronic device and an information processing unit. The electronic device includes a fault detection unit; a data generating unit for generating, as data, the content of the detected fault; a data dividing unit for dividing the generated data into plural division data in the case where the data exceeds a predetermined capacity; a data compression unit for compressing each of the plural division data; an identification information adding unit for adding identification information to each of the plural compressed division data; and a data transmission unit for transmitting the plural compressed division data with the identification information. The information processing unit includes a data receiving unit for receiving the plural compressed division data, and a data restoration unit for restoring the plural compressed division data into original data based on the identification information.
US08578217B2
A system and method are provided for virtual machine management. The system comprises a virtual machine manager, a blade server management module, at least one blade server, and a virtual machine manager. The virtual machine manager comprises an abnormal event receiving module for receiving information about a blade server having a hardware problem directly from the blade server management module and additionally a virtual machine management module for sending a processing command to a virtual machine hypervisor on the blade server having the hardware problem. The virtual machine management module receives the information about the hardware problem from the abnormal event receiving module. The processing command is determined in accordance with the information about the hardware problem and strategies for handling predefined hardware problems.
US08578215B2
A method for configuring data communication paths between a central controller and a plurality of devices is provided. The method ensures a first appliance is active. For each of the devices, a first communication capability is determined between the first appliance and the device. Signals indicative of the first communication capabilities are transmitted to the central controller. Respective communication paths are mapped between the central controller and the devices via the first appliance as a function of the first communication capabilities. The method ensures an automatic appliance failover is obtained.
US08578214B2
When moving workload partitions (WPARs) from machine to machine, operating systems may encounter errors that prevent successful WPAR migration. Recording and reporting errors can be challenging. To move WPARs, the operating system may employ a plurality of software components, such as code residing in user space (e.g., application programs, OS libraries, and shell scripts), code residing in the operating system's kernel, and code residing on remote machines. Embodiments of the invention include a framework that enables all the software components to record errors. The framework can also report the errors to users and processes.
US08578213B2
Execution traces are collected from multiple execution instances that exhibit performance issues such as slow execution. Call stacks are extracted from the execution traces, and the call stacks are mined to identify frequently occurring function call patterns. The call patterns are then clustered, and used to identify groups of execution instances whose performance issues may be caused by common problematic program execution patterns.
US08578209B2
The described embodiments include a processor that handles faults during execution of a vector instruction. The processor starts by receiving a vector instruction that uses at least one vector of values that includes N elements as an input. In addition, the processor optionally receives a predicate vector that includes N elements. The processor then executes the vector instruction. In the described embodiments, when executing the vector instruction, if the predicate vector is received, for each element in the vector of values for which a corresponding element in the predicate vector is active, otherwise, for each element in the vector of values, the processor performs an operation for the vector instruction for the element in the vector of values. While performing the operation, the processor conditionally masks faults encountered (i.e., faults caused by an illegal operation).
US08578201B2
Method is described for converting received timestamps to a time-recording standard recognized by the receiving computing system. Embodiments of the invention generally include receiving data from an external device that includes a timestamp. If the received data is the first communication from the external device, creating a time base used for converting subsequently received timestamps to a recognized standard. Moreover, the system updates the time base if a counter failure at the external device is detected. When the external device transmits subsequent data, the time base is added to the subsequently received timestamps to convert the subsequent timestamps to a time-recording standard recognized by the computing system.
US08578193B2
An apparatus, method and program product for optimizing core performance and power in of a multi-core processor. The apparatus includes a multi-core processor coupled to a clock source providing a clock frequency to one or more cores, an independent power supply coupled to each core for providing a supply voltage to each core and a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) circuit coupled to each core for dynamically adjusting the clock frequency provided to each core. The apparatus further includes a controller coupled to each core and being configured to collect performance data and power consumption data measured for each core and to adjust, using the PLL circuit, a supply voltage provided to a core, such that, the operational core frequency of the core is greater than a specification core frequency preset for the core and, such that, core performance and power consumption is optimized.
US08578185B2
A power supply control device includes a power supply controller that selectively performs a power supply mode and a power saving mode, a detector that detects a moving body in a predetermined range in the vicinity of the processor, a power supply mode change instruction unit that changes an operation mode from the power saving mode to the power supply mode when the detector detects the moving body, an information history unit that acquires information related to an operation for the processor in the power supply mode, and a sensitivity adjusting unit that adjusts a detection sensitivity of the detector for the moving body on the basis of the information acquired by the information history unit for a period from a change of the operation mode from the power saving mode to the power supply mode to a change of the operation mode to a next power saving mode.
US08578183B2
A server system including a rack, motherboards and direct current (DC) transformation units is provided. Each of the motherboards is inserted on the rack, and generates a power on signal. Each of the DC transformation units is on the rack and receives a DC voltage. When each of the motherboards is electrically connect to the corresponding DC transformation unit, each of the DC transformation units generates a standby voltage and a standby voltage ready signal to the motherboard according to the DC voltage so that the motherboard enters a standby state according to the standby voltage ready signal. When the motherboard corresponding to each of the DC transformation unit generates the power on signal, the DC transformation unit receives the power on signal and generates an operating voltage and an operating voltage ready signal to the motherboard, and the motherboard is turned on according to the operating voltage ready signal.
US08578182B2
A power lock-up setting method and an electronic apparatus using the same are provided. The power lock-up setting method includes following steps. A trigger signal generated by a pressed power switch is received by a pin of a GPIO interface and transmitted to a control unit, such that the control unit starts the electronic apparatus, and a power-on-self-test of a logic processing unit is performed by a processing module. Whether the GPIO interface is set to a power lock-up state is determined by the logic processing unit. If so, a level of the pin is set to a disable level. An operating system is loaded by the processing module to perform an operating system booting process. Accordingly, when the electronic apparatus is under an operating environment of the operating system, the trigger signal is forbidden to be transmitted to the control unit when being generated again.
US08578180B2
Some embodiments of a system and a method to dynamically tune a computing system have been presented. In one embodiment, a processing device running in a computing system monitors usage of one or more hardware components of the computing system to determine a load on each hardware component. The processing device may tune each hardware component based on the load of a respective hardware component determined, and a respective weight associated with the respective hardware component. The hardware components may be tuned to reduce power consumption or to improve performance of the computing system.
US08578175B2
A method and structure for a secure object, as tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium. The secure object includes a cryptographically protected region containing at least one of code and data, an initial integrity tree that protects an integrity of contents of the cryptographically protected region; and an unprotected region that includes a loader, an esm (enter secure mode) instruction, and one or more communication buffers.
US08578173B2
The present invention provides a method of transmitting electronic communication where the sender includes an instruction set with the electronic communication. A sending computer encrypts the electronic communication and sends both the encrypted communication and the instruction set to a receiving computer. The instruction set executes a set of pre-determined operations designed to protect the content of the electronic communication if an unauthorized recipient attempts to access the contents. Further, the instruction set includes instructions that delete the electronic communication if the recipient does not retrieve the communication within a pre-determined time period.
US08578160B2
A method and system for efficiently and securely permitting a user to scan electronic documents from a remote multi-function device to a user's home directory. A user can be authenticated via the multi-function device and electronic credentials associated with the user generated, which are utilized to determine the user's home directory. The multi-function device can then produce a customized template that can be selected by the user when accessing rendering/scanning services. The user can then scan a document and electronically store such a document at the home directory via an SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. Home directories can either be determined via an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) or configured on a network interface via a default directory path and the user name.
US08578150B2
There is described a communication system allowing communication over one or more communication networks. The communication system includes a domain name server storing a zone data file for a domain associated with a first party, the zone data file including contact information associated with the first party, the contact information including a plurality of electronic communication identifiers associated with the first party with each electronic communication identifier being associated with a corresponding communication protocol. An access granting system enables the first party to grant a second party access to one or more of the plurality of electronic communication identifiers. In particular, the access granting system encrypts one or more electronic communication identifiers to generate encrypted contact information, stores the encrypted contact information in the zone data file in association with a sub-domain of the domain associated with the first party, and provides the second party with access to the identity of said sub-domain.
US08578134B1
A method and processor are provided. The method includes storing a first value at a first field of a first cache tag line when a next occurrence of a first COF instruction is presumed to branch and when the end location of the first COF instruction is at a first location of memory, storing a second value at the first field to indicate the next occurrence of the first COF instruction is presumed to branch and when the end location of the first COF instruction is at a second location of memory. The processor includes an instruction cache having instruction data represented by a plurality of data segments and a prefetch unit. The prefetch unit is operable to receive a first data segment from the instruction cache and determine whether an end byte of a predicted taken COF instruction is present in the first data segment.
US08578131B2
This invention is involving the creation of a sub-sequence net (hereafter briefly as Sub SN). The Sub SN is a kind of sequence net encapsulation that includes sub-routine structure of N+1 single machines. Based on the fact that the sequence net call instruction of sequence net call function in the environment of sequence net computers of this invention is a single machine instruction which can call the operation of a Sub SN comprising N+1 branch programs. In N+1 branch programs, the sequence net call instruction calls Sub SN devices and realizes the call of sequence net. In this invention, grade call and sequence call of sequence net are created to meet requirements of random events and ordered events of models.
US08578129B2
In a CPU, the CPU having multiple CPU cores, each core having a first machine specific register, a second machine specific register, and microcode which when executed causes a write notification to be issued to the physical address contained in the second machine specific register; receiving in the first machine specific register of a CPU core, a physical page table/page directory base address, receiving in the second machine specific register of the CPU core, a physical address pointing to a location controlled by the IOMMUv2, determining that a control register of the CPU core has been updated, and responsive to the determination that the control register has been updated, executing microcode in the CPU core that causes a write notification to be issued to the physical address contained in the second machine specific register, wherein the physical address is able to receive writes that affect IOMMUv2 page table invalidations.
US08578128B1
A system and method of operating a storage server in a data network for relocating one or more data blocks of a file, comprising creating a virtual block mapping pointer; and relocating one or more file system data.
US08578127B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for allocating non-volatile storage. The storage device may present a logical address, which may exceed a physical storage capacity of the device. The storage device may allocate logical capacity in the logical address space. An allocation request may be allowed when there is sufficient unassigned and/or unallocated logical capacity to satisfy the request. Data may be stored on the non-volatile storage device by requesting physical storage capacity. A physical storage request, such as a storage request or physical storage reservation, when there is sufficient available physical storage capacity to satisfy the request. The device may maintain an index to associate logical identifiers (LIDs) in the logical address space with storage locations on the storage device. This index may be used to make logical capacity allocations and/or to manage physical storage space.
US08578125B2
Described are embodiments of an invention for allocating storage space in a storage system for critical data sets. The computing environment includes at least one server including a processor and memory. The server is coupled to storage. The memory further includes a storage manager including an allocation module and an alert module. The storage manager defines a common area for storing non-critical data sets and critical data sets in the storage group. The storage manager also defines a critical reserve area for storing only critical data sets in the first storage group. A predefined percentage of available storage space is reserved for the critical reserve area. The predefined percentage of available space is determined by comparing the available storage space within the critical reserve area to the storage space in the storage group. Upon allocating additional storage to the storage group, the allocation module allocates an amount of the additional storage space to the critical reserve area such that the predefined percentage of available storage space is maintained in the critical reserve area.
US08578124B2
Systems and methods for information storage replication are presented. In one embodiment a storage flow control method includes receiving a memory operation indication; performing a pre-reserve allocation process before proceeding with the memory operation, wherein the pre-reserve allocation process includes converting available unallocated memory space to allocated memory space if there is sufficient available unallocated memory space to perform the memory operation; executing the memory operation if the pre-reserve allocation process returns an indication there is sufficient memory space allocated to perform the memory operation; and aborting the memory operation if the pre-reserve allocation process returns an indication there is sufficient memory space allocated to perform the memory operation. In one embodiment, the memory operation is a write operation. The memory operation can be a write operation.
US08578113B2
A method for managing extents in a data storage system includes monitoring usage statistics for an extent residing on one or more powered-up storage devices. In the event the extent has not been accessed for specified period of time (as determined from the usage statistics), the method automatically compresses the extent and migrates the extent to an intermediate repository. Once the amount of data in the intermediate repository reaches a specified level, the method migrates the extent from the intermediate repository to one or more normally powered-down storage devices. If I/O is received for the extent while it resides in the normally powered-down storage devices or the intermediate repository, the method automatically migrates the extent from the normally powered-down storage devices or the intermediate repository to the normally powered-up storage devices. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed.
US08578105B2
Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for providing type stability techniques to enhance contention management. A reference counting mechanism is provided that enables transactions to safely examine states of other transactions. Contention management is facilitated using the reference counting mechanism. When a conflict is detected between two transactions, owning transaction information is obtained. A reference count of the owning transaction is incremented. The system ensures that the correct transaction was incremented. If the owning transaction is still a conflicting transaction, then a contention management decision is made to determine proper resolution. When the decision is made, the reference count on the owning transaction is decremented by the conflicting transaction. When each transaction completes, the reference counts it holds to itself is decremented. Data structures cannot be deallocated until their reference count is zero. Dedicated type-stable allocation pools can be reduced using an unstable attribute.
US08578101B2
Read messages are issued by a client for data stored in a storage system of the networked client-server architecture. A client agent mediates between the client and the storage system. Each sequence of read requests generated by a single thread of execution in the client to read a specific data segment in the storage is defined as a client read session. The client agent maintains a read-ahead cache for each client read session and generates read-ahead requests to load data into the read-ahead cache. Each read request and read-ahead request sent from the client agent to the storage system includes positions and a size for reading and a sequence id value. The storage system filters and modifies incoming read request and read-ahead requests based on sequence ID values, positions and sizes of the incoming read request and read-ahead requests.
US08578097B2
A scatter/gather technique optimizes unstructured streaming memory accesses, providing off-chip bandwidth efficiency by accessing only useful data at a fine granularity, and off-loading memory access overhead by supporting address calculation, data shuffling, and format conversion.
US08578090B1
A system and method re-stripes one or more data containers across a striped volume set (SVS) that has been modified by the addition of one or more volumes. The SVS is associated with an existing set of striping rules that define a stripe algorithm, a stripe width and an ordered list of volumes distributed across a plurality of nodes interconnected as a cluster. Each node of the cluster includes (i) a disk element (D-blade) adapted to service a volume of the SVS and (ii) a network element (N-blade) adapted to redirect a data access request to any D-blade of the cluster. Notably, the content of each data container is apportioned among the volumes of the SVS to thereby improve the efficiency of storage service provided by the cluster. To that end, the stripe algorithm specifies the manner in which the data container content is apportioned as stripes across the plurality of volumes, while the stripe width specifies the size/width of each stripe.
US08578086B2
Link initialization techniques to decouple the read training from the write training. Read training may be accomplished in a robust manner before write training is performed. These techniques may provide significantly improved link initialization times. A user-programmable register within a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) module may be utilized by the decoupled read training and write training processes. The decoupling may result in shorter and more robust training segments that may support faster training and/or increased link speeds.
US08578082B2
A patient monitoring system is provided which includes a platform and one or more monitoring modules. Monitoring modules include parameter modules for monitoring physiological activity of a patient, and utility modules for providing additional functionality to the patient monitoring system. A platform and one or more monitoring modules may be coupled to form a communications bus, allowing communication between any of the plurality of coupled devices. Updates such as software upgrades may be provided by a monitoring module to a platform or other monitoring module to update functionality.
US08578079B2
In an embodiment, a timer unit may be provided that may be programmed to a selected time interval, or wakeup interval. A processor may execute a wait for event instruction, and enter a low power state for the thread that includes the instruction. The timer unit may signal a timer event at the expiration of the wakeup interval, and the processor may exit the low power state in response to the timer event. The thread may continue executing with the instruction following the wait for event instruction. In an embodiment, the processor/timer unit may be used to implement a power-managed lock acquisition mechanism, in which the processor is awakened a number of times to check the lock and execute the wait for event instruction if the lock is not free, after which the thread may block until the lock is free.
US08578077B2
A communication system and method are disclosed for serially transmitting data in automation systems. In at least one embodiment, the system includes a base module as the system master, a plurality of extension modules as the slaves and a bidirectional communication connection that serially connects the base module to the extension modules. A status as group master for the serially subsequent extension module is allocated to at least two of the extension modules, the base module communicating with the extension modules depending on said allocation.
US08578067B2
A connector comprising a storage device that stores configuration information, may be coupled to a twisted pair cable and may communicate the configuration information to a host device via a corresponding connector. The configuration information may comprise characteristics, features and/or configurations of the connector and/or the cable, for example, wire gauge, safety information, cable category, verification of testing, inner shielding, outer shielding, no shielding, type of use, and/or country of manufacture. The storage device may comprise an EPROM. The configuration information may be communicated utilizing one or more configured pins. The corresponding connector may sense and/or read the configuration information from the connector. The corresponding connector may be mechanically ganged and/or communicatively coupled to other connectors that are integrated in the host device. A single controller may control acquisition of configuration information. A data rate for communicating via the connector and/or cable may be determined based on the configuration information.
US08578056B1
A request to send a JIT component to a streaming client is received. A network capability rating of the network over which the JIT component is to be sent to the streaming client is determined, and a client capability rating of the streaming client is determined. A transmission language format in which to send the JIT component to the streaming client is determined based on at least the network capability rating and the client capability rating. The JIT component is obtained in the transmission language format and sent to the streaming client over the network. In some embodiments, a transmission language format is determined for each sub-component of the component based on the network capability rating, the streaming client rating, and a sub-component characteristic rating.
US08578055B2
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for updating IP addresses on a private network. A DNS server receives an updated IP address and stores both the updated IP address and an old IP address. The DNS server includes the updated IP address in responses to all DNS query requests, wherein the DNS query requests are to the old IP address. Further, the DNS server deletes the old IP address and updates the DNS server network settings with the updated IP address after every remote client on the private network has stored the updated IP address.
US08578053B2
A NAS load balancing system for distributing NAS loads of a NAS unit including a plurality of nodes and accessed via a network by multiple NAS clients is disclosed. In the NAS load balancing system, the NAS unit has multiple virtual IP addresses.
US08578035B2
A technique for relocating a Serving Gateway associated to a User Equipment is described. One method implementation of this technique is performed in a Mobility Management Entity, MME, and comprises the steps of a) triggering, from the MME, a relocation of a source SGW to a target SGW by sending a Create Session Request message to the target SGW, b) receiving, from the target SGW, a Create Session Response message including S1 General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, Tunnelling Protocol, GTP, endpoints of the target SGW, c) updating, from the MME to an Evolved NodeB, eNB, an Internet Protocol, IP, address and a Tunnel Endpoint IDentifier, TEID, of the target SGW, and d) sending, from the MME to the source SGW, a Delete Session Request to delete a session.
US08578026B2
The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for handling limit parameters for multi-core systems. A pool manager divides the limited number of uses of a resource into an exclusive quota pool and a shared quota pool. Each packet processing engine operating on a core is allocated an exclusive number of uses of the resource from the exclusive quota pool. If a packet processing engine wishes to use the resource beyond its exclusive number, the packet processing engine must borrow from the shared quota pool.
US08578015B2
A mobile ad hoc network includes a plurality of wireless mobile nodes and a plurality of wireless communication links connecting the plurality of nodes together. The method of tracking traffic includes each node monitoring traffic communicated between nodes in the network, each node generating traffic information based upon how much traffic is being communicated between various nodes in the network, and each node storing the traffic information in a traffic database. The traffic information may be based upon bandwidth and may include at least one of error rate, end-to-end delay, end-to-end delay variation, hop count, expected path durability, and priority. Each node may discover and select traffic routes based upon the stored traffic information.
US08578012B2
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for remote device management. According to various embodiments, a local intelligent electronic device (IED) may be in communication with a remote IED via a limited bandwidth communication link, such as a serial link. The limited bandwidth communication link may not support traditional remote management interfaces. According to one embodiment, a local IED may present an operator with a management interface for a remote IED by rendering locally stored templates. The local IED may render the locally stored templates using sparse data obtained from the remote IED. According to various embodiments, the management interface may be a web client interface and/or an HTML interface. The bandwidth required to present a remote management interface may be significantly reduced by rendering locally stored templates rather than requesting an entire management interface from the remote IED. According to various embodiments, an IED may comprise an encryption transceiver.
US08578010B2
A system and methods for a web-based analytics tracking system are provided. The system includes a data structure having a plurality of web page identifiers that are each associated with a respective web page, the web pages each located on a respective one of plurality of first servers connected together using a network, the data structure further including tag information specific to each of the plurality of respective web pages, the data structure is located on a second server different than the first servers. The system also includes a tracking script including a programmed to load a loader program located on the second server, the loader program is configured to query the data structure for tag information relating to the selected web page, build an image tag request using the tag information, and insert the image tag request into the selected web page.
US08578004B1
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates sharing gadgets. The system allows a sender to specify a gadget to share with a recipient and how a set of configuration parameters are to be shared with the recipient. The system further receives an identifier for the recipient. The system also communicates the gadget to the recipient, thereby allowing the recipient to use the gadget in accordance with the configuration parameters.
US08578002B1
A packet transmitted on a network is read and decoded. A network device and its operating system are identified by analyzing the decoded packet. If more than one operating system is identified from the decoded packet, the operating system is selecting by comparing confidence values assigned to the operating systems identified. A service running on the network device is identified from the decoded packet or subsequent packets that are read, decoded and analyzed. The network topology of a network is determined by reading, decoding, and analyzing a plurality of packets. A flow between two network devices is determined by reading, decoding, and analyzing a plurality of packets. Vulnerabilities are assigned to operating systems and services identified by reading, decoding, and analyzing packets. Network configuration policy is enforced on operating systems and services identified by reading, decoding, and analyzing packets.
US08577996B2
The method and/or apparatus monitors and records the times when a user interacts with a network video player, e.g. a web video player, while watching an online video clip. Specifically, a data collection agent (DCA) is loaded to the player or to a web page that displays the video clip. The DCA collects detailed viewing information and periodically sends this information to a central server. The viewing information is processed by the central server to generate at least one of: a viewership attention span report, a viewership demographics report, and a viewership geographic report.
US08577994B2
A server is configured to transfer information to a plurality of client devices in accordance with bandwidth-limiting and bandwidth-adjustment techniques. Bandwidth may be reduced based on an amount of data previously transferred to a client device (e.g., within a prior time period). Bandwidth may also be reduced based on variable input parameters such as file size, data type, server load, network response time, and number of transfer requests from a client device within a prior period of time. In some embodiments, bandwidth may be reduced by inserting delays between portions of data being transmitted. A length of a delay period may be determined based on the various factors above (amount of previous data transfer(s), file size, etc.). Bandwidth to a client device may also be adjusted dynamically. In some embodiments, bandwidth may be increased (rather than decreased).
US08577992B1
Systems and methods for managing request routing functionality associated with resource requests for one or more resources associated with a content provider are provided. A content delivery network (“CDN”) service provider, on behalf of a content provider, can process domain name service (“DNS”) requests for resources by computing devices and resolve the DNS requests by the identification of a network address of a computing device that will provide the requested resources. Based on the processing of DNS queries initiated by a client computing device, the CDN service provider can measure CDN service provider latencies associated with the generation of DNS requests by network components associated with the client computing devices. Examples of the network components can include DNS resolvers associated with the client computing devices.
US08577986B2
Embodiments described herein are directed to extending remote direct memory access (RDMA) semantics to enable implementation in a local storage system and to providing a management interface for initializing a local data store. A computer system extends RDMA semantics to provide local storage access using RDMA, where extending the RDMA semantics includes the following: mapping RDMA verbs of an RDMA verbs interface to a local data store and altering RDMA ordering semantics to allow out-of-order processing and/or out-of-order completions. The computer system also accesses various portions of the local data store using the extended RDMA semantics.
US08577982B2
An enhanced email system incorporating mobile wireless communication devices includes program logic for efficiently managing (i.e., at least partially synchronizing) “messages sent” files in the mobile device and in a related message server. The exemplary program logic also more efficiently handles resending of previously sent email messages from the mobile wireless communication device (especially in the context of synchronized messages sent files) by sending to the message server only abbreviated unique message ID in the first instance. In this way, wireless bandwidth is conserved as is the device battery.
US08577980B2
A method, system, computer program product, and related business methods are described in the context of a web-based business information system having an internal e-mail facility, wherein e-mail communications between a native e-mail system of an end user of the web-based business information system and an external contact are facilitated and automatically tracked by the web-based business information system, the native e-mail system lying outside the web-based business information system but often being preferred by the end user over the internal e-mail facility of the web-based business information system. The described preferred embodiments provide for easy-to-use, reasonably transparent, “no-click” integration of the web-based business information system with the end user's native e-mail system in a manner that is independent of the particular type and choice of native e-mail system.
US08577977B2
Enabling a recipient to control presentation of an audio identifier informing the recipient of an arrival of a digital communication from a sender in a communication session includes receiving a digital communication from a sender directed to a recipient. A sender-designated first audio identifier or sender-related information that identifies the sender to the recipient is accessed upon arrival of the digital communication. The first audio identifier or sender-related information is presented to the recipient contemporaneous with receipt of the digital communication. The recipient is able to specify, upon presentation of the first audio identifier or sender-related information, whether to enable subsequent presentation of the first audio identifier prior to or concurrent with receipt of a future digital communication from the sender.
US08577976B2
One or more policies to be applied to a set of one or more messages in a message oriented middleware are defined. Metrics of the message oriented middleware are monitored. Application of a policy in response to a trigger condition being satisfied is initiated. Application of the policy applies actions across the set of one or more messages.
US08577975B2
Instant messaging (IM) entities may be invited to an electronic calendar event using an instant message. Selecting the IM entities as invitees to the event may include dragging and dropping names of the IM entities from a buddy list of an IM application to an event from an electronic calendar application, or vice versa. A method of inviting an entity to a calendar event includes providing a calendar event from a calendar application and recognizing, by the calendar application, an IM entity as an invitee to the event.
US08577969B2
A system and method of multimedia messaging are provided. The system includes an input to receive a multimedia message sent to an address associated with a group profile. The system also includes a group profile database with at least one group profile. The group profile may include routing settings that specify at least one network address for each group member. The group profile may also include preferred data format settings that specify at least one preferred multimedia data format for a multimedia message to be sent to each group member. The system includes logic to select at least one network address and at least one preferred data format for each group member. The system includes a conversion module to convert the multimedia message to the preferred data format. The system further includes an output to send the converted message to the network address for each group member.
US08577958B2
Methods and systems are described for processing a non-returnable command response based on a markup element. In one aspect, a resource is sent to a user agent includes a no-return markup element. A request message is received identifying a command and including no-return-request information based on the resource. The command is processed and no command response is sent for delivery to the user agent in response to receiving the no-return-request information.In another aspect, a resource including a no-return markup element is received from a server. A determination is made, based on the no-return markup element, that a command identified based on the resource is non-returnable. In response to the determination, a no-return indicator is set to send no command response for the command for delivery to a user agent requesting the command.
US08577956B2
A network analysis system provides for a user-definable display of information related to messages communicated on the network. The network analysis system includes one or more display formats that provide a display of message exchanges between nodes of a network, and a display augmenter that provides additional information on the display based on a user-defined visualization. The user defined visualization includes augmenting the display based on user-defined coloring characteristics and/or augmenting the display with user-defined labels. To further facilitate user control of the augmentation of the display, the system accepts user-defined programs for discriminating among messages, for controlling the labeling of messages, and for controlling the coloring of messages and labels. Commonly used user-defined characteristics and labels are stored in a library, for use via a selection from among the library entries.
US08577954B2
A printing terminal 208P creates delivery result information regarding delivered content data and transmits the created delivery result information to a posting server 202. The posting server 202 receives the transmitted delivery result information, adds the received delivery result information to delivery record information stored in a memory, and notifies a sending terminal of at least part of the delivery record information. This arrangement enables low-cost and high-quality delivery of print contents.
US08577952B2
A combined binary/decimal fixed-point multiplier that uses BCD-4221 recoding for the decimal digits. This allows the use of binary carry-save hardware to perform decimal addition with a small correction. The described designs provide an improved reduction tree organization to reduce the area and delay of the multiplier and improved reduction tree components that leverage the redundant decimal encodings to help reduce delay. A split reduction tree architecture is also introduced that reduces the delay of the binary product with only a small increase in total area. Area and delay estimates are presented that show that the proposed designs have significant area improvements over separate binary and decimal multipliers while still maintaining similar latencies for both decimal and binary operations.
US08577948B2
In one embodiment, a processor includes a multiply-accumulate (MAC) unit having a first path to handle execution of an instruction if a difference between at least a portion of first and second operands and a third operand is less than a threshold value, and a second path to handle the instruction execution if the difference is greater than the threshold value. Based on the difference, at least part of the third operand is to be provided to a multiplier of the MAC unit or to a compressor of the second path. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08577946B2
There is provided a signal receiving apparatus including first to pth stage computers configured to apply, in a step-by-step manner, butterfly operations to 2N input values; and 2N registers configured to store values obtained by a p−1th stage computer wherein the pth stage computer includes (a) 2L butterfly operation circuits configured to transmit, from corresponding 2M output ports, values obtained by the butterfly operations based on values provided to 2M input ports and (b) 2L selecting circuits arranged corresponding to the butterfly operation circuits, each selecting circuit providing a value of a register corresponding to different one of 2L BFInOrder_i(j,t) (wherein, BFInOrder_i(j,t) denotes values obtained by converting BFOutOrder_i(j,t)=t+j*2(N−M)+i*2N−(M+L) or (2(N−(M+L))−1−t)+j*2(N−M)+i*2(N−(M+L)) expressed by base H to base 2M of (log2M 2N)−1 words, word-reversing the values converted to base 2M, and converting the word-reversed values to the base H).
US08577942B2
An electronic device that defends against an attack trying to identify confidential information from power consumption is provided without any circuit that performs a complementary operation to eliminate bias in power consumption. An elementary device A 100 is formed by a plurality of transistors 101-112. The elementary device A 100 receives inputs signals x1, x2, a random number r, and a control signal en, and outputs z. The output z is obtained by XORing (x1^r)&(x2^r) with the random number r. After the state transitions of the input signal, x1, x2, and the random number r, are settled, the control signal en is used to output z. This makes the signal transition rate of the output z equal, thereby defending against an attack trying to identify confidential information from power consumption.
US08577940B2
A system, method and computer program product for managing computer file system using file system trees. A plurality of Virtual Execution Environments (VEEs) running on a computer system is provided. The computer system has a common file system tree, which can be concurrently accessed by the VEEs. The shareable files are stored in the common file system tree located in a local storage of the computer system. The common file system tree includes a first set of files that can be accessed by VEEs directly using first redirection. The common file system tree also includes a second set of files that can be accessed by VEEs using first and second redirection. The files system accesses the files from the local storage using first redirection and from the network storage using first and second redirection. The local storage can also receive files from the network storage and store them in the common file system tree.
US08577933B2
A Double Blinded Privacy-Safe Distributed Data Mining Protocol is disclosed, among an aggregator, a data consumer entity having privacy-sensitive information, and data source entities having privacy-sensitive information. The aggregator does not have access to the privacy-sensitive information at either the data consumer entity or the data source entities. The aggregator formulates a query without using privacy-sensitive information, and sends the query to the data consumer entity. The data consumer entity generates a list of specific instances that meet the conditions of the query and sends the list, encrypted, to the data source entities either directly or through the aggregator. The data source entities match the list against transactional data, de-identify the matched results, and send them to the aggregator. The aggregator combines results from data source entities and sends the combined result to the data consumer entity. This allows for privacy-safe data mining where both the data consumer entity and data source entities have privacy-sensitive information not available for the aggregator to see or use.
US08577929B2
Methods, program products, and systems for visual manipulation of database schema are disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a system can display a schema view and a data view in graphic representation in an integrated GUI on a display device. The system can display a schema in the schema view, and one or more data records in the data view. The system can receive a touch input from the display device in the schema view, or the data view, or both. In response to the touch input, the system can modify the schema, or the data records, or both. The system can update the schema view and data view substantially simultaneously to reflect the modification in the schema or data records.
US08577918B2
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for providing apportioning of opportunity among campaigns in an on-demand service in a database system. These mechanisms and methods for providing apportioning of opportunity among campaigns can enable embodiments to automatically determine which campaigns are related to an opportunity and provide a filtered set of campaigns that are related to at least one opportunity. The ability of embodiments to apportion opportunity among campaigns can provide marketing information that accurately reflects the true relationship between an opportunity and a plurality of campaigns.
US08577915B2
The present disclosure provides user-interface methods and systems for submitting search requests to search engines and presenting search results therefrom customized using content preferences learned about a user, comprising sending query information to at least two search engines, including a query identifying desired content, and user information, including context information describing the environment in which the query information is being sent, and a user signature representing content preferences learned about the user; receiving at least one set of a search result and auxiliary information from the at least one search engine in response to sending the query information, including information describing attributes of the search result that led to the search result being chosen by the at least one search engine; ordering the at least one search result based at least in part on the auxiliary information; and presenting the ordered search results to the user.
US08577912B1
A method includes analyzing a plurality of electronic documents available via a network service, selecting content of the documents encountered during the analysis to generate signatures for the documents based on the content of the documents, generating an index comprising the signatures, and updating the index by performing additional analysis. The index is updated to include documents having the same signatures.
US08577906B2
Disclosed is a data processing-implemented method, a data processing system, and an article of manufacture for modifying a query during compilation of the query. The query includes a request for an element of data from a table in a database and parameters identifying the requested element. The data processing-implemented method includes determining available information from parameters for locating a classification of the requested element and a classification associated with the query, the requested data classification controlling access to the requested element according to the query associated classification, requesting a suggested action from an external system for obtaining a comparison of the requested data classification and the query associated classification based on the available information, receiving the suggested action from the external system responsive to the sent request, and incorporating the suggested action into the query, the suggested action effecting comparison of the requested data classification with the query associated classification.
US08577904B2
A selection of a composite copy command is detected via a computing device executing an application framework. The composite copy command is propagated to each active application associated with the application framework. A composite data element is received from each active application. The composite data element received from each active application is stored into a copy buffer.
US08577903B2
Techniques for constructing query operations associated with a report specification are described. The query operations may include a mixture of multidimensional operations and relational operations. The application of the query operations are sequenced with the computing device to reduce or eliminate certain complexities and ambiguities during generation of reports, thereby providing an improved experience for user. For example, any multidimensional rollup operation may be applied to the multidimensional representation of the data within a first timeframe and that any aggregation operation and second level filtering are applied within a second timeframe subsequent to the first timeframe. A report may be output based on a resultant data set produced by application of the query operation in accordance with the sequencing.
US08577902B1
Data organization and indexing, in which data that includes information for multiple attribute classes is accessed and redundancy characteristics of the accessed data within each of at least two of the multiple attribute classes are identified. Based on the identified redundancy characteristics, a relative order among the multiple attribute classes of the accessed data is determined and the accessed data is organized based on the determined relative order. The organized data is compressed using run length encoding and an index that is descriptive of the compressed data is generated. The encoded data and the generated index are stored to enable subsequent searching of the encoded data using the generated index.
US08577894B2
A method and system of providing a search result to a user based on information indicated in a restricted access resource is described. A search system utilizing the assistance of human searchers or guides may obtain a search result using information included in a restricted resource. Access to a restricted resource is granted to guides based on access information provided to the search service. A guide may access information indicated in a restricted resource in order to obtain a search result. A search result obtained based on information indicated in a restricted resource may be returned to a user.
US08577878B1
A search engine system accepts queries that include query terms and labels applicable to certain documents. A domain filter is constructed that is used to filter search results to certain domains, where the domains are determined based on the labels included in the query. The filtered search results are processed to ensure that certain portions of the results are from domains included in the filter. The results are further processed to include the query labels with certain ones of the results.
US08577872B2
Typical users may be interested in viewing photos of people with whom they maintain true social contact. In one example, a person's true social network may be inferred from photo tagging history. Social contacts tend to tag each other in photos, while other types of contacts (e.g., business contacts) are less likely to tag each other in photos. Thus, in order to determine what photos to show to a given user, people may be scored based on how often the user has tagged those people in photos, and also on how often those other people have tagged the user. Those people who have high scores may be presumed to be socially close to the given user. Photos containing people who have received high scores may be selected, and the selected photos may be shown to the user.
US08577867B2
Information regarding the structure of information in a content database is maintained in a structure database. The structure database is used to correlate the data structure of a query to the structure of the content database, in order to determine that information in the content database which needs to be provided to a searcher in response to the query. In one embodiment, this search method is used in an online forum, and the forum maintains a reputation score for users with respect to given subject matter. The reputation score is dependent upon the quality of a user's participation in the forum. A user's reputation score depends upon the evaluation by others of information he posts and upon the user evaluating information posted by others.
US08577866B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products for identifying original content. In one aspect a method is described that includes deriving a plurality of content pieces from a collection of documents, each content piece occurring in one or more documents in the collection of documents. Each document in the collection of documents is associated with a time and an author. A first document in the collection of documents is identified, the identified first document being the earliest document containing an occurrence of a first piece of content. A first author associated with the first document is ranked based on a number of documents that contain at least one occurrence of the content piece and that are associated with an author other than the first author.
US08577864B2
Systems and methods for providing a validation tool may be configured to identify a plurality of words within a document, the document being provided in a first window within a user interface. Additionally, the systems and methods may be configured to determine, from a predetermined list that includes terms of interest, whether the words are matching words with terms of interest. The systems and methods may, in response to determining that the plurality of words are matching words with the terms of interest, highlight matching words in a document and access pieces of related data for matching words.
US08577863B2
One embodiment includes a method for correlating external references to a Web Page with conversions performed by one or more visitors to the Web Page. The method includes receiving the Web Page to monitor and determining one or more conversions to correlate. The one or more conversions to correlate include one or more actions performed on the Web Page by a visitor to the Web Page. The method also includes identifying the visitor to the Web Page. The visitor to the Web Page completed at least one action included in the conversions to correlate. The method also includes identifying the at least one action completed by the visitor and identifying an external reference that directed the visitor to the Web Page. The external reference contains a reference to the Web Page.
US08577857B2
A method matches elements in two schemas for two associated databases using automatic schema matching (ASM), wherein there is one schema for each database, wherein the elements define objects in the databases, and wherein the matching is performed on pairs of the elements by a combined matcher including a set of matchers. A Bayesian network (BN) is constructed for the set of matchers, and for each pair of elements the following steps are performing: obtaining an individual similarity value for each pair of the elements and each matcher, determining a likelihood ratio for each individual similarity value, performing belief updating on the BN using the likelihood ratios to obtain a final similarity value and corresponding probability, and outputting the final similarity value and the probability to indicate whether the pair of the elements match, or not.
US08577854B1
A flow classifier for a network device that processes packets including packet headers includes a hash generator that generates hash index values from search keys derived from the packet headers. A hash table receives the hash index values and outputs pointers. A flow table includes flow keys and corresponding actions. A variable length (VL) trie data structure uses the pointers to locate the flow keys for the search keys. The VL trie data structure selects different flow keys for the search keys that share a common hash index value. The pointers include node, NIL and leaf pointers. The flow classifier performs a default action for the NIL pointers. A pointer calculator accesses a VL trie table using the pointers.
US08577852B2
A computer-implemented system assigns retention rules to a plurality of record categories. The system receives information from a system administrator and the organization to which the retention rules are to apply. Initially, an administrator selects business types and functions that apply to the organization. The system uses the business types and functions selections to select from a large set of questions, a subset of questions that pertain to the retention requirements for the organization's records. The organization employees answer the selected questions, and based on these answers the system determines a set of record categories defining the organization's records. The system then selects from a set of retention rules forming a part of the system, the rules that apply to the organization's record categories. The system provides a formalized approval process by the organization for the retention rule assignments to the record categories.
US08577846B1
A system may present a document including a form. Forms content may be received into the form. The received forms content may be periodically and automatically saved to reduce the likelihood that received forms content is lost prior to form submission.
US08577842B1
Distributed computer systems prepare and instantiate snapshots by processing sets of nodes representing computer resources that are portions of a larger system. A user may choose to prepare or instantiate a snapshot containing all or only a portion of the data within the distributed computer system, such as a template of the distributed computer system. A template snapshot may be available in an electronic marketplace for other users to purchase and instantiate into a replica of the distributed computer system.
US08577836B2
A method of migrating data from a source storage resource to a destination storage resource involves selecting a source volume in the source storage resource; configuring in the destination storage resource a destination volume corresponding to the source volume and having the same properties; and redirecting I/O requests from an application running on a host to the destination volume instead of the source volume, whilst migrating data stored in the source volume to the destination volume. A storage system is operable as a destination storage system for migrating data from a source storage system, including means for configuring a destination volume corresponding to a source volume in the source storage system and a migration module having a non-transitory computer useable medium and operable to initiate read requests addressed to the source volume thereby enabling a background process of migrating data stored in the source volume to the destination volume.
US08577834B2
A method and analytics tools for locating experts with specific sets of expertise are disclosed, the method including providing a collection of documents P0; generating categories representing fields of expertise derived from the collection of documents P0; refining the taxonomy of the categories by applying user domain knowledge; extracting structured fields from the collection of documents P0; constructing a contingency table having a first axis defined by the extracted structured fields and a second axis defined by the categories; and using the contingency table to identify a set of experts having a related expertise. The method may also include a network graph analysis that aids visualization of the relationship between people and expertise.
US08577833B2
A transformation method and system is provided. The method includes generating a data hub application configured to embed extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes. The data hub application is linked to source tables and target tables. Meta data associated with the source and target tables is transferred from virtual views of the data hub application to an ETL work area of the ETL processes. An ETL job is generated and linked to the data hub application. ETL processes are executed and results are determined.
US08577827B1
Disclosed are various embodiments of a system, method and computer readable medium for network page latency reduction. In one embodiment, among others, a system comprises a processor circuit and a memory associated with the processor circuit. The system further comprises a distribution estimator configured to estimate a distribution corresponding to latency data regarding a plurality of instances of a network page. The system further comprises an attribute comparator configured to identify an attribute associated with a subset of the instances of a network page. The subset of the instances corresponds to a latency data substantially represented by a tail of the distribution. Additionally, the system comprises a recommendation generator configured to generate a modification recommendation for the subset of the instances of the network page.
US08577824B2
A method for calculating at least one relationship metric of a relationship between objects has the steps of providing a multi-layered relationship network with a first relationship layer derived from potential relations between objects, a second relationship layer derived from interactions between objects, a third relationship layer derived from explicit relations between objects, and an aggregated relationship layer derived from at least two layers of the relationship layers, and wherein each layer has a graph with one vertex for every object represented in the network and at least one unidirectional and/or bidirectional edge between at least two of the objects, and calculating the edge weights based on the edge weights of at least two relationship layers, selecting at least the relationship with a highest edge weight between an object and other objects, and finally outputting the weights of the selected relationships as the calculated relationship metrics.
US08577820B2
Approaches for accurate neural network training for library-based critical dimension (CD) metrology are described. Approaches for fast neural network training for library-based CD metrology are also described. In an example, a method includes optimizing a threshold for a principal component analysis (PCA) of a spectrum data set to provide a principal component (PC) value, estimating a training target for one or more neural networks, training the one or more neural networks based both on the training target and on the PC value provided from optimizing the threshold for the PCA, and providing a spectral library based on the one or more trained neural networks.
US08577819B2
Systems and methods for storing a transaction history with respect to a business entity, and an incentive regarding a business entity, previously offered to an account. A desired transaction involving a holder of the account and the business entity may be generated based on the transaction history and a metric. An incentive may be generated based on an artificial intelligence program (AIP), the transaction history, and the metric. The desired transaction and the incentive may be transmitted for presentation to a holder of the account.
US08577808B2
A product distribution and payment system for limited use or otherwise restricted digital software products. Digital content data comprising a software product to be rented is made available to customers through a detachable local storage medium, such as a DVD or CD-ROM disc, or over a network connection. The product digital content is capable of being accessed and played back through a computer or game console at the customer site. The software product may comprise a limited use product that is restricted in the number of plays or duration of use. The customer is allowed to download and purchase the product using his computer or playback console. The product purchase information is encoded and transmitted to the content distributor. When the preset time or number of plays has elapsed the software program is frozen and access to the program is not allowed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a two-way, public key/private key encryption system is implemented to transmit the product and usage information between the server providing the software product and the customer computer system.
US08577803B2
The VIRTUAL WALLET CARD SELECTION APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“VWCS”) transform virtual wallet card selections by users utilizing mobile devices via VWCS components into virtual wallet card-based transaction purchase notifications. In one implementation, the VWCS obtains a user authentication request for a purchase transaction, and extracts a universal card account number from it. Upon querying a database, the VWCS determines that the user has access to a virtual wallet and obtains virtual wallet card selection options for the user from the database. The VWCS provides the virtual wallet card selection options to a user mobile device, and obtains a user selection of an account included among the options. The VWCS initiates a purchase transaction using the user selection. Also, upon completion of authorization of the purchase transaction, the VWCS provides a purchase receipt to the user mobile device.
US08577795B2
A system is disclosed for facilitating relationship-centric authorization of transactions in a manner which provides optimum scalability and availability by logically partitioning wallets in conjunction with partitioning a resource associated with a group of consumers.
US08577790B1
In some embodiments, the instant invention provides for specifically programming a computer machine to perform at lease: receiving, from a trader, a passive indication of interest (IOI) for a financial instrument, where the passive IOI is a bid or an offer and a resting liquidity; classifying the trader as at least: a trading type that is subject to a decline ratio calculation for crossing the passive IOIs, where the decline ratio calculation identifies how many eligible aggressive IOIs have been previously declined by the trader out of a total number of all eligible aggressive IOIs that were offered to such trader; receiving, from another trader, another IOI that is an aggressive IOI, where the aggressive IOI is available to be immediately crossed at the price; and determining, in real-time, an allocation of the aggressive IOI to the trader submitted the passive IOI based on the decline ratio of the trader.
US08577787B1
The present invention uses new order entry types (formats) and new order management methods to meet the order and transaction management needs of investors, traders, brokers, market makers and service providers for institutional traders for transactions in NAV Instruments by integrating the implementation of trades when conventional markets and NAV-based trading markets operate contemporaneously. Among other features, the invention provides methods and computer systems for determining the appropriate nature, size, sequence and latency of orders to be entered into alternative trading venues to improve executions.
US08577784B2
An anonymous trading system includes a prime broker facility that allows a third party to trade on behalf of an institution. A deal is executed between the third party and a counter-party and a further deal is then executed between the third party and the party on whose behalf it has traded. The second deal may be for the same amount as the first deal or may be altered to include the third party's fee for conducting the first deal. Clients of the third party have prices available to them for trades made via the third party which are displayed at their trader terminals. The client sees that a better price is available though the third party than by dealing direct and selects to conduct a deal through the third party.
US08577779B2
The invention relates to an improved means for interactive computerized communications having a facilitated capability for order entry and order execution, and providing an enhanced range of trading forms and methods to clients of brokerage firms dealing in financial instruments. In particular, the invention relates to a type of interactive computerized system and software program providing services based from trading patterns, to result in a more efficient and flexible range in the type of allowable trades, and that provides thereby innovative and strategic advantages to individual investors of brokerage firms, for actively managing financial instruments held in trading accounts.
US08577770B2
A system and method for quantifying the working capital benefit of pooling a number of separate cash accounts. The average (mean) cash balance of the pooled account is determined to be the sum of the means of each of the individual accounts. Similarly, the standard deviation of the pooled account is determined to be the square root of the sum of the squares of the standard deviations of the individual accounts. Accordingly, the minimum cash level of the pooled account is 2.3 times the square root of the sum of the squares of the standard deviations of the individual accounts. If pooling is to be beneficial, from a working capital perspective, the minimum cash required in the pooled account will be significantly less than the aggregate cash required by the separate companies.
US08577763B2
A method of receiving virtual cash from an outlet through a mobile phone including the steps of: —customer requesting cash-out at an outlet; —customer showing identification and filling out a form; —frontliner accessing the device and keying in command containing customer's amount of cash-out and sending this to telco; —telco verifying that customer's mobile phone is registered with the telco's cash product services and that the amount of cash-out is available in the customer's mobile phone cash account and sending information to the device of the frontliner of the outlet; —frontliner of the outlet verifying that customer is registered with telco's cash product services and advising the customer of the unique transaction code; —customer paying cash-out fee; —customer keying in “CASHOUT” cash product command containing his PIN, amount to be cashed out, and his mobile phone number; —sending this command to telco; —outlet's device receiving a confirmatory message from telco of cash product service transfer; —customer receiving a SMS acknowledgment from telco of the completion of the cash product service; —customer getting virtual cash from the outlet; —outlet's device receiving an acknowledgment of the completion of the transaction and confirmation number from telco in a format matching the outlet's device.
US08577762B2
Methods for initiating an electronic shopping transaction, for initiating a control operation for a user-selectable video game character, for emphasizing an advertisement in a computer generated display, and for presenting multiple GUIs in desktop user interfaces using detail-in-context graphical distortions. The method for initiating an electronic shopping transaction, for a user-selectable item presented in a computer generated original image on a display, comprising: receiving a selection signal for the item from a user; distorting the original image to produce a distorted region for the item to provide the user with detailed information for the item; and, receiving a purchase signal for the item from the user.
US08577761B1
Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide for managing offerings in a data processing system having offering platform programs operatively connected to a distributed offering network. At least one is deployed offering via an offering platform program. A topology of offerings is created. It is determined whether there is an association between two or more of the offerings. When there is an association between two or more of the offerings, the association is included in the topology.
US08577758B2
A method to calculate true ex-ante operating income, via a present value calculation and posting in a double-entry bookkeeping framework based upon credits and debits, is disclosed. The ultimate object is a true ex-ante net income accounting measurement that better serves financial statements users.
US08577749B2
Systems and methods for facilitating an on-line purchase of at least one item on behalf of a consumer are disclosed. A consumer may shop and purchase at least one item on a consolidated shopping (CS) website displaying one or more items available for purchase on one or more different merchant websites. The CS website provides consumers with advanced searching that takes into consideration a personal profile of the consumer, the consumer's previous shopping history, transactional data relating to a group of similar consumers, and the like. A host computer providing the CS website may access a merchant website selling the requested item, and order the requested item on behalf of the consumer, and charging a transaction fee, listing fee, receiving a rebate and/or offering a rebate for performing such. One embodiment allows a consumer to purchase/order multiple items from multiple websites in a single purchase request to the CS website.
US08577745B2
A method of communications network shopping by buyers of products and services for purchasing such from sellers in which buyers request an automatic reverse auctioneer or auction controller to initiate a reverse auction in real time amongst willing sellers and to solicit their automatic real-time iterative bidding price quotations for such products and services to be returned automatically over the network back to the controller under the iterative processing guidance of the controller to assure a best bid price quotation for the buyer; and automatically effecting buyer notification or purchase at such best price, all while the buyer may remain on-line, and without any manual intervention.
US08577739B2
A product ordering device provided at a digital home system at a user premises. The digital home system comprises a user terminal and a gateway device. The gateway device is coupled for communication with the user terminal and operable for communication with a wide area network outside the premises. The gateway device is configured for obtaining product data via the wide area network and providing the product data to the terminal for display on the display device. Upon placement of a product order by a user input through the terminal, the gateway device sends an order message outside of the integrated multimedia service system to request a corresponding vendor for the ordered product to deliver the ordered product at the premises. The product ordering service and the product data are provided and updated by a management server located outside of the premises.
US08577738B2
An ecommerce cost optimization system includes: a display including information identifying an item; a quantity selection tool; a delivery location selection tool; an optimized offer presentation tool that provides at least one optimized option through the display component, wherein the at least one optimized option is optimized based on the selected quantity and the selected delivery location; and an order placement tool to place an order from amongst the options provided by the optimized offer presentation tool. A method of providing optimized offer for non-stock item transactions through an ecommerce application includes receiving a user selection including a selected quantity of the item and a selected delivery location and determining an optimized offer based on analysis of the possible combinations of a production schedule and a delivery schedule for the selected quantity and delivery location.
US08577724B1
A multi-provider response selector (MPRS) receives requests and provides respective selected responses. Each request includes respective selection criteria (such as keywords and demographic/geographic information) and/or respective other information (such as page location/time and demographic/geographic information). The MPRS uses the respective selection criteria to fill each of the requests (obtaining the respective selected responses) from one of a plurality of response providers, where the response providers are optionally selected in an order determined by the respective other information and/or other factors such as value returned from the response providers. Optionally, a content server receives content requests for respective specified content, generates requests for the MPRS, and returns the specified contents along with respective selected responses. In one example, a content request is from a cellular telephone, respective specified content includes video content, and respective selected responses include advertisements.
US08577719B2
Healthcare providers are faced with an extremely fast paced environment where patient care is closely coupled with quality and safety standards. To promote a safe and optimal environment for patients and healthcare workers, numerous standards must be met. The number of standards continues to grow as healthcare continues to become more complex.The present invention, and the various embodiments thereof, describes a computer based system and method for strengthening a healthcare provider's quality program through the use of quality assurance, quality improvement and performance improvement modules that help to structure, monitor and manage quality tasks. A pixel mapped calendar provides a compelling graphical representation of the current status of the various quality tasks associated with a specific date or dates to provide a visual representation of the overall health of an organization as it relates to meeting quality and safety standards.
US08577711B2
The disclosed embodiments relate to transparent and/or non-disruptive systems and methods for monitoring and analyzing actual space utilization, and in particular, analyzing space utilization over time and/or in real time to accurately understand and report the utilization of the space. In particular, the disclosed embodiments analyze data representative of occupancy of the space, the data being autonomously determined based on the likelihood that occupants are present within the space. The data is periodically determined and automatically reported to an automated collection system which collects the data and forwards it to a central repository for analysis. The data is then analyzed to provide meaningful reports regarding occupancy of the space or otherwise contextualize the utilization of the space. Further, the data collected from different spaces may be anonymized, aggregated, or otherwise combined, and analyzed to contextualize a given space's utilization, provide utilization forecasts, etc.
US08577710B2
In a remote technical support system, a technical support controller receives an indication of a maximum number of support sessions to be serviced by a remote technician. Thereafter, the technical support controller receives a service request for a user device, which service request is classified into a category and added to a preliminary queue corresponding to the category. The technical support controller determines if handling of the service request by the remote technician would cause the number of support sessions currently being handled by the remote technician to exceed the previously-indicated maximum number of support sessions. If not, the service request is added to a work queue for the remote technician and removed from the preliminary queue.
US08577709B2
A workflow system is provided in which one person in charge efficiently processes each activity assigned to successive nodes. When a client request management program execution unit 330 of a workflow server 30 receives a request to terminate processing for a node from a user's computer terminal for operation 20, a definition for the node is referred to by a project management program execution unit 310. If processing of a process management program execution unit 320 is completed within a consecutive processing standby time t1 defined for the node, and it is determined that a next node can be processed by the user, a client request management program execution unit 330 requests a computer terminal for operation 20 to start processing of a next node.
US08577707B2
A digital image (e.g., a facility map, an aerial/satellite image, an engineering drawing) is displayed on a display device of a locate receiver used to detect a presence or absence of an underground facility. Image data used to generate the image is selected based on information obtained from a ticket associated with a locate operation for which the locate receiver is used, and geographic information indicative of a location of the locate receiver. Based on a strength of a magnetic field received by an RF antenna of the locate receiver, one or more electronic markings representing a detected presence of the underground facility are overlaid on the displayed digital image.
US08577706B1
The present invention provides a method for staffing and scheduling agents for revenue and service channels in a skills-based routing environment. Initially, the invention receives forecasts of number of contacts, average handling times, agent shrinkage and sales ratios for a planning period from a forecasting system. Next the initial required staffing levels for different skill groups are determined and agents are scheduled. In the iterative step, a skill group is selected and unscheduled while keeping agents in other skill groups on their current schedules, staffing levels for the skill group selected is updated using a staffing model that applies contact routing rules and includes the number of agents scheduled for work in other skill groups, and reschedules agents in the skill group selected. The invention continues iterations for each skill group until one or more stopping criteria are satisfied.
US08577705B1
The present invention is a method and system for measuring a set of shopper behavior metrics that represent the strength of a product category or a group of categories in the performance of a store area. A set of rating parameters are defined in order to provide a unified and standardized rating system. The rating system represents the effectiveness of the product category in a store area. The metrics are defined in a manner that is normalized so that they can be used across different types of product categories. The datasets are measured per category or group of categories over time to identify how the strength has varied over time, and to monitor trends in the category performance. The measured datasets are further analyzed based on various demographic groups and behavior segments. The analysis facilitates a better understanding of the strength of the category for different shopper segments, which in turn can be applied for developing better store area optimization strategies.
US08577701B1
A computer system for processing data related to investment management includes a data storage device storing data including an account value; a plurality of investments and, for each of the investments, one of a plurality of categories associated with the investments and a value of the investments; and a server. The server is configured to access the stored data; determine a proportion of the value of the investments in the at least one of the plurality of categories to the account value; compare the determined proportion to at least one of an upper threshold proportion and a lower threshold proportion; and responsive to determining that the determined proportion is in breach of either the upper threshold proportion or the lower threshold proportion, provide output data to a fund manager computer system with instructions to reallocate value so as to provide the proportion at a predetermined value.
US08577698B2
Retail consumers may hedge the price of volatile commodities such as gasoline via the advance purchase of a policy, which may be represented by a hedge card. The card may be priced to cover uncertainty in the price of the commodity over a defined future period, plus a small profit for the card issuer, optionally plus a pre-paid residual cash value. The card may permit the purchase of a defined amount of the commodity at a price not to exceed a defined ceiling over the defined future period. The card issuer may contact with one or more fuel providers to apportion the risks and benefits of the hedge card. In the alternative, the card issuer may contract with the consumer only, and may rebate commodity purchase amounts in excess of the defined price ceiling directly to the hedge card holder.
US08577697B2
Results of medical tests for sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) or other medical conditions such as drug use are posted to a registry site accessible by a subscriber and any authorized guest of the subscriber. The medical test results are associated with a verification of the subscriber's identity. The verification may be in the form of a driver's license number, or other indicia of identification, recorded when a test sample was drawn by a testing lab affiliated with the registry site. Results of the test performed by the testing lab are automatically posted to the registry site, along with the customer ID assigned to the subscriber when registering with the registry site, and the verification of the subscriber's identity. Subsequently, the subscriber and any authorized guest or prospective sexual partner can access the subscriber's test results and the verification of the subscriber's identity by entering a predefined password or other access code, thereby enabling the guest, who may be a prospective sexual partner, to verify a medical condition asserted by the subscriber.
US08577684B2
Apparatuses and methods are described to secure information contained within voice recordings. A voice recording is loaded into a data processing system, wherein the voice recording results from an utterance of a human during an interaction between the human and an interface of a business entity. The voice recording is processed to recognize at least one element of text in the voice recording. The data processing system determines if the at least one element of text represents special information that pertains to the human. A segment in the voice recording is rendered unintelligible if the at least one element of text represents special information that pertains to the human.
US08577682B2
An auditory user interactive interface to an application program being installed in the computer controlled system. A routine in an object, in an application program being installed in the computer controlled system for providing an auditory user interface to the program in combination with auditory means for offering the user of the computer controlled system the auditory user interface during installation of said application program, and responsive to the selection of the auditory interface provides the auditory user interface during said installation of the application program. The functional object in the application program being installed includes the routine for providing the auditory interface preferably implemented in Text to Speech (TTS) functions together with an implementation for determining whether the computer controlled system receiving the application program includes a TTS engine compatible with the TTS functions in the application program and a routine for installing a TTS engine compatible with the routine when the computer controlled system does not include the TTS engine.
US08577681B2
A method of generating an alternative pronunciation for a word or phrase, given an initial pronunciation and a spoken example of the word or phrase, includes providing the initial pronunciation of the word or phrase, and generating the alternative pronunciation by searching a neighborhood of pronunciations about the initial pronunciation via a constrained hypothesis, wherein the neighborhood includes pronunciations that differ from the initial pronunciation by at most one phoneme. The method further includes selecting a highest scoring pronunciation within the neighborhood of pronunciations.
US08577680B2
A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for monitoring data traffic on a network is disclosed. In an embodiment, this includes obtaining intrinsic data from at least a portion of the traffic, obtaining extrinsic data from at least a portion of the traffic, associating the intrinsic data with the extrinsic data, and logging the intrinsic data and extrinsic data. The portion of the traffic from which the intrinsic data and extrinsic data are derived may not be stored, or may be stored in encrypted form.
US08577679B2
Enables symbol insertion evaluation in consideration of a difference in speaking style features between speakers. For a word sequence transcribing voice information, the symbol insertion likelihood calculation means 113 obtains a symbol insertion likelihood for each of a plurality of symbol insertion models supplied for different speaking style features. The speaking style feature similarity calculation means 112 obtains a similarity between the speaking style feature of the word sequence and the plurality of speaking style feature models. The symbol insertion evaluation means 114 weights the symbol insertion likelihood obtained for the word sequence by each of the plurality of symbol insertion models according to the similarity between the speaking style feature of the word sequence and the plurality of speaking style feature models and the relevance between the symbol insertion model and the speaking style feature model, and performs symbol insertion evaluation to the word sequence.
US08577677B2
A system and method for sound source separation. The system and method use a beamforming technique. The sound source separation system includes a windowing processor; a DFT transformer; a transfer function estimator; and a noise estimator. The system also includes a voice signal extractor that cancels individual voice signals, except an individual voice signal that is desired to be extracted among individual voice signals, from the integrated voice signals. The system further includes a voice signal detector that cancels a noise part provided through the noise estimator from a transfer function of an individual voice signal which is desired to be detected and extracts a noise-canceled individual voice signal. Even when two or more sound sources are simultaneously input, the sound sources can be separated from each other and separately stored and managed, or an initial sound source can be stored and managed.
US08577674B2
A Voice Activity Detection/Silence Suppression (VAD/SS) system is connected to a channel of a transmission pipe. The channel provides a pathway for the transmission of energy. A method for operating a VAD/SS system includes detecting the energy on the channel, and activating or suppressing activation of the VAD/SS system depending upon the nature of the energy detected on the channel.
US08577670B2
A statistical language model (SLM) may be iteratively refined by considering N-gram counts in new data, and blending the information contained in the new data with the existing SLM. A first group of documents is evaluated to determine the probabilities associated with the different N-grams observed in the documents. An SLM is constructed based on these probabilities. A second group of documents is then evaluated to determine the probabilities associated with each N-gram in that second group. The existing SLM is then evaluated to determine how well it explains the probabilities in the second group of documents, and a weighting parameter is calculated from that evaluation. Using the weighting parameter, a new SLM is then constructed as a weighted average of the existing SLM and the new probabilities.
US08577655B2
A system, method, and computer program product for creating a virtual numerical control (NC) controller for use in machine tool simulation. A method includes receiving a NC program readable by a physical machine tool, the NC program containing instructions for manipulating the physical machine tool. The method also includes parsing the instructions in the NC program. The method further includes receiving setup data, such as tools, reference coordinates systems, etc., from objects of a CAM system or in a setup data file. The method still further includes translating each instruction in the NC program into at least one virtual NC controller command. The method also includes executing the virtual NC controller commands in a machine tool simulation environment. In some embodiments, the method may include fetching data from a post-processor for the physical machine tool, where the fetched data is not available in the NC program.
US08577654B2
In an embodiment, one or more computer-readable media holding executable instructions is provided. The instructions may be executed on a processing device to project a specification to a platform environment that includes a system model. The media may hold one or more instructions for accessing an algorithm model, the algorithm model being associated with the specification. The media may further hold one or more instructions for projecting the specification to the system model via a forward projection. The media may hold one or more instructions for receiving a reverse projection that includes specification changes, the specification changes identifying suggested changes to the specification. The media may further hold one or more instructions for modifying the algorithm model based on the specification changes, and the media may hold one or more instructions for storing the modified algorithm model.
US08577649B2
There is provided an apparatus, including a first storage storing first time-series data including instruction values given to first to K-th control devices and measured values from first to K-th sensors during a first period, a model optimizer, for each of combinations of two of the control devices, generating a diagnostic model instance of a predetermined target model and obtaining an optimized diagnostic model instance in which parameters of the diagnostic mode instance are identified, a second storage storing second time-series data acquired during a second period, a calculator, for each of the optimized diagnostic model instances, calculating a determination score for each of the control devices and sensors using the first and second time-series data, and a determiner determining presence or absence of an abnormality for each of the control devices and the sensors based on each determination score.
US08577648B1
A method of simulating fluid flow in a three-dimensional volume with a moving boundary is presented. The moving boundary is provided within a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) mesh. The CFD mesh includes mesh points defining three-dimensional mesh cells. Locations of the mesh points at the moving boundary are revised predicated on known motion characteristics thereof such that the CFD mesh undergoes distortion near the moving boundary. The distortion is minimized using an elastic deformation model that does not involve dimensional physical parameters. As a result, a revised CFD mesh is generated. A fluid flow simulation is then computed for the three-dimensional volume using the revised CFD mesh.
US08577647B2
Systems and methods for determining a trend in vertical track modulus are disclosed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Vertical deflection data is collected along a particular section of railroad track. A first set of vertical track modulus is determined, based in part, on the collected vertical deflection data. At a second time, vertical deflection data is again collected along the particular section of railroad track to be used in determining a second set of vertical track modulus. At least the first and second sets of vertical track modulus are analyzed to determine a mathematical algorithm that facilitates developing a trend in the vertical track modulus of the railroad track.
US08577641B2
An improved method for calibration of dynamic motion sensors. In one aspect, the method comprises sending a low frequency driving signal to an exciter to generate a harmonic movement in a shaker table, using an optical position sensor to produce an output representative of position, computing the acceleration of the shaker table and a dynamic motion sensor under test (SUT), and comparing the output of the SUT with the instantaneous acceleration of the shaker table at different frequencies sufficient to define the performance characteristics of the SUT within a selected frequency range, among other things. In another aspect, the method comprises calibration of a dynamic motion SUT by simultaneous direct measurement of position and time. In another aspect, the optical position sensor has an electrical output representative of position for attaining a desired degree of positional accuracy.
US08577640B2
The computer implemented method, system or computer program product comprises collecting magnetometer data from the device; and calculating a center of a shape of the magnetometer data as a result of minimization. The minimization of calculating the center of the shape further comprises calculating a plurality of running sums of the magnetometer data; storing the plurality of running sums; storing a count of the number of terms in each of the running sums; and calculating the center of the shape and setting the estimated magnetometer bias to the center of the shape. The radius of the sphere is calculated to ensure accuracy in the estimator of the magnetometer bias.
US08577639B2
A calibration assembly for a spectrometer is provided. The assembly includes a spectrometer having n detector elements, where each detector element is assigned a predetermined wavelength value. A first source emitting first radiation is used to calibrate the spectrometer. A device is placed in the path of the first radiation to split the first radiation into a first beam and a second beam. The assembly is configured so that one of the first and second beams travels a path-difference distance longer than the other of the first and second beams. An output signal is generated by the spectrometer when the first and second beams enter the spectrometer. The assembly includes a controller operable for processing the output signal and adapted to calculate correction factors for the respective predetermined wavelength values assigned to each detector element.
US08577638B1
An imaging system may include a housing and an aperture in the housing. The imaging system may further include sensors adjacent the aperture. The sensors may be responsive to an image signal received through the aperture. The imaging system may further include a controller in communication with storage and the sensors. The storage may include calibration data. In addition, the controller may transform the calibration data into a rectified image through use of the image signal.
US08577632B2
A system and method for identification of complex permittivity associated with a transmission line dielectric is proposed. A network analyzer measures scattering parameters over a specified frequency band for at least two line segments of different length and substantially identical cross-section filled with a dielectric. A first engine determines non-reflective (generalized) modal scattering parameters of the difference segment based on the measured scattering parameters of two line segments. A second engine computes generalized modal scattering parameters of the line difference segment by solving Maxwell's equations for geometry of the line cross-section with a given frequency-dependent complex permittivity dielectric model. A third engine performs optimization by changing dielectric model parameters and model type until the computed and measured generalized modal scattering parameters match. The model that produces generalized modal S-parameters closest to the measured is the final dielectric model.
US08577628B2
Systems and methods for determining spatially dense dynamic properties of a structure are disclosed. In particular, spatially dense mode shapes are determined using acceleration records collected when one or several sensors are moving. The mobile sensor gathers vibration response data for the structure as the mobile sensor moves over the structure. The vibration response data is used to extract a fine grid of modal coordinates with a reduced number of sensors and without requiring mode shape expansion. The high spatially dense mode shapes can be included as part of accurate numerical models for the structure that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as damage detection, earthquake engineering, wind engineering, and other suitable purposes.
US08577622B2
The present invention relates to processes for the screening, preparation and characterization of (R)-selective ω-transaminases, to transaminases obtained thereby and their uses in various transamination processes.
US08577619B2
Techniques for modeling living biological systems include receiving constant values for multiple interaction factors wij. A set of initial state values is received for state variables that indicate relevant properties of a living biological system. Also received is a set of trial values for perturbation variables that indicate factors that might affect one or more of the relevant properties of the biological system. A temporal change in a value for a particular state variable is determined based on a non-linear transformation of a sum of the trial value for the perturbation that affects the particular state added to a sum of all non-zero values for a product of wij and a state variable over all state variables.In some embodiments, measurement-based values are received for a measurable subset of the state variables. Values for the constant interaction factors wij are determined based on the measurement-based values.
US08577613B2
An improved methodology for managing hydrocarbon exploration of at least one prospect. The methodology involves iterative processing that allows decision makers to iterate on assumptions and refine underlying probabilistic models as well as optimize the set of recommended exploration activities that are to be performed over time as additional knowledge is gained.
US08577612B2
A computer-implemented system and method for bounding accuracy on a forecast of photovoltaic fleet power generation is provided. Measured irradiance observations for a plurality of locations are retrieved. The measured observations include a time series recorded at successive time periods. Forecast irradiance observations are retrieved. Error between the forecast and the measured observations is identified. A mean and standard deviation of the error is determined and combined into a fleet mean and fleet standard deviation. Sky clearness indexes are generated as a ratio of each measured observation and clear sky irradiance. A time series of the sky clearness indexes is formed. Fleet irradiance statistics are determined through statistical evaluation of the sky clearness indexes time series. A time series of power statistics is generated as a function of the fleet irradiance statistics and photovoltaic fleet power rating. A statistical confidence is associated with each power statistic in the time series.
US08577604B1
Systems and methods provide approximations of latitude and longitude coordinates of objects, for example a business, in street level images. The images may be collected by a camera. An image of a business is collected along with GPS coordinates and direction of the camera. Depth maps of the images may be generated, for example, based on laser depth detection or displacement of the business between two images caused by a change in the position of the camera. After identifying a business in one or more images, the distance from the camera to a point or area relative to the business in the one or more images may be determined based on the depth maps. Using this distance and the direction of the camera which collected the one or more images and GPS coordinates of the camera, the approximate GPS coordinates of the business may be determined.
US08577590B2
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to location-based tracking using geofences.
US08577583B2
The invention relates to a method for operating a glow plug with the engine running, wherein an effective voltage is generated from a vehicle electrical system voltage by pulse width modulation, the effective voltage is applied to the glow plug and changed as a function of engine parameters, a target value of the effective voltage that is dependent on the engine parameters and to which the effective voltage is changed is specified, a maximum increment for a change of the actual value of the effective voltage in at least one direction is specified, and a change of the actual value in at least one direction to a target value that deviates from the actual value by more than the maximum increment is carried out in several steps. The invention further relates to a controller which carries out such a method during operation.
US08577582B2
An ISG entry apparatus and method is capable of operating ISG logic without employing a battery sensor. The ISG entry apparatus includes a starting voltage detection unit detecting a starting voltage of an ISG vehicle having no battery sensor mounted therein, a cooling water detection unit detecting a cooling water temperature of the ISG vehicle, an ISG entry frequency detection unit detecting an ISG entry frequency of the ISG vehicle, an accumulated charge amount detection unit detecting an accumulated charge amount of the ISG vehicle during driving, a starting number counting unit counting the starting number of the ISG vehicle, and an engine control unit determining whether or not to enter a mode in which an ISG operation is performed based on the starting voltage, the cooling water temperature, the ISG entry frequency, the accumulated charge amount, and the starting number and performing an ISG operation.
US08577580B2
Disclosed is an internal combustion engine control device that is capable of accurately estimating a turbine flow rate during a transient operation of an internal combustion engine with a turbocharger having a WGV. Steps are performed to acquire an exhaust gas flow rate mcyl (=mB), a WGV opening WG (=X), and a turbine rotation speed Ntb (=Na) during the transient operation of the internal combustion engine. Steps are then performed to calculate the turbine flow rate (=mtA) and exhaust gas flow rate mcyl (=mA), which prevail when the turbine rotation speed Ntb and WGV opening WG acquired during the transient operation are achieved during a steady operation. Next, a step is performed to calculate the turbine flow rate (=mtB) during the transient operation by applying the flow rate ratio of mtA to mA to the exhaust gas flow rate mcyl during the transient operation. Preferably, the turbine rotation speed Ntb during an Ntb transient operation is estimated by using a turbine flow rate change amount Δmt (=mtB−mtA) during the transient operation.
US08577577B2
A vehicle includes a support member and at least one wheel attached to the support member. The support member is capable of oscillating in a front-back direction of the vehicle. The vehicle further includes a torque control unit applying torque to the wheel, and a control loop controlling the torque control unit to adjust the torque applied to the wheel to allow the vehicle to travel while keeping an inverted state of the support member. The control loop controls the torque control unit to apply normal torque and additional torque to the wheel, the normal torque determined according to a deviation between a target value and a controlled variable including at least one of an inclination angular velocity and an inclination angle of the support member in the front-back direction, the additional torque determined according to a power of a velocity parameter of the vehicle.
US08577572B2
A method of adapting control of clutches of a double clutch transmission, including: during a shifting process, controlling torque transmittable by an opening clutch and torque transmittable by a closing clutch according to nominal curves; during a shifting process, determining a difference between a nominal value and an actual value; and adapting a nominal curve of at least one of the clutches for a following shifting process by reducing a difference between the nominal value and the actual value.
US08577568B2
This disclosure provides a thermal management system and method that can recommend operational behavior to an operator of an engine system to optimize fuel economy over a period of time in which a components of the engine system is in a warm up and/or regeneration state. In one representative embodiment, the expected temperature change of the engine component at a later time is determined based on inefficient operation of the engine, such as a transmission down shift resulting in higher engine speed and lower engine torque, and the expected temperature change of the engine component resulting from operating the engine under current conditions or expected conditions at that later time is determined. A determination is made as to whether the inefficient engine operation is the optimal operation in view of fuel economy and a recommendation is generated for the operator based if optimal operation is determined.
US08577563B2
A combination tractor and baler is provided to automate tractor stopping and baler wrapping while incorporating operator interaction to improve the efficiency of the tractor and baler combination in operation. Automated control systems and manual operator devices are utilized to improve the timing of the tractor stop and baler wrapping time sequences. Various methods to improve efficiency, including methods to synchronize tractor stop with wrapping activation are provided.
US08577556B1
The invention is an electronically controlled gimbaled platform that is installed on a vehicle. An illumination source mounted on the gimbaled platform provides a steady source of illumination in a desired direction. The desired direction of illumination is initially set and stored in a digital control unit. Subsequently, the digital control unit receives real-time measurements of instantaneous rotations experienced by the vehicle. The digital control unit uses the instantaneous vehicle rotation measurements to compute control signals that compensate for vehicle's movements. The compensatory control signals are communicated to actuators that control the orientation of the gimbaled platform in real-time. The effect of the compensatory control signals is to correct for the dynamic disturbances experienced by the vehicle and thereby provide a steady source of illumination unaffected by changes in the vehicle dynamics. Therefore, the invention facilitates in safer operation of vehicles.
US08577554B2
Devices, methods and systems describe a turn signal activation system. As the navigation system determines that the vehicle is approaching a turn or other operation, the turn signal may be automatically activated in the appropriate direction (e.g., right-turn signal for a right turn, and a left-turn signal for a left turn). Once the navigation system determines that it is appropriate to deactivate the turn signal, the turn signal may be automatically deactivated. In this fashion, other drivers on the road may be able to anticipate the actions of the vehicle based on the activation and deactivation of the turn signals, and thereby prevent accidents from occurring.
US08577552B1
A method of filtering/rejecting targets detected by a forward collision warning system of a motor vehicle when entering a curved road segment. The width of a collision threat zone (CTZ) is reduced in one or more stages depending upon continuously-measured values of steering input angle (SIA), driver brake application (DBA), and a yaw rate. The measured values are used to find: a degree of near-past DBA variation during a first look-back period, a degree of near-past SIA change rate during a second look-back period, and a degree of far-past yaw rate change during a third look-back period longer than the first and the second look-back periods. A series of first, second and third width reductions of decreasing severity are applied to the CTZ based upon comparisons of the tracked variations and change rates with respective thresholds. The thresholds are tunable to achieve desired levels or false-target rejection.
US08577550B2
A control system and method to mitigate intersection crashes is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes an electronic control module equipped with memory and in communication with at least one radar sensor system, at lest one environmental sensor system, at least one vehicle stability system, an operator advisory system, a brake control system, a controllable steering system, and a powertrain control system. In one embodiment, the method may include determining whether a vehicle is entering an intersection, determining whether the operator is responding correctly to the sensed conditions in the intersection, activating the controlled brakes, determining any intersection threat, determining whether any sensed threat is imminent, activating the accident mitigation adviser, reducing engine torque while in the intersection, and actuating steering and brake control systems while in the intersection.
US08577549B2
An information display system for a vehicle includes a display screen disposed within an interior cabin of a vehicle and a rearward facing camera of the vehicle. The display screen displays video images captured by the rearward facing camera for assisting the driver during a reversing maneuver. When the equipped vehicle is not executing a reversing maneuver, the information display screen is operable to display information or instructions. The information/instructions may include at least one of (a) at least one instruction pertaining to how to service an accessory of the vehicle to remediate a fault condition, (b) a video clip pertaining to how to service an accessory of the vehicle to remediate a fault condition, (c) at least one instruction pertaining to how to operate an accessory of the vehicle and (d) a video clip pertaining to how to operate an accessory of the vehicle.
US08577543B2
A vehicle communication system includes a control unit in a vehicle, a vehicle data bus operable to transmit vehicle data to the control unit, and a mobile communication device having data network access. The mobile device has a self-contained mode in which the mobile communication device processes and displays the network data received via the data network and in which the control unit transmits the vehicle data to the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device also has an immersive mode in which the control unit processes the network data received via the data network and in which the control unit converts the vehicle data to audible speech and plays the audible speech in the vehicle.
US08577540B2
A method for detecting a tire having a decreased internal pressure by making a relative comparison of wheel speeds of tires. The method includes a step of detecting wheel rotation information of the respective tires of the vehicle; a step of calculating wheel speeds based on the detected wheel rotation information; a step of calculating a decreased pressure determination value; and a step of determining a tire having a decreased internal pressure. The method further comprises a step of setting a threshold value, in which the predetermined threshold value is set based on a decreased pressure sensitivity calculated from a relation between a load sensitivity and a decreased pressure sensitivity during vehicle turning with regard to tires that is calculated in advance and a load sensitivity obtained through a turning running during initialization.
US08577530B2
Operating a mining truck includes receiving data indicative of a prospective directional change in an on-trolley availability corridor, and outputting a control command to a steering mechanism of the mining truck responsive to the data. The mining truck is steered responsive to the control command from a first heading accordant with a first part of the corridor toward a second heading accordant with a succeeding part of the corridor. A related mining truck and steering system are disclosed.
US08577527B2
A drive control device which estimates an engine torque during traveling in a fixed gear ratio mode is disclosed. The drive control device includes the engagement mechanism including the revolution component revolved by the torque of the engine and the fixed component that engages with the revolution component, the torque applying unit which applies torque to the revolution component and the first transmitting control unit which engages the engagement mechanism to make the engagement mechanism receive the reaction force of the torque. The torque estimating control unit executes control of torque applied to the revolution component by the torque applying unit during executing the control by the first transmitting control unit to detect the phase change between the revolution component and the fixed component and estimates the torque of the engine based on the phase change and torque applied by the torque applying unit.
US08577525B2
A digital mapping display and related system for fishing, and other applications.
US08577520B1
Altitude control of a toy flying vehicle intended for indoor hovering flight comprises providing a selected altitude level for the vehicle. A position control signal is transmitted from the vehicle towards a surface. A receiver in the vehicle receives the signal reflected from the surface. A level of the reflected signal by the receiver is determined, and a change of the reflected signal is an indicator of a change of altitude of the vehicle relative to the selected altitude level. The vehicle receiver communicates with the remote controller, and the remote controller can adjust and control speed and direction of the vehicle.
US08577515B2
A driving assisting system for a vehicle comprises a side obstacle detector configured to detect an obstacle present in an obstacle detection area; an obstacle approach prevention controller configured to implement an obstacle approach prevention control which assists an approach prevention for preventing the vehicle from approaching an obstacle detected by the side obstacle detector; an overtaking state detector configured to detect an overtaking state which is at least one of a first state where the vehicle is overtaking the obstacle detected by the side obstacle detector and a second state where the vehicle is estimated to overtake the obstacle. The overtaking state detector is configured to detect the overtaking state based at least on (i) a distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, (ii) a speed of the vehicle relative to the obstacle, and (iii) a detection angle of the obstacle relative to the vehicle.
US08577514B2
A method for predicting an ambient temperature around a moving motor vehicle includes utilizing measured ambient temperatures and Newton's Cooling Law. A linear best fit line describing the time constant as a function of vehicle speed can be generated utilizing measured data. In use, the b values can be determined from the best fit line, and the b values can be utilized to provide a predicted or estimated ambient temperature before the measured temperatures drop to the ambient temperature.
US08577512B2
An energy supply system comprises an energy supply device (1a) for supplying at least one of electric power and heat, and a controller (6) configured to set first maximum operation time which is an upper limit value of operation time of the energy supply device in a first specified period shorter than a guaranteed operation period of the energy supply device such that operation time of the energy supply device does not reach operation time life before the guaranteed operation period lapses, and calculate and set second maximum operation time which is an upper limit value of the operation time of the energy supply device in a second specified period shorter than the first specified period based on the set first maximum operation time such that the operation time of the energy supply device within the first specified period does not exceed the first maximum operation time.
US08577510B2
A voltage control and conservation (VCC) system is provided, which includes three subsystems, including an energy delivery (ED) system, an energy control (EC) system and an energy regulation (ER) system. The VCC system is configured to monitor energy usage at the ED system and determine one or more energy delivery parameters at the EC system. The EC system may then provide the one or more energy delivery parameters to the ER system to adjust the energy delivered to a plurality of users for maximum energy conservation.
US08577503B2
A fuel processing apparatus includes a reformer, raw material supply section, moisture supply section, heating section, reforming temperature detection section, shift converter, shift temperature detection section, and control section. When the apparatus is booted, the control section activates the raw material supply section to begin supplying a raw material to the reformer, and activates the heating section to begin supplying heat to the reforming catalyst. Thereafter, when the reforming temperature detection section detects a temperature equal to or greater than a reforming water supply reference temperature, the control section operates the moisture supply section to supply moisture to the reformer, and while the reforming temperature detection section detects a temperature equal to or greater than the reforming water supply reference temperature, determines an amount of moisture to be supplied to the reformer and controls the moisture supply section, based on the temperature detected by the shift temperature detection section.
US08577502B2
A processing apparatus is provided for enhancing throughput in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers and/or liquid crystal substrates, by reducing the time required for performing a rinsing process. A position of an object to be processed is controlled, such that a distance between the surface position of a rinsing liquid upon the rinsing process and a top end position of the object to be processed becomes shorter than a distance between the surface position of a chemical liquid upon a chemical liquid process and the top end position of the object to be processed. Alternatively, the position of the object to be processed is controlled, such that the distance between the surface position of the rinsing liquid upon the rinsing process and the top end position of the object to be processed becomes shorter than a distance between the bottom face position of the rinsing liquid and a bottom end position of the object to be processed.
US08577500B2
A robot apparatus includes: an image pickup device; a goal-image storing unit that stores, according to sensitivity represented by an amount of change of a pixel value at the time when a target aligned with a goal position on an image at a pixel level is displaced by a displacement amount at a sub-pixel level, goal image data in a state in which the target is arranged; and a target detecting unit that calculates a coincident evaluation value of the target on the basis of comparison of image data including the target and the goal image data stored by the goal-image storing unit and detects positional deviation of the target with respect to the goal position on the basis of the coincidence evaluation value.
US08577499B2
A device and method for optimizing a programmed movement path for an industrial robot holding a tool to carry out work along the path during a work cycle. The movement path includes information on positions and orientations for the tool at a plurality of target points on the movement path. The method includes for at least one of the target points: receiving a tolerance interval for the orientation of the tool in the target point, determining movements of the robot between the target point and one or more of the other target points on the path for a plurality of different tool orientations within the tolerance interval, selecting one of the different tool orientations as the tool orientation for the target point based on the determined movements of the robot and with regard to minimizing cycle time, and generating a robot program based on the selected orientation of the tool at the target point.
US08577487B2
A tool is provided to allow a user to customize the components of a vehicle instrument panel from an Internet-enabled Web site. A user can navigate to a Web site and select a vehicle for configuration. From the Web site, input may be obtained regarding the components and appearance of an instrument panel such as selecting particular types of components (e.g., display panels, gauges, etc.) and arranging where the selected components are to be located. The input generated by a user is translated into a build specification for assembling the instrument panel at the manufacturer. Accordingly, the system and method serve as an interface between the Web site that obtains user configuration data and a manufacturer's system that manages assembly of the vehicle.
US08577486B2
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with contextualizing energy consumption are described. One example method includes accessing stored energy consumption data and stored operation status data from production-related equipment; correlating the operation status data with the energy consumption data; and categorizing energy consumed by the production-related equipment as value-added or non-value-added based, at least in part, on the correlating of the operation status data with the energy consumption data. The example methods may also include determining an energy classification for an energy-consuming entity; identifying child entities of the energy-consuming entity; accessing energy consumption data for the energy-consuming entity and the child entities; aggregating the energy consumption data for the energy-consuming entity and the child entities; and classifying the aggregated energy consumption data with the energy classification for the energy-consuming entity.
US08577484B2
A media system includes a network implemented with a Web Service for Device (WSD) protocol for enabling interpretable device to device interaction, a plurality of media devices connectable to the network and configured to perform a plurality of media functions, each media device being configured to perform at least one of the plurality of media functions, and a media host connectable to the network and configured to at least partially control the plurality of media functions, wherein the media host is directly connectable to at least one of the plurality of media devices and comprises a media interface customizable depending on a connection type of the at least one media devices to be connected thereto.
US08577483B2
The invention relates to a method for decoding an audio signal, to allow an audio signal to be compressed and transferred more efficiently. The inventive method comprises steps of receiving an audio signal with spatial information signal, obtaining location information using the number of time slot and parameter of audio signal, establishing a multi-channel audio signal by applying spatial information signal to down-mix signal, and performing a multi-channel array for a multi-channel audio signal in response to the output channel.
US08577480B2
Described are computer-implemented methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for estimating an optimal value for each input factor of a design space. The design space is defined by the input factors and output responses for a physical process. The optimal values for the input factors represent a starting point for estimating the design space. Data is received for the input factors, the output responses and criteria. An initial design space is estimated based on the received data. The optimal values for the input factors are determined from the initial design space.
US08577477B2
An endotracheal tube usable for intraopertive monitoring of the laryngeal nerve. The endotracheal tube includes at least one electrical contact that is movable along and about an exterior sidewall of the endotracheal tube and connected to the exterior sidewall by a connector when the electrode is placed in a position to optimize the conductivity between the nerve being monitored and the electrical contact. The electrical contact may be connected using a locking tube, tape, adhesive, etc.
US08577472B2
Devices and methods are disclosed that include an external unit comprising at least one processor. The processor may be configured to receive a signal indicative of tongue movement in a subject from an implant unit implanted in the subject, determine whether the tongue movement is representative of sleep disordered breathing, generate a modulation control signal to correct the sleep disordered breathing when the at least one processor determines an occurrence of sleep disordered breathing.
US08577465B2
An implant unit according to some embodiments may include a flexible carrier, at least one pair of modulation electrodes on the flexible carrier, and at least one implantable circuit in electrical communication with the at least one pair of modulation electrodes. The at least one pair of modulation electrodes and the at least one circuit may be configured for implantation through derma on an underside of a subject's chin and for location proximate to terminal fibers of the medial branch of the subject's hypoglossal nerve, such that an electric field extending from the at least one pair of modulation electrodes can modulate one or more of the terminal fibers of the medial branch of the hypoglossal nerve.
US08577462B2
A package in which a medical device is stored, the package comprising an outer shell providing a vapor barrier, a medical device positioned in the interior space inside the outer shell, the medical device including a liquid-containing element that is subject to drying out, a condition sensor comprising two metallic elements and a conductive water-containing element, each of the two metallic elements being composed of different metals, with each of the different metals selected so that the two metallic elements form an anode and a cathode of an electrochemical cell, so that the water-containing element forms the electrolyte of the electrochemical cell, and the voltage of the cell provides an indication the conductive water-containing element of the medical device has dried out.
US08577461B2
A device for altering cardiac performance includes an energy absorbing element which absorbs cardiac pumping energy from at least a portion of the heart. The energy may be delivered to another part of the body, such as another portion of the heart, to perform useful work such as providing blood pumping assistance.
US08577459B2
A method for estimating capacity of a battery in an implantable medical device includes obtaining a characteristic curve of voltage versus resistance for the battery, periodically determining voltage and resistance of the battery, and comparing the resistance with a third derivative function of the characteristic curve, the third derivative function having roots representing near depletion of the battery and end of service of the battery, respectively. Remaining time of service of the battery can also be determined by comparing the resistance value with a curve of battery capacity versus resistance for the battery.
US08577456B2
An autonomic status indicator representative of a sympathetic/parasympathetic balance of a subject can use atrioventricular (AV) delays measured during recovery from (or in response to) elevated atrial pacing while the subject is at rest.
US08577453B1
A header block is configured to be attachable to an implantable medical device. The header block includes a header block body and a connection port disposed in the header block body configured to receive an implantable lead. A conductor is disposed in the header block body electrically coupled to the connection port at a first end and connectable at a second end to the implantable medical device. An impeding device is electrically coupled in series along the length of the conductor and disposed within the header block body. The impeding device is configured to raise the high-frequency impedance of the conductor. The impeding device may include a bandstop filter or an L-C tank circuit.
US08577448B2
A computer-based detection method employable with a sleeping subject for aiding in the differential-character diagnosis and treatments of apneic events includes gathering heart-sound data, including S1 data and S2 data. A combined time-frequency-intensity (TFI) analysis, of the gathered data is performed, in a continuous manner, over a selected time period. Based on the performing and the performed TFI analysis, an output is produced which is indicative of the presence and character of any detected apneic event.
US08577443B2
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a first data acquisition unit, a second data acquisition unit and an image data generating unit. The first data acquisition unit acquires first data from a slice to be a target after a first delay time from a reference of a first heart rate synchronized with an electrocardiogram. The second data acquisition unit acquires second data from the slice after a second delay time from a reference of a second heart rate which is different from the first heart rate. The image data generating unit generates image data with image reconstruction processing using the first data and the second data.
US08577439B2
A system for positioning electrodes on a patient body includes an image capturing system, a memory device, a processing system and an indicator system. The image capturing system generates an actual image of the patient body. The memory device stores a reference image, the reference image including a reference body and a reference position on the reference body. The processing system compares the actual image and the reference image and for determining an electrode position on the patient body by matching the reference position on the reference body. The indicator system indicates the electrode position on the patient body.
US08577438B2
The invention relates to a sensor for in vivo measurements comprising a planar substrate, and a sensor shaft bearing several electrodes, and a sensor head for connecting the sensor, wherein the sensor head has metal surfaces as contact fields for contact making, which are connected to the electrodes by way of conductor paths. The sensor head protrudes laterally to the sensor shaft so that the contact fields are arranged laterally from the sensor shaft, whereas the conductor paths extend in parallel on the sensor head transversely to the longitudinal direction of the sensor shaft. Also disclosed is a system having a sensor as just described and a suitable plug connector therefor.
US08577435B2
The present disclosure relates to sensors for use on a patient's ear. The sensors as provided may be disposable and configured to be retained on an ear with a biasing mechanism. In particular embodiments, the biasing mechanism is a sliding clip that is configured to bias a first portion and a second portion of a sensor body towards one another.
US08577434B2
An emitter device may include at least two emitters, such as LEDs. The coaxially disposed emitters may emit light in substantially the same area so that no apparent distance is perceived between individual emitters, as in emitter devices in which the emitters are disposed adjacent one another. The coaxially disposed emitters may include emitters suitable for pulse oximetry and/or water fraction measurements, for example.
US08577432B2
The invention relates to statistical methods for fitting a mathematical model of the interaction of signals, such as optical signals, with tissue to detected signals or data related to the interaction. In particular it relates to statistical methods for fitting a mathematical model of the interaction of optical signals with tissue to actual signals, such as interferometric signals related to data optical scattering in tissue and their relationship to glucose concentration. It also relates to statistical methods for fitting a mathematical model of the interaction of optical signals with tissue to data such as the spectral distribution values of optical signals absorbed or scattered by tissue and their relationship to glucose concentration. The invention provides a practical non-invasive glucose measurement method and system. The invention also provides a measurement method and system that performs well in low signal-to-noise environments.
US08577419B2
Disclosed is a method for displaying a background screen in a mobile terminal, the method including the steps of resizing other background screens, except for a current background screen currently being displayed, among a plurality of background screens to a predefined display size when a predefined key is input, and displaying the resized background screens in predefined regions, respectively, within a display area in which the current background screen is displayed.
US08577417B2
A method of operating an electronic device includes displaying a search field in a menu screen including a plurality of icons representing respective application programs. Selection of at least one of the plurality of icons is visually indicated responsive to navigation of the menu screen. A search scope is limited to at least one database associated with at least one application program represented by the selected at least one of the plurality of icons. The at least one database is searched using the limited search scope responsive to entry of a search string including one or more alphanumeric characters in the search field. If found in the at least one database, at least one search result including the search string is displayed. Related devices and computer program products are also discussed.
US08577412B1
A grip attachment for an electronic device for grasping and controlling a camera of the electronic device with one hand. The grip attachment includes a main body and a retractable enlarged grip extension attached to a first end of the main body. The main body is attached to the electronic device. The enlarged grip extension is sized and shaped to enable a user's hand to hold the grip extension and attached electronic device with one hand. The retractable enlarged grip extension includes a flexible grip segment which lies flat in a retracted position and forms an enlarged grip in a deployed position. The main body includes a connector for interfacing with a connector of the electronic device. The grip extension also includes an external control located on an outer surface of the grip attachment for activating a camera control of the electronic device.
US08577394B2
A security management system is provided. The security management system includes a storage unit and at least one processor. The storage unit stores a restricting table which records relationships between positional information of a mobile device and functions of the mobile device. The at least one processor includes an information module, a restricting module and a disabling module. The information module provides positional information of the mobile device. The restricting module generates a restricting instruction according to the provided positional information of the mobile device and the restricting table. The disabling module disables the corresponding functions of the mobile device according to the generated restricting instruction.
US08577392B1
One or more relay servers can access first data received from one or more first devices (e.g., a phone, tablet computer, vehicle tracking device, or badge reader). The one or more relay servers can aggregate the data and infer a location of a person. The one or more relay servers can transmit second signals including second data to one or more second devices (e.g., lighting systems, security systems, garage-door openers, music controllers, climate controllers, or kitchen appliances), the second data being based at least in part on the estimated location. The second-signal transmission can be pushed to the second devices or pulled by the second devices. Operations of the second devices can be controlled at least in part on the second data.
US08577390B2
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for dynamic route estimation and prediction using discrete sampled location updates from various mobile devices for the purpose of providing a graphical representation of a mobile device's route along a known network path of map data. The embodiments also provide supplemental route metrics, such as traveled distance, elapsed time, etc., and the capability to assign destination points for the purpose of providing the ability to modify location update points in an application, such as a route planner, and/or to store the dynamically generated route based on various preferences for later retrieval.
US08577389B2
Embodiments analyze crowd-sourced data to identify a moved or moving beacon. The crowd-sourced data involving a particular beacon is filtered based on a cluster start time associated with the beacon. A clustering analysis groups the filtered crowd-sourced data for the beacon into a plurality of clusters based on spatial distance. Timestamps associated with the crowd-sourced data in the clusters are compared to select one of the clusters. The crowd-sourced data associated with the selected cluster is used to determine position information for the moved beacon. The cluster start time for the beacon is adjusted based on the earliest timestamp associated with the positioned observations corresponding to the selected cluster. Adjusting the cluster start time removes from a subsequent analysis the positioned observations associated with one or more prior positions of the beacon.
US08577385B2
A group transfer function (GTF) receives a plurality of inputs and media for delivery to a plurality of mobile devices. The mobile devices are served by a plurality of cells potentially having a plurality of different radio access technologies such that each mobile device is wirelessly connected to one of the cells. The GTF applies policy rules to the inputs to determine, for each mobile device, content delivery using point-to-multipoint or point-to-point media transport based on the capabilities of the servicing cell. The GTF initiates an allocation of a set of resources in each cell to transport the media to each mobile device in the group using the determined media transport for that mobile device. Media is then replicated by the GTF for delivery to the mobile devices over the allocated resources.
US08577375B2
An improved handover method and apparatus for an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology-enabled multi-mode mobile station is provided. A handover method of the present invention includes determining a handover during an active call session with an unlicensed wireless access network; sending a handover request message to the unlicensed wireless access network; and re-establishing, if no replay is received from the unlicensed wireless access network in a predetermined time in response to the handover request message, a connection to a licensed wireless access network for the active call session.
US08577373B2
A technology is disclosed that provides a handover destination specification system and the like capable of reducing signaling load and shortening handover processing time. According to the technology, the handover destination specification system is configured by: a mobile terminal that measures a reception quality of each cell indicating an accessible range formed by a plurality of base stations capable of being connection targets of the mobile terminal, and when the measured reception quality satisfies a predetermined condition, transmits to a connection base station, a first message including identification information of the cell that satisfies the predetermined condition and information on the reception quality of the cell; and the connection base station that transmits to the mobile terminal, a second message including information for detecting unique global identification information of the cell of which the reception quality has been measured, based on the first message. The mobile terminal detects the global identification information of the cell of which the reception quality has been measured based on the second message, checks access permission for the detected cell, and when access permission is confirmed, transmits to the connection base station, a third message including the global identification information of the cell for which access permission is granted.
US08577367B2
The cellular telephone device includes a reporting unit and a synchronization unit. In a case in which a communication request occurs in a 3G system in a state where the location registration is performed in an LTE system, the reporting unit reports the communication request, together with data for identifying the 3G system, to the LTE system. The synchronization unit receives synchronization information of a communication channel in the 3G system identified by the LTE system based on such data reported from the reporting unit, and establishes synchronization with the communication channel.
US08577364B2
A communications network administers intelligent roaming capabilities and features in a mobile station. The network includes a central database to store intelligent roaming information corresponding to respective service providers; and a service database to store and forward information corresponding to the intelligent roaming information to be programmed into the mobile station, which information is updated periodically by the central database. The mobile station is connected to a mobile coverage area based on the forwarded information.
US08577359B2
A system for autonomously monitoring and managing consumer device assets includes a plurality of consumer device assets registered with a remote computer server platform. The remote computer server platform is configured to execute software applications for monitoring and managing the consumer device assets. The consumer device assets communicate operational status information and consumer usage information to the remote computer server platform automatically as a result of pre-programmed conditions and/or instructions received from the remote computer server platform. The remote computer server platform monitors the consumer device assets by processing the operational status information and consumer usage information automatically according to preprogrammed conditions. Based upon the results of processing at least some of the received consumer usage information, the remote computer server platform manages the consumer device assets by communicating management instructions that cause the stored data content files of one or more assets to be automatically modified.
US08577358B2
A system for autonomously monitoring and managing consumer device assets includes a plurality of consumer device assets registered with a remote computer server platform. The remote computer server platform is configured to execute software applications for monitoring and managing the consumer device assets. The consumer device assets communicate operational status information and consumer usage information to the remote computer server platform automatically as a result of pre-programmed conditions and/or instructions received from the remote computer server platform. The remote computer server platform monitors the consumer device assets by processing the operational status information and consumer usage information automatically according to preprogrammed conditions. Based upon the results of processing at least some of the received consumer usage information, the remote computer server platform manages the consumer device assets by communicating management instructions that cause the stored data content files of one or more assets to be automatically modified.
US08577355B1
A device may receive a peer-to-peer communication, receive a capability of a second device associated with the peer-to-peer communication, and provide instructions to adjust a peer-to-peer communication based on the capability of the device.
US08577354B2
A method for automating actions within a network includes receiving at least one wireless signal from at least one wireless network device; determining identifying information associated with the at least one wireless signal; determining a scanned wireless fingerprint associated based upon the identifying information; matching the scanned wireless fingerprint to a stored wireless fingerprint; and initiating an action in response to matching of the scanned wireless fingerprint to the stored wireless fingerprint.
US08577349B2
The invention relates to a method of decoding at least one image of a physical object as an action executable by a mobile terminal. According to the invention, such a method comprises the following steps: establishment of a bidirectional communication between said terminal and a translation server, said establishment step comprising the following substeps: capture of said image or images of said physical object by said terminal; transmission, from said terminal to said translation server, of said image or images captured; reception, by said terminal, of at least one item of information representative of an action executable by said terminal, termed the action information, and corresponding to a decoding, by said translation server, of said image or images transmitted.
US08577343B2
An embodiment is a technique for inhibiting unintended outgoing communication. A cost calculator calculates a cost value of an outgoing communication as a function of a plurality of parameters related to at least one of a voice parameter, an ambient parameter, a proximity parameter, a speech pattern parameter, a call parameter, and a noise parameter. A call suppressor suppresses the outgoing communication when the cost value exceeds a predetermined threshold.
US08577342B2
One of the different objects of the present invention is The method for acquiring system information by a mobile station in a mobile radiocommunication system, including a step of: acquiring part of system information on or after access to the network for establishing or re-establishing a radio connection.
US08577337B2
A multi-use embedded universal integrated circuit card contains more than one active MNO (mobile network operator) profile. The example card may include a time manager and a radio resource schedule for managing access to a radio within a wireless device. The time manager enables one of the active MNO profiles at a time in accordance with the radio resource schedule, effectively allocating respective time slices to applications associated with each of the active MNO profiles.
US08577328B2
Master Street Address Guide (MSAG)-validated street address data is correlated with real-world geographic (e.g., latitude/longitude) data. Conventional MSAG-validated street address data is processed, or geocoded, into an additional (or integrated) database that associates latitude/longitude information with a particular entry in the existing MSAG-validated database. The association of the lat/lon data may be direct, or indirect using link ID or other unique tags indicating a particular entry in the MSAG-validated database. The geocoding need be performed only once by a service provider, e.g., as part of the deployment of an emergency service system. In this way, the closest public service answering point (PSAP) to a given latitude/longitude position of a wireless or VoIP device may be determined quickly, providing emergency services with the smallest possible reliable response time.
US08577323B2
A receiver circuit includes a quadrature passive mixer, a first charge load, and a second charge load. The quadrature passive mixer has a differential input for receiving a differential input signal, and arranged for mixing the differential input signal with a quadrature local oscillator (LO) signal. The quadrature passive mixer has an in-phase mixer with a differential in-phase output, and a quadrature-phase mixer with a differential quadrature-phase output. The first and second charge loads are coupled to differential in-phase output and differential quadrature-phase output, respectively. In every quarter cycle of the quadrature LO signal, the differential in-phase output and the differential quadrature-phase output are arranged to be not shorted so as to avoid charging sharing between the first charge load and the second charge load, or are arranged to be shorted to cause charging sharing between the first charge load and the second charge load that generates a leakage path.
US08577319B2
An automatic gain control loop disposed in a receiver is adapted to compensate for varying levels of out of band interference sources by adaptively controlling the gain distribution throughout the receive signal path. One or more intermediate received signal strength indicator (RSSI) detectors are used to determine a corresponding intermediate signal level. The output of each RSSI detector is coupled to an associated comparator that compares the intermediate RSSI value against a corresponding threshold. The take over point (TOP) for gain stages is adjusted based in part on the comparator output values. The TOP for each of a plurality of gain stages may be adjusted in discrete steps or continuously.
US08577310B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating a multi-output wireless transmitter includes determining a precoded data stream based on input data, where the determining includes determining a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of a plurality of receivers, determining a channel gain to each of the plurality of receivers, and maximizing a sum of utility functions, wherein each utility function is proportional to the SINR of each of the plurality of receivers at low SINR values and asymptotically approaches a constant value at high SINR values. The precoded data stream is transmitted on the multi-output wireless transmitter.
US08577309B2
A downstream adaptive modulation system and method. The downstream adaptive modulation system comprises a wireless access termination system and one or more wireless modems. The wireless access termination system includes a plurality of queues and a parser. The parser parses data traffic onto the plurality of queues. Each queue is associated with a different coding and modulation scheme. Each of the one or more wireless modems receives data traffic from the plurality of queues based on the wireless modem's ability to demodulate and decode the signal from each of the plurality of queues. When a wireless modem experiences a change in signal strength, the present invention enables the wireless modem to adapt to data from other queues to compensate for the change in signal strength. Thus, if the signal strength improves over a period of time, the wireless modem may receive data at a higher order modulation and FEC code rate. If the signal strength weakens over a period of time, the wireless modem may receive data at a lower order modulation and FEC code rate.
US08577305B1
Embodiments of the present invention may be used to generate oscillating signals. One embodiment of the present invention includes a circuit that receives a differential signal to be divided. The circuit converts the differential signal into an injection signal. The injection signal is coupled to an oscillator, and the oscillator generates an output signal having a frequency that is a fraction of the frequency of the differential input signal. In another embodiment, the present invention includes a MIMO wireless communication system. The MIMO system may use the divider circuit to divide a local oscillator signal with reduced common mode distortion.
US08577294B2
A user configurable security profile defining relationships between a plurality of communications devices is utilized to secure a communications device in response to an occurrence of an event. In an example embodiment, the devices are linked together using a short range wireless communications protocol. If one of the devices becomes disconnected from the link, another device determines what actions to take based on the profile and the specific actions associated with the disconnected device. A device can be unlocked by providing a code, PIN, password, or the like. A legitimate disconnection from the link, such as turning a device off, or the battery dying, will not result in the remaining devices being locked. If a device is stolen and not recovered, the user can reconfigure the security profile to exclude the stolen device.
US08577293B2
A communication apparatus includes a short-range communication unit that receives an inquiry signal from a short-range external communication apparatus and transmits a response signal in response to the inquiry signal. The communication apparatus also includes a long-range communication unit that communicates in a range wider than a communication area of the short-range communication unit. Further, the communication apparatus includes a session key generation unit that generates a session key, and an encrypting unit that encrypts the session key. The communication apparatus uses an encryption key transmitted from an external communication apparatus to encrypt the session key into an encrypted session key, transmits the encrypted session key to the external communication apparatus, and receives from the external communication apparatus a request signal to request a long-range communication, with the session key, by the long-range communication unit by using the short-range communication unit.
US08577292B2
A “bump” occurs when two devices at the same place at the same time indicate their intention to establish a connection for transferring information. A process for validating bumps is described.
US08577278B2
When an image is formed on a second side of a sheet, the image forming position is adjusted on the basis of a value calculated using the amount αn of lateral registration deviation detected before forming an image on the first side and the amount γn-1, of lateral registration deviation of the previous sheet on which image formation is performed. Thus, it is possible to adjust the positions of irradiation of laser light to the photosensitive drums and to start forming the second-side images as soon as the first-side images have been primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt.
US08577271B2
A belt-roll fuser stripping system has a stripping shoe and a stripping shim. The shim is support by a support member. The support member supports the shim to maintain a desired nip pressure profile, and reduce deformation and wear of the shim and belt-roll fuser components.
US08577270B2
A fusing device includes a rotary fusing part; a heating unit heating the rotary fusing part; a rotary pressure part pressed against the rotary fusing part; nozzles jetting compressed air to paper being conveyed through a nip between the rotary fusing part and the rotary pressure part; and separating parts guiding the paper separated from the rotary fusing part. The nozzles and the separating parts are disposed downstream of the nip in a paper conveying direction so as not to contact the rotary fusing part and the rotary pressure part and are arranged alternately along the length direction of the nip that is orthogonal to the paper conveying direction. The separating parts protrude beyond the tips of the nozzles toward the nip.
US08577268B2
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member; a conveying member; a transfer means; an attraction means, which is disposed upstream of the transfer means in a conveying direction of the transfer material, for attracting the transfer material onto the conveying member; and a winding means, which is disposed downstream of the transfer means in the conveying direction of the transfer material, for winding the conveying member, wherein a contact amount between the conveying member and the winding means corresponding to a first region where a width of the attraction means pressing the conveying member in the conveying direction is smaller than the contact amount between the conveying member and the winding means corresponding to a second region in which a width of the attraction means which presses the conveying member in the conveying direction that is smaller than the first width.
US08577263B2
A developing device includes a developing unit having a developing frame defining therein a developing chamber and a developing roller rotatably disposed in the developing chamber, and a developing agent unit including a developing agent container that accommodates therein a developing agent, and an agitator disposed in the developing agent container and rotatable about a rotation axis in a rotational direction to agitate the developing agent. The developing agent container includes an arcuate bottom wall whose center of radius of a curvature is coincident with the rotation axis, and an arcuate protruding wall protruding from the bottom wall toward the developing chamber and positioned downstream of the bottom wall in the rotational direction. The protruding wall is formed with an opening providing a fluid communication between an interior of the developing agent container and the developing chamber. The opening has a downstream end in the rotational direction in an operational state. The bottom wall and the protruding wall have inner surfaces extending diagonally upward from a lowermost point of the bottom wall to the downstream end in the operational state.
US08577256B2
An electrostatic image developing carrier includes a ferrite particle that contains magnesium element in an amount of about 3.0 wt % or more and about 10.0 wt % or less and manganese element in an amount of about 0.2 wt % or more and less than about. 1.0 wt %; and a resin layer that covers the ferrite particle.
US08577253B2
An image forming apparatus may include a removable/attachable belt unit. In operation, the belt unit may be secured to a main body of the image forming apparatus using a lock mechanism to prevent extraneous or unexpected shifts and/or other movements. The lock mechanism may be located closer to a rotation pivot than to a midpoint between the rotation pivot and a rotation axis of a driven roller. This positioning of the lock mechanism may allow easier attachment and removal of the belt unit. Additionally, the lock mechanism may include an urging member configured to sandwich a protruding member of the belt unit against a contact surface in a front-rear direction. This reduces the potential for elastic or creep deformation of the belt unit.
US08577247B2
A discharger includes a discharger main body that is adapted to be attached to and detached from a holding member of an image forming apparatus, a first electrode member that is formed of a wire rod, a second electrode member, a voltage for discharge being applied between the first and second electrode members, an electrode cleaning member that cleans the first electrode member, a detected portion that is integrally disposed to the electrode cleaning member, a detecting member that detects the detected portion while the electrode cleaning member is in a predetermined reference position, a cleaning member conveyer that conveys the electrode cleaning member in both directions which toward and away from the reference position, and a movement control unit that controls a movement of the cleaning member conveyer by the conveyer.
US08577242B2
An image forming apparatus includes a fuser unit configured to make an image fused to a recording medium, a selecting unit configured to select a duplex scanning mode or a single-side scanning mode, a check unit configured to determine which one of the duplex scanning mode and the single-side scanning mode is selected, a duplex scanning unit configured to perform a scan when both sides of a document sheet are scanned upon the duplex scanning mode being selected, a setting unit configured to determine power supplied to the fuser unit upon determining, by the check unit, that the single-side scanning mode is selected, and a supply unit configured to supply the determined power to the fuser unit, wherein the determined power is equal to a sum of power consumed by the duplex scanning unit and power that is consumed by the fuser unit upon the duplex scanning mode being selected.
US08577241B2
An image forming apparatus which is capable of reducing the number of times a second member is separated from a first member upon entry into power-save mode, thereby minimizing failures of a separation unit. A pressure-roller separating mechanism is provided so as to abut and separate a pressure roller and a fixing roller against/from each other. The image forming apparatus is controlled to change to a power-save mode in which power consumption of the image forming apparatus is reduced. The pressure-roller separating mechanism is controlled to separate the pressure roller and the fixing roller from each other in the power-save mode based on a measurement result measured by a timer, and the power-save mode is maintained after the pressure roller and the fixing roller are separated from each other.
US08577234B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a medium transport path which a medium is transported through; an image forming unit configured to form a developer image on the medium transported through the medium transport path; a fusing unit configured to fix the developer image formed on the medium to the medium; a temperature detecting unit configured to detect temperature in the image forming apparatus; and a controller operable to temporarily stop the transport of the medium in the medium transport path when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.
US08577228B2
An information storage device installed in a removable device configured to be removably installed in an image forming apparatus body, includes: an information storage unit that stores information communicated between the image forming apparatus body and the removable device; a terminal that comes in contact with a body side terminal; and a substrate that holds the information storage unit and the terminal and includes a hole configured to be engaged with a protruding section installed in the image forming apparatus body. The terminal includes a plurality of terminals each including one of a plurality of metallic plates arranged in a transverse direction thereof. An earth terminal, which comes in contact with a body side earth terminal formed in the protruding section, is formed in the hole. The hole is disposed at a position sandwiched between two metallic plates among the plurality of metallic plates.
US08577222B2
The present invention relates to an optical relay system for transmitting multi-band frequency signals with limited bands by using optical lines. According to the present invention, a plurality of band-limited signals are band-combined into one signal by using a combiner, and the signals are transmitted through multiple outputs by using a distributor, and thus a multi-stage filter is not necessary. In addition, the present invention is capable of effectively solving various problems such as damage to the original signals caused by the band combination of the multi-stage filter, and there is no need to precisely connect each of the band-limited signals to the determined ports of the combiner and the signals can be connected to random ports, thereby improving convenience of use.
US08577221B2
The invention provides an optical burst switch in an Optical Burst Switched (OBS) communication network, said optical burst switch comprising means for monitoring and maintaining mesh of virtual optical paths from a communication node to a plurality of other communication nodes, arranged in a ring network, enabling traffic data to be transmitted and/or received between nodes via a physical optical path. The switch also provides means for sending a data packet probe on a virtual path from a node to each other node in the OBS communication network, wherein data packet probe information received at said switch provides information of availability of the physical optical path for sending traffic data between nodes. The switch can be configured such that the rate at which this path monitoring is scheduled guaranteeing less than 50 ms protection switch in the event of monitoring a failed or degraded path.
US08577218B2
An illumination device contains a light-emitting semiconductor chip containing a plurality of individually drivable emission regions. The illumination device furthermore contains an optical element designed to shape light emitted by the emission regions to form a beam of rays. The illumination device is designed such that different beam profiles of the beam of rays can be set by the individually drivable emission regions.
US08577217B2
A tilt preventing structure for electromagnetic driving device comprises: a casing, a driven object (such as lens module), a guiding mechanism and an electromagnetic driving module. The driven object is received within the casing and is movable along an axial direction. The guiding mechanism is furnished inside the casing and is sleeved with the driven object, so as to guide the driven object to move along the axial direction. The electromagnetic driving module comprises a plurality of magnetic elements mounted on the driven object. The guiding mechanism is made of magnetically susceptible material and is nearby one of the magnetic elements. By means of the magnetic pulling force generated by the nearby magnetic elements, the guiding mechanism is pulled by the force and leans against the driven object, so as to minimize the tilts when the driven object is moving relative to the guiding mechanism.
US08577215B2
An imaging apparatus for performing wireless communication with an external device. An instruction transmitting unit transmits an operation instruction to the external device. A response signal receiving unit receives a response signal from the external device. A first controlling unit starts a first operation relating to an imaging process in a case that a first time passes from a point of receiving the response signal by the response signal receiving unit. The external device executes a second operation relating to the imaging process in a case that a second time passes from a point of transmitting the response signal from the external device to the imaging apparatus.
US08577210B2
Method and information processing apparatus for generating an edited work including a subset of a plurality of scenes in an image material. The information processing apparatus includes a memory configured to store the image material including the plurality of scenes. The information processing apparatus further includes a processor configured to select, for an n-th scene of the edited work, a plurality of first candidate scenes from the plurality of scenes based on at least one feature of a preceding (n−1-th) scene of the edited work and features of the plurality of scenes. The processor is also configured to generate a graphical user interface including a scene selection area and a preview area. The scene selection area includes one or more first candidate images corresponding to at least one of the plurality of first candidate scenes, and the preview area includes a preview of the preceding (n−1-th) scene.
US08577208B2
A 3D decoding apparatus according to the present invention includes: a decoding unit which decodes left-eye and right-eye code signals to generate left-eye and right-eye decode signals; an error determining unit which determines an error of the left-eye and the right-eye code signals; an output determining unit which determines, when there is an error in one of the left-eye and the right-eye code signals, whether the one of the code signals that is determined as including an error has an error data mount equal to or greater than a first threshold; and an output unit which outputs neither the left-eye nor the right-eye code signal when the error data amount is smaller than the first threshold, and outputs only the decode signal obtained by decoding the other of the code signals when the error data amount is equal to or greater than the first threshold.
US08577195B2
Electronic devices are provided that communicate over cables and other communications paths that include optical and electrical paths. A cable may include wires for forming an electrical path and one or more optical fibers for forming an optical path. Connectors at one or both ends of the cable may include electrical contacts and an optical coupling structure associated with the optical path. Optical paths may be included in connectors such as tip-ring-sleeve connectors and connectors of other types. Interface circuitry may be included in a connector to convert between optical and electrical signaling schemes. Wavelength-division-multiplexing may be used to support bidirectional communications. Breakout boxes and other equipment may be connected using the cables. Digital signals such as digital noise cancellation signals may be conveyed over the optical paths. Power and other electrical signals may be conveyed over the electrical paths.
US08577180B2
According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus includes an image block generator, a pixel extractor, a correction parameter calculator and a corrector. The image block generator enlarges an image block including a plurality of pixels to generate an enlarged image block. The pixel extractor extracts a maximum pixel with a maximum pixel value and a minimum pixel with a minimum pixel value from the image block. The correction parameter calculator calculates a correction parameter including a first difference and a second difference. The first difference is an absolute value of a difference between a sample pixel value of a sample pixel to be corrected in the enlarged image block and the maximum pixel value. The second difference is an absolute value of a difference between the sample pixel value and the minimum pixel value. The corrector corrects the enlarged image block using the correction parameter.
US08577176B2
A position and orientation measuring apparatus calculates a difference between an image feature of a two-dimensional image of an object and a projected image of a three-dimensional model in a stored position and orientation of the object projected on the two-dimensional image. The position and orientation measuring apparatus further calculates a difference between three-dimensional coordinate information and a three-dimensional model in the stored position and orientation of the object. The position and orientation measuring apparatus then converts a dimension of the first difference and/or the second difference to cause the first difference and the second difference to have an equivalent dimension and corrects the stored position and orientation.
US08577170B2
A digital image is divided into patches of pixels, or “superpixels”, where each of the pixels in the patch has approximately the same color value and each of the patches is of approximately the same size. Subsequently, eigenvalues are generated for each patch based on the color values of the individual pixels in the patch, as expressed in a multidimensional color-space. A ratio between the first largest eigenvalue and the second largest eigenvalue for each patch is determined and is then, subsequently, normalized, either based on the intensity of the corresponding patch or normalized to a range between zero and one. The resulting values are compared to a threshold to identify those regions of the digital image that are deemed to be in shadow, thereby generating a shadow mask for the digital image, or are weighted to generate a shadow probability mask.
US08577168B2
A system and a method for deblocking a reconstructed/decoded picture in a scalable video encoding/decoding system is provided. Deblocking is accomplished by applying a filter to smooth pixel values adjacent to a boundary shared by two blocks. The type of the filter applied depends on quantization parameter (QP) values assigned to the two blocks. An enhancement layer (EL) block is assigned a QP value based on its coded information and the QP value of its corresponding base layer (BL) block(s).
US08577167B2
The invention discloses an image processing system and method thereof. The image processing system includes an local variance estimator, a noise detector, a spatial de-noise filter. The local variance estimator estimates each pixel of an input image signal to separately output a local variance value of each pixel, and generates a noise threshold according to the local variance values. The noise detector determines which pixel indicates noise or image according to the noise threshold. The spatial de-noise filter filers the pixel indicating noise to generate an output image signal.
US08577165B2
An image encoding apparatus is provided, including a lossless compression unit that performs lossless compression on deblocked data on a window basis during encoding of image data; a lossless compression controller that determines a relation between the deblocked data and the losslessly compressed deblocked data and determines a size of the window; a cache controller that selects losslessly compressed deblocked data corresponding to reference data used for motion compensation or motion estimation from the losslessly compressed deblocked data, based on the relation between the deblocked data and losslessly compressed deblocked data; a lossless compression reconstruction unit that decodes the selected losslessly compressed deblocked data to reconstruct the reference data; and a cache storage unit that stores the reconstructed reference data.
US08577160B2
In an image coding apparatus, a transformation unit acquires a transformation coefficient by executing frequency transformation to an image. An extraction unit extracts a plurality of bits each from the transformation coefficient. A coding unit executes variable-length coding to the plurality of bits including a most significant bit, and executes fixed-length coding to the plurality of bits including a least significant bit. In an image decoding apparatus, an extraction unit extracts a plurality of bits from a code string. A decoding unit executes variable-length decoding to the plurality of bits including a most significant bit, and executes fixed-length decoding to the plurality of bits including a least significant bit. A connection unit acquires a transformation coefficient by connecting the plurality of bits each decoded. An inverse transformation unit generates the image by executing frequency-inverse transformation to the transformation coefficient.
US08577150B2
In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, processing the image to generate intrinsic images including a material image and an illumination image, and detecting and removing specularity as a function of the intrinsic images.
US08577131B1
Systems and methods for improving visual object recognition by analyzing query images are disclosed. In one example, a visual object recognition module may determine query images matching objects of a training corpus utilized by the module. Matched query images may be added to the training corpus as training images of a matched object to expand the recognition of the object by the module. In another example, relevant candidate image corpora from a pool of image data may be automatically selected by matching the candidate image corpora against user query images. Selected image corpora may be added to a training corpus to improve recognition coverage. In yet another example, objects unknown to a visual object recognition module may be discovered by clustering query images. Clusters of similar query images may be annotated and added into a training corpus to improve recognition coverage.
US08577129B2
The present invention relates to methods and systems for conducting three-dimensional image analysis and diagnosis and possible treatment relating thereto. The invention includes methods of handling signals containing information (data) relating to three-dimensional representation of objects scanned by a scanning medium. The invention also includes methods of making and analyzing volumetric measurements and changes in volumetric measurements which can be used for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment.
US08577126B2
A method for facilitating cooperation between humans and remote vehicles comprises creating image data, detecting humans within the image data, extracting gesture information from the image data, mapping the gesture information to a remote vehicle behavior, and activating the remote vehicle behavior. Alternatively, voice commands can by used to activate the remote vehicle behavior.
US08577123B2
A method, system and a computer program product for evaluating contact elements, the method includes: acquiring images of multiple groups of contact elements, wherein each group of contact element was expected to be contacted during a test by the same group of probes so as to form multiple probe marks; and evaluating at least one characteristic of a first contact element in response to a comparison between a number of potential probe marks that appear in the image of a first contact element and a number of potential probe marks that appear in an image of a second contact element.
US08577115B2
A system and method of identifying anatomical structures in a patient. The method includes the acts of acquiring an image of the patient, the image including a set of image elements; segmenting the image to categorize each image elements according to its substance; computing the probability that the categorization of each image element is correct; resegmenting the image starting with image elements that have a high probability and progressing to image elements with lower probabilities; aligning at least one of the image elements with an anatomical atlas; and fitting the anatomical atlas to the segmented image.
US08577106B2
The invention relates to a fully automated screening, diagnosis and classification technique for Alzheimer's disease using magnetic resonance imaging signals from the ventricular zone contour of the brain to get a fundamental index of brain deterioration comprising the steps: —obtaining a gray scale MRI image of the brain region; —applying a contour edge-detecting algorithm to the image; —employing a grid covering method for calculating a first order metric index of ventricular zone contour; —superimposing metric square grids of increasing edge length to the binary contour image and counting the metric grid squares; —plotting the logs of metric grid squares against the logs of edge lengths, wherein the gradient of the plot is the linear topological metric index.
US08577101B2
This invention relates to a method of assessing the change in size of cancerous lesions in humans utilizing CT scans through the application of a boundary detection algorithm capable of detecting subtle changes in CT images. The change assessment method may include the steps for defining boundary regions on a CT scan image, analyzing said boundaries utilizing a computational program containing statistical analysis techniques, and producing a medically useful output showing any change in lesion size. The change assessment method may also be interfaced with other medical diagnostic techniques or devices that are known in the art.
US08577093B2
A system for multimodal biometric identification has a first imaging system that detects one or more subjects in a first field of view, including a targeted subject having a first biometric characteristic and a second biometric characteristic; a second imaging system that captures a first image of the first biometric characteristic according to first photons, where the first biometric characteristic is positioned in a second field of view smaller than the first field of view, and the first image includes first data for biometric identification; a third imaging system that captures a second image of the second biometric characteristic according to second photons, where the second biometric characteristic is positioned in a third field of view which is smaller than the first and second fields of view, and the second image includes second data for biometric identification. At least one active illumination source emits the second photons.
US08577092B2
Multimedia device, multiple image sensors having different types and method for controlling the same
A method for controlling a multimedia device, which uses a plurality of heterogeneous image sensors, comprises the steps of identifying at least one user located in the periphery of the multimedia device under the control of a first image sensor for extracting depth data and a second image sensor for extracting color data; accessing a memory that stores a preference channel per user; extracting information on the preference channel corresponding to the identified user, from the accessed memory; performing a control operation for switching to the preference channel based on the extracted information; and monitoring change of a user located in front of the multimedia device.
US08577085B2
A target tracking method includes modeling the target in a first frame with a first frame iteration of a machine-readable model and receiving an observed depth image of a second frame of a scene including the target. The first frame iteration of the machine-readable model is then adjusted into a second frame iteration of the machine-readable model based on the observed depth image of the second frame.
US08577079B2
A computer-implemented method of processing a selected image using multiple processing operations is provided. An image analysis sequence having multiple processing steps is constructed. The image analysis sequence is constructed in response to receipt of multiple processing operation selections. Individual processing steps in the image analysis sequence are associated with a processing operation that is indicated in a corresponding processing operation selection. The processing steps are arranged in response to receipt of arrangement information that relates to a selective arrangement of the processing steps. At least one of the processing steps in the image analysis sequence is configured such that the processing operation associated with the processing step processes a specified input image to generate an output image when the processing step is performed. A display signal is generated for display of the output image at a display device.
US08577076B2
A speaker device includes: an acoustic diaphragm having a given shape and made of a material having physical anisotropy; and an excitation means attached to the acoustic diaphragm for exciting vibration components in consideration of a direction corresponding to the physical anisotropy.
US08577070B2
A speaker with vibration absorbing function is disclosed in the present invention. The speaker is disposed on a boss of a casing. The speaker includes a sound box, and a supporting arm disposed on a lateral surface of the sound box. The supporting arm includes a bending portion. An end of the bending portion is connected to the sound box. The supporting arm further includes a hooking portion disposed on the other end of the bending portion for hooking the boss of the casing. Vibration generated from the sound box can decay by the bending portion, and is not transmitted to the boss via the hooking portion.
US08577068B2
The present invention relates to a pop-up tweeter. In particular, the pop-up tweeter includes a casing, a driving unit inserted into the inside of the casing. The driving unit is configured to be movable upward and downward within the casing along with a speaker. The pop-up tweeter is installed within a vehicle and is configured to have an opening and closing structure which advantageously improves user convenience and provides an external design of a speaker with increased merchantability.
US08577064B2
A stereo speaker sound capturing and guiding system. The system includes devices that connected on each one of the stereo speakers as a cap. The device covers the speaker cones in hermetic way that captures the sound of the specific speaker and don't let the sound mixed with the sound of the other speaker that located in the same closed box or very near to the first speaker. The sound in the cap device guided directly from the speaker through connector facility between the speakers and the user's ears—such as air tubes—and transmitted exclusively to the user's matched ear—the sound from the right speaker gets only to right ear and sound from the left speaker gets only to the left ear—as at least two independent audio channels.
US08577058B2
A display device and a method of driving the display, wherein the volume of background music is controlled depending upon the color or brightness of display images, and the power consumption is reduced. The display device includes a display unit with a plurality of pixels, a signal controller, and a volume controller. The display unit displays images by selectively activating pixels from among the plurality of pixels in accordance with input video signals and input image control signals. The signal controller reads the input video signals to generate on-pixel signals having information about the ratio of a number of the active pixels compared to a total number of pixels in the plurality of pixels per each frame. The volume controller determines a range from among predetermined ratio ranges corresponding to the ratio of the number of active pixels to define a plurality of volume levels, and determine the volume level corresponding to the on-pixel signal to control the volume according to the ratio corresponding to the determined volume level.
US08577057B2
A method of operating a microphone system includes providing first and second microphones associated with a same human speaker. An analog ambient noise signal is received from the first microphone. An analog speech signal is received from the second microphone. The analog ambient noise signal is converted into a digital ambient noise signal. The analog speech signal is converted into a digital speech signal. Digital noise cancellation is performed on the digital speech signal dependent upon the digital ambient noise signal. The digital noise cancellation is performed by digital circuitry. The noise canceled digital speech signal is inputted into an intercom system. A low power condition of the microphone system and/or a failure of the digital circuitry is sensed. In response to the sensing step, an analog-based intercom signal is inputted into the intercom system. The analog-based intercom signal is dependent on the analog speech signal and substantially independent of the analog ambient noise signal. The analog-based intercom signal is inputted into the intercom system without noise cancellation having been performed on the analog-based intercom signal.
US08577054B2
A signal processing apparatus includes a source separation module for producing respective separation signals corresponding to a plurality of sound sources by applying an ICA (Independent Component Analysis) to observation signals produced based on mixture signals from the sound sources, which are taken by source separation microphones, to thereby execute a separation process of the mixture signals, and a signal projection-back module for receiving observation signals of projection-back target microphones and the separation signals produced by the source separation module, and for producing projection-back signals as respective separation signals corresponding to the sound sources, which are taken by the projection-back target microphones. The signal projection-back module produces the projection-back signals by receiving the observation signals of the projection-back target microphones which differ from the source separation microphones.
US08577049B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a computing device having a controller to modify sound produced by a gaming application according to an otological profile of a user. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08577047B2
A loudspeaker drive circuit comprises a signal path compressor/limiter (12) for implementing a change to the peak-mean amplitude ration in the time domain. A feedforward control loop measures an acoustic quality of the signal at the output of a control loop compressor/limiter (20) or the output of the signal path compressor/limiter (12), and also estimates a loudspeaker excursion based on the signal at the output of the control loop compressor/limiter (20). The signal path compressor/limiter is controlled based on the acoustic quality measurement and excursion estimation.The invention provides a method for the maximisation of the acoustic output of a loudspeaker by adjusting the characteristics of a compressor/limiter, with the constraint that the audio quality stays acceptable, and that the diaphragm displacement does not exceed a certain threshold.
US08577044B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method and an apparatus for automatic, secure, and confidential distribution of an asymmetric key security credential in a utility computing environment. In one method embodiment, the present invention provides an asymmetric key at a management server, the asymmetric key automatically associated with a logical device identifier of a provisionable resource. Additionally, an isolated virtual network is established between the management server and the provisionable resource for providing the asymmetric key to the provisionable resource. Then, after the asymmetric key is provided to the provisionable resource the isolated virtual network between the management server and the provisionable resource is dissolved.
US08577042B2
A system includes a transmit unit to transmit a signal including a data key, and a receiving unit to receive the signal. The receiving unit to determine an encryption key based at least in part on the data key and to decrypt encrypted data using the encryption key.
US08577039B2
There is provided a cryptographic communication apparatus for conducting a key exchange procedure with another cryptographic communication apparatus that shares a password. The apparatus includes a first encryption unit that encrypts information that is based on a first random number using a public key of the another apparatus, a second encryption unit that encrypts the information that is based on the first random number encrypted by the first encryption unit using the password, a third encryption unit that encrypts information that is based on a second random number using the first random number, and transmits a first signal and a second signal to the another apparatus, the first signal including the information that is based on the first random number encrypted by the second encryption unit, and the second signal including information that is based on the second random number encrypted by the third encryption unit.
US08577036B2
A method and system for transmitting a message in real time between users in a closed network of a vehicle (1), in particular a rail-mounted vehicle, are provided, wherein safety-relevant real-time data (D) of a message (N), including a transmitter ID of a transmitter (3) within the closed network, is encrypted (S1) using a private key (KprivA) of the transmitter (3) in order to generate an encrypted message (N′); the encrypted message (N′), together with the unencrypted transmitter ID of the transmitter (3), is transmitted (S2) from the transmitter (3) to a receiver (4) within the closed network via a vehicle bus (2), and the encrypted message (N′) is decrypted by the receiver (4) using a public key (KpublicA) of the transmitter (3) identified by the received, unencrypted transmitter ID in order to retrieve the unencrypted message (N). The received transmitter ID is compared with the transmitter ID contained in the retrieved message (N) in order to determine whether the message (N) has been transmitted correctly.
US08577034B2
The invention relates to a method and devices for protecting a reading device (1) for card-shaped data carriers (2) against unauthorized evaluation or copying of magnetically encoded data detected in the reading device (1) for card-shaped data carriers (2). To this end, an electromagnetic noise field (18) is generated by means of a noise field coil (17). The use or disposition of the at least one noise field coil (17) is such that the authorized magnetic field reading head (10) is also affected by the noise field (18) of the noise field coil (17) when the magnetically encoded data of a card-shaped data carrier (2) is being read. An output or sum signal of the authorized magnetic field reading head (10) generated from the wanted signal of a card-shaped data carrier (2) and from the effects of the noise field (18) is detected. The effect of the noise field (18) of the noise field coil (17) in the output or sum signal of the authorized magnetic field reading head (10) is then compensated or filtered out or the wanted signal is selectively filtered out of the output or sum signal of the authorized magnetic field reading head (10).
US08577029B2
A method, apparatus, and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions to carry out the steps of the method for anonymous access to a database. Each record of the database has different access control permissions (e.g. attributes, roles, or rights). The method allows users to access the database record while the database does not learn who queries a record. The database does not know which record is being queried: (i) the access control list of that record or (ii) whether a user's attempt to access a record had been successful. The user can only obtain a single record per query and only those records for which he has the correct permissions. The user does not learn any other information about the database structure and the access control lists other than whether he was granted access to the queried record, and if so, the content of the record.
US08577027B1
The invention is related to working with variable diffusion functions on a multidimensional diffusion-area (plaintext/ciphertext); every diffusion function run in a cycle times, wherein repeating one certain times on the plaintext to get a ciphertext, and afterward, repeating the other times on the ciphertext to recover the plaintext, is performed in sequence to complete the encryption and the decryption. According to FIG. 1, the system comprises of: inputting a plaintext in encryption or a ciphertext in decryption 100; reading every password segment in order, forward in encryption or backward in decryption 200; and further, converting the plaintext dimensions by the password segment 300; implementing the diffusion function of Point 410, Block 420 or Frame 430, repeated TE times in encryption, TD times in decryption 400; going back to 200 until completing all password segments 500, and outputting the ciphertext in encryption or the plaintext in decryption 600.
US08577021B1
A 5 Ringer Equivalent Number (REN) ringer circuit has a wave generator. A flip-flop is coupled to the wave generator and has a non-inverting and an inverting output. A high voltage level translator is coupled to each of the non-inverting and the inverting outputs of the flip-flop. A source follower buffer is coupled to an output of each of the high voltage level translators.
US08577015B2
In one embodiment, a contact center is provided that includes: (a) a work item queue 208, 250 comprising an intra-enterprise contact associated with at least first and second internal endpoints of an enterprise; and (b) a selector operable to select and assign a work item to an agent. In selecting the work item, the selector considers both a customer contact and the intra-enterprise contact. The intra-enterprise contact, for example, can be a training notification.
US08577009B2
In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving call information to record a complaint from a called party against a calling party relating to receipt of a call and adding the call information to a complaint database. The call information may be retrieved from the complaint database and a check made for a match between called party information in a regulatory database and the call information. The call information may be updated in the complaint database based on results of the match checking. Reverse lookup information in a third party database may be requested with the call information updated in the complaint database based on results of the request. An entity may request complaint information from the complaint database. In response to the request, an application server may retrieve the requested complaint information from the complaint database and deliver the retrieved complaint information to the entity.
US08577008B2
A call handling system receives an asynchronous call request, from a call requester, requesting performance of an operation, where the call request includes a delay parameter specified by the call requester. The call handling system performs the requested operation, and sends a callback to the call requester, which includes partial results from performance of the requested operation, at selected intervals determined by the delay parameter.
US08577002B2
A system and method for screening telephone calls to a subscriber telephone number comprises a screening list of telephone numbers assigned to suspect callers and rules defining when a telephone number will be added to or removed from the screening list or ‘greylist,’ and/or modifying a screening value to be assigned to a telephone number in the greylist. Data relating to calls is received from subscribers and processed, and the telephone number is screened in accordance with the rules, based on the screening value assigned to the telephone number and optionally a selected subscriber tolerance level. Subscribers may add any telephone number to a personal list of telephone numbers to be blocked (blacklist) or telephone numbers to be accepted (whitelist).
US08576999B2
In a communication terminal apparatus having a telephone function, an information communication mode function and a transmission history display function, when transmission based on a telephone number described in an electronic information content such as an electronic mail, a website or the like is performed, the electronic information content is stored in a memory. Then, when a transmission history is displayed, the electronic information content is displayed in addition to transmission information by user handling. Thus, even if the transmission is performed while the electronic information content is being browsed, a user can know how situation the displayed transmission history is transmitted from.
US08576996B2
An in-progress call can be manipulated such that user devices in proximity to the in-progress call, but not initially part of the call, are enabled to join the in-progress call. Determining that a user device is in proximity to an in-progress call may include detection, by the user device, of an in-progress call. Alternatively, or in addition, a communication device involved in the in-progress call may detect a user device and query the user device as to whether it has permissions to join the in-progress call and, if so, whether it wants to join the in-progress call.
US08576992B2
A system and method for processing a plurality of requests for a plurality of multi-media services received at a Private Service Exchange (PSX) defined on the system from a plurality of IP-communication devices. The system includes a Network Gateway Controller (GSX) coupled to the PSX and to a media sever (MS). The PSX is coupled to at least one IP Service Control Point (IP-SCP), which is operative to process the plurality of requests for the plurality of multi-media services. The IP-SCP further selectively directs the requests to the media server, via the PSX and GSX. The media server operates to form a preliminary multi-media communication path with a calling communication device. The MS further operates to play a plurality of announcements to the calling communication device over the preliminary multi-media communication path, as well as to collect caller-entered data from the calling communication device over the preliminary multi-media communication path.
US08576987B2
According to one embodiment, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus includes X-ray generators, X-ray detectors, high voltage generators, a switching device, an abnormality detection unit and a control unit. The high voltage generators are configured to apply voltages to the X-ray generators. The switching device is configured to switch outputs from the high voltage generators to the X-ray generators. The abnormality detection unit is configured to detect an abnormality in the high voltage generators. The control unit is configured to control the switching device to switch from an output from a high voltage generator of which abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection unit toward a corresponding X-ray generator to an output from another high voltage generator toward the corresponding X-ray generator.
US08576984B2
A solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A includes a photodetecting section 10A and a signal readout section 20 etc. In the photodetecting section 10A, M×N pixel units P1,1 to PM,N are arrayed in M rows and N columns. When in a first imaging mode, a voltage value according to an amount of charges generated in a photodiode of each of the M×N pixel units in the photodetecting section 10A is output from the signal readout section 20. When in a second imaging mode, a voltage value according to an amount of charges generated in the photodiode of each pixel unit included in consecutive M1 rows in the photodetecting section 10A is output from the signal readout section 20. When in the second imaging mode than when in the first imaging mode, the readout pixel pitch in frame data is smaller, the frame rate is higher, and the gain being a ratio of an output voltage value to an input charge amount in the signal readout section 20 is greater.
US08576982B2
The present specification discloses an inspection system for detecting objects being carried by a person. The inspection system is highly modular and capable of being assembled by a two person team using conventional tooling equipment. In one embodiment, the inspection system has three primary modules—two detection modules and one radiation source module—that can be readily attached and detached from each other or to a frame and connected to a signal processing system to provide for a quick set up and tear down process.
US08576978B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a pulse signal output circuit capable of operating stably and a shift register including the pulse signal output circuit. In an embodiment of the pulse signal output circuit, a transistor has a source terminal or a drain terminal connected to a gate electrode of another transistor having a source terminal or a drain terminal forming an output terminal of the pulse signal output circuit, the channel length of the transistor being longer than the channel length of the other transistor. Thereby, the amount of a leakage current modifying the gate potential of the other transistor can be reduced, and a malfunction of the pulse signal output circuit can be prevented.
US08576977B2
A method for design of a fuel assembly for nuclear reactors, including structural components made from zirconium alloy: the mean uniaxial tensile or compressive stress to which the components are subjected during the assembly life is calculated, the zirconium alloy of which the components are made is selected according to the following criteria: those components subjected to an axial or transverse compressive stress of between −10 et −20 MPa are made from an alloy with a content of Sn between Sn=(=0.025σ−0.25)% and Sn=−0.05σ%: those components subjected to such a stress of between 0 et −10 MPa are made from an alloy the Sn content of which is between Sn=traces and Sn=(0.05σ+1)%: those components subjected to such a stress of between 0 and +10 MPa are made from an alloy the Sn content of which is between Sn=0.05% and Sn=(0.07σ+1)%: and those components subjected to such a stress of between +10 and +20 MPa are made from an alloy the content of SN of which is between 0.05% and 1.70%. A fuel assembly made according to the method.
US08576972B2
Example embodiments are directed to tie plate attachments having irradiation targets and/or fuel assemblies having example embodiment tie plate attachments with irradiation targets and methods of using the same to generate radioisotopes. Example embodiment tie plate attachments may include a plurality of retention bores that permit irradiation targets to be contained in the retention bores. Irradiation targets may be irradiated in an operating nuclear core including the fuel assemblies, generating radioisotopes that may be harvested from the spent nuclear fuel assembly by removing example embodiment tie plate attachments.
US08576969B1
Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for detecting marks. The method includes receiving a data signal from a channel. Further, the method includes matching the data signal to a template that corresponds to a predetermined pattern transmitted over the channel to detect marks, prior to decoding the data signal into a decoded bit stream.
US08576967B2
It is possible to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device and a communication method in which communication can be performed between circuits with a large degree of freedom of clock frequency which can be set in each of the circuits, a decisive operation, and a small communication latency. The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a first circuit that performs processing based on a first clock signal, the first clock signal having a frequency M/N times as large as a frequency of a second clock signal (N is a positive integer, and M is a positive integer larger than N); a second circuit that performs processing based on the second clock signal; and a communication timing control circuit that generates a communication timing signal to control a timing at which the first circuit performs communication with the second circuit. The communication timing control circuit generates the communication timing signal determined by a frequency ratio information and a phase relation information, the frequency ratio information setting a frequency ratio of the first clock signal to the second clock signal, the phase relation information indicating a phase relation between the first clock signal and the second clock signal.
US08576965B2
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure support techniques for interference cancellation in a multi-mode wireless modem that supports coexistence of different radio technologies.
US08576961B1
A method for determining an overlap and add length estimate comprises determining a plurality of correlation values of a plurality of ordered frequency domain samples obtained from a data frame; comparing the correlation values of a first subset of the samples to a first predetermined threshold to determine a first edge sample; comparing the correlation values of a second subset of the samples to a second predetermined threshold to determine a second edge sample; using the first and second edge samples to determine an overlap and add length estimate; and providing the overlap and add length estimate to an overlap and add circuit.
US08576958B2
A method for soft remodulation in a receiver of transmissions over a wireless telecommunication system, the method including obtaining from a FEC decoder a-posteriori LLR values, converting the a-posteriori LLR values into bit probabilities and computing improved soft symbols estimates as expected values using the bit probabilities in a recursive algorithm. Preferably, the step of converting is implemented using a pre-computed Look Up Table (LUT). Preferably, the step of computing is implemented in a Multiplier-Accumulator having a SIMD structure.
US08576955B2
An apparatus and method for enhanced downlink processing of received channels in a mobile communications system is described, containing a buffer for control data and traffic data, a demapper engine with at least two independently operating demappers for demapping the control and traffic data, a log-likelihood-ratio (LLR) buffer for supporting memory segments accessible by the demapper engine, a decoder engine containing decoders, each of the decoders operating on data from selected memory segment(s) of the LLR buffer, and an arbitrator providing control of at least one of the demapper engine, LLR buffer, and decoder engine. At least one of the decoders is suited for decoding control data and another one of the decoders is suited for decoding traffic data. By partitioning the decoding as such, an increase in downlink throughput can be obtained.
US08576953B2
A system and method for processing signals are disclosed. The method may be performed, at least partially, by the system. In one embodiment, the method comprises sending a first plurality of data including transmission parameters to a transmission system for transmitting of a first plurality of signals, receiving a second plurality of signals including signals based on the power level of the first plurality of signals, detecting in the second plurality of signals the signals corresponding to the first plurality of signals, outputting a second plurality of data based on the power levels of the second plurality of signals corresponding to the first plurality of signals, and receiving the second plurality of data and associating the first plurality of data and the second plurality of data based on the time when the first plurality of signals was transmitted and the second plurality of signals was received
US08576937B2
A transmission apparatus in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)-based wireless communication system. The transmission apparatus includes at least two antenna groups each having at least two antennas, wherein the antenna groups are spaced apart by a first distance and transmit antennas in each antenna group are spaced apart by a second distance which is shorter than the first distance. A channel coding and modulation unit channel-codes and modulates a desired transmission data stream. A precoding unit precodes the channel-coded and modulated signal separately for each antenna group and each antenna in the same antenna group. Thereafter, a transmission processing unit transmission-processes the output signal from the precoding unit.
US08576934B2
A receiving device includes a channel estimating section that performs a correlating process for a received reference signal in which a single carrier signal was transformed into a frequency domain signal and a pre-stored reference signal so as to obtain estimated channel values; a compensation coefficient computing section that computes compensation coefficients corresponding to residual multipath interferences based on a bit likelihood; a weight computing section that computes equalized weights based on the estimated channel values and the compensation coefficients; an equalizing filter that generates an equalized signal by equalizing process for the received signal that is the frequency domain signal based on the equalized weights; a residual interference replica generating section that generates residual multipath interference replicas based on frequency domain symbol replicas, the estimated channel values, and the equalized weights; and a subtracting section that subtracts the residual multipath interference replicas from the equalized signal.
US08576928B2
A communication system comprising a first and second transceiver is provided. The first transceiver has a first and second port coupled to a communication medium, wherein a first differential capacitor couples the first and second ports together. The second transceiver has a third and fourth port each AC coupled to the communication medium, wherein a second differential capacitor couples the third and fourth ports together.
US08576918B2
Aspects of a method and system for signaling and decoding AVS1-P2 bitstreams of different versions are provided. A sequence user data indicating decoding version information such as a decoding version identifier, for example, may inserted into an AVS1-P2 bitstream. The decoding version information may be, for example, AVS1-P2 Rm52j_r1 or AVS1-P2. The AVS1-P2 bitstream may be decoded based on the decoding version information. The sequence user data may be inserted in the AVS1-P2 bitstream during AVS encoding or during AVS1-P2 bitstream transcoding. Upon receiving the AVS1-P2 bitstream, the sequence user data may be detected and extracted to determine the decoding version information. The received encoded AVS1-P2 bitstream may be decoded based on the decoding version information. When no specific decoding version information can be decided, default decoder version information may be used by the video decoder.
US08576906B2
A method and device for determining an adaptive filter having multiple filter parameters, wherein a first filter parameter has a first level of adaptivity and a second filter parameter has a second, different level of adaptivity. Parameter values for the first filter parameter are determined among a first set of allowable filter parameter values. Parameter values for the second filter parameter are correspondingly determined among a second, different set of allowable filter parameter values. The different levels of adaptivity in the filter parameters are achieved because the second set includes more allowable filter parameter values than the first set. The adaptive filter is advantageously used in filtering in intra- or inter-predication during video encoding and decoding.
US08576903B2
A PAM-N decision feedback equalizer (DFE) comprises a coefficient computation unit; a feedback unit that mitigates, using computed feedback coefficients, effects of interference from data symbols; an error-and-decision unit for at least computing a least error value respective to one of a plurality of decision levels, wherein the least error value indicates a difference of a pseudo equalized input PAM-N data symbol from an optimal position of the one of the plurality of decision levels, wherein the one of the plurality of decision levels corresponds to a modulation level used to modulate data in the input PAM-N data symbol; and a calibration unit for adaptively setting the plurality of decision levels based, in part, on the least error value, thereby enabling for compensating for gain changes resulted by a cable on which the input PAM-N data symbol is received and further compensating for embedded offsets of the error-and-decision unit.
US08576900B2
A method for a transmitting and receiving a signal from a relay station in a radio communication system is provided. The method comprises the steps of: receiving offset time information from a base station; configuring a time difference between an access downlink transmission subframe that transmits an access downlink signal to a relay station terminal according to the offset time information and a backhaul downlink reception subframe that receives a backhaul downlink signal from the base station; transmitting a control signal from the access downlink transmission subframe to the relay station terminal; and receiving the backhaul downlink signal from the base station in the backhaul downlink reception subframe.
US08576899B2
A DSL communication system and a method for configuring a DSL communication system. The method includes training at least one anchor DSL modem transmitter to transmit information over at least one anchor line at an anchor bit rate that is determined based on an allowable tolerable noise level and a minimum allowable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) margin; training one or more other DSL modem transmitter to transmit information over one or more other line at a bit rate that is determined by a current noise level and a target SNR margin, wherein the target SNR margin is higher than the minimum allowable SNR margin; and transmitting information by at least one trained DSL modem transmitter to at least one DSL modem receiver.
US08576893B2
A high data rate UWB system implements a frame structure that uses a connected set of m-sequences comprising the lowest possible cross-correlation and perfect, or near perfect autocorrelation. Each m-sequence can be used to identify a different piconet A very efficient code matched filter can then be used to decode the frames and achieve synchronization with a piconets.
US08576885B2
Optical pump modules using VCSEL arrays are provided to pump optical gain media for achieving high power laser output in CW, QCW and pulse operation modes for operation. Low divergence and symmetric far-field emission from VCSELs are particularly suitable for compact arrays. VCSEL arrays configured as laser pump modules are operable at high temperatures with practically no degradation over a long period of time. VCSEL pump modules are adaptable for side- or end-pumping configurations to pump high power lasers in CW, QCW and pulse mode. Power output from VCSEL pump modules is scalable. Incorporating microlens arrays with the VCSEL arrays improve brightness of the pump modules. High power and high temperature operation of VCSEL modules make it suitable for making compact high power solid state lasers that are operable in small spaces such as, ignition of internal combustion engines, stationary power generation engines and pulsed detonation engines.
US08576880B1
What is disclosed is a method of operating a wireless access system. The method includes exchanging wireless communications with a plurality of user devices, and transferring a first bit sequence over an overhead portion of a wireless link to the user devices to indicate pages pending on a paging channel of the wireless link. The method also includes monitoring a utilization level of the first bit sequence. If the utilization level of the first bit sequence exceeds a first utilization threshold, then the method includes increasing a number of bits in the first bit sequence to indicate the pages pending on the paging channel of the wireless link, and if the utilization level of the increased first bit sequence exceeds a second utilization threshold, then the method includes transferring the increased first bit sequence and a second bit sequence over the overhead portion of the wireless link to the user devices to indicate the pages pending on the paging channel of the wireless link.
US08576878B2
The invention relates to communications systems, and especially to real-time data (two-party or multi-party) communication in communications systems. A real-time data item is sent from a sending terminal to a number of receiving terminals over a communication system. In accordance with the present invention, each receiving user terminal acknowledges the reception of the item by sending an item acknowledgement report after the end of the item. The acknowledgement report may be sent after a successful reception of the item, unsuccessful reception of the item or in both cases.
US08576877B1
A broadband digital loop carrier and method for distributing communications signals to customers of a service provider may include a multi-service access platform unit and line termination unit in communication with the multi-service access platform unit. In one embodiment, the line termination unit is a multiplexer. The line termination unit may be configured to operate communications equipment that operates at bandwidths that are lower than cards operating in the multi-service access platform unit.
US08576875B2
Devices, systems, and methods of improving transport protocol performance in a multi-path environment are disclosed. One network device comprises a transport-layer proxy; and a multi-path traffic distributor coupled to the transport-layer proxy. The transport-layer proxy is configured to receive packets, each associated with a transport-layer connection, from a transport-layer endpoint. The proxy is further configured to deliver at least a portion of the received packets to the multi-path traffic distributor. The multi-path traffic distributor is configured to: assign each of the delivered packets to one of a plurality of data flows, and to transmit each of the delivered packets on an outbound path associated with the assigned data flow.
US08576870B2
Wireless local area networks may be established between devices. Each device may include wireless interfaces. A first device may include an infrastructure interface that supports an interface link with access point equipment on a given channel. The first device may listen for probe requests from a second device on the given channel. The second device may send probe requests on a series of channels in single-channel increments. When the second device sends the probe request on the given channel, the first device may receive the probe request. Each probe request may include an information element. The first device may extract the information element from a received probe request and may compare the extracted information element to a predetermined stored information element. If there is match, an association process may be used to establish a wireless link between the first and second devices.
US08576868B2
A client terminal and method for receiving Internet Protocol (IP) media packets over an IP distribution network. The client terminal includes a plurality of interfaces to the IP distribution network, the interfaces configured to receive media packets according to multicast, unicast, and peer-to-peer media distribution protocols. A media cache controller determines whether the media packets received over the interfaces are tagged as non-cacheable. If so, the media cache controller passes the media packets to a decoder for decoding and transmission to a video renderer. When the received media packets are not tagged as non-cacheable, the media cache controller caches the media packets in a local cache, and subsequently distributes the cached media packets to another client terminal or to a caching node using the unicast or the peer-to-peer media distribution protocol. Media packets received using one media distribution protocol may be distributed using a different media distribution protocol.
US08576867B2
A pipeline scheduler provides a minimum bandwidth guarantee by transporting cells from an input port to an output port in a two-phased approach. Cells that conform to a minimum cell rate (MCR) are selected from queues at the input port and arranged into supercells for transport to the output port, followed by nonconforming cells, to guarantee fairness by using scheduling modules to build the supercells first for conforming cells, and then for nonconforming cells. Reservation vectors are used to permit the same time slot of the next frame to be reserved by a first queue, and the same time slot of the following time frame to be held for reservation by a second queue, to ensure equal time slot access by the first and second queues over successive time frames.
US08576860B2
A queuing method and system for wireless/LAN routers processes and routes an incoming data packet from a wireless mobile network to a destination server. The system uses a wireless transport module to initiate storage of the data packet in a permanent storage device while simultaneously forwarding the data packet to the destination server. A database thread is used to manage the operations being performed on the data packet and for initiating the storage of the data packet in a permanent storage device based on a permanent storage queue. A main thread is used to simultaneously forward the data packet to the destination server. The wireless transport module is adapted to determine whether the data packet has been acknowledged by the destination server and aborting the storage of the data packet in the permanent storage device once acknowledgment from by destination server has been received.
US08576858B2
A method for hierarchical communication of a set of source data includes: receiving source data representing content to be communicated to a data terminal; pre-coding at least some of the source data using pre-coding schemes to generate sets of representation data; associating the sets of representation data with coding and modulation schemes; generating transmissions by applying the coding and modulation schemes to the sets of representation data; transmitting a first transmission to the data terminal on a first communication link; and transmitting a second transmission to the data terminal on a second communication link, wherein the second communication link differs from the first communication link.
US08576840B2
This document describes tools that assign packets to a network service. The tools receive a control packet lacking a tag associating the control packet with a network service and assign the control packet to a network service by adding a tag to the control packet. The tools may also receive a tagged data packet on a port and determine that the tag does not match any of a set of network tags associated with the port. Consequently, the tools assign the data packet to a default network service. The tools may also receive a set of conditions for a port and assign data packets received on the port that satisfy one of the conditions to a network service associated with the satisfied condition and data packets that do not satisfy one of the conditions to a default network service.
US08576833B2
Fault tolerant VoIP systems and methods to operate the same are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a registration request at an edge device of a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system from a user device, selecting at the edge device a communication service providing device from a list of devices configured to provide communication services, sending the registration request to the selected communication service providing device, and receiving a registration response from the selected communication service providing device.
US08576832B2
A method and apparatus for enabling a network service provider, e.g., a VoIP network provider, to create configuration files containing network based parameters that support global telephony capabilities (e.g., in country services) such as in country ring tones, dialing patterns, network announcements, and signaling tones that can be offered to users who want in country telephony capabilities independent of their location is disclosed. These global telephony capability configurations can be downloaded to intelligent IP phones or based in the VoIP network for access by subscribers' telephony devices.
US08576828B1
Various embodiments of the present invention overcomes deficiencies in the art by providing an apparatus (e.g., a mobile device) and executable code for use on an apparatus that provide the ability to designate selected incoming message sources, such as calling telephone numbers or email/text sender addresses, with an override flag, which can also be used, if desired, with a time-of-day parameter setting. With this feature, the user can place the apparatus in a particular alert mode and designate which calling telephone numbers or email/text sender addresses will override the alert mode with a second alert mode that is more appropriate for alerting the user when an incoming message is received from one of the designated calling telephone numbers or email/text sender addresses.
US08576825B2
Managing RF spectrum usage by secondary, or unlicensed, devices in portions of the RF spectrum where licensed, or primary, services operate is a requirement of cognitive radio systems. To perform the necessary spectrum scanning, a transition period, such as a TTG or RTG can be extended and the scanning performed during the extended period. The presence of a primary service signal can also detected by detecting an energy signature of the primary service signal in a known sequence. In both cases, there is no need to define quiet periods during which secondary devices scan the RF spectrum, thus resulting in saving of resources and improved QoS.
US08576818B2
The physical position of an unknown node in a network is determined by sending a first sent WiFi signal from one of an unknown node and a first reference node having a known location, and repeating the sent WiFi signal in the other of the unknown node and first reference node with a first reply WiFi signal. A distance is derived between the unknown node and the first reference node from the time of flight of the first sent and first reply WiFi signals. A second WiFi signal is sent from one of the unknown node and a second fixed node having a known location, and repeating the sent second WiFi signal in the other of the unknown node and second reference node with a second reply WiFi signal, and A distance is derived between the unknown node and the second reference node from the time of flight of the second sent and second reply WiFi signals. A physical location of the unknown node is determined based on the derived distances between the unknown node and the first and second reference nodes.
US08576812B2
Methods, apparatuses and systems facilitating the management of wireless computer network environments and the detection of rogue and other devices that may affect the performance and/or security of the wireless computer network. The present invention enables accurate and cost effective WLAN airspace mapping. In one embodiment, the present invention allows any conforming access point the ability to routinely scan its airspace, collect data on all operating frequencies and report this information back to a management platform. In one embodiment, the management and reporting functionality described herein uses a standards-based vehicle, such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). In one embodiment, the present invention facilitates isolation of rogue wireless devices affecting the computer network environment and effective decision-making as to management of the detected device. The present invention also allows network administrators to optimize the configuration of the wireless network environment for performance and security.
US08576806B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate multiplexing of unicast and multicast transmissions in a wireless communication system, such as OFDMA. According to various aspects, the system and methods are employed for selecting an appropriate multiplexing scheme in light of limitations such as system bandwidth and mobile terminal reception bandwidth capability, and uplink load of the wireless communication system.
US08576801B2
A method of assessing for a mobile terminal 1 the suitability of a cell of a cellular telecommunications network includes measuring the radio signal at the mobile terminal 1—step A; and calculating at least one of a first mean value of a plurality of the radio signal measurements over a first time period—step B—and a second mean value of a plurality of the radio signal measurements over a second time period, longer than the first time period—step D. Two different thresholds are provided. The or each mean value is compared to one or respective ones of the thresholds—steps C and E. If the or either of the mean values are below the or the respective threshold, then this indicates that the cell might not be suitable for the mobile terminal. In that instance, a cell reselection process—step F—or a cell handover process can be triggered. By providing two mean values and two different thresholds, it is possible to provide improved sensitivity to variations in the radio signal as a result of the mobile terminal moving quickly within a cell and less sensitivity to fluctuations of the radio signal at a mobile terminal that is substantially stationary and which are due to “fading”.
US08576799B2
A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes the steps of: transmitting, from an LTE-AS function to an EMM function, a reconnection request, when the LTE-AS function detects that an RRC connection is chanted to an idle state; and transmitting, at the EMM function, a service request, when the EMM function receives the reconnection request and detects that the LTE-AS function is in a coverage area.
US08576798B2
A data communication apparatus and method that permits communication between two devices without having to perform a complicated initial connection procedure. A communication unit conducts data transmission/reception with an external data communication apparatus, and a controller controls the communication unit to operate in one of a network mode or a broadcast mode. The network mode conducts network communication via connection through an initial connection procedure with the external data communication apparatus and the broadcast mode receives or transmits data to/from the external data communication apparatus according to a predetermined broadcast method.
US08576794B1
A base station transmits a message configuring first radio resources of a control channel. The first radio resources comprise one or more sets of resource blocks in a subset of subframes in a plurality of subframes. The base station transmits scheduling information on the control channel for a packet transmitted on an uplink data channel. The base station transmits a positive or negative acknowledgement on second radio resources of a feedback channel for receiving the packet. The second radio resources start from the first OFDM symbol of the second subframe.
US08576790B2
A method and apparatus for resetting a maximum tunnel watermark, the method starting a reset timer for a maximum tunnel count at a mobile device; on expiration of the reset timer, checking whether a current value for the maximum tunnel count is less than a maximum value for the maximum tunnel count, and if yes, setting the current value of the maximum tunnel count to the maximum value of the maximum tunnel count.
US08576785B2
A data communication method includes providing a sender node having a data packet of information. The data packet includes at least one first field and a second field. The second field has content that is dependent upon actual content of the at least one first field. The content of the second field of the data packet is transmitted from the sender node to a receiver node. The receiver node is used to predict the actual content of the first field of the data packet. The receiver node is used to calculate the content of the second field of the data packet based upon the predicted content of the first field. The predicted content of the first field is confirmed to be equivalent to the actual content of the first field. The confirming step includes comparing the calculated content of the second field to the transmitted content of the second field.
US08576784B2
The present invention relates to a method and mobile terminal for requesting resources for transmitting data on uplink within a mobile communication system. Further the invention relates to a network entity for allocating uplink resources to mobile terminal. To provide a flexible scheduling scheme for uplink transmission, the invention proposes different scheduling procedures based on a request grant scheme. The resource request of the mobile terminal is provided via a contention-based channel, while all further communication uses scheduled resources. Consequently subsequent transmissions of user data and/or scheduling information utilize scheduled resources.
US08576781B2
Methods and systems for providing voice and date services in a femtocell wireless network. The proposed approach integrates IWLAN architecture into femtocell architecture by introducing a gateway to serve both IWLAN and femtocell users. The proposed approach handles the voice and data in a different way so that it enhances the data handling efficiency while re-using existing MSC investment. The proposed approach carries the data traffic from a femtocell base station to the gateway in native IP packet, instead of encapsulating them in 3G data, thus enhancing the efficiency and performance for the data traffic. The data traffic can then be sent to GGSN or directly to packet data network. The approach tunnels voice traffic to MSC through the gateway as in conventional Iu-CS approach.
US08576780B2
The invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for processing a random access response, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting a random access preamble; receiving a random access response within a random access response time window; checking an extension field flag of the random access response; checking if the random access response matches the random access preamble; wherein if the random access response does not match the random access preamble and if the extension field flag is set to zero, the random access response reception is considered as unsuccessful and a further random access preamble is transmitted.
US08576778B2
Networks, network devices and methods of synchronization using transfer of synchronization packets are provided. Some network devices are configured to use either a timing reference extracted based on GPS signals or an imported timing reference, as an operative time reference. A network device from which to import the time reference is selected and may be updated to meet a selection rule related to the quality of receiving the transfer of synchronization packets.
US08576765B2
The present invention provides multi-hop wireless communication systems that easily realize a highly-efficient and highly reliable bi-directional wireless relay transmission by using MIMO network coding.A multi-hop wireless communication system with multiple node devices having a relay function in which each node device is equipped with multiple MIMO antennas and a wireless communication system is constructed by setting up wireless links between the node devices, the multi-hop wireless communication system characterized in that a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) scheme is applied to a transmission/reception scheme of network coding and a space time block coding (STBC) scheme is further applied, concretely, by combining STBC broadcast and MIMO multiple access into network coding, a bi-directional wireless relay transmission that multiplexes a forward link and a backward link in all wireless links is easily realized, each node device performs transmission/reception processing and the relay transmission of data.
US08576762B2
Methods and apparatuses for operating a wireless mobile station configured to communicate with a wireless access point are described. A sleep state may be maintained in which a radio frequency (RF) radio in the wireless mobile station is in a low power state. The wireless station may use a plurality of sleep states, each with a different sleep timer period based upon recent network activity. In one embodiment, a device may have two sleep states with two sleep timers, and in another embodiment a device may have three sleep timers for three sleep states. The first sleep time may be started for a first sleep state and to determine when to awake the device to determine whether there is any network activity. The device then determines whether a first period of network inactivity has occurred and, if so, it starts a second sleep timer for a second sleep state in response to determining that the first period of network inactivity has occurred. The method can further include determining whether a second period of network inactivity has occurred and, in response to determining that a second period of network inactivity has occurred, the device starts a third sleep timer for a third sleep state.
