US08707458B2

A method (300), an apparatus (100), and a computer program product for providing location enabled security services in a wireless network are disclosed. In the method, a network access request from a node requesting access to the wireless network is received (304). A probability level for a position for the requesting node is calculated (310) using position information claimed by the requesting node and position information about the requesting node derived from signal measurements for the requesting node received by at least one existing authorized node in the wireless network. Access for the requesting node to the wireless network is denied (314) if the probability level does not satisfy a specified threshold condition for network security (312). Access for the requesting node to the wireless network is granted (318) if the probability level does satisfy the specified threshold condition (312).
US08707456B2

A gateway network device may establish secure connections to a plurality of remote network devices using tunneling protocols to distribute to the remote network devices multimedia content received from one or more content providers. The consumption of the multimedia content may originally be restricted to local network associated with the gateway network device. The secure connections may be set up using L2TP protocol, and the L2TP tunneling connections may be secured using IPSec protocol. Use of multimedia content may be restricted based on DRM policies of the content provider. DRM policies may be implemented using DTCP protocol, which may restrict use of the multimedia content based on roundtrip times and/or IP subnetting. Each content provider may use one or more VLAN identifiers during communication of the multimedia content to the gateway network device, and the gateway network device may associate an additional VLAN identifier with each secure connection.
US08707447B2

A storage medium storing a set of program instructions that becomes executable on a data processing device if license information is input to the data processing device within a limiting period set for the license information. The license information is provided by a license registration device after registration of a license for use of the program instructions on the data processing device. The instructions includes storing time information in association with the license information, the time information indicating a cancelable time that arrives at or after an expiration time of the limiting period, accepting input of a disabling command, disabling use of the program instructions, and providing, if the cancelable time has arrived and if the disabling command has been accepted, license cancel information necessary for canceling the license.
US08707441B1

Techniques for identifying optimized malicious search engine results are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for identifying optimized malicious search engine results comprising receiving a search item result, analyzing, using a computer processor, the search item result in a secure environment to detect malicious content hidden using network redirection, determining that the search item result is associated with malware, and providing an indicator that the search item result is associated with malware.
US08707435B2

The invention relates to a method for identifying compromised nodes in a ZigBee network comprising a general trust center, divided in at least two security domains, each security domain corresponding to a spatial or temporal area, and being associated with a different root keying material, and each node being identified by an identifier, the method comprising: upon detection of a node (U1) entering into a security domain (SD), the general trust center (TC) distributing to the node at least one keying material share corresponding to the entered security domain, and upon detecting corruption of at least two security domains, determining, for each security domain, based on information registered by the base station (BTS), a respective set of nodes having received keying material corresponding to said security domain,—comparing the respective sets of nodes and identifying the common nodes as being compromised.
US08707430B2

An information security apparatus includes a plurality of monitoring modules that monitor for tampering. A management apparatus includes a reception unit that receives a plurality of monitoring results each generated by a source monitoring module monitoring a target monitoring module; a detection unit that detects an abnormality by referring to fewer than all of the received monitoring results; and an identification unit that identifies, when an abnormality is detected, a monitoring module that has been tampered with from among (i) a monitoring module that generates a monitoring result related to the abnormality, and (ii) one or more monitoring modules identified by tracing back through a chain of monitoring modules consecutively from the target of monitoring to the source of monitoring, starting from the monitoring module that generates the monitoring result related to the abnormality.
US08707421B2

A system and method for maintaining a machine control program includes a machine controller including a machine program stored on computer media and configured to control a machine. A router is coupled to the machine controller. A server is coupled to the router to establish communications between the machine controller and an entity that provides source file updates or changes to the machine program such that the server hosts application software needed to compile the source file updates or changes wherein compiled source files are accessible by the machine controller over a secure link to the server.
US08707409B2

A method and apparatus for password management and single sign-on (SSO) access based on trusted computing (TC) technology. The methods implement the Trusted Computing Group (TCG)'s trusted platform module (TPM), which interacts with both proxy SSO unit and web-accessing applications to provide a secure, trusted mechanism to generate, store, and retrieve passwords and SSO credentials. The various embodiments of the present invention allow a user to hop securely and transparently from one site to another that belong to a pre-identified group of sites, after signing on just once to a secured proxy residing at the user's device.
US08707402B1

A networked computer device can be provisioned by customizing the computer device to contain a specification of a particular provisioning server. For example, a network interface device can be pre-configured and installed in the computer device. The pre-configuration of the network interface device may include embedding a provisioning service identification in the network interface device. The network interface device may be further configured to perform provisioning from a provisioning service indicated by the embedded provisioning service identification. In addition, or alternatively, the network interface device, or the computer within which it is installed, may be configured to authenticate with a provisioning server based on authentication information that has been embedded within firmware of the computer or network interface device.
US08707396B2

A method and system for performing re-association in a WLAN mesh network are provided. A mobile node transmits authentication request information to an old node via a new node along with a mesh re-association request message for re-association of the mesh network. Upon receiving the mesh re-association request message, the old node performs re-association and authentication according to the mesh re-association request message, and transmits a mesh re-association reply message to the mobile node via the new node.
US08707391B2

In an embodiment, a proxy client is positioned within a local wireless network (e.g., a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)) and maintains a connection to an application server in a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) that is separate from the local wireless network. The application server arbitrates group communication sessions between a plurality of user equipments (UEs). An Internet Protocol (IP) unicast connection is established between the proxy client and the application server. The proxy client associates with at least one of the UEs over the local wireless network, and notifies the application server of the association. The application server sends, to the proxy client, traffic associated with a group communication session to the associated UE(s). The proxy client re-transmits the received traffic via IP multicast over the wireless network.
US08707387B2

A host based security system for a computer network includes in communication with the network a credential host that is operative in concert with a local computer and a destination site. The destination site has a credential authentication policy under which credentials associated with the local computer upon being authenticated authorizes data to be communicated between each of the destination site and the local computer during a communication session over the network. The credential host stores the credentials to be used by the destination and is operative to transmit the credentials onto the network in response to a request received from the local computer. The destination site upon the credentials being received and authenticated thereat is operative to transmit session information onto the network. In turn, the local computer is then operative to commence the communication session upon receipt of said the information.
US08707377B2

Disclosed herein is a program sending controlling apparatus, including: a retaining section adapted to retain a playlist in which cues which are progressing units of a program are disposed in a time series; an apparatus controlling section adapted to control on-air of a broadcasting-related apparatus based on the playlist; an editing section adapted to edit the playlist; a detection section adapted to detect, in response to editing carried out for the playlist corresponding to the program, presence or absence of a syntax error in the playlist; and a display controlling section adapted to cause the playlist corresponding to the program to be displayed and cause, when the syntax error is detected, an error indication to be displayed at a position of that one of the cues of the displayed playlist which corresponds to the detected syntax error.
US08707375B2

Techniques for delivering video on demand (VOD) content via peer-to-peer (P2P) techniques are provided. A VOD distribution service maintains associations of viewers that have specific VOD content. As new viewers, which lack the specific VOD content, make requests for the specific VOD content from the VOD distribution service, the VOD distribution service identifies a P2P viewer from which the specific VOD content may be acquired via a P2P transaction.
US08707373B2

An approach is provided for distributing multi-media information from a satellite broadcast system. A hub receives a signal from the satellite broadcast system, wherein the signal represents video information and audio information associated with multiple broadcast channels. The hub centrally demodulates and decodes the received signal for distribution to one of a number of access point devices. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the decoded signal represents uncompressed video and audio information corresponding to one of the broadcast channels. The access point devices convert the received decoded signal for output respective displays (e.g., television sets). The hub can also be equipped with an interface to provide access to a public data network, such as the global Internet. Further, the hub can be supplied with a digital video recording capability.
US08707372B2

A method of electronic devices arranged on display walls involves a processor receiving information in a self description signal from an electronic device that characterizes it by at least an IP address and a command set which is stored in a database. A video representation is generated for display on a video display. The electronic device is selected from the database to retrieve at least a portion of the self identification information of the device from the database. Instructions are then issued to place an icon representing the device in a location on the video representation of one of the plurality of walls, where the icon is associated with the electronic device in the location on the wall with a selection of the electronic device for remote control. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08707365B2

An apparatus, method and data structure for generating at least one table in a broadcast environment, are provided. The apparatus includes a generator to generate an event information table (EIT) and an extended text table (ETT). The ETT has program guide information for an n-hour span and has a transmission interval. The ETT has a transmission interval and program description information according to the EIT. The transmission interval of the EIT is shorter than the transmission interval of the ETT.
US08707361B2

A method and system includes a first device having an ordering interface and forming a recording command comprising a linear channel, a start time, time duration and date. The first device communicates a customer identifier and the recording command to a content processing system corresponding to the linear content. The content processing system forms a control word from the recording command and communicates the control word to a user device. The user device receives the content corresponding to the recording command in response to the control word.
US08707359B2

A broadband gateway, which enables communication with a plurality of devices and handles at least one physical layer connection to at least one corresponding network access service provider, may be operable to receive one or more programs in preview formats from one or more program sources. Each of the one or more programs may be specified in a list. The programs specified in the list may be from different program sources. The broadband gateway may process the received one or more programs in the preview formats for presentation to one or more of the plurality of devices. The processed one or more programs in the preview formats may be communicated by the broadband gateway to the one or more of the plurality of devices, via a programming guide, for program preview by one or more users during program selections from the list.
US08707351B2

Alternate digital content is inserted into mobile devices with a method and apparatus that comprises an alternate content scheduler, an alternate content reporter, and a micro-splicer. The alternate content scheduler further comprises a mobile network interface for interaction with a mobile data and broadcast network, a micro-splicer interface for interfacing with a micro-splicer, a rulebook that is shared with the network which provides the rules for alternate content scheduling, a preference provisioning module comprising an alternate content scheduler library for storing user or network preferences, a scheduler for providing tight synchronization between original program content and alternate content, and a metric recording interface to an alternate content reporter. The micro-splicer works in tandem with the alternate content scheduler to render synchronized display of alternate multimedia content on the mobile device.
US08707344B2

A virtual channel table for broadcasting protocol and a method for broadcasting by using the virtual channel table includes identification information identifying and permitting discrimination of active and inactive channels contained in the virtual channel table. At a receiver, the virtual channel table transmitted from the transmitting side is parsed, thereby determining whether the current received channel is an active or inactive channel.
US08707342B2

In accordance with one or more aspects of the referencing data in triggers from applications, a device can store multiple triggers for media content. For each of these triggers, a check is made as to whether a presentation of media content satisfies a criteria portion of the trigger. When the presentation satisfies the criteria portion, one or more actions in a payload portion of the trigger are performed. Additionally, data in the triggers can be referenced by applications executing on the device. These applications include applications that are launched as part of the one or more actions when the criteria portion of a trigger is satisfied, as well as other applications executing on the device.
US08707339B2

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for detecting hacked modems in a cable network system. A cable Internet service provider can provide the disclosed heuristic to determine whether a particular cable modem has likely been hacked by obtaining a score corresponding to this likelihood. This score, as well as information regarding failure and success of various tests, can be used to generate a report identifying the likelihood that various modems have been hacked.
US08707334B2

A computer event is detected and a notification is displayed. If a dialog box corresponding to the computer event triggered the event detection, then the dialog box is modified to include further details of the event and an assistance control that links to a search engine Web page. If a dialog box did not trigger the event detection, then a dialog box is displayed with the event details and assistance control. Upon selection of the assistance control, the search engine Web page is displayed with event details pre-populated in the search term field. Targeted advertisements are displayed according to bidding on a unique descriptor associated with the specific computer event.
US08707332B2

A computer-based method configures a hardware circuit to transfer a message to a message queue in an operating system. The hardware circuit is used to transfer a message to the message queue in the operating system without requiring use of either the operating system or a hypervisor associated with the operating system. The using the hardware circuit uses a logical identifier associated with the message to select an entry in a mapping table of the hardware circuit. A value in the entry in the mapping table is used to select an entry in an action table. The entry in the action table is used to determine a tail pointer for the message queue. The hardware circuit appends the message to a location indicted by the tail pointer without requiring cycles of a hypervisor associated with the strand.
US08707331B2

In an embodiment, a method is provided. In an embodiment, the method provides determining that a message has been placed in a send buffer; and transferring the message to an application on a second virtual machine by bypassing use of an operating system to process the message by directly placing the message in an application memory space from which the application can retrieve the message.
US08707330B2

A method, system and computer program in a software framework for enabling controlled communication between a generic application on the software framework and a service application in a second environment. An access request is transmitted by the generic application to an interface provision unit. The request includes an identity of the generic application. An instant interface is provided by the interface provision unit to the second environment. The instant interface is determined by the access request and dedicated for the generic application. A response is returned by the interface provision unit to the generic application including an address to the instant interface. Thereby the instant interface permits controlled communication between the generic application and the service application, thus enabling the new controlled communication without changes of the second environment.
US08707326B2

Processes in a message passing system may be unblocked when messages having data patterns match data patterns of a function on a receiving process. When the match occurs, the process may be added to a runnable queue, and in some embodiments, may be raised to the top of a runnable queue. When a match does not occur, the process may remain in a blocked or non-executing state. In some embodiments, a blocked process may be placed in an idle queue and may not be executed until a process scheduler determines that a message has been received that fulfills a function waiting for input. When the message fulfills the function, the process may be moved to a runnable queue.
US08707321B2

A resource sharing system for a plurality of user devices accessing at least one resource at the same time is provided. The system comprises a plurality of virtual machines and a connection broker. The virtual machines are established on at least one computer, wherein each user device corresponds to at least one of the virtual machines and each of the at least one resource corresponds to one of the virtual machines. The connection broker connects to the virtual machines and receives login information from each of the virtual machines and joins the virtual machines sending the login information into a group. Through the connection broker, the user devices share and access the resources corresponding to the virtual machines in the group.
US08707319B2

A method to be implemented using a computer system, the method comprising the steps of providing a resource database that specifies locations of resources for use by consumers, receiving a location communication originated by a mobile consumer device associated with a consumer at a time temporally proximate a time when the consumer accesses a resource where the location communication indicates the location of the consumer device and using the location of the consumer device indicated in the communication to update the resource database.
US08707315B2

A system and method for receiving a request from a requester for access to a computing resource, instructing the requester to wait for access to the resource when the resource is unavailable and allowing the requester to perform other tasks while waiting, determining whether the requester is available when the resource subsequently becomes available, and granting access to the resource by the requester if the requester is available.
US08707314B2

A system and method embodiments for optimally allocating compute kernels to different types of processors, such as CPUs and GPUs, in a heterogeneous computer system are disclosed. These include comparing a kernel profile of a compute kernel to respective processor profiles of a plurality of processors in a heterogeneous computer system, selecting at least one processor from the plurality of processors based upon the comparing, and scheduling the compute kernel for execution in the selected at least one processor.
US08707311B2

Systems (100) and methods (200) for managing transactional processing. The methods involve executing a first transaction (120) which is blocked by an exclusive lock of at least one second transaction (110) from accessing at least one resource of a system. Thereafter, a determination is made as to whether a Service Level Agreement (“SLA”) associated with the first transaction is being met. If it is determined that the SLA is not being met, the resources needed by the first transaction are identified. Subsequently, all executing transactions, that are using the resources needed by the first transaction, are identified. At least one of the identified transactions is then dynamically slowed down or speed up. The transaction is slowed down or sped up by: adjusting how many records are to be processed in each sub-transaction of the transaction; and/or increasing or decreasing the time period between commit operations of the transaction.
US08707301B2

An invention is disclosed for configuring a VM of a deployment to be managed by a management system. In an embodiment, a deployment manager of a deployment instructs a host to create a VM. The VM is created with a base management agent that exposes interfaces to the deployment manager that enable the deployment manager to install management agents on the VM. The deployment manager installs a management agent that corresponds to a management system on the VM, and registers the VM with the management system. The management system may then manage the VM by communicating with the installed management agent on the VM.
US08707292B2

Software configuration information and topological information associated with a group of software program instances installed on at least one computing device are tracked. An available software update is identified for at least one of the group of software program instances. At least one software update suggestion rule that specifies a target software configuration and a target topological dependency to which the available software update applies is evaluated against the tracked software configuration information and topological information. A determination is made as to whether the available software update is targeted to the tracked software configuration information and topological information based upon the evaluation of the at least one software update suggestion rule. A notification of the available software update is provided in response to determining that the available software update is targeted to the tracked software configuration information and topological information.
US08707288B2

Management of applications on remote devices is performed independently of managing platform software. A per platform player using a common protocol to communicate and receive applications is installed on a device. The player is developed and installed independently of applications which run using commands supported by the player. On player startup, the player obtains boot instructions, fetches an application manifest, and obtains player and application resources using the application manifest from a content and application server. The content and application server determines application resources to send to the player and tracks applications and application versions installed on a per user/per platform basis.
US08707284B2

Techniques are described herein for performing a dictionary-based dependency determination. For example, when a package is selected to be imported from a store (e.g., a database), a dictionary-based dependency operation may be performed to determine which elements of the package are dependent on other elements of the package. A dictionary includes indexes, each of which has at least one value. The indexes correspond to respective resources, and each value indicates an element of the package that produces the resource that corresponds to the respective index. If an element of the package consumes a resource, the indexes and corresponding values in the dictionary may be reviewed to determine which element(s) of the package produce that resource.
US08707282B2

A technique for prefetching data into a cache memory system includes prefetching data based on meta information indicative of data access patterns. A method includes tagging data of a program with meta information indicative of data access patterns. The method includes prefetching the data from main memory at least partially based on the meta information, by a processor executing the program. In at least one embodiment, the method includes generating an executable at least partially based on the meta information. The executable includes at least one instruction to prefetch the data. In at least one embodiment, the method includes inserting one or more instructions for prefetching the data into an intermediate form of program code while translating program source code into the intermediate form of program code.
US08707264B2

In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided systems, devices, and methods for testing methods in a multi-tenant database environment, including, for example, hosting a plurality of customer codebases within a host organization, where each of the plurality of customer codebases includes a plurality of operational statements and one or more test methods. Such a method further includes generating a first test result set by executing the one or more test methods associated with each of the plurality of customer codebases against a production release codebase of the host organization; generating a second test result set by executing the one or more test methods associated with each of the plurality of customer codebases against a pre-release codebase of the host organization; and identifying errors associated with the pre-release codebase based on a comparison of the first test result set and the second test result set.
US08707263B2

A test case is abstracted into a re-useable script or other declarative form that expresses the intent of a task rather that defining how the test will be performed. Tools translate the declarative test into a series of steps corresponding to code that implements the action indicated in the declarative test. The schema for the tests can be dynamic. New forms of test cases can take advantage of new actions so that the library of actions can be extended. Libraries are interchangeable. Test cases can be generated using a state machine. New test cases can be composed dynamically using a state machine to create new test cases.
US08707261B2

In one embodiment, a method for integrating a service into an application is provided. The method determines an application extensibility description for an application. The application extensibility description includes a set of application extension points. The method determines a service description for a service, the service description including a set of service elements. An adaptation pattern is determined and includes a first port connected to an application extension point in the set of application extension points and a second port connected to a service element in the set of service elements. A computing device generates an integration description based on the adaptation pattern having the first port connected to the application extension point and the second port connected to the service element. The integration description allows the application to be adapted or extended with the service.
US08707260B2

An improved solution for resolving interdependencies between heterogeneous artifacts in software systems is provided. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for finding dependencies in a software system is provided, wherein the method includes: obtaining an input resource, wherein the resource includes a plurality of entry points to the software system and at least one strategy; identifying at least one artifact for each of the plurality of entry points; using the at least one strategy for gathering a plurality of related artifacts in the software system, wherein each of the plurality of related artifacts is heterogeneous in at least one of structure, composition, and relationships; determining a dependency between the gathered plurality of related artifacts; and outputting an output resource, wherein the output resource comprises the at least one dependency.
US08707258B2

Services are integrated by providing a first component of a service via a first user interface over a first communications channel using a first communications mode. A second component of the service is provided via a second user interface over a second communications channel using a second communications mode. The first component of the service and the second component of the service are provided continuously in a single session using a common rule set for user interface dialog management.
US08707255B2

The invention relates to a method for testing the compatibility between two software components of a control device network, a technical interface description being assigned to each software component, this interface description having a specified description standard, and each description standard having a hierarchical position in an hereditary hierarchy of all possible description standards. The common description standard, which is nearest in the hereditary hierarchy, of the software components to be compared is determined based on the hereditary hierarchy, and the common portion of the respective interface descriptions is determined based on the common description standard of the common portion of the respective interface descriptions and compared with one another.
US08707254B2

Embodiments are directed to declaratively managing software applications, dynamically applying configuration changes to a specified software application based on a service level objective (SLO) and to efficiently performing an impact analysis for a specified service level agreement SLO.
US08707253B2

A computer program including an interface that may be used by a content designer to manipulate information stored in the database. The content designer may design one or more questionnaire pages, to be included in a questionnaire site, which may be built into a questionnaire interface program by a compiler. The resulting questionnaire interface site may be accessed and manipulated by a client user to respond to the questions included therein. Validation responses may be defined by a content designer, against which responses by a client user may be compared. The various elements included herein may be connected through a network, which may be accessed through a user interface terminal.
US08707247B2

The subject matter described herein relates to a templating system and method. In the templating system and method, each of the domain model and the graphic model are defined according to a template, and the corresponding elements of the domain model and graphic model are created. Next, a binder is created, which associates corresponding attributes in domain and graphic models. Path expressions such as XPath expressions, are used to describe locations in the domain and graphic models. These path expressions, templates, and binders are interpreted or called by a framework, which performs detailed synchronization.
US08707244B1

In one aspect, a technique for performing signal activity extraction in an integrated circuit an integrated circuit is described. The integrated circuit includes multiple nodes. The technique includes compiling a design of the integrated circuit, estimating signal activities at the nodes, determining a node of interest from the nodes, and connecting a signal activity circuit to the node of interest. The determination of the node of interest and the connection of the signal activity circuit to the node of interest first compared to the remaining nodes of the integrated circuit improves efficiency in determining nodes of the integrated circuit at which signals can be analyzed first. Such signal activity extraction may involve power analysis and power optimization.
US08707240B2

Techniques are disclosed for improving bit slice placement and wiring. Some embodiments include swapping cells to improve routing. An alternative embodiment includes copying wiring from a first bit slice to a second bit slice. Another embodiment includes copying blocks or cells from a first bit slice to a second bit slice. Further, the wiring from the first bit slice may be copied to the second bit slice.
US08707238B2

The present disclosure relates to a method of routing probe pads to micro-bumps of an interposer. An interposer is provided having target micro-bumps and probe pads. The probe pads are initially unassigned. Target micro-bump locations and probe pad locations are obtained. Possible route assignments from the probe pads to the target micro-bumps are obtained. Costs are developed for the possible route assignments at least partially according to the target micro-bump locations and the probe pad locations. Final assignments are selected from the possible assignments according to the costs.
US08707237B2

A method of inserting dummy patterns is provided. The method includes: determining an applicable area in which dummy patterns shall be inserted and an inapplicable area in which dummy patterns shall not be inserted on a chip; and inserting dummy patterns starting from one side of the inapplicable area and arranging the inserted dummy patterns into circles. The method of the present invention ensures that dummy patters are preferentially inserted around the device that requires protection by dummy patterns, so that good uniformity of chip pattern densities is guaranteed and within-wafer uniformity is improved, thus improving the yield and performance of semiconductor devices.
US08707236B2

A semiconductor device wherein a delay chain is integrated; the semiconductor device having a semiconductor layer. The delay chain includes a plurality of delay cells placed in the semiconductor layer and electrically connected to each other so as to form the delay chain. The semiconductor device includes a first and second metal lines respectively connected to a supply voltage and a reference voltage and placed in a longitudinal direction on a surface of the semiconductor layer; each delay cell of the plurality of cells is electrically connected with the first and second metal lines. Any delay cell and its successive or preceding delay cells of the delay chain are placed in a transversal direction with respect to the first or the second metal line.
US08707232B2

Aspects of the invention relate to techniques for fault diagnosis based on circuit design partitioning. According to various implementations of the invention, a circuit design of a failing die is first partitioned into a plurality of sub-circuits. The sub-circuits may be formed based on fan-in cones of observation points. Shared gate ratios may be used as a metric for adding fan-in cones of observation points into a sub-circuit. Based on test patterns and the sub-circuits, sub-circuit test patterns are determined. Fault diagnosis is then performed on the sub-circuits. The sub-circuit fault diagnosis comprises extracting sub-circuit failure information from the failure information for the failing die. The sub-circuit fault diagnosis may employ fault-free values for boundary gates in the sub-circuits.
US08707231B2

A system and method are provided for enabling a systematic detection of issues arising during the course of mask generation for a semiconductor device. IC mask layer descriptions are analyzed and information is generated that identifies devices formed by active layers in the masks, along with a description of all layers in proximity to the found devices. The IC mask information is compared to a netlist file generated from the initial as-designed schematic. Determinations can then made, for example, as to whether all intended devices are present, any conflicting layers are in proximity to or interacting with the intended devices, and any unintended devices are present in the mask layers. Steps can then be taken to resolve the issues presented by the problematic devices.
US08707230B1

An integrated circuit (IC) simulation method comprises providing a device process model from a non-transitory machine readable storage medium into a programmed computer. The device process model includes one or more device variables. Each device variable defines a probability distribution of an active-device-level variation of devices in an IC. A conductive line model and/or a multi patterning technology (MPT) model is provided from the storage medium to the computer. The conductive line model includes one or more conductive line variables. Each conductive line variable defines a probability distribution of a conductive-line process-induced variation. The MPT model includes one or more MPT variables. Each MPT variable defines a probability distribution of a mask-misalignment-induced conductive line coupling variation. A Monte Carlo simulation is performed in the computer, including the device process model and the conductive line model or MPT model, to identify parasitic couplings in the IC.
US08707229B1

A circuit verifier having an input interface configured to receive descriptions of integrated circuits and a processing unit configured to scan through a description of an integrated circuit received through the input interface in order to identify clock domain crossings in the circuit and to provide a numerical score for each of the identified clock domain crossings.
US08707224B2

A method of simplifying a combinational circuit establishes an initial combinational circuit operable to calculate a set of target signals. A quantity of multiplication operations performed in a first portion of the initial combinational circuit is reduced to create a first, simplified combinational circuit. The first portion includes only multiplication operations and addition operations. A quantity of addition operations performed in a second portion of the first, simplified combinational circuit is reduced to create a second, simplified combinational circuit. The second portion includes only addition operations. Also, the second, simplified combinational circuit is operable to calculate the target signals using fewer operations than the initial combinational circuit.
US08707215B2

A hand-held device and method for operating a single pointer touch sensitive user interface of a hand-held electronic device are provided. The method includes defining as being active a first one of a set of two or more controllable interface functions including at least a first controllable interface function and a second controllable interface function. A control gesture is then detected and the control gesture is associated with the active one of the set of two or more controllable interface functions, where the detected pattern adjusts the performance of the active controllable interface function. A transition gesture is then detected including a pointer pattern movement, which is not included as a control gesture for any of the two or more controllable interface functions, where upon detection of the transition gesture, the transition gesture defines a second one of the set of two or more controllable interface functions as being the active one of the set of two or more controllable interface functions. A further control gesture is then detected and the control gesture is associated with the active one of the set of two or more controllable interface functions, where the detected pattern adjusts the performance of the active controllable interface function.
US08707214B2

The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate efficient and automated presentation of information to users. A decomposition component automatically decomposes an information item into sets of subcomponents in a two- or three-dimensional isometric space, and generates visualizations having interactive graphics that allow users to inspect respective subcomponents. Interface features are provided to enable hover, dwell, and clicking commands, for example, providing a variety of options to zoom in, or change configurations of the visualization in accordance with the users intentions or inferences about what they desire to see or inspect more closely. Beyond the use of decompositions into exploded views of the content of items typically viewed as singular documents, the methods can be applied to perform geometric transformations on visualizations of multiple windows and other resources based on content and activity to provide regularized visualizations of the multiple items. Such exploded views can provide visual geometric summaries of projects, and a set of handles into accessing more detail on the subcomponents of the project.
US08707212B2

A graphical user interface for a display devised for presentation of hierarchical information includes a first menu field carrying a list of menu items, at least one of the menu items indicating a submenu field which is expandable within the first menu field. A graphical layer effect is applied to an expanded submenu field such that the submenu field is displayed as an underlying layer to the first menu field.
US08707207B2

There are described a method and a computer executable program of the same, each of which makes it possible to provide registered items for a predetermined processing, which is established in advance corresponding to user's demands. The method includes: displaying a list of plural registrable items on a display section, which can be registered in order to provide at least one of the plural registrable items for the predetermined processing; accepting a registration instruction for registering said at least one of the plural registrable items, which includes an attribute value that indicates a status of its registration, based on an operation conducted by a user; providing the registered item for the predetermined processing according to the attribute value of the registration concerned; and when the registration instruction is accepted, displaying an attached image, which corresponds to the attribute value of the registration concerned, associating with one of the registrable items.
US08707205B2

A method and apparatus for presenting information is provided. In an embodiment, an electronic device with wireless telephony features is provided. An embodiment includes a flexible dialog box tailored to the resources limitations of electronic devices.
US08707198B2

Systems and methods are provided for performing tasks and related tasks. While a user is performing a task, a group of related tasks is presented. When a new task is selected, a new group of related tasks is provided. This allows a user to perform a series of tasks without having to separately search for each task. As the user moves between tasks, task information items are passed between the tasks so that previously provided information can be preserved.
US08707180B2

A system for executing a cyber investigation by a non-expert user, including a computer having a processor, a memory, and a display; a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for execution of a wizard application, the processor adapted to execute the instructions when the computer-readable medium is inserted into the computer, the processor programmed to: receive case information; receive a type of activity being investigated in response to user inputs to select the activity type from a list of possible activity types; guide the user through capturing data related to the selected activity type through steps presented to the user through one or more screens shown in the display, the steps presented such that a non-expert user can follow them; receive user inputs through a screens to obtain information needed to continue capturing the data related to the selected activity; and store the captured data in a removable data storage device or medium for analysis and use in the cyber investigation.
US08707170B2

A system and method for document editing. A system includes an operator input device, a processor, gesture recognition program, and an edit mode program. The operator input device that senses gestures and multiple simultaneous touch points. The processor is coupled to the operator input device. The processor executes the gesture recognition program, which recognizes inputs from the input device. The gesture recognition program recognizes a predetermined edit mode gesture and, based only on the gesture, causes the processor to execute the edit mode program. The edit mode program provides a plurality of document editing functions for modifying a currently displayed document.
US08707167B2

A system receives a document including a plurality of items. The system then processes the document to expose a plurality of item elements associated with one or more items of the document, the item elements including visual information used to render the document. The system then identifies each item of the one or more items based on one or more of the plurality of item elements and corresponding visual information.
US08707166B2

Methods and systems are described for plain text formatting of data item tables. An example system includes a plain text table manager including a template manager configured to obtain a hierarchical template including table information associated with a table, table information formatted in accordance with a non-proprietary markup language format. The example system also includes a parsing engine configured to parse the table information associated with the table to determine one or more markup language elements associated with the table. The example system also includes a plain text layout engine configured to determine a plain text graphical table structured layout associated with the table, based on the one or more markup language elements. The example system also includes a graphical table structure generator configured to generate a plain text graphical table structured view of the table indicating one or more data items indicated by the table information.
US08707151B2

A user interface method and apparatus for a Rich Media service in a terminal. A decoder decodes a received stream to check a header of the received stream. A renderer adaptively composes a scene using scene composition elements of the received stream, according to adaptation information in the header checked by the decoder, and a display displays the adaptively composed scene.
US08707140B2

A device (102) supports error correction. A receiver (120) is configured to receive data over a communications link. A decapsulator (122) is coupled to the receiver and configured to create datagrams. A decoder (124) is coupled to the decapsulator and configured to store the datagrams in a table and to create codewords, the decoder storing the datagrams in table columns to create codewords in table rows. A user interface (126) is coupled to the decoder and configured to render images corresponding with the datagrams on the user interface. Advantages of the invention include efficient signal processing and prolonged battery life in mobile wireless devices.
US08707135B2

A method of dynamic data storage for error correction in a memory device is disclosed. Data for storage is received, the received data is encoded and error correction code (ECC) is generated. The encoded data is stored in the memory device that includes a plurality of pages each having a plurality of data partitions. More corrected errors a marked page has, a smaller portion with a space of at least one datum of each of the corresponding data partitions associated with the marked page is allocated to store the encoded data, while a size of the ECC is fixed, thereby increasing capability of correcting errors in the marked page.
US08707123B2

In one embodiment a variable barrel shifter includes a shifter operable to apply a cyclic shift to each of a number of portions of a data word, a pivot circuit operable to swap sections of the data word around at least one pivot point in the data word, a first multiplexer operable to select between an input of the variable barrel shifter or an output of the pivot circuit as an input to the shifter, a second multiplexer operable to select between the input of the variable barrel shifter or an output of the shifter as an input to the pivot circuit, and a third multiplexer operable to select between the output of the shifter or the output of the pivot circuit as an output to the variable barrel shifter.
US08707122B1

A nonvolatile memory controller generates an error correction code for each data unit in a data stripe and generates a parity unit based on the data units of the data stripe. If a data unit of the data stripe has a number of data bit errors not exceeding the error correction capacity of the nonvolatile memory controller, the nonvolatile memory controller corrects any data bit errors in the data unit based on the error correction code of the data unit. Otherwise, if a data unit of the data stripe has a number of data bit error exceeding the error correction capacity of the nonvolatile memory controller, the nonvolatile memory controller recovers the data unit based on the other data units of the data stripe and the parity unit.
US08707115B2

A micro controller includes an input and output unit having a reset terminal, a plurality of input terminals, and a test enable terminal, a test mode setting unit which allocates a first input terminal of the plurality of input terminals to a test clock terminal and allocates the remaining N input terminals to L test terminals, in response to a signal output from the input and output unit, and a processor which controls the input and output unit and the test mode setting unit. The test mode setting unit includes M flip-flops which receives a test clock signal from the first input terminal, a test signal from the N input terminals, and a test enable signal from the test enable terminal, and a decoder which decodes a signal output from the M flip-flops and determines whether or not to allocate the N input terminals to the L test terminals.
US08707114B2

A semiconductor device includes a decoder, a first register unit, and a second register unit. The decoder generates first and second register control signals in response to an external test code signal. The first register unit is coupled to the decoder. The first register unit receives the first register control signal from the decoder. The first register unit outputs in series a plurality of test signals in response to the first register control signal. The second register unit is coupled to the first register unit. The second register unit receives the first and second register control signals from the decoder. The second register unit receives in series the plurality of test signals from the first register unit in response to the first register control signal. The second register unit outputs in parallel the plurality of test signals in response to the second register control signal.
US08707094B2

A circuit arrangement and method utilize existing redundant execution pipelines in a processing unit to execute multiple instances of stability critical instructions in parallel so that the results of the multiple instances of the instructions can be compared for the purpose of detecting errors. For other types of instructions for which fault tolerant or stability critical execution is not required or desired, the redundant execution pipelines are utilized in a more conventional manner, enabling multiple non-stability critical instructions to be concurrently issued to and executed by the redundant execution pipelines. As such, for non-stability critical program code, the performance benefits of having multiple redundant execution units are preserved, yet in the instances where fault tolerant or stability critical execution is desired for certain program code, the redundant execution units may be repurposed to provide greater assurances as to the fault-free execution of such instructions.
US08707093B1

A system, method and program product, the system in embodiments comprising: one or more computers operably connected to one or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-readable program code to perform steps: associating a first plurality of data disk blocks; generating checksum data on a second plurality of checksum disk blocks, using an m-out-of-n encoding algorithm; generating a third plurality of redundant storage disk blocks, using an 1-out-of-n encoding algorithm that allows for reconstruction using a second recovery algorithm of a selected disk block by reading a proper subset of remaining data disk blocks, reconstructing a single one of the data disk blocks when one or more reconstruction criteria are met, using the second recovery algorithm; reconstructing, when two or more of the data disk blocks are lost, the two or more of the data disk blocks and/or checksum disk blocks that are lost, using the first recovery algorithm.
US08707091B2

A file directory system comprises a directory file, a directory address for the directory file, and a directory address failsafe mechanism. The directory file includes one or more directory entries and one or more corresponding addresses for the one or more directory entries. The directory address failsafe mechanism functions to dispersed storage error encode the directory address to produce a plurality of encoded components of the directory address and transmit the plurality of encoded components of the directory address to a plurality of agent modules.
US08707087B2

A backup and restoration process which first attempts to recover information blocks from locally connected information handling systems executing a backup/restore service before looking to the slower access cloud store to recover data blocks.
US08707086B2

A method for computer system recovery is presented. In one embodiment, the method includes establishing a connection, via an interface, to a computer system to support the system recovery of the computer system. The method includes executing an emulation application as a recovery agent. The method includes retrieving, based on identifiers associated with the computer system, remote data via another interface. The method further includes performing the system recovery by using at least a part of the remote data.
US08707084B2

A data center management unit (DCMU, 100) for managing and controlling power distribution to computers in a data center, includes a power inlet (101), a plurality of power outlets (111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118) for providing power to respective ones of the computers, a processor (141), at least one wired data port (151, 152, 153, 154) for controlling one or more of the computers, and a network interface (155) enabling a data center administrator to manage the data center management unit (DCMU, 100) remotely via wired network connectivity. In addition the data center management unit (DCMU, 100) contains a redundant meshed wireless network interface (156). The data center management unit (DCMU, 100) is adapted to automatically switch to the redundant meshed wireless network interface as an alternative for the network interface (155) in situations where the wired network connectivity is lost.
US08707080B1

A clock domain crossing technique that uses a circular buffer toggled by clocks from the two domains with output metastability protection. The resulting output is a pair of enable signals that may be used to pass data between the two clock domains. In one embodiment, a set of storage devices is connected in a circular buffer arrangement. A first subset of the storage devices is clocked by a signal from a first clock domain and a second subset of the flip flops is clocked by a signal taken from a second clock domain. Respective output circuits generate enable signals to be used for transferring data between domains. In some implementations, a pulse is stored and registered by at least two of the storage devices in the first domain before being passed to the devices in the second domain. In other embodiments, the output circuits may include a pair of D flip flops, each clocked by a respective one of the first or second domain signals. In specific arrangements, an output flip flop takes its data input from a logical AND of signals output from a flip flop within its associated domain, to ensure that the enable signal is asserted for only a single output clock cycle, and/or a second flip flop uses a logical AND of its input and inverted output states to avoid metastable conditions.
US08707077B2

A wireless media distribution system is provided comprising an access point (6) for broadcasting media and a plurality of stations (2) for reception and playback of media. Each station is configured for receiving and decoding a timestamp in a beacon frame transmitted repeatedly from the access point. This is used to control the output signal of a station physical layer clock (12) which is then used as a clock source for an application layer time synchronization protocol. This application layer time synchronization protocol can then be used in the station to control an operating system clock (8) for regulating playback of media.
US08707067B2

A power supply controlling system including: a first power supply controlling apparatus that supplies an electric power to a device; and a second power supply controlling apparatus that supplies an electric power to another device, communicates with the first power supply controlling apparatus, and mediates communication between the first power supply controlling apparatus and a terminal device to control power supply to the device, the terminal device controlling the power supply to the device; wherein the first power supply controlling apparatus communicates with the terminal device without relaying the second power supply controlling apparatus, according to interruption of the communication between the first power supply controlling apparatus and the second power supply controlling apparatus.
US08707066B2

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus for a zero voltage processor sleep state. A voltage regulator may be coupled to a processor to provide an operating voltage to the processor. During a transition to a zero voltage power management state for the processor, the operational voltage applied to the processor by the voltage regulator may be reduced to approximately zero while an external voltage is continuously applied to a portion of the processor to save state variables of the processor during the zero voltage management power state.
US08707057B2

A data processing apparatus includes an address bus, a scramble unit, and a data bus. The address bus outputs address data to be given to a memory apparatus. The scramble unit scrambles write-in data into a storage position in the memory apparatus identified by the address data to obtain confidential data. The data bus outputs the confidential data. The scramble unit includes a first scrambler, a first converter and a second scrambler. The first scrambler XORs first mask data corresponding to the address data and the write-in data for each bit and makes it first scrambled data. The first converter performs one-to-one substitution conversion of the first scrambled data. The second scrambler XORs second mask data corresponding to the address data and data after the conversion of the first scrambled data by the first converter and outputs obtained second scrambled data as the confidential data.
US08707056B2

A data processing device is provided with a processor core 8 that can operate in either a secure domain or a non-secure domain. Data stored within a secure region 34 of a memory 10 can only be accessed when the processor core 8 is executing in the secure domain. A frame buffer 36 for storing a display image 20 to be displayed is stored within a non-secure region of memory which can be accessed by the processor core 8 irrespective of whether it is in the secure domain or the non-secure domain as well as a display controller 12. When a subject image 22 is written to the frame buffer 36, validation data for the subject image 22 is stored within the secure region 34. When a user input is received the displayed data stored at a validated display area to which the subject image was written is read back and used to generate check data with is compared with the validation data before the user input is authenticated.
US08707055B2

A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium, such as BD-ROM, which contains copy protection information encoded in intermittent or alternate wobbled pits, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, and reproducing data on the recording medium.
US08707046B2

Methods for anonymous authentication and key exchange are presented. In one embodiment, a method includes initiating a two-way mutual authentication between a first entity and a second entity. The first entity remains anonymous to the second entity after performing the authentication. The method also includes establishing a mutually shared session key for use in secure communication between the entities, wherein the initiating and the establishing are in conjunction with direct anonymous attestation (DAA).
US08707043B2

A method and apparatus are provided for split-terminating a secure client-server communication connection when the client and server perform mutual authentication by exchanging certificates, such as within a Lotus Notes environment. When the client submits a certificate to the server, an intermediary device intercepts the certificate and submits to the server a substitute client certificate generated by that intermediary. A certificate authority's private key is previously installed on the intermediary to enable it to generate public keys, private keys and digital certificates. With the private key corresponding to the substitute certificate, the intermediary extracts a temporary key from a subsequent server message. The intermediary uses the temporary key to read a session key issued later by the server. Thereafter, the intermediary shares the session key with another intermediary, and together they use the session keys to access and optimize (e.g., accelerate) messages sent by the client and the server.
US08707042B2

An apparatus and a method for generating a secure cipher key over an insecure channel. In one embodiment, a set of polynomials is generated and shared between a first party and a second party over the insecure channel. The first party generates a first random exponent for its private cipher key. The second party generates a second random exponent for its private cipher key. The first party operates on the set of polynomials with the first random exponent and sends the results to the second party. The second party operates on the set of polynomials with the second random exponent and sends the results to the first party. A shared cipher key is computed based on the exchanged operation results.
US08707033B2

An information processing apparatus has an authentication and key exchange processing unit, a packet selector, a content key generator, a content decryption unit to decrypt, based on the content key, the encrypted content which is included in the content packet and received following the CCI packet, a CCI set identifier management unit to manage a CCI identifier corresponding to recognizable copy control information, a CCI selector, a CCI analyzer to analyze copy control information corresponding to the CCI identifier selected by the CCI selector, a content processing unit to perform, based on an analysis result of the CCI analyzer, the receiving process on the content data corresponding to the content packet received following the CCI packet, a first communication connection unit to perform the authentication and key exchange process, and a second communication connection unit to transmit the content packet and the CCI packet.
US08707019B2

Embodiments of systems and methods for applying a component update using a management engine are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may comprise storing a bootable image containing an update for a component of a computing device in a secured memory location and configuring the computing device to boot from the bootable image. Such configuration may include configuring the computing device for integrated device electronics redirection (IDE-R) to the bootable image.
US08707013B2

In accordance with at least some embodiments, a digital signal processor (DSP) includes an instruction fetch unit and an instruction decode unit in communication with the instruction fetch unit. The DSP also includes a register set and a plurality of work units in communication with the instruction decode unit. The register set includes a plurality of legacy predicate registers. Separate from the legacy predicate registers, a plurality of on-demand predicate registers are selectively signaled without changing the opcode space for the DSP.
US08707011B1

A memory access technique, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, includes caching page size data for use in accessing a set-associative translation lookaside buffer (TLB). The technique utilizes a translation lookaside buffer data structure that includes a page size table and a translation lookaside buffer. Upon receipt of a memory access request a page size is looked-up in the page size table utilizing the page directory index in the virtual address. A set index is calculated utilizing the page size. A given set of entries is then looked-up in the translation lookaside buffer utilizing the set index. The virtual address is compared to each TLB entry in the given set. If the comparison results in a TLB hit, the physical address is received from the matching TLB entry.
US08707010B2

A switch connects and disconnects an input and output control device to and from an input and output device. The switch includes a storage unit that stores therein a translation table for use in translating a physical address used on a virtual machine that a guest operating system specifies as a direct memory access transfer destination to the input and output device, into a physical address used on a real machine; and an address translating unit that translates an address contained in a direct memory access request issued by the input and output device into a physical address used on the real machine by referring to the translation table.
US08707003B1

Pacing data transfers includes receiving, at a first storage device, a first plurality of data writes that are written before a first time, receiving, at the first storage device, a second plurality of writes that are written after the first time and before a second time, transferring the first plurality of writes to a corresponding second storage device while the second plurality of data writes are being written to the first storage device, and acknowledging writes to the first storage device, where acknowledging is delayed in response to either the first storage device or the second storage device having a backlog of data. Pacing data transfers may also include providing the second plurality of data writes to cache slots the first storage device.
US08707000B2

Optimizations are provided for frame management operations, including a clear operation and/or a set storage key operation, requested by pageable guests. The operations are performed, absent host intervention, on frames not resident in host memory. The operations may be specified in an instruction issued by the pageable guests.
US08706997B2

A storage device for storing data includes a device configured to store data read or written by a host, a command storage unit configured to store commands transmitted by the host to acquire information relating to the device, a command acquisition unit configured to acquire commands issued to the device when the host requests access to the data stored in the device, and an access determination unit configured to permit the access, if the commands acquired by the command acquisition unit have been stored in the command storage unit.
US08706991B2

A method for migrating a virtual machine disk (VM disk) from first physical storage to second physical storage while the virtual machine (VM) is running, the method comprising: (a) taking a snapshot of the VM disk as represented by a first parent VM disk stored on the first physical storage, whereby a first child VM disk is created on one of the first or second physical storage; (b) copying the first parent VM disk to the second physical storage as a second parent VM disk; (c) re-parenting the first VM child disk to the second parent VM disk; and (d) consolidating the first child VM disk and the second parent VM disk.
US08706990B2

Methods and apparatus for allowing tables to be adaptively backed up are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a memory system with a non-volatile memory that includes a reserved memory area, a plurality of physical blocks and a plurality of data structures including an erase count block involves determining when contents associated with at least one data structure of the plurality of data structures are to be substantially backed up. A request to substantially back up the contents associated with the at least one data structure is executed when it is determined that the contents associated with the at least one data structure are to be substantially backed up. Executing the request allows contents associated with the at least one data structure are substantially backed up in the reserved memory area.
US08706986B2

An object of the invention is to provide a storage controller and control method that can efficiently and easily prevent reduced data I/O processing performance due to an imbalance between loads on controllers. In the storage controller and control method for providing, to a host computer, logical volumes created in a storage area provided by a storage device and controlling data I/O to/from the logical volumes, the state of loads on the control units for controlling data I/O to/from the logical volumes is monitored, and a control unit allocated to a logical volume is changed to another control unit to equalize loads on the control units.
US08706980B2

A dispersed storage system includes a plurality of storage units that each include a partial rebuild grid module. The partial rebuild grid module includes partial rebuilding functionality to reconstruct one of a plurality of encoded data slices wherein the plurality of encoded data slices are generated from a data segment based on an error encoding dispersal function. In the partial rebuilding process, a data slice is rebuilt by combining in any order slice partials generated from at least a threshold number T of the plurality of data slices.
US08706979B2

A method and apparatus for handling reusable and non-reusable code is herein described. Page table entries include code reuse and locality fields to hold hints for associated pages. If a code reuse and locality field holds a non-reusable value to indicate an associated page holds non-reusable code, then an instruction decoded from the associated page is not stored in the trace to obtain maximum efficiency and power savings from the trace cache and decode logic.
US08706978B2

A semiconductor storage device includes a first nonvolatile memory to store user data of a file, a second nonvolatile memory to store management data of the file, the second nonvolatile memory being different in type from the first nonvolatile memory, and a controller to control read/write of data with respect to the first and second nonvolatile memories.
US08706974B2

In a data processing system, a method includes a first master initiating a transaction via a system interconnect to a target device. After initiating the transaction, a snoop request corresponding to the transaction is provided to a cache of a second master. The transaction is completed. After completing the transaction, a snoop lookup operation corresponding to the snoop request in the cache of the second master is performed. The transaction may be completed prior to or after providing the snoop request. In response to performing the snoop lookup operation, a snoop response may be provided, where the snoop response is provided after completing the transaction. When the snoop response indicates an error, a snoop error may be provided to the first master.
US08706973B2

An unbounded transactional memory system which can process overflow data. The unbounded transactional memory system may include a host processor, a memory, and a memory processor. The host processor may include an execution unit to perform a transaction, and a cache to temporarily store data. The memory processor may store overflow data in overflow storage included in the memory in response to an overflow event in which the overflow data is generated in the cache during the transaction.
US08706972B2

A method of providing requests to a cache pipeline includes receiving a plurality of requests from one or more state machines at an arbiter, selecting one of the plurality of requests as a selected request, the selected request having been provided by a first state machine, determining that the selected request includes a mode that requires a first step and a second step, the first step including an access to a location in a cache, determining that the location in the cache is unavailable, and replacing the mode with a modified mode that only includes the second step.
US08706970B2

An apparatus for controlling operation of a cache includes a first command queue, a second command queue and an input controller configured to receive requests having a first command type and a second command type and to assign a first request having the first command type to the first command queue and a second command having the first command type to the second command queue in the event that the first command queue has not received an indication that a first dedicated buffer is available.
US08706969B2

A prefetch unit generates prefetch addresses in response to an initial received memory read request, an address associated with the initial received memory read request, a line length of the requestor of the initial received memory read request, and a request type width of the initial received memory read request. Prefetch operations are generated using the generated prefetch addresses, wherein each generated prefetch address is stored in a prefetch buffer slot that is selected by a prefetch FIFO (First In First Out) prefetch counter. Subsequent hits on the prefetcher result in returning prefetched data to the requestor in response to a subsequent memory read request received after the initial received memory read request.
US08706964B1

A system receives cache conditions and software information related to a software application, and automatically generates an optimal cache management scheme for the software application based on the received cache conditions and software information.
US08706953B2

A method of storing data in a storage medium of a data storage device comprises storing input data in the storage medium, and reading the input data from the storage medium and compressing the read data during a background operation of the data storage device.
US08706936B2

A bus network passes pending messages from bus interface to bus interface until they are downloaded at a target bus interface by a target device connected to the target bus interface. The messages are tagged with at least one download control bit. The download control bit has a priority state indicating that a message has already passed the target bus interface at least once without being downloaded. When controlling selection of messages for downloading by the target device, the target bus interface selects messages with the download control bit in the priority state with a greater probability than messages not having a download control bit in the priority state.
US08706931B1

Methods and apparatus are provided for allowing interconnection between ports associated with primary and secondary components in an embedded system. Ports may only support a particular bus type or set of attributes and a variety of ports may be incompatible. Bus types include Peripheral Components Interface (PCI) and Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture (AMBA) while attributes include bursting, non-bursting, word-wide, byte-wide, etc. Port adapters components are automatically selected from a library of port adapter components to allow connection of incompatible ports. Port adapters can be shared, chained, and intelligently selected for increased efficiency.
US08706929B2

Methods, controllers, and systems for managing data transfer, such as those in solid state drives (SSDs), are described. In some embodiments, the data transfer between a host and a memory is monitored and then assessed to provide an assessment result. A number of storage units of the memory allocated to service another data transfer is adjusted based on the assessment result. Additional methods and systems are also described.
US08706926B2

A hard disk controller (HDC) of a hard disk drive (HDD) includes an encoder module, a buffer manager module, N first-in first-out (FIFO) modules, and N read channel modules, where N is an integer greater than 1. The encoder module is configured to encode data received from a host and to generate P units of encoded data, where P is an integer greater than 1. The buffer manager module is configured to store the P units of encoded data in a buffer, retrieve N of the P units from the buffer, and output the N units in parallel. The N FIFO modules are configured to receive the N units in parallel from the buffer manager. The N read channel modules are configured to receive the N units from the N FIFO modules in parallel, respectively, and to output the N units to a magnetic medium of the HDD.
US08706922B2

An information processing apparatus comprises an inputting portion, a detecting portion, and an outputting portion. The inputting portion inputs operation data from an operating member. The detecting portion detects a single piece of or a plurality pieces of operation data such that an amount of movement of a cursor of the information processing apparatus and an amount of movement of a cursor of a server coincide with each other, based on a corresponding relationship between the operation data, the amount of movement of the cursor of the information processing apparatus displayed on a screen of the information processing apparatus, and the amount of movement of the cursor of the server displayed on a window provided in the screen of the information processing apparatus, and the operation data input by the inputting portion. The outputting portion outputs the single piece of or the plurality pieces of operation data to the server.
US08706920B2

Techniques for controlling a touch input device using an accessory communicatively coupled to the device are disclosed. In one aspect, an accessibility framework is launched on the device. An accessory coupled to the device is detected. Receipt of input from the accessory is enabled. An accessibility packet is received from the accessory. The accessibility packet includes an accessibility command and one or more parameters. The accessibility packet is processed to extract the first accessibility command and the one or more parameters. Input is generated for the accessibility framework based on the accessibility command and the one or more parameters. In some implementations, the device also sends accessibility commands to the accessory, either in response to accessibility commands received from the accessory or independent of any received accessibility commands.
US08706917B1

The present invention permits an I/O port to be used with a variety of different I/O devices, regardless of their device type implementation. Thus, one set of pins may be used for various different I/O devices.
US08706913B2

A residential gateway connects an Internet connection to an in-home network that has at least one residential device connected to the residential gateway. The residential gateway has software that receives control parameters from a control server via the Internet connection. The control server determines the control parameters from operational information of the residential device and relevant control information accessed from an information server on the Internet. The software causes the residential gateway to communicate with the residential device to provide control of the residential device based on the received control parameters. In a particular implementation, the residential device is a home irrigation system connected to the residential gateway via a wireless interface and the information server is a weather station server storing climatic information from a plurality of weather stations.
US08706912B2

Unified communication system for consolidating different message sources (e.g. emails, SMS, voice message, fax, text messages etc.) into a single accessible location with the ability to incorporate phone calls, VoIP calls, voice commands, etc. This is achieved through integration of a Speech-ready IVR system with an E-mail client to act as the Unified Communication System. Furthermore, the IVR flexibility allows the user to access messages when internet access is not available or read messages such as SMS and emails when not physically convenient e.g. when user is driving. System further includes the ability to automatically convert format of sent messages into an alternative format based upon failed delivery attempts or requested message format not being supported. Automatic format conversion of the sent messages are determined by requested recipient targeted format. Users may customize which alternative formats to use based upon recipient targeted format.
US08706904B1

A communications platform (Centerpost) provides a message processing platform along with an XML message format (SmartMessage) which provides for the reception, organization, summarization, filing, storage, synthesis, routing, formatting, and intelligent processing of XML-based electronic messages and SMTP electronic mail from corporations and other senders to fully integrate individuals' existing e-mail boxes, cellular telephones, paging equipment, facsimile machines, wireless and wired telephones, and other devices. The Centerpost platform utilizes a nickname-based routing to enable device specific sending without knowledge of the specific device address.
US08706902B2

A method for regulating network traffic may be provided. The method may comprise: measuring usage of a CPU; determining if the CPU usage is greater than an overload threshold value; halting the increase of a data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overload threshold value; determining if the CPU usage is greater than an overflow threshold value; and decreasing the data traffic shaping rate associated with traffic regulated by the CPU if the CPU usage is greater than the overflow threshold value for improving session setup speed.
US08706898B2

A method and apparatus for navigating a media program via a searchable transcript of the dialog of the media program is disclosed. In one embodiment, a textural transcript of the dialog is generated, wherein the textural transcript comprising a plurality of portions wherein each portion is associated with a segment of the media program, a command is accepted to display the transcript and in response to that command, user interface data is transmitted to the client computer for presentation in a user interface, wherein the user interface comprising a concurrently presented media program player and the textural transcript.
US08706896B2

Output logic generates read requests using a programmable schedule that controls read bandwidth for multiple data streams and stores the read requests in a queuing device. The output logic also dequeues the read requests based on a similar programmable schedule, forwards the read requests to the memory, and reads data units from the memory based on the read requests.
US08706885B2

The present solution provides a spillover management technique for virtual servers of an appliance based on health. Using a health based spillover technique, a network appliance may direct requests to a backup or second virtual server upon determining that a predetermined percentage of services being load balanced are down. In this manner, the spillover will occur based on a user controlled determination of a level of services being down to the number of services enabled. Instead of waiting for a last service of a virtual server to be marked down to spillover to another virtual server, the spillover may occur based on a user specified percentage. For example, the appliance may spillover from one virtual server to another virtual server when the number of services marked down relative to the number of enabled services falls below a specified percentage.
US08706869B2

Techniques are described for distributed placement of a request on one of a plurality of deployment nodes. Embodiments receive a request specifying resource requirements for instantiating the request, and transmit at least an indication of the resource requirements to the plurality of deployment nodes. An indication of suitability is then received from at least two of the plurality of deployment nodes, the indication of suitability describing a suitability of the respective deployment node for instantiating the request. Embodiments select one of the at least two deployment nodes based on the indications of suitability, and transmit the request to the selected deployment node for instantiation.
US08706863B2

Access to a communications network may be provided via a data provider that may charge for access. In some cases, the access fee may be related to the amount of network resources consumed (e.g., amount of data downloaded or bandwidth used). In some cases, a user may have access to a particular amount of data provider resources and be required to pay an additional fee for using resources in excess of the particular amount. To assist the user in managing his data resource consumption, a resource utilization component may provide different alerts and notices informing the user of current consumption, expected future consumption, and recommendations for reducing data provider resources consumed (e.g., stopping particular processes or data provider requests, such as downloading media). If several electronic devices in a network are connected to the same data provider resources, a network component may manage the data provider resource use among the several electronic devices (e.g., allow only particular users or devices access).
US08706853B2

A content processing apparatus includes an extracting part extracting undownloaded contents from a list of downloadable contents, a providing situation storage part that stores a providing situation of the contents that content processing apparatus provided to other apparatuses, a priority order determining part determining the priority order of download in the extracted undownloaded contents based on the providing situation stored in the providing situation storage part, and a downloading part downloading the contents in accordance with the priority order determined by the priority order determining part.
US08706848B2

A control apparatus is provided between a first network and a second network different from the first network, in which a data processing apparatus is connected to the first network. The control apparatus notifies the data processing apparatus of a change of setting information that is set for network communications. Then, the control apparatus rewrites information involved in received data according to the changed setting information, when the data processing apparatus transmits data to be transmitted to a destination apparatus connected to the second network under a condition that the data processing apparatus is not yet operating based on the changed setting information.
US08706847B2

Initiating a collective operation in a parallel computer that includes compute nodes coupled for data communications and organized in an operational group for collective operations with one compute node assigned as a root node, including: identifying, by a non-root compute node, a collective operation to execute in the operational group of compute nodes; initiating, by the non-root compute node, execution of the collective operation amongst the compute nodes of the operational group including: sending, by the non-root compute node to one or more of the other compute nodes in the operational group, an active message, the active message including information configured to initiate execution of the collective operation amongst the compute nodes of the operational group; and executing, by the compute nodes of the operational group, the collective operation.
US08706846B2

A method and a system for transmitting a live media stream to a plurality of nodes under a multicast tree in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are provided. First, the reliability of each node is calculated according to a number of child nodes that can be supported by the node and an accumulated on-line time of the node. According to the number of child nodes and the reliability of each node, the nodes are rearranged in a database to establish an ideal reliable multicast tree. Finally, according to the reliability of each node, a location of each node in the multicast tree is practically adapted in sequence in a descending order, and a relative delay between nodes is weighted and compared, so a level difference between the adapted level of the node in the multicast tree and the level of the node in the ideal reliable multicast tree is the smallest.
US08706843B2

A network connector device and a method for making image information sent through a first digital network accessible by a second digital network. A first and a second network connector are arranged to pass on digital network traffic, a network traffic buffer buffers the digital network traffic, an image session identifier identifies a network session from the buffered digital network traffic, containing image information. An image session tracker tracks the identified network session containing image information, an image extractor extracts image information from the identified network session containing image information, and an image information buffer buffers the extracted image information. An image information arranger arranges the image information from the image information buffer into at least one image sequence of related images, and a server makes accessible the at least one image sequence via a third network connector.
US08706834B2

Methods, apparatus, and computer-accessible storage media for remotely updating an executing process that receives I/O requests on I/O port(s), stores write data to a write log on local storage, and uploads data from the write log to remote storage. An update for the process is detected and downloaded, and an updated process is instantiated from the update. The current process is directed to perform a shutdown for update during an update window. In response, the current process saves its current configuration, flushes an in-memory portion of the write log to local storage, and releases its I/O port(s). The updated process loads the saved configuration, detects that the port(s) have been released, and starts accepting I/O requests on the ports. During flushing, the current process flushes current data in memory while continuing to append new write data, stops accepting new write requests, and then flushes the new write data.
US08706825B2

The disclosure discloses a method for implementing instant message and E-mail interworking, comprising: corresponding an IM user applying a service of IM and E-mail interworking to at least one E-mail address, either being constructed from an IM address of the IM user or being a pre-allocated E-mail address; determining the E-mail address or IM address of a destination user from a received IM or a received E-mail from a user, converting the IM into a E-mail or the E-mail into an IM, and sending the E-mail or IM to the determined receiving address of the destination user. The disclosure also discloses a system for implementing IM and E-mail interworking. The disclosure realizes a free interworking between IM and E-mail.
US08706820B2

Techniques described herein allow applications that are separate from a mail client to provide conditions and actions for rules to be run upon messages received by or sent from the mail client. That is, these techniques allow a user to create a rule that includes an action and/or a condition that is provided by an application that is separate from the mail client. This created rule may then be run upon either or both of messages received by or sent from the mail client. When a rule includes a condition or an action that is provided by a separate application, the mail client exposes the message to the separate application to allow the application to test the condition and/or perform the action. As such, these techniques allow applications to seamlessly create and provide conditions and actions that are tailored to each particular application.
US08706813B2

In general, in one aspect, a forum for user interaction is provided. A clone of the forum is created, thereby allowing any number of users to be in the same forum while limiting the number of users in each instance of the forum. It is determined whether a relationship exists between a user entering the forum and one or more other users entering the forum or with one or more other users already in the forum. If a relationship exists, the user entering the forum is placed in a clone of the forum based on the relationship.
US08706802B1

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the retrieval, serving, and rendering of web content provided from a web content server to a requesting client device, e.g., over a network, based on target latency. A computer-implemented method includes determining, by a web content server, a requesting client device in communication with the web content server, or both, latency-related limitations of the client device. The method also includes determining, by the web content server, the client device, or both, web content needs of the client device based on a web content request from the client device. The method further includes adjusting web content to be displayed at the client device based on the determined latency-related limitations and needs of the client device. At least a portion of the adjusting of web content can occur at the web content server, the client device, or both. Related systems are also presented.
US08706797B2

The invention relates to an image processing system for an x-ray installation or such like having at least one image source, a plurality of computing units for processing different algorithms, at least one non-volatile storage and a data sink, with the image source, the plurality of computing units, the non-volatile storage and the data sink each being physically connected to at least one control unit operating as a circuit module in a physical network, as a result of which a star-shaped logical topology can be configured by the control unit.
US08706782B2

Systems and methods for optimal data storage are provided. The method comprises storing data objects that are most closely related in a storage container by modeling a constraint satisfaction problem for placement of said data objects in one or more storage containers, wherein a weight is assigned to an edge connecting two data objects based on an association defining relationships between the two data objects connected by said edge, taking into account certain penalties for placing multiple copies of the same object in the one or more storage containers, and wherein a storage container comprises a logical or physical storage area as a unit of storage.
US08706780B2

A content item recommendation device includes; a storage which stores information of a plurality of content items describing identifiers and usage characteristics of the resources used in the content items; a first specifying unit which specifies first content items which use at least S number of resources in common with a specified content item; a second specifying unit which specifies second content items which use at least K number of resources in common with each of the first content items; a calculator which calculates relationship levels between the specified content item and each of the second content items; a selector which selects recommended content items from the second content items based on the relationship levels.
US08706776B1

A design-time status schema model is defined at design-time and includes a core status schema group and an. a status schema model. The status schema model includes a core status schema group and an extended status schema group. The status schema model also includes a precondition included in one of the status schema groups. The precondition identifies how a status affects whether an action included in the other of the status schema groups is to be allowed to be performed at runtime by a data object node instance having the status. Based on a status schema instance, the status of a data object node instance is monitored to determine whether the action is allowed to be performed by the data object node instance. In response to a determination that the action is allowed, enabling the action to be executed.
US08706769B1

A temporal target table stored on a computer is scanned using the computer. The temporal target table has a ValidTime dimension and a value dimension. A qualifying-row having a value dimension having a value equal to a value of a value dimension in a row-to-be-inserted is found during the scanning. The row-to-be-inserted has a ValidTime dimension and the value dimension. The qualifying-row is processed. The row-to-be-inserted is inserted in the temporal target table. A ValidTime dimension of the inserted row-to-be-inserted is set to be as the union of the ValidTime dimension of the row-to-be-inserted and the ValidTime dimension of the qualifying-row.
US08706757B1

A method for generating a feed, the method includes: receiving selection information representative of a selection of a selected element out of multiple elements of a web content representation; and generating an equivalent indication representative of at least one equivalent element that is similar to the selected elements.
US08706754B2

The present invention is a system for integrating knowledge engines in a cloud computing environment, having a cloud computing platform, a graphical user interface (GUI), several applications for integrating information, knowledge engines for extracting knowledge from data and information, and an index consisting of an index engine, an index database, and a connector to several data sources. The present invention also includes a method of integrating knowledge engines in a cloud computing environment.
US08706753B2

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with search result ranking with certainty weighting are described. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a search string being input to a search system to retrieve stored artifacts relevant to the search string. A first certainty level associated with a first portion of the search string is determined and a second certainty level associated with a second portion of the search string is determined. Artifacts retrieved by execution of the search string are ranked to produce a search result. The ranking is based, at least in part, on whether a retrieved artifact is relevant to the first portion or the second portion of the search string.
US08706751B2

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, article of manufacture, and an apparatus used to provide an interface driven by database tables. The method includes receiving a query identifier associated with a database query. The query is executed to generate a set of query results, and a set of actions associated with the set of query result is also identified. The set of query results and the set of actions are provided to a client component of the database-driven interface.
US08706738B2

Systems, methods and machine-readable mediums to identify web page titles for content production are provided. The systems may include a storage device and a processor. The storage device may store a plurality of titles, each title is associated with a respective one of a plurality of web pages. The processor may be programmed to select a title from the plurality of titles and determine a value for the selected title. The value may be based on the number of times that the selected title appears in the plurality of titles, and on the number of web pages that link to the selected title. If the value is greater than a first threshold level, the processor may be programmed to identify the selected title for online publication.
US08706726B2

Exemplary embodiments include methods and systems for monitoring and analyzing tickets including collecting data associated with one or more parameters/keywords of tickets. The methods and systems may also include determining if a number of tickets associated the one or more parameters/keywords exceeds a count threshold associated with the one or more parameters. The methods and systems may further include outputting a result of the analysis of the collected data.
US08706720B1

Determining the relevance of a web node is disclosed. A seed score value of a first type is assigned to a seed set of nodes. A score value of a second type is derived for the web node based on a mapping of a reachability relationship between one or more seed nodes and the web node. A score value of the first type is derived for the web node based on a mapping of a reachability relationship between the web node and one or more evaluation nodes having derived weight values of the second type. Topic diffusion is mitigated.
US08706701B1

Example embodiments of the present invention provide authenticated file system that provides integrity and freshness of both data and metadata more efficiently than existing systems. The architecture of example embodiments of the present invention is natural to cloud settings involving a cloud service provider and enterprise-class tenants, thereby addressing key practical considerations, including garbage collection, multiple storage tiers, multi-layer caching, and checkpointing. Example embodiments of the present invention support a combination of strong integrity protection and practicality for large (e.g., petabyte-scale), high-throughput file systems. Further, example embodiments of the present invention support proofs of retrievability (PoRs) that let the cloud prove to the tenant efficiently at any time and for arbitrary workloads that the full file system (i.e., every bit) is intact, leveraging integrity-checking capabilities to achieve a property that previous PoRs lack, specifically efficiency in dynamic settings (i.e., for frequently changing data objects).
US08706694B2

Technologies are described herein for providing file-level CDP of files stored on a remote storage system. A client module executing on a client computer monitors for modifications made at the client computer to files or folders stored on a virtual storage volume provided by the remote storage system. Upon detecting a modification of a monitored file, the client module sends a message to the remote storage system identifying the file. A server module executing in the remote storage system receives the message identifying the modified file and copies a version of the file containing the modification from the virtual storage volume to a backup volume located in the remote storage system.
US08706685B1

Organizing collaborative annotations of digital items is described. In a particular embodiment, a server system receives a filter request from a client device to filter a plurality of annotations according to criteria included in the filter request. The plurality of annotations is stored at an annotations database coupled to the server system. The server system sends filter results to the client device based upon annotations matching the criteria of the filter request. The annotations may be filtered based on tags associated with respective annotations, where the tags categorize the respective annotations.
US08706684B2

A method and a system for managing enterprise data are provided. The system comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory comprises a definition module defining a Data Management Architecture (DMA). Further, the DMA comprises at least one of an enterprise portal, an enterprise model, at least one adaptor, and a set of metrics. The enterprise portal comprises a set of service tools. The set of service tools is configured to perform a set of services on the data. The enterprise model is configured to analyze an enterprise process to create and modify enterprise metadata of the data originating from the enterprise process. Further, the adapter is configured to communicate with a data source associated with the enterprise process for extracting the enterprise metadata from the data source. Furthermore, the set of metrics may represent an analysis of the data.
US08706681B2

A system and method for processing a base vector derived from data stored in an OLAP cube. The system comprises a component configured for defining a base vector and a comparison vector, wherein the comparison vector comprises one or more dimensions corresponding to dimensions of the base vector. The system includes a component configured for defining a time scope associated with the base vector. The system further comprises a component configured for performing one or more analysis operations on the comparison vector to generate comparison values and a component configured for rendering the base and comparison vectors. According to another aspect, the system includes a component for altering or modifying individual data cells in the base vector and/or parameters associated with the base vector and/or analysis operation.
US08706679B2

Locking allocated data space is disclosed. An indication is received that certain previous version data is required to be retained. A map of metadata records, each associated with a journaling process write of previous version data which write includes previous version data required to be retained, is built. In some embodiments, the map associates a write time with each record in the map. A reclamation process checks to determine whether any storage proposed to be reclaimed is included in the map of record identifiers. In some embodiments, the determination is made based at least in part on the write time associated in the map with at least a first record identifier in time-sorted order.
US08706677B2

Methods and apparatuses for determining the identity of the user detect a current user's electronic device activity pattern; compare the detected activity pattern against a plurality of user action identification profiles, wherein each user action identification profile is associated with a particular user; and use the comparing to identify the current user as being the particular user.
US08706674B2

Technologies for recommending relevant tags for the tagging of media based on one or more initial tags provided for the media and based on a large quantity of other tagged media. Sample media as candidates for recommendation are provided by a set of weak rankers based on corresponding relevance measures in semantic and visual domains. The various samples provided by the weak rankers are then ranked based on relative order to provide a list of recommended tags for the media. The weak rankers provide sample tags based on relevance measures including tag co-occurrence, tag content correlation, and image-conditioned tag correlation.
US08706672B2

A method for automatic, or semi-automatic, planning of dental treatment for a patient comprises: (a) obtaining data about an area which is to be treated and data about a face of a patient; (b) performing a computer-assisted analysis of the data to determine properties of at least the face of the patient; (c) creating a modified tooth set-up using a set of stored rules which make use of the determined facial properties. A three-dimensional representation simulates the appearance of the modified tooth set-up and the patient's face surrounding the treatment area. The method also determines properties of existing teeth and creates a modified tooth set-up which is also based on the existing teeth of the patient. The method can be implemented as software running on a workstation.
US08706671B2

An information acquiring apparatus acquires, when a travel object such as a traveler travels with transportation, passage time at which the travel object passes through each passage point at a departure/arrival facility, transportation specifying information indicating transportation, situation information indicating a situation and so forth. The travel process prediction apparatus stores the acquired information in an associated manner, and obtains a regression equation representing the relationship between items included in the transportation specifying information or situation information and passage time at a specific passage point, elapsed time while the travel object passes through two specific passage points or a result of comparison between the passage time and boarding completion time. The travel process prediction apparatus calculates a predicted value of future passage time, elapsed time or a result of comparison by substituting the content of the expected transportation specifying information or situation information for the regression equation.
US08706662B2

Certain aspects of the present disclosure support a technique for neuronal firing modulation via noise control. Response curve of a typical neuron with a threshold can transition from not firing to always firing with a very small change in the neuron's input, thus limiting the range of excitable input patterns for the neuron. By introducing local, region and global noise terms, the slope of the neuron's response curve can be reduced. This may enable a larger set of input spike patterns to be effective in causing the neuron to fire, i.e., the neuron can be responsive to a large range of input patterns instead of an inherently small set of patterns in a noiseless situation.
US08706658B1

An instance weighted learning (IWL) machine learning model. In one example embodiment, a method of employing an IWL machine learning model to train a classifier may include determining a quality value that should be associated with each machine learning training instance in a temporal sequence of reinforcement learning machine learning training instances, associating the corresponding determined quality value with each of the machine learning training instances, and training a classifier using each of the machine learning training instances. Each of the machine learning training instances includes a state-action pair and is weighted during the training based on its associated quality value using a weighting factor that weights different quality values differently such that the classifier learns more from a machine learning training instance with a higher quality value than from a machine learning training instance with a lower quality value.
US08706654B2

An earthquake damage prediction and prevention system for determining an impact or damage caused by an earthquake to objects associated with different geographical locations. A central unit with a filter module selects and collects earthquake related data of a plurality of network units. At least one impact ratio table is stored with a first data structure for storing geographical and/or topographical data coordinates of the different geographical locations. The geometric distances of the geographical locations from a hypocenter/epicenter are generated by an intensity calculation module with a coordinates processor. Local intensity values based upon the generated geometric distances and a given earthquake magnitude of a stored parameterization including variable weight parameters are generated by a propagation calculation unit of the intensity calculation module, whereas the generated geometric distances are stored assigned to the corresponding geographical locations by a second data structure of the impact ratio table.
US08706632B2

Systems and methods are disclosed whereby credit and debit card transactions are processed at a merchant point-of-sale terminal in a manner that provides customers the opportunity to receive one or more charge enhancement offers which are presented to the customer on a record of charge.
US08706630B2

A computerized system and method for securely authorizing and distributing stored-value card data over a communications network is provided. The method allows for storing in the database a plurality of records comprising stored-value card data for each stored-value card as well as information identifying a plurality of trusted sources of stored-value card activation requests and/or a plurality of trusted communications networks for transmitting stored-value card activation requests. A transmitting step allows for a requesting terminal to transmit over a communications network a request to change the status of a stored-value card. The central processor then determines whether the requesting terminal and/or the communications network is a trusted source. Based on whether the requesting terminal or communications network is a trusted source or trusted communications network, the request can be processed and the card can be activated. A method for establishing a list of trusted sources and trusted communications networks is also provided.
US08706626B2

Persistent, electronically anchored currency notes (PEAC notes) may be generated by a transaction provider and maintained in a datastore. Each PEAC note may be associated with a respective unique identifier and an asset held by a custodian. The transaction provider may provide for assigning ownership of the PEAC notes to various entities and/or transferring ownership therebetween. Ownership transfers may be performed by the transaction provider while maintaining the PEAC notes in the datastore and/or maintaining the asset(s) associated therewith with their respective custodian(s). The transfer of a PEAC note may be tied to one or more transfer conditions. A PEAC note may be provisionally transferred from a first entity to a second entity subject to one or more transfer conditions. When the transfer conditions are met, the PEAC note may be permanently transferred to the second entity.
US08706625B2

A system and method providing a borrowing scheme. The method comprises the steps of: establishing an interest-free revolving amount or account using the computer processor; establishing a periodic payment for maintaining the interest-free revolving amount or account using the computer processor; and automatically revising the interest-free revolving amount or account or the periodic payment using the computer processor based upon at least one user performance metric over a predetermined period of time; wherein the interest-free revolving amount or account or the periodic payment for maintaining the interest-free revolving amount is determined by the user via the network.
US08706620B2

A first method comprises receiving at a computer apparatus an authorization request message comprising a first merchant identifier. The request message may also comprise an account identifier associated with an account and a first transaction amount for a first transaction conducted with a first merchant. The first method further comprises determining, by the computer apparatus, if an account comprises merchant specific currency associated with the first merchant that may be used to conduct the first transaction. It may then be determined if there is sufficient merchant specific currency associated with the first merchant in the account to pay for the first transaction amount. If there is insufficient merchant specific currency associated with the first merchant to pay for the first transaction amount, then non-specific currency in the account is applied automatically to a remainder of the first transaction amount.
US08706615B2

Systems and methods are provided for evaluating the ability of a borrower to repay a potential or existing loan. The systems and methods can use daily cash flows of the borrower obtained from one or more transaction accounts of the borrower. The cash flows can correspond to a period preceding the time of the analysis, and can include the most recent cash flow information in the transaction account. The cash flows can be adjusted to account for seasonal and day to day variations in the cash flows. The adjusted or non-adjusted cash flows can be trended, and projections of the cash flows can be generated based on the trends. The projected cash flows can be evaluated to provide an indication of whether the cash flow of the borrower is and will remain sufficient to facilitate repayment of the loan.
US08706609B2

A client terminal displays a trading screen interface and an annotation interface in relation to the trading screen interface. The annotation interface allows a trader to enter trade-related annotations in a quick and efficient manner or flag a predetermined time and input annotations to be associated with the flagged time a later time, while the trading screen interface allows the trader to make trades at the most favorable prices and in a speedy manner. The annotation interface may alternatively not be displayed and allow for audio input.
US08706608B2

A computer-implemented system and method for executing trades of financial securities according to a combination passive/aggressive trading strategy that reliably executes trades of lists of securities or blocks of a single security within a desired time frame while taking advantage of dynamic market movement to realize price improvement for the trade within the desired time frame. A passive trading agent executes trades at advantageous prices by floating portions of the order at the bid or ask to maximize exposure to the inside market and attract market orders. An aggressive agent opportunistically takes liquidity as it arises, setting discretionary prices in accordance with historical trading data of the specified security.
US08706596B2

Input characterizing one or more economic indicators and a portfolio of accounts can be used to estimate a portfolio level effect of the economic indicators on the portfolio of accounts is estimated. Based on this estimation, an account level effect of the economic indicators is simulated for each of the accounts. The overall affect of the simulated account level effects approximates the portfolio level effect. Simulated account level effects can thereafter be aggregated in order to characterize future risk for the portfolio of accounts. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.
US08706594B2

The invention provides a method for charitable fund raising. The method can include the initial operation of identifying a charitable cause in need of funding. A further operation is providing a plurality of flags to be displayed as a healing field. The display of the healing field can be linked to the charitable cause in need of funding. The healing field can also be displayed as part of a public awareness campaign. Finally, the flags that are displayed in the healing field can be sold, with the profits from the sale going to the charitable cause in need of funding.
US08706592B2

A method for automatically fulfilling lending conditions includes the steps of maintaining a database of a plurality of registered service providers, receiving a loan application having one or more conditions to be fulfilled for the loan application to be approved, evaluating the one or more conditions to determine one or more actions to be taken towards fulfilling the one or more conditions, and automatically executing at least one action of the one or more actions to be taken towards fulfilling at least one of the one or more conditions, wherein the at least one action includes automatically requesting information for fulfilling the at least one condition from a registered service provider of the plurality of registered service providers.
US08706590B2

Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for presenting value exchange in conjunction with financial solution recommendations or offers. The value component, is not limited to monetary value but may, in specific embodiments, also include, convenience value, emotional value or the like. The value component allows the customer to make informed decisions on which financial solution recommendations or offers to select. Further, the value component may be uniquely and dynamically customized (i.e., determined on-the-fly) for the customer based on inputs received from the customer and/or customer profile data. In addition, the value component may reflect average value realized for the demographic group applicable to the customer.
US08706583B1

Systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registration and management of physical and financial settlement for participation of active grid elements in supply and/or curtailment of power. Settlement is provided for grid elements that participate in the electric power grid following initial registration of each grid element with the system, preferably through network-based communication between the grid elements and a coordinator, either in coordination with or outside of an IP-based communications network router. A multiplicity of active grid elements function in the grid for supply capacity, supply and/or load curtailment as supply or capacity, and are compensated through settlement for their functional participation in the electric power grid. Also, messaging related to settlement is managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging for communication with the grid elements, with the energy management system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or grid operators.
US08706576B1

A method and computer executable program code are disclosed for performing one or more maintenance tasks on a remotely located computer connected to a server computer via a data network.
US08706571B1

Disclosed is a system for transitioning between views in a network page. An application that is executed in at least one computing device encodes a network page for rendering in a client, the network page including a region, and the region being configured for the rendering of at least two views. The network page is encoded to depict a transition between the two views. A first one of the views depicts at least one mechanism to add a depicted item in the network page to a list, and a second one of the views depicts at least a portion of the list. Once encoded, the network page is sent to the client.
US08706568B2

A PLM system, method, and computer readable medium. A method includes constructing an engineering design structure of a product that corresponds to physical parts of the product as designed. The method includes constructing an as-built design structure of the product that corresponds to physical parts of the product as built. The method includes displaying a bill of materials (BOM) window view that includes representations of both the engineering design structure and the as-built design structure.
US08706567B2

A method is provided to publish a list of top ranked listings. The method may include configuring a database to store a plurality of listings published over a network. An interest indication may be received from a user for a listing in the plurality of listings. An interest indication data structure may be created and stored that associates the user with the listing. Also, the top ranked listings may be identified from the plurality of listings based on the number of stored interest indication data structures for each listing. Further, the list of the top ranked listings may be published.
US08706562B2

Video e-commerce network, module and methods. In one embodiment, a product/service catalog which includes a video playlist, is delivered to a viewer via a published video e-commerce module. In one embodiment, the catalog is customized based on the website that published the module and/or the viewer of the module. In one embodiment, the viewer may complete the purchase of a product/service in the catalog within the module.
US08706559B2

A method and system for issuing and activating a contactless transaction card is provided. The method uses a server system coupled to a database. The method includes providing a promotional transaction card including a proof of purchase identifier to a consumer, receiving a request message for ordering a contactless transaction card for the consumer wherein the request message includes the proof of purchase identifier and consumer registration data, validating the request message, issuing an inactive contactless transaction card to the consumer including a product identifier and an activation number, storing the product identifier and the activation number in the database, receiving the product identifier and the activation number from a client computer system, and activating the inactive contactless transaction card after the server system verifies that the received product identifier and activation number match the stored product identifier and activation number.
US08706553B2

An online sales/automatic rebate and coupon redemption system provides online customers automatic retrieval and redemption of all applicable rebates and coupons during purchase. Purchase orders from customers are selectively fulfilled and products are shipped to the customers either by the system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption or by other merchant or manufacturer environments. The system purchases from merchants using applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system makes it possible to automatically retrieve coupons and rebates for items in a shopping cart during the activity of an online purchase at an electronic mall or an online merchant site. The system provides coupons to potential customers via email, based on customer profile, geographical information, etc. Manufacturers and merchants can update coupon value and content based on ongoing sales and volume of customer activity.
US08706551B2

A method for tracking user actions associated with an advertisement includes receiving conversion information. The method also includes determining whether the conversion information represents a valid conversion corresponding to a user action.
US08706550B1

External-signal influence on content item performance is determined. Content item performance data is received that reflects historic performance of a content item for multiple presentations of the content item. Signal data is received that corresponds to at least one signal that is temporally correlated with the content item performance data and that is external to each user, publisher and content provider involved in any of the presentations. Using the content item performance data and the signal data, an influence value for the signal with regard to the content item is determined. A content item prediction model is modified based on the influence value.
US08706544B1

The present invention is a method and system for forecasting the demographic characterization of customers to help customize programming contents on each means for playing output of each site of a plurality of sites in a media network through automatically measuring, characterizing, and estimating the demographic information of customers that appear in the vicinity of each means for playing output. The analysis of demographic information of customers is performed automatically based on the visual information of the customers, using a plurality of means for capturing images and a plurality of computer vision technologies on the visual information. The measurement of the demographic information is performed in each measured node, where the node is defined as means for playing output. Extrapolation of the measurement characterizes the demographic information per each node of a plurality of nodes in a site of a plurality of sites of a media network. The forecasting and customization of the programming contents is based on the characterization of the demographic information.
US08706543B2

The invention provides the ability to evaluate transaction activity of customers following the redemption of a promotion, such as the redemption of a prepaid instrument, coupon, or the like. For example, the subsequent activity could be where customers shopped after redeeming a coupon. Examples of such reports that could be generated include the percentage of redeemers who returned to the same merchant or who went elsewhere. In some cases, customers could do both, or neither and the reports could indicate such activity. Further reports could show the amount spent for each return visit (both for those who return and go elsewhere), as well as the percentage who shop only with the merchant, and nowhere else.
US08706539B1

The present invention is directed to an overlay interface for facilitating and coordinating meetings. In particular, a central overlay interface tool having access to a plurality of applications is provided for scheduling meetings at dates and times at which desired meeting attendees are available. The tool allows for communications related to the meeting to be automatically generated and sent to participants. In addition, communications may be received and acted on by the tool. The tool may also provide for the identification of materials related to the meeting, and provide access to such materials to attendees. In a further aspect, the overlay interface allows for follow-up and sidebar meetings to be scheduled.
US08706529B2

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for a method for linking the health records of two or more patients and alerting them of a change in at least one of the patient's health records are provided. One method comprises, in part, receiving an indication of a desire to link the first medical record of the first patient to a second medical record of a second patient and searching a connected health network for at least one of the first medical record associated with the first patient or the second medical record associated with the second patient. The method further comprises designating a sharing level between the first medical record of the first patient and the second medical record of the second patient, the sharing level indicating an extent of healthcare information that can be shared between the first medical record and the second medical record. The method also includes requesting the second patient to accept a link between the first medical record and the second medical record, and linking the first medical record associated with the first patient and the second medical record associated with the second patient.
US08706514B1

A system and method for mediating anomaly notifications in health data to health alerts using data structures and logic to organize, contain, and disposition identified health anomalies. Multiple generators of anomaly notifications operating asynchronously and independently can be processed. The case manager organizes anomaly notifications and supports collaborative decision making among users with diverse areas of expertise.
US08706510B2

An audio decoder for providing a decoded audio information includes a arithmetic decoder for providing a plurality of decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation of the spectral values and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation using the decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to select a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state. The arithmetic decoder is configured to determine or modify the current context state in dependence on a plurality of previously-decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to detect a group of a plurality of previously-decoded spectral values, which fulfill, individually or taken together, a predetermined condition regarding their magnitudes, and to determine the current context state in dependence on a result of the detection.An audio encoder uses similar principles.
US08706509B2

The embodiments of the present invention improves conventional attenuation schemes by replacing constant attenuation with an adaptive attenuation scheme that allows more aggressive attenuation, without introducing audible change of signal frequency characteristics.
US08706508B2

An audio decoding apparatus and method are provided. The audio decoding apparatus includes a spectrum converting part configured to divide the first frequency spectrum in each channel of the first audio signal in a time direction or in a frequency direction to calculate a first signal sequence having the same time resolution and the same frequency resolution in all the channels of the first audio signal, a down-mixing part configured to perform weighted addition on the signals at the same time and within the same frequency band included in the first signal sequence in all the channels to calculate a second signal sequence having channels of a second number different from the first number of channels.
US08706507B2

In a first aspect, arbitrary shaping of the temporal envelope of noise is provided in spectral domain coding systems without the need of side-information. In the encoding, a filtered measure of quantization error is applied as a feedback signal to the frequency-domain representation of a discrete time-domain signal prior to quantization, so that the filtering parameters of said filtering affect the shaping of quantization noise in the time domain of the quantized frequency-domain representation with unchanged quantization of the discrete time-domain signal when it is inversely transformed from the frequency domain back to the time domain in decoding. This may be accomplished with respect to each of a plurality of frequency bins or groups of bins. In another aspect, frequency-domain noise-feedback quantizing in digital audio encoding is provided.
US08706506B2

In a waveform compressing apparatus, a trial mode selecting portion selects a trial mode having the highest compression rate from a plurality of candidate modes which have not been selected before as a trial mode for generating a residue code, the selected trial mode comprising a scalar quantization mode or a vector quantization mode. A waveform data compressing portion compresses a given data amount of original waveform data according to the selected trial mode so as to generate the residue code, the data amount being determined in correspondence with the selected trial mode. A waveform data restoring portion generates a restored waveform data from the compressed data using the generated residue code. A determining portion measures an evaluation value of a quantization error contained in the restored waveform data relative to the original waveform data, and determines whether the evaluation value is equal to or smaller than a predetermined allowable value. A mode change instructing portion outputs a mode change instruction for instructing the trial mode selecting portion to select another trial mode when the evaluation value is not smaller than the predetermined allowable value.
US08706504B2

Apparatus useful for obtaining and displaying information. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a network interface, display device, and speech recognition apparatus configured to receive user speech input and enable performance of various tasks via a remote entity, such as obtaining desired information relating to maps or directions, or any number of other topics. The downloaded data may also, in one variant, be displayed with contextually related advertising or other content.
US08706500B2

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are described for establishing a multimodal personality for a multimodal application that include selecting, by the multimodal application, matching vocal and visual demeanors and incorporating, by the multimodal application, the matching vocal and visual demeanors as a multimodal personality into the multimodal application.
US08706496B2

A sequence is received of time domain digital audio samples representing sound (e.g., a sound generated by a human voice or a musical instrument). The time domain digital audio samples are processed to derive a corresponding sequence of audio pulses in the time domain. Each of the audio pulses is associated with a characteristic frequency. Frequency domain information is derived about each of at least some of the audio pulses. The sound represented by the time domain digital audio samples is transformed by processing the audio pulses using the frequency domain information. The sound transformation utilizes overlapping windows and a computational cost function which depends on a product of the number of the pitch periods and the inverse of the minimum fundamental frequency within the window is determined.
US08706491B2

One feature of the present invention uses the parsing capabilities of a structured language model in the information extraction process. During training, the structured language model is first initialized with syntactically annotated training data. The model is then trained by generating parses on semantically annotated training data enforcing annotated constituent boundaries. The syntactic labels in the parse trees generated by the parser are then replaced with joint syntactic and semantic labels. The model is then trained by generating parses on the semantically annotated training data enforcing the semantic tags or labels found in the training data. The trained model can then be used to extract information from test data using the parses generated by the model.
US08706487B2

Acoustic models and language models are learned according to a speaking length which indicates a length of a speaking section in speech data, and speech recognition process is implemented by using the learned acoustic models and language models. A speech recognition apparatus includes means (103) for detecting a speaking section in speech data (101) and for generating a section information which indicates the detected speaking section, means (104) for recognizing a data part corresponding to a section information in the speech data as well as text data (102) written from the speech data and for classifying the data part based on a speaking length thereof, and means (106) for learning acoustic models and language models (107) by using the classified data part (105).
US08706485B2

The present invention pertains to method and a communication device (100) for associating a contact record pertaining to a remote speaker (220) with a mnemonic image (191) based on attributes of the speaker (220). The method comprises receiving voice data of the speaker (220); in a communication session with a source device (200). A source determination representing the speaker (220) is registered, and then the received voice data is analyzed so that voice data characteristics can be extracted.Based on these voice data characteristics a mnemonic image (191) can be selected, and associated to a contact record in which the source determination is stored.The mnemonic image (191) may be selected among images previously stored in the device, or derived through editing of such images.
US08706473B2

An example method may include receiving a media stream from a first endpoint, where the media stream is intended for a second endpoint; processing the media stream according to at least one processing option; compressing the media stream; and communicating the media stream to the second endpoint. In more specific instances, the processing may include converting a speech in the media stream to text in a first language; converting the text in the first language to text in a second language; rendering the text in the second language; and adding the rendered text in the media stream.
US08706465B2

A design support system for supporting a design of an electronic device having an input device through which an input is made by utilizing elasticity is provided. The system includes a simulation unit for executing structural simulation of an input device based on structural data of the electronic device including the input device. The support system can include a re-design determining unit for notifying a need for re-design to a designer based on reactive characteristic data of the input device output from the simulation unit. The support system can include an examining unit for examining the reactive characteristic data, and a selecting unit for selecting another input device to replace the current input device.
US08706463B2

A system for completing a wellbore (38) having multiple zones. The system includes a completion (42) having a plurality of landing points defined therein positioned within the wellbore (38). A service tool is axially movable within the completion (42). The service tool is coupled to a pipe string (36) extending from the surface and selectively supported by a movable block (30) above the surface. A subsurface model is defined in a computer operably associated with the wellbore (38). The model is operable to predict the position of the service tool relative to the landing points of the completion (42) based upon a dynamic lumped mass model of the service tool and a dynamic lumped capacitance thermal model of the wellbore environment.
US08706459B2

A method for selecting a subset of at least one traffic sensor includes modeling multiple sensor types to generate at least one sensor model, creating a sample space of at least one sensor combination of multiple sensors, modeling traffic movement of a region, running a traffic simulation based on the at least one sensor model, the sample space of at least one sensor combination and traffic movement of the region, wherein the traffic simulation generates multiple candidate sets of sensors, and selecting a subset of the multiple sensors based on the multiple candidate sets of sensors.
US08706455B2

A projection operator framework is described to analyze the concept of localized normal-vector fields within field-material interactions in a spectral basis, in isotropic and anisotropic media. Generate a localized normal-vector field n in a region of the structure defined by the material boundary, decomposed into sub-regions with a predefined normal-vector field and possibly corresponding closed-form integrals. Construct a continuous vector field F using the normal-vector field to select continuous components ET and Dn. Localized integration of normal-vector field n over the sub-regions to determine coefficients of, C. Determine components Ex, Ey, Ez of the electromagnetic field by using field-material interaction operator C to operate on vector field F. Calculate electromagnetic scattering properties of the structure using the determined components of the electromagnetic field.
US08706454B2

Disclosed are various embodiments for transmission evaluation. In one embodiment, among others, a method includes evaluating a plurality of contingencies to generate a plurality of contingency results, where at least one of the contingency results includes an overload condition. The evaluation is based at least in part upon a case associated with a transmission network. The method further includes sorting the plurality of contingency results based upon corresponding overload-contingency pairs and determining a potential remediation solution to the overload condition based at least in part upon the overload-contingency pair. In another embodiment, a system includes a transmission evaluation application executed in a computing device. The application includes logic that obtains a plurality of contingency evaluation results including an overload condition, determines at least one potential remediation solution to the overload condition, updates the case to include the potential remediation solution, and generates a second plurality of contingency evaluation results.
US08706453B2

Processor/memory co-exploration at multiple abstraction levels. An architecture description language (ADL) description of a processor/memory system is accessed. The ADL description models on one of a plurality of abstraction levels. The abstraction levels may include a functional (or bit-accurate) level and a cycle-accurate level. Further, a communication protocol for the processor/memory system is accessed. The communication protocol is formed from primitives, wherein a memory interface formed from the primitives is useable in simulation at the abstraction levels. A processor/memory simulation model is automatically generated from the description and description of the communication protocol. The processor/memory simulation model comprises a processor/memory interface comprising the primitives and based on the communication protocol. The memory interface allows simulation of the processor/memory on the appropriate abstraction level for the simulation. For example, the processor/memory interface may be a functional interface or a cycle-accurate interface.
US08706451B1

A system that generates a model for an electronic prognostics system which is used to monitor a computer system while the computer system is operating correctly. During operation, the system receives telemetry signals generated by the computer system. Next, the system builds the model based on the telemetry signals, wherein the model uses correlations between different telemetry signals to identify anomalies in the telemetry signals. The system then validates the model against telemetry signals from the computer system.
US08706449B2

A method for synthesis of a hysteresis function of a plurality of inputs is described. The method includes receiving and processing of a plurality of input signals with at least a parameterized multivariable nonlinearity, the parameterized multivariable nonlinearity serving as a parameterized hysteron, to produce at least one output signal. The plurality of input signals is also processed by at least a controller function, the controller function comprising memory and producing at least one control signal responsive to at least one of the plurality of input signals, the at least once control signal for controlling the parameterized hysteron. The at least one control signal is used to control the parameterized hysteron so as to create a hysteretic response to at least one of the plurality of input signals.
US08706439B2

Provided is a test apparatus that tests a device under test, comprising: a test module that tests the device under test by sending signals to and receiving signals from the device under test; a test controller that controls the test module; and a network that transmits communication packets between the test module and the test controller, wherein at least one of the test module and the network transmits to the test controller a usage state packet that indicates a usage state of a communication buffer that buffers the communication packets.
US08706438B2

An apparatus for measuring s-parameters using as few as one pulser and two samplers is described. The apparatus calibrates itself automatically using the internal calibration standards.
US08706434B1

The nonlinear systems measurement system includes two signal generators generating different sinusoidal frequencies. A spectrum analyzer measures all signals. A single software program synchronizes the instruments. The fetched measurements are kept in data registers in correct sequence for feeding into two curve fitting routines. The sinusoidal signals are fed to a suitable combiner for the expected frequencies and dynamic range of the UUT. The combined signal is applied to the UUT. Via a software-controlled single-pole, triple-throw RF switch, the amplitude of the UUT output and the two input signals are measured at every power step as amplitude I1 and amplitude I2. The amplitude of the output component from the UUT at f1-f2 is measured as IMD2 and the output component at 2f1-f2 is measured as IMD3. The measured I1 and IMD2 are fed to the curve-fitting routine 1, yielding r1. The measured I2 and IMD3 are fed to curve-fitting routine 2, yielding r2.
US08706433B2

A method and apparatus are provided for calculating s-parameters of a device under test from step waveforms acquired by a time domain network analyzer.
US08706432B2

A method of measuring resistance in each of a plurality of resistors in a resistor matrix is provided. Each resistor is located at a different intersection between a column conductor and a row conductor. The method includes determining an offset error row current of each row conductor, scanning each row conductor to identify if that row conductor is connected to a column conductor by one of the plurality of resistors, scanning each resistor connected to that row conductor to determine if that resistor is connecting a column conductor to that row conductor, and if that resistor is connecting a column conductor to that row conductor, outputting an offset compensated resistance of that resistor calculated from the row current measured for that resistor less the offset error row current for that row conductor.
US08706430B2

Motion is induced in a conduit that contains a fluid. The motion is induced such that the conduit oscillates in a first mode of vibration and a second mode of vibration. The first mode of vibration has a corresponding first frequency of vibration and the second mode of vibration has a corresponding second frequency of vibration. At least one of the first frequency of vibration or the second frequency of vibration is determined. A phase difference between the motion of the conduit at a first point of the conduit and the motion of the conduit at a second point of the conduit is determined. A quantity based on the phase difference and the determined frequency is determined. The quantity includes a ratio between the first frequency during a zero-flow condition and the second frequency during the zero-flow condition. A property of the fluid is determined based on the quantity.
US08706425B2

The method of quantifying and of validation of activation status of a water treatment polymer in an aqueous sample includes the following steps: supplying polymer, e.g. continuously, to the aqueous sample; monitoring electrical conductivity measurements in the aqueous sample; thoroughly mixing the aqueous sample; correlating the conductivity measurements with the polymer concentration and activation status; and suspending mixing once conductivity steady state is achieved upon the aqueous solution polymer becoming fully activated.
US08706424B2

A system for estimating gas concentrations in a mixed atmosphere includes (a) a plurality of sensors for providing a set of measurements, at least one of the sensors sensitive to an internal concentration of hydrogen; and (b) a processor for receiving the set of measurements and for executing a sequential estimation filter that includes a plurality of states having a corresponding set of values. The processor responsively adjusts at least a portion of the set of values in response to the set of measurements. The plurality of sensors can include a resistive sensor and a capacitive gas sensor, both of which are sensitive to hydrogen concentration. The plurality of states can include states representative of hydrogen pressure in the mixed atmosphere, hydrogen concentration in a bulk material of at least one of the sensors, and hydrogen concentration in an interface layer of at least one of the sensors.
US08706423B2

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to various embodiments of a chemical reaction-type metaheuristic. According to an embodiment, solutions to an objective function can be determined by iteratively searching for a minimum energy state of one or more interactions of molecules in a chemical reaction. The molecules in the chemical reaction can be assigned to represent the possible outcomes of the objective function. In a specific embodiment, the interactions of the molecules can modeled as on-wall ineffective collisions, decompositions, inter-molecular ineffective collisions, and synthesis. The type of interaction can affect where the next molecular structure is searched.
US08706414B2

The invention is directed to methods and systems for locating and monitoring the status of people and moveable assets, such as first responders, including firefighters and other public service personnel, and their equipment both indoors and out. The invention provides for locating and monitoring the status of people and assets in environments where GPS systems do not operate, or where operation is impaired or otherwise limited. The system and method uses inertial navigation to determine the location, motion and orientation of the personnel or assets and communicates with an external monitoring station to receive requests for location, motion orientation and status information and to transmit the location, motion orientation and status information to the monitoring station.
US08706411B2

A method and a system for dispatching vehicle are provided. The method for dispatching vehicle includes the following steps: A. obtaining the vehicle information, which includes vehicle numbers, vehicle states and relative positions; B. placing the vehicle icons corresponding to the vehicle numbers in the corresponding positions on the virtual line schedule map according to the vehicle states and the relative positions; C. displaying the virtual line schedule map refreshed via step B. The system for dispatching vehicle includes vehicle information obtaining unit, vehicle states judging and processing unit, displaying unit and dispatching unit. The system realize the visual vehicle dispatching method by utilizing the virtual line schedule map, so as to implement vehicle monitoring and dispatching.
US08706406B2

A system and method for determination and display of personalized distance. A request is received for the determination of a personalized distance over a network, wherein the request comprises an identification of a requesting user, and a plurality of real world entities comprising at least a starting location and an ending location. At least one route is determined between the first location and the second location. Spatial, temporal, topical, and social data available to the network relating to the requesting user and each real world entity and the route is retrieved using a global index of data available to the network. A personalized distance is calculated via the network between the first location and the second location using spatial, temporal, topical, and social data relating to the requesting user and each real world entity and the route. A representation of the personalized distance calculated for the route is displayed on a display medium.
US08706403B2

At least one example embodiment discloses a method of detecting a bifurcation in a navigable feature. The method includes first determining a first possible segment and a second possible segment of the navigable feature based on location measurements along the navigable feature, the location measurements representing a heading vector and the location measurements having a higher probability of being on the first possible segment than on the second possible segment, second determining an angle based on the heading vector and a vector between the second possible segment and one of the location measurements, and detecting a bifurcation based on the angle.
US08706390B2

Embodiments of the invention describe receiving, via a plurality of sensors, data indicating vehicle information. Said information may indicate at least orientation of a frame of a vehicle, orientation of a front wheel of the vehicle with respect to the frame, orientation and rotational speed of a first and second flywheel, and speed of the vehicle. In one embodiment, each flywheel is included in a first and second gyroscope coupled to the vehicle frame. Based, at least in part, on the data received from the plurality of sensors, at least one of the orientation and rotational speed of at least one of the flywheels may be adjusted. Said adjustment may further be based on an input to change at least one of speed and direction of the vehicle.
US08706383B2

A control system includes an engine control module that generates fuel injector command signals for fuel injectors of an engine and engine parameter signals that indicate operating characteristics of the engine. A fuel injector control module communicates with the engine control module via a network. The engine control module transmits the engine parameter signals to the fuel injector control module via the network. The fuel injector control module generates compensated fuel injector signals based on the fuel injector command signals and the engine parameter signals. The engine control module may generate fuel injector command signals for a gaseous fuel mode based on signals received from the fuel injector control module.
US08706365B2

A method for determination of numbers of gear steps for a gearbox in a motor vehicle which comprises an engine connected to drive a gearbox is disclosed. The numbers of gear steps are the number of downshifts or the number of upshifts which the gearbox respectively effects at an upshift point or a downshift point, a downshift point representing a first engine speed at which the gearbox effects a downshift, an upshift point representing a second engine speed at which the gearbox effects an upshift, and the numbers of gear steps being determined based on a predicted time period which the engine takes to change from a first engine speed to a second engine speed. A system, a motor vehicle, a computer program and a computer program product thereof for the method are also disclosed.
US08706362B2

The different illustrative embodiments provide a method for processing biological material. Biological material is monitored for in a field. The biological material is retrieved from the field to form retrieved biological material in response to detecting the biological material in the field. A conversion system converts the retrieved biological material into energy. A portion of the energy is directed to a remote location. The conversion system moves in the field during at least one of the monitoring, the retrieving, and the converting.
US08706361B2

A method and apparatus for selectively activating a gravity down mode of a hydraulic system during operation of a lift gate. An electronic control circuit is added to hydraulic control circuitry and is configured to selectively interrupt the power down mode or gravity down mode of operation of the hydraulic system based on either a manual input (override) or a sensed condition and switch to the other mode of operation.
US08706354B2

[Problem]The present invention provides a motor control apparatus that is capable of making the whole system robust not only with respect to motor parameter variations such as the temperature variation and the manufacturing unevenness but also with respect to disturbances and an electric power steering apparatus mounting the motor control apparatus thereon.[Means for solving the problem]The motor control apparatus comprises a current detector for detecting a current of a motor and a controller for deciding a voltage command value based on at least a current command value, the controller comprises an adaptive identifying means for identifying parameter variations of an output model of the motor, a current estimating means for estimating a current of the motor, and a voltage command value deciding means for deciding the voltage command value, and the adaptive identifying means performs the identification based on at least a current detection value detected by the current detector and a current-estimate value calculated by the current estimating means, the current estimating means calculates the current-estimate value based on at least a result of the identification and the voltage command value, the voltage command value deciding means decides the voltage command value based on the current command value and the current-estimate value.
US08706353B2

A lane departure control system is provided which works to control a lane departure of a vehicle using a steering mechanism. The lane departure control system determines a deviation angle between a direction in which the vehicle is pointing and a boundary line of a lane. When the vehicle is expected to unintentionally leave the lane, the lane departure control system calculates an assist angle between a target angular direction of the vehicle and the boundary line and outputs a control signal to the steering mechanism to steer the vehicle in a direction away from the boundary line toward the center of the lane by the sum of the deviation angle and the assist angle. The lane departure control system determines the assist angle as a function of the deviation angle. Such calculation results in a decreased load on the system in controlling the steering of the vehicle.
US08706335B2

A method for operating a hybrid unit comprising a first drive-power source, such as a supercharged internal combustion engine, and a second drive-power source, such as an electric machine. The second drive-power source operates as a generator for charging the energy accumulator and as a motor for discharging of the energy accumulator. Depending on torque desired by a driver, drive torque can be called for, on the one hand, from the first drive-power source and, on the other hand, from the second drive-power source operating as a motor. When the torque desired by the driver increases, to ensure operation of the hybrid unit with reduced fuel consumption and reduced emissions, depending on the charge condition of the energy accumulator, torque demanded from the first drive-power source is delayed and/or reduced, and the resulting reduced dynamic response is compensated for by demanding torque from the second drive-power source.
US08706326B2

Method and device for aiding the piloting of an airplane during a landing phase for ensuring, during rollout on a landing runway, that in the nominal case the airplane will stop level with a selected exit, while guaranteeing that in the case of a fault the airplane will stop before the end of the runway.
US08706319B2

A method and apparatus comprising a satellite, an antenna system associated with the satellite, and a transmitter in the satellite. The antenna system is configured to transmit a signal in a direction away from a surface of an earth. The transmitter is configured to transmit location information in the signal using the antenna system.
US08706316B1

A method and system for presenting vehicle information. A functional part of a vehicle is selected to be examined and information related to the selected function part is received. A vehicle model corresponding to the vehicle is retrieved. Based on the selected functional part and the vehicle model, a mode of operation is determined and used in presenting the vehicle model and the information so that a portion of the model corresponding to the functional part is visible and the information is presented with respect to the visible functional part of the presented model.
US08706310B2

A goal-based control system may be provided that controls lighting based on high-level management goals for the operation of a lighting system. The system may include a lighting system model. The system may convert the high-level management goals into low-level device control parameters that include a power level for each respective one of the light fixtures, where the system determines that a modeled operation of each respective one the light fixtures at the power level meets the management goals based on the lighting system model. The system may cause each respective one of the light fixtures to operate at the power level. The system may determine a likelihood of satisfying the management goals.
US08706295B2

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for synchronization robots. According to an aspect of the present invention, a portable robot synchronization apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store data defining physical models and behaviors of a real robot, a manipulation unit, an output unit, a communication unit configured to perform wired and wireless communication with the real robot or a server, and a control unit configured to model a size and behavior of a virtual robot, having a shape and behavior of the real robot, in response to a manipulation command received through the manipulation unit, on the basis of the data stored in the storage unit, output the modeled virtual robot through the output unit, and control the behavior of the virtual robot in response to the behavior of the real robot when communicating with the real robot through the communication unit.
US08706293B2

Embodiments of a vending machine are disclosed that can comprise one or more horizontally oriented shelves for supporting products to be vended, a plurality of vertically oriented dividers coupled to the shelves, a plurality of location markers located on the dividers and/or on the shelves, and an optical recognition module configured to optically recognize the location markers and to determine positions of the location markers and products relative to the shelves. In some embodiments, the optical recognition module can recognize the products by comparing images of the products to stored product images.
US08706292B2

An apparatus for receiving and dispensing cards automatically includes a card receiving and dispensing main body (1000) and a card dispensing box (1001) removably installed on said main body (1000). Said card dispensing box (1001) includes a card dispensing box body, a card outlet (141) and a card gate (90) configured on said card dispensing box body. Said card dispensing box (1001) also includes a card gate locking device for controlling the opening and closing of said card gate (90). Said apparatus also includes an identification and unclocking device, which controls the activity of the card gate locking device on the card dispensing box (1001) associated with the card receiving and dispensing main body (1000) to open the card gate (90) of the card dispensing box (1001).
US08706285B2

A process for designing and fabricating a custom-fit implant, comprising: a) processing medical image data of a patient's pathologically defective or anatomically deformed area having a symmetrical part to construct a three-dimensional (3D) digital model; b) forming a mirror image of the left or right side of the three-dimensional (3D) digital model based on its axis of symmetry depending on which side the pathologically defective or anatomically deformed area is; c) overlying the mirror image on the original image to form a composite image with a non-overlapping area wherein the implant will be fitted; d) generating a digital implant by cutting off the non-overlapping area of the mirror image; e) designing mounting points between the digital implant and the pathologically defective or anatomically deformed area where the implant is mounted thereon; f) building a positive and a negative mold based on the digital implant to fabricate a custom-fit implant.
US08706284B2

A diagnostic system to diagnose a pressure profile of a molding machine M in an operating state is disclosed. The pressure profile of the molding machine M in the operating state is measured with a pressure sensor of a measurement system 3. In a diagnostic system A, a database is formed such that a reference pressure profile and the actual pressure profile selected according to a mold to be made are preserved therein. The diagnostic system A compares the reference pressure profile to the actual pressure profile in the database to determine whether the actual pressure profile is within a predetermined tolerance.
US08706283B2

A system for evaluating a manufacturability of a casting design. The system includes at least one of a geometry analyzer, a casting evaluation tool, a residual stress evaluation tool, and a machining evaluation tool. The geometry analyzer analyzes a geometric design of the casting design to determine its geometric design-ability, the casting evaluation tool evaluates the casting design to determine its cast-ability, the residual stress evaluation tool evaluates the casting design to determine its heat treat-ability, and the machining evaluation tool evaluates the casting design to determine a machine-ability of the casting design. If the casting design is determined as not geometrically design-able, not cast-able, not heat treat-able, or not machine-able by the geometry analyzer, the casting evaluation tool, the residual stress evaluation tool, or the machining evaluation tool, respectively, then modifications to the casting design are recommended to optimize the casting design for manufacturing.
US08706276B2

System, methods, and media that: receive a first piece of audio content; identify a first plurality of atoms that describe at least a portion of the first piece of audio content using a Matching Pursuit algorithm; form a first group of atoms from at least a portion of the first plurality of atoms, the first group of atoms having first group parameters; form at least one first hash value for the first group of atoms based on the first group parameters; compare the at least one first hash value with at least one second hash value, wherein the at least one second hash value is based on second group parameters of a second group of atoms associated with a second piece of audio content; and identify a match between the first piece of audio content and the second piece of audio content based on the comparing.
US08706255B2

A system for recharging an implantable medical device. The system comprises a holster that may be donned in multiple respective configurations for charging implanted medical devices implanted at various locations within the patient's body. The system may further comprise a charging unit having an antenna on the patient's right side, a second configuration for charging a pectorally implanted medical device on the patient's left side, or a third configuration for use as a waist belt for charging a pectorally implanted medical device on either side of the patient.
US08706248B2

A cochlear implant implementing a directional sound processing system is provided. Specifically, the cochlear implants implementing the present invention comprise a plurality of audio sensors arranged in at least one external component of the cochlear implant to spatially receive ambient sound. At least one audio sensor is located in one of the external components of the cochlear implant, while one other audio sensor is located elsewhere, such as in a component other than the first component. The cochlear implant includes an directional sound processor comprising an array processor and a sound processor to convert the received sounds into a cochlea stimulation instruction signal.
US08706246B2

An exemplary cochlear implant system includes an external module configured to be positioned external to and worn by a patient, the external module having an external microphone configured to detect an input audio signal presented to the patient, and an external speaker configured to acoustically transmit an audio signal representative of the input audio signal. The exemplary cochlear implant system further includes an implantable module configured to be implanted within the patient, the implantable module having an internal microphone configured to detect the acoustically transmitted audio signal, an internal sound processor configured to generate one or more stimulation parameters based on the acoustically transmitted audio signal, and an internal cochlear stimulator configured to apply electrical stimulation representative of the input audio signal to one or more stimulation sites within the patient in accordance with the one or more stimulation parameters. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08706245B2

The present application discloses hearing prostheses with two modes of operation and methods for operating the prostheses. In the first mode of operation, a hearing prosthesis receives a microphone input and produces an output based on the microphone input. In the second mode of operation, the hearing prosthesis may detect an accessory input signal and switch to an accessory input mode. The second mode of operation may produce an output that is based at least in part on the accessory input signal. Some embodiments may include detecting an accessory input signal with a detector. In response to detecting an accessory input signal, the hearing prosthesis may switch to an accessory operation mode. When the accessory input signal is not detected, the hearing prosthesis may operate in microphone operation mode.
US08706241B2

Systems and methods for patient interactive neural stimulation and/or chemical substance delivery are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes affecting a target neural population of the patient by providing to the patient at least one of an electromagnetic signal and a chemical substance. The method can further include detecting at least one characteristic of the patient, with the characteristic at least correlated with the patient's performance of an adjunctive therapy task that is performed in association with affecting the target neural population. The method can still further include controlling at least one parameter in accordance with which the target neural population is affected, based at least in part on the detected characteristic.
US08706239B2

Techniques are provided for controlling neurostimulation such as spinal cord stimulation (SCS) using a cardiac rhythm management device (CRMD). In various examples described herein, neurostimulation is delivered to a patient while regional cardiac performance of the heart of the patient is assessed by the CRMD. The delivery of further neurostimulation is adjusted or controlled based, at least in part, on the regional cardiac performance, preferably to enhance positive effects on the heart due to the neurostimulation or to mitigate any negative effects. Regional cardiac performance is assessed based on parameters derived from cardiogenic impedance signals detected along various vectors through the heart.
US08706236B2

A method of conditioning a diaphragm of a patient is provided. The method can include the steps of implanting an electrode adjacent a target site in the diaphragm of the patient and operating the electrode to deliver a sufficient amount of electrical stimulation to the target site in the diaphragm of the patient to cause the diaphragm to contract.
US08706235B2

A system and method for delivering a nerve stimulation therapy determines whether a cardiac EGM signal can be sensed by a bipolar pair of electrodes selected from a number of electrodes positioned for stimulating a nerve. In response to not being able to sense a cardiac signal using the bipolar pair, stimulation of the nerve using a selected pair of the electrodes is enabled.
US08706225B2

An electronic medical person access to a medical professional (MP) who can monitor, diagnose and treat the person from a remote site. The apparatus includes a plurality of medical treatment devices coupled to an electronic adapter designed to communicate with (A) each treatment device and (B) a local, first transmitting/receiving device which, in turn, is adapted to electronically communicate with a remote, second transmitting/receiving device used by the MP. Signals representing physiologic information of the person via the adapter to the MP and, in response, the MP may transmit a control signal to one or more treatment devices. The treatment devices may communicate via the adapter.
US08706221B2

A method and device for delivering anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) therapy that includes an electrode to sense cardiac signals and to deliver the therapy, sensing circuitry, electrically coupled to the electrode, to detect the tachycardia event in response to the sensed cardiac signals, and a processor to control delivery of the therapy. The processor determines whether a return cycle length generated subsequent to the delivery of the first plurality of pacing pulses is greater than a cycle length associated with the tachycardia event and less than a sum of the cycle length associated with the tachycardia event and a total prematurity associated with the first plurality of pacing pulses, and adjusts delivery of a second plurality of pacing pulses in response to the return cycle length being greater than the cycle length associated with the tachycardia event and less than the sum of the cycle length associated with the tachycardia event and the total prematurity associated with the first plurality of pacing pulses.
US08706220B2

An implantable medical device (IMD) and methods of operating the same to treat a tachyarrhythmia are disclosed herein. In accordance with this method, an arrhythmia of the heart is classified based on one or more supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) rejection rules, which differentiate between a first group of heart rhythms that do not require treatment and a second group of heart rhythms that possibly require treatment. Diagnostic/therapeutic pacing can then be performed to further discriminate the second group of heart rhythms as being within a first sub-group of heart rhythms and a second sub-group of heart rhythms which are to be treated by applying a ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fibrillation (VF) therapy sequence. In another implementation, the order in which the IMD performs diagnostic/therapeutic pacing and analyzes passive detection and classification criteria can be reversed.
US08706218B2

System and method for estimating a remaining capacity of a battery of an implantable medical device. The implantable medical device has a battery producing a current and having a remaining battery capacity, the implantable medical device being configured to utilize a relatively low amount of the current and, in specific instances, a relatively large pulse of the current. The processor is coupled to the battery and configured to calculate an estimate of the remaining battery capacity based, at least in part, on a measured battery parameter and occurrences of the specific instances of delivery of the relatively large pulse of the current.
US08706214B2

A method of automatically determining which type of treatment is most appropriate for a cardiac arrest victim, the method comprising transforming one or more time domain electrocardiogram (ECG) signals into a frequency domain representation comprising a plurality of discrete frequency bands, combining the discrete frequency bands into a plurality of analysis bands, wherein there are fewer analysis bands than discrete frequency bands, determining the content of the analysis bands, and determining the type of treatment based on the content of the analysis bands.
US08706212B2

Various system embodiments comprise circuitry to determine when an arrhythmia has terminated, and a neural stimulator adapted to temporarily deliver a neural stimulation therapy to assist with recovering from the arrhythmia in response to termination of the arrhythmia.
US08706210B2

The invention provides for a device for delivering a drug comprising: a. forming one or more micropores in a tissue membrane; and b. applying a patch containing a drug to the one or more micropores formed in the tissue membrane The invention also provides for methods of making and methods of using the same.
US08706209B2

Devices, systems, and methods for measuring parallel tissue conductance, luminal cross-sectional areas, fluid velocity, and/or determining plaque vulnerability using temperature. In at least one embodiment of a method to obtain parallel tissue conductance, the method comprises the steps of inserting at least part of a detection device into a luminal organ, applying current thereto, obtaining a native temperature measurement, injecting a solution of a known conductivity into the luminal organ, detecting a temperature change indicative of the fluid within the luminal organ, measuring an output conductance, and calculating a parallel tissue conductance based upon the output conductance and the conductivity of the injected solution.
US08706206B2

A human fatigue assessment device capable of performing highly accurate fatigue assessment is provided. The human fatigue assessment device includes: a physiological signal measuring unit which measures a pulse wave signal of a user; a feature value extracting unit which extracts first feature values each of which is obtained from a systolic posterior component of the pulse wave signal measured by the physiological signal measuring unit; a storage unit in which the first feature values extracted by the feature value extracting unit are stored; and a fatigue determining unit which determines whether or not the user is fatigued, using the first feature values extracted by the feature value extracting unit, in which the fatigue determining unit compares a first feature value among the first feature values extracted by the feature value extracting unit and at least one of the first feature values stored in the storage unit, to determine whether or not the user is fatigued.
US08706200B2

The present invention is a Miniature Vein Enhancer that includes a Miniature Projection Head. The Miniature Projection Head may be operated in one of three modes, AFM, DBM, and RTM. The Miniature Projection Head of the present invention projects an image of the veins of a patient, which aids the practitioner in pinpointing a vein for an intravenous drip, blood test, and the like. The Miniature projection head may have a cavity for a power source or it may have a power source located in a body portion of the Miniature Vein Enhancer. The Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to one of several improved needle protectors, or the Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to a body similar to a flashlight for hand held use. The Miniature Vein Enhancer of the present invention may also be attached to a magnifying glass, a flat panel display, and the like.
US08706196B2

A method for simulating a blood flow in a vascular segment of a patient is proposed. A 3D image dataset of an examination region is recorded by a radiographic diagnostic device for generating a 3D vascular model. Contrast agent propagation in the examination region is captured by a dynamic 2D angiography method for generating a real 2D angiography recording. A CFD simulation of the blood flow is performed in the 3D vascular model based on a blood flow parameter for generating a virtual 2D angiography recording. A degree of correspondence between the real and the virtual 2D angiography recordings is determined from identical angulation and adjusted recording geometry of the patient and compared with predefinable tolerance values. The CFD simulation is iteratively optimized while changing the blood flow parameter as a function of the comparison. The degree of correspondence is outputted when the optimum CFD simulation is achieved.
US08706192B2

A hydraulic driver of a magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) system is provided. The hydraulic driver is adapted to be connected to at least a passive actuator for contacting with a subject. The hydraulic driver includes a pump, a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit operatively coupled to the pump, and a tube assembly. The tube assembly includes a proximal end in fluid communication with the hydraulic piston-cylinder unit and a distal end in fluid communication with the passive actuator. The passive actuator oscillates in response to hydraulic energy generated in a fluid in the hydraulic driver as the pump drives the piston forward and backward in the cylinder of the hydraulic piston-cylinder unit.
US08706189B2

A combined PET/MRI device is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the PET/MRI device includes an MRI unit for exciting nuclear spins in an examination volume and for receiving signals generated by the excitation in the examination volume, and a PET unit with a detector which surrounds the examination volume at least in part and is used for detecting radiation emanating from the examination volume, with, firstly, damping of the radiation emitted by the examination volume and, secondly, undesired interactions with electromagnetic fields of the MRI unit on the components of the PET/MRI device arranged between the examination volume and the detector being avoided due to the material properties and/or structural design of the components. Corresponding components such as, for example, patient couches, bearing or support apparatuses and local coils, are both MRI and PET compatible.
US08706188B2

A method for musculoskeletal tissue segmentation used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is provided. MRI image data is collected using at least two different contrast mechanisms. Voxel values from data from each contrast mechanism are used as elements of a feature vector. The feature vector is compared with classification boundaries to classify musculoskeletal tissue type of the voxel. The previous two steps are repeated for a plurality of voxels. An image is generated from the classified musculoskeletal tissue types for the plurality of voxels to provide a musculoskeletal segmentation image.
US08706187B2

Non-invasive imaging methods and minimally invasive sensing methods are used for assessing the viability of cells implanted in the central nervous system for therapeutic purposes and for detecting the transformation of such cells, including embryonic stem cells, into brain tumors. In particular, the present invention provides an imaging means for differentiating normal cell proliferation and angiogenesis following a cell implant from abnormal tumor growth and neovascularization associated with teratoma-inducing implanted embryonic stem cells.
US08706186B2

The end-effector (150) includes a sheath (152) and a medical device or needle carrier (154) that is disposed within the interior compartment (160) of the sheath. Aperture (162) is located in a portion of the sheath proximal a distal end of the sheath that is inserted into a natural or artificial cavity. This device is guided by a real-time imager.
US08706183B2

An electrode system include a flowable and cohesive surface contact element comprising a hydrophilic polymer swollen with an electrolyte fluid, the contact element having a Q′ ratio of at least 5 as defined by the equation Q ′ = W W W G wherein WG is the dry weight of the hydrophilic polymer and WW is weight of water in the sample after absorption of the electrolyte fluid comprising water and an electrolyte salt. The surface contact element can consist essentially of the hydrophilic polymer swollen by the electrolyte fluid. Another electrode system includes a contact element including a crosslinked hydrophilic polymer matrix. The contact element has a Q′ ratio of at least 5 as defined by the equation Q ′ = W W W G . The contact elements can also have a Q′ ratio of at least 6, at least 7, at least 10 or even at least 11.
US08706170B2

A head mounted display (HMD) system includes a number of separately and uniquely packaged components. A first component is a headset that incorporates at least a microphone input and speaker output devices into headset housing apparatus designed to be supported about the user's head or face. A microdisplay element is located in an optical pod at the end of an adjustable boom as part of the headset. Additional components, including electronic circuits, such as a microcomputer, one or more wired and wireless interfaces, associated memory or storage devices, auxiliary device mounts and the like are packaged in the headset or as a pager sized gateway device having a belt clip.
US08706169B2

A method and apparatus for providing a user interface overlay. In one embodiment, a toolbar remains visible and can be selected at any time to activate the interface overlay. The interface overlay provides an easily visible list computing options, such as contacts, that overlays the entire display area. The background of the overlay may be semi-transparent so that underlying windows are still visible, but the list is highlighted. The list includes selectable display elements with display characteristics, such as size or color, that indicate one or more attributes associated with the corresponding computing options, such as a frequency of interaction with certain contacts. In one embodiment, groups of contacts can be sorted or filtered by the attributes before display. Each selectable display element identifies a contact and may indicate a current availability. A user selects a display element to initiate communication, such as an instant messaging chat session.
US08706166B2

Systems and methods that provide channel-adaptive antenna selection in multi-antenna element communication systems are provided. In one embodiment, a method that selects a subset of receive antennas of a receiver to receive a transmitted RF signal may include, for example, one or more of the following: establishing possible subsets of the receive antennas; determining sets of channel parameter statistics corresponding to the possible subsets of the receive antennas; computing output bit error rates of the receiver, each output bit error rate being computed based on at least one set of channel parameter statistics; selecting a particular possible subset of the receive antennas based upon a criterion predicated on the computed output bit error rates; and connecting one or more RF chains of the receiver to the receive antennas of the selected particular possible subset.
US08706165B2

An omni-radio base station with multiple sector antenna units uses frequency division of sector signals to achieve increased coverage or capacity at reduced cost. Each sector antenna unit has an antenna for receiving a carrier signal associated with an antenna frequency in an available frequency band. At least one of the antenna units has an associated frequency converter that converts the carrier signal received by that antenna unit from the antenna frequency to a different respective frequency. Even though each sector receives the same carrier signal, an output carrier signal associated with each sector is at a different frequency band. A combiner combines the antenna unit carrier signals at different frequencies to create a composite signal for communication to the omni-radio base station. Because the antenna unit signals combined are at different frequencies, they do not interfere as much as they would if they were at the same antenna frequency, which results in less signal loss and degradation in the combiner. The carrier signals are then restored in the base station transceiver from the different respective frequencies to intermediate frequency for further processing.
US08706163B2

The subject innovation relates to a chip card to be inserted in terminals. An exemplary embodiment of the chip card includes a clock unit to provide a time reference and an internal power source to at least run the clock unit in case of absence of an external power source. The exemplary chip card also includes a signal receiver to receive a satellite navigation signal comprising a satellite time signal, the signal receiver being connected to the clock unit in order to synchronize the clock unit with the satellite time signal to enable the clock unit to provide the time reference as a trusted absolute time reference independently from a position of the chip card.
US08706152B2

A method and apparatus of controlling uplink transmit power is provided. An estimated path-loss value for each of downlink signals from a control base station and one or more neighboring base stations is calculated. A signal path-loss value by using the calculated plurality of estimated path-loss values is obtained. An open-loop power control parameter by using the signal path-loss value is obtained. Uplink power can be controlled by considering cooperative communication of a plurality of base stations in a multi-cell cooperative radio communication system.
US08706146B2

Systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are described for using an out-of-band (OOB) radio integrated with the femtocell to implement various novel proximity detection techniques. Proximity detection of access terminals (ATs) in the femtocell's access control list (ACL) can be desirable to support femto connectivity and service provision, for example, in context of idle macro-to-femto handoffs, active macro-to-femto hand-ins, etc. Implementations implement OOB proximity detection through multicasting directed proximity request messages to each AT in a femtocell's ACL. Responses to the proximity request message can include identification information used to determine the specific AT that is in proximity.
US08706142B1

According to an embodiment, a method of estimating a location of an access point is provided. The method includes storing a first and a second sample respectively received from a first and a second mobile device, both samples including a location of their respective mobile devices, an access point identifier from the access point, and a value corresponding to a signal strength of a signal from the access point measured at their respective mobile device. A first and second platform profile is selected based on characteristics of the respective first and second mobile devices. The cells of a matrix are populated with probabilities based on mobile device locations, the signal strength values and platform profiles based on platform profiles associated with mobile devices. Finally, the location of the access point is estimated based on the matrix.
US08706140B2

Systems and methods of passive and active scanning of WLAN-enabled access points to estimate position of a WLAN positioning device. A device estimates the position of itself. The device includes a WLAN radio module for receiving WLAN signals, extraction logic for extracting information from said received WLAN signals to identify the WLAN APs, and logic to cooperate with a WLAN-based positioning system. The WLAN radio module includes a phase for active scanning of WLAN APs in range of said device and a phase of passive scanning of WLAN APs in range of said device, and the passive scanning phase scans only a pre-determined and selected subset of WLAN channels. Under certain embodiments, the WLAN radio module includes a passive scanning phase that simultaneously scans multiple WLAN channels.
US08706138B2

A mobile communication device with a wireless module and a controller module is provided. The wireless module performs wireless transceiving to and from a first service network. The controller module transmits a location update request message to a first cellular station of the first service network via the wireless module, and receives a location update rejection message, which comprises a rejection cause indicating a network related failure, from the first cellular station via the wireless module. Also, the controller module transmits another location update request message to a second cellular station of the first service network via the wireless module in response to the location update rejection message. Particularly, the first cellular station and the second cellular station belong to a first location area and a second location area, respectively.
US08706136B2

In an example embodiment, a mobile wireless device, such as a mobile telephone, is employed to configure a second wireless device such as an access point. The mobile wireless device determines its location and a regulatory domain corresponding to the location. The mobile wireless device configures the second wireless device to operate in the regulatory domain.
US08706131B2

Described technologies are generally related to predicting future mobile device locations and using the predictive information to optimize mobile communications service parameters. Mobile device locations may be predicted using real-time device location information, destination information, and location history. Predicted location information for a given device, and possibly other devices as well, may be used to adjust mobile communications service parameters such as handoffs, channel assignment, multipath fading response parameters, data rates, transmission modes, opportunistic scheduling parameters, location-based services, and location update rates.
US08706130B2

Methods and apparatus relate to cellular communications and in particular to a frequency spectrum shared by two cellular networks. An object is flexible utilization of the spectrum. This is achieved by a method where a first of the networks occupies part of the shared spectrum in relation to the traffic load in the first network. The first network informs a second of the networks on the extent the shared spectrum is occupied, for the second network to be free to use the shared spectrum outside the occupied part. A radio resource management unit, a base station controller, and a radio base station are also disclosed. An advantage is that spectrum can be lent from an old system when a new system is introduced.
US08706128B2

The illustrative embodiments described herein are directed to a method and apparatus for managing frequencies used by devices. In one embodiment, the process detects a set of frequencies from a set of devices to form a set of assigned frequencies. The process may also detect a first frequency used by a first device. The process may determine whether the first frequency interferes with the set of assigned frequencies. The process may also identify an unassigned frequency for use by the first device in response to determining whether the first frequency interferes with the set of assigned frequencies.
US08706121B2

The technology involves data processing during intra-site handover procedures. At least two directional antennas of a base station receive data carrying signals originating from a mobile units positioned in an intra-site handover area defined by the overlapping radio coverage of the antennas. The directional antennas performs an initial data signal detection of the received data signals resulting in detected data, which typically results in a loss of radio performance of the antenna. The detected data from the directional antennas is then processed to generate processed data. The performance loss is compensated by providing differential antenna gain of the directional antennas within the handover area.
US08706114B2

An apparatus is provided that includes a controller configured to detect at least one predefined event and, in response to the detection of the predefined event, to trigger a handover of the communication device from a first access system to a second access system on the basis of the power efficiency of the second access system. The predefined event may be in communications between a communication device and a communication system and/or may be in relation to power consumption. Corresponding communication systems, methods and controllers are also provided.
US08706111B2

A user equipment is configured to perform an attach procedure by camping on a specific PLMN using a specific RAT. When receiving an attach reject due to a specific reject cause, the user equipment is configured to perform the attach procedure by camping on the specific PLMN using another RATs. When the attach procedure after RAT reselection fails, the user equipment is configured to perform the attach procedure by camping on another PLMN using one or multiple RATs.
US08706109B1

A smart antenna system is provided for communicating wireless signals between a mobile device and a plurality of different fixed base stations using one or more channels and one or more beams. The smart antenna system includes a control subsystem, a radio transceiver and an antenna subsystem coupled to each other and adapted to perform scanning of one or more combinations of base stations, channels and beams using one or more test links established with one or more of the fixed base stations where the test links use at least some of the channels and the beams. A first combination of base station, channel and beam is selected based on the scanning; and a first operating link is established for transmitting a wireless signal to the selected base station using the selected channel and beam.
US08706106B2

A method for testing an assignment through a base station of transmission frequency(ies) from a total number of frequencies is provided. The method includes transmission of data-signal portion(s) on assigned frequency(ies) with a signal power and a phase position, and transmission of test-signal portion(s) on non-assigned frequency(ies), where respective test-signal portion for respectively one frequency or one frequency block with several frequencies is transmitted with an individually-adjusted transmission power and phase position for each frequency or each frequency block, which differ from one another. The method includes reception of test-signal portion(s) with non-assigned frequency(ies), evaluation of signal powers and/or phase positions for test-signal portions in an individual manner for non-assigned frequencies and/or frequency blocks and evaluation of signal power and/or phase position of the assigned frequency, determination of a frequency or a frequency block to be assigned and return of an assignment signal, and comparison with an anticipated value.
US08706104B1

A device, system, and method include receiving via a first network, by a remote computer server, a customized application from a user. The customized application is transmitted, by the remote computer server, to one or more intelligent cellular communications gateway devices. The customized application can be automatically installed and configured. Each intelligent cellular communications gateway device can receive local information from a device. The local information is analyzed and the local device can be controlled by the intelligent cellular communications gateway device based on the analyzed local information. In addition, the intelligent cellular communications gateway device can filter and/or compress the local information, and transmit via a cellular network, the filtered and compressed information, to the remote computer server. The filtered and compressed information includes a portion of the local information that is less than a total amount of the local information received, thereby conserving bandwidth of the cellular network.
US08706099B2

Provided are a method and an apparatus for power saving of a femto base station operating as a CSG cell in a wireless communication system. A femto base station according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a reception unit receiving signals from adjacent second femto base stations; a transmission unit transmitting signals to second femto base stations, and a control unit controlling to be transitioned to an active mode when a mode transition command is received from at least one second femto base station while operating in a sleep mode, in a wireless communication system constituted by a plurality of femto base stations using automatic neighbor relation (ANR).
US08706097B2

A system and method for delaying delivery of teleconference access information includes at least one processor, at least one computer readable medium in communication with the processor, and at least one program module stored on the medium. The module is operative to create a teleconference notification in response to a request from a requestor device. The module can also assign a date, time, and access information for the teleconference, receive an input from the requestor device to delay delivery of the access information, and deliver the teleconference notification to at least one participant device. The teleconference notification has at least the date and time of the teleconference but not the access information. The module delays delivery of the access information to the at least one participant. For example, delivery of the access information is delayed until a predetermined time period from the assigned date and time of the teleconference.
US08706094B2

Roaming of mobile devices is tracked and accounted for automatically and accurately. Revenue records are received for at least one service provider due to roaming of mobile devices within a particular geographical area served by the at least one service provider for mobile devices that do not have a subscription for service with the service provider for the particular geographic area. Expense records are received for the service provider due to roaming of mobile devices within other geographical areas served by at least one other service provider and not served by the at least one service provider. Each of the revenue and expense records is associated with a particular mobile device and includes a code identifying a particular service provider with which the particular mobile device has a subscription and a code identifying a particular geographical area assigned to the particular mobile device. The codes identifying particular service providers and particular geographical areas assigned to the mobile devices are validated against a list of predefined service providers and predefined geographical areas. If the codes are valid, the revenue records and expense records received over a period of time are compiled and summarized.
US08706092B2

Systems and methods for enabling users to listen to outgoing voice mail messages are provided. These systems and methods record an audio file corresponding to a voice message being left by a user during an outgoing telephone call to a recipient, link the audio file to contact information associated with the recipient, and provide the user access to the audio file through, for example, playback of the audio included in the file. These systems and methods may be implemented through individual communications devices, such as an iPhone, through a telephone communications provider, or a combination of the same.
US08706091B2

A method in one embodiment includes storing a voicemail message in a mailbox of a recipient, the voicemail message being left by a sender, and then electronically receiving one or more attachments from the sender. The one or more attachments are stored as content associated with the voicemail message. Upon accessing the mailbox, the voicemail message and the one or more attachments are provided to the recipient. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).
US08706089B2

A node of telecommunications network comprises comparing means for comparing current mobile station ID information with previously stored mobile station ID information. The node also comprises preparing means for preparing a notification message including both the previous mobile station ID information and the current mobile station ID information.
US08706088B2

Systems and methods use mobile telephones as input devices for recording audio messages on a server. A user inputs a first feature code into the mobile telephone and the feature code is sent to a mobile switching center (MSC). The MSC maps the feature code to a server and forwards the feature code and a user identification to the server. Once the mobile telephone is connected to the server, the user can record his audio message. The user can later retrieve the recorded audio message by inputting a second feature code into the mobile telephone. The second feature code is also assigned to the server. The recorded message is played after the mobile telephone is connected to the server.
US08706086B2

A method of and arrangement for detecting a manipulated or defect base station of a communication network is disclosed, wherein a target base station, having selected one or more algorithms on the basis of a prioritized algorithm list (PAL) and a UE security capabilities (SCAP), reports UE SCAP related information to a core network node. The core network node having knowledge of the UE SCAP compares this information or parts of this information with the retrieved UE SCAP related information in order to be able to identify a manipulated or defect base station when a comparison fails to match.
US08706083B2

A method of controlling an authorization device arranged to authorize a mobile communication device, the method including the steps of: a central control device generating a control parameter associated with the one or more authorization devices, the central control device communicating the control parameter to the one or more authorization devices, the central control device generating a Bluetooth compatible PIN based on the control parameter, and the central control device communicating the PIN to a mobile communication device.
US08706080B2

A Policy and Charging Rules Function, a PCRF (120), for use with a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function, a PCEF (135), over a Gx interface, and arranged to communicate with an Application Function, an AF (110), over an Rx interface. The PCRF (120) is arranged to receive a request from the AF (110) regarding Access Network Charging Correlation Information for the AF, and if such a request is received from the AF, the PCRF (120) checks if the Access Network Charging Correlation Information is known to the PCRF, in which case the PCRF (120) provides the information to the AF (110), and if the Access Network Charging Correlation Information is not known to the PCRF (120), it subscribes to the Access Network Charging Correlation Information from the PCEF (135) and to supply the Access Network Charging Correlation Information to the AF (110) after reception from the PCEF (135).
US08706078B2

A location reporting paging communication system comprising space satellites, ground stations and a remote receiving unit adapted to resolve a global position from signals transmitted from a communication transmitter. The subscriber in possession of the remote receiving unit updates the paging network with global positioning information. A caller paging a subscriber in possession of the remote receiving unit may request the global location of the remote receiving unit. The paging network could divulge or block such information from a caller depending on the requirements of the subscriber.
US08706075B2

In one embodiment, a network architecture is described for facilitating delivery of data items over a communications network to a mobile communications device. A remote services server disposed in an enterprise network is operable for detecting a data item at a computer system and for processing the data item into processed information that includes address information relating to the mobile communications device. A service gateway disposed in an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network is operably connected to the remote services server for receiving the processed information using a first protocol, wherein the service gateway includes functionality to transmit the processed information using a second protocol over the IMS network based on routing information obtained from an IMS-aware node.
US08706074B2

A power status signal is received in an integrated circuit that indicates an inductive power status of an inductive power module and a power status of an alternative source. A power mode is selected based on the at least one power status signal. A power mode signal is generated based on the selected power mode. A power supply signal is generated and adjusted in response to the power mode signal.
US08706072B2

A control message processing method and a control message processing apparatus using the method on a wireless mesh network are provided where a neighbor solicitation (NS) information is generated by extracting a part or an entire NS message, the NS message having been generated to request a medium access control (MAC) address of a destination node. A modified route request (RREQ) message, including the NS information, is generated to request the MAC address of the destination node and a routing path to the destination node, and is broadcasted.
US08706069B2

A receiver includes an input section, a plurality of RF sections, an output circuit, and a controller. The input section receives and amplifies a radio frequency (RF) input signal to provide an amplified RF signal, and has a gain input. The plurality of RF sections each have an input for receiving the amplified RF signal, and an output for providing an intermediate frequency signal. The output circuit provides an intermediate frequency output signal in response to an output of at least one of the plurality of RF sections. The controller has an output coupled to the gain input of the input section.
US08706067B1

A wireless sensor with analog detector for monitoring the environment surrounding the sensor. The wireless sensor with analog detector comprises a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver with a quadrature down converter, bank of in phase and quadrature phase constellation level slicers and in phase and quadrature phase symbol generators. A control processor utilizes the received information, received signal strength and timing information to estimate and calculate various environmental parameters which can be used to activate different devices.
US08706056B2

Provided is a high-frequency module that can prevent a transmission signal from reaching a reception circuit and that can achieve high mounting density. A first duplexer for a first frequency band is mounted on a circuit substrate, and a second transmission filter and a second reception filter that constitute a second duplexer for a second frequency band are embedded in the circuit substrate. The second transmission filter and the second reception filter are embedded in the circuit substrate in locations that overlap at least a part of a projection region that is formed by projecting the first duplexer in a thickness direction of the circuit substrate. The first frequency band and the second frequency band are separated from each other by at least a prescribed frequency range.
US08706053B2

The control of an antenna tuner for a portable electronic device includes closed loop tuning when sufficient transmit power is present. The closed loop tuning commences using a predetermined antenna tuner configuration for an operational band and device state. The closed loop tuning may be constrained by a tuning range associated with the predetermined antenna tuner configuration for the operational band and device state. Also, when transmit power is low or when a transceiver is in a receive only state, open loop tuning may be conducted by placing the antenna tuner in the predetermined (or default) configuration for the operational band and phone state.
US08706051B2

Provided is a device and a method for adjusting a loop filter gain in an automatic frequency controller, which can allow the automatic frequency controller to operate while maintaining an optimal performance. The device includes a velocity estimator for estimating a change in velocity in accordance with a movement of a terminal; a loop filter gain controller for controlling a loop filter gain in accordance with a change in velocity received from the velocity estimator; and a loop filter gain unit for multiplying a loop filter gain received from the loop filter gain controller and a frequency error for output. Further, there is provided a method for adjusting a loop filter gain in an automatic frequency controller, having the steps of: estimating a change in velocity in accordance with a movement of a terminal; adjusting a loop filter gain in accordance with the estimated change in velocity; and multiplying the adjusted loop filter value and a frequency error for output.
US08706047B2

The object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal tester which can reduce the production cost from that of the conventional mobile terminal tester. The mobile terminal tester according to the present invention comprises a plurality of base transceiver station simulators (10,11) for respectively simulating base transceiver stations by exchanging signals with a mobile terminal (2) to be tested; a base transceiver station information storage (13) for storing therein a plurality of types of base transceiver station information to have the base transceiver station simulators (10,11) function; a base transceiver station information setting section (14) for setting the base transceiver station information to the base transceiver station simulators (10,11); a transmission status setting section (15) for setting transmission status of each base transceiver station simulator (10,11); and a test process executing section (17) for executing each process of a test of the mobile terminal (2) by controlling the base transceiver station information setting section (14) and the transmission status setting section (15), in which the number of the types of the base transceiver station information stored in the base transceiver station information storage (13) is more than the number of the base transceiver station simulators (10,11).
US08706046B2

A device for calibrating a digital communication station uses an initial ranging procedure for measuring channel parameters in a communication channel. The device comprises a communication emulator, a measuring device, and a calibrator. The communication emulator transmits a signal to the communication station which transfers the communication station into an initial ranging mode. The measuring device measures parameters of the signal transmitted by the communication station during an initial ranging cycle. From these measurements the calibrator calculates the necessary calibration adjustments to the communication station and adjusts it accordingly.
US08706039B2

A method for beamforming in a communication system includes receiving a first plurality of training data units via a plurality of antennas, applying a different steering vector as each training data unit is received, generating a first plurality of quality indicators based on the first plurality of received training data units, such that each of the first plurality of quality indicators corresponds to a respective one of the first plurality of received training data units, and selecting a steering vector based on the different steering vectors and the first plurality of quality indicators.
US08706021B2

A method and system of relaying a one-to-one question and answer which is performed in a network via a one-to-one question and answer relay system, the method including: assigning event occurrence information to request for transmission of question data to a service webpage; providing a question bridge page to a terminal of a first user where an event based on the event occurrence information occurred; receiving the question data from the terminal of the first user when a question registration request about a second user is received from the terminal of the first user via the question bridge page; storing the received question data in an answer request area of the second user; and storing answer data about the question data in an answer check area of the first user, the answer data being received from a terminal of the second user.
US08706014B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms a developer image on a recording medium using a developer, and a fixing unit that fixes the developer image to the recording medium. The fixing unit includes a heating member that heats the recording medium on which the developer image is formed, a plurality of pressure members that press the recording medium against the heating member, and a fixing belt stretched around the plurality of pressure members and nipped between the heating member and the plurality of pressure members so as to form a plurality of nip portions. Each of the plurality of pressure members has a shape in which a center portion protrudes more outward than both end portions.
US08705999B2

An image forming device includes a main body, a grounding member, and a supporting member. The supporting member is slidably movable between a mounting position and a drawn-out position with respect to the main body. The supporting member includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, a pair of side plates, a contact portion, and a connecting portion. The pair of side plates supports each photosensitive drum. At least one side plate is electrically connected to the grounding member when the supporting member is disposed at the mounting position. A user contacts the contact portion when drawing the supporting member to move from the mounting position. The contact portion and the at least one side plate are electrically connected with each other via the connecting portion. Each of the pair of side plates, contact portion, and connecting portion is made of an electrically conductive material.
US08705987B2

In order to reduce influence of noise due to a phase deviation, and to estimate an amount of phase compensation with superior accuracy in a polarization multiplexing/demultiplexing optical communication system, a signal processing circuit includes: optical frequency deviation estimating unit for estimating a frequency deviation which is a difference between a frequency of local light and a frequency of the optical carrier wave which is included in a signal data which corresponds to the polarizations and are generated by mixing a plurality of the optical carrier waves with the local light, which optical carrier wave is phase-modulated and have polarizations able to be demultiplexed and for outputting the estimated frequency deviation as an estimated value; for outputting the estimated frequency deviation as an estimated value; optical frequency deviation compensation amount analyzing unit for calculating an amount of frequency compensation which is an amount of compensation to make a phase of the signal data rotated so as to reduce the frequency deviation, on the basis of a plurality of the estimated values estimated per the signal data; optical frequency deviation compensating unit for making the phase of the signal data rotated correspondingly to the amount of the frequency compensation; optical phase deviation estimating unit for estimating a phase deviation included in each of input signal data and is a difference between a phase of the optical carrier wave and a phase of the local light; and optical phase deviation compensating unit for making the phase of the signal data rotated correspondingly to the phase deviation.
US08705973B2

A mechanism for an optical transceiver to log information about its operational parameters to an off transceiver host computing system (hereinafter referred to simply as a “host”). The optical transceiver may be communicatively coupled to the host. The optical transceiver is configured to identify operational information regarding itself. The operational information may include statistical data about operation, or may include measured parameters. The optical transceiver may log the information to the memory of the host in an off transceiver logging operation.
US08705961B2

An optical packet switching system includes: an optical packet transmitter device configured to transmit an optical packet signal; and an optical packet switching device configured to route and output an input optical packet signal. The optical packet transmitter device is configured to adjust gap time between optical packets transmitted. The optical packet transmitter device adjusts the gap time to a fixed value defined by time required for switching in the optical packet switching device.
US08705951B2

A lens barrel comprising bayonet type mount projections to detachably attach to a lens-fitting unit of a camera body having a photographic region, wherein mount projections are formed to avoid cross-section of light path area where object light is introduced in the camera body.
US08705948B2

A video playback device including a playback section which replays a video, a setting section which sets a predetermined area within the video frames being replayed by the playback section, a detecting section which detects whether or not a predetermined subject is included within the predetermined area, a selecting section which selectively switches between a first playback speed and a second playback speed based on the timing of the detection by the detecting section, and a control section which controls the playback speed of the playback section in accordance with a result of the selection by the selecting section.
US08705938B2

Systems and apparatus are described to perform methods including receiving input to apply attributes that represent modifications to appearance of content of the video segment, to a video segment. Multiple modified video segments are generated, each modified video segment being associated with a corresponding attribute applicable to the video segment. The appearances of the multiple modified video segments vary based on corresponding attributes. A selection of a modified video segment associated with a first attribute is received, and a first video segment is generated by associating the first attribute with the video segment.
US08705937B2

A captured image data management method is disclosed. Coverage direction data are input to a recorder-built-in type image capturing apparatus, and the coverage direction data are recorded to a nonvolatile memory and a record medium. The captured image data are obtained as files. A name of the file recorded on the record medium is automatically assigned based on title information contained in the coverage direction data, and the assigned file name is recorded to the nonvolatile memory and the record medium.
US08705936B2

A video data recording device for sufficiently protecting privacy even before a mask target enters into a screen. The video data recording device includes a reference information storage unit in which reference information including predetermined features is recorded; a video data acquisition unit which acquires video data and sequentially outputs the video data to a video buffer; a similarity determining unit which compares newest video data and the reference information, and extracts partial information determined to be similar to the reference information from the newest video data; a relation determining unit which compares video data output to the video buffer before the newest video data, and the partial information determined to be similar, and extracts partial information determined to be related to the partial information determined to be similar; and an imaging recording I/F unit which records the video data and the related information related to the partial information in a recording medium.
US08705930B2

A breakout assembly in accordance with one aspect of the invention includes a housing including a tubular body defining a passage extending from a first end to an opposite second end of the body. An interior surface of the body includes a plurality of longitudinal guides, the interior surface further including a stop. The tubular body defines a plurality of openings extending through the body on opposite sides of the stop. The breakout assembly further includes a cap which is slidably received within the body of the housing, wherein notches within the cap receive the guides of the housing, and wherein the cap is engageable with the stop. The cap defines a plurality of internal openings extending through the cap. A multi-fiber cable can be received within the body from one end, and a plurality of breakout tubings are received within the body of the opposite end. The multi-fiber cable includes a breakout end terminating within the tubular body wherein a plurality of the broken out fibers pass through the cap, and into the breakout tubings. In one preferred embodiment, epoxy is placed within the tubular body, on opposite sides of the cap.
US08705926B2

Fiber optic housings having a removable top, and related components and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a fiber optic housing is provided having a removable top or cover. In one embodiment, the fiber optic housing comprises a top, a bottom, a right side, and a left side defining at least one interior chamber configured to support fiber optic equipment. The top comprises a base and a cover in one embodiment. The cover of the top is configured to provide a gap between the base and the cover such that at least one of the right side and the left side of the fiber optic housing is configured to be slidably engaged into and out of the gap. In this manner, the top can be easily removed to provide access to the interior of the fiber optic housing.
US08705922B2

Few moded optical fibers with small delay differences between the propagating modes are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical fiber includes a glass core and a glass cladding surrounding and in direct contact with the glass core. The glass core may include a radius R1 from about 8 μm to about 13 μm; a graded refractive index profile with an alpha value between about 1.9 and 2.1 at a wavelength of 1550 nm; and a maximum relative refractive index Δ1MAX from about 0.6% to about 0.95% relative to the glass cladding. The effective area of the LP01 mode at 1550 nm may be between 80 μm2 and 105 μm2 such that the core supports the propagation and transmission of an optical signal with X LP modes at a wavelength of 1550 nm, wherein X is an integer greater than 1 and less than 10. The glass cladding may include a maximum relative refractive index Δ4MAX such that Δ1MAX>Δ4MAX. The optical fiber has DGD of less than or equal to about 150 ps/km at a wavelength of 1550 nm.
US08705920B2

A wavelength filter includes a first waveguide with a transmission band of a predetermined basic mode and a second waveguide, arranged in at least one location of the first waveguide, with a transmission band whose cutoff frequency corresponds to a finite value included in the transmission band of the basic mode. A pair of optical couplers constituting a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is connected to the opposite ends of a filter unit including the first waveguide and the second waveguide. When a plurality of wavelength filters is cascaded, the wavelength filters can be each varied in terms of the cutoff frequency of the second waveguide.
US08705910B2

An optical module manufacturing method includes: forming a first waveguide layer and a second waveguide layer on a first substrate and a second substrate respectively, or forming a first waveguide layer and a second waveguide layer on a first surface of a first substrate and a second surface of the first substrate respectively; disposing the first substrate on the second substrate; disposing a filter at an end of the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer, so that the filter is aligned with the second waveguide layer; and disposing a prism on the filter, so that a first reflective surface of the prism is aligned with the first waveguide layer, and a second reflective surface is aligned with the second waveguide layer. Embodiments of the present application further disclose an optical module.
US08705907B2

An optical interconnect device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, an optical waveguide, an electrical wiring and a switching device. The first substrate has an electrical wiring circuit, an electrical-optical converter for converting an electrical signal to an optical signal, and a light emitting device for emitting a light. The second substrate has an electrical wiring circuit, an optical-electrical converter for converting the optical signal to the electrical signal, and a light receiving device for receiving the light from the light emitted device. The optical waveguide optically connects the light emitting and light receiving devices. The electrical wiring electrically connects the electrical wiring circuits of the first and second substrates. The switching device determines a fast signal of data to be transmitted via the optical substrate and a slow signal of data to be transmitted via the electrical wiring.
US08705904B2

Consistent with the present disclosure, optical devices are provided along different optical paths in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). The optical components have different optical losses associated therewith so that optical signals propagating in the optical paths have desired power levels, which may be uniform, for example.
US08705897B1

A computer based, digital image management system that visually presents an entire archive in a manner that facilitates easy, non-textual, searching for specific images. In one embodiment, the system includes two elements: a file management methodology and a graphical user interface. The file management method utilizes reference files that contain multiple properties (metadata) relating to each image file. Image files are grouped into a multiplicity of collections based on user-defined associations of the properties. The graphical user interface visually represents the groups of image files on 2-dimentional or 3-dimensional graphic metaphors. In addition, the graphical interface uses multiple display variables such as icons, mnemonics, size, movement, color, and luminance to signify relationships between groups, and/or communicate key properties of individual or groups of images.
US08705894B2

A measure of frame-to-frame rotation is determined. Integral projection vector gradients are determined and normalized for a pair of images. Locations of primary maximum and minimum peaks of the integral projection vector gradients are determined. Based on normalized distances between the primary maximum and minimum peaks, a global image rotation is determined.
US08705893B1

A system which generates a floor plan of a building includes: a camera which obtains a series of images as it is moved, each image represented by a first data set representing color and a second 3D data set representing depth. A processor generates the floor plan from the image data, defined by polylines that represent structures of the building and polygons that represent an area which has been observed by the camera. Suitably, the processor: performs a local matching sub-process which is operative to align two adjacent images with one another; performs a global matching sub-process in which key images and registered to one another; finds a 2D subset of points from the image data associated with each image, corresponding to a plane defined therethrough; determines the polylines based on said subset of points; and defines the polygons based on the polylines and a determined pose of the camera.
US08705885B2

A depth image encoding apparatus and a depth image decoding apparatus are provided. The depth image encoding apparatus may compute coefficients used to restore an edge region and a smooth region of a depth image, and may restore the depth image using the depth image and a color image.
US08705883B2

A noise reduction device includes a line buffer that stores a blend value obtained by blending a pixel value stored in the line buffer with a processing target pixel value at a given ratio by an amount of one line of an image, and a selector that selects the blend value when a difference between the blend value in the line buffer and the target pixel value is less than a threshold, and that selects the target pixel value when the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold.
US08705882B2

To reduce flickering in driving distributed processing, an image processing apparatus which generates and outputs a plurality of sub frame images having different luminance patterns for each of a plurality of frame images included in input moving image data, includes a filtering unit configured to perform filter processing for the frame image, a setting unit configured to set a first coefficient A and a second coefficient B, a first generation unit configured to generate a first sub frame image, a second generation unit configured to generate a second sub frame image, and an output control unit configured to selectively output the first sub frame image and the second sub frame image at a predetermined timing.
US08705880B2

An image compression device which compresses image data, including: a first quantization unit which performs a quantization mode 1 to quantize pixel values using two values A1 and B1 (A1B2), in two ranges defined by A2 and B2; and a compressed data generation unit which generates compressed data including a value A, a value B, and quantized values of the pixel values quantized in a selected quantization mode, wherein the compressed data generation unit generates the compressed data using: A1 and B1 as A and B, respectively, when the quantization mode 1 is selected; and A2 and B2 as A and B, respectively, when the quantization mode 2 is selected.
US08705873B2

The present invention is a method and apparatus for protection of various items against counterfeiting using physical unclonable features of item microstructure images. The protection is based on the proposed identification and authentication protocols coupled with portable devices. In both cases a special transform is applied to data that provides a unique representation in the secure key-dependent domain of reduced dimensionality that also simultaneously resolves performance-security-complexity and memory storage requirement trade-offs. The enrolled database needed for the identification can be stored in the public domain without any risk to be used by the counterfeiters. Additionally, it can be easily transportable to various portable devices due to its small size. Notably, the proposed transformations are chosen in such a way to guarantee the best possible performance in terms of identification accuracy with respect to the identification in the raw data domain. The authentication protocol is based on the proposed transform jointly with the distributed source coding. Finally, the extensions of the described techniques to the protection of artworks and secure key exchange and extraction are disclosed in the invention.
US08705870B2

This disclosure describes techniques for searching for similar images to an image query by using an approximate k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) graph. The approximate k-NN graph is constructed from data points partitioned into subsets to further identify nearest-neighboring data points for each data point. The data points may connect with the nearest-neighboring data points in a subset to form an approximate neighborhood subgraph. These subgraphs from all the subsets are combined together to form a base approximate k-NN graph. Then by performing more random hierarchical partition, more base approximate k-NN graphs are formed, and further combined together to create an approximate k-NN graph. The approximate k-NN graph expands into other neighborhoods and identifies the best k-NN data points. The approximate k-NN graph retrieves the best NN data points, based at least in part on the retrieved best k-NN data points representing images being similar in appearance to the image query.
US08705854B2

An image processing method and an image forming apparatus using the same. The method of processing includes dividing an image into a predetermined number of blocks, calculating an average of color signals of pixels existing in each of the blocks divided, classifying the blocks into color blocks and monochrome blocks using the calculated average, and determining whether the image is a color image or a monochrome image using a proportion of the color blocks. Accordingly, for a document wherein color and monochrome images are mixed, it is automatically determined whether an image is a color image or a monochrome image.
US08705853B2

The disclosed implementations provide a system and method of detecting skin tone comprising receiving an image; determining a light intensity of the image; converting a color space of each pixel in the image into a converted value based on the light intensity; and selecting a classifier from a plurality of classifiers based on the light intensity; determining for each converted value, using the selected classifier, a probability that the converted value represents a skin tone; and detecting presence of skin tone in the image based on the determined pixel probabilities.
US08705852B2

An apparatus and method for processing an image are provided. The apparatus may determine a distortion region based on warped pixels in a synthesized image of an intermediate view; and define a surface area of the distortion region as a distortion function of the synthesized image.
US08705846B2

A position measuring apparatus which measures a position of a position measurement target easily and accurately without using any parameter inside a camera in the measurement, based on images captured from mutually different viewpoints. The position measuring apparatus which measures the three-dimensional position of the position measurement target, based on the input images captured from the mutually different viewpoints, and the position measuring apparatus includes: a ray information storage unit configured to store ray information in which each of ray vectors is associated with a corresponding one of pixels in one of the input images, each of the ray vectors indicating a forward direction of a light incident onto an optical system for a corresponding one of the input images; and a position measuring unit configured to measure the three-dimensional position of the position measurement target, using the ray information stored in the ray information storage unit.
US08705844B2

An image processing method, including extracting compensation information comprising one from among a depth compensation value and a depth value compensated for by using the depth compensation value; when the compensation information comprises the depth compensation value, compensating for a depth value to be applied to a pixel of a two-dimensional (2D) image by using the depth compensation value, and generating a depth map about the 2D image by using the compensated depth value, and when the compensation information comprises the compensated depth value, generating the depth map about the 2D image by using the compensated depth value; obtaining positions in a left-eye image and a right-eye image by using the depth map, wherein the pixel of the 2D image is mapped to the positions; and generating the left-eye image and the right-eye image comprising the positions to which the pixel is mapped.
US08705832B2

Emission tomography is registered with computed tomography or other modality in reconstruction. The anatomical information is used in the emission tomography reconstruction. In addition to an initial registration to use the anatomical information in the reconstruction, the registration is refined one or more times during other iterations refining the reconstruction of the emission volume. The registration is performed as part of the reconstruction. This multi-modal reconstruction may result in an emission tomography volume better aligned with the anatomical information.
US08705830B2

The invention relates to a method and a device for processing 3-D image date of a skull (S), wherein image date are selected or calculated for the 3-D image data and are presented as 2-D image data in a plane. For fast, overview-like inspection of the skull (S), the skull surface (O) is determined from the 3-D image data, and the corresponding image data at a defined distance (d) from the skull surface (O) are determined and presented as 2-D image data in a plane.
US08705816B1

The present invention relates to systems and methods for face recognition. In an embodiment, a system for face recognition includes a face alignment module, a signature extractor and a recognizer. In another embodiment, a method for face recognition is provided. The method includes extracting signature features of a face in an image based upon face alignment localization. The method also includes generating reconstruction errors based upon the face alignment localizations. Face alignment models may be used. The method further includes identifying a person from the face in the image. According to a further embodiment, direct mixture recognition may be performed. According to another embodiment, iterative mixture recognition may be performed.
US08705812B2

The computational resources needed to perform processes such as image recognition can be reduced by determining appropriate frames of image information to use for the processing. In some embodiments, infrared imaging can be used to determine when a person is looking substantially towards a device, such that an image frame captured at that time will likely be adequate for facial recognition. In other embodiments, sound triangulation or motion sensing can be used to assist in determining which captured image frames to discard and which to select for processing based on any of a number of factors indicative of a proper frame for processing.
US08705805B2

A portable token and systems and methods for identification and authentication of the same are disclosed. The portable token may be utilized for a variety of purposes and uses a thin section of rock as a unique identifying element, which is extremely resistant to forgery or duplication. Identification and authorization of tokens is achieved by a system that uses optical examination of the microstructure and the refractive properties of crystalline minerals within the identifying element, by transmitted polarized light techniques. Comparison between stored reference data and acquired examination data is the basis for verifying authenticity. The naturally-occurring three-dimensional orientations of the optical axes of mineral crystals contribute to the identification information by their effects.
US08705804B2

A method of interpreting specific dipping surfaces in earth formations, namely, fracture and fault planes from borehole images. The method is applicable to borehole images obtained from any borehole imaging tool, regardless of tool physics or acquisition type. The interpretation method provides for detailed description of feature s in order to provide a robust framework for subsequent interpretation work.
US08705802B2

Embodiments for providing a motion image are disclosed. In one embodiment, by way of non-limiting example, an ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to form transmit signals having different phases between a nth frame and a (n+1)th frame, transmit and receive ultrasound signals to and from a target object based on the transmit signals to output ultrasound data; and a processing unit in communication with the ultrasound data acquisition unit, the processing unit being configured to form motion data corresponding to motion of the target object based on a phase difference between the ultrasound data corresponding to the nth frame and the ultrasound data corresponding to the (n+1)th frame, and form a motion image corresponding to the motion of the target object based on the motion data.
US08705797B2

A method of associating targets from at least two object detection systems. An initial prior correspondence matrix is generated based on prior target data from a first object detection system and a second object detection system. Targets are identified in a first field-of-view of the first object detection system based on a current time step. Targets are identified in a second field-of-view of the second object detection system based on the current time step. The prior correspondence matrix is adjusted based on respective targets entering and leaving the respective fields-of-view. A posterior correspondence matrix is generated as a function of the adjusted prior correspondence matrix. A correspondence is identified in the posterior correspondence matrix between a respective target of the first object detection system and a respective target of the second object detection system.
US08705795B2

An information processing apparatus includes a selection unit configured to select a plurality of specific areas of a target object, a learning unit configured to learn a detection model that relates to each of the plurality of specific areas, a generation unit configured to generate an area combination as a combination of specific areas selected from the plurality of specific areas, a recognition unit configured to recognize the target object based on the detection model and the area combination, and an addition unit configured to add a new specific area based on a recognition result obtained by the recognition unit. If the new specific area is added by the addition unit, the learning unit further learns a detection model that relates to the new specific area.
US08705791B2

A device such as a set-top-box, digital TV, DVD player, multi-media player, cellular telephone or digital cinema player that may handle data such as multimedia data and/or audio/video signals, may determine its location. The device may determine its location based on GPS information and may send its location it to an external entity, for example, a service provider. The device may generate a watermark comprising its determined location and may embed or insert the watermark within the data. AlsoIn addition, the generated watermark may comprise one or more of a unique identifier for the device, a source of the data, for example, a service provider, a date and a time. The watermark may be secured via processing, for example, the watermark may be encrypted prior to being embedded. The data may be compressed when embedding the watermark. The watermark embedding process may be handled via a secure embedded processor and/or secure code.
US08705789B2

A loudspeaker, which includes a ferrite core, a voice coil, and a movable membrane. The voice coil is wound around the core and cooperatively defining an exciting device. The movable membrane is disposed in close proximity to the exciting device with a gap formed thereinbetween. The loudspeaker is constructed without permanent magnets.
US08705786B2

A dynamic microphone unit has a diaphragm 5 vibrating in response to sound waves, a voice coil 6 fixed to the diaphragm 5 and vibrating in cooperation with the diaphragm 5, a magnetic circuit including a magnetic gap around the voice coil 6 and generating a magnetic field in a magnetic gap, a first air chamber 11 adjacent to the reverse of the diaphragm 5 holding an acoustic resistance therein, a second air chamber 9 behind the voice coil, and a communication passage 22 for sound waves between the first air chamber 11 and the second air chamber 9.
US08705782B2

A beacon device adapted to wirelessly communicate with a hearing assistance device, the beacon device comprising a sensor to sense a signal related to determination of an acoustic environment, a memory to store information relating to the signal, a processor in communication with the memory and the sensor, the processor adapted to process the information, a wireless transmitter in communication with the memory and an antenna coupled to the wireless transceiver to transmit information to the hearing assistance device.
US08705781B2

The present application discloses methods, systems, and hearing prostheses for reducing wind noise and/or thermal noise in an audio signal transmitted to the user of a hearing prosthesis. A method in accordance with the present disclosure includes utilizing delay-sum beamforming to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in an audio signal that contains wind noise and/or thermal noise. In the presence of at least one of wind noise and thermal noise, amplitudes and phases of at least two input signals are matched. The two signals are then added together, resulting in an average improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal transmitted to the user of about 3 dB.
US08705776B2

A System and method to provide a cost-effective implementation of a microphone package, very good microphone performance being achieved even with a high degree of miniaturization. A microphone package includes a MEMS microphone component having a microphone diaphragm, and a housing having a housing base and a housing cover, the housing enclosing the back-side volume of the microphone component, and an acoustic access channel to the microphone diaphragm being provided in the housing which is closed off with respect to the back-side volume and which connects at least one sound opening in the housing to one side of the microphone diaphragm. An interposer is mounted inside the housing which defines the acoustic access channel to the microphone diaphragm in that the interposer is coupled to the sound opening in the housing, and has at least one exit opening above which the microphone component together with the microphone diaphragm is mounted.
US08705773B2

An audio amplifier includes a compensation unit, an output unit and a calibration unit. The compensation unit generates a compensation signal based on a digital input signal, a digital reference code, a mode signal and a digital approximation code. The output unit generates an output signal based on the compensated input signal. The calibration unit generates the digital approximation code based on the output signal and the mode signal. The digital approximation code includes a plurality of bits that are generated sequentially.
US08705772B2

A valve power amplifier stage for an audio amplifier, which amplifier stage has at least one thermionic valve and a polarization circuit for polarizing the anode, the cathode and the control grid of the thermionic valve so as to determine the maximum output power. The polarization circuit comprises an adjusting module for adjusting the feed voltage of the anode and the polarization voltage of the control grid so as to adjust the maximum output power of the thermionic valve, and a potentiometer coupled with the adjusting module for allowing a user to control the adjusting means so as to select the desired maximum output power from a plurality of predetermined output power values.
US08705768B2

Digital mixer includes a plurality of input ports each capable of performing gain adjustment, and a plurality of signal processing channels. Signal of each of the input ports is allocated to one or more desired ones of the channels. Each of the input channels includes an attenuator and can control the level of each signal supplied thereto. Gain value of any one of the input ports is updated in accordance with the gain adjustment performed in that input port, and, when an automatic gain adjustment function is ON in any one of the input channels set as patched-to destinations of the input port, an attenuator value of the input channel is automatically adjusted so as to cancel out an amount of variation of the gain value.
US08705760B2

The active noise control device includes: a signal obtaining section that obtains an electric signal relating to the predetermined sound; a control section that adjusts an amplitude and a phase of the electric signal obtained by the signal obtaining section; a vibrating section having a diaphragm and a vibrator, the vibrator vibrating in accordance with an output from the control section. Because a sound radiated from the diaphragm toward the first region is substantially in opposite phase to that toward the second region, the control section controls the vibrator so that the diaphragm generates a sound that attenuates the predetermined sound in the first region, and causes the predetermined sound to have a desired frequency characteristic in the second region.
US08705759B2

The invention provides a method for determining a signal component for reducing noise in an input signal, which comprises a noise component, comprising the steps of: estimating the noise component in the input signal, estimating a reverberation component in the noise component, and removing the estimated reverberation component from the estimated noise component to obtain a modified estimate of the noise component.
US08705755B2

A system is provided for configuring an audio system for a given space. The system may statistically analyze potential configurations of the audio system to configure the audio system. The potential configurations may include positions of the loudspeakers, numbers of loudspeakers, types of loudspeakers, listening positions, correction factors, or any combination thereof. The statistical analysis may indicate at least one metric of the potential configuration including indicating consistency of predicted transfer functions, flatness of the predicted transfer functions, differences in overall sound pressure level from seat to seat for the predicted transfer functions, efficiency of the predicted transfer functions, or the output of predicted transfer functions. The system also provides a methodology for selecting loudspeaker locations, the number of loudspeakers, the types of loudspeakers, correction factors, listening positions, or a combination of these schemes in an audio system that has a single listening position or multiple listening positions.
US08705750B2

An audio processor for converting a multi-channel audio input signal, such as a B-format sound field signal, into a set of audio output signals, such as a set of two or more audio output signals arranged for headphone reproduction or for playback over an array of loudspeakers. A filter bank splits each of the input channels into frequency bands. The input signal is decomposed into plane waves to determine one or two dominant sound source directions. The(se) are used to determine a set of virtual loudspeaker positions selected such that the dominant direction(s) coincide(s) with virtual loudspeaker positions. The input signal is decoded into virtual loudspeaker signals corresponding to each of the virtual loudspeaker positions, and the virtual loudspeaker signals are processed with transfer functions suitable to create the illusion of sound emanating from the directions of the virtual loudspeakers. A high spatial fidelity is obtained due to the coincidence of virtual loudspeaker positions and the determined dominant sound source direction(s). Improved performance can be obtained in the case where Head-Related Transfer Functions are used by differentiating the phase of a high frequency part of the HRTFs with respect to frequency, followed by a corresponding integration of this part with respect to frequency after combining the components of HRTFs from different directions.
US08705748B2

Embodiments of a virtual surround-sound system and methods for simulating surround-sound are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. In some embodiments, a processing module may include spatial processor spatially processes surround-left and surround-right channel signals and front-left and front-right channel signals and combines the spatially-processed signals for providing to drivers of center speaker after crosstalk cancellation and combining with a center-channel signal. In some embodiments, the processing module may include circuitry to cause the spatial processor to refrain from spatially processing either the front-left and front-right channel signals when front-left and/or front-right speakers are connected.
US08705745B2

A method for transmitting deferred media information in an Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) includes: a sending party of the media information sends a key generation parameter encrypted with a Ka to a mailbox application server of a receiving party of the media information, the mailbox application server stores or saves the encrypted key generation parameters, and sends the encrypted key generation parameters to a key management server (KMS); the KMS generates a media key K and forwards it to the sending party through the mailbox application server of the receiving party; the receiving party obtains the encrypted key generation parameter from the mailbox application server and sends it to the KMS; the KMS generates the K and sends it to the receiving party; the receiving party decrypts the encrypted media information by using the K. A corresponding system is also disclosed. The method and system decrease signaling interaction between the sending party and the KMS, reduce the storage pressure of the KMS; realize the end-to-end secure transmission of the deferred media in the IMS.
US08705742B2

In a first data compression process, a compressed code of an input symbol is generated in accordance with a compression dictionary selected on the basis of P symbols immediately preceding the input symbol, and a (P+1)K+1-th compressed code is encrypted to generate a compressed and encrypted code. Then, compressed and encrypted data comprising compressed and encrypted codes and other compressed codes is output. In a second data compression process, a bit string is added to the head of compression target data, and a compressed code of an input symbol is generated in accordance with a compression dictionary selected on the basis of a bit string or a symbol immediately preceding the input symbol. Then, a plurality of compressed codes are alternately output to different output destinations.
US08705740B2

The elliptic curve-based message authentication code is a computational method for improving the security of existing message authentication code (MAC) generating methods through the use of elliptic curve cryptography. Particularly, the message authentication codes and elliptic curve cryptography are based on an elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem, which is well known in mathematics to be a computationally hard problem.
US08705739B2

Systems, apparatus and methods for on-the-fly encryption of data storage on a computerized wagering gaming machine are described herein. In some embodiments, a method includes accessing, using an on-the-fly encryption operation, data from a nonvolatile data storage in a computerized wagering gaming machine.
US08705727B2

A system for enhancing tonal quality for ringback signals in a telecommunications network by adjusting audio processing during an alerting interval of a telecommunications session (e.g. during a telephone call). The system may be embodied in a telecommunications switching device and include a ringback manager process that provides the ability to adjust audio processing (e.g., by signaling to in-path equipment) which enhances the tonal quality of the ringback signal. As an example, a telephone system (e.g. equipment associated with establishment and operation of telephone communications sessions) can disable or attenuate operation of voice quality enhancement processing such as echo cancellation, noise reduction, adaptive level control, and the like, during the ringback or alerting interval or period of a telephone call so that the ringback tone provided to the calling party is not distorted by such processing.
US08705716B2

An interface for interactive control of alarm systems using an intermediate gateway. A request for access to an account for interactive alarm system control is received from a remote device by an intermediate gateway. The request for access from the remote device is authenticated by the intermediate gateway based on an authentication parameter. After authenticating, the intermediate gateway identifies an alarm system and attributes of the alarm system associated with the request for access. Here, for example, the intermediate gateway identifies the operating characteristics for remote access to the alarm system. Further, the interactive gateway may receive a prompt from the remote device. Based on the prompt, the intermediate gateway may communicate with the alarm system according to its identified attributes and in response to the prompt, to query or update at least one setting of the alarm system.
US08705713B2

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Unified Messaging System (UMS) having a controller to receive one or more voicemail, video, or text messages directed to a subscriber of the UMS, present the subscriber one of a first option to convert one of the one or more voicemail messages received in a first media playback format to a second media playback format, and a second option to transfer at least a portion of one or more of the received voicemail, video or text messages received by the UMS to one of a set top box or digital video recorder. The controller is adapted to detect a selection of one of said options, and execute the selected option. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08705710B2

The present invention is directed to processing calls to busy and Do-Not-Disturb capable telecommunications lines. In one embodiment, the presence of a subscriber accessing a computer network over a first telephone line via a first computer terminal is detected, wherein the subscriber also has a first telephone station connected to the first line. When a caller calls the first line and the first line is busy, the call is forwarded to a second telephone line associated with a call manager system. The call manager system determines when the subscriber is no longer accessing the computer network. At least partly in response to determining that the subscriber is no longer accessing the computer network, the call manager system transmits a text message to the caller, the message including the subscriber's phone number. The caller can then call back the first line using the transmitted phone number.
US08705695B2

A radiography system allow for user determination of a region of interest on a subject prior to X-ray exposure. The region of interest is defined by user interaction with an image, a pointer system, or the like. The region of interest is then translated to the imaging coordinate system, such as in the plane of a digital detector. The region is then used for exposure control during an imaging sequence, either in an open or closed-loop manner.
US08705693B2

The invention provides an automatic system and method using x-ray inspection to image arrays of electrical interconnections on electronic devices. The electron beam of a rotating anode X-ray tube is deflected relative to the anode to cause emission of x-rays from different regions of the anode at different times. The x-ray tube is located at an inspection station for the electronic devices and disposed to irradiate a first part of the array of interconnections with x-rays emitted from a first region of the anode and to irradiate a further part of the array of interconnections with x-rays emitted from another region of the anode. X-rays emerging from the array of interconnections are detected and used to image part at least of the array in order to automatically register interconnection integrity failures and/or detect a performance trend in the formation of the connections. Typically, the arrays of electrical interconnections are established between a ball grid array on the underside of an electronics package and an array of blobs of solder paste on a printed circuit board.
US08705686B2

Hard stops are useable in an operating nuclear reactor to separate and bias restrainer brackets and inlet mixers. Hard stops include a lip clamp that clamps to a restrainer bracket and a wedge member that biases against the inlet mixer. The wedge member and lip clamp are engaged such that the two components can slide against one another to bias the restrainer bracket and inlet mixer. The lip clamp includes a clamp arm and an engagement member to clamp opposite sides of the restrainer bracket. Ratchet assemblies maintain selective positioning various components of the hard stops. Hard stops may be used in several different numbers, positions, and configurations in repair or modification systems. Hard stops may be installed by determining location on an outside of a restrainer bracket for the hard stop, securing the hard stop at the location, and biasing the hard stop between two components at the location.
US08705673B2

Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for phase identification in data processing systems. As one example, a circuit is disclosed that includes a bank of matched filters with two or more matched filters tuned to detect patterns corresponding to a timing pattern sampled using different phases of a sample clock. In particular, the bank of matched filters includes at least a first matched filter tuned to detect a first pattern corresponding to the timing pattern sampled using a first phase of a sample clock, and a second matched filter tuned to detect a second pattern corresponding to the timing pattern sampled using a second phase of the sample clock. The circuits further include a logic circuit operable to determine whether the sample clock is closer to the first phase or the second phase based on an output of the first matched filter and an output of the second matched filter.
US08705671B2

Various methods for performing amplifier gain compensation to correct for variations in temperature are provided. One example method includes modifying a gain adjustment value based on a current temperature reading, receiving a signal,applying a gain adjustment to the signal based on the gain adjustment value, comparing the gain adjusted signal to a plurality of thresholds to generate respective comparison outputs, and selecting one of the comparison outputs for use in determining content and timing information of the received signal. Related systems and apparatuses are also provided.
US08705669B2

In various aspects, the disclosure describes systems and methods for decoding of convolutionally encoded signals representing, for example, telecommunications signals such as command or content signals used in digital telecommunications. In various embodiments such aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for improving the efficiency, speed, and power consumption of such processes by providing architectures and methods for processing various parts of the encoded data records in parallel, using multiple and optionally specially-designed, dedicated memory registers and multiplexers.
US08705664B2

A soft-decision forward error correction scheme for received optical signals is described. Differential decoding may be performed, for example, in each polarization after coherent QPSK detection. Hard decisions may be made based on judging the most likely transition between each pair of received input symbols. Soft-input generation is also described, representing the reliability of the hard decisions. The soft-input information may be generated through simplified algorithms that utilize the most likely transitions to determine a reliability assignment.
US08705662B2

A soft decision method for determining a soft decision coordinate associated with a constellation is provided. The soft decision coordinate includes a first soft decision sub-coordinate and a second soft decision sub-coordinate. The method includes receiving an input signal including a coordinate value; defining a first coordinate range on a coordinate axis in the constellation, the first coordinate range having a first limit and a second limit; obtaining the first soft decision sub-coordinate according to the first coordinate range; defining a second coordinate range on the coordinate axis in the constellation, the second coordinate range having a third limit and a fourth limit; and obtaining the second soft decision sub-coordinate according to the second coordinate range; wherein the first and the third limit do not simultaneously equal to the second and the fourth limit.
US08705657B2

A digital signal processing circuit includes a combining stage and an output stage. The combining stage is arranged to receive a plurality of non-overlapping clock signals having a same frequency but different phases, receive a plurality of first input bit streams, and generate a first output bit stream by combining the first input bit streams according to the non-overlapping clock signals. The output stage is arranged to generate an output according to the first output bit stream. A digital signal processing method includes: receiving a plurality of non-overlapping clock signals having a same frequency but different phases; receiving a plurality of first input bit streams; generating a first output bit stream by combining the first input bit streams according to the non-overlapping clock signals; and generating an output according to the first output bit stream.
US08705644B2

Disclosed is a method for generating and transmitting a reference signal in a clustered DFT-spread OFDM transmission scheme. A method for generating and transmitting a DM-RS in a clustered DFT-spread-OFDM scheme comprises: a step of generating DM-RS sequences corresponding to the number of clusters allocated for an uplink transmission; and a step of mapping the generated DM-RS sequences to the relevant DM-RS symbol positions for each cluster. Accordingly, the method for generating and transmitting a reference signal according to the present invention, in which DM-RS sequences are allocated and transmitted on a cluster basis, uses a complete DM-RS sequence for each cluster, and therefore inter-cell interference can be weakened, and problems which might occur when applied to a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) scheme can be solved.
US08705643B2

A method of channel estimation for a control channel in an OFDM system of the present invention includes the steps of: performing weighted averaging over time of input LS estimates of a plurality of channel condition matrices; performing frequency domain averaging on the input LS estimates; performing channel estimates on multiple subcarriers of pilot OFDM symbols from the frequency domain averaged input LS estimates; and performing channel estimates on multiple subcarriers of OFDM symbols in the control channel from the channel estimates on the subcarriers of pilot OFDM symbols.
US08705642B2

The method for mitigating interference in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communications systems uses comb-type pilot signals in a doubly selective channel where the pilot signals are calculated to have zero correlation sequences in order to maintain orthogonality where there is a high Doppler effect to mitigate intercarrier interference. The pilot signals may be precomputed, stored in a look-up table, and selected based upon total power constraints of the pilot signals. The steps of the method may be performed by a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) equalizer.
US08705633B2

A video transport system is provided for transporting as 8B/10B coded video stream across a 64B/66B coded link, wherein forward error correction is provided without the overhead of the prior art. The system also provides a system with the ability to recover 64B/66B Encoded blocks that have corrupt Sync bits.
US08705632B2

An apparatus includes a decoder to receive a compressed bit stream that is based on a coding standard. The decoder includes a hardware accelerator to decode a part of the compressed bit stream that is based on an operation that is common across multiple coding standards that includes the coding standard. The decoder also includes a programmable element to decode a part of the compressed bit stream that is based on an operation that is specific to the coding standard.
US08705631B2

An apparatus for facilitating robust data transport. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a first mechanism for selecting plural lattices of an input video signal, processing plural decimated video signals, and time shifting corresponding portions of plural video streams in accordance with a second relative temporal order. A second mechanism changes an initial relative temporal order to the second relative temporal order.
US08705621B2

A method and apparatus for producing a fully scalable compressed representation of video sequences, so that they may be transmitted over networks, such as the Internet, for example. Because the signal is scalable, users receiving the signal can obtain the signal at the appropriate resolution and quality that their system will handle or that they desire. A “motion compensated temporal wavelet transform” is implemented in order to enable compression of the video in a scalable fashion while still taking advantage of inter-frame redundancy in a manner which is sensitive to scene and camera motion. The motion compensated temporal wavelet transform is implemented by decomposing the video sequence into a set of temporal frequency bands and then applying a sequence of motion compensated lifting operations to alternately update an odd frame sub-sequence based upon an even sub-sequence and vice versa in a manner which is sensitive to motion.
US08705619B2

An apparatus and method for encoding video using directional discrete waveform transforms (DDWT), such as within a codec device. DDWT can be utilized to replace the use of intra transforms and inter transforms within the encoding system. In many ways the output of the DDWT can be compared with that provided using MDDT, however, it does not require a training process while it also provides enhanced encoding of feature edges with desirable visual characteristics. The transforms are applied in at least two passes, along the prediction direction, and then across the prediction direction, instead of being applied in fixed vertical and horizontal directions. Directional scaling is not required prior to the second stage of transforms.
US08705617B2

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for processing multimedia data. The systems and methods comprise receiving a first set of quantized coefficients representing at least one video frame, receiving a second set of quantized coefficients representing the at least one video frame, and generating, using the first set of quantized coefficients and second set of quantized coefficients, a third set of quantized coefficients representing the at least one video frame. In certain embodiments, quantization parameters associated with the first and second sets are used in producing the third set of quantized coefficients.
US08705599B2

A method for quantification of the desynchronization between the clocks of two medical devices communicating wirelessly, for example, by HBC signals. The devices are separately clocked by slow clocks (CLK1/32k, CLK2/32k) and include selectively activated fast clocks (CLK1/10M, CLK2/10M). The method comprises: a) on a predetermined transition (T1) of a slow clock, transmission by one device of a synchronization query signal (SYNC) to the other device, b) counting of the pulses of the activated fast clock to detect a predetermined transition (T3) of the first slow clock, then c) transmitting from the other device to the first device a response signal (D1) and d) upon reception of the response signal, computing a temporal shift (OFFSET) according to the result (D1, D2) of the counting of the pulses of the fast clock. Two fast clocks, one on each device, also can be used.
US08705594B2

A method and an apparatus for balancing power between antennas, and a base station are provided. The method includes multiplying n virtual antenna signals by an orthogonal matrix to obtain n intermediate regulative signals; and using a corresponding rotary phase to rotate phases of m of the n intermediate regulative signals, so that a phase difference exists between at least two of n physical antenna signals output by antennas.
US08705585B2

A surface-emitting laser array includes a plurality of surface-emitting laser elements. Each surface-emitting laser element includes a first reflection layer formed on a substrate, a resonator formed in contact with the first reflection layer and containing an active layer, and a second reflection layer formed over the first reflection layer and in contact with the resonator. The second reflection layer contains a selective oxidation layer. The first reflection layer contains on the active layer side at least a low refractive index layer having an oxidation rate equivalent to or larger than an oxidation rate of a selective oxidation layer contained in the second reflection layer. The resonator is made of an AlGaInPAs base material containing at least In. A bottom of a mesa structure is located under the selective oxidation layer and over the first reflection layer.
US08705576B2

Provided are a method and an apparatus for filtering video data. The method includes determining whether a difference value of illumination change (DVIC) of a current image processing unit containing a current block is different from a DVIC of an image processing unit that is adjacent to the current image processing unit and based on the determining, adjusting a filtering strength of a deblocking filter and performing deblocking filtering on a boundary of the current block using the filter with the adjusted filtering strength.
US08705573B2

More customization and adaptation of coded data streams may be achieved by processing the information signal such that the various syntax structures obtained by pre-coding the information signal are placed into logical data packets, each of which being associated with a specific data packet type of a predetermined set of data packet types, and by defining a predetermined order of data packet types within one access unit of data packets. The consecutive access units in the data stream may, for example, correspond to different time portions of the information signal. By defining the predetermined order among the data packet types it is possible, at decoder's side, to detect the borders between successive access units even when removable data packets are removed from the data stream on the way from the data stream source to the decoder without incorporation of any hints into the reminder of the data stream.
US08705570B2

A communication device includes a control signal generating unit to generate a control signal for each of a plurality of second frames, and a mapping unit to map a payload signal of the plurality of second frames in a payload area of a first frame, and map at least some of the control signals generated by the control signal generating unit in a control signal area of the first frame.
US08705564B2

A system and method is provided for processing a physical (“PHY”) layer signal. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving a PHY layer signal, analyzing a non-content characteristic of the PHY layer signal, and determining a communication protocol associated with the PHY layer signal. The PHY layer signal may be processed according to the communication protocol to obtain a processed PHY layer signal. In one embodiment, when the communication protocol is a first communication protocol, the PHY layer signal may be processed according to the first communication protocol. When the communication protocol is a second communication protocol, the PHY layer signal may be processed according to the second communication protocol. The processed PHY layer signal may be outputted.
US08705563B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for receiving AISG protocol signals sent by one or more local devices and adding corresponding labels to the AISG protocol signals, where the labels are used to identify mapping relationships between the local devices that send the AISG protocol signals and peer devices. The AISG protocol signals to which the labels have been added are packed into data packet and sent to a peer combiner through a shared feeder. The peer combiner unpacks the data packet and sends the AISG protocol signals to corresponding peer devices according to the labels added to the AISG protocol signals.
US08705561B2

A processing unit sets the time interval before packet signals are broadcast, using a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) scheme. A modem unit and an RF unit broadcasts the packet signals at the time intervals set by the processing unit. The RF unit and the modem unit receive a control signal broadcast from an access control apparatus at a predetermined frequency. The processing unit sets the time interval, during which the control signal is receivable, to a time length shorter than the time interval for the remaining cases.
US08705552B1

An apparatus including a packet ingress interface, a packet egress interface, an eligible egress time module, and an egress module. The packet ingress interface ingresses packets of data into the apparatus. The packet egress interface egresses the packets from the apparatus. The eligible egress time module determines a respective eligible egress time for each of the packets based on a respective ingress time of the packet at the packet ingress interface and a hold interval. The egress module prevents each packet from egressing the packet egress interface until occurrence of the respective eligible egress time.
US08705533B1

A network device assigns unique encoded values, represented by mnemonics, to protocol headers supported by the network device, and defines a plurality of templates, where each template includes a set of the mnemonics. The network device also stores the plurality of templates in a template table, where the template table enables the network device to create one or more protocol headers for packets transmitted by the network device.
US08705528B2

In one embodiment, a subnet-scoped multicast packet is received on an interface of a forwarding device that is connected to a host device of a subnet of a forwarding domain. The received subnet-scoped multicast packet is transmitted from one or more other interfaces of the forwarding device that are connected to one or more other host devices of the subnet. The received subnet-scoped multicast packet is also encapsulated with an additional header. The encapsulated subnet-scoped multicast packet is forwarded from the forwarding device to an intermediate router which routes the encapsulated subnet-scoped multicast packet to one or more other forwarding devices configured to decapsulate the encapsulated subnet-scoped multicast packet and transmit the decapsulated subnet-scoped multicast packet to one or more connected host devices of an additional portion of the subnet.
US08705520B2

Methods and apparatus to protect and audit communication line status are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a set of available communication lines from a media gateway, associating a plurality of destination numbers with respective ones of the available communication lines, and dialing the plurality of destination numbers from the media gateway to identify the communication line status information.
US08705519B2

An approach to abstracting the circuit switched nature of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) by using VoIP to provide voice actuated services is disclosed. By carrying a telephone call using VoIP technology for a short distance (frequently within a server room) significant benefits to call handling and capacity management can be obtained. Specifically, a PSTN-to-IP gateway is used to receive (and place) calls over the PSTN and route those calls internally to servers over an IP network in a packet switched format. A number of computer systems can receive and handle the calls in the IP format, including: translating the packets into an audio format suitable for speech recognition and creating suitable packets from computer sound files for transmission back over the PSTN.
US08705517B2

The present invention provides a technique for providing a forced hold service such as is used for an emergency services call, which is supported at least in part over a packet network. The forced hold service acts to effectively hold a connection for the call with a called party, even when the caller takes an action that would normally end a call, such as going on hook, pressing end, or the like. When the caller takes an action that would normally end the call, the forced hold service allows the caller to automatically reconnect to the emergency services provider over the held connection upon going offhook, pressing send, or the like. Alternatively, the emergency services provider can effectively re-engage the call wherein the caller is reconnected over the held connection upon going offhook, pressing send, or the like.
US08705515B2

A system and method for resolving conflicts in voice data packets received by a wireless device. Each data packet includes a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit. The wireless device reconstructs audio streams based upon the sequence of the data packets received. If a data packet has the same source identification number as the last-received data packet and the sequence number of the data packet differs from the sequence number of the last-received data packet for more than a predefined threshold number, the wireless device ends a current audio stream and starts a new audio stream using the data from the data packet.
US08705511B2

A synchronous transmission of a content is provided capable of providing a content seamless when a mobile terminal transfers from a currently connected network to another network. The synchronization of contents is ensured to achieve a seamless communication across a plurality of networks.
US08705504B2

A method and apparatus, such as a pico service gateway, for reducing backhaul traffic in a broadband wireless access system are provided. The pico service gateway operatively receives an uplink packet including a contents request from a Mobile Station (MS). Upon receipt of the contents request, the pico service gateway determines whether the requested contents have been cached. If the pico service gateway determines that the contents have not been cached therein, the pico service gateway communicates with a corresponding server to receive the requested contents. Thereafter, the pico service gateway transmits the contents to the MS. Further, if the pico service gateway determines that the contents have not been cached, the pico service gateway caches the contents. In contrast, if the pico service gateway determines that the contents are cached therein, the pico service gateway transmits the contents corresponding to the requested contents.
US08705502B2

In an example embodiment, packet encapsulation is employed to facilitate bridging between bridge ports that do not reflect frames (such as 802.1 compatible bridge ports) and bridge ports that do reflect frames (such as 802.11 compatible clients). Packets from a wireless access point may be sent twice, once with a predefined multicast address for processing by 802.11 clients contained in bridges, and once with the original destination address. In particular embodiments, additional means may be employed to minimize the circumstances where packets are duplicated.
US08705497B2

Provided is a communication system in which a wireless access network communicates with a mobile station via a wireless link. One of the mobile station and the wireless access network proposes a plurality of candidate transmission gap configurations to the other of the mobile station and the wireless access network, and the other selects one of the candidate transmission gap configurations.
US08705492B2

A MIMO receiving apparatus that can demodulate a spatially multiplexed signal without using any division operation requiring a large quantity of operation resources. In the MIMO receiving apparatus, stream separation section (105) separates a spatially multiplexed signal into a plurality of streams based on numerator submatrix A. Numerator submatrix A is determined according to channel matrix H and a canceller scheme and corresponds to a numerator of stream separation matrix S that equalizes the phase and amplitude of the spatially multiplexed signal. Denominator part calculation section (108) calculates a denominator (denominator coefficient) of stream separation matrix S and correction section (117) corrects a threshold determined according to a modulation scheme of the spatially multiplexed signal using the denominator (denominator coefficient) of stream separation matrix S. Demapping sections (109-1 to 109-3) calculate likelihoods of the plurality of streams through a threshold decision using the corrected threshold.
US08705474B2

Provided are a method and apparatus for transmitting a reference signal in a multi-antenna system. A terminal generates a plurality of reference signal sequences to which cyclic shift values different from each other are allocated, generates an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol to which the plurality of reference signal sequences are mapped, and transmits the OFDM symbol to a base station through a plurality of antennas. The respective cyclic shift values allocated to the respective reference signal sequences are determined on the basis of a parameter n indicated by a cyclic shift field transmitted from a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).
US08705471B2

A method and a system for implementing an ID-Locator (ID/LOC) mapping are disclosed. The method includes: after allocating a new IP address to User Equipment (UE), the network side sending an ID/LOC mapping request to an ID-LOC-split Mapping Functional Entity (ILM-FE); and the ILM-FE returning a response with mapping information to the network side according to the received ID/LOC mapping request. The method initiates the ID/LOC mapping based on a network in an ID/locator separation in NGN (IPSPLIT) network, which improves the efficiency of the ID/LOC mapping.
US08705469B2

A method of sending a data signal having a series of symbols to a receiver includes generating multiple OFDM signals, which are transmitted by multiple transmitter entities. A succession of pairs of symbols is also generated. The method may also include generating at least one pair of symbols orthogonal to a current pair of symbols of the succession of pairs of symbols, generating at least one duplicated pair of symbols by duplicating the current pair of symbols, and allocating at least one current pair of symbols, at least one orthogonal pair of symbols, and at least one duplicated pair of symbols to the transmitter entities of the plurality of transmitter entities. Generating at least one orthogonal pair, generating a duplicated pair, and the allocating step may be repeated for all the pairs of symbols of the series of symbols.
US08705464B2

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide several packet scheduling methods and communication apparatuses using the same. The packet scheduling method is different from the conventional packet scheduling method, since it does not schedule the sleep interval of the mobile subscriber station based upon the connections as the conventional packet scheduling method. Instead, the packet scheduling method considers the quality of service, and aggregates the data bursts to the frame corresponding to the frame index to which the data bursts are shifted based upon the individual packet, such that a total time length of the sleep intervals of the mobile subscriber station is maximized, and the maximum power saving efficiency is obtained correspondingly.
US08705457B2

A method is provided for transmitting a control channel for resource allocation to a terminal by a base station in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) wireless communication system. An additional resource allocation indicator is set indicating whether the number of consecutive resource block sets allocated to a terminal is greater than one. A reference control channel is generated including reference resource allocation information for a first consecutive resource block set and the set additional resource allocation indicator. An additional control channel using additional resource allocation information is generated, when there are one or more additional consecutive resource block sets. At least one of the generated reference control channel and the generated additional control channels is encoded before transmission.
US08705451B2

Disclosed is an apparatus for switching MIMO modes, which can efficiently switch an MIMO mode of a mobile station. The apparatus for switching MIMO modes includes an MIMO mode determining unit, a staying time determining unit, and an MIMO mode switching unit. The MIMO mode determining unit determines a current MIMO mode of a mobile station. The staying time determining unit determines a first staying time in a first MIMO mode of the mobile station when the MIMO mode determining unit determines the current MIMO mode of the mobile station as the first MIMO mode for transmitting the same data through a plurality of antennas, and determines a second staying time in a second MIMO mode of the mobile station when the MIMO mode determining unit determines the current MIMO mode of the mobile station as the second MIMO mode for transmitting different data by antenna. The MIMO mode switching unit switches the MIMO mode of the mobile station to the second MIMO mode when the first staying time is greater than or equal to a first threshold staying time.
US08705442B2

A system, method, and computer readable medium for facilitating mobile station registration and authentication via a femtocell system are provided. A femtocell system receives a registration request from a mobile station and transmits a registration request to a core network on behalf of the mobile station. The registration request transmitted by the femtocell system preferably includes a register identifier generated by the femtocell system. The convergence server may be located in an Internet Protocol core network and may be configured to emulate a mobile switching center. On receipt of a registration request from the femtocell system, the convergence server may engage in a registration and authentication procedure with a radio access network Home Location Register and/or Authentication Center on behalf of the mobile station. Alternatively, the convergence server may be located in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core network in which the convergence server is configured as an IMS application server. In this configuration, the femtocell system transmits the register request to a serving-call session control function that initiates a third-party registration process with the convergence server.
US08705441B2

A communication system that facilitates transmissions in accordance with a single-carrier (SC) multiplexing scheme, a multi carrier (MC) multiplexing scheme or a combination thereof is disclosed. Based on various factors such as attributes associated with a UE (user equipment) or availability of resources, a base station can signal to the UE an appropriate multiplexing scheme to be adopted for particular transmissions. The UE can be scheduled for transmission in a semi-static mode wherein the UE employs the transmission scheme for a particular time interval or it may change the mode dynamically for different transmissions. For transmissions from the UE comprising a plurality of data streams with dissimilar attributes, the base station implements a MIMO (multiple input multiple output) system for the UE. This facilitates a UE to dynamically switch between or simultaneously adopt the various multiplexing schemes for communications and thereby fully utilize advantages associated with the different schemes.
US08705439B2

A method of handling mobility-related signaling in a communications system comprising a mobile node, a mobile router, and a peer node. The method comprises providing the mobile router with a delegation certificate that is cryptographically signed by or on behalf of the mobile node. At the mobile router, a mobility-related signaling exchange is initiated with the peer node on behalf of the mobile node, the mobile router providing to the peer node within this exchange, said delegation certificate or an identification of the certificate, and a sequence number associated with the certificate. At the peer node, the received sequence number is compared with a sequence number maintained by the peer node in respect of the delegation certificate, and the exchange authorized in dependence upon the result of the comparison.
US08705438B2

Methods and apparatus for supporting peer to peer communications are described. A plurality of wide area network communications bands in a wireless communications system are also available for use to communicate peer to peer signals. At different times it may be advantageous for a mobile peer to peer communications device to use a different communications band in order to efficiently share air link resources. A peer to peer communications device receives a signal transmitted by a WAN device, e.g., a base station or WAN wireless terminal, and selects a WAN communications band to use as a function of the received signal, e.g., a corresponding band. In some embodiments, the received signal strength measurements from WAN devices are used in the selection process. In other embodiments, recovered decoded information conveyed in a received WAN device signal is used in the selection process.
US08705437B2

A system for providing control channel information is provided. The system comprises a processor programmed to promote transmission of a multicast control channel (MCCH). The MCCH includes information related to a service notifying user equipment when transmission on a resource is blocked by one or more cells within a plurality of cells. The MCCH further includes information notifying user equipment when the service is transmitted at less than full power by one or more of the cells of the plurality of cells.
US08705436B2

Satellite broadcasting methods include providing a cellular satellite communications system configured to transmit information separately to a plurality of different geographic locations defined by a respective plurality of cellular satellite spotbeams, and concurrently transmitting a program signal on a plurality of different spotbeams. The plurality of different spotbeams may include less than a total number of spotbeams of the cellular satellite communications system. The plurality of different spotbeams may be selected adaptively from an available pool of spotbeams based on locations of users requesting the broadcast program signal. Corresponding satellite gateways, broadcast controllers and wireless user terminals are also provided.
US08705434B2

The present invention relates to methods and arrangements that make it possible to control the delay for the UEs to access the EUL resources in the Enhanced Uplink in CELL_FACH state procedure, independently from the delay for the UEs to access 5 ordinary UL resources in the RACH procedure. This is achieved by a solution where the timing of entering (or re-entering) a transmission procedure for Enhanced Uplink in CELL-FACH state is controlled with the help of a transmission control parameter defined specifically for this transmission procedure, instead of using the same parameter as for the RACH procedure.
US08705433B2

A base station (10B) includes a wireless communication unit (11) for performing wireless communication with a communication terminal (30A), a radio resource allocation unit (131) for allocating an individual channel in a resource of the wireless communication, a transmission/reception timing determination unit (132) for determining a transmission/reception timing at which transmission and reception with the communication terminal (30A) through the individual channel is performed, a communication state identification unit (134) for identifying whether the communication with the communication terminal (30A) is indirect communication with interposition of a relay device (50) or direct communication without interposition of the relay device 50, and a reception timing adjustment unit (133) for adjusting a timing at which the individual channel for upstream communication is used in accordance with a result of the identification made by the communication state identification unit (134).
US08705424B2

A method for configuring at least one component carrier (CC) for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The method includes receiving a CC configuration using a signaling protocol, wherein the CC is assigned using a semi-static configuration. Also included is a user equipment (UE) comprising a processor configured to receive a CC configuration for at least one CC for a PDSCH using a signaling protocol, wherein the CC is assigned using a semi-static configuration. Also included is an access node comprising a processor configured to transmit a CC configuration for at least one CC for a PDSCH using a signaling protocol, wherein the CC is assigned using a semi-static configuration.
US08705423B2

A method for pairing a first wireless device with a second wireless device includes gathering a first wireless communications characteristic about communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device. The method further includes gathering second wireless communications characteristics about communications between the first wireless device and at least one wireless device other than the second wireless device. The method further includes generating a relative gain array from the communications characteristics and computing the pairing between the first wireless device and the second wireless device using the generated relative gain array. The method further includes configuring the first wireless device and/or the second wireless device based on the computed pairing.
US08705415B2

A communication system including a controlled device to be controlled and an information processing apparatus, in which the controlled device includes a transmission means for transmitting a message indicating that an event has occurred to the information processing apparatus and a control means for performing processing according to a request from the information processing means, and in which the information processing apparatus includes a receiving means for receiving the message indicating that the event has occurred at the controlled device, which has been transmitted from the controlled device and a request means for deciding processing performed by the controlled device according to the event indicated by the message received by the receiving means and requesting the controlled device to perform the decided processing.
US08705413B2

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for transmitting an ACK/NACK in a TDD system. A component carrier (CC) configuration for a user equipment (UE) and a transmission mode of each CC are received. An ACK/NACK feedback mode is selected based on an overhead status for feedback in an uplink. An ACK/NACK is processed according to the selected feedback mode. And the ACK/NACK is transmitted in the uplink. The method provided by the present invention can avoid excessive overhead for feedback in uplink in various extreme circumstances while ensuring satisfying performances of downlinks under many configurations.
US08705411B2

The present patent application improves DARP by allowing multiple users on one time slot (MUROS). It comprises means, instructions and steps for combining two signals. In one example, it comprises at least one baseband modulator, a plurality of amplifiers where the signals are multiplied by a gain; at least one combiner operably connected to the amplifiers where the signals are combined; and a phase shifter where one of the signals is phase shifted with respect to the other signal. In another example; the apparatus further comprises a phase shifter operably connected to the at least one baseband modulator to provide a π/2 phase shift between the two signals. In another example, the at least one baseband modulator comprises a BPSK baseband modulator on an I axis and a BPSK baseband modulator on a Q axis.
US08705407B2

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for deactivating reactive jamming attacks and other sophisticated attacks in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In one system, trigger nodes (nodes whose transmissions invoke jammer nodes) are identified and communications between the sensor nodes of the WSN are routed to avoid sending (e.g., transmitting) information from identified trigger nodes. For example, identified trigger nodes are routed as receivers only. One method of identification uses an advanced randomized error-tolerant non-adaptive group testing technique and a clique-independent set problem solution. Another method of identification uses a hexagon tiling coloring and sequential group testing scheme.
US08705400B2

A step-wise approach to automatically determining the bandwidth of a communication channel includes dividing the channel's potential bandwidth into a number of ranges. An initial range is then selected and a series of data packets specific to the selected range are transmitted from a first endpoint to a second endpoint, with the second endpoint determining one or more channel metrics based on the transmitted packets (e.g., measured transmission rates). If the metrics indicate the current range accurately reflects the channel's bandwidth, a measured transmission rate of the transmitted data packets is used as the channel's bandwidth. Otherwise, another range is selected and the process is repeated. The described approach rapidly determines channel bandwidth, even when the channel between the two endpoints is asymmetric. Techniques described herein are particularly beneficial when used in conjunction with multimedia conferencing applications.
US08705387B2

The invention relates to a method for time synchronization of a plurality of different wireless networks A, B, each wireless network (A, B) comprising at least one data sensor (A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4, B.1, B.2, B.3, B.4) for measuring data and a gateway (A.0, B.0) to which the measured data is sent, wherein a common time master (TM) is used which broadcasts time synchronization messages to all networks (A, B) involved. This way, a possibility of time synchronization of a plurality of different wireless networks (A, B) in an easy, efficient and reliable manner is achieved.
US08705386B2

A plurality of wireless communication methods are combined, networks to be used are dynamically selected by evaluating each network quality, and a packet format is changed adaptively to realize necessary reliability. The wireless communication apparatus has a network interface, a data interface, a quality interface, an allocation control part, a quality database, a quality update part, communication units and antennas. The wireless communication apparatus receives data and a requested quality from an application apparatus, selects the communication unit and communication method suitable for the requested quality, and transmits the data and requested quality. The communication unit receives a communication quality of the communication partner, and the quality update part updates the communication quality state in the quality database.
US08705385B1

A method and system is disclosed for dynamic adjustment of extended frame decoding interval duration based on signal-to-noise. In accordance with an example embodiment, upon determining that a frame transmission from an access terminal has not been successfully decoded during a nominal frame period, a base station will commence an extended decoding interval. The base station will also determine a duration for the extended decoding interval based on a measured signal-to-noise transmission power level from the access terminal. The base station will use the determined duration for the extended decoding interval. The determination will be made so as to increase the likelihood the extended decoding interval will result in a successful decoding of a frame of data.
US08705381B2

In one embodiment, a source device (e.g., a VOIP phone) establishes a call connection with a remote device depending on which of multiple network paths provides an acceptable latency (e.g., a lower latency). For example, in response to receiving a request to establish a connection with a remote destination device over a network, the source device (e.g., a caller's phone) obtains multiple service code values. The source device encodes each of multiple data packets to include a unique service code value for transmission of the messages over different network topologies to a remote destination. Thus, when transmitted, each of the multiple messages follows a different logical network topology of a network as specified by a respective service code value. Based on feedback from a remote device that receives the multiple messages, the source learns a preferred logical network topology of the network for establishing the call connection.
US08705379B2

A method and apparatus are described including communicating with neighbor nodes in a wireless network, determining one-hop neighbor nodes and two-hop neighbor nodes responsive to the communication, determining a minimum multipoint relay set responsive to the first working channel determination and communicating over the wireless network using the minimum multipoint relay set.
US08705377B2

A multivoice radio system allows users to speak and listen, at the same time, to others using multivoice radios without using a base station. Several embodiments of the present invention are directed toward combining a multivoice radio with push-to-talk (PTT), long-range radio. Other embodiments combine two or more multivoice systems and/or use an extender to increase a distance that multivoice radios can communicate with each other. Combining multivoice systems, in some embodiments, creates a voice and/or data mesh network. Switch-to-talk (STT) functionality can be added to systems to increase a number of users and promote radio discipline. Additionally, a combined in-ear microphone and speaker is disclosed. Further embodiments are directed to combining duplex radios, such as mobile phones, to multivoice systems, and/or PTT systems.
US08705376B2

It aims to provide the technique capable of reducing the process to be executed on the reception side and shortening the time from the occurrence of an error to the sending of a retransmission request. To achieve this, the image data is encoded in units of block by the encoding unit, the reference information representing whether or not the block is referred when another block is encoded is generated by the reference map generation unit, and then the encoded block and the reference information are transmitted by the transmission unit.
US08705364B2

Mesh Network Access Points (APs) points, including gateways and routers, are deployed over a geographic area. The APs monitor the communication channel for other carriers and transmit accordingly. The APs selectively co-transmit when other carriers are sensed, if the efficiency of the mesh network will improve. APs select a transmission rate based on observed carrier-to-interference ratios. APs use directional antennas to increase carrier-to-interference ratios and spectral efficiency. AP transmit schedules are adaptable and adjusted according to observed carrier-to-interference measurements.
US08705361B2

Currently, network utilization and performance are diminished due to capacity issues, which may be resolved by adding hardware/software to spread traffic uniformly according to network element usage information. Disclosed is a method of and corresponding apparatus for resolving network element capacity issues in a wireless network by inspecting data traffic content for information about wireless network elements and data traffic content, collecting said information, and managing (e.g., shaping and steering) the incoming traffic based on the information. Examples of said information include radio bearer resource information for network elements and traffic associated with a wireless access portion of the wireless network and radio access bearer information for network elements and traffic associated with a backhaul portion of the wireless network. By employing embodiments of the invention, network utilization and performance may be increased using existing wireless network elements in a manner overlaid on existing network optimization techniques (e.g., load balancing).
US08705360B2

In a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) enabled mesh network, streams for transmitting data from a node to a destination node are controlled based on next hop latency and available stream capacity at neighboring, next hop nodes. Routing information maintained and dynamically updated at each node includes latency information associated with each next hop for transmission from the node to a given destination node and current available stream capacity for such next hop nodes. A controller at the node utilizes that information to select one or more next hop nodes to which the data is forwarded as well as to determine a number of streams that may be initiated with each selected next hop node.
US08705343B2

A double ring network system configured with two or more transmission stations each including a pair of bi-directionally communicative communication ports, including any adjacent two transmission stations as terminal stations, and any transmission station as a base, as mutually connected in a ring form by communication ports through a transmission line, for intercommunications between transmission stations, in which the transmission stations are each adapted to determine whether or not frame signals are received from adjacent transmission stations, transmit route identifying frame signals for identification of routes to adjacent transmission stations, when having failed in reception, and set own station as a terminal station substituting for a current terminal station, when having received no responses to the route identifying frames from adjacent transmission stations, so they are kept from arriving at ring-like connected subsequent transmission stations.
US08705341B2

In one embodiment, a connection is maintained between a pair of ethernet ports that have circuitry connected in series with the ports and receiving power-over-ethernet (PoE) from one of the ports, by providing a controllable bypass circuit coupled to the pair of ethernet ports in parallel with the circuitry receiving power-over-ethernet, sensing a preselected condition, and opening and closing the bypass circuit in response to the presence or absence of the preselected condition. Power sourcing equipment (PSE) may supply the one of the ports with power over ethernet, and the circuitry may transports data between the pair of ethernet ports. The circuitry may also supply the switch with a control signal in response to the detection of the preselected condition.
US08705340B2

Techniques for packet-loss handling for downlink Multi-User Multiple-input and Multiple-Output (DL MU-MIMO) wireless networking environment are described herein. The techniques described herein help define how a wireless access point should behave when faced with a packet-loss situation of a DL transmission burst in a MU-MIMO wireless network.
US08705339B2

Disclosed are a wireless communication apparatus and frequency hopping method which minimize the change in the instantaneous power distribution characteristics of the time waveform of transmission signals when a plurality of channels are multiplexed by frequency division. At a terminal (200), a mapping unit (212) maps the PUCCH to frequency resources of a first slot, maps the PUSCH to frequency resources, among the frequency resources of the first slot, separated exactly by predetermined frequency spacing (B) from the frequency resources to which the PUCCH is mapped, and cyclically shifts the frequencies so as to map the PUCCH and PUSCH to frequency resources, within an IDFT or IFFT bandwidth, of a second slot while maintaining the predetermined frequency spacing (B), thereby allowing frequency hopping of the PUCCH and PUSCH between the first slot and the second slot.
US08705337B2

The present application discloses methods and apparatus for generating a Zadoff-Chu sequence for use by a mobile station. One embodiment discloses generating exponents oof elements of a Zadoff-Chu sequence representing a preamble for uplink synchronization of a mobile station or a mobile station reference signal by first obtaining a preamble index defining the Zadoff-Chu sequence. Then an initial exponent of the first element in the Zadoff-Chu sequence and an initial first difference between exponents of consecutive elements of the Zadoff-Chu sequence are determined. Finally the embodiment discloses determining exponents of the remaining elements in the Zadoff-Chu sequence from the initial first difference and the initial exponent in an iterative procedure that avoids multiplication operations.
US08705331B2

A method of designing an optical element to be used for an optical system in which each of a plurality of light beams having different design wavelengths passes through the optical element is provided. The method includes determining at least two types of optical path difference functions including first and second optical path difference functions in such a manner that proportion, brought by the first optical path difference function, between diffraction orders at which diffraction efficiencies of the plurality of light beams are maximized is different from proportion, brought by the second optical path difference function, between diffraction orders at which diffraction efficiencies of the plurality of light beams are maximized, and obtaining a shape defined by combining the at least two types of optical path difference functions so as to apply the obtained shape to at least one surface of surfaces of the optical element.
US08705328B2

A read signal evaluating means for ensuring compatibility in an optical phase multilevel recording and reading system is provided. In addition, a decoding means not large in circuit scale is provided. An optical phase is modulated based on user data, and phase information thus obtained is recorded in a recording medium. Then, the phase information recorded in the recording medium is optically read, and is converted into an electric signal. The signal is subjected to adaptive equalization and to partial response most-likely decoding. A shift in a time axis direction from a target wave of a predetermined pattern is detected from the read phase information and a statistical average is calculated. Meanwhile, a value of the phase read from the predetermined pattern is extracted from the read phase information and a statistical average is calculated.
US08705326B2

A copy protection method includes the steps of providing an optical storage device having a substrate layer and a data structure layer coated on the substrate layer and containing a set of raw data codes; forming on the data structure layer at least one polarizing layer capable of causing a change in a light beam; and forming on the polarizing layer a scratch protection layer. The polarizing layer is located between the data structure layer and an optical reading device to influence a light beam irradiated thereon by the optical reading device, so that the set of raw data codes being optically accessed is conditionally converted into a different set of physical data codes. By providing the polarizing layer on the optical storage device to change the data codes that can be obtained by the optical reading device, it is able to stop illegal copying of the optical storage device.
US08705324B2

An apparatus has a slider body that includes an upper surface opposed to a media-facing surface. The slider body has an edge joined between the media-facing surface and the upper surface and facing a coupling region. The slider body includes a first bond pad on the edge and a laser submount coupled to the upper surface of the slider body. The laser submount has a second bond pad facing the coupling region. The apparatus includes a trace-gimbal assembly having first and second electrical traces facing the coupling region and electrically coupled to the respective first and second bond pad via first and second solder joints. An extension of the trace-gimbal assembly extends between the first and second solder joints preventing contact therebetween.
US08705321B2

An electronic timepiece includes a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites and acquires time information and positioning information, a time zone information storage unit that stores region data dividing geographical information containing time difference information into a plurality of regions, and time difference information contained in each region, a time difference information acquisition unit that extracts the region containing the positioning information acquired by the reception unit from the region data, and acquires the time difference information contained in that region, and a time calculation unit that calculates the current time based on the time difference information acquired by the time difference information acquisition unit and the time information acquired by the reception unit. The region data stored in the time zone information storage unit including region data dividing the geographical information into a plurality of regions, and region data further dividing each region that contains a plurality of time difference values into a plurality of regions.
US08705318B2

A method for aggregating data for a drilling operation. The method includes acquiring the data from a number of data sources associated with the drilling operation, synchronizing a timing of the data for aggregating the data to generate synchronized aggregated data, determining a drilling context based on the synchronized aggregated data, and assigning the determined drilling context to the synchronized aggregated data. The method further includes analyzing the synchronized aggregated data in the drilling context to generate an analysis and presenting the analysis to at least one user.
US08705313B2

A double data rate pseudo SRAM (DDR PSRAM) is provided. The DDR PSRAM includes a data receiver, a memory and an address decoder. The data receiver receives a first single data rate data from a controller via a common bus according to a clock. The address decoder decodes the first single data rate data to obtain an address of the memory. The data receiver stores the double data rate data into the address of the memory. The DDR PSRAM also includes a data transmitter and a data strobe generating unit. The data transmitter obtains data stored in the address of the memory and provides a double data rate data to the controller according to the obtained data, and the data strobe generating unit a data strobe signal to the controller and toggling the data strobe signal in response to the double data rate data.
US08705311B2

In one embodiment, link logic of a multi-chip processor (MCP) formed using multiple processors may interface with a first point-to-point (PtP) link coupled between the MCP and an off-package agent and another PtP link coupled between first and second processors of the MCP, where the on-package PtP link operates at a greater bandwidth than the first PtP link. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08705308B2

A circuit includes a comparator, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The comparator includes a first input node, a second input node, and an output node. The first circuit is configured to generate a temperature-dependent reference current at the second input node of the comparator. The second circuit is coupled with the second input node of the comparator. The second circuit is configured to increase a voltage level at the second input node of the comparator in response to the temperature-dependent reference current when a signal at the output node of the comparator indicates a first comparison result, and decrease the voltage level at the second input node of the comparator when the signal at the output node of the comparator indicates a second comparison result.
US08705306B2

A voltage derived from accessing a selected bit using one read current may be utilized to read a selected bit of an untriggered phase change memory after the read current is changed. As a result, different reference voltages may be used to sense the state of more resistive versus a less resistive selected cells. The resulting read window or margin may be improved in some embodiments.
US08705305B2

In at least one embodiment, a sense amplifier circuit includes a pair of bit lines, a sense amplifier output, a keeper circuit, and a noise threshold control circuit. The keeper circuit is coupled to the pair of bit lines and includes an NMOS transistor coupled between a power node and a corresponding one of the pair of bit lines. The keeper circuit is sized to supply sufficient current to compensate a leakage current of the corresponding bit line and configured to maintain a voltage level of the corresponding bit line. The noise threshold control circuit is connected to the sense amplifier output and the pair of bit lines. The noise threshold control circuit comprises a half-Schmitt trigger circuit or a Schmitt trigger circuit.
US08705296B2

A memory controller includes: a first write circuit configured to write a first dummy pattern including a plurality of consecutive first dummy values at a first address of a memory; a second write circuit configured to write a first pattern including a plurality of types of consecutive values at a second address of the memory after a write operation of the first dummy pattern by the first write circuit; a third write circuit configured to write a second dummy pattern including a plurality of consecutive second dummy values at a third address of the memory after a write operation of the first pattern by the second write circuit; a read circuit configured to read the written first pattern based on the second address of the memory; and a timing adjustment circuit configured to adjust a timing at which data is written into the memory based on a read first pattern.
US08705293B2

A compact and versatile sense amp is presented. Among its other features this sense amp arrangement provides a way to pre-charge bit lines while doing data scanning. Another feature is that the sense amp circuit can provide a way to set three different bit line levels used in the quick pass write (QPW) technique using dynamic latch, where quick pass write is a technique where cells along a given word line selected for programming can be enabled, inhibited, or partially inhibited for programming. Also, it can provide a convenient way to measure the cell current.
US08705284B2

A flash memory device includes a memory cell array made up of memory cells arranged in rows and columns. A first page of data is programmed in selected memory cells of the memory cell array, and a second page of data is subsequently programmed in the selected memory cells. The first page of data is programmed using a program voltage having a first start value, and the second page of data is programmed using a program voltage having a second start value determined by a programming characteristic of the selected memory cells.
US08705279B2

In a method of reading a nonvolatile memory device, the method comprising, a reading operation of reading data of a selected memory cell; and a read retry operation of performing one or more read operations by changing a non-selection read voltage applied to non-selected memory cells until the read operation succeeds, when it is detected that an error has occurred in the operation of reading data.
US08705268B2

Yield loss from peripheral circuit failure while screening memory arrays for aging effects is prevented by operating the peripheral circuitry at nominal operating voltages during the screening for aging effects. An integrated circuit including one or more memory bit cells, includes circuitry to change the voltage applied to the supply rails of bit cells and the voltage applied to the word-line drivers relative to each other in order to facilitate improved screening for read and write margins. In normal operation the supply rails for word-line drivers and bit cells are nominally the same. In a write margin test mode the voltage on the supply rail of word-line drivers is lower than the voltage on the supply rail of the bit cells. In a read margin test mode the voltage on the supply rail of word-line drivers is higher than the voltage on the supply rail of the bit cells.
US08705264B2

Aspects of the disclosure provide an integrated circuit (IC) that is configured to have an increased yield. The IC includes a memory element configured to store a specific value determined based on a characteristic of the IC, and a controller configured to control an input regulator based on the specific value of the IC. The input regulator is operative to provide a regulated input to the IC during operation, such that the IC performance satisfies performance requirement.
US08705257B2

A switching module includes a series-connected unit of a first flowing restriction element and a second flowing restriction element, the first flowing restriction element having an opening and closing function of opening and closing a flowing path of current, and the second flowing restriction element having at least one of a rectifying function of restricting the direction in which current flows and the opening and closing function, and a snubber circuit connected to the series-connected unit in parallel. A first wiring line connecting between the first flowing restriction element and the snubber circuit, a second wiring line connecting between the second flowing restriction element and the snubber circuit, a third wiring line connecting between the first flowing restriction element and the second flowing restriction element, the first flowing restriction element, the second flowing restriction element, and the snubber circuit are formed substantially integrally with each other by using an insulator.
US08705251B2

A bidirectional DC/DC converter includes a bidirectional DC/AC conversion circuit including a push-pull circuit connected between voltage terminals and a winding and having a switching element and a switching element coupled to opposing ends of the winding respectively, and an up-conversion circuit coupled to the push-pull circuit and the voltage terminals, and the up-conversion circuit includes an inductor for allowing passage of a current through the winding, the switching element in an ON state and the switching element in an ON state owing to stored magnetic energy, and a switching element forming a current path going through the voltage terminal, the inductor and the voltage terminal but not through the switching element and the switching element as it is turned on.
US08705248B2

A multilayer printed circuit board, wherein, on a resin-insulating layer that houses a semiconductor element, another resin-insulating layer and a conductor circuit are formed with conductor circuits electrically connected through a via hole, wherein an electromagnetic shielding layer is formed on a resin-insulating layer surrounding a concave portion for housing a semiconductor element or on the inner wall surface of the concave portion, and the semiconductor element is embedded in the concave portion.
US08705246B2

An electronic part includes an electronic part body, an electrode terminal that protrudes from the electronic part body, and that electrically connects the electronic part to an external electrode when a flexible conductor is joined to an electrode surface, and a holder made of an insulating material, and joined to the electronic part body. The holder is interposed between a mounting plate and the electronic part body when the electronic part is mounted to the mounting plate, and the holder is in contact with a surface of the electrode terminal opposite from the electrode surface.
US08705243B2

Described are external storage devices including a substrate, a controller electrically coupled to the substrate, at least one memory die stack electrically coupled to the substrate, a plurality of connection fingers electrically coupled to the substrate, and a mounting bar electrically coupled to the substrate. The mounting bar may include a plurality of springs. In other examples, the external storage device may include a substrate, a controller electrically coupled to the substrate, at least one memory die stack electrically coupled to the substrate, a plurality of connection fingers electrically coupled to the substrate, and a contact bar electrically coupled to the substrate. The contact bar may include a plurality of extensions. One or more memory die stacks may be coupled to one or more surfaces of the substrate and may include a plurality of dies in each memory die stack.
US08705238B2

A storage element is provided in a semiconductor chip, and an inductor and a driver circuit are provided in another semiconductor chip. An external terminal is a contact type terminal, and at least some external terminals are a power supply terminal and a ground terminal. A sealing resin layer is formed over a first surface of an interconnect substrate and seals the semiconductor chips but does not cover the external terminal. The inductor is formed at a surface of the semiconductor chip not facing the interconnect substrate.
US08705234B2

An answer bracelet suitable for wearing an a person's wrist. A rigid hollow housing having a transparent top cover is attached to a wrist band and houses a digital display, a microprocessor, a printed circuit board, a start switch, a tilt switch, a battery power supply and an audio emitting device. A digital display can be seen through the transparent top cover. When a user presses the start button and shakes the bracelet, the tilt switch sends a signal to the microprocessor whereupon the microprocessor causes the audio device to produce a short beep sound and then randomly selects one of a plurality of messages stored in the microprocessor and displays the message on the digital display for a predetermined period of time. Then the message disappears making the bracelet display ready for the next use. An alternate embodiment allows for an audio message to be heard as well as a visual message to be seen.
US08705229B2

Foldable electronic devices including a first and a second magnet. An example foldable electronic device includes a base, a cover, a hinge pivotally connecting the base and the cover to fold the device into a closed position, a first magnet in the base, and a second magnet in the cover to repel the first magnet to separate the base and the cover when the device is resting in the closed position.
US08705226B2

A capacitor includes a film previously provided on both sides or one side of a collector by anodizing or the like, further a conductive layer provided on the film, and a polarizable electrode layer as an electrode portion on the conductive layer. Thus, the capacitor suppresses the reaction between a driving electrolyte and the collector after a long time of use because the reactivity between the film previously provided on both sides or one side of the collector and the driving electrolyte is low. Furthermore, since the conductive layer is provided, it is possible to reduce an initial contact resistance on the surface of the collector, and to enhance an effect of suppressing performance deterioration by the film.
US08705211B2

An interleaved circuit has first branch conductors branching from a first conductor, second branch conductors branching from a second conductor, a metal base, an insulating layer of a dielectric, and a cover resin layer. The metal base comprises an opening. The first branch conductors and the second branch conductors are arranged alternately in a transverse direction of the insulating layer. A slit is formed in the insulating layer and the cover resin layer. The slit comprises a pair of opposite walls and an air gap between the opposite walls. Air introduced into the air gap forms an air layer. The slit extends longitudinally relative to the interleaved circuit along at least a part of the branch conductors.
US08705202B2

Embodiments of the present invention help to prevent leakage of low-density gas during low-density gas injection into a disk drive device and to perform low-density gas injection efficiently. In a hard disk drive (HDD) according to one embodiment of the present invention, an injection hole filter with a valve function is attached to a helium injection hole in order to inject helium gas in an enclosure. The injection hole filter has a valve member configured to operate in an open state or closed state. The open state is a state while the helium gas is being injected and the closed state is a state after the helium gas has been finished to be injected. The valve member is in the open state if the outside pressure is higher than the inside pressure and is in the closed state if the inside pressure is higher than the outside pressure.
US08705201B2

A novel information storage device is disclosed and claimed. The information storage device includes a device housing with a generally rectangular bay to accommodate a disk drive. The generally rectangular bay includes a base portion and a plurality of side portions. The information storage device further includes a damping insert sheet disposed between the disk drive and the base portion. The damping insert sheet has a plurality of elastomeric cushions, for example with a cushion thickness in the range 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and a spanning sheet, for example having a sheet thickness in the range 0.02 mm to 0.35 mm. Each of the plurality of elastomeric cushions is attached to the spanning sheet. Each of the plurality of elastomeric cushions contacts and is compressed between the generally rectangular bay and the disk drive.
US08705199B2

A method, system, apparatus, and computer readable medium storing instructions for recording data tracks and a method and system for reading data tracks. For recording data tracks, virtual boundary of a first data track recorded on the storage medium is determined. The recording element is positioned based on the determined virtual boundary of the first track and a second data track is recorded by the positioned recording element. For reading data tracks, a first virtual boundary of a first data track and a second virtual boundary of the first data track are determined and a reading element is positioned at a center of the first data track based on the determined virtual boundaries. In the system of reading recorded data tracks, a number of forward reading elements and backward reading elements are provided. The forward reading elements have different pitches.
US08705194B2

A system includes a management module transferring sectors between an interface or a memory and ports. The management module transfers a first portion of a first sector to or from a first port while transferring to or from a second port a second portion of the first sector or a first portion of a second sector. A first channel module reads from or writes to a first surface of a disk via a first head by transferring the first portion of the first sector to or from a first amplifier module. A second channel module, while the first channel module transfers the first portion of the first sector to or from the first amplifier module, reads from or writes to a second surface of the disk via a second head by transferring to or from a second amplifier module the second portion or the first portion of the second sector.
US08705192B1

Aspects of the disclosure pertain to a read channel system and method for providing sector prioritization for promoting improved sector processing performance. The system and method, during processing of sectors of data, prioritize each of the sectors for further processing based upon: a global iteration index of each sector, trapping set characteristics of each sector and processing latency of each sector.
US08705191B1

In a disk storage system, the disk may include a full null servo position error signal (“PES”) wedge, followed by a data wedge, and then a short null servo PES wedge. To improve the accuracy with which information read from the short null servo PES wedge can be used to help keep the read head centered over the information track being read, the short null servo PES wedge may include a calibration field. Information read from the calibration field can be used to compensate the subsequently read PES information in the short wedge for possible sampling phase error that may have accumulated since the full null servo PES wedge was read. This type of short null servo PES wedge also has other possible uses.
US08705186B2

The patent discloses a lens barrel driving system and a backlash correction method thereof. In such system, a zoom photo-interrupter (PI) is used to detect the movement of a zooming barrel and generate a first count value. The movement of a focusing barrel corresponds to the movement of the zooming barrel, so that when the zooming barrel is driven to move from an initial position to a first zooming position or from the first zoom position to a second zoom position, the focusing barrel moves correspondingly and its movement triggers a home PI to generate a second count value. Upon the generation of the second count value, a predetermined value is used to replace the first count value so as to correct the error caused by backlash of lens barrels.
US08705185B2

An optical element has at least one additional element fitted thereon which dissipates the vibrational energy of the optical element by friction.
US08705183B2

Apparatus, methods, and systems provide focusing, focus-adjusting, and sensing. In some approaches the focus-adjusting includes providing an extended depth of focus greater than a nominal depth of focus. In some approaches the focus-adjusting includes focus-adjusting with a transformation medium, where the transformation medium may include an artificially-structured material such as a metamaterial.
US08705182B1

A photographing lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element and a fifth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has an object-side surface being convex at a paraxial region thereof. The second lens element has negative refractive power. The third lens element has refractive power. The fourth lens element with positive refractive power has an object-side surface being concave at a paraxial region thereof and an image-side surface being convex at a paraxial region thereof. The fifth lens element with negative refractive power has an image-side surface being concave at a paraxial region thereof and being convex at a peripheral region thereof, wherein the fifth lens element is made of plastic material and has at least one surface being aspheric.
US08705181B2

An image capturing system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element and a fifth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has a convex object-side surface. The second lens element has negative refractive power. The third lens element has positive refractive power. The fourth lens element with negative refractive power has a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, wherein at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fourth lens element is aspheric. The fifth lens element with refractive power has a concave image-side surface, wherein at least one of an object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens element is aspheric, and the fifth lens element has at least one inflection point on the image-side surface thereof.
US08705165B2

An optical wavelength conversion element includes: a wavelength conversion waveguide that has a periodic polarization reversal structure having alternately and cyclically formed domains of which polarization directions are inverted, that guides light as a fundamental wave corresponding to the periodic polarization reversal structure, and performs a wavelength conversion of the guided fundamental wave; a first clad that is made of a dielectric having a refractive index lower than that of the wavelength conversion waveguide and is provided in contact with the domains; a second clad that is made of a dielectric having a refractive index lower than that of the wavelength conversion waveguide and is provided in contact with the domains such that the second clad is opposed to the first clad film; a first conducting unit that electrically connects the domains in parallel via the first clad; and a second conducting unit that electrically connects the domains in parallel via the second clad.
US08705160B2

A photochromic compound is provided, which may be a pyran, an oxazine, or a fulgide. The photochromic compound has at least one substituent Q attached thereto, each Q independently being —N3, —CN, —COOR′, —CCR′, —C(R′)C(R′)R′, —OCOR′, —OCOOR′, —SR′, —OSO2R′″, and/or —CON(R′)R′, wherein each R′ is hydrogen, an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; an unsubstituted or substituted aryl group, an unsubstituted or substituted alkene or alkyne group having from 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the substituents are halo or hydroxyl and R″′ is —CF3 or a perfluorinated alkyl group having from 2 to 18 carbon atoms. The number, locations and nature of the constituents Q are dependent upon the structure of the photochromic compound.
US08705158B2

A scanning optical device wherein, on the basis of positional information concerning a spacing in a main-scan direction between imaging positions of a plurality of light beams passed through resin-made imaging optical elements and detected by a photodetecting device and a spacing between the imaging positions in a sub-scan direction of the plurality of light beams, a focal shift direction and a focal shift amount in the main-scan direction as well as a focal shift direction and a focal shift amount in the sub-scan direction are determined, and wherein an optical element of an input optical system is moved in an optical axis direction based on the determination, to correct the focal shift in the main-scan direction and the focal shift in the sub-scan direction.
US08705157B2

An optical scanning device is provided, which includes a casing including a supporting wall supporting a deflector, a first reflecting mirror supporting portion and a second reflecting mirror supporting portion that are opposed to each other across the deflector and extend from the supporting wall and a reinforcing wall configured to extend from the supporting wall, between the deflector and first and second light source units, so as to connect the first reflecting mirror supporting portion with the second reflecting mirror supporting portion, the reinforcing wall including a first through-hole configured such that a first laser beam emitted by the first light source unit toward the deflector and the second laser beam emitted by the second light source unit toward the deflector pass therethrough.
US08705156B2

The invention relates to apodization in a holographic direct view display. Known apodization functions are utilized/modified for an apodization mask such that the functions reduce the intensities of selected higher magnitudes of diffractions. The holographic direct view display comprises a controllable light modulator having modulator cells and modulating impinging coherent light into a phase and/or amplitude, and an array of apodization masks. The apodization masks have the same apodization function for a predetermined group of modulator cells, by means of which function a complex amplitude transparency can be set for the modulator cells. This transparency corresponds to an individually predefined course of intensity in a far field of the light modulator, wherein the predefined course of intensity includes a reducing of the light intensity of higher magnitudes of diffractions, and/or of the interfering light emitted by the light modulator.
US08705142B2

A computer readable storage medium stores a tint block image generation program for generating tint block image data for forming, on a print medium, a tint block image including a latent image portion which is reproduced by copying, and a background portion of which copy output density drops. The program has a latent image portion generation step of generating data of a plurality of first dots in the latent image portion based on a dot clustered screen; and a background portion generation step of generating data of a plurality of second dots and data of a plurality of third dots dispersed among the second dots and having a size smaller than the second dots. And the first dots in the latent image portion and the second dots in the background portion are arranged at positions on common displacement vectors in an area of the tint block image.
US08705141B2

A method and system for printing simple data utilizing a raster image processor in a computer system is disclosed. The raster image processor is configured for use with a complex data stream corresponding to at least one complex page description language. The method and system include embedding at least one control structure in the complex data stream. The control structure(s) are for informing the raster image processor of the simple data. The method and system also include converting the simple data into a printable format based on the at least one control structure and without using the complex page description language to convert a portion of the complex data stream corresponding to the simple data into the printable format. The method and system also include converting a remaining portion of the complex data stream into the printable format using the complex page description language.
US08705134B2

An image file representing at least a portion of a printed document is processed to highlight the differences between foreground material (e.g., text or other characters) from background. The method includes selecting a neighborhood of pixels, determining a weighted average of an attribute values (e.g., luminance) for each pixel, and modifying each pixel's value based on the weighted average. Graylevel scaling, error diffusion, and a bit level conversion are also performed each pixel ends up with either a first attribute value level (e.g., luminance of 0) or a second attribute value level (e.g., luminance of 255).
US08705132B2

A printing apparatus and method for processing data in the printing apparatus includes estimating a printing time by adding an intermediate data generation time and a rendering time, determining whether the estimated printing time of each page keeps up with a timing at which an image needs to be formed on a conveyed sheet for each page. If it is determined that the estimated printing time does not keep up with the timing at which the image needs to be formed, further determining whether an idle time is present by comparing the intermediate data generation time and the rendering time. If it is discriminated that the idle time is present, the changing an optimization level for determining whether to perform processing on a particular object in the document image data during rendering, or to perform the processing during intermediate data generation.
US08705131B2

A system for generating a set of bit masks arrays is provided (350-0 to 350-255) where the bit mask arrays (350-0 to 350-255) are such that clusters of entries of different types are spread across each array and entries of different types within the arrays are either part of a larger cluster of entries of that type or are immediately adjacent to a cluster of entries of that type. When a multi-level image (200) is converted to a half-tone image (300) utilizing the bit mask arrays (350-0 to 350-255) a half-tone image (300) which limits the occurrence of small isolated printed or unprinted areas is generated. The bit mask arrays (350-0 to 350-255) are therefore particularly suitable for use with laser printers (28,32) which have difficulty rendering half tone images which comprise small isolated printed and unprinted areas.
US08705130B2

An image formation device includes a printing portion containing a detachable fixer, a fixer identification portion which identifies a type of fixer mounted on the image formation device, a sensor which reads an image printed on a paper by the printing portion, a gamma correction data generating portion which generates gamma correction data by reading a gamma correction chart printed on a paper by the printing portion and stores the generated gamma correction data in a memory medium such that the gamma correction data is associated with a type of the fixer and a type of the paper that are used for printing the gamma correction chart, and printer gamma correction portion which performs printer gamma correction on an image data to be printed based on the gamma correction data stored in the memory medium corresponding to the paper type and the fixer type used for printing.
US08705120B2

Engine response curves (RCs) can be used for streak compensation for printed documents. A feedback control paradigm can be included to effect RC compensation. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) can be used to represent each RC in the collection of spatial RC data as a linear combination of basis vectors. RCs are approximated by selecting the first few basis vectors, the approximation aiding in noise rejection and reducing computation in the controller by reducing dimensionality of the RC data from gray levels to the number of SVD bases selected. An optimal subset of RCs is selectable from the set of approximated RCs by clustering the SVD weights, the clustered SVD weights producing TRCs that span all engine response RCs generated by a printer. Compensation RCs are constructible using reduced number of bases and clustered SVD weights.
US08705119B2

Applications, systems and methods for identifying and monitoring critical colors in a print job and using an embedded color sensing device to measure critical color printed actually printed. The application permits the user to interact with a print job and to select of one or more critical colors from within the print job. In one embodiment, an application is configured to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate the user in selecting critical colors. A printing system and method are disclosed for automatically monitoring critical colors in a print job and using an embedded color sensing device to measure critical color printed.
US08705112B2

A method and apparatus for controlling registration sensors are provided, in which a transfer unit transfers an electrostatic latent image onto a printing medium, at least one registration sensor senses image alignment errors by irradiating light to the transfer unit to sense reflected light, a sensor data storage unit stores characteristics data of the respective registration sensors, and a sensor control unit controls the registration sensors based on the characteristics data of the respective registration sensors, wherein the registration sensors are placed into the transfer unit. Accordingly, time for performing an algorithm of color registration can be reduced, and registration can be achieved correctly in a short time, irrespective of a set frame of the image forming apparatus.
US08705109B2

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method by which image data are prepared for performing image processing at high speed and while saving memory. Vector data are generated from data scanned by a scanning unit. In this process, a printing direction is determined from a content input from an operating unit or information on an outputting device. If the printing direction and the scanning direction differ, control of an order of the data is performed to prepare a document after rotation.
US08705090B2

A system and method for establishing a burstiness metric is presented including at least one processor and a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the at least one processor, wherein the computer-readable storage medium comprises one or more programming instructions for performing the steps of: receiving information related to a plurality of tasks performed by a plurality of electronic devices based on input received from one or more users; analyzing the received information; employing an availability model to the information analyzed; and generating a schedule based on the information analyzed and the availability model by redistributing at least one task of the plurality of tasks between the plurality of electronic devices in accordance with electronic device availability and computational loads. Also, an assessment is made based on the information analyzed to determine a proportion of the plurality of tasks to be supported to achieve a required quality of service.
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