US08813857B2
An actuator and method for setting a subterranean tool uses an externally mounted actuator on a tubular string that is operably engaged to the tool to be actuated. At the desired location for actuation a signal is given to a valve assembly. The opening of the valve releases the pressurized compressible fluid against a floating piston. The piston drives viscous fluid ahead of itself through the now open valve that in turn drives an actuating piston whose movement sets the tool. The triggering mechanism to open the valve can be a variety of methods including an acoustic signal, a vibration signal, a change in magnetic field, or elastic deformation of the tubular wall adjacent the valve assembly.
US08813843B2
A method for treating a zone of subterranean formation is provided. The method includes the steps of: (a) forming a treatment fluid including: (i) water; (ii) a viscosity-increasing agent selected from the group consisting of water-soluble polysaccharides, water-soluble derivatives thereof, and any combination of the foregoing; (iii) a crosslinker for the viscosity-increasing agent; (iv) a hydrophobically modified water-soluble polymer; wherein the viscosity-increasing agent is not a hydrophobically modified polymer; and (b) introducing the treatment fluid into a zone of a subterranean formation, wherein the zone has a design temperature of equal to or greater than 350° F.
US08813841B2
A hybrid dump bailer is disclosed herein comprising a bailer tubes for containing a material, such as cement slurry, to be dumped. The hybrid dump bailer comprises a pressure pulse piston that is accelerated by a spring causing a pressure pulse to expel the material to be dumped. The hybrid dump bailer further comprises a collet, a retaining rod, a piston, valve, and a supply of pressurized fluid which is holds the pressure pulse piston in place while the spring is compressed. Once the valve is opened, releasing the pressurized fluid, the retaining rod separates from the collet allowing the pressure pulse piston to accelerate can produce the pressure pulse to dump the material.
US08813837B2
A wellbore system comprising a housing assembly and a hanger assembly. The hanger assembly comprises an actuation member that interacts with a portion of the housing assembly when the hanger assembly is positioned at a desired location in the housing assembly. The hanger assembly also comprises a load member that is adapted to extend between the hanger assembly and the housing assembly to enable the housing assembly to support the hanger assembly. The load member is carried into the wellbore in a retracted position. When the actuation member interacts with the housing assembly at the desired location, the actuation member actuates the load member to expand outward to extend between the hanger assembly and the housing assembly. The actuation member is adapted to transfer a lifting force from the surface to the load member to enable an over-pull test of the hanger assembly to be performed.
US08813833B2
To provide a heat exchanging device for powder, which is capable of suppressing as much as possible the compression force applied to an object to be processed and reducing the manufacturing man-hour (time), while ensuring the piston flowability of the object to be processed. In order to achieve this object, the present invention is a heat exchanging device for powder, which is configured such that a shaft 13 is rotatably supported within a horizontally long casing 1, that a plurality of heat exchangers 30 are disposed at predetermined intervals on the shaft, and that a heat exchanging medium is supplied into the heat exchangers via the shaft, wherein the heat exchangers 30 are formed as substantially hollow disk-shaped heat exchangers each having a notched recess 31 directed to a center from a circumferential edge.
US08813825B2
A copper mold or copper mold plate and also a process for reconditioning such worn molds or mold plates, which are used for the continuous casting of metals or metal alloys is provided. An electrolytically applied copper coating is provided on the inner wall of the mold or on that side of the mold plate which faces toward the casting strand.
US08813821B2
A component casting apparatus includes a mold to receive a molten solid for casting a component. The mold includes a first sacrificial layer to define a housing of the component and a second sacrificial layer to form at least one core passage of the component in response to contact from the molten solid. The component casting apparatus further includes a trusset disposed against an outer surface of the second sacrificial layer and formed from metal to support the second sacrificial layer.
US08813814B2
Described herein is a method of melting a bulk metallic glass (BMG) feedstock, comprising: heating at least a portion of the BMG feedstock to temperatures slightly below a solidus temperature of the BMG, wherein the portion remains a solid at the temperatures slightly below the solidus temperature and wherein a temperature distribution of the portion is essentially uniform; heating the portion of the BMG feedstock to temperatures above a liquidus point.
US08813811B1
A method of forming a mold for use in the casting of a steel railway freight car truck component is provided. A cope mold is formed by providing a near net shape oversize impression of a cope pattern of a product to be cast in a flask. A cope pattern of the product to be cast is then placed on the flask forming a spacing between the cope pattern and the oversize impression. A resin coated sand is then blown to form a sand layer between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern. The resin sand is set to form a mold of a thickness between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern of the product to be cast. The drag mold is formed in a similar manner.
US08813809B2
An electrically heated window curtain of fire resistant material to heat up the draft flow of cold air that leaks through single pane glass windows with low voltage heating wires embedded in the fire resistant material, a power source, a thermostat, a battery pack, and a charger. Also included is a curtain rod and gripping strips on the curtain to hold the curtain in a rolled up position when not in use.
US08813795B2
The invention relates to a passive valve for multi-valve devices for sealing a container or a line. According to one aspect of the invention, the passive valve is free of bearing supports which protrude in a positive sense out of the passive valve. The invention also relates to a multi-valve device for contamination-free connection of two containers or two lines with partial valves that can be rotated about a single axis. According to this aspect of the invention, at least three partial valves, which are arranged essentially parallel to one another and can be put under tension so they can be sealed with respect to their surroundings, can be rotated about the single shared axis.
US08813794B2
A dispensing system includes one or more digital image capture devices for capturing images in a dispenser well and a digital image analyzer operatively coupled to the digital image capture device(s) for analyzing the images for use in regulating a dispensing operation. The digital image analyzer evaluates digital images captured by the digital image capture device(s) to determine various characteristics of a container placed in the dispensing well, such as the height and position of the container.
US08813790B2
A device for protecting the end of a tubular component, the end including a first threaded zone. The device includes a protecting end including a second threaded zone configured to cooperate with a first threaded zone of the tubular component, and a ring configured to cover a portion of the outer surface of the end of the tubular component. The ring is bound up with the protecting end such that the ring is free to turn about itself independently of the end. Such a device may find application to components used for drilling and operating hydrocarbon wells, for example in particular expandable components.
US08813785B2
A multiple fluid selection valve including a stator and a rotor is provided. The stator includes a stator interface and a plurality of ports arranged into a plurality of port groups. Each port group has a common port and non-common ports. The non-common ports include a first non-common port and a second non-common port. The rotor includes a plurality of first channels, each first channel extending from an axial center of the rotor to at least a point on the rotor interface alignable with the common ports for fluid communication therewith. The rotor also includes a plurality of second channels, each second channel extending from at least a point on the rotor interface alignable with the common ports for fluid communication therewith to at least a point on the rotor interface alignable with the first non-common ports and/or the second non-common ports for fluid communication therewith.
US08813778B2
A valve control system includes a valve control device and a hand-held actuating apparatus for triggering operating actions within the valve control device. The hand-held actuating apparatus includes a magnet arrangement and the valve control device includes a magnetic field sensor arrangement adapted to the magnet arrangement of the hand-held actuating apparatus. The magnet arrangement includes one or more magnets and an actuating means. The magnetic fields of the magnets are individually variable by the actuating means without movement of the hand-held actuating apparatus relative to the magnetic field sensor arrangement.
US08813757B2
A reading and adjustment tool for use with a valve having a pressure or flow setting adjustable to a plurality of pressure or flow settings is disclosed. The tool includes a signal generator and an excitation coil coupled to the signal generator. The signal generator includes an adjustment interface configured to generate an adjustment signal to adjust the pressure or flow setting and a reading interface to generate a reading signal to read the pressure or flow setting of the valve. At least one excitation coil is connected to the signal generator and configured to generate an oscillating electromagnetic field based on one of the adjustment signal and reading signal. A sense coil can include two portions positioned on either side of the at least one excitation coil to determine the pressure or flow setting of the valve.
US08813754B2
Magnetic devices and implantation methods are provided for use in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The devices include a sheet-like element having ferromagnetic qualities. The device may also include a permanent magnet attached to the sheet-like element by magnetic forces. The devices are implanted in soft tissue surrounding the airway and in tissue space beneath the pharyngeal wall to exert forces on and/or change the shape of the soft tissue. The magnetic devices may also include a bladder containing a magnetorheological fluid that stiffens soft tissue when exposed to a magnetic field.
US08813751B2
A probe for medical use comprising a tube (1) and a cuff (3) located around the tube (1) in a region of its external wall, the cuff (3) being inflatable through a conduit (5) arranged at the wall of the tube (1), linking the interior of the tube (1) to the interior of the cuff (3), the inflation and deflation of the cuff (3) being determined by the rhythms of the inspiration and expiration of air, respectively.
US08813749B2
In accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment, a cushion for a ventilation interface is disclosed. A ventilation mask can include a mask body adapted to matingly engage with the cushion. The cushion can be a double-membrane cushion having an outer sealing membrane and an inner membrane, both of which can extend from a frame. The outer sealing membrane can have a face-contacting portion. The inner membrane can be outwardly oriented from the frame.
US08813742B2
A hot water feeder in which a solar heat collector is used. The feeder has a first heat exchanger for heating a heat medium by solar heat, a second heat exchanger for heating water in a hot-water tank by the heated heat medium, and a heat exchange volume determination unit. The heat exchange volume determination unit calculates the flow rate of the heat medium circulating between the first and second heat exchangers on the basis of the detected temperature of the heat medium fed to the first heat exchanger and the rotational speed of a heat medium circulation pump, and calculates the heat exchange volume on basis of the flow rate and the temperature difference between the detected temperatures.
US08813738B2
A grate assembly for cooking food products and a grilling apparatus which uses the grate assembly for supporting the food during cooking. The grate assembly comprises: (a) a lower grate element having a series of parallel peak structures with valleys therebetween and (b) an upper grate element having a series of parallel food support ribs which are sized and spaced such that each rib will be positioned over the top of a corresponding peak structure. The upper food contacting surfaces of the ribs will remain substantially rust-free at atmospheric and cooking conditions.
US08813735B2
A crossbow is provided which has one or more of the following improvements: a bolt retainer which downwardly biases a bolt in position forward of a forward rest position of a bowstring; a mounting rail associated with a lower surface of a frame rearward of a finger-pull mechanism, where the mounting rail is configured to allow one or more accessories to be mounted thereto; a finger-pull mechanism positioned at, or forward of, a midway point of the frame; a string latch positioned more than six inches rearward of the finger-pull mechanism; a sighting device having an eyepiece, where the eyepiece is positioned in alignment with, or forward of, the string latch; a ratio of length of pull distance of the crossbow to bull-pup distance of the crossbow being two-to-one or less; and a foot stirrup configured to stabilize the crossbow during cocking, and to provide a bipod during aiming/shooting.
US08813731B2
A blow-by gas refluxing device is provided for an engine system including an engine and an intake air passage communicating with the engine for supplying intake air into the engine. The blow-by gas refluxing device includes a plurality of blow-by gas refluxing passages each having an inlet communicating with the engine and an outlet communicating with the intake air passage. The outlets of the blow-by gas passages communicate with the intake air passage at different positions along the length of the intake air passage and each of the blow-by gas passages has a backflow preventing device disposed therein, so that blow-by gas produced in the engine can flow into the intake air passage via at least one of the blow-by gas refluxing passages throughout the entire operational range of the engine.
US08813730B2
Provided is a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which can introduce external EGR gas during a cold condition, while favorably suppressing an occurrence of condensed water from the EGR gas.A twin entry type turbo supercharger (18) is provided. A first exhaust passage (14a) through which first exhaust gas exhausted from a first cylinder group (#2 and #3) and a second exhaust passage (14b) through which second exhaust gas exhausted from a second cylinder group (#1 and #4) are provided. A sub cooling system including a sub cooling passage (32) for cooling the first exhaust passage (14a) is provided. A main cooling system including a main cooling passage (30) for cooling the second exhaust passage (14b) is provided. An EGR passage (24) connected between the first exhaust passage (14a) and an intake passage (12), and an EGR valve (26) playing a role in opening and closing the EGR passage (24) are provided. The circulation of sub cooling water in the sub cooling system is stopped when EGR gas is introduced into the intake passage (12) during the cold condition.
US08813729B2
A charge air duct for an internal combustion engine includes a housing with at least one entrance and at least one exit for charge air. A heat exchanger is arranged inside the housing to cool the charge air, a bypass is arranged on the housing to at least partially circumvent the heat exchanger and an actuator is arranged on the housing to influence the charge air flow. The charge air is guided from the entrance to the heat exchanger in a first position of the actuator and from the entrance to the bypass in a second position of the actuator, and the actuator at least partially reduces a cross-section of the charge air in a third position.
US08813727B2
A sealing assembly for a pressurized fuel feed system for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The seal assembly comprises providing a fuel conduit having a fluid flow passage therethrough for conveyance of a pressurized fuel-containing gas in a general fluid-flow direction with a first sealing surface disposed on the fuel conduit. A second sealing surface engages with the first sealing surface, such as to provide a fluid-tight connection preventing pressurized gas from leaving the fluid flow passage. The said first and second sealing surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the general fluid-flow direction. An o-ring is disposed between the first sealing surface and second sealing surface, the o-ring being compressed by the first and second sealing surfaces to form said fluid-tight connection. Preferably the o-ring is subjected to a squeeze of at least 40%, more preferably 50%, when the first and second sealing surfaces are coupled together.
US08813726B2
A fuel tank system capable of purging a canister without relying on the action of negative pressure from the engine, thereby giving excellent energy efficiency. Gases in the fuel tank move to a canister when filling up, and any fuel vapor is adsorbed in the canister. Air components are separated from the gases in the fuel tank using a gas separator and discharged and a negative pressure can be induced inside the fuel tank. This negative pressure acts on the canister and purges the canister.
US08813725B2
An evaporated fuel treatment device for a vehicle is provided to suppress the flowout of evaporated fuel into atmospheric air. In the evaporated fuel treatment device, a communication chamber is formed in a fuel supply cap, allowing communication between a charge passage and the inside of a fuel tank in a closed state. In the communication chamber, a positive pressure adjusting valve is openable to supply evaporated fuel in the fuel tank to an evaporated fuel storage unit through the communication chamber and the charge passage, and a negative pressure adjusting valve is openable to supply atmospheric air to the fuel tank from the evaporated fuel storage unit through the communication chamber and the charge passage. An interlocking member is provided between the key cover and the negative pressure adjusting valve, and opens the negative pressure adjusting valve in an interlocking manner with an operation of opening the key cover.
US08813721B2
A device for controlling a variation in pressure upstream of a common rail, the device being an extremely simple and small-sized compact device which is used in a pressure accumulating common rail type fuel injection apparatus. The device for controlling a variation in pressure upstream of a common rail can supply high-pressure fuel to the common rail in a stable pressure state by preventing pulsation of a high-pressure pump from occurring in each cylinder of the pump and also preventing generation of a surge pressure caused by opening and closing of a check valve. The device is provided with a secondary common rail which is connected to the fuel outlets of the check valves each provided to each of the cylinders of the high-pressure pump and which has a volume equal to or less than the volume of the common rail, and the device is also provided with injection pipes which connect between the common rail and the fuel outlets of the secondary common rail. The number of the injection pipes is set to be less than the number of the check valves each provided to each of the cylinders of the high-pressure pump.
US08813717B2
An internal combustion engine 100 includes a cylinder 102 that defines a combustion chamber 196 causing a premixed gas to be combusted, a piston 120 that defines the combustion chamber 196 together with the cylinder 102, and reciprocates in the cylinder 102, and an active species generator 150 that generates active species. The internal combustion engine 100 promotes combustion of the mixed gas by the active species generated by the active species generator 150. The piston 120 includes an active species generation chamber 194 that is formed therein and open to a top surface of the piston 120, and in which the active species generator 150 generates the active species.
US08813713B2
The piston has a crown forming a piston bowl. The piston bowl has a center portion with a convex spherical shape, a floor having a convex frusto-conical shape adjacent the center portion, and a base having a concave toroidal shape surrounding the floor. The piston bowl also has a cylindrical wall extending tangentially from the base that surrounds the center portion. The piston has a top surface perpendicular to the cylindrical wall along a rim of the piston bowl. A ratio between the piston bowl depth and the cylindrical wall length is less than 4, and a ratio between the piston bowl diameter and the piston bowl depth is 4.7.
US08813709B2
A switchable device for supplying at least one consumer of an internal combustion engine with pressure. The device includes the following: a housing having a housing interior; a displacement element arranged in the housing, which element can be displaced between a first end position and a second end position, the displacement element having a pressure surface which at least partially delimits a fluidically connectible accumulator chamber together with the wall of the housing interior, the accumulator chamber being connectible to a pressure source in a fluid-conducting manner; an energy accumulator which interacts with the displacement element, the displacement element being displaceable against the force of the energy accumulator from the first end position into the second end position under the effect of pressure applied to the accumulator chamber; a locking mechanism by which the displacement element can be locked in the second end position; a switching mechanism which can be actuated by an actuator, has a switch element that can be brought into at least two switching positions and interacts with the locking mechanism in such a manner that the displacement element can be locked and unlocked in a first switching position of the switch element and cannot be locked and not unlocked in a second switching position of the switch element.
US08813702B2
Provided is a valve timing control device, including: a drive side rotating member, a driven side rotating member, fluid pressure chambers, partition portions, advanced angle control oil passages, retarded angle control oil passages, an intermediate lock mechanism, and a retarded angle lock mechanism, in which the intermediate lock mechanism is configured to include a single intermediate lock member, a biasing mechanism which biases the intermediate lock member, and an intermediate fitting depression portion, and the retarded angle lock mechanism is configured to include a single retarded angle lock member, a biasing mechanism which biases the retarded angle lock member, and a retarded angle fitting depression portion.
US08813700B2
A camshaft adjustment mechanism is provided having a rotor adapted to be connected to a camshaft, a stator arranged around the rotor, and a cover associated with the stator. An advance chamber and a separate retard chamber are formed between the rotor and the stator and separated from each other by a vane extending from the rotor. The camshaft adjustment mechanism further includes a locking apparatus adapted to lock the rotor from rotation. A first oil control valve is associated with the advance chamber and the retard chamber to control oil flow to the advance chamber and the retard chamber. A second oil control valve is associated with the locking apparatus to control oil flow to the locking apparatus.
US08813693B2
A system includes a pump control module and a pump diagnostic module. The pump control module switches a switchable water pump from off to on. The pump diagnostic module diagnoses a fault in the switchable water pump based on a first difference between an engine material temperature and an engine coolant temperature when the switchable water pump is switched from off to on. The engine coolant temperature is a temperature of coolant circulated through an engine and the engine material temperature is a temperature of at least one of an engine block and a cylinder head.
US08813691B1
Pressurized and superheated, dry steam is admitted into the working chamber of a spark ignition engine for the purpose of increasing the thermal efficiency of the engine. The steam is admitted into the working chamber near the end of compression, and before ignition of the fuel. An igniter ignites the fuel. Additional work is pneumatically recovered from the steam, thus augmenting the total work obtained by the engine.
US08813687B2
A storage type water heater, which may have either fuel or electric-based heating apparatus, is provided with a control system incorporating a control algorithm that monitors the time between heat demands and then sets the tank water setpoint temperature accordingly to lower the effects of water stratification due to periodic heat demands, and also save energy. When the time between consecutive heat demands is less than a predetermined setback time, for a number of heat demands equal to a predetermined setback limit, a setback mode is activated and responsively operates to reduce the setpoint temperature by a predetermined setback offset at the next cycle. The original control setpoint temperature is restored once the time between two successive heat demands is more than the setback time.
US08813680B2
In certain embodiments, a system includes a front wall, a rear wall positioned substantially parallel to the front wall, and first and second side walls each extending between the front wall and the rear wall. The first side wall includes a gate, and the second side wall is spaced apart from the first side wall such that the front wall, the rear wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall define a milking box stall of a size sufficient to accommodate a dairy livestock. The system includes an equipment portion located adjacent to the rear wall. The equipment portion houses a robotic attacher configured to extend between the rear legs of a dairy livestock located within the milking box stall in order to attach milking equipment to the dairy livestock.
US08813677B2
A composite particulate preparing apparatus is provided that includes a rotating body receiving particulates to which an adhering material is allowed to adhere and having a bottom surface, a side wall and a flange part; a centrifugal machine rotating the rotating machine to apply centrifugal force to the particulates in the rotating body; an inclination varying device shifting the rotating body at an arbitrary inclination angle so that the bottom surface of the rotating body forms a vertical plane parallel to a gravitational direction from a horizontal plane perpendicular to the gravitational direction; and a stirring device disposed closer to a horizontal line perpendicular to a vertical line drawn from a rotational center of the rotating body in a gravitational direction on a rotational side where the particulates drop from an uppermost point, than to the vertical line.
US08813676B2
A user interface for a controller may include a panel having multiple indicia, a parameter selector configured to move relative to the multiple indicia, and an indicator to indicate which of the multiple indicia is selected by the selector.
US08813666B2
A barrier system for inhibiting marine growth on a submerged component of a boat operates on the principle that limiting the availability of nutrients that marine organisms need to survive and thrive will inhibit the growth of marine organisms. The barrier system, by restricting the exchange of water between the body of water enclosed within the barrier system and the body of water outside of the barrier system, creates and maintains a body of stagnant water which surrounds the submerged component targeted for protection from fouling growth. The submerged component may be a mounting bracket for an outboard engine and the barrier element may be resiliently adjustable in response to the act of tilting the outboard engine.
US08813662B2
An illustrative embodiment of a vertical floating row cleaner may include a mounting bracket configured to engage a row unit frame, which mounting bracket may have a receiver engaged therewith. An extension member may have first and second ends, with one end configured as an adjustor interface and the opposite end configured to pivotally engage at least one row cleaner wheel. An adjustor may engage the extension member at the adjustor interface such that the adjustor prevents the extension member from moving with respect to the receiver past a certain point in at least one direction.
US08813656B1
A flat panel television console and support kit allows the consumer to employ any of three modes of support, namely stand mount, console mount, and wall mount. The console assembly has upper and lower shelves, and a vertical column is secured to the console at a joint. A base plate can be fastened to the upper shelf of the console so that a flange on the base plate extends upwardly to support a vertical column that supports a TV mounting frame over the console. Alternatively, when the consumer wishes to mount the TV on the wall or on the console, the base plate can be fastened to the upper shelf in an inverted position so that the upper surface of the upper shelf is substantially flat.
US08813651B1
A method of making a liner for a shaped charge or an explosively formed projectile may include making a liner substrate using a 3D additive manufacturing process. At least a portion of the surface of the liner substrate may be surface finished. The surface finished portion may be electroplated with a metal to form a multi-layer liner.
US08813646B2
Provided is a label printer that includes a conveyance unit that conveys a label paper on which a label is attached and a printing unit that prints on the label. The label printer also includes a peeling unit that includes one pair of members separated in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the label paper and peels the label from a backing paper. The label printer also includes a backing paper conveyance unit that conveys the backing paper and a moving unit that moves the peeling members towards a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the backing paper.
US08813639B2
A machine for processing food products, includes a processing tool oscillatingly driven by a motor and a drive train, and a trigger system which, in each cycle of oscillating movement of the processing tool, triggers a predetermined action of the machine at a predetermined timing, the trigger system including a signal generator arranged in the drive train to deliver a reference time signal in each cycle, a timer measuring a time passed since the last occurrence of the reference time signal, and an electronic control device storing a displacement/time curve of the processing tool for at least one processing speed of the machine and in which a position of the processing tool is programmable at which the action shall be triggered, the control device determining on the basis of the displacement/time curve, the trigger timing corresponding to that position and triggering the action when the timer reaches this timing.
US08813636B2
A food cooker is provided that is configured to cook and infuse skewered food, the food cooker having perforated spines adjustably positionable on a sealable chamber that support the skewered food.The food cooker includes a bottom container, a cover, and a spine. The cover includes a vent positioned along an outer major surface thereof. The cover is also combinable with the bottom container such that the bottom container and cover coalesce to form a sealed inner chamber. The spine includes a hollow interior and perforations along an exterior surface. The spine is fittable with the vent.
US08813633B2
A system is described for delivering infusion beverages including at least one infusion capsule having an essence to be infused, at least one delivering manifold equipped with at least one housing seat of the capsule and at least one manifold for perforating and supplying water. The housing seat includes at least two different delivering ducts each one of which has a perforating end oriented towards an inside portion of the housing seat and a base of the capsule including at least one recess and one perforation portion. The recess and the perforation portion selectively correspond to the perforating end depending on a type of essence to be infused. An infusion capsule is also described.
US08813630B2
An ammunition magazine and gun/magazine system in which the magazine comprises an outer housing having a substantially cylindrical inner wall surface. An inner support member is mounted within the housing and has a substantially cylindrical outer wall surface which is concentric and opposing said inner wall surface of said housing. The outer wall surface and the inner wall surface form a gap between them. A helical ramp is disposed within the gap and has a concentric axis to the inner wall surface and said outer wall surface. The helical ramp forms a helical gap within the gap, which is configured to receive a plurality of cartridges such that a longitudinal axis of each cartridge is oriented radially of the inner wall surface within the helical gap. The magazine also includes a drive mechanism for advancing the cartridges along the helical ramp.
US08813627B2
A method and system to detect an improvised explosive device is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes dispersing a mixture containing a fluorescent material uniformly over a ground cover, illuminating the ground cover with wavelengths of visible light or ultraviolet (UV) light causing the fluorescent material to fluoresce in a visible light spectrum, and detecting where the mixture has been disturbed on the ground cover by visually observing inconsistencies in the fluorescent material on the ground cover that is fluorescing to indicate a location of the improvised explosive device. The method also includes that the mixture is adapted to cling to a person, clothes, or any combination thereof, upon contact.
US08813622B2
A machine for slitting metal sheet into strips includes a fixed upper beam and a lower beam that is displaceable vertically. Both beams support slitter heads that move along the beams. Each beam carries an arbor that rotates in it and extends through the slitter heads on it. Each beam also has a fixed threaded shaft and lock rods that extend through the slitter heads on it. Each slitter head carries a knife that rotates with the arbor for its beam. Each slitter head also has a motor-driven nut that engages the threaded shaft extending through the beam and, when rotated, moves the slitter head along its beam. The slitter heads have clamps, which clamp down on the lock rods to secure the slitter heads in fixed positions. The knives rotate about axes that are skewed slightly relative to the axes of the arbors that drive them.
US08813621B2
An apparatus for cutting food products. The apparatus includes a cutting device and housing thereabove that defines a passage with an opening in proximity to the cutting device for delivering the food product to the cutting device. The apparatus is preferably adapted to cut food products in a substantially horizontal plane, and as such the cutting device is preferably oriented to make a substantially horizontal cut through a food product. A lower portion of the housing has a lower extremity that defines the opening of the passage. The apparatus is equipped with various features that improve the operation of the apparatus and the consistency of the sliced product, particularly if the delivered food product varies in shape and size and may contain embedded stones.
US08813617B2
A cutting insert has a longitudinal insert axis A, a cutting head and an insert shank which extends rearwardly from the cutting head. The insert shank includes an insert clamping portion with an asymmetric cross section taken perpendicular to the insert axis A. The insert shank has a peripheral surface extending along at least a portion of the total length of the insert shank. The cutting insert has a first dividing plane P1 which contains the insert axis A. The first dividing plane P1 may be parallel to a line L which extends along the longest cross-sectional dimension of the insert clamping portion 40. On one side of the first dividing plane P1, the peripheral surface comprises first and second longitudinally extending depressions. On the other side of the first dividing plane P1, the peripheral surface comprises first and second abutment surfaces separated by a third depression, the first and second depressions being separated by a third abutment surface.
US08813615B2
A handle assembly for a hand-operated tool includes first and second front vertical members pivotally connected to the tool and first and second rear vertical members pivotally connected to the tool. A first connecting link connects the first front and rear vertical members. A second connecting link connects the second front and rear vertical members. A first handle extends between the first and second front vertical members. A second handle extends between the first and second rear vertical members.
US08813608B2
The invention relates to a gear housing (1) comprising a gear, particularly comprising a gear of a wiper device for motor vehicles, having a housing base body (4), having a housing cover (3) affixed at a distance to the housing base body (4) by means of a plurality of retaining clips (6) made of spring steel in circumferential direction, and having an annular seal (20) disposed between the housing base body (4) and the housing cover (3) and pressed against a support region (24) of the housing base body. The invention provides that the radial extension (y) of the support region is smaller than the radial extension (x, x′) of the annular seal.
US08813607B2
A gearbox includes an outer housing including manual rotation access passage and a manual rotation shaft coupled to a spool of an engine to rotate the engine spool. The gearbox also includes coupled to the outer housing that includes a flapper valve that, in a closed position, prevents a lubricant from escaping from the outer housing via the manual rotation access passage.
US08813603B2
A crank drive has a crankshaft having at least one crank pin having a bearing surface with a concavely curved shape in a longitudinal crankshaft section and a conrod having a big end fitted to the crank pin and having a bearing surface with a convex shape in contact with the concave shape of the bearing surface of the crank pin in a load-bearing area that transmits forces acting between the big end of the conrod and the crank pin when the drive is in use. The shapes of the bearing surfaces are in accordance with the principle of uniformly distributed stresses such that essentially the same equivalent stress is distributed overall in the bearing surfaces in time average.
US08813602B2
An active balancing system for rotating machinery is provided which is light weight, solid state and powered by radiant energy. One or more balance rings coupled to the rotating machinery each have balancing elements which are moved to a selected position by actuators whose operation is controlled according to measured vibration resulting from imbalance of the machinery. The actuators are powered by an electrical energy generating device, such as a photo cell or a photovoltaic element, which is coupled to the machinery and located across an air gap from a source of radiant energy such as an array of light emitting diodes.
US08813601B2
Provided is a retainer for assisting in installation of a parking brake actuator for use in a vehicle by limiting relative movement of an input lever and a mounting bracket. The retainer has a first part and a second part connected via frangible connection(s). The first part of the retainer is fixed relative to a mounting bracket and the second part is fixed relative to the input lever (via a pivot member). After installation, the lever is moved from its first, installation position to a second, in-use position. The application of force and movement of the lever rotates the pivot member, which rotates the second part of the retainer relative to the first part thereby breaking the frangible connection(s). The input lever of the brake actuator is then ready for use to apply or release brakes of the vehicle.
US08813600B2
An apparatus for moving a platform in horizontal and vertical directions relative to a base. The apparatus comprises a parallelogram structure comprising first and second parallelogram linkages each parallelogram linkage comprises first and second link arms and a hydraulic actuator to vary the geometry of the respective parallelogram linkage. A connecting member is connected between the parallelogram linkages to which a first end of each link arm and a first end of each hydraulic actuator are pivotally connected. The first ends of the hydraulic actuators and the first ends of the first link arms are connected to the connecting member along a first pivot axis.
US08813599B2
A gear structure comprising: a reinforcement member fixed onto a side surface of a gear; and a fixation section configured to fix the reinforcement member onto the side surface of the gear, the fixation section being provided on a line of contact action of the gear.
US08813598B2
A ball screw has a chain received in a circulation path of the ball screw, and the chain comprises a plurality of partition portions and a connecting portion for connecting the partition portions, a plurality of rolling elements are retained in the chain in such a manner that between each two neighboring partition portions is arranged a rolling element, each of the rolling elements is partially in contact with the return passage of each of the return assemblies to define receiving spaces in the return passage for accommodation of the connecting portion, so that the chain can be moved more smoothly in the return passage, and the manufacturing cost of the return assembly is reduced.
US08813594B2
A rack and pinion steering gear unit is achieved that is capable of preventing an increase in operating force of the steering wheel and auxiliary operating force from a motor, and improving the response performance to minute operation when traveling straight. A pressing roller 34 elastically pushes the rear surface 29 of a rack shaft 9 toward a pinion shaft 5. This pressing roller 34 is supported by way of a radial needle bearing 16a by a support shaft 33 that is supported by and fastened to a holder 30 so as to be able to rotate freely. A thrust needle bearing 35 that receives a thrust load that is applied to the pressing roller 34 is provided between both side surfaces in the axial direction of the pressing roller 34 and the inside surface of the holder 30.
US08813592B2
Two-gear transmissions for electric machines are provided, which include a primary shaft; a secondary shaft; a first gear set which includes a first driving gearwheel and a first driven gearwheel, one of these gearwheels including a first hub and a ring gear; a second gear set which includes a second driving gearwheel and a second driven gearwheel; an overrunning clutch interposed between the ring gear and the first hub; a first coupling device arranged to connect the ring gear for rotation directly with the respective shaft and comprises a second hub and a sliding sleeve; a second coupling device arranged to connect either the second driving gearwheel or the second driven gearwheel for rotation with the respective shaft; connection elements connecting the first hub for rotation with the second hub; and elastic elements applying on the first and second hubs a biasing torque to urge them towards an end-of-travel position.
US08813586B2
A starter motor is disclosed which includes: 1) a hollow yoke having an open end; 2) a magnetic field system provided on an inner periphery of the yoke; 3) an armature surrounded by the magnetic field system with a predetermined gap therebetween, the armature having an armature shaft; 4) an end frame that closes the open end of the yoke and has a bearing box formed therein, the bearing box being recessed inward of the yoke from an end face of the end frame and having an open end on the end face of the end frame, the bearing box also having a bearing disposed therein to rotatably support an end portion of the armature shaft; and 5) a flexible seal plate that is attached on the end face of the end frame to hermetically seal the open end of the bearing box formed in the end frame.
US08813585B2
A method for quality control and quality assurance of sized bridging materials rotates a control sample having a fluid portion and a solids portion of sized bridging materials in a tubular container for a predetermined period of time. The control sample is then analyzed in a laser particle size analyzer to determine a particle size distribution for the control sample. A wet grinding sample having a fluid portion and a solids portion of the sized bridging materials is then rotated in the tubular container with a loose cylinder rod for a predetermined time to simulate borehole conditions. The wet grinding sample is then analyzed in the laser particle size analyzer to determine a particle size distribution for the wet grinding sample. The two particle size distributions are used to define a shift factor that represents the relative strength of the sized bridging materials.
US08813578B2
A sensor system has a rotational angle sensor for detecting a rotational angle and a torque sensor for detecting a torque. The rotational angle sensor has a rotatable rotational angle transmitter having index elements. The torque sensor has a rotatable torque transmitter having magnets, which generate a magnetic field, and a magnetic flux unit for amplifying the magnetic field. The index elements and the magnetic flux unit are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner.
US08813577B1
A device used in making differential measurements of a flow includes a flow obstruction and a support arm. The flow obstruction's forward portion is a nose cone. The flow obstruction's aft portion is coupled to the nose cone. The support arm's first end is coupled to an exterior wall of a conduit, and its second end is coupled to the forward portion of the flow obstruction. The support arm positions the flow obstruction in the conduit such that a flow region is defined around its nose cone, and such that the support arm's first and second end are separated from one another with respect to a length dimension of the conduit. Measurement ports are provided in the support arm and flow obstruction. Manifolds extending through the flow obstruction and support arm couple the ports to points at the exterior wall of the conduit.
US08813569B2
An ultrasonic sensor includes an ultrasonic element. The ultrasonic element includes an ultrasonic oscillator for sending, receiving or transceiving ultrasonic waves, an element body having an opening for passage of ultrasonic waves formed on one surface, the ultrasonic oscillator being arranged within the element body, and terminal portions protruding from the element body to feed an electric current to the ultrasonic oscillator. The ultrasonic sensor further includes a housing having an opening formed on one surface for communication with the opening of the element body. The housing includes a receiving portion for receiving the ultrasonic element and a positioning portion integrally formed with the receiving portion to position the ultrasonic element in place. The ultrasonic sensor includes a printed wiring board arranged to interpose the ultrasonic element between the printed wiring board and the receiving portion. The terminal portions of the ultrasonic element are mounted to the printed wiring board.
US08813568B2
An operation-position detector having a tube that allows an ultrasonic signal to propagate therethrough. The tube has a plurality of holes capable of being selectively closed or opened by an operation and is provided with an ultrasonic transmitter-receiver arranged at a first end thereof. A signal processor drives the ultrasonic transmitter-receiver and causes an ultrasonic signal to propagate through the inside of the tube, receives a reflection signal corresponding to a closed or open state of each of the holes, and detects the state of each hole on the basis of the reflection signal, thereby detecting the operation position of an operation conducted by an operator.
US08813549B1
A testing apparatus for off-load and on-load unhooking simulation of the release device of a closed lifeboat includes two main mechanisms, two hydraulic jacks, two suspension ring bases, a pressure distribution module, a manual hydraulic pump and an air pressure buffer combined together. The testing apparatus of this invention can carry out drill of simulating off-load and on-load unhooking state of the release device of a lifeboat under circumstances of no risk, able to ensure safety of the operators during drill.
US08813543B2
A method for reducing imbalance correction weight usage during a balancing operation of a vehicle wheel assembly. An imbalance of the vehicle wheel assembly is initially determined and utilized together with an established acceptable threshold of imbalance for the vehicle wheel assembly to compute a reduced imbalance value having a magnitude less than the determined imbalance. Using the reduced imbalance value, correction weight amounts and placement locations for application to the vehicle wheel assembly are identified. Determined differences between the identified correction weight amount using the reduced imbalance value and a convention correction weight amount are identified as imbalance correction weight savings.
US08813541B1
Methods and systems for measuring atmospheric water content, are provided. The method includes measuring a first air temperature and a first air pressure at a first location in a compressor, measuring a second air temperature and a second air pressure at a second location in the compressor, computing a ratio of specific heats from the first and second air temperatures and the first and second air pressures, and determining an atmospheric water content from the ratio of specific heats.
US08813534B2
A method for removal of dents from wind turbine masts uses a dent pushing tool. The dent pushing tool includes a self aligning ram assembly with a central ram cylinder and removable adjustable length arms. At the end of one arm is a curved base. At the end of the other arm is a dent pusher plate. Removal of the dent is caused by extension of the central ram cylinder.
US08813533B2
A set of tooling for a progressive forming machine comprising die and tool units having internal complementary cavity portions for receiving a workpiece, one of said units being arranged to slide a limited distance along its axis and to be biased by a spring force towards the other unit when the units are mounted in the forming machine, the units each having an end face with a smooth surface finish adapted to press against the smooth surface finish of the end face of the other unit, the end face area of one of the units being relatively small compared to its major cross-sectional area whereby a high contact pressure between the end faces is obtained for a given spring bias force such that extrusion/cooling oil coating a workpiece received in the cavity portions is restrained from leakage from the cavity portions across said end faces during a hydrostatic trapped extrusion of the workpiece in the die and tool units whereby the die and tool units are capable of shaping the workpiece to a degree beyond limits of conventional cold-forming processes.
US08813528B2
An apparatus for securing a personal electronic or hand held device (PED), includes a housing for a “pull-tight” lock mechanism attached to an elongated, flexible cable looped through a plurality of corner pieces, and a lock for releasable attachment proximate the distal end of the cable for looping the cable around a secure stationary work object and back through a cable accepting means on said “pull-tight” lock housing. A releasable locking mechanism is disposed within said housing to allow movement of said cable in the first direction, but not in the direction opposite from the first direction when the cable is slidably engaged or “cinched” tight through the corner pieces and secured around the PED by the user.
US08813523B2
Provided is a glass lathe that processes a glass member by heating the glass member with a burner, wherein a reflector that reflects electromagnetic waves is arranged around a portion of the glass member to be heated. The reflector preferably has a spherical surface with a portion removed therefrom, and may be formed of a mirror surface finishing agent for SUS, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy. An inner surface of the reflector is preferably covered by gold, platinum, or rhodium, and an outer surface of the reflector is preferably processed to improve thermal emittance, by applying an infrared light emitting coating thereto.
US08813521B2
A float bath for manufacturing glass includes a slot formed in a bottom block of the float bath in which a molten metal is to be filled, a barrier member capable of being inserted into the slot, a receiving portion formed in at least one side block that connects with the bottom block so as to communicate with the slot, and a placing member placed in the receiving portion to be connected to one end of the barrier member.
US08813514B2
A Geothermal Rail Cooling and Heating System is a reversible system process that accelerates heat transfer between the steel rail used in railway track and the adjacent earth. It is comprised of the Rail Heat Exchangers specially shaped to fit tightly inside the rail web, a refrigerant cycling on its physical condensing and evaporative characteristics, a mechanical and power supply system, and an underground tubing loop system for heat dissipation or absorption. When the railroad track undergoes a range of temperature changes that results in rapid rail expansion, it may cause track buckling or sun kink. Upon detection of such occurrence, the system responds with cooling effect to slow down expansion, and simultaneously reduce the risk of track failure. By switching the direction of refrigerant flow utilizing the system built-in reversing valve, the function is alternated for the evaporator and condenser to enable heating instead of cooling.
US08813511B2
Methods and systems for controlling the operation of condenser fans are provided. At most discharge pressures, the operation of the condenser fans may be controlled based on a capacity of the compressor system. To adjust operation of the condenser fans, the speed of the fans and/or the number or operational fans may be adjusted. The control of the condenser fans based on compressor system capacity may be overridden at compressor discharge pressures that rise above a high pressure level and fall below a low pressure level. At the high and low discharge pressures, the fan speed and/or number of operating fans may be adjusted based solely on the discharge pressure rather than on the compressor system capacity.
US08813509B2
An ice making assembly for a refrigeration appliance includes an ice maker having a mold body defining a plurality of compartments for forming ice cubes therein, a heating element for heating the ice cubes to create a melted portion to assist in removal of the ice cubes from the compartment, and a harvesting assembly including a plurality of elements attached to a rotatable rod. Each element is movable via rotation of the rod through a respective one of the compartments to remove an ice cube from the compartment. Rotation of the rod stopping for a period of time at a stop position in which a removed ice cube can rest atop the harvesting assembly to refreeze the melted portion. Related refrigeration appliances are also disclosed.
US08813484B2
A starting device for a motor vehicle includes a pump connected to a prime mover and a turbine connected to a turbine shaft. The pump and turbine are hydrodynamically connected. A stator assembly is disposed between the pump and the turbine. The stator assembly houses a slidable throttle plate. In a first position, the throttle plate partially blocks a return fluid flow from the stator assembly, thereby effectively reducing the capacity of the starting device. In a second position, the throttle plate does not reduce the capacity of the starting device. The throttle plate position is a function of a balance of forces acting on the throttle plate by a biasing member and a flow of hydraulic fluid contacting the throttle plate.
US08813482B2
One embodiment of the system comprises a towable machine having at least one hydraulic motor arranged on the machine and operable to drive at least one wheel arranged on the machine. At least one hydraulic propelling pump is arranged to supply hydraulic fluid flow via a hydraulic circuit to the hydraulic motor to selectively drive the wheel. The system has a non-operative configuration wherein hydraulic fluid flow is blocked between the hydraulic motor and the hydraulic pump. A pressure sensor is associated with the hydraulic circuit to detect an improper pressure load when the circuit is in a non-operative configuration, and operates to trigger an alarm element.
US08813476B2
An apparatus determines whether or not there is a malfunction in a reducing agent supply apparatus having a reducing agent addition valve provided in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. The reducing agent addition valve injects liquid reducing agent into the exhaust gas. A temperature sensing unit that senses the temperature of the exhaust gas is provided at a position in the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine through which the reducing agent injected through the reducing agent addition valve passes. As the reducing agent is injected through the reducing agent addition valve, the temperature decrease of the exhaust gas at the position through which the reducing agent passes is calculated by a temperature decrease calculation unit. Whether or not there is a malfunction in the reducing agent supply apparatus is determined by a diagnosis unit, based on the temperature decrease of the exhaust gas.
US08813473B2
A gas turbine engine has in flow series: a compressor section, a combustion chamber, and a turbine section. The engine further has a steam generator. The combustion chamber has a steam reservoir located at the upstream end thereof. The steam reservoir receives steam from the steam generator, and delivers the received steam into a combustion zone of the combustion chamber.
US08813465B2
A device for blocking ejection of crop material from an auger platform of an agricultural harvester features a shield for lying along an axial direction defined by a rotational axis of an auger of the auger platform reaching forwardly over the auger, and a flexible guard attached to the shield to run along the width dimension adjacent the free edge of the shield to hang downward therefrom with the shield in the operational position. A floating connection arranged between the shield and one or more shield mounts attachment the same to the auger platform allow floating of the shield upwardly out of a normal operational position, which is user adjustable. A flexible seal maintains a sealed condition between the shield and the auger platform throughout movement of the shield and in each of several user-selectable operating positions.
US08813463B2
A recycle container of metal or plastic includes sufficient material of a value that will provide a monetary incentive to the user to recycle the container. Supplemental material may be added to the exterior of the container such as the bottom and/or side wall. The supplemental material may also be placed in the container.
US08813456B2
A building connection between a substantially vertical wall stud and a substantially horizontal bridging member, using a separate and distinct bridging connector that attaches the wall stud to the bridging member. The wall stud is typically one of several sequentially-arranged, cold-formed steel studs in the frame of a building wall. The bridging member is typically a separate cold-formed steel member that interfaces with and spans a plurality of wall studs.
US08813452B2
Mechanical clips and pier cap assemblies are provided that may be used to construct solar panel mounting frames. The assemblies include a pier cap that is configured to be attached to a top portion of a pier, which includes an opening and a flange stop. The flange stop is configured to support a solar panel mounting frame member. The assemblies further include a clip that has an aperture and a tab, with the tab being configured to be disposed through the opening in the pier cap. The assemblies further include a bolt and a nut, which are used to secure a solar panel mounting frame member to the pier cap.
US08813439B2
A method of making an insulating translucent panel assembly such as a window or door lite is provided. In the method, a spacer between two translucent panels of glass or plastic includes a thermo-responsive sealing material. When heat and compression are applied to the spacer, the thermo-responsive sealing material softens and fully seals the spacer to the two translucent panels. A spacer designed to be used in this method is also provided.
US08813436B2
Generally, the subject matter disclosed herein is directed to, among other things, systems and methods for making up pivotably pinned structural connections that may be used for erecting drilling rig masts. One illustrative system includes a drilling rig mast having at least one support leg, a drilling rig mast support having at least one mast support shoe, and a pinned connection between the at least one support leg and the at least one mast support shoe. Additionally, the pinned connection of the disclosed system includes a pin, an oversized hole having at least a first hole portion, and a removable plug that is adapted to be inserted into the oversized hole, wherein the removable plug has at least a first plug surface portion, and wherein the first hole portion and the first plug surface portion define at least part of a pin hole that is adapted to receive the pin.
US08813433B2
A load bearing structure including a first fixed net layer, a second fixed net layer and a non-linear structure in between. The first fixed net layer may include a first layer of flexible fabric and a fixing material that fixes the shape of the first layer of flexible fabric. The second fixed net layer may include a second layer of flexible fabric and a fixing material that fixes the shape of the second layer of flexible fabric. The non-linear reinforcing structure may be in communication with the first and second fixed net layers and may be configured to share with the first and second fixed net layers a load applied to the load bearing structure.
US08813427B2
A threshold assembly for use with an entryway system disposed within a structure having an exterior and an interior. The threshold assembly has a sill base extending between an exterior side for facing the exterior and an interior side for facing the interior. The threshold assembly has a rail disposed above the sill base and movable between initial and sealed positions. The threshold assembly has a drainage element disposed beneath the rail having a height relative to the sill base and sloping away from the interior side of the sill base such that the height decreases from the interior side to the exterior side for providing positive drainage of any fluid that may infiltrate beyond the rail from the threshold assembly at the exterior side. The threshold assembly has a biasing member coupled to the rail and contacting the drainage element and biasing the rail into the initial position.
US08813422B1
A plant support structure is provided which is ideally suited for use with tomato plants. The structure includes a vertically disposed post with the lower end thereof being driven into the ground. A plurality of vertically spaced-apart support ring assemblies are secured to the post and which may be vertically adjusted with respect thereto. Each of the support ring assemblies includes a first ring member, a second ring member and a third ring member with elongated rods interconnecting the same.
US08813417B2
A water toy comprises an elongated buoyant body, a front attachment point, a weighted figurine, and a fin. The elongated buoyant body has a nose, a tail, a top surface, and a bottom surface. The top surface and the bottom surface meet at an outer edge. The front attachment point is disposed upon the bottom surface at the nose. The front attachment point comprises an aperture. The weighted figurine is disposed upon the top surface toward the nose. The fin extends from the bottom surface toward the tail. The water toy may comprise a rear attachment point for attaching a fish hook or lure and/or a water foil disposed upon the bottom surface at the tail.
US08813416B2
A fishing accessory for capturing a fishing bait anchored to a fishing line. The fishing accessory comprises a bottom end having a curved surface configured to seat against a fishing rod, and a top end coupled to the bottom end defining a cavity, the cavity having a first open end proximal the back end configured to receive an anchored bait and a second open end proximal the front end configured to support and capture the anchored bait while allowing the anchored portion to extend therethrough. A channel, extending from at least one surface external of the cavity to at least one surface defined by the cavity, extends from the first open end to the second open end and allows for the anchored portion to pass therethrough when mounting and uncoupling the anchored wire bait at the second open end of the cavity.
US08813413B2
An aiming sight having a sight body having a bore communicating between first and second body ends adapted to receive within in unflexed retained engagement a light conductive member configured to receive light along the length and conduct the light to at least one light conductive member end to provide a viewable aiming indicia.
US08813409B2
Disclosed is a remote contrivance refurbishment apparatus and related methods.
US08813400B2
A poster clamp comprising first and second members, the members comprising first and second gripping surfaces, respectively, for gripping opposing sides of a poster or a like, and a poster mounting system comprising a hoarding and a plurality of such clamps, and a wire on which the clamps are to be mounted for tightening a poster within the frame of the hoarding.
US08813398B2
A gift card assembly includes a substrate, a gift card, and a card carrying member interposed between the substrate and the gift card. The card carrying member is releasably attached to the substrate and releasably attached to the gift card. The card carrying member resiliently or movably carries the gift card relative to the substrate such that the gift card is allowed to be spaced from the substrate when the gift card assembly is in a displayed configuration (which thereby provides a three-dimensional effect to the gift card assembly) and is allowed to achieve a position adjacent to the substrate when the gift card assembly is in a stowed configuration.
US08813392B2
The invention relates to a shoe sole having kinematic properties on the basis of conventional materials (leather, rubber, EVA) or any desired combination of these materials in a single-layer or multilayer structure which do not block, but rather promote the natural rolling characteristics of the foot. In accordance with the invention, a shoe is equally proposed having a shoe sole of this type.
US08813388B2
Machining process for the manufacture of an insole for footwear, having a tape at the bottom face of the insole and around the entire periphery thereof, except only for that horseshoe arch that surrounds the heel of the shoe if desired, the outer edge of said tape being attached to and aligned with the edge Ia) of the insole so that the inner edge of said tape is free to be folded and detached from the bottom face of the insole. An insole for footwear is also described.
US08813387B2
An article of footwear is disclosed that includes upper and a sole structure. The upper defines an interior void that is configured to receive the sole structure and a foot. A lower surface of the upper defines a plurality of apertures, and the sole structure includes a plurality of projections that extend through the apertures to form a ground-engaging surface. The projections are connected to a foot-supporting member that remains within the upper. A locking system is incorporated into the upper and sole structure to secure the sole structure to the upper.
US08813385B2
A wig-drying apparatus is provided, comprising: a heat resistant fabric having six sections attached to each other at common edges to form a six sided chamber with interior and exterior panels joined with vertical stitching forming air ducts with holes in the interior panels, the chamber configured to hold a wig for drying; a wire frame within sleeves around the common edges of four of the sides of the chamber, the wire frame and chamber having a box-like configuration and a collapsed configuration; and a collapsible air intake tube secured at one end to an opening in one side of the fabric and having a second end configured to removably receive and retain an air outlet end of a blow dryer to provide hot air to circulate within the chamber and bake dry the wig when the wire frame and chamber are in the box-like configuration.
US08813375B2
In a handheld cutting machine that is constructed such that a user holds the machine by hand and performs cutting processing while moving the same, in which a lower portion of a circular cutting blade protruded from a lower surface side of a base that is placed on a cutting object is covered by a movable cover, an enough clearance is set between a supporting annular ring of a movable cover and a rotating boss portion of a bearing box in order to smoothly open and close the movable cover while a ring spring is interposed between the supporting annular portion and an axial restricting portion to increase dust-proofness of the a movable cover support portion.
US08813362B2
A method for filling a muffler with a fibrous material is disclosed. The muffler includes partitions which form a first chamber and second chamber, and a first muffler pipe having an outlet end. A filling aperture at one end of the second muffler pipe is positioned in the first muffler chamber. The second muffler pipe has a filling sleeve therein, the filling sleeve having a filling discharge opening that coordinates with the filling aperture of the second muffler pipe. The first muffler chamber is filled with fibrous material by applying a vacuum source to the first muffler pipe, which draws the fibrous material through the filling aperture. The filling aperture of the second muffler pipe is then positioned into the second muffler chamber, and the second muffler chamber is filled in the same manner as the first muffler chamber. The filling sleeve is then removed from the second muffler pipe.
US08813361B2
In a gas turbine blade where a part of the γ′ phase precipitation strengthened type Ni-based alloy base material is composed of a weld metal, the weld metal is a Ni-based alloy containing Ta from 4.8 to 5.3 wt. %, Cr from 18 to 23 wt. %, Co from 12 to 17 wt. %, W from 14 to 18 wt. %, C from 0.03 to 0.1 wt. %, Mo from 1 to 2 wt. %, and Al of 1 wt. % or less, in which the oxygen content is 0 to 30 ppm, the Ti content from 0 to 0.1 wt. %, and the Re content from 0 to 0.5 wt. %. A blade base metal is manufactured by the step of stripping, the step of solution heat treatment where the γ′ phase is dissolved again, the step of welding in an inert gas chamber by a TIG method using a welding wire where the weld metal can be obtained, the step of HIP treatment at 1100° C. to 1150° C., and the step of an aging treatment at 835° C. to 855° C.
US08813360B2
In a method for beam welding on components with a laser beam or electron beam generated by a beam source, the heat treatment of the welded component required to remove stresses is integrated into the welding process. In a work cycle combined with the welding process, a regulated heat supply to a selected region takes place, according to its residual heat resulting from the welding process and the predicted stresses in that region, using the residual heat remaining from the welding process following the welding process from the same or other beam source(s). The welding region is cooled in a controlled manner, so that welded components which are likely to be subject to high stress in use, provided for example for a aircraft engine, can be made available without inherent stresses and with the desired microstructure in a single—combined—work step.
US08813354B2
An electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding structure, which includes: a substrate, at least one chip unit, a packing layer, and an EMI shielding unit. The chip unit is disposed on the surface of the substrate and electrically coupled thereto. The packing layer is formed on the substrate and covers the chip unit. The EMI shielding unit includes: a first, second, and third shielding layer. The first shielding layer covers the outer surface of the packing layer and the lateral surface of the substrate. The second and third shielding layer respectively covers the outer surface of the first and second shielding layer. Based on the instant disclosure, the EMI shielding unit uses the methods of sputtering and electroless plating, to increase the adhesion strength of the EMI shielding unit and make the thickness of the shielding layer uniform. The instant disclosure raises the EMI shielding efficiency and lowers the manufacturing cost.
US08813350B2
A ball grid array presentment apparatus and associated method are provided. The apparatus has a stationary guard defining a first passage. A core is mounted adjacent to the stationary guard, the core being operably moveable between an unload position and a second position. The core defines a second passage and supports a workpiece fixture operably retaining the ball grid array. The unload position of the core operably aligns the second passage to the first passage, the aligned passages being sized to permit access to unload the ball grid array from the workpiece fixture. The second position of the core operably misaligns the second passage from the first passage whereat the core and the stationary guard cooperatively form an enclosure around the workpiece fixture containing a supply of balls that are not retained in the ball grid array.
US08813349B2
A device for separating electronic components including sawing means and positioning means, wherein between the positioning means and the sawing means at least one transfer position is defined for the purpose of transferring positioned electronic components. A separating device for electronic components including sawing means, positioning means, inspection means, and sorting means, wherein between the positioning means and the sawing means at least one transfer position is defined for the purpose of transferring positioned electronic components between the positioning means and the sawing means, and wherein between the inspection means and the sorting means at least another transfer position is defined for the purpose of transferring the inspected separated electronic components between the inspection means and the sorting means.
US08813343B2
An oxygen storage cylinder is stored in an interior cabin of an aircraft by providing a generally cylindrical envelope of flexible material receiving the cylinder therein and securing the envelope to a fixed seat frame. Circumferential straps are secured to a cylindrical wall portion of the envelope at spaced apart positions along the length thereof for securing the envelope and cylinder therein to an elongate frame member of the seat frame. End straps secured to intersecting frame members prevent longitudinal sliding of the envelope and cylinder therein relative to the elongate frame member of the fixed seat frame. The envelope protects the cylinder from direct contact with the frame to prevent friction or vibration damage to the cylinder while fixing the position of the cylinder in the interior cabin for the safety of surrounding passengers in the event of turbulence.
US08813340B2
An arrangement for mounting a substantially vertical mechanical element, as a technical front surface, on a structural transverse element of bodywork of a vehicle such as an upper crossbar, the mechanical element including at least one substantially horizontal portion or structural nozzle bearing on an upper surface of the crossbar. The arrangement includes at least one carrier plate for the mechanical element which is slid under the bodywork of the vehicle and then mounted vertically. The plate includes a yoke for receiving the vertical mechanical element and which is capable of holding the element between at least one vertical position inclined towards the front and a vertical position.
US08813338B2
An alignment device has a carriage, two rails on the carriage that are configured for a workpiece to pass therebetween, and a finger that protrudes a distance from the carriage. The finger is configured to be disposed on a carrier for the workpieces. The workpieces may be solar cells and may pass through the rails on a conveyor belt. The alignment device may move in order to align the workpieces as the workpieces are loaded into a carrier.
US08813331B2
A process of preparing a turbine rotor wheel, a repair tool for machining a turbine rotor wheel, and a turbine rotor wheel are disclosed. The process includes providing the turbine rotor wheel, the turbine rotor wheel having a dovetail slot, a cooling slot, and a dovetail acute corner formed by the dovetail slot and the cooling slot and removing a stress region from the dovetail acute corner. The repair tool permits removal of strained material while also reducing the operating stress of the feature. The turbine rotor wheel includes a machined portion resulting in lower stress for the turbine rotor wheel.
US08813329B2
When a chamber of an oscillator and one or more amplifiers is to be replaced at the timing when a predetermined period elapses, one of the chambers of the oscillator and the amplifiers having a low allowable deterioration limit is detached and this chamber is attached in place of one of the chambers of the oscillator and the amplifiers other than the one having the low allowable deterioration limit. Thus, the chamber which has been used in one of the oscillator and amplifiers having a low allowable deterioration limit and has not reached the limit of deterioration is reused in one of the oscillator and the amplifiers other than the one having the low allowable deterioration limit. This enables efficient use of oscillator and amplifier chambers in a multistage amplification laser apparatus, minimizing the labor and parts consumed for replacement thereof.
US08813326B2
An apparatus for compressing or decompressing a compressible body is provided. The apparatus comprises an upper nest arm and a lower nest arm separated by a rigid rod. The upper nest arm has an upper nest arm mounting feature configured to receive a first end of the compressible body. The upper nest arm mounding feature is shaped to fit the contours of the compressible body. The lower nest arm has a lower nest arm mounting feature configured to receive a second end of the compressible body. The lower nest arm can traverse the rigid rod to either compress or decompress the compressible body.
US08813324B2
A method for fabricating a piezoelectric multilayer are described. The method includes providing conductive layers. Alternating conductive layers are electrically connected. A first plurality of alternating conductive layers is electrically isolated from a second plurality of alternating conductive layers. Piezoelectric layers are interleaved with the conductive layers. Apertures are provided in the piezoelectric layers. A first conductive plug electrically connects the first plurality of alternating conductive layers, includes a first plurality of segments, and is in apertures in the piezoelectric layers. Each of the first plurality of segments extends through one of the piezoelectric layers. A second conductive plug electrically connects the second plurality of alternating conductive layers, includes a second plurality of segments, and is in a second portion of the plurality of apertures. Each of the second plurality of segments extends through one of the plurality of piezoelectric layers.
US08813320B2
A buckle suitable for use with a child restrain harness comprises a first strap fastener having at least one resilient latching arm, a second strap fastener having a base provided with an opening, and a socket movably assembled through the opening, the socket being operable to rotate relative to the base, and the latching arm being operable to engage with the socket to securely hold the first strap fastener with the socket.
US08813315B2
A buckle for securing strap ends to each other has an anchor peg, with a recess, attached to one strap end. Another strap end has a clamping head that has a recess adapted to allow insertion and removal of the anchor peg. A moveable locking mechanism in the clamping head can be moved from an open position, that allows insertion or removal of the anchor peg, to a closed position that prevents removal of an anchor peg inserted into the clamping head.
US08813306B2
A surface cleaning apparatus comprises an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and including an air treatment member and a suction motor. The surface cleaning apparatus comprises a main body comprising a front end and a rear end, and a plurality of wheels. A compartment may be positioned inwards of one of the wheels. The compartment may be accessible when the one of the wheels is moved to an open position.
US08813305B2
A surface cleaning apparatus comprises an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet. A suction motor is positioned in the air flow path. At least one cyclone chamber is positioned in the air flow passage. An associated dirt collection chamber is exterior to the cyclone chamber. The cyclone chamber and the suction motor are positioned side by side and have generally parallel longitudinal axes. The dirt collection chamber may surround part of the suction motor. Alternately, or in addition, a pre-motor filter having an enhanced surface area may be provided by configuring the pre-motor filter to extend outwardly of the pre-motor filter, such as by overlie part of the cyclone chamber or the dirt collection chamber.
US08813297B2
A floor cleaning device includes a floor cleaning head and a pole directly or indirectly connectable to the floor cleaning head. The pole includes two sections, and a joint for lockably positioning the two pole sections in at least two different angular orientations.
US08813296B2
An oral care implement having a multi-component handle, and method of manufacturing the same. The invention can be a method of forming a handle for an oral care implement comprising: a) forming a core structure of a first hard plastic; b) forming an elongated handle body of a second hard plastic that at least partially surrounds the core structure so that opposing lateral surfaces of the core structure remain exposed; and c) forming a grip cover of a resilient material over at least a portion of the elongated handle body.
US08813294B2
The present invention relates to a cleaning implement for cleaning a surface, in particular for cleaning grout or the like textured surfaces. In particular, the instant invention allows for a complete cleaning of a surface with a multi-component cleaning implement having a replaceable melamine member that is held by a supporting member. To allow ease of cleaning, the supporting member further includes an abrasive film and an absorbent sponge allowing the consumer to thoroughly clean with a melamine member yet allow removal of all residual melamine and dirty water by the use of a single all inclusive cleaning implement.
US08813291B2
An oral care implement is disclosed comprising: an oral care region having cleaning elements; a body coupled to the oral care region; a gas outlet operably coupled to a gas source, the gas outlet disposed in the oral care region; an oral care material source storing an oral care material; an oral care material outlet operably coupled to the oral care material source, the oral care material outlet disposed in the oral care region; and wherein the oral care material outlet is spaced apart from the gas outlet. In another aspect, an oral care implement is disclosed comprising an oral care region having an elastomeric tooth cleaning element and an air outlet positioned adjacent the air outlet so that an air stream existing the air outlet causes a dynamic vibratory flexing action of at least a portion of the elastomeric tooth cleaning element.
US08813276B2
Systems and methods for turning a bedridden patient are described. A turn sheet system for turning a patient in a bed includes a bottom sheet having a first length and a first width configured and dimensioned to overlie the bed. A top sheet having a second length and a second width is fixed to the bottom sheet along a location extending intermediate of the second width and along a majority of the second length.
US08813270B2
A safety helmet includes a shield movable relative to a shell from an open to a closed position, and vice-versa through operation of a shield actuation system. When in the closed position, the shield actuation system permits the shield to be aligned substantially flush with the shell. Further, the shield actuation system allows the shield to be opened through a manual process that includes pushing on a lever or button to initially release the shield and then rotate the shield into the open position. The shield actuation system includes a number of plates with at least two of the plates in kinematic cooperation for allowing the shield to pop out and then rotate relative to the shell.
US08819861B2
The invention provides methods for sharpening the tip of an electrical conductor. The methods of the invention are capable of producing tips with an apex radius of curvature less than 2 nm. The methods of the invention are based on simultaneous direction of ionized atoms towards the apex of a previously sharpened conducting tip and application of an electric potential difference to the tip. The sign of the charge on the ions is the same as the sign of the electric potential. The methods of the invention can be used to sharpen metal wires, metal wires tipped with conductive coatings, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, semiconducting nanowires and semiconductors in other forms.
US08819860B2
A device including a first part and a second part, the first and second part being connected to each other and being movable relative to each other. The first part is a cantilever that has a rectangular strip with a probe tip at one end and a magnetic element the other end. The magnetic element is configured to interact with a magnetic field. The first part is connected to the second part by a hinge.
US08819859B1
The apparatus includes a probe tip configured to scan a substrate having a defect to attach the defect on the probe tip while scanning the substrate, a cantilever configured to integrate a holder holding at least one probe tip, a stage configured to secure the substrate, an electromagnetic radiation source configured to generate the electromagnetic radiation beam, and an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to receive the first electromagnetic radiation signal and the second electromagnetic radiation signal. A first electromagnetic radiation signal is generated while an electromagnetic radiation beam focuses on the probe tip. A second electromagnetic radiation signal is generated while the electromagnetic radiation beam focuses on the sample attached on the probe tip. A chemical analysis of the sample is executed by comparing a difference between the first electromagnetic radiation signal and the second electromagnetic radiation signal.
US08819858B2
Various embodiments described and illustrated here include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures that may be used to implement policies for hardware access and monitoring control in concert with a premises security system that controls ingress and egress of a facility. One embodiment includes identifying when certain devices are removed or decoupled from a computer and preventing one or more users of that computer from leaving a facility within which the computer is located.
US08819856B1
A system is disclosed for identifying and preventing non-compliant uses of any portion of source code or other protected content. The system includes at least one processor and a memory storing instructions that cause the system to scan files located at a source location for excerpts of protected source code. The instructions may cause the system to create a temporary clone detection structure for the files at the source location. The instructions may cause the system to use the temporary clone structure and a pre-calculated clone structure for source code files in a protected code location, to identify code clones, and to generate data used to alert a user that the source location includes portions of source code from the protected code location. When clones are found, the instructions may optionally cause the system to prevent the copying of the files containing the code clones.
US08819854B2
In an information processing apparatus, software is installed to build a system providing a predetermined function. The information processing apparatus includes a generating unit configured to generate system identification information for identifying the system built by installing the software, the system identification information being generated from authentication information obtained by performing license authentication on the software; and a registering unit configured to send the system identification information generated by the generating unit to a management device that manages a plurality of the systems via a predetermined data transmission line, to register the system identification information in the management device as management information.
US08819849B2
A method for accessing a user's account by customer support without viewing the user's private data includes receiving, in an application module communicating with a web service, a request for authentication by a support person using a linked user-support login name. The method includes authenticating the user, authenticating the support person and retrieving a current session of the user as viewed by the user on an electronic screen of a processing device of the user. The method further includes dynamically redacting private data of the user from the user session to create a redacted user session, and delivering the redacted user session for display in an electronic screen of a processing device of the support person.
US08819828B1
A computer-implemented method for identifying malware threat vectors may include 1) identifying a computing system that includes a first human interface device, 2) detecting an introduction of a new device to the computing system that presents itself to the computing system as a second human interface device, 3) determining that the second human interface device is configured to generate a type of input event equivalent to the type of input event generated by the first human interface device, 4) determining, based on the second human interface device being configured to generate the type of input event equivalent to the type of input event generated by the first human interface device, that the second human interface device includes a potential malware attack vector. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08819815B1
Aspects of the present invention are directed to a method and system for distributing information from an information distributor in a banking environment. The method may include composing an electronic notification instrument by providing a notification component and providing a payload component, the payload component including a selectable link. The method may additionally include pushing the electronic notification instrument to an information client and allowing a pull from the information distributor through the electronic notification instrument such that the payload component including the selectable link is activated by an authorized information recipient, the authorized information recipient determined by the information client. The method may additionally include determining through a tracer whether the electronic notification instrument has an acceptable disposition and rendering the electronic notification instrument inaccessible if the disposition is not acceptable.
US08819812B1
A user can make a symbol with their hand, or other such gesture, at a distance from a computing device that can be captured by at least one imaging element of the device. The captured information can be analyzed to attempt to determine the location of distinguishing features of the symbol in the image information. The image information is then compared to hand gesture information stored in, for example, a library of hand gestures for the user. Upon identifying a match, an input to an application executing on the computing device is provided when the image information contains information matching at least one hand gesture with at least a minimum level of certainty. The hand gesture could include a single “static” gesture, such as a specific letter in sign language, for example, or include two or more “static” gestures. The gesture could also include motion, such as hand movement.
US08819797B2
One aspect relates to a process and associated device for managing digital ID lifecycles for application programs, and abstracting application programs for multiple types of credentials through a common Digital Identity Management System (DIMS) and Application Programming Interface (API) layer.
US08819794B2
Online and on-premise applications identify trusted authentication providers. The applications are configured with a list of trusted issuers of authentication credentials. When an application receives a request requiring authentication, the application returns a 401 response that includes the trusted issuer list. The requesting application compares the trusted issuer list from the 401 response to its own list of authentication providers. If there is a match between the two lists, then the requesting application creates a self-issued token for the authentication provider. The authentication provider uses the self-issued token to generate an authentication token for the requesting application. The requesting application may also directly create a token for a target partner application, without an authentication provider, if there is a direct trust between the two applications.
US08819791B2
A method and apparatus of to negotiate access with a captive network is described. In an exemplary method, a mobile client detects, with a network interface, a network. The mobile client associates with the network, where associating allows the mobile client to communicate with the network. In addition, the mobile client probes the network by requesting a web page, where the web page is independent of the network. In response to the web page request, the mobile client receives a capture web page. The mobile client determines the type of authentication used for the network based on the received capture web page.
US08819787B2
A method for securing asynchronous client server transactions is provided in the illustrative embodiments. A request including an application identifier and a version of a second application is received at a first application. A service identifier is generated if a session with the second application is valid. A registry is generated at the first application. A catalog is generated based on the registry and the service identifier and the catalog are sent to the second application. A sub-request including the service identifier is received as part of an asynchronous client server transaction. Validity of the sub-request is determined by determining whether the service identifier has expired, whether the sub-request requests a service that is permissible according to the catalog, whether the service identifier is used in conjunction with the second application, or a combination thereof. If the sub-request is valid, the service is provided.
US08819785B2
A method of granting a user in a first organization access to private medication information stored within an authorization profile of a second organization, an access agreement between the two organizations is formed. Authorization is requested for the user, the authorization profile is retrieved, and authorization to private information is granted if authorized by the access agreement.In a method of authorizing access by users to private medication information stored by an organization as associated with a program, three types of caseloads are defined. The first authorizes access to medication information of a first individual of a first program, the second authorizes access to medication information of a second individual of all programs, and the third authorizes access to medication information of all individuals of a second program.Authorization for access is requested and granted for the user to access one or more of the caseloads.
US08819780B2
The present invention provides an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method, capable of reducing a load of user authentication on a user, when a specific operation is performed using a plurality of apparatuses. In an embodiment of the present invention, an authentication server searches a device group corresponding to devices identified by device identification information transmitted to the authentication server, and searches a workflow. Subsequently, the authentication server judges whether or not a workflow in operation exists, and, if exists, does not instruct password input but directly instructs device processing.
US08819777B2
Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for preventing and analyzing network intrusion. The method includes receiving by a network device an initial communication from an entity, determining the entity is not trusted based on the initial communication, and transmitting signals to the entity that are indicative of first disinformation of the network device to hide real information of the network device.
US08819774B2
Disclosed are systems, methods and computer program products for protecting cloud security services from unauthorized access and malware attacks. In one example, a cloud server receives one or more queries from security software of the user device. The server analyzes a system state and configuration of the user device to determine the level of trust associated with the user device. The server also analyzes the one or more queries received from the security software to determine whether to update the level of trust associated with the user device. The server determines, based on the level of trust, how to process the one or more queries. Finally, the server provides responses to the one or more queries from the security software based on the determination of how to process the one or more queries.
US08819771B2
Automatic generation of user account policies based on configuration management database information
Mechanisms are provided for generating user account policies for generating user accounts to access resources of the data processing system. A determination is made that a user account policy for an identified resource in the data processing system is to be generated. Configuration information associated with the identified resource is retrieved from a configuration information database. A predefined user account policy template is retrieved from a user account policy template database system. A user account policy data structure is generated based on the retrieved configuration information and the retrieved predefined user account policy template.
US08819768B1
A cloud service access and information gateway receives, from a user device, a request to access a cloud service. The cloud service access and information gateway determines an identity of a user making the request to access the cloud service and compares the identity of the user to a password vault control policy. The cloud service access and information gateway determines, based on the comparing, one or more sections of a split password vault to which the user has access. The split password vault comprises a first section storing a first set of log-in credentials and a second section storing a second set of log-in credentials.
US08819762B2
Provided a computerized system and method of automated auditing a range of rules associated with an enforced security policy. The method comprises automated obtaining log records assigned to a first rule within the range of rules and logged during a counted period, each said log record comprising a unique rule identifier and recorded values of respective arguments comprised in the rule; counting a number of records matching certain recorded values and logged within certain time intervals within the counted period (counted values); and automated generating a counted log record assigned to said rule, said record comprising the unique rule identifier, the counted period, recorded values of the rule arguments and respective counted values. The method further comprises obtaining a plurality of objects engaged in said first rule; resolving a first object among said plurality of objects to a set of resolved values; matching said resolved values to the recorded values of the respective arguments, said recorded values comprised in the counted log record assigned to said rule; counting each match in accordance with respective counted value, thus giving rise to a plurality of matching values of the resolved values; and using the plurality of matching values for analysis related to usage of the first object.
US08819759B2
A method and computing device for determining the location of a point of interest in a media stream. The method receives an order of duplication for a media stream and a sequence of caption data strings associated with the media stream. The method computes a hash value for a selected string in the sequence. The hash value representing the selected string, and a number of strings in the sequence that immediately precede the selected string, where the order of duplication determines the number of strings. The method receives a media stream time for the selected string based on the hash value, and determines a time at a point of interest in the media stream relative to the media stream time for the selected string.
US08819758B2
A system and method are described for providing interactive television services and for switching between television programs, such as to an interactive program session from another program. An interactive server, capable of providing requested interactive video services to a set of subscribers in a given geographic area, is coupled to a network to which subscriber set top boxes are also coupled. Television programming, which may be furnished by any number of sources, is accompanied by a signal that indicates the availability of other programming, such as interactive television service related to the program being viewed, as well as information to be used in requesting such service. The user, when notified by this signal, may input to the set top box a request for a second program, such as an interactive program or application. The identity of the original program channel is stored, and a session with the video service provider is established over the network. When the session is terminated, the set top box re-tunes the television signal to the original program channel.
US08819751B2
In one embodiment, a system for providing social interaction opportunities for people watching television is presented. The system includes: a television data source which transmits television data streams for reception by end devices, each end device being represented by an equipment code; a plurality of end devices, including a first user's end device and a second user's end device, each end device configured to receive a television data streams, and each user represented by an identifier code; and an interactive-information server configured to: store, at the first user's behest, the identifier code of the second user; monitor which of the television data streams is being received by the first end device; monitor which of the television data streams is being received by the second end device; and notify the first user when the first end device and the second end device are receiving the same television data stream.
US08819736B2
A system for presenting media programming guides is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media receiver having a controller element to generate a Media Program Guide (MPG) that groups media programs according to a redundancy of media programs and a viewing history of a subscriber of the media receiver. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08819732B2
A system and method in a television system for providing information associated with a user-selected person in a television program, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
US08819722B2
Various arrangements for encrypting multiple television channels are presented. A first television channel of a plurality of television channels to be protected via a first entitlement control message (ECM) using a first encryption scheme may be designated. The plurality of television channels may be transmitted using a single transponder stream. A second television channel of the plurality of television channels to be protected via a second ECM encrypted using a second encryption scheme while the first television channel of the plurality of television channels is protected using the first encryption scheme may be designated. The first and second ECMs may be transmitted to a plurality of television receivers. Data from the first ECM may be used for descrambling of the first television channel by the plurality of television receivers. Data from the second ECM may be used for descrambling of the second television channel by the plurality of television receivers.
US08819719B1
The present invention enables real-time video commenting by viewers of media content on a web site. The media content may be video, audio, text, still images or other types of media content. When a content viewer indicates a desire to provide a real-time video comment, a content server causes a video input device at the content viewer's location to be activated. The content viewer's video comment is captured by the video input device and transmitted to the content server, where it is stored and associated with the video being commented upon. When the original video is subsequently presented to content viewers, indicia of the video comment such as a thumbnail or description of the comment is also presented, thus inviting content viewers to view the video comment in addition to the original video.
US08819709B2
Provided is a disk loading apparatus which includes a frame base on which a spindle motor is mounted. The apparatus includes a disk loading structure that loads a disk on the spindle motor, a plurality of sliders operating in connection with a loading lever, and a plurality of gears transferring the motive power to the plurality of sliders. The apparatus also includes a plurality of shafts to which the gears are coupled, and a plurality of slider guide walls that guide movement of the plurality of sliders. According to various aspects, the shafts and the slider guide walls are formed integrally with the frame base.
US08819705B2
Cross-environment rendering and user interaction support provide a seamless computing experience in a multi-operating system computing environment. The multi-operating system computing environment may include a mobile operating system associated with a first user environment and a desktop operating system associated with a second user environment running concurrently and independently on a mobile computing device. User interaction support includes handling input events initially received in the shared kernel by accepting the input events in the desktop operating system and translating, mapping, and/or passing the input events through a virtual input device to the mobile operating system such that applications of the mobile operating system receive the input events as if coming from a user interaction space of the mobile operating system. The mobile computing device may be a smartphone running the Android mobile operating system and a full desktop Linux distribution on a modified Android kernel.
US08819704B1
The subject matter of this disclosure can be implemented in, among other things, a method. In these examples, the method includes receiving electronic records that each correspond to an event associated with an application service of a group of application services provided by a server, wherein the application service comprises an online or web-based software application, and wherein each electronic record includes at least a time of its corresponding event, user identification information of a user of the application service, and a indicator of a status of the corresponding event. The method may also include generating application service status information for the user identified by the user identification information based on the one or more electronic records, wherein the application service status information includes status information for at least the application service, and wherein the application service status information reflects a number of errors experienced by the application service.
US08819699B2
Embodiments of apparatuses, methods, and systems for controlling virtual machines based on performance counters are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes an event counter, a comparator, and virtualization control logic. The event counter is to keep an event count based on the number of occurrences of an event. The comparator is to determine whether the event count has reached a threshold value. The virtualization control logic is to transfer control of the apparatus from a guest to a host in response to the comparator determining that the event count has reached the threshold value.
US08819696B2
A method and system for processing work items. Information identifying work items from a server responsible for handling work items based on a set of configuration rules is retrieved and stored in a cache that includes N containers. Responsive to a work item request from an application, searching is performed for matching work items in the cache. The work item request specifies n+1 criteria for work items such that n+1 is at least 2, wherein N is a product over a cardinality Ci of criterion i from i=0 through i=n, wherein C0=1 and Ci≧2 for i=1 through i=n. Responsive to finding work item(s) matching the work item request, a piece of information is identified to the application the matching work item(s) from the cache. Information identifying work items of an allowable type of work item is stored in a respective container.
US08819693B2
A mechanism, in a data processing system, is provided for logical partition defragmentation. The mechanism gathers resource requirements for a plurality of logical partitions running in a plurality of power domains within one or more servers. The mechanism determines optimal hardware utilization for the plurality of logical partitions. The mechanism migrates one or more of the plurality of logical partitions to run in a subset of the plurality of power domains such that at least one power domain within the plurality of power domains is unused. The mechanism puts the at least one unused power domain in a low power state.
US08819692B2
An image forming device includes a monitoring service performing unit and a service process performing instructing unit. The monitoring service performing unit acquires operation state information including index data that represents a service processing function mounted in the corresponding server and an operation state of the corresponding server from each server by starting a monitoring service when an accepted job is performed. The service process performing instructing unit instructs a low-load server to start a corresponding service processing function when the load on a server in which the service processing function used for executing the job is mounted is determined to be high. The server acquires the corresponding service processing function from the server in which the corresponding service processing function is mounted when being instructed to start an operation and thereafter performs the corresponding service process in accordance with the performance instruction transmitted from the image forming device.
US08819691B2
A mechanism, in a data processing system, is provided for logical partition defragmentation. The mechanism gathers resource requirements for a plurality of logical partitions running in a plurality of power domains within one or more servers. The mechanism determines optimal hardware utilization for the plurality of logical partitions. The mechanism migrates one or more of the plurality of logical partitions to run in a subset of the plurality of power domains such that at least one power domain within the plurality of power domains is unused. The mechanism puts the at least one unused power domain in a low power state.
US08819686B2
Techniques for scheduling a thread running in a computer system are disclosed. Example computer systems may include but are not limited to a multiprocessor having first and second cores, an operating system, and a memory bank for storing data. The example methods may include but are not limited to measuring a temperature of the memory bank and determining whether the thread includes a request for data stored in the memory bank, if the temperature of the memory bank exceeds a predetermined temperature. The methods may further include but are not limited to slowing down the execution of the thread upon determining if the thread includes a request for data.
US08819684B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method of assigning a location within a shared variable for each of multiple threads and writing a value to a corresponding location to indicate that the corresponding thread has reached a barrier. In such manner, when all the threads have reached the barrier, synchronization is established. In some embodiments, the shared variable may be stored in a cache accessible by the multiple threads. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08819682B2
A method and system for launching multiple applications simultaneously on a device under the control of application switching framework so that the operating system is only running one task for all the applications is provided. A single task is run under the control of an operating system. An application manager is run within the task. One or more applications are launched within the task under the control of the application manager. One of the applications is made the current application by switching, under user control, among the launched applications. A list of application descriptors is maintained for all the launched applications, and when switching, the application descriptor of one of the applications is used for displaying the application to a user on a screen. Each application descriptor contains forms of the launched applications. Each of the application descriptors contains a tree of forms with one root or parent form. A form represents an image to be displayed to the user. The image consists of text, pictures, bitmaps, or menus.
US08819666B2
A method may include receiving a request to install a second version of a software product over a first version of the software product, installing the second version of the software product in a dormant state while the first version of the software product is running, and swapping the first and second versions of the software product by activating the second version of the software product and deactivating the first version of the software product. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08819665B2
An image forming apparatus executing a program configured by connecting multiple modules operating exclusively with respect to each other is disclosed that includes an input part configured to receive an input of updating information of the program; a determination part configured to determine whether an operating state of the program corresponds to a time for updating specified in the updating information; and a change part configured to change the relationship of connection of the modules in accordance with the updating information if the determination part determines that the operating state of the program corresponds to the time for updating.
US08819662B2
A terminal device may include: a communication interface to receive, from a server via a network, a file for updating software in a memory device coupled with the terminal device, and a software update table that includes data regarding one or more performance values and one or more time values indicative of one or more lengths of time taken to update the software using the file; a processor to obtain data regarding a performance value of the memory device, select, from the software update table, one of the one or more performance values based on the performance value of the memory device, and obtain, from the software update table, a time value associated with the selected performance value; and an output device to provide an output corresponding to the obtained time value. Each performance value is associated with one of the one or more time values, respectively.
US08819661B2
A monitoring system determines when a receiving device is in stand-by mode by monitoring usage of the receiving device on a daily basis. Periodic status checks are performed (e.g., every minute) and based on these status checks, it is determined what mode the receiving device was in for each half hour (or other selected interval) of the day. The middle of the longest period of the day the receiving device was determined to be in stand-by mode is determined as a desired time of day for software updates or other automated actions to occur. This process repeats every day and these determined times of day for software updates are averaged over the number of days the usage data was collected to use as the time of day going forward (based on a moving average) for software updates or other automated actions to be performed on the receiving device.
US08819659B2
In embodiments of the present invention a computer-implemented method and system of activating a mobile search service on a mobile communication facility includes providing a user interface associated with a display of the mobile communication facility that simultaneously presents and activates a search box concurrently with activating the mobile communication facility by a user thereof, wherein activation of the search box does not require any button selection beyond that associated with activating the mobile communication facility.
US08819658B2
An exemplary method includes receiving data representative of an update request for a deployed software application, assigning an update request identifier to the update request, displaying a portal configured to facilitate management of a plurality of software development operations associated with the update request, receiving a request input by a user via the portal to perform a software development operation included within the plurality of software development operations associated with the update request, establishing a link between the requested software development operation and the update request identifier, and using the established link to track the update request throughout a software development lifecycle of a software update created in response to the update request. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08819654B2
The present invention provides a method to optimize object code files produced by a compiler for several different types of target processors. The compiler divides the source code to be compiled into several functional modules. Given a specified set of target processors, each functional module is compiled resulting in a target object version for each target processor. Then, for each functional module, a merging process is performed wherein identical target object versions or target object versions with similar contents are merged by deleting the identical or similar versions. After this merging process, a composite object code file is formed containing all of the non-deleted target object versions of the function modules.
US08819644B2
Performing data flow analysis of a computer software application, including, for a data flow analysis type, identifying within a computer software application code base a plurality of seeds relating to the data flow analysis type, for each of the plurality of seeds, defining a portion of the computer software application code base to a predefined depth of calls backward from the seed and to a predefined depth of calls forward from the seed, thereby resulting in a plurality of bounded portions of the computer software application code base, detecting a change in the computer software application code base, and performing, on any of the bounded portions affected by the change, a data flow analysis relating to the data flow analysis type.
US08819635B2
Systems, methods and program products are provided for confidence-based static analysis, including initiating a static analysis of computer software, associating a confidence value with a first element of the static analysis, determining a current state of the static analysis, calculating an adjusted confidence value in accordance with a confidence adjustment function as applied to the current state and the confidence value associated with the first element, associating the adjusted confidence value with a second element of the static analysis resulting from a transition from the first element, and eliminating the second element from the static analysis if the adjusted confidence value meets elimination criteria.
US08819621B2
The present invention relates to method of defining multiple program abstractions, extraction methodologies, transformation, and code conversion to convert legacy monolithic architecture of business systems to a layered modern architecture using Object Oriented language such as Java.
US08819620B1
Tools and techniques to develop case management application software are disclosed. In various embodiments, a definition is provided via a visual tool of entities and processes required to be included in a case management workflow. On receiving the definition, a processor is used to generate programmatically, based at least in part on the definition, a model of at least a portion of a case management software application to implement the workflow. The processor is used to generate software code automatically for the case management software application, based at least in part on the model.
US08819616B2
Example implementations described herein are directed to a system on chip (SoC) that can include a plurality of blocks of substantially non-uniform shapes and dimensions, a plurality of routers, and a plurality of links between routers. The plurality of blocks and the plurality of routers are interconnected by the plurality of links using a Network-on-Chip (NoC) architecture with a sparse mesh topology. The sparse mesh topology involves a sparsely populated mesh which is a subset of a full mesh having one or more of the plurality of routers or links removed. The plurality of blocks communicate among each other by routing messages over the remaining ones of the plurality of routers and links of the sparse mesh.
US08819614B2
According to one embodiment, a chip model generating unit and a counter tester ground capacitance adding unit are provided. The chip model generating unit generates a chip model based on an ESD protection circuit network model to which an inter power net capacitance of a semiconductor chip is added. The counter tester ground capacitance adding unit adds a counter tester ground capacitance to the chip model.
US08819612B1
Logic gates in a child unit of a hierarchical integrated circuit design that are visible in an abstract model of the child unit of the hierarchical integrated circuit design are marked. A hide bit is set for the marked logic gates and a modification on the child unit is performed. The marked logic gates in the child unit are preserved during modification of the child unit. The hide bit is cleared from each marked logic gate and the logic gates are unmarked when modification of the child unit is complete.
US08819584B2
In one embodiment, there is provided an information processing apparatus. The apparatus includes: a display on which a window is displayed; a touch screen on the display; a display controller configured to display an operation screen on the display such that the operation screen is superposed on the window, wherein the operation screen generates an operation command for operating the window, based on an input operation through the touch screen; and an operation execution module configured to execute the operation command for operating the window.
US08819579B2
A method for opening a file on a virtual desktop for a cloud-based system includes the following steps: The at least one external cloud server does not belong to the cloud-based system. A virtual desktop is provided to a client. The client displays the virtual desktop by a browser. An open-file request for opening a target file is received through the virtual desktop. A corresponding application service, which is utilized for opening the target file, is searched among the external application services. When the target file is an internal file stored in the cloud-based system and the corresponding application service is provided by the at least one external cloud server, the at least one external cloud server is driven to provide the corresponding application service for opening the target file, and the opened target file is displayed on the virtual desktop of the client.
US08819573B2
Acclimatizing a user to a scheduling pattern change includes: in a calendar system implemented by at least one processor, determining an anticipated scheduling pattern change for the user; establishing with the calendar system an acclimatization period to transition the user to the scheduling pattern change; receiving in the calendar system a request to schedule an event for the user at a time within the acclimatization period; and prompting the user to reschedule the event to a time outside of the acclimatization period with the calendar system.
US08819563B2
In one embodiment, an information handling system may include a processor, a display that may provide a user interface allowing a user to select one or more system utilities to be accessed, memory that may include a plurality of memory partitions storing a plurality of system utilities, and a management controller. During a configuration of the information handling system, the management controller may receive a request from the user via the user interface to access one or more selected system utilities; identify one or more memory partitions storing the one or more selected system utilities; and cause the display to display one or more user-selectable icons corresponding to the one or more identified memory partitions to provide the user access to the one or more identified memory partitions.
US08819561B2
The present invention is directed towards systems and methods of providing management of network services provided by an intermediary device managing traffic between a plurality of clients and servers. The intermediary device may include one or more virtual servers managing a plurality of services. A user can invoke a visualizer tool of the intermediary device to identify a configuration and an operational status of the virtual servers and services managed by the virtual servers. The visualizer tool may also determine from the configuration two or more services having a common set of configuration properties and managed by a first virtual server. The visualizer tool may establish a service container comprising these services. The visualizer tool may display via an interface a graphical representation of the configuration and the operational status of the first virtual server and the service container identifying the common set of configuration properties of these services.
US08819560B2
An initial browser window establishes itself as a “master” window for an associated server. A master window “cookie” data structure is created by the master window to share state among the windows for the server. Through the initially created master window cookie, all subsequently created browser windows detect that a master window is currently active, determine the master window's window name, and then establish themselves as slave windows through the master window. Slave windows call into the master window to request server updates/events, and provide the master window with their respective window names for future reference, e.g. when the master window distributes updates/events received from the server to the slave windows. The master window uses only a single HTTP GET command to fetch and dispatch updates/events associated with itself and all slave windows for the server.
US08819556B1
A method for cropping portions of a document comprises displaying an interactive document workspace with a cropping tool on a sub-area thereof, and rendering one or more formatting indicators spatially associated with the sub-area, the indicators indicating formatting properties of the sub-area.
US08819549B2
A virtual service center is provided to a customer visiting the service provider website. The customer can take an avatar and proceed to collect a token number and wait for chat session service in a virtual lounge to partake in various interactive options. The number of the current serving number is displayed so that the customer knows the position in the queue. The waiting lounge can include a virtual kiosk to provide the customer with self service while waiting.
US08819548B2
An operator interface system with respect to an industrial automation device comprises text/symbol translation strings persisted in a computer-readable medium for utilization with the operator interface system. An interface component relays the translation strings to a client device that includes fonts that enables the client device to graphically render text/symbols abstracted by the translation strings in a desired language. For example, the translation strings can be Unicode strings.
US08819544B2
Apparatus and methods implementing a technique for creating an electronic artwork with a hot area. For a selected layer of the artwork, a non-transparent region is identified and an action is assigned to an area corresponding to the non-transparent region, the action defining a function that will be activated when the area is selected. The technique is advantageous in computer application programs that composite images from layers and for producing HTML (HyperText Markup Language) output that refers to a corresponding composited image, where the action is a URL and the area is defined by an image map.
US08819540B2
The present invention relates to systems and methods that employ scalable vector graphics (SVG) to view and effectuate an industrial device from a remote Web interface. The systems and methods can be utilized to retrieve an SVG XML markup language-based file associated with the device and execute the SVG file via basic ASCII drawing commands. Thus, a faceplate of an industrial device and/or other device-related information can be represented via SVG syntax and stored with the device. A user can employ a Web browser from a remote location (e.g., via a Web client) to retrieve the SVG file, wherein the file can be loaded within the Web browser and/or an open source software package. The SVG file can be executed to render an interactive graphical faceplate that can depict LEDs, alphanumeric displays, inputs/output, etc., trending mechanisms (e.g., graphs, charts, etc.), and capabilities to load parameters.
US08819539B1
A system and method for on-the-fly rewriting of a plurality of URLs in a Web-page is disclosed herein. On a server-side, the present invention analyzes a plurality of hyperlinks of the Web-page and optimizes the plurality of hyperlinks of the Web-page to generate an optimized Web-page, which is then transmitted to a client-side.
US08819537B2
An information generation device includes a storage means that stores association information, the association information indicating explanatory information and an element associated with the explanatory information in association with each other, the explanatory information being displayed as an explanation related to a service provided through a Web page in a certain Web page, a recording means that records history information indicating the explanatory information browsed by a user, a generation means that, on the basis of the association information, generates display information so that an appearance of the element associated with the explanatory information indicated by the recorded history information among the elements included in a Web page displayed on a terminal device used by the user is different from an appearance in an initial state, and a transmission means that transmits the generated display information to the terminal device.
US08819521B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for media defect detection. Such systems and methods may include data pre-processing and detection to identify a media defect.
US08819520B1
An improved method for forward error correction (FEC) in packetized networks. The proposed FEC method improves upon the conventional methods by reordering packets in advance to a certain depth. This allows for dispersing losses of groups of packets. Additionally, the method provides for a dynamic change of a current FEC scheme. In order to defend packet sequences from group losses, the FEC packets are dispersed within the packet stream in such a manner that the packets of the same sequence are located as far as possible from each other. The packets are mixed for minimization of losses and effective recovery.
US08819517B1
According to some embodiments of the invention, a turbo decoder in a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) is provided, the turbo decoder comprising: a plurality of maximum a posteriori (MAP) engines; a first plurality of extrinsic memory banks and a second plurality of extrinsic memory banks; and wherein each of the first and second pluralities of extrinsic memory banks is accessible by at least one of the plurality of MAP engines, and wherein each of the first and second pluralities of extrinsic memory banks is configured to organize data according to a R×C matrix having a format similar to that of an interleaver table. During decoding, the first and second pluralities of extrinsic memory banks may be accessed for data by a MAP engine such that the first and second pluralities of extrinsic memory banks function as an interleaver or a de-interleaver of extrinsic information within the turbo decoder.
US08819508B2
An integrated circuit comprises a decoder having a plurality of select signal outputs, a multiplexer having a plurality of select signal inputs subject to a specified select signal constraint, and scan test circuitry. The scan test circuitry comprises at least one scan chain having a plurality of scan cells coupled between respective ones of the select signal outputs of the decoder and respective ones of the select signal inputs of the multiplexer. The scan test circuitry is configured to control at least a given one of the scan cells so as to prevent violation of the select signal constraint in conjunction with scan testing. The multiplexer may be, for example, a one-hot multiplexer for which the select signal constraint indicates that only one of the select signal inputs should receive a logic high select signal at a particular time.
US08819506B2
A test system for debugging a target device includes a switch unit configured to transfer a test signal to the target device, the target device including a first intellectual property (IP) block supporting a debugging operation at a normal mode and a second IP block supporting a debugging operation at a power saving mode. The switch unit is configured to form a first signal transfer path for transferring the test signal to the first IP block at the normal mode and to form a second signal transfer path for transferring the test signal to the second IP block at the power saving mode.
US08819502B2
Exemplary method, system, and computer program embodiments for performing deterministic data verification by a storage controller are provided. Each of a plurality of concurrent write tasks is configured to be placed in a plurality of overlapping data storage ranges by performing at least one of: implementing a data generation function for generating pseudo-random data using a data seed, and generating a range map, the range map utilized as a lookup data structure to verify a chronological order for performing the plurality of concurrent write tasks, wherein a data address space is first designated in the range map as undetermined. Each of a plurality of read tasks is analyzed by comparing data read from a sub range in the plurality of overlapping data storage ranges against the data seed associated with the sub range.
US08819498B2
A method and system are disclosed for determining the end of life condition for a replaceable unit, which may be associated with a multifunction device, and have a useful life expectancy based upon a number of operations. A counter associated with the multifunction device maintains a running count of operations for the unit. Once the number of performed operations of the replaceable unit reaches a given percentage of the expected life of that unit, an analysis is performed on a running history of the fault codes. Once the number of fault codes attributable to any given replaceable unit meets or exceeds a predetermined level, such as a percentage of the running history, a notification is generated indicating a need to replace the replaceable unit.
US08819492B2
System and method for generating an enhanced test case for a computer application is disclosed. The system provides a test preparation engine including an entity extracting module and an assembly extractor for collecting information about the computer application and corresponding database schema for generating a global report. The test case designing module designs one or more test cases by using the global report. The test case execution engine includes an input evaluation module and generates an actual result for each executed test case and an expected result for one or more database query. The report generating module includes a result storage device, a result comparator and a result analysis module and performs analysis of the actual test case result and the expected results.
US08819490B2
A test system for a managed cloud computing environment may have a management system that may recruit devices in the cloud and outside the cloud to perform a test on a cloud based application. Each device may execute an agent that connects the device to several cloud services for messaging, data collection, and executable code storage. The management system may identify and gather the devices, then cause the devices to execute a test by sending commands through the messaging service. The devices may access executable code for the specific tasks of a test through the code storage service, and as the devices complete tasks for the test, the devices may publish results in the data collection service. The test system enables any type of scenario to be implemented, including operations that can only be performed inside and outside the managed cloud environment.
US08819480B2
A display apparatus and a method for updating a micom code thereof are provided. According to the display apparatus, if an error occurs while a CPU is updating a micom code, a micom may drive the CPU using a system code. Accordingly, even if an error occurs in the process of updating the micom code, the display apparatus may be restored automatically without a jig apparatus.
US08819479B2
Methods, systems, and products mirror data between local memory and remote storage. A write command is sent from a server to a remote storage device, and a timer is established. A current time of the timer is compared to a maximum time period. If the maximum time period expires without receipt of an acknowledgment to the write command, then a write error is assumed to exist to the remote storage device.
US08819478B1
A method, computer program product, and storage network system for detecting a failure of a highly-available, volatile, solid state cache memory system included within a storage network. The highly-available, volatile, solid state cache memory system includes cache data. The cache data is replicated onto a non-volatile, solid-state, cache memory system included within the storage network. At least one data request concerning the highly-available, volatile, solid state cache memory system is redirected to the non-volatile, solid-state, cache memory system.
US08819476B2
A disaster recovery system can include a plurality of resources arranged in a cloud computing environment. Each of the resources can be assignable to function within the cloud computing environment as part of one or more media systems. A content intake service can be programmed to control delivery of an incoming media asset to the cloud computing environment. A monitoring and recovery process can be programmed to monitor a primary media system to which the incoming media asset is being provided and, in response to detecting a disaster recovery condition, the monitoring and recovery process can intelligently manage selected resources of the plurality of resources based on the incoming media asset being delivered to the primary media system.
US08819475B2
According to one embodiment, a memory access circuit includes a PLL, a phy-clock tree, first, second, and master DLLs, and first and second PDs. The PLL generates a PLL output locked to a reference frequency. The phy-clock tree delays the PLL output and generates a reference clock signal. The first DLL corrects a clock skew between reference and system clock signals, and generates a source of the system clock signal. The second DLL corrects a clock skew between reference clock and phy-clock signals, and generates a source of the phy-clock signal. The first and second PDs detect a phase difference, and generate first and second detection signals. The master DLL counts the reference clock signal and generates a delay correction signal. The first and second DLLs determine a correction direction and a correction amount based on first and second detection and delay correction signals, respectively.
US08819473B2
The clock circuit of an integrated circuit operates with variations such as temperature, ground noise, and power noise. Various aspects of an improved clock integrated circuit address one or more of the variations in temperature, ground noise, and power noise.
US08819467B2
An image forming apparatus connected to a host apparatus includes a first memory; a second memory; a USB interface to receive a USB control signal or a USB data signal from the host apparatus; a first CPU to perform an operation using the first memory in a normal mode and being deactivated if the normal mode is converted into a power saving mode; and a second CPU to perform an operation using the second memory in the power saving mode. In the image forming apparatus, if the USB data signal is input in the power saving mode, the second CPU activates the first CPU to convert the power saving mode into the normal mode, and if the USB control signal is input in the power saving mode, the second CPU retains the power saving mode and performs an operation corresponding to the USB control signal using the second memory.
US08819466B2
An apparatus for waking up users of a CAN bus system, wherein a sensing element, in particular a counter, is provided which senses at least one predefined signal property of the signals transmitted on the bus system and initiates the further wakeup operation when a predefined number is reached with reference to the signal property, the data stream of the CAN bus itself being used as a clock for detecting the signal property.
US08819458B2
An information processing apparatus includes: a program executing unit which interprets and executes codes of a computer program created in a procedural language in an environment with a tamper resistant performance, wherein a security attribute and an authentication key are provided in units of functions in the computer program executed by the program executing unit, and wherein the program executing unit executes authentication processing with the authentication key for executing the function, which makes it possible to execute the function based on the security attribute.
US08819456B2
A content exporting and reproducing method includes i) a content export step of encrypting a decryption key for content, that is used for decrypting the encrypted content, by using an encryption key for decryption key, recording the encrypted decryption key for content in the portable recording medium, and exporting the encrypted content sequentially to the portable recording medium, and ii) a content reproduction step of reading out the encrypted decryption key for content from the portable recording medium, decrypting the encrypted decryption key for content by using a decryption key for decryption key, reading out the encrypted content that has been exported to the portable recording medium, and decrypting the encrypted content that is read out from the portable recording medium, by using the decrypted decryption key for content to reproduce the content, while the encrypted content is exported to the portable recording medium sequentially.
US08819449B2
The implementation of a counter in a microcontroller adapted to the JavaCard language while respecting the atomicity of a modification of the value of this counter, wherein the counter is reset by the sending to the microcontroller of an instruction to verify a user code by submitting a correct code, and the value of the counter is decremented by the sending to the microcontroller of the instruction to verify the user code with an erroneous code value.
US08819446B2
A method and structure in a computer system, including a mechanism supporting a Secure Object that includes code and data that is cryptographically protected from other software on the computer system.
US08819441B2
A long-term signature server includes a signing target data acquisition function for acquiring signing target data, a signature data transmission function for transmitting to a long-term signature terminal signature data for the electronic-signing of the acquired signing target data, a signature value reception function for receiving an electronic signature value of the signing target data generated using the signature data transmitted from the long-term signature terminal, a time stamp acquisition function for acquiring a time stamp corresponding to the received electronic signature value, and a signature data generation function for generating basic signature data using at least the acquired signing target data, the received electronic signature value, and the acquired time stamp.
US08819430B2
There is provided a communication device, which includes a physical layer which performs close-range one-to-one communication with a device B through electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling, an authentication information changing unit which dynamically changes device information for mutual authentication according to a type of data selected on an application, a protocol selection unit which selects one protocol that can be utilized by the communication device and the device B, a start information transmission unit which transmits the device information and information showing the selected protocol to the device B in order to make the device B start an application corresponding to the type of data and the selected protocol, and a protocol conversion unit which converts a protocol utilized by the application into a protocol utilized by the physical layer in order to transfer data between the applications of the communication device and the device B.
US08819427B2
Device-specific secure software licensing techniques are disclosed. In various embodiments, a key/token pair associated with a client requesting license validation is received. It is determined whether the key/token pair matches an entry in a store of currently valid key/token pairs. An affirmative response is sent in the event the key/token pair matches a corresponding entry in the store of currently valid key/token pairs.
US08819420B1
The present invention provides an encryption/decryption approach to protect valuable information from being represented in a clear-text form when an application processes the valuable information. The present invention processes a structured input file to create internal data structures and generates an encrypted output file from the extracted internal data structures. The encrypted file of internal data structures can be decrypted to enable further processing of the valuable information without representing the valuable information as clear-text in memory. Further, the decrypted internal data structures are stored at different locations in memory.
US08819414B2
A method is provided for obtaining a certificate revocation list (CRL) for a vehicle in a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. A portable security unit is provided to access secured operations for the vehicle. The portable security unit is linked to a device having access to a communication network. The communication network is in communication with a certificate authority for issuing an updated CRL. The updated CRL is downloaded from the certificate authority to the portable security unit. At a later time, when a user enters the vehicle, a communication link is established between the portable security unit and a vehicle processor unit. Mutual authentication is exchanged between the portable security unit and the vehicle processing unit. The updated CRL stored in the portable security unit is downloaded to a memory of the vehicle communication system in response to a successful mutual authentication.
US08819412B2
A private document delivery system and method includes a sending computer configured to transmit an electronic document over a computer network, a dynamically established encrypted line to traverse the computer network from a receiving computer to the sending computer where the delivery address of the receiving computer is resolved at the time of transmission of the private message such that no third parties to the message receive a permanent copy of the message. The system and method also includes a signaling mechanism configured to notify the receiving computer that the electronic document is waiting for delivery. The system and method includes a verification agent configured to verify the receiving computer's identity with a protocol specified by the sending computer and to provide access instructions to the receiving computer with which the receiving computer locates the sending computer via the dynamically established encrypted line and receives the transmitted electronic document.
US08819408B2
A document processing method and system divides a document into document pages, and encrypts the document pages by first key to obtain a plurality of encrypted pages; picks a part of words from the document pages and encrypts them by second key to obtain a Significant Word Set (SWS); picks a part of words from the picked part of words and encrypts them by third key to obtain a Most Relevant Word Set (MRWS). The encrypted pages, the SWS and the MRWS are transmits to a remote server for storage. When user search a keyword in the document, the keyword is encrypted by the second and third keys for performing two query. The first query result is decrypted to obtain the search result. The second query result is decrypted and then checked whether it is a subset of the first decrypted query result for detecting unfaithful execution.
US08819398B2
A circuit having a pipeline and a configuration circuit. The pipeline generally has multiple stages linked in series by registers. The registers may be governed by a clock signal having a first frequency in a first mode and a second frequency in a second mode. The second frequency may be slower than the first frequency. Each stage may have a respective one of multiple first latencies each shorter than a first period of the first frequency. The configuration circuit may be disposed in the pipeline. The configuration circuit generally bypassing selectively a particular register while in the second mode to form a combined stage. The combined stage may (i) comprise a first of the stages adjoining the particular register and a second of the stages adjoining the particular register and (ii) have a second latency shorter than a second period of the second frequency.
US08819389B2
Administering registered virtual addresses in a hybrid computing environment that includes a host computer and an accelerator, the accelerator architecture optimized, with respect to the host computer architecture, for speed of execution of a particular class of computing functions, the host computer and the accelerator adapted to one another for data communications by a system level message passing module, where administering registered virtual addresses includes maintaining, by an operating system, a watch list of ranges of currently registered virtual addresses; upon a change in physical to virtual address mappings of a particular range of virtual addresses falling within the ranges included in the watch list, notifying the system level message passing module by the operating system of the change; and updating, by the system level message passing module, a cache of ranges of currently registered virtual addresses to reflect the change in physical to virtual address mappings.
US08819388B2
Methods and apparatus for control of On-Die System Fabric (OSF) blocks are described. In one embodiment, a shadow address corresponding to a physical address may be stored in response to a user-level request and a logic circuitry (e.g., present in an OSF) may determine the physical address from the shadow address. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US08819386B1
When a dynamic data structure is used for managing sparsely accessed data stored in memory of a digital computer, pages of the memory are dynamically allocated and de-allocated to respective portions of the dynamic data structure so that the pages become distributed over the portions of the dynamic data structure and the de-allocated pages include free pages that are mapped in the dynamic data structure and free pages that are not mapped in the dynamic data structure. To reduce memory fragmentation and recover memory, upon de-allocating a page of memory from a portion of the data structure, a determination is made whether or not to un-map the de-allocated page from the portion of the dynamic data structure so that un-mapping of the de-allocated page has a probability that is the inverse of a superlinear function of the number of allocated pages in the portion of the dynamic data structure.
US08819385B2
A method for accessing a flash memory, the method includes: receiving a read request that is associated with a logical address that is mapped to a physical address of a set of flash memory cells; accessing multiple mapping data structures of different granularity to obtain the physical address of the set of flash memory cells; wherein during at least one point in time at least one mapping data structure is stored in an erase block and wherein the erase block comprises multiple physical pages that are written in a sequential manner and are associated with logical page addresses that are assigned in a random manner; and reading a content of the set of flash memory cells.
US08819380B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method, and program product for allocating a block of physical storage space on a write surface of a hard disk drive. A computer system maintains a write count for each block on the hard disk drive. After receiving an allocation request, the computer system identifies one or more candidate blocks of storage space on the hard disk drive that can be selected to fulfill the allocation request. The computer system determines an estimated write count and identifies one or more allocated blocks whose write counts are within a specified number of write operations of the estimated write count. The computer system selects a candidate block based, at least in part, on physical proximity of the candidate block to one or more of the allocated blocks whose write counts are within a specified number of write operations of the estimated write count.
US08819377B2
A memory system architecture is provided in which a memory controller controls memory devices in a serial interconnection configuration. The memory controller has an output port for sending memory commands and an input port for receiving memory responses for those memory commands requisitioning such responses. Each memory device includes a memory, such as, for example, NAND-type flash memory, NOR-type flash memory, random access memory and static random access memory. Each memory command is specific to the memory type of a target memory device. A data path for the memory commands and the memory responses is provided by the interconnection. A given memory command traverses memory devices in order to reach its intended memory device of the serial interconnection configuration. Upon its receipt, the intended memory device executes the given memory command and, if appropriate, sends a memory response to a next memory device. The memory response is transferred to the memory controller.
US08819376B2
A shiftable memory that supports array merging employs built-in shifting capability to produce a merged array from a first array of data and a second array of data. The shiftable memory includes a memory to store data. The memory provides the built-in shifting capability to shift a contiguous subset of the data from a first location to a second location within the memory. The shiftable memory further includes an array-merging operator to produce the merged array using the built-in shifting capability. The contiguous subset of the data includes the first array.
US08819370B1
Techniques for storage lifecycle policy management. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for storage lifecycle policy management comprising creating a version of a storage lifecycle policy, associating a unique version ID with the created version of the storage lifecycle policy, associating the unique version ID with one or more portions of backup data created during a storage management job instantiated under the created version of the storage lifecycle policy, and ensuring that one or more storage management actions performed on the one or more portions of backup data comply with the created version of the storage lifecycle policy associated with unique version ID.
US08819369B1
One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for restoring an original virtual machine from a snapshot according to a current virtual machine layout different than an original virtual machine layout, where the original virtual machine layout is specified within the snapshot. That is, a snapshot of an original virtual machine stored within one or more original datastores according to an original virtual machine layout may be created. Over time, as changes occur to the virtual machine, the original virtual machine may be stored as a current virtual machine according to a current virtual machine layout. To effect the restoration, a cloned datastore comprising replicas of the original datastores may be created from the snapshot, and a cloned virtual machine and one or more cloned virtual machine disks (from the cloned datastore) may be migrated to one or more current datastores according to the current virtual machine layout.
US08819365B2
Methods and systems for managing and locating available storage space in a system comprising data files stored in a plurality of storage devices and configured in accordance with various data storage schemes (mirroring, striping and parity-striping). A mapping table associated with each of the plurality of storage devices is used to determine the available locations and amount of available space in the storage devices. The data storage schemes for one or more of the stored data files are changed to a basic storage mode when the size of a new data file configured in accordance with an assigned data storage scheme exceeds the amount of available space. The configured new data file is stored in accordance with the assigned data storage scheme in one or more of the available locations and the locations of the new data file are recorded.
US08819363B2
A method for controlling a switch apparatus connectable to a host and a storage device including first and second areas, the method includes: establishing schedule of copying data stored in the first area of the storage device into the second area of the storage device; monitoring a state of access by the host to the storage device; carrying out copying the data stored in the first area into the second area while the monitored state of the access by the host allows copying of the data from the first area into the second area; and enhancing copying, if any portion of the data remains when a time set by the schedule is expired, the remaining portion of the data from the first area into the second area.
US08819360B2
A more efficient technique is provided in an information processing apparatus which executes processing using pipelines. An information processing apparatus according to this invention includes a first pipeline, second pipeline, processing unit, and reorder unit. The first pipeline has a plurality of first nodes, and shifts first data held in a first node to a first node. The second pipeline has a plurality of second nodes respectively corresponding to the first nodes of the first pipeline, and shifts second data held in a second node to a second node. The processing unit executes data processing using the first data and the second data. The reorder unit holds one of the output second data based on attribute information of the second data output from the second pipeline, and outputs the held second data to the second pipeline.
US08819355B2
An information processing apparatus includes: a storage unit having a plurality of storage areas which holds storage data including main body data and order data according to the writing order of the storage data, a receiving unit respectively receiving a plurality of reception data including the main body data and the order data, a comparing unit determining whether or not to write the reception data to the storage area on the basis of a result obtained by comparing the order data included in one or a plurality of storage data from the last in the storage area with the order data included in the reception data received by the receiving unit, and a writing unit writing the reception data to the storage area as the storage data in accordance with the determination made by the comparing unit.
US08819351B2
For at least one storage resource object associated with at least one of the plurality of resource groups by a resource group attribute, at least one policy is defined for limiting host requests to the storage resources in the at least one of the plurality of resource groups to prevent an issuance of the host requests to an unowned one of the storage resources.
US08819348B2
Provided is a method for uniquely masking addressing to the cache memory for each user, thereby reducing risk of a timing attack by one user on another user. The method comprises assigning a first mask value to the first user and a second mask value to the second user. The mask values are unique to one another. While executing a first instruction on behalf of the first user, the method comprises applying the first mask value to set selection bits in a memory address accessed by the first instruction. While executing a second instruction on behalf of the second user, the method comprises applying the second mask value to set selection bits in the memory address accessed by the second instruction. The result offers an additional level of security between users as well as reducing the occurrence of threads or processes contending for the same memory address.
US08819340B2
A first storage system includes a plurality of first storage devices and is coupled to a computer. A second storage system includes a plurality of second storage devices and is coupled to the first storage system. A first controller provides a thin provisioning logical volume (LU) to the computer. A second controller provides an external thin provisioning LU to the first storage system. The first controller provides pool areas associated with the thin provisioning LU, including a first pool area mapped to the external thin provisioning LU, and allocates the first pool area to a first region in the thin provisioning LU to store a write data to the first region in the thin provisioning LU. The second controller allocates at least one of a plurality of pool areas to store the write data to the first region in the thin provisioning LU.
US08819335B1
A system and method of providing enhanced data processing and analysis in an infrastructure for distributed computing and large-scale data processing. This infrastructure uses the Hadoop™ framework to divide an application into a large number of small fragments of work, each of which may be performed on one of a large number of compute nodes. The work may involve map tasks and reduce tasks which may be used to categorize and analyze large amounts of data in distributed systems. This infrastructure includes a cluster with a master node and a plurality of slave nodes. The slave nodes may include, or may be, intelligent solid-state drives capable of executing Map-Reduce functions. The use of intelligent solid-state drives reduces the need to exchange data with a CPU in a server.
US08819324B2
A computer system includes a central processing unit (CPU), a north bridge, a south bridge, a bridge and a slot. The north bridge is electrically connected to the CPU. The bridge is electrically connected to the north bridge and the south bridge, and the connector is connected to the bridge. The bridge generates a first data and a second data according to the data packages transmitted from the north bridge and adjusts the output bandwidth of the first data and the second data according to a channel control signal. The south bridge receives or transfers the first data via the bridge so as to communicate with the north bridge. The slot is electrically connected to the bridge and receives or transfers the second data via the bridge so as to communicate with the north bridge.
US08819319B2
A PCI card's HBA identifier table held in an IODC in an IO slot expansion unit is read and recorded on a PCIe switch register of a PCIe switch. After a server blade is powered on so that an EFI is activated, the EFI reads the HBA identifier table recorded on the PCIe switch register and updates an HBA identifier of an HBA mounted in each PCI card. The HBA mounted in the PCI card operates with the updated HBA identifier of the PCI card. Thus, even when the PCI card is replaced by a new PCI card because of failure or the like, the new PCI card can operate with the same HBA identifier as that before the replacement. Therefore, a user does not have to register the HBA identifier of the PCI card newly in a device connected to the PCI card.
US08819315B2
A portable storage device includes a display unit that allows a user to easily determine the content stored in the storage device independent of any connection to another device. The storage device extracts information that represents data stored in the data storage unit based on user settings or a search history and displays the information. Accordingly, the information stored in the storage device may be easily categorized and identified.
US08819309B1
Buffer circuitry 14 is provided with shared buffer circuitry 20 which stores, in order of reception time, data transaction requests received from one or more data transaction sources. The buffer circuitry 14 operates in either a bypass mode or a non-bypass mode. When operating in the bypass mode, any low latency data transaction requests stored within the shared buffer circuitry are selected in order for output in preference to data transaction requests that are not low latency data transaction requests. In the non-bypass mode, transactions (whether or not they are low latency transactions) are output from the shared buffer circuitry 20 in accordance with the order in which they are received into the shared buffer circuitry 20. The switch between the bypass mode and the non-bypass mode is made in dependence upon comparison of a detected rate of output of low latency data transaction requests compared to a threshold value. If the rate exceeds the threshold value, then the switch is made to the non-bypass mode so that data transaction requests which are not low latency data transaction requests are permitted a fair share of the output bandwidth.
US08819298B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed that operate within a memory to execute internal commands, to suspend the execution of commands during a transfer period, and to execute external commands following the transfer period. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US08819279B2
A method and system of operating a utility node to communicate in a wireless utility network are provided. A utility node in the wireless utility network discovers at least two access points each respectively constituting an interface between a wide area network and the wireless utility network. The node discovers at least two access points constituting an interface between the two networks, registers with the discovered access points, and obtains at least two unique network addresses each respectively associated with a corresponding one of the access points with which the node has registered. The node provides the at least two addresses to a back office server which is communication with the wide area network to provide the back office server with at least two routes to reach the node. The at least two routes are respectively associated with a corresponding one of the access points with which the node registered.
US08819276B2
An apparatus, a system, and a method of processing a printing operation on a home network that searches an available media storage device upon a request of a printing job of predetermined contents, transmits an address of the searched media storage device, and prints printing contents transmitted to the address are provided. The apparatus for processing a printing function on a home network includes a printing request management unit which processes a printing request transmitted from a printing controller on a home network; a media storage device processing unit which provides information on an available media storage device on the home network when printing job information is transmitted from the printing request management unit; and a printing management unit which downloads predetermined contents stored in the media storage device, and performs a printing job according to the printing request of the printing controller.
US08819261B2
Load-balancing an asymmetrical distributed erasure-coded system including fractional-storage CDN servers, storing, at a high storage gain, erasure-coded fragments encoded with a redundancy factor greater than one from segments, and a plurality of assembling devices, each obtaining fragments from a subgroup of the servers. The subgroups are selected from the servers still capable of increasing their fragment delivery throughput. Wherein not all of the servers have the same fragment delivery bandwidth capability, and the storage gain of each segment on each server is usually not strictly proportional to the bandwidth capability of the server, and the aggregated throughput used by the servers to deliver fragments may approach the aggregated bandwidth capabilities of the servers.
US08819259B2
Fast retrieval and progressive retransmission of content, including the steps of obtaining erasure-coded fragments by an assembling server from fractional-storage CDN servers; reconstructing a streaming content file from the obtained fragments; and streaming the reconstructed content or a transcoded version of the content by the assembling server to a client device. Wherein most of the fractional-storage CDN servers are located close to or on the Internet backbone, and streaming the reconstructed content takes at least an order of magnitude longer than obtaining the fragments and reconstructing the content.
US08819254B2
A method and protocol for creating and configuring customized paths, such as channels, for the delivery of electronic content to a variety of devices associated with a user is provided. A content provider may create a channel for each device registered by a user by creating a provisioning Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) for each device. The user may select certain content to be delivered to a registered device via the channel. The user's device requests a list of feed URLs available to the user by accessing the provisioning URL. A content management program returns the list of feed URLs to the device and the list of feed URLs stored on the device is updated. The electronic content may be distributed through the disclosed protocol directly to the registered device if the device is active, or to a computing device for distribution to passive devices.
US08819249B2
A method, apparatus and/or system related to automated discovery and switch of a primary output display from a first display of a mobile device to a second display of a networked media device through an operating system of the mobile device is disclosed. In one aspect, a method of a mobile device includes accessing a multicast capability of an operating system responsive to a user interacting with an indicator on a menu bar of an operating system of the mobile device, determining if there is a pairable application locally stored on a networked media device that is compatible with the operating system on the mobile device when a multicast message is broadcast from the operating system to the networked media device communicatively coupled to the mobile device through a local area network, and communicating a mirror sequence from the operating system to the pairable application.
US08819248B2
A secure message facility transfers authentication data between various applications, operating systems, and authentication devices and software in the form of messages. These messages comprise a data structure with a standard header with fields that describe the class, length, and type of message, and routing information. This header information is used to route the message to the appropriate handler. The messages are transferred between applications via the messaging facility DLL and the messaging facility Service. The messaging facility DLL is intended to be loaded by an application. The messaging facility DLL forms the messages, directs them to the appropriate messaging facility service (local or remote) and interprets the responses. The messages sent between the messaging facility DLL and messaging facility Service are extremely flexible and can be used to send any type of data or content of messages.
US08819241B1
A method and apparatus may provision a new computer code file as an update or a new application for end nodes of a cloud computing system. The method and apparatus may receive a computer code file at a repository server via a portal interface to an automation service. The computer code file may include a discrete file or package of files corresponding to a complete application or an update for an application for execution on cloud computing system nodes. The method and apparatus may also receive provisioning conditions at the automation service via the portal interface, send the computer code file to the cloud computing system end nodes based on the received provisioning conditions, and cause the sent computer code file to be installed on each of the plurality of cloud computing system end nodes.
US08819240B2
Mechanisms are provided for managing computing resources relative to a computing environment entitlement contract. These mechanisms generate one or more computing environment entitlement contract (CEEC) data structures, each CEEC data structure defining terms of a business level agreement between a contracting party and a provider of the data processing system. A CEEC cohort is generated comprising a collection of CEECs having similar terms. Utilization of a collection of computing resources in accordance with the similar terms of the collection of CEECs is monitored to identify a usage pattern within the CEEC cohort. Membership of a CEEC in the CEEC cohort based on the identified usage pattern is modified based on the monitored utilization.
US08819236B2
Resource optimization for online services is described. In one example, objects (such as mailboxes or other data associated with an online service) are assigned to network elements (such as servers) by inferring a relationship graph from log data relating to usage of the online service. The graph has a node for each object, and connections between each pair of objects having data items in common. Each connection has a weight relating to the number of common data items. The graph is partitioned into a set of clusters, such that each cluster has nodes joined by connections with a high weight relative to the weight of connections between nodes in different clusters. The objects are then distributed to the network elements such that objects corresponding to nodes in the same cluster are located on the same network element.
US08819235B2
Mechanisms for providing a network adapter and functionality for performing link aggregation within a network adapter are provided. With these mechanisms, a network adapter is provided that includes a plurality of physical network ports for coupling to one or more switches of a data network and a link aggregation module, within the network adapter, and coupled to the plurality of physical network ports. The link aggregation module comprises logic for aggregating links associated with the plurality of physical network ports into a single virtual link. The link aggregation module interfaces with a virtual Ethernet bridge (VEB) of the network adapter to send data to the VEB and receive data from the VEB.
US08819231B2
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for domain based partition and resource group management is disclosed. The method includes: responsive to determining that an operation is being attempted on an object, determining a partition identifier associated with the object; determining a domain identifier associated with a user attempting the operation; determining whether the operation can proceed on the partition based on domain isolation rules, the domain isolation rules indicating rules for allowing or disallowing operations to proceed on the partition based on partition identifiers and domain identifiers; and responsive to determining that the operation on the partition can proceed based on the domain isolation rules, permitting the operation.
US08819226B2
A master monitor spawns a local monitor in each node of a server cluster. Each local monitor, responsive to a database event, determines a metric of a performance-related variable. A maximum period between measurements may be imposed to reduce irrelevant results, as may a minimum period. The metric may be stored in a measurement file on the respective node and/or may be reported to the master monitor. The master monitor may make any reported metrics available to a user via a front end.
US08819219B2
A local device broadcasts a first advertisement in a first wireless network via a first wireless interface, where the first advertisement includes one or more service identifiers (IDs) identifying one or more services being advertised and an availability schedule of the local device in the first wireless network. The local device broadcasts a second advertisement in a second wireless network via a second wireless interface. The local device scans in the first wireless network during an availability window of the availability schedule for a response to the first advertisement, where the broadcast of the second advertisement is disabled during the availability window.
US08819218B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for device level enablement of a communications protocol. An adapter compatibility module determines an adapter compatibility status for a plurality of host adapters. A positive adapter compatibility status indicates that each host adapter in the plurality of host adapters is compatible with a communications protocol. A processor compatibility module determines a processor compatibility status for one or more processors. The one or more processors coordinate data transfers to and from the plurality of host adapters. A positive processor compatibility status indicates that each of the one or more processors is compatible with the communications protocol. A compatibility summary module determines a compatibility summary for the plurality of host adapters and the one or more processors. The compatibility summary indicates a positive compatibility relative to the communications protocol in response to a positive processor compatibility status and a positive adapter compatibility status.
US08819213B2
The present invention provides method and systems for dynamically mirroring network traffic. The mirroring of network traffic may comprise data that may be considered of particular interest. The network traffic may be mirrored by a mirror service portal from a mirror sender, referred to as a mirror source, to a mirror receiver, referred to as a mirror destination, locally or remotely over various network segments, such as private and public networks and the Internet. The network traffic may be mirrored to locations not involved in the network communications being mirrored. The present invention provides various techniques for dynamically mirroring data contained in the network traffic from a mirror source to a mirror destination.
US08819209B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a respective time period to send queries to each of a plurality of domain name system servers; generating a respective group of queries for each domain name system server of the plurality of domain name system servers, wherein each query in the respective group of queries is configured to cause the domain name system server to generate a respective response; for each domain name system server of the plurality of domain name system servers, sending the respective group of queries to the domain name system server according to the respective determined time period; receiving responses to the queries from the domain name system servers; and determining one or more different features for one or more domain name system servers in the plurality of domain name system servers based on the received responses.
US08819207B2
A website hosting architecture provides a plurality of services, from a plurality of service pools, to each of a plurality of unaffiliated websites, each of the plurality of service pools being adapted to provide services that are adapted to be combined into different packages to be delivered to at least a plurality of the unaffiliated websites.
US08819195B2
A cloud computing network is implemented by defining a plurality of network connectivity features for designing a virtual private cloud computing network within the cloud computing network. Each network connectivity feature has user-definable attributes and each network connectivity feature is translatable into a set of network element configuration statements that instantiate an action particular to the network connectivity feature. Usage rules specifying how the features can be used are defined for the cloud computing network. Selected features from the plurality of network connectivity features are accepted and assembled into a template for configuring the virtual private cloud computing network. The template for configuring the virtual private cloud computing network is validated against the usage rules. The virtual private cloud computing network is implemented in accordance with the validated template for configuring the virtual private cloud computing network.
US08819186B2
The present application teaches a special kind of filesystem and/or connection for a computer device and especially for a computer device of the type which includes reduced resource capability.
US08819184B2
A method and a system for playing a multimedia file and a computer readable medium using the method are provided. In the present invention, a control apparatus sends a control command to a destination apparatus. A multimedia playing module in the destination apparatus is enabled according to the control command. And a response message is sent to the control apparatus by the destination apparatus after receiving the controlling command. Afterwards, the control apparatus transmits the multimedia file to the destination apparatus in a streaming mode for playing the multimedia file through the multimedia playing module.
US08819181B2
In an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network in which multiple subscriber data servers are deployed with partitioned subscription data for users, a subscriber location function (SLF) is used to proxy queries to a subscriber data server (such as an HSS) in which subscription data for a user can be found. The SLF receives a query for the subscriber data server, looks up the address of appropriate subscriber data server and proxies the query to the appropriate subscriber data server. Preferably, the SLF is co-located with a subscriber data server.
US08819176B2
Information may be presented to a user by using a first application to receive a character stream of one or more noncompletion characters. The noncompletion characters indicate that additional characters may be received. The character stream is exchanged with a host that analyzes the character stream to generate results that are responsive to the user's predicted interest. Results are received and displayed so that the user may select one of the results to launch a code segment related to the selected result.
US08819173B2
A system and method for effectively implementing an electronic image manager device includes one or more input/output interfaces for bi-directionally communicating with various information sources to transfer content information that includes image data. The electronic image manager device also includes a memory device for archiving the content information, and an application program that manipulates the content information by performing various procedures such as downloading and uploading the content information, organizing and managing the content information, editing the content information, and displaying the content information.
US08819169B2
Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing methods are provided for establishing and updating a prompting scheme for soliciting feedback from a customer. Initially, the customer provides a type of occasion to monitor and temporal criteria for receiving communications from a service. The service generates a prompting scheme based on the type of occasion in order to properly compose solicitations for feedback from the customer. Also, the service uses the temporal criteria for establishing the prompting scheme, which influences the scheduling of communications bearing the solicitations, respectively. Upon delivering the communications, interaction between the customer and the service is monitored and evaluated in order to update the prompting scheme. Specifically, the scheduling of communications is updated based upon the most common time periods at which the customer responds to the communications, while the composition of the solicitations is updated based upon which communications the customer considers worthy of response.
US08819167B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and method enabling a user to efficiently share contents. A user of an electronic device performs an image capturing by use of a camera, thereby generating an image capture event. According to the image capture event, the electronic device obtains address information of a content transferring apparatus and transfers a content requesting message to the content transferring apparatus having the address information. Upon reception of the content requesting message, the content transferring apparatus provides the electronic device with contents in execution and status information of the content. The electronic device uses the content and the status information to restore a status of the content which has been executed in the content transferring apparatus.
US08819163B2
A scalable network of mobile data storage containers that are connected in peer-to-peer networks to archive large data storage capacities. The various embodiments provide a method of extracting a large amount of data from a variety of sources and storing the extracted data in mobile, storage units. The various embodiments provide storage units housed in mobile containers that can store multiple days/weeks of sensor data in the order of petabytes (1024 terabytes). The various embodiments, integrate high performance computing devices into the mobile storage containers that are able to perform critical extraction, pattern, and index processing on the sensor data. The various embodiments, provide a method for the efficient physical transport of the mobile storage containers from current locations to a center analysis location for re-connecting in another peer-to-peer network for integration into a central enterprise data warehouses.
US08819148B2
A method is provided for transmitting an electronic mail (e-mail) message from a sender having a non-ASCII username to a recipient. The method comprising the following steps. It is determined whether or not the recipient is configured to receive the e-mail message. If the recipient is configured to receive the e-mail message, the message is transmitted to the recipient. If the recipient is not configured to receive the e-mail message, the e-mail message is submitted for storage in a data store, a uniform resource locator (URL) to identify a location of the stored e-mail message is obtained; and a notification message, including the URL, is transmitted to the recipient. A proxy server and e-mail server for implementing the method are also provided.
US08819145B1
The present disclosure includes a method for formatting messages that comprises receiving a plurality of messages that have been translated from a plurality of platform-specific message formats into a generic message format, indexing the pluralities of messages using at least one of a plurality of index fields, and threading the pluralities of messages into at least one of a plurality of threads using at least one of a plurality of threading fields.
US08819131B2
Embodiments include a system for tracing a collaborative workflow. The system includes an event collector and a transition engine. The event collector may be configured to receive data that represents an event of the collaborative workflow. The collaborative workflow has a local workflow part and a global workflow part. The transition engine may be configured to compute a new instance state of a model of the collaborative workflow. The new instance state represents an instance of the collaborative workflow obtained through the event of the collaborative workflow. The new instance state complies with rules of a local model of the local workflow part and with rules of a global model of the global workflow part.
US08819126B2
A system and method executed at a computing device for providing digital content, is provided. The method includes: remotely providing digital media files via a network to a playback device responsively to a computer being remotely located from both the computing device and the playback device; receiving at least one first communication from the computer via the network; and sending at least one second communication to the playback device via the network and based upon the first communication. Playback of ones of the provided digital media files at the playback device is modified responsively to the at least one second communication.
US08819124B2
A slot management system including a download and configuration server-based sub-system and method is disclosed for use with game devices, systems, and methods is provided to enable users to monitor, control, and modify game devices and other related activities. A notification system and method is provided for providing one-way delivery of notifications to clients of a server.
US08819114B2
The present invention provides a server apparatus that can communicate with a plurality of client apparatuses via a network, including a receiving unit configured to receive device information relating to a peripheral device capable of being connected to a client apparatus along with an acquisition scheme of the device information from the client apparatus, a storing unit configured to store the device information in association with the acquisition scheme, a judging unit configured to judge whether or not the device information received by the receiving unit has already been stored in the storing unit, and a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the device information is valid based on the acquisition scheme when it is judged by the judging unit that the received device information has already been stored in the storing unit.
US08819100B2
In order to reduce the area and power consumption of MAC units, some aspects of the present disclosure relate to MAC units having a feedback path with an arithmetic element disposed thereon. The arithmetic element is often controlled so as to limit the number of bits needed in the data path, thereby limiting power and area required for the MAC unit.
US08819098B2
Methods, computer systems, and computer program products for calculating a remainder by division of a sequence of bytes interpreted as a first number by a second number is provided. A pseudo-remainder by division associated with a first subsequence of the sequence of bytes is calculated. A property of this pseudo-remainder is that the first subsequence of the sequence of bytes, interpreted as a third number, and the pseudo-remainder by division have the same remainder by division when divided by the second number. A second subsequence of the sequence of bytes interpreted as the first number is appended to the pseudo-remainder, interpreted as a sequence of bytes, so as to create a sequence of bytes interpreted as a fourth number. The first number and the fourth number have the same remainder by division when divided by the second number.
US08819095B2
A product of an integer value and an irrational value may be determined by a sign-symmetric algorithm. A process may determine possible algorithms that minimize metrics such as mean asymmetry, mean error, variance of error, and magnitude of error. Given an integer variable x and rational dyadic constants that approximate the irrational fraction, a series of intermediate values may be produced that are sign-symmetric. The intermediate values may include a sequence of addition, subtraction and right shift operations the when summed together approximate the product of the integer and irrational value. Other operations, such as additions or subtractions of 0s or shifts by 0 bits may be removed.
US08819093B2
Systems and methods to reduce I/O (input/output) with regard to out-of-core liner solvers and/or to speed up out-of-core linear solvers.
US08819081B2
System, method and computer program product for rule-based performance of actions on related objects
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for rule-based performance of actions on related objects. These mechanisms and methods for rule-based performance of actions on related objects can provide a generalized technique for configuring related object actions that are responsive to object updates. The ability to provide this generalized technique can enable actions to be automatically performed on objects in response to updates to related objects, in a rule-based manner.
US08819077B1
A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for managing a cloud computing environment. In some embodiments, this includes instantiating an object, modifying a trait of the object at runtime, storing the modified object in a storage device. In some embodiments, the object may include required traits. In some embodiments, modifying a trait includes adding a trait.
US08819076B2
A computer-implemented method is provided for managing a plurality of data objects including dimensional attributes. The method includes receiving a plurality of data objects including dimensional attributes and assigning each of a plurality of nodes to one or more of a plurality of keyspace positions of a keyspace, wherein the plurality of nodes define partitions of the keyspace. A space filling curve is applied to the dimensional attributes of each of the plurality of data objects to generate a plurality of key values which correspond to the plurality of keyspace positions, and each of the plurality of data objects is transmitted to one or more of the plurality of nodes assigned to a keyspace position corresponding to the key value of the respective data object. A system for managing a plurality of data objects including dimensional attributes is further provided.
US08819073B2
In a method for managing a directory (10) stored on at least one server (8), the directory (10) includes entries (12) arranged in a tree structure. Each entry (12) includes at least one attribute. An alias entry (12A) includes an attribute pointing to a target entry (12T). The method includes assigning to an application (14) an owner role in relation to an alias entry (12A). An application (14) is referred to as owner of the alias entry (12A). The method further includes requesting, by an application (14), deletion of the alias entry (12A), determining if a deletion condition is satisfied, and, if so, deleting the alias entry (12A). The deletion condition includes that the application (14) is the only owner of the alias entry (12A). A controller (30) for managing a directory (10), a server (8) including a directory (10), a system, and a computer program are also disclosed.
US08819065B2
A system, method and computer program product for mining a rule including spatial information and non-spatial information by using a SAR (Spatial Association Rule) mining tool. The computing system is configured to construct an expanded spatial predicate transaction table for reference spatial objects and a generalized taxonomy for task-relevant spatial objects. The computing system is configured to run the SAR mining tool with the constructed expanded spatial predicate transaction and the generalized taxonomy. The computing system outputs, from the SAR mining tool, a set of generalized spatial association rules for the reference spatial objects. The generalized spatial association rule includes the spatial information and non-spatial information, associated with both the reference spatial objects and the task-relevant spatial objects.
US08819058B2
Methods and systems for providing enhanced listings of an entity to multiple search service provider systems from a single source system are disclosed. The single source system transmits listing identification data related to the entity to at least one provider system. The single source system receives a listing from the at least one provider system. The listing is configured to include a provider-supplied external ID. The single source system delivers an enhanced listing to the at least one provider system based on the presence or absence of the provider-supplied external ID.
US08819055B2
A system for managing a logical people group. The system comprises a computer, including a computer readable medium and processor operating thereon. The system also comprises a query module, executing on the computer, operable to receive a complex query and return a logical group of users. The query module is operable to search, based on the complex query, across a plurality of information sources including a user directory, a plurality of roles, and an attribute directory. The system also comprises a query cache which stores, for a user-definable period, a reverse lookup table of users and the logical groups to which the users belong based on previously received complex queries.
US08819052B2
A system and method for providing a suggested store at or through which to purchase a product or service. When a user enters a query for a product or service into a user interface, the system may use the query as a search argument to search files to find one or more pictures illustrating information about a product or service represented by the query. The picture could illustrate where the queried product or service may be purchased. Auto-complete processes may also be used to process the query as it is being entered, to generate an auto-suggestion key word based on fewer than all the letters of the query, to use as a search argument for the search. Both the query and the auto-suggestion key word may be used as search arguments to find the relevant picture in a variety of search logic sequences to provide the picture to the user.
US08819049B1
A parsing module identifies a framed page within a web page received from a network. The parsing module further identifies information regarding the frame such as the framed page's uniform resource locator. A lookup module accesses a memory module to determine if the identified information regarding the frame is included in a protection list stored in the memory module. A notification module notifies a client's user that the framing web page is fraudulent if the identified information regarding the frame is included in the protection list. Alternatively, the parsing module is adapted to identify a security tag within the framed page indicating that the framed page is not permitted to be displayed within a frame. If the framed page includes a security tag, the notification module notifies the client's user that the framing web page is fraudulent.
US08819045B2
Systems and methods are described for efficiently processing, searching and/or rewriting variable width encoded data, such as UTF-8 encoded data, will be described. Embodiments of the systems and methods modify and adapt search algorithms, such as the Horspool and Wu-Manber algorithms, to efficiently process and manage searching of variable width encoded text in large blocks of text, such as text that may be carried via a stream of packets thru a network device, such as an intermediary device.
US08819041B2
Described are methods and systems related to analyzing data within a data report. The data report, including a result set and metadata associated with the result set is retrieved. The result set is analyzed to identify one or more fields. Dimensions and measures within the result set are inferred. Based upon the inferred dimensions and measures, a user interface element is rendered on a user interface. The user interface element is utilized to define a query. Based upon the query defined in the user interface element, a measure included in the query is aggregated along a dimension included in the query, to create a collection of aggregations. A visual representation of the collection of the aggregations is rendered on the user interface.
US08819039B2
A method and system of generating a listing in a network-based commerce system is provided. The method includes receiving listing identification data from a user, and retrieving listing data associated with the listing based on the listing identification data. Thereafter, a listing is generated that is at least partially based on the listing data and posted on the network-based commerce system. In one embodiment, the user may edit the listing data prior to posting the listing. The network-based commerce system may include a database of listing data associated with at least one of movies, music, games, books and motor vehicles. In one embodiment, a plurality of check boxes is provided each of which are associated with an attribute of the listing and the method automatically, without human intervention, checks attributes based on the listing data.
US08819036B2
Nodes respectively store a multilayer transposed Bloom filter. A client selects a node N1 from among the group of nodes and transmits a search request to the node N1. Upon receiving a reply from the node N1, the client determines whether the received search result indicates “positive”. If the search result is not positive, the client selects in order of node number, a node N2 and transmits a search request to the node N2. Upon receiving a reply from the node N2, the client determines whether the received search result indicates “positive”. Upon determining that the search result is positive, the client outputs the search result and ends the search notification process.
US08819033B2
A content processing device includes a first acquisition unit acquiring a content data; a second acquisition unit acquiring a history including a time when a user plays the content data; a first extraction unit extracting a keyword from the content data; a management unit extracting a preference keyword representing a preference of the user from the keyword based on the history, said management unit managing the extracted preference keyword with an importance score; a presentation unit presenting a recommended content data according to a comparison of the keyword and the preference keyword; an update unit updating the importance score of the preference keyword corresponding to the recommended content data selected by the user; and a second extraction unit extracting another recommended content data using the updated importance score.
US08819027B1
A system that implements a scaleable data storage service may maintain tables in a non-relational data store on behalf of service clients. Each table may include multiple items. Each item may include one or more attributes, each containing a name-value pair. The system may provide an API through which clients can query tables maintained by the service. Items may be partitioned and indexed in a table according to a simple or composite primary key contained in all items in the table. A composite primary key may include a hash key attribute, and a range key attribute. The range key attribute may be usable to order items having the same hash key attribute value, and to partition them dependent on a range of range key attribute values. A query request may specify a logical or mathematical expression dependent on range key attribute values and may be directed to multiple partitions.
US08819005B2
Systems and methods for providing automated computer support are described herein. One described method comprises receiving a plurality of snapshots from a plurality of computers, storing the plurality of snapshots in a data store, and creating an adaptive reference model based at least in part on the plurality of snapshots. The described method further comprises comparing at least one of the plurality of snapshots to the adaptive reference model, and identifying at least one anomaly based on the comparison.
US08819003B2
A user selection of a link on a first webpage that is being displayed is received. A copy of the first webpage is stored in cache memory at a local client machine. Responsive to receiving the user selection of the link: the copy of the first webpage stored in the cache memory is modified at the local client machine to include metadata associated with the user selection of the link on the first webpage; and a second webpage associated with the link is presented. A request to reload the first webpage is received. Responsive to receiving the request to reload the first webpage: the metadata from the first webpage stored in the cache memory is obtained; a third webpage based on the metadata is obtained; and the third webpage is displayed.
US08819001B1
Systems, methods, and user interface for discovering and presenting important contents in a document
Computer-implemented systems and methods for discovering and presenting important information about a text object are disclosed. The system comprises a user interface for displaying important information extracted from a text object, serving as a preview of the topics, or as an automatically-generated tag or a summary of the content in the text object. The information is discovered by a method based on the grammatical attributes and occurrence information of terms in the text object, as well as in external text objects.
US08818999B2
A method and apparatus are provided for ranking documents according to relevancy scoring. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method is provided for receiving, from a database over a network, a document resulting from a search on a database, the document containing terms that match the search criteria. The method may calculate a standard deviation of a probability distribution function representing a distribution of the terms in the document that match the search criteria. The method may further determine relative distances between the terms in the document that match the search criteria according to the standard deviation. The method may further calculate a proximity boost value using the relative distances, and apply the proximity boost value to a base relevancy score of the document to determine a relevancy ranking. The document may then be ranked according to the relevancy ranking.
US08818987B2
In one aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: (1) identifying in a query of a database a union command involving data in the database that is mutually exclusive; and (2) changing the union command to a union all command.
US08818983B1
A computer-implemented method for search engine synchronization is disclosed according to an aspect of the subject technology. The method comprises receiving, at a computing device, a search engine entry for a search engine, wherein the search engine entry comprises a keyword for invoking the search engine, and a globally unique identifier (GUID) uniquely identifying the search engine. The method also comprises determining whether there is a local search engine entry stored locally on the computing device with the same GUID as the received search engine entry, and, if there is a local search engine entry with the same GUID as the received search engine entry, then performing steps. The steps comprise determining whether the received search engine entry is newer than the local search engine entry, and, if the received search engine entry is newer, then replacing the local search engine entry with the received search engine entry.
US08818979B2
A document retrieving apparatus can retrieve a target document and output the retrieved target documents according to ranking when a retrieval keyword or retrieval expression is input. However, it requires a skilful technique to narrow a retrieval range since an appropriate retrieval keyword or retrieval expression needs to be created. A document retrieving apparatus of the present invention reads out and compiles a document list included in a designated area when a user designates an area of a document to be read on a two-dimensional map. When the user designates an area of a document to be read on the two-dimensional map, the document retrieving apparatus of the present invention combines query vectors of a plurality of documents included in a designated area and extracts documents based on a combined query vector.
US08818969B2
A second program, which becomes inoperable as a result of updating of a first program and operates using the first program, is updated to an operable version using an appropriate update data file. When the version of the second program is not a version operable on the first program, one or more update data files including a full update data file which fully updates the second program to a version of the second program operable on the first program are determined as the update data files. When the version of the second program is a version operable on the first program, one or more differential update data files which do not include any full update data file and update some data files of the second program are determined as the update data files.
US08818966B1
When a file system manager responds to a request to write data to a specified number of blocks of a file, the file system manager determines that corresponding file system data block allocations exist and determines that the file is fragmented over the corresponding file system data block allocations. In response to determining that the file is fragmented over the corresponding file system data block allocations, the file system manager allocates and substitutes a single extent of contiguous file system data blocks for the corresponding file system data block allocations, and writes data to the newly allocated contiguous file system data blocks. For example, the file system manager compares a spread and a count of extent fragments of the file system data block allocations to appropriate thresholds to trigger the defragmentation upon file over-write.
US08818965B2
An original deduplication file system (DFS) file is partitioned into a first set of sections being sections including data affected by rewrite operations and a second set of sections being sections including data unaffected by rewrite operations. A new DFS file to be stored as part of a plurality of user files is created, the plurality of user files including the original DFS file and being accessible by a sequential DFS and a dynamic non-DFS, the dynamic non-DFS including a plurality of dynamic metadata files having entries pointing to corresponding sections of the original DFS files. The first set of sections of the original DFS file including data affected by rewrite operations is directly written into the new DFS file. The second set of sections from the original DFS file including data unaffected by rewrite operations is quoted into the new DFS file. The original DFS file is deleted.
US08818964B2
Described are embodiments of an invention for optimizing a computing environment that performs data management operations such as encryption, deduplication and compression. The computing environment includes data components and a management system. The data components operate on data during the lifecycle of the data. The management system identifies all the data components in a data path, how the data components are interconnected, the data management operations performed at each data component, and how many data management operations of each type are performed at each data component. Further, the management system builds a data structure to represent the flow of data through the data path and analyzes the data structure in view of policy. After the analysis, the management system provides recommendations to optimize the computing environment through the reconfiguration of the data management operation configuration and reconfigures the data management operation configuration to optimize the computing environment.
US08818962B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to testing a storage system point-in-time copy of data for consistency. An aspect of the invention includes receiving system and application event information from systems and applications associated with point-in-time copies of data. The system and application event information is associated with each of point-in-time copies of data. At least one point-in-time copy of data is selected for testing. The system and application event information is compared with inconsistency classes to determine tests for testing the point-in-time copy of data. The point-in-time copy of data is tested.
US08818960B2
Embodiments are directed to implementing a transitional redo phase to allow pre-redo phase data access and to determining which data pages including unprocessed transactions are to be processed during a transitional redo phase. In an embodiment, a computer system initiates an analysis phase of a database recovery that scans a database transaction log and builds a dirty page table that includes pages corresponding to unprocessed data transactions. The computer system determines from the dirty page table which pages are to be processed during the transitional redo phase, before the final redo phase. The computer system processes the determined pages during the transitional redo phase, before the final redo phase is reached and, upon completion of the system transaction undo phase, makes available those pages that were processed during the transitional redo phase, as well as those database pages that are not scheduled for processing during the final redo phase.
US08818959B2
Various embodiments herein include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures that provide for virtual packaging, or embedding, of electronic files in other files. For example, rather than packaging an electronic file directly in a document file, metadata may be added to the document file including a Universal Resource Identifier (URI), such as a Universal Resource Locator (URL), referencing a location where the electronic file may be downloaded from. Other embodiments are described and illustrated herein for creating, viewing, storing, and transmitting such document files with virtually packaged electronic files.
US08818958B2
The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates employing a safe deposit box that allows perpetual archiving of data. An online safe deposit box can store a portion of data, wherein the online safe deposit box is hosted by a data storage service provider. An archival model component can implement the online safe deposit box for perpetual archival of the portion of data. The archival model component can ensure at least one of the following: the online safe deposit retains the portion of data for a pre-defined duration; the portion of data within the online safe deposit box is accessible solely by an authorized entity; or the integrity of the portion of data is maintained, wherein the integrity is modified solely by an authorized user.
US08818939B2
The invention relates to data processing methods and systems including: a method of database replication in which information strings are assigned to serialization groups for processing; a method of memory management in which data is read from a storage space area while no data is written to it; a method of replicating a database in which a dynamic table is created to provided processing information for database members; and/or a method of replicating a database wherein tasks are allocated to program components without program components interacting.
US08818936B1
According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for processing read requests received during a restore operation, where a protected restore operation includes copying at least a portion of the data content of the clone to its source. The method includes receiving a read request to read data from a source during a protected restore operation. It is determined whether to redirect the read request to the clone, and in response to determining to redirect the read request to the clone, the read request is redirected to read data from the clone.
US08818932B2
A method for creating a predictive model is disclosed herein, including the steps of determining trends and patterns in electronic data, using at least a first machine language algorithm, refining the determination of the algorithm, searching for social models that describe the identified trends and patterns using at least a second machine language algorithm, verifying causal links, constructing at least one model about human node behavior and interactions, utilizing the social models to do at least one of the following: validate hypotheses, predict future behavior, and examine hypothetical scenarios, automatically updating predictions when new data is introduced, using probabilistic techniques to learn hierarchical structure in unstructured text, continuously updating a set of themes, examining grammatical rules of each component of text, matching grammatical constituents to semantic roles, and reorganizing data into clusters of entities with common attributes.
US08818931B2
A comparative expertise level-based discovery system infers an expertise level associated with a system user from a plurality of usage behaviors and compares this expertise level with expertise levels associated with computer-implemented objects. One or more of the computer-implemented objects are selected for delivery to the user in accordance with a comparison of the inferred expertise level of the user and the expertise levels associated with the computer-implemented objects. The expertise levels associated with the computer-implemented objects may be inferred from information within the objects such as text and/or may be inferred from usage behaviors. Inferences of interests of the user may further inform the selection of one or more of the computer-implemented objects for delivery to the user. Explanations for the delivery of the computer-implemented objects may be provided to the user.
US08818924B2
Embodiments may include systems and methods to create and edit a representation of a worksite, to create various data objects, to classify such objects as various types of pre-defined “features” with attendant properties and layout constraints. As part of or in addition to classification, an embodiment may include systems and methods to create, associate, and edit intrinsic and extrinsic properties to these objects. A design engine may apply of design rules to the features described above to generate one or more solar collectors installation design alternatives, including generation of on-screen and/or paper representations of the physical layout or arrangement of the one or more design alternatives.
US08818923B1
Described is a system for searching a continuous data stream for exact matches with a priori stored data sequences. The system includes a neural network with an input and an output layer. The input layer has one neuron for each possible character or number in the data stream, and the output layer has one neuron for each stored pattern. Importantly, the delays of the connections from input to output layer are engineered to match the temporal occurrence of an input character within a stored sequence. Thus, if an input sequence has the proper time gaps between characters, matching a stored pattern, then the delayed neural signals result in a simultaneous activation at the receiving neuron, which indicates a detected pattern. For storing a pattern, only one connection for each pair of input character and output neuron has to be specified resulting in sparse coding and quick storage.
US08818922B2
A method and system for predicting performance of an application on a machine of a predetermined hardware configuration simulates the performance of the application under a plurality of different simulated hardware configurations; builds a predictive model of the performance of the application based on the results of the simulations; obtains the performance of the application on a plurality of actual machines, each of the machines having a different hardware configuration; and Bayesian reinterprets the predictive model built from the results of the simulations using the performance of the application on the plurality of actual machines, to obtain a final predictive model of the performance of the application having an accuracy greater than the predictive model built from the results of the simulations.
US08818919B2
A system, method and computer program product provides for multiple imputation of missing data elements in retail data sets used for modeling and decision-support applications based on the multi-dimensional, tensor structure of the data sets, and a fast, scalable scheme is implemented that is suitable for large data sets. The method generates multiple imputations comprising a set of complete data sets each containing one of a plurality of imputed realizations for the missing data values in the original data set, so that the variability in the magnitudes of these missing data values can be captured for subsequent statistical analysis. The method is based on the multi-dimensional structure of the retail data sets incorporating tensor factorization, that in a preferred embodiment can be implemented using fast, scalable imputation methods suitable for large data sets, to obtain multiple complete data sets in which the original missing values are replaced by various imputed values.
US08818918B2
Computer-implemented methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for determining the importance of a data item. A method includes: (a) receiving a node graph; (b) approximating a number of neighbor nodes of a node; and (c) calculating a average shortest path length of the node to the remaining nodes using the approximation step, where this calculation demonstrates the importance of a data item represented by the node. Another method includes: (a) receiving a node graph; (b) building a decomposed line graph of the node graph; (c) calculating stationary probabilities of incident edges of a node graph node in the decomposed line graph, and (d) calculating a summation of the stationary probabilities of the incident edges associated with the node, where the summation demonstrates the importance of a data item represented by the node. Both methods have at least one step carried out using a computer device.
US08818915B1
The exemplary embodiment of the present invention will provide computer systems and methods for customizing computer-based value-bearing items, such as, for example, customizing a computer-based postage-indicia-bearing item such as exemplary image-customized computer-based postage label 1 in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, depicted in FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 1, the exemplary customized computer-based postage label 1 will bear an image 2 that would be provided by a corresponding user, namely by the user that orders the customized computer-based postage label. The exemplary customized computer-based postage label 1 will bear a human-readable indication of the country 4 for which the postage is approved. The exemplary customized computer-based postage label 1 will also bear a human-readable indication of an amount of postage 5. The exemplary customized computer-based postage label 1 will also bear a human-readable identifier 6 and a machine-readable set of information 7.
US08818909B2
In one embodiment, a computer system, in response to a first user's request, creates a location-triggered gift for a second user and for a particular vendor location, determines the second user's location, and transmits information for redeeming the location-triggered gift at the particular vendor location to the second user if the second user is at the particular vendor location.
US08818904B2
A system for generating transaction settlement identifiers includes an arrangement configured to receive a biometric sample from a customer and an arrangement configured to use the biometric sample to select the transaction settlement identifier from a pool of predetermined transaction settlements. A mapping arrangement configured to map the selected financial transaction settlement identifier to an identifier of the customer also may be included.
US08818902B2
Methods and techniques are described to dynamically provide preloaded movies on digital storage devices that may be purchased or leased by a consumer on a self-service media content dispensing device, such as a kiosk. A media content dispensing device stores various media content obtained physically or via a network on a server at a dispensing device. When a request is received from a user to purchase or lease a particular title, the user may provide a blank storage device and exchange the blank storage device to receive the media content preloaded on a storage device provided by the dispensing device. The dispensing device will then store the title, or a different title, on the blank storage device provided by the user for purchase or lease by another to maintain inventory. The dispensing device may also change an existing preloaded storage device to a different title to maintain inventory.
US08818900B2
Techniques for distributed license management are provided. Three or more services or servers cooperate and negotiate with one another to establish primary, secondary, and tertiary licensing services. Initially, the primary is designated as a master licensing service and manages a license for a plurality of users over a network. If the primary fails to respond within a configurable period of time to both the secondary and tertiary licensing services, then the secondary dynamically assumes a master licensing service role for purposes of managing the license.
US08818893B2
Apparatus and methods for providing a dynamic payment generator are provided. A customer of a financial institution may desire to conduct a transaction involving a transferor or transferee financial institution without prior knowledge regarding unique and specific information required by the transferor or transferee institution. In some embodiments, apparatus and methods may detect information entered by the customer and dynamically prompt the customer for additional information required by the transferor or transferee institution. Apparatus and methods may pre-fill fields on a form displayed to the customer with information required by the transferor or transferee institution.
US08818890B2
According to one embodiment, a method of managing trading is provided. A first offer for a particular instrument in a particular market is received from a first market maker at a first offer price. A first bid for the same particular instrument in the same particular market is received from a second market maker at a first bid price, the first bid price being higher than or equal to the first offer price. As a result of the first bid price being higher than or equal to the first offer price, the first offer price is automatically increased to a price higher than the first bid price such that a trade is not executed between the first offer and the first bid. In some embodiments, such method may be used to protect market makers from unwanted trades caused by inherent latency in the market makers' pricing engines and/or networks.
US08818889B2
Embodiments of a system, a method, and a computer-program product (e.g., software) for aggregating an energy service from a number of participants for use by a power-system operator is described. This aggregation may be performed by an aggregator, which is between the participants and the power-system operator. In particular, the aggregator may use an embedded economic mechanism to calculate a price that matches supply (or cutback) of power and/or load from the participants with a desired supply of the power-system operator. Because the aggregator typically does not know the participants' exact propensity to respond as a function of price (supply function), the aggregator calculates the purchase price using one or more iterations in which an initial probe price is provided to the participants, and the participants respond with supply-function approximations that are valid in proximity to the current probe price.
US08818877B2
Presenting system and device conditions and purchasing options for components compatible with hardware devices of a computer system. In one aspect, an operating system determines the identity of a hardware device in communication with the operating system, communicates over a network to receive current purchasing information related to the hardware device, and displays components that can be selected for purchase and used with the hardware device. Another aspect provides a selectable user interface control for display in a graphical user interface that indicates a new operating condition of the computer system, different from a prior operating condition, by displaying a different appearance of the control. One embodiment has a new operating condition occurring when a component of a hardware device is within a predetermined threshold of requiring replacement, refilling, or supplementation.
US08818871B2
A method and a system for electronically transacting a purchase between a purchaser and a merchant are disclosed. The method includes storing accrued incentives on an intelligent data carrier medium via interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment and redeeming a discount or a value corresponding to the accrued incentives present on the data carrier medium when a purchase is made. The electronic purchase system using an electronic network contains a purchaser interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment connected to the electronic network, a fixed intelligent data carrier medium connected to the interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment for service authentication and decryption and a detachable intelligent data carrier medium connected to the interactive television (DTV/STB) equipment.
US08818870B2
A method and system for conducting an online payment transaction through a point of sale device. The method includes receiving input from a user selecting an item for purchase through the point of sale device; calculating a total purchase amount for the item in response to a request from the user to purchase the item; and sending payment authorization for the total purchase amount from the point of sale device to a payment entity, in which the payment authorization is sent to the payment entity via a mobile communication device of the user. The method further includes receiving a result of the payment authorization from the payment entity through the mobile communication device; and completing the payment transaction based on the result of the payment authorization.
US08818868B2
In general terms, the present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for providing a foreign currency solution. In some embodiments, a method is provided that includes: (a) establishing a foreign currency account for a domestic account holder; (b) receiving a domestic currency payment for funding the foreign currency account; (c) exchanging the domestic currency payment to produce an exchanged foreign currency payment; (d) crediting the foreign currency account by the amount of the exchanged foreign currency payment; and (e) authorizing a foreign currency transaction involving the foreign currency account and the domestic account holder. Other embodiments relate to configuring a mobile device to operate as a mobile wallet, such that the mobile device includes a foreign currency account module and/or a domestic currency account module that can be used to engage in both domestic currency and foreign currency transactions.
US08818856B2
The usefulness, and consequently the performance, of advertisements are improved by allowing businesses to better target their ads to a responsive audience. For example, location information may be used in ad relevancy determination, and in attribute (e.g., position) arbitration. Such location information may be associated with price information, such as a maximum price bid, and/or with ad performance information. Ad performance information may be tracked on the basis of location information. The content of an ad creative, and/or of a landing page may be selected and/or modified using location information. Tools may be provided to enter and/or modify location information, such as location-dependent targeting information and price information. The location information used to target and/or score ads may be, include, or define an area. The area may be defined by at least one geographic reference point (e.g., defined by latitude and longitude coordinates) and perhaps additional information.
US08818854B2
A system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption provides customers making online purchases to automatically retrieve and redeem all applicable rebates and coupons during an online 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 makes purchases from merchants or manufacturers using all applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system automatically retrieves 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 and to retrieve manufacturer's and merchant's coupons prior to an online purchasing activity for subsequent submission to an online merchant during a subsequent purchasing activity.
US08818847B2
A campaign offers and rewards system includes a receipt intelligence engine with receipt processing that extracts information from a receipt, including information about items purchased based on a receipt from at least one of a shopping trip and an electronic receipt from an online or offline transaction. An analytics engine includes data intelligence coupled to the receipt processing and performs analysis of the receipt. The system is configured to be coupled to a mobile device.
US08818835B2
Generating budgeting information for a project is disclosed. An indication of a project phase and a time period associated with the project phase are received. Financial data associated with the project phase is received. Budgeting information is automatically generated based at least in part on the time period and the financial data.
US08818834B1
A system and method for automated community schedule management, including registration, management, and sharing of activity, group, and carpool information for a community is provided. The system may enable a caregiver to register participants in one or more activities. The system and method may also enable one or more activity providers to register and administer one or more activities. The system may further enable a carpool creator to create and/or manage one or more carpools to activities and/or destinations and events separate from activities.
US08818828B2
A plurality of takeoff objectives are set based on a takeoff request with respect to a target step in production lines, at least throughput of each production line, and basic information of a production plan for each production line, production plan data satisfying the plurality of takeoff objectives is obtained, takeoff objective delay data indicating that the production plan data is delayed with respect to the plurality of takeoff objectives is obtained, and at least a degree of delay of the product is displayed based on the production plan data and the takeoff objective delay data in accordance with each of the plurality of takeoff objectives in a preset display conformation.
US08818823B2
A graphical user interface provides clinical information in the form of a first health feed and patient-generated information in the form of a second health feed. The graphical user interface may provide improved access to patient-generated information to the provider and improved access to clinical information to the patient or caretaker for the patient. Additional health feeds may include data from peripheral devices, third-party sponsored applications, or other forms of health feedback.
US08818819B2
A system and method for determining business partner value by creating weighted metrics for identifying, evaluating and selecting a business partner for a company; creating a business agreement and weighted metrics for evaluating the agreement; creating weighted metrics for ongoing management of the partner; and managing the partner by ongoing periodic evaluation of the weighted metrics for partner selection, agreement, and management. Both company and partners may participate in the evaluation on an ongoing basis (e.g., once per month or once per quarter) rather than an annual review. In one embodiment, weighted metrics of partner selection, agreement, and management are reported, charted and graphed providing for visual evaluation and side-by-side comparison of the perceptions of company and partner for optimization of the business relationship and prediction of future performance.
US08818815B2
A method of determining the speech content of a packet carrying speech encoded data missing from speech segment communicated by in a packetized data stream communicated using at least one VOIP link between a server platform and a client platform, the method comprising at the client platform: receiving a plurality of packets carrying speech encoded data forming said packetized data stream; processing each received packet to determine a unique message segment identifier associated with a speech segment of the received packet; processing each received packet to determine if it contains another unique message segment identifier associated with a previously received packet carrying encoded speech data; determining if the unique message segment identifier for the received packet exists in storage means provided on the client platform, and if not, storing the received packet in association with its unique message segment identifier; processing each received packet to determine a sequence identifier; checking if the sequence identifier is contiguous in sequence with a previously received packet stored locally on said client platform, and if not, determining the speech content of one or more missing packet in the sequence sent by the server platform to the client platform by retrieving a packet from said storage means having the same unique message segment identifier as the missing packet.
US08818791B2
A computer-implemented technique includes receiving a first input from a user at a user device, the first input including a first word of a first alphabet-based language, which is a transliteration of a non-alphabet-based language, which is one of a logogram-based language and a syllabogram-based language. The technique then compares the first words to pluralities of potential translated words from one or more datastores associated with a second alphabet-based language and the logogram-based or syllabogram-based languages. The technique may then generate a probability score for each of the pluralities of potential translated words, the probability score indicating a likelihood of an appropriate translation. The techniques may then provide the user with some or all of the pluralities of potential translated words and the user may select an appropriate translated word to obtain a selected word, which may then be displayed via a display of the user device.
US08818786B1
A circuit is simulated by using system or network tearing to obtain a real solution. The circuit may be an entire integrated circuit, portion of an integrated circuit, or a circuit block. A circuit simulation technique of the invention generates a system graph, finds a tree, and partitions the tree into two or more subtrees. The technique identifies global links and local links in the graph. Each subtree may be solved individually using distributed, parallel computing. Using the results for the subtrees, the technique obtains a real solution, branch voltages and currents, for the circuit.
US08818785B2
A method for simulating a tucked transistor device having a diffusion region defined in a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode adjacent a first side of the diffusion region, a floating gate electrode adjacent a second side of the diffusion region, and an isolation structure disposed beneath at least a portion of the floating gate electrode is provided. The method includes receiving a first netlist having an entry for the tucked transistor device in a computing apparatus. The entry defines parameters associated with the gate electrode and the diffusion region. A parasitic capacitance component is added to the entry representing a gate capacitance between the floating gate and the diffusion region in the computing apparatus.
US08818783B2
A method for representing state transitions within a state machine includes representing a set of allowed transitions between states as a transition pair wherein a first value of the transition pair indicates a set of nodes from which to transition and a second value of the pair indicates a set of nodes to which to transition. The nodes represent states within a state machine. The method further includes defining a role of an entity within the state machine by assigning a number of transition pairs to the entity, the value pairs defining how the entity can transition through the state machine.
US08818776B2
A disclosed method of downhole tool system development comprises: receiving specifications of a downhole tool system that comprises multiple strings, each string having one or more components; and checking for interference between the multiple strings in an initial position. A disclosed system comprises: a memory that stores software; and a processor coupled to the memory to execute the software. The software causes the processor to provide a graphical user interface that enables a user to specify a downhole tool system having multiple strings, and to test the strings for diametrical overlap attributable to relative motion of the strings.
US08818773B2
Rendering methods, systems, and computer-readable media for rendering a simulated embroidery design image based on an embroidery design are presented. Given an embroidery design comprising a plurality of stitch representations and a lighting angle for the simulated embroidery design image, embodiments process the stitch representations to determine a stitch length and lighting angle and select from a stitch image database a stitch image corresponding to the stitch length and lighting angle, and place the selected stitch on a rendering canvas in a position corresponding to the stitch position indicated by the stitch representation. When rendered, all of individual stitch image on the rendering canvas appear to be illuminated from the same direction.
US08818772B2
A variance estimation apparatus for an amplitude probability distribution (APD) model includes: an APD curve calculation unit for calculating an APD curve of an APD model for noise of an electronic device; and a linearity determination unit for determining a linearity of a slope of the APD curve calculated by the APD curve calculation unit. The apparatus further includes a variance processing unit for selectively performing equivalent variance processing or different variance processing based on the linearity determination result obtained from the linearity determination unit.
US08818769B2
The present disclosure features systems and methods for maintaining consistency of a CAD model across a plurality of homogenous or heterogeneous applications across one or more computing devices and used by one or more users. The systems include a common data model, comprising chapters of different information items to describe various aspects of the CAD model, and lightweight change instructions representative of modifications made by a user to a chapter of the CAD model. By utilizing a common data model and difference-based change instructions, a plurality of users may concurrently collaborate on the design of a CAD model, or a single user may utilize a plurality of applications of a CAD suite efficiently and with an enhanced user experience.
US08818766B2
Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for creating physical and virtual design models. Embodiments of the invention provide methods for creating physical design models and rendering the physical design models as virtual models in design programs. Virtual indicia (smart nodes) provided by embodiments of the invention provide customizable virtual representations of modeled physical design elements of tangible models and can have metadata associated therewith, allowing attribution of any of a wide variety of design characteristics to the smart nodes.
US08818765B2
A commercial refrigeration system receives data from a plurality of compressors in a compressor rack, and uses the data to model a steady state amp draw for each of the compressors in the compressor rack. The system receives additional data from the plurality of compressors, and determines a steady state amp draw for each of the compressors from the additional data. The system then compares the amp draw from the additional data with the steady state amp draw model, and identifies a compressor fault based on the comparison of the steady state amp draw from the additional data with the steady state amp draw model.
US08818760B2
A modular dynamically re-configurable profiling core may be used to provide both operating systems and applications with detailed information about run time performance bottlenecks and may enable them to address these bottlenecks via scheduling or dynamic compilation. As a result, application software may be able to better leverage the intrinsic nature of the multi-core hardware platform, be it homogeneous or heterogeneous. The profiling functionality may be desirably isolated on a discrete, separate and modular profiling core, which may be referred to as a configurable profiler (CP). The modular configurable profiling core may facilitate inclusion of rich profiling functionality into new processors via modular reuse of the inventive CP. The modular configurable profiling core may improve a customer's experience and productivity when used in conjunction with commercial multi-core processors.
US08818757B2
An object can be used in an industrial control configuration in relation to performing a function or task. Matching can occur such that an object with operational requirements can bind with a host that has capabilities that meet those operational requirements—matching can occur automatically as well as through user operation. Once matched, different functionality can be presented to a user pertaining to the object. To assist the user, the object can include external references, logic, local or private data, as well as others in addition to resources. To facilitate operation, capabilities and resources can be published in a directory that can be accessed by different entities—sometimes with security constraints in order to protect configuration integrity. Likewise, a subscription system can be employed such that when a change to a related entity is made, a notice can transfer to related entities and operation can alter based upon the change.
US08818745B2
Various methods and systems are provided for monitoring and analysis of electrical components. In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining raw radio frequency (RF) component data associated with an electrical component, cross-correlating the raw RF component data with a synchronized pseudo-random sequence (PRS) signal injected into the electrical component to determine a correlated impulse response, and determining a condition of the electrical component based at least in part upon the correlated impulse response. In another embodiment, a system includes a signal injection system coupled to an electrical component. The signal injection system injects a synchronized PRS signal into the electrical component. A data capture device obtains raw RF component data synchronized with the PRS signal through a RF antenna. A data analysis device cross-correlates the raw RF component data with the PRS signal to determine characteristics associated with the electrical component.
US08818727B2
A method of assisting a user of a personal navigation device with parking nearby a destination location includes receiving instructions from the user to create navigation instructions to the destination location, determining that the destination location is in an urban area, querying whether the user requires parking, and presenting a plurality of nearby parking areas to the user when the user requests parking, receiving the user's choice of a selected parking area from the plurality of nearby parking areas presented to the user, and planning a route to the destination location using the selected parking area as an intermediate destination.
US08818724B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for generating a sketch map in a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a sketch map generating unit. The sketch map generating unit collects information about route points of the portable terminal by using location information, generates a sketch map message including the route information, and shares the generated sketch map message with another user.
US08818721B2
A system for exchanging data. A first mobile device configured to generate a first set of data related to a plurality of geographic positions where the first mobile device has been located and configured to exchange the first set of data with a second mobile device wherein the first mobile device receives a second set of data related to a plurality of geographic positions where the second mobile device has been located. A mapping system configured to receive the first set of data and the second set of data and to generate a map based on the first set of data and the second set of data.
US08818719B1
A method of controlling data communication between a vehicle and a plurality of wireless networks includes tracking a location of the vehicle over time to identify a known route, and tracking a signal duration for each of the plurality of wireless networks. One of the plurality of wireless networks that provides the longest signal duration for the vehicle, and which is available for data communication with the vehicle along the identified known route, is identified. When a current route of the vehicle is the same as the known route, data communication from the vehicle is connected to the available wireless network identified as providing the longest signal duration for the vehicle when moving along the identified known route.
US08818717B2
A method for increasing route accuracies, comprising receiving GPS waypoints associated position accuracy prediction (PAP) parameters, comparing the PAP parameters to corpus PAP parameters associated with corpus GPS waypoints, and updating the corpus PAP parameters and the corpus GPS waypoints based on the comparison of the PAP parameters to the corpus PAP parameters.
US08818704B2
A method of operation of a navigation system includes: determining a road object detection for monitoring a movement of a device; determining a travel state based on the road object detection; identifying a travel sequence involving the travel state; and determining a condition inducing movement based on matching the travel sequence to a predetermined sequence for displaying on the device.
US08818701B2
A method is provided for estimating distances between sensor nodes. The method includes receiving a temporal sequence of measurements of a selected local environmental condition from each of the sensor nodes. The method includes determining an amount of correlation between the measurements of the selected local environmental condition that were received from two or more of the sensor nodes. The method also includes estimating distances between the two or more of the sensor nodes based on the determined amount of correlation.
US08818695B2
A targeted area audio distribution system for Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services Receivers (“SDARS”) provides specific content to listeners based on location. A service provider can facilitate delivery of local content using a telematics device installed in the listener's vehicle. The telematics device uses a content database indexed on an identifier formed from coordinates of a desired geographical area to target particular content for users in a targeted area as small as a few blocks. In addition, interstate drivers can receive location specific advertisements for exits that they may be approaching. Digital audio content can be queued up for insertion into the audio stream based on specific locations. The identifier can also be used to report vehicle performance information from a plurality of vehicles to facilitate providing real-time traffic conditions for many traffic corridors.
US08818694B2
A method for detecting a traffic zone using an on-board sensor system. Objects from the surroundings of the host vehicle are detected using the sensor system. The course of the traffic lanes is derived from the performance characteristics of the objects detected by the sensors.
US08818691B2
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, an internal combustion engine includes a fuel system in fluid communication with a cylinder to direct a fuel flow to be mixed with air in the cylinder and an exhaust system in fluid communication with the cylinder to receive an exhaust gas produced by the combustion process, wherein the exhaust system includes an oxidation catalyst, a particulate filter downstream of the oxidation catalyst. The system also includes a control module that determines an amount of energy to be provided by at least one of: a post-injection process, hydrocarbon injector, and heating device, wherein the amount of energy is based on a desired temperature at a selected location in the exhaust system, an exhaust gas flow rate, a temperature of the received exhaust gas, a flow rate and temperature of the exhaust gas at the inlet of the oxidation catalyst.
US08818678B2
A method to selectively prevent a vehicle from resuming a vehicle set speed stored in memory of a cruise control system includes monitoring a vehicle speed, determining that the vehicle speed indicates operation in a low speed range, determining a threshold slow zone maneuver based upon the vehicle speed substantially remaining in the low speed range through a predetermined duration, and inhibiting resumption of the vehicle set speed based upon the threshold slow zone maneuver.
US08818677B2
If a condition for finishing speed limit control is satisfied, a gradient of a slope of the road is estimated based on a steady component of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, and a correction factor is computed based on the slope gradient of the road, while a target acceleration of the vehicle is computed based on the vehicle speed. Then, a target vehicle speed is computed by adding the target vehicle speed of the last cycle to the product of the correction factor, target acceleration and the cycle time of the control, and the braking or driving force of each wheel is controlled so that the vehicle speed becomes equal to the target vehicle speed. In this manner, a passenger of the vehicle is prevented from feeling uncomfortable about the speed increase after the completion of the vehicle speed limit control.
US08818669B2
A regenerative braking method for a motor vehicle, in which the regenerative braking action is applied progressively, a rate of application of the braking action being dependent on a speed of the motor vehicle.
US08818663B2
Clutch pressure of an oncoming clutch may be determined during an upshift in an automatic transmission by determining when offgoing and oncoming clutches of the transmission near a speed synchronization point. Aboard a vehicle, proportional-integral-derivative (PID) feedback control logic of for the oncoming clutch may be activated via a controller. The controller and the activated PID logic may be used to introduce a calibrated slip error between the rotational speeds of the offgoing and oncoming clutches. Engine speed is then held in a calibrated flare using the PID logic. Oncoming clutch pressure is recorded during the duration of the calibrated flare, and a control action is executed with respect to the transmission using the recorded oncoming clutch pressure, e.g., using recorded PID gains and/or a pressure/torque relationship of the oncoming clutch. A vehicle having an engine, transmission, and controller may use the controller to execute such a method.
US08818655B1
An electronic transmission range selection system of a vehicle includes first and second input devices and first and second modules. The first input device is user actuatable to request operation of a transmission in reverse, neutral, and drive. The first module generates first signals based on a first position of the first input device. The second input device is different than the first input device and is user actuatable to request operation of the transmission in park. The second module generates second signals based on a second position of the second input device.
US08818654B2
Engine output control apparatus has shift range detecting section detecting shift range of automatic transmission; vehicle speed detecting section detecting vehicle speed; engine output state detecting section detecting engine output state; and controller. The controller performs (a) judgment control judging that torque converter is in a stall state if following judgment conditions (i) to (iii) are satisfied, (i) shift range is drive range, (ii) vehicle speed is equal to or less than predetermined vehicle speed, (iii) engine is in a high output state, (b) cumulation control cumulating a period of agreement of the judgment conditions if the judgment conditions are satisfied, and (c) output suppression control suppressing output of the engine if a control start condition is satisfied by cumulation of the agreement period. The control start condition is set so that as the vehicle speed becomes higher, start of the output suppression control is more delayed.
US08818651B2
A flow control system for a hydraulic pump of a construction machine that can variably control a discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump in accordance with load pressure generated by a hydraulic actuator. According to the system, the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump and the operation rate of the operation lever for the hydraulic actuators is detected, and standard load pressures of the respective hydraulic actuators are set. If the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump is higher than preset load pressures of the hydraulic actuators, the discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump is reduced in proportion to the operation rate in accordance with degrees of loads generated by the hydraulic actuators. If the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump is lower than the standard load pressures of the hydraulic actuators, the discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump is controlled in proportion to the operation rate.
US08818646B2
The invention relates to a method for controlling and adjusting a motor-driven adjusting device, especially a window lifter, a seat adjusting device or a sliding roof of a motor vehicle, comprising an anti-jamming protection. The motor drive is switched off or blocked at a value below a predetermined load limit when said predetermined load limit is exceeded. The aim of the invention is to provide a method with which the adjusting device is subjected to as little loads as possible under all operating conditions. To this end, state variables of the motor drive are continuously detected and the load actually generated by the motor drive is determined from said state variables on the basis of a mathematical model of the drive.
US08818633B2
There is provided a steering apparatus that includes a steering member that is provided in a vehicle and that is capable of being turned so as to steer the vehicle; and a determination device configured to determine that a kickback state is present if an operation point determined according to the steering angle of the steering member and the steering torque that acts on the steering member is outside a criterion region that is determined beforehand. The steering apparatus and the kickback determination device are able to properly cope with the kickback.
US08818623B2
A system for providing image information while interworking with a plurality of photographing apparatuses converts each of at least one image transmitted from the plurality of photographing apparatuses into a frame, and inserts the coordinates of the intersection into the converted frame. Next, the system determines whether a vehicle enters the intersection based on the frame into which the coordinates of the intersection are inserted, the current travelling direction of the vehicle, and the current position coordinates of the vehicle. The system extracts image information of the road intersecting at the frame corresponding to each of at least one image, when the vehicle enters the vehicle, and provides the extracted image information to the user through a terminal in the vehicle.
US08818614B1
A personal event data recorder (PEDR) is provided. The PEDR may be integrated within a mobile communications device or may be provided as a separate add-on device operatively linked to the mobile communications device. The PEDR is configured to activate a number of sensors based upon an event trigger and monitor and record event data from the sensors. The PEDR is further configured to store the recorded event data in one of a memory and a network database. The PEDR may also be utilized with a secondary sensor system such as, but not limited to, a vehicle sensor system or a security sensor system.
US08818613B2
An application for a communications and processing device includes a computer program embedded on a non-transitory, tangible medium. The computer program includes computer readable code for establishing respective connections between the communications and processing device and a telematics unit of a vehicle, an information system of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and an information system of a dealer associated with the OEM. The application further includes computer readable code for at least i) tailoring at least one vehicle system of the vehicle with user-selected preferences, ii) tailoring a user account associated with the vehicle, and iii) providing information pertaining to the vehicle or to a program associated with the vehicle.
US08818612B2
A diagnostic connector module for a vehicle includes an electronic communication module and a housing enclosing the electronic communication module. The housing has integrated connectors electrically connected to the electronic communication module. The integrated connectors include a diagnostic service connector for connection with an external diagnostic scan tool and a vehicle bus connector connectable to a vehicle bus. The diagnostic service connector has a plurality of female pin-receptors electrically connected to the electronic communication module, and the vehicle bus connector has a plurality of terminals electrically connected to the electronic communication module. A vehicle diagnostic system including the diagnostic connector module is also provided.
US08818611B2
A starting system for an internal combustion engine includes a starter motor and a battery. A method for evaluating the starting system includes detecting a fault associated with the starter motor when a minimum starting system voltage during a cranking event is greater than a threshold minimum starting system voltage determined in relation to an engine acceleration parameter, and detecting a fault associated with the battery when the engine acceleration parameter is less than a minimum threshold for the engine acceleration parameter.
US08818610B1
Autonomous vehicles use various computing systems to transport passengers from one location to another. A control computer sends messages to the various systems of the vehicle in order to maneuver the vehicle safely to the destination. The control computer may display information on an electronic display in order to allow the passenger to understand what actions the vehicle may be taking in the immediate future. Various icons and images may be used to provide this information to the passenger.
US08818608B2
Aspects of the present disclosure relate switching between autonomous and manual driving modes. In order to do so, the vehicle's computer may conduct a series of environmental, system, and driver checks to identify certain conditions. The computer may correct some of these conditions and also provide a driver with a checklist of tasks for completion. Once the tasks have been completed and the conditions are changed, the computer may allow the driver to switch from the manual to the autonomous driving mode. The computer may also make a determination, under certain conditions, that it would be detrimental to the driver's safety or comfort to make a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode.
US08818607B2
An automated storage system for storing a plurality of objects in storage locations, the automated storage system comprising a master control computer, a guidance network, a plurality of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) each having an onboard microprocessor and a receiver for receiving control commands from the master control computer, and a plurality of trays for engagement with the plurality of AGVs for transportation and storage of the objects.
US08818605B2
A navigation information providing device recognizes traveling status information of a vehicle senses a behavioral state or physiological state of a driver to recognize the driver's situation information and sets a rule including a form and a time for navigation information to be provided to the driver per traveling status information and driver's situation information. The navigation information providing device searches navigation information that corresponds to the driver's situation information and the vehicle's traveling status information, determines the form and time of navigation information to satisfy the rule, and provides navigation information to the driver according to the determined form and time.
US08818603B2
A vehicle includes a first electric storage device for supplying an electric power to an electric rotating machine, a second electric storage device with a lower voltage than the first electric storage device for supplying an electric power to an electric component, a converter, and a control unit. The control unit controls the converter such that a voltage of a electric power supplied from the first electric storage device to the second electric storage device becomes equal to a target voltage. Further, the control unit sets the target voltage to a first voltage if a system stop period for a system of the vehicle is longer than a first period, and sets the target voltage to a second voltage, which is lower than the first voltage, if the system stop period is equal to or shorter than the first period.
US08818600B2
Systems and methods for improving operation of a hybrid vehicle are presented. In one example, an engine may be operated at an idle speed while a driveline disconnect clutch separating the engine from a driveline is open in response to a reduction in driver demand torque. Engine torque may be applied to the driveline by simply closing the driveline disconnect clutch.
US08818594B2
A method is provided for operating a hybrid vehicle (1) having an internal combustion engine (2), an electric machine (4) and having a regenerable filter device that absorbs fuel vapors from a fuel tank of the internal combustion engine. To improve the reproducible operation of a hybrid vehicle with an internal combustion engine and an electric machine, in a purely electric driving mode in which the hybrid vehicle (1) is driven only by the electric machine (4), the regenerable filter device is rinsed by switching on the internal combustion engine (2) with a scavenging strategy that is dependent on the velocity of the hybrid vehicle (1).
US08818589B2
Location information may be used to adjust the engine start/stop characteristics of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in order to increase the amount of electric vehicle (EV) mode driving, particularly near a destination in which an ignition-off event may occur. Common ignition-off locations may be learned and stored in a database along with the number of ignition-off occurrences associated with each learned location. The vehicle may calculate current distance to a nearest ignition-off location stored in the database using positioning system coordinates and may determine whether to adjust one or more engine pull-ups based at least in part on the distance and the corresponding number of ignition-off occurrences.
US08818587B1
Methods and systems are for controlling movement of at least one propulsion unit on a marine vessel. The method comprises plotting a first plurality of points representing a first surface of a first propulsion unit and plotting a second plurality of points representing a second surface. The method further comprises limiting movement of at least the first propulsion unit such that the first surface does not come within a predetermined distance of the second surface during said movement.
US08818584B2
A system includes an interface module, a simulation module, and a resolution module. The interface module determines a captured state of vehicles traveling in a transportation network according to associated schedules and a proposed modification to the schedules. The captured state represents locations of the vehicles in the transportation network at a selected time. The simulation module simulates movement of the vehicles according to the proposed modification to the schedules. The movement of the vehicles is simulated from the selected time of the captured state of the vehicles. The resolution module determines potential ramifications from the movement of the vehicles that is simulated. The potential ramifications are representative of a simulated change in travel of the vehicles due to the proposed modification. The resolution module is further configured to use the potential ramifications for use in determining whether to implement the proposed modification in actual travel of the vehicles.
US08818581B2
A method is described that includes performing a), b) and c) below with an electronic control unit of a parafoil: a) after being dropped from an airborne vehicle, wirelessly receiving the parafoil's desired landing location; b) determining a flight path for the parafoil that lands at the desired landing location; and, c) controlling the parafoil's flight path consistently with the determined flight path.
US08818580B2
The dialog device includes a display screen, on which are displayed three graphic representations, which are respectively associated with the three control axes of the aircraft, each of said graphic representations comprising a plurality of portions, each of which is associated with a guidance mode of the associated control axis, so that all the possible guidance modes of the guidance system are thus represented, this representation highlighting the fact that the guidance modes are active exclusively on a given guidance axis.
US08818575B2
A multi-axis serially redundant, single channel, multi-path fly-by-wire control system comprising: serially redundant flight control computers in a single channel where only one “primary” flight control computer is active and controlling at any given time; a matrix of parallel flight control surface controllers including stabilizer motor control units (SMCU) and actuator electronics control modules (AECM) define multiple control paths within the single channel, each implemented with dissimilar hardware and which each control the movement of a distributed set of flight control surfaces on the aircraft in response to flight control surface commands of the primary flight control computer; and a set of (pilot and co-pilot) controls and aircraft surface/reference/navigation sensors and systems which provide input to a primary flight control computer and are used to generate the flight control surface commands to control the aircraft in flight in accordance with the control law algorithms implemented in the flight control computers.
US08818572B1
The method and system may be used to control the movement of a remote aerial device in an incremental step manner during a close inspection of an object or other subject matter. At the inspection location, a control module “stabilizes” the remote aerial device in a maintained, consistent hover while maintaining a close distance to the desired object. The control module may retrieve proximal sensor data that indicates possible nearby obstructions to the remote aerial device and may transmit the data to a remote control client. The remote control module may determine and display the possible one or more non-obstructed directions that the remote aerial device is capable of moving by an incremental distance. In response to receiving a selection of one of the directions, the remote control module may transmit the selection to the remote aerial device to indicate the next movement for the remote aerial device.
US08818567B2
The illustrative embodiments provide a method for processing sensor data and controlling the movement of a vehicle. An operating environment around the vehicle is identified and sensor data is selected from a set of sensors. A dynamic condition is identified using a plurality of different types of sensors on the vehicle. In response to the dynamic condition being identified, the movement of the vehicle is controlled. Sensor data for a plurality of vehicles is managed by receiving sensor data at the plurality of vehicles, each with a plurality of sensors. In response to a selected vehicle within the plurality of vehicles being unable to obtain needed sensor data, collected sensor data from a number of other vehicles in the plurality of vehicles can be obtained to form alternate sensor data used to control the vehicle.
US08818566B2
An energy management system and method for one or more appliances includes a controller for managing power consumption within a household. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of one or more energy parameters of an associated energy supplying utility, including at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period. The controller is configured to at least one of communicate to, control and operate one or more appliances in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal. The one or more appliances operate in the normal operating mode during the off-peak demand period and operate in the energy savings mode during the peak demand period. The controller is configured to control the return of the one or more appliances to the normal operating mode after the peak demand period is over to prevent an energy surge for the associated energy supplying utility.
US08818564B2
In various embodiments, a surgical console may include a pneumatic valve to drive a pneumatic tool coupled to the surgical console. The console may further include a controller operable to control and adjust the valve open/close cycle times according to a valve duty cycle. The valve may switch between ports (valve open time for a first port and valve close time for a second port) such that a total valve time may approximately equal the valve open time plus the valve close time. The valve duty cycle may indicate a percentage of the total valve time for the controller to signal the valve to open and may include an adjustment that corresponds to a signal timing of the open and/or closed valve positions that will result in open and closed operating pressures above a predetermined threshold.
US08818559B2
A robot apparatus includes a robot mechanism having a plurality of joints, and actuators that drive joint axes of the robot mechanism. The robot apparatus includes a robot controller that controls the driving of the actuators based on a cost function that is a function of torque reference inputs for the actuators.
US08818555B2
An apparatus, method and computer-readable medium planning a path of a robot by planning an optimal path while satisfying a dynamic constraint. In a process of searching for a motion path from a start point to a goal point while extending a tree from a start point of a configuration space to generate a path, along which a manipulator of the robot is moved in order to perform a task, an optimal path is generated responsive to the dynamic constraint of the manipulator of the robot to generate stable motion satisfying momentum and Zero Moment Position (ZMP) constraint. Accordingly, path planning performance is improved and a path satisfying a kinematic constraint and a dynamic constraint is rapidly obtained.
US08818553B2
Disclosed is a robot control device including a means for determining control inputs classified by state quantity for achieving respective target values of a plurality of types of state quantities of a robot, and a means for determining a synthesized control input by synthesizing control inputs classified by frequency region while determining control inputs classified by frequency region in a plurality of respective frequency regions, according to control inputs classified by state quantity. The means determines a control input classified by frequency region corresponding to any one of the frequency regions by synthesizing the plurality of control inputs classified by state quantity in a mutually non-interfering manner. The operation of the robot is controlled so that, under a variety of operating conditions of the robot, a plurality of types of state quantities are efficiently controlled to target values which correspond to the respective types of state quantities.
US08818552B2
A medication dispenser is provided, comprising a securable container configured to store one or more doses of one or more medications and an access device configured to selectably permit access to the one or more doses. The medication dispenser further comprises an electronic interface configured to acquire user input from a user, and a processor configured to compare the user input to a database, to select, responsive to the comparing, an appropriate dose from the one or more doses, and to permit access through the access device to the appropriate dose. A method for dispensing medication is provided, comprising the steps of locating a medication dispenser at a point-of-care, acquiring user input from a user at the point-of-care, comparing the user input to a database, selecting, responsive to the comparing, an appropriate dose from the one or more doses, and permitting access through the access device to the appropriate dose.
US08818546B2
A multi-needle sewing machine includes an assigning unit that assigns thread color data to each pattern-by-color portion. The assigning unit is configured to determine, for each pattern-by-color portion, whether or not the user's designation of the pattern-by-color portion has been received. When the user's designation for the pattern-by-color portion has been received, the assigning unit is configured to assign the user's designation as thread color data for the pattern-by-color portion. When the user's designation for the pattern-by-color portion has not been received, the assigning unit is configured to randomly extract and assign a non-overlapping color as thread color data for the pattern-by-color portion from the data of a plurality of thread colors stored in the spool color storage unit. The machine is configured to execute sewing of the embroidery pattern for the pattern-by-color portion based on the thread color data assigned by the assigning unit.
US08818538B2
Audio data are played back by a personal computer a relationship with a playback process recognized easily. Displays showing the contents of play lists are arranged and displayed so that the contents become continuous in sequence in a playback sequence from content that is currently being played back from a display of an operation element that causes an image of a playback process to appear or from a display showing the content which is currently being played back. When the playback of one piece of content of one play list from among a plurality of play lists is terminated and one piece of content of an other play list is played back, at least the content that is currently being played back and content to be subsequently played back are displayed so that the contents can be distinguished.
US08818537B2
A crosspoint matrix for digital signal routing and control, the matrix realized by software code includes a plurality of configurable inputs adapted to accept one or more input signals; a plurality of configurable outputs connected via signal paths to the inputs; and a plurality of variable gain control circuits described by code at each signal path intersection for enabling signal strength level adjustment. In a preferred embodiment, the matrix is a software interface inserted between a sound editing application and a sound card.
US08818534B2
An electronic apparatus includes a first member, a second member with a first point and a second point, a processing unit, and a drive device. The drive device pivotably connects the second member to the first member. The processing unit calculates a first distance between the first point and a third point and a second distance between the second point and the third point. The processing unit controls the drive device to rotate the second member relative to the first member according to the first distance and the second distance, thus the line defined by the third point and a middle point between the first point and the second point is perpendicular to the line defined by the first point and the second point.
US08818531B2
Disclosed is a method for controlling a plurality of machines. The method includes identifying a first prerequisite operating condition for a first machine in the plurality of machines, the first machine having at least one control unit and configured to perform at least a first operation, obtaining at least one current operating condition corresponding to a second machine in the plurality of machines and if the at least one current operating condition meets the first prerequisite operating condition, performing the first operation.
US08818529B2
A release liner for electrode pads is described which enables the pads to be used with defibrillators requiring the electrodes to be electrically interconnected for self-test prior to use, and with defibrillators which do not require the electrodes to be electrically interconnected. In one example this variation is afforded by folding the release liner one way to electrically connect conductive layers underlying two attached electrodes. In another example this variation is afforded by leaving the conductive layers electrically connected or breaking the connection.
US08818516B2
A therapeutic stimulator, e.g., a spinal neurostimulator for pain relief, adapts stimulation delivered to the patient in dependence on measurements of patient orientation (e.g., from a three-axis accelerometer), and also on impedance measurements from leads situated within or upon the patient's body (e.g., from electrodes on neurostimulation leads extending alongside the spine). Since the impedance measurements can provide additional data regarding body positioning, as well as providing data regarding electrode status (such as lead migration, electrode encapsulation, etc.), use of the impedance measurements can provide more refined (and more appropriate) control of delivered stimulation.
US08818513B2
An embodiment of a baroreflex stimulator comprises a pulse generator to provide a baroreflex stimulation signal through an electrode, and a modulator to modulate the baroreflex stimulation signal based on a circadian rhythm template. According to an embodiment of a method for operating an implantable medical device, comprising a baroreflex stimulation therapy is applied at a stimulation intensity using a baroreflex stimulator in the implantable medical device, and the baroreflex stimulation therapy is modulated based on a circadian rhythm template stored within the implantable medical device. Modulating the baroreflex stimulation therapy includes using the circadian rhythm template to change the stimulation intensity to mimic natural blood pressure fluctuations during the day.
US08818510B2
A coupled/paired stimulus pulse is delivered to the heart at an inter-pulse interval following one of i) detection of an intrinsic depolarization or ii) delivery of a primary stimulus pulse. Capture resulting from the coupled/paired stimulus pulse is sensed for. In response to capture by a coupled/paired stimulus pulse, the inter-pulse interval is incrementally decreased by a first amount until there is no capture by a coupled/paired stimulus pulse. In response to no capture by a coupled/paired stimulus pulse, the inter-pulse interval is incrementally increased by a second amount greater than the first amount, until capture by a coupled/paired stimulus pulse is detected. Once capture is again detected, paired/coupled pacing is delivered at the inter-pulse interval which resulted in capture for a predetermined period of time or until loss of capture occurs.
US08818508B2
The present disclosure is directed to a method of using an implantable medical device. One embodiment of the present disclosure comprises delivering electrical stimulation proximate nerve tissue of a patient during a transient physiological effect period separated by a recovery period. The transient physiological effect period is when electrical stimulation has an increased level of efficacy and the recovery period is when additional electrical stimulation does not provide a beneficial physiological effect to the patient.
US08818507B2
A system and method for estimating a hemodynamic performance parameter value of a patient's heart. The system includes a pulse generator and a medical electrical lead implanted partially within a coronary vein of the heart. The lead includes at least one sensor located within the coronary vein configured to generate a signal indicative of at least one dimensional parameter of the coronary vein. Changes in the dimensional parameter during one or more cardiac cycles are measured. The hemodynamic performance parameter is estimated based on the change in the dimensional parameter of the coronary vein.
US08818499B2
A body fat measurement device includes hand electrodes that contact both hands, back area electrodes that contact the surface of a trunk area of the back, foot electrodes that contact both feet, a trunk area width detection unit for measuring the width and depth of the trunk area, a body impedance measurement unit that measures the body impedance of a body using the multiple electrodes and a body fat mass calculation unit that calculates a body fat mass based on the body impedance and the width and depth of the trunk area. The back area electrodes that make contact with the surface of the back of the trunk area are provided in a fitting unit in an exposed state, as well as the trunk area width detection unit. Accordingly, a body fat measurement device can measure a body fat mass easily and accurately in a household or the like.
US08818494B2
A system for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection includes an interface for receiving signal data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over multiple heart beat cycles. A filter extracts first signal component data in a first selected bandwidth and first heart cycle portion of the received signal data and second signal component data in a different second selected bandwidth and second heart cycle portion of the received signal data. A signal processor uses the received signal data in calculating a ratio of a first value derived from the first signal component data to a second value derived from the second signal component data. A patient monitor in response to the calculated ratio or value derived from the calculated ratio, generates an alert message associated with the threshold.
US08818488B2
An integrated magnetic resonance (MR) and positron emission tomography (PET) system includes an MR scanner including a magnet that defines an opening in which a subject is positioned, a set of PET detectors disposed between the magnet and the opening, and a plurality of data processing units, each data processing unit being configured for communication with a respective one or more of the PET detectors of the set of PET detectors. The plurality of data processing units are positioned along a side of the MR scanner not having the opening.
US08818484B2
This invention is directed to methods of predicting bone or joint disease in a subject. The invention is also directed to methods of determining the effect of a candidate agent on any subject's risk of developing bone or joint disease.
US08818480B2
A biological information detection device includes a main body portion, a heartbeat detection portion, formed integrally with the main body portion, which has electrodes that come into contact with a biological surface, and a fixing band, detachably provided to the main body portion, which mounts the main body portion and the heartbeat detection portion to a user. A sealing portion for securing sealing of an electrical connection portion is provided in the periphery of the electrical connection portion that electrically connects the main body portion to the electrodes of the heartbeat detection portion.
US08818479B2
A biological information detection device has a main body portion, a biological signal detection portion formed integrally with the main body portion, a mounting portion for detachably mounting the main body portion and the biological signal detection portion to a human body, and an engagement portion for detachably mounting the main body portion to the mounting portion. The biological signal detection portion has electrodes configured to be brought into contact with a biological surface of the human body. The engagement portion includes first connecting members protruding from respective opposite sides of the main body portions at positions corresponding to the electrodes, and second connecting members extending from respective end portions of the mounting portion for detachable engagement with the respective first connecting members.
US08818474B2
A sensor has codes useful for a monitor which can be authenticated as accurate. The sensor produces a signal corresponding to a measured physiological characteristic and provides codes which can be assured of being accurate and authentic when used by a monitor. A memory associated with the sensor stores both data relating to the sensor and a digital signature. The digital signature authenticates the quality of the code by ensuring it was generated by an entity having predetermined quality controls, and ensure the code is accurate.
US08818470B2
A mobile communication device including a system ground plane, an antenna, a signal distributor, a transceiver and a sensing controller is provided. The antenna converts an electromagnetic wave to a radio-frequency signal. Besides, the antenna and the system ground plane form a sensing capacitor to detect an object and generate a detecting signal accordingly. The signal distributor is electrically connected to the antenna through a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal and guides the radio-frequency signal and the detecting signal from the antenna to a third connection terminal and a fourth connection terminal. The transceiver is electrically connected to the third connection terminal and processes the radio-frequency signal. The sensing controller is electrically connected to the fourth connection terminal and determines whether the object exists around the antenna according to the sensing signal.
US08818466B2
A system and method for communicating home information. An earpiece is linked with a router for wireless communications. The earpiece is alerted of incoming communications through a wire telephone in communication with the router. The earpiece is connected to the wire telephone for enabling voice communications in response to user input to accept a call. A status of one or more appliances in communication with the router is received.
US08818465B1
A holder for connecting a mobile phone to the seatbelt of a vehicle includes a front side which receives the mobile phone, and a back side which connects the holder to the seatbelt. The front side includes a mobile phone retainer which holds the mobile phone in the holder. The back side includes a seatbelt connector for connecting the holder to the seatbelt. The connector includes two seatbelt retainers which are shaped and dimensioned to receive the seatbelt. The holder also includes friction enhancing members which keep the holder at a desired position on the seatbelt.
US08818460B2
A mobile terminal including a first wireless communication module; a second wireless communication module; a display unit configured to display an activated screen of a specific application when the specific application is activated; a memory configured to store a control value indicating which specific wireless communication module among the first and second wireless communication modules is to be used when the specific application is activated; and a controller configured to receive an activation signal indicating an activation of the specific application, automatically activate the specific wireless communication module designated by the control value stored in the memory when the specific application is activated, and deactivate the specific wireless communication module, when the specific application is deactivated.
US08818459B2
A hands-free device disposed in a vehicle identifies a speech direction of an outgoing voice when a hands-free call operation is received. The device extracts callee information from the outgoing voice provided by an occupant to identify a portable communication terminal. In particular, the portable communication terminal is identified when the callee information extracted is registered in a telephone book data of the portable communication terminal. When the speech direction of the outgoing voice is identified as a driver side, the portable communication terminal identified is linked to the driver as a driver-linked terminal. Accordingly, a call being received by a portable communication terminal that is linked to the driver is performed as a hands-free call, whereas a call being received by a portable communication terminal not linked to the driver is not performed as a hands-free call.
US08818454B2
A method for providing a multi-screen service is provided. The method includes transmitting, by a remote control device, a control signal to a cradling stand, receiving, by a mobile phone, the control signal from the remote control device via the cradling stand, and in response to the control signal, transmitting screen information to an external display device via the cradling stand, wherein the mobile phone is to transmit call information to the external display device via the cradling stand if a call is received.
US08818453B1
A cellular modem device that is integrated with a proprietary dock connector of a mobile device, such as the proprietary 30 pin dock connector of an iPod Touch or iPad, permits the mobile device to connect for Internet access to the associated cellular carrier. The device is usable in circumstances where the mobile device does not contain internal cellular modem circuitry, and/or the device is unable to use WiFi-based Internet and/or the device's internal cellular circuits are out of range of cellular service of the carrier for which those circuits are designed, and/or the internal cellular circuits are not activated on the associated cellular network.
US08818443B2
A femtocell base station collects the terminal distribution within the cell and selects terminals to represent the cell-center and the cell-edge from among the terminals within the cell. The femtocell base station also calculates maximum transmit power for the respective the cell-center and cell-edge terminals allowable by the macrocell base station. The femtocell base station sets the respective transmit power of the cell-center and the cell-edge in a range that will not exceed the maximum transmit power, adjusts the transmit power control parameter to allow control by the terminal at the power value that was set, and notifies the terminal. Communication with high throughput can in this way be attained for terminals in cells within the femtocell base station during uplink communications to the femtocell base station, and interference applied to the terminals in the macrocell base station can be suppressed.
US08818439B2
A computer-executed method for managing a group of entities includes receiving an indication from a first user indicating a desire to add members to the group based on proximity to a target, such as a point of interest (POI) or a location of a person. The method also includes sending an invitation to a prospective group member based on a location of the prospective group member during a time window associated with the target. In response to the invitation, an indication is received from the prospective group member as to whether the prospective group member desires to join the group.
US08818436B2
A resource mapping method is provided, in which a wireless communication system maps subcarriers to resource units through external permutation and internal permutation, the external permutation comprises: performing the first permutation on n physical resource units in every N1 physical resource units, orderly selecting n1×N1 physical resource units from the n physical resource units obtained from the first permutation, and then performing the second permutation on the remaining n−n1×N1 physical resource units in every N2 physical resource units, wherein n, N1, and N2 are all integers greater than or equal to 1, and N1 is not equal to N2, and n1 is an integer greater than or equal to 0. Frequency selectivity gain and frequency diversity gain may be achieved through the present invention by enabling a base station to select a proper resource scheduling granularity and resource unit types, thereby improving the spectrum efficiency of the future wireless communication system.
US08818425B1
Apparatus having corresponding methods and computer-readable media comprise: a paging module configured to provide paging parameters for a mobile station, wherein the paging parameters include i) a paging listening interval length Lp for each paging listening interval, ii) a paging cycle period Pp, and iii) a paging cycle offset Qp; and a sleep module configured to determine sleep parameters for the mobile station based on the paging parameters, wherein the sleep parameters include i) a wakeup interval length Ls for each wakeup interval, ii) a sleep cycle period Ps, and iii) a sleep cycle offset Qs; and wherein the sleep module is further configured to determine the sleep parameters such that each paging listening interval overlaps one of the wakeup intervals.
US08818411B2
Methods, program products, and systems of location estimation using a probability density function are disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a server can estimate an effective altitude of a wireless access gateway using harvested data. The server can harvest location data from multiple mobile devices. The harvested data can include a location of each mobile device and an identifier of a wireless access gateway that is located within a communication range of the mobile device. The server can calculate an effective altitude of the wireless access gateway using a probability density function of the harvested data. The probability density function can be a sufficient statistic of the received set of location coordinates for calculating an effective altitude of the wireless access gateway. The server can send the effective altitude of the wireless access gateway to other mobile devices for estimating altitudes of the other mobile devices.
US08818405B2
According to various embodiments, a first electronic device may be configured to communicate wirelessly with a second electronic device. If the devices become separated, then various steps may be taken to avoid or to mitigate the loss of one of the devices.
US08818404B2
System(s) and method(s) are provided for collection and communication of data on handset attachment procedure, or visitation, to one or more femto cells to provide location information. A mobility component receives actual subscriber and femto access point (AP) attachment signaling and extracts visitation data that facilitates generation of real-time or historical visitation reports. Location information is conveyed through visitation reports which can include mobile device identifier(s), femto AP location, and a timestamp. Visitation reports also can include processed visitation data such as mobility matrices, historical mobility patterns or profiles, and predicted mobility events. Provision of location information occurs without the need for dedicated handset functionality, and associated hardware, or additional battery draw.
US08818400B2
An apparatus, method and computer program, the apparatus, comprising: receiver circuitry configured to receive first position reference data from a remote location, the first position reference data relating to a first geographical area and being for assisting the apparatus to determine a position of the apparatus within the first geographical area, using wireless signals received at the apparatus; collection circuitry configured to collect second position reference data, the second position reference data being for modification of the first position reference data, at a remote location; positioning circuitry configured to determine a position of the apparatus, the position being within the first geographical area; transmitter circuitry configured to transmit collected second position reference data; and processing circuitry configured, in dependence upon the determined position of the apparatus and the first position reference data, to selectively control transmission of collected second position reference data by the transmitter circuitry.
US08818397B2
The present invention relates to a Mobile Ad Hoc Network that possesses sufficient intelligence to handle a collection of devices that differ in terms of features either inherent to the device or the environment in which they operate. The different features inherent to the device may consist of different hardware and software technologies (e.g., combination of RF for transmission ability, processing ability, power supply, and interfaces). The different features of the environment may consist of any telemetry data measuring the state of the environment, as well as information regarding the MANet such as the density of devices in the vicinity of a device. Various applications are considered.
US08818394B2
In an embodiment, a mobile radio communication device is provided. The mobile radio communication device may include a mobile radio communication protocol circuit configured to provide a mobile radio base station function for a mobile radio communication with another mobile radio communication device, a network control interface circuit configured to receive communication control signals from a mobile radio network circuit being controlled by a mobile radio network operator to control the mobile radio communication protocol circuit, and a trusted processing circuit configured to process a computer program in a trusted processing environment to provide a trusted processing result, wherein the trusted processing circuit is outside of the mobile radio network operator's domain.
US08818392B2
A system, and computer program product for mobile data transmission are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A request for data is received from a mobile device. A determination is made whether a data transmission over a mobile data communication network in response to the request can be delayed, forming a time-shifting determination. A determination is made, responsive to the time-shifting determination being affirmative, a delayed schedule for the data transmission in response to the request such that the data transmission is completed by a deadline. The data is transmitted over the mobile data communication network according to the delayed schedule.
US08818391B2
A wireless communication system with femtocells and a method for mitigating inter-cell interference in the wireless communication system are provided. The interference control method includes notifying a mobile station of entry to a home cell, when the mobile station enters a macrocell including a femto base station with which the mobile station is registered, transmitting, by the mobile station, a femtocell driving control message to the femto base station at a predetermined transmission power, when the mobile station enters a femtocell of the femto base station, and switching on, by the femto base station, a transmitter, when the femtocell driving control message is received.
US08818389B2
Apparatus and methods of determining a connection quality between a communication device and a communications network comprise receiving from the communication device at least one of a communication device processor-generated event code and a corresponding communication device processor-generated event data based on execution of a predetermined connection quality configuration by the communication device. The processor-generated event code and the processor-generated event data correspond to connection quality aspects of a communication between the communication device and the communications network. Additionally, this aspect of the method further comprises generating a connection quality characteristic associated with the communication according to analysis of at least one of the processor-generated event code and the processor-generated event data by a connection quality state machine, and storing the generated connection quality characteristic corresponding to the communication.
US08818386B2
A method is provided for channel modification within a macro cell of a cellular mobile radio access network. The method includes the steps of: providing a first control channel signal transmitted by a first transmitter, wherein the macro cell comprises the first transmitter and the macro cell overlaps at least partly with a radio coverage area created by a second transmitter; and providing a second control channel signal transmitted by the second transmitter, wherein the second control channel signal is transmitted using a same physical layer configuration as the first control channel signal. The second control channel signal is synchronized to the first control channel signal. The second control channel signal includes a duplication of the first control channel signal. The second control channel signal differs from the first control channel signal in at least one information element carried by the first control channel signal.
US08818372B2
A wireless base station that solves a problem in which both the suppression of a power consumption of a wireless base station and the reduction of the period that a mobile terminal takes to identify a cell cannot be satisfied at a time is provided. Determination section 101 determines whether or not a mobile terminal is present in a cell that wireless base station 10a manages. If determination section 101 determines that a mobile terminal is present, control section 102 sets wireless base station 10a for a first transmission repetition as a transmission repetition of a pilot signal; if determination section 101 determines that no mobile terminal is present, control section 102 sets wireless base station 10a for a second transmission repetition lower than the first transmission repetition as a transmission repetition of the pilot signal.
US08818359B2
A mobile station (MS) is provided that includes one or more memory devices that maintain a RAT preference rule and that include a removable memory device (RMD) that maintains a data file that includes a prioritized listing of one or more PLMN/RAT combinations. The MS detects a RAT and a PLMN broadcasting on that RAT and determines a type of the RMD. When the RMD is a type that would maintain information on the detected RAT, the MS determines a priority of the detected PLMN/RAT combination relative to other PLMN/RAT combinations based solely on the prioritizations included in the data file. When the RMD is a type that would not maintain information on the detected RAT, the MS determines a priority of the detected PLMN and RAT relative to other PLMN/RAT combinations based on the RAT preference rule in conjunction with the listing of PLMN/RAT combinations in the data file.
US08818358B2
A method for providing telematics to a vehicle includes providing a user-removable telematics component with a GPS device, a data pump, a short range wireless personal area network (e.g., Bluetooth) transceiver, and a user interface. The telematics component connects to an integrated communication device of the vehicle having a transceiver and a memory storing a list including a number of a currently paired mobile communication device. In response to a request for assistance, the user interface receives the request and the data pump receives at least the number. An assistance request is transmitted out from the telematics component utilizing a data pump communications path, the request including the number. An off-site telematics provider receives the request for assistance and a communication link between the off-site telematics provider and the at least one currently paired mobile communication device is opened.
US08818356B2
A network comprising a component configured to update an active set (AS) of cells based on a collective consideration of a plurality of cell measurement reports received during radio reconfiguration. Also included is a user equipment (UE), comprising a component configured such that the UE combines a plurality of cell measurement reports triggered briefly before and/or during radio reconfiguration, the combined measurement report used to update an AS of cells. Also included is a method comprising transmitting a radio bearer reconfiguration message, receiving a plurality of cell measurement reports, receiving a radio bearer reconfiguration complete message, and updating a plurality of AS cells using the combined cell measurement reports. Also included is a method comprising receiving a radio bearer reconfiguration message, obtaining a plurality of cell measurement reports, and sending a combined cell measurement report based on the cell measurement reports.
US08818351B1
A method and apparatus is provided for minimizing potential security problems and battery power usage in a tracking device used in tracking an associated product while being transported along a route wherein wireless communication may be nonexistent or intermittent. This is accomplished in part by having an accessible database of signal quality and strength at a large plurality of locations along given transportation routes whereby adjustments can be made as to the times for the tracking device to obtain GPS location information as well as for times to report any location and or product status data to a remotely located central station. The ability to predict when, along a transportation route communication problems may occur provides the opportunity to notify appropriate authorities in advance of arriving at the communication gap zones whereby arrangements can be made to alleviate potential problems during transportation through wireless communication “gap or dead” zones.
US08818348B1
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for selectively enabling and disabling secondary-band radios via primary-band signaling. In one embodiment, at least one RAN entity provides service to a multi-band-capable access terminal that comprises a first radio arranged to communicate over a first radio band and a second radio arranged to communicate over a second radio band, wherein the access terminal is arranged to prefer the first radio band to the second. The at least one RAN entity makes a secondary-radio-disabling determination, which includes determining that the access terminal is located in a vicinity of a particular set of one or more base stations that operate on the second radio band. Responsive to making the secondary-radio-disabling determination, the at least one RAN entity sends to the first radio over the first radio band a command that the multi-band-capable access terminal disable the second radio.
US08818344B2
A method and system for collecting and verifying the location information of a calling party and a device of the calling party is provided. More specifically, a method and system is provided for determining whether the identity of the calling party can be confirmed, via evaluating location information, with an acceptable degree of certainty. The location information may be provided by the calling party or obtained from various sources over a digital communication channel. Some of the provided location information which can be accidentally or intentionally altered is identified and evaluated to determine its accuracy as part of the verification process of the caller's identity.
US08818342B2
An apparatus and a method for providing a call taxi service based on D2D communication are provided. When a user terminal executes a call taxi service, a call taxi service request is transferred to a terminal from at least one taxi located in a neighboring area of the user terminal, and then the user terminal directly selects one taxi or one taxi is selected through a competition between taxis. As a result, a process of providing the call to the selected taxi. Accordingly, the user has an advantage of using a quick call taxi service without going through a separate call center.
US08818334B2
Systems and methods for authenticating authorized users of electronic communication devices, such mobile communication devices, for a secure data exchange between the devices. The authentication of authorized users include multiple levels of user authentication wherein identity profiles of the users are exchanged for user authentication based on identity information obtained or observed from the users.
US08818323B2
A method for supporting an emergency call in a mobile communication system is provided, which comprises the steps of: receiving, at a radio resource management entity, a message from a UE indicating that there is an emergency call; setup a RRC connection between the UE and the radio resource management entity; transmitting, by the radio resource management entity, a message to its upper-layer node, the message containing an emergency service indication; and establishing, by the upper-layer node of the radio resource management entity, the emergency call for the UE. With the method for supporting an emergency service in a mobile communication system provided in the present invention, the access failure of an emergency service can be reduced, and the access speed of the emergency service can be increased.
US08818322B2
A technique for implementing an untethered access point (UAP) mesh involves enabling AP-local switching at one or more UAPs of the mesh. A system constructed according to the technique may include a wireless switch; an access point (AP) wire-coupled to the wireless switch; and a UAP mesh, wirelessly coupled to the AP, including a UAP with an AP-local switching engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. Another system constructed according to the technique may include an untethered access point (UAP), including: a radio; a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) stored in a computer-readable medium; an anchor access point (AAP) selection engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. In operation, the AAP selection engine may use the radio to attempt to associate with the AAP if a beaconed backhaul SSID matches the stored backhaul SSID. A method according to the technique may include beaconing with a backhaul SSID; acting in concert with an upstream switch as an authenticator for a downstream station that responds to the beacon; providing limited local switching functionality for the downstream station.
US08818315B2
Signal quality of a composite received signal in a radio communication network is optimized by adjusting a phase offset between received and/or transmitted signals based on signal quality parameters of the received and/or transmitted signals. The phase offset is adjusted by varying the phase offset between the received or transmitted signals such that that the composite signal is circularly, elliptically, or linearly polarized. The phase offset between the received or transmitted signals is continually adjusted based on the received signal quality parameters.
US08818314B2
A wireless receiver for UWB or other format receives a useful signal in a particular band of frequencies in spite of interference components. The wireless receiver has two or more different types of tunable band reject filter, involves detecting interference in the received signal, and selecting which of the different types of filter to use according to thresholds of parameters of the detected interference. The filter is then tuned according to the detected interference and the useful signal is then received with the interference suppressed using the selected BRF. As the different types of filters have different drawbacks and benefits, by having multiple types, and selecting which to use according to the detected interference, the filtering can be better matched to the detected interference, or the drawbacks can be reduced for example.
US08818313B2
The present invention relates to the field of communication technologies and discloses a method and an apparatus for auto gain control (AGC) in a radio receiver, which can ensure that a radio frequency device, an analog device, and various nodes in a digital domain are non-saturated and that useful signal power is adjusted to a certain power level. According to the present invention, total signal power on an air interface is subtracted from a preset first target power to obtain an analog auto gain control (AAGC) gain, and then a second target power is subtracted from an interference signal power in a digital baseband to obtain a digital auto gain control (DAGC) gain.
US08818311B2
A method of harmonic selection for mixing with a received signal includes receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal and determining a variable gain setting from among a plurality of gain settings or from a range of gain settings. The variable gain setting is based on the RF signal. The method further includes selecting a harmonic to provide to an input of a mixer to generate an output signal. A baseband signal or an intermediate frequency signal is generated from the output signal. The harmonic is selected based on the variable gain setting. An apparatus includes a harmonic selector that is configured to generate an indication of a selected harmonic. The harmonic is selected based on a variable gain setting determined from among a plurality of gain settings or from a range of gain settings. Based on the selected harmonic, a mixer generates an output signal. A baseband signal or an intermediate signal is generated from the output signal.
US08818309B2
A method includes receiving a desired channel indication in a radio tuner, determining a band of operation in which the channel is located, and if the channel is within a first band coupling multiple inductors into a resonant tank, and if the desired channel is within a second band coupling a single inductor into the resonant tank.
US08818306B2
A wireless communication device (100) carries out diversity reception and a noise cancellation process, and a signal combining section (combining circuit (123)) combines a plurality of received signals in a case where the diversity reception is carried out and combines a received signal and a noise signal in the noise cancellation process.
US08818304B2
According to one embodiment, a transmitter includes a first buffer, a second buffer, a logic circuit, and a class E power amplifier. The first buffer receives a first sinusoidal signal, and converts the first sinusoidal signal to a first rectangular wave signal. The second buffer receives a second sinusoidal signal having a phase delay with respect to the first sinusoidal signal, and converts the second sinusoidal signal to a second rectangular wave signal. The logic circuit receives the first and second rectangular wave signals, and performs logical operation processing on the first and second rectangular wave signals to generate a logic signal with a predetermined duty cycle. The class E power amplifier receives the logic signal, and performs amplification operation based on the logic signal.
US08818303B2
The present disclosure relates to transmission circuitry of a wireless communication device. The transmission circuitry includes power amplifier circuitry, an output matching network, and impedance control circuitry. The power amplifier circuitry amplifies a radio frequency (RF) input signal to provide an amplified RF output signal, which is passed through the output matching network and transmitted via one or more antennas. As the center frequency of the RF input signal and conditions of operating parameters change, the impedance control circuitry adjusts the values of one or more variable impedance elements of the output matching network in a desired fashion. The values of the variable impedance elements are adjusted such that the output matching network concurrently and dynamically presents the desired load impedances at the center frequency and at one or more harmonics of the RF input signal to achieve a given performance specification.
US08818301B2
The transmission device is constituted by transmitting units which are accommodated within a case in a state so that, in an xyz orthogonal coordinate system, in the z axis direction only two transmitting units are disposed adjacently and so that planar conducting plates are opposed to each other; in the x axis direction, two adjacent transmitting units are disposed so that one end portion of one unit and the other end portion of the other unit are adjacent; and in the y axis direction, two adjacent transmitting units are disposed so that one end portion of one unit and the other end portion of the other unit are adjacent.
US08818298B2
There is provided a high frequency switch formed on an SOI substrate and having improved insertion loss characteristics in a multimode system. The high frequency switch includes: at least one first port; at least one second port; a common port; a first series switch; and a second series switch.
US08818296B2
An integrated circuit package includes an encapsulation and lead frame with a portion of the lead frame disposed within the encapsulation. The lead frame includes a first conductor formed in the lead frame having a first conductive loop and a third conductive loop disposed substantially within the encapsulation. A second conductor is formed in the lead frame galvanically isolated from the first conductor. The second conductor includes a second conductive loop disposed substantially within the encapsulation proximate to the first conductive loop to provide a communication link between the first and second conductors. The third conductive loop is wound in an opposite direction relative to the first conductive loop in the encapsulation.
US08818294B2
Embodiments of methods and apparatuses for transmission using a plurality of transmit chains based on a cost function for electromagnetic radiation are disclosed. One method is utilizing a plurality of chains, adjusting at least one of a phase or an amplitude of at least one of the transmit chains based on a cost function, wherein the cost function comprises a criterion for quality of reception at an intended receiver and a threshold for electromagnetic radiation.
US08818291B2
A method for antenna calibration is provided, which includes the following steps: obtaining an updated calibration period T_i after the last time of antenna calibration (S301), calculating a calibration sequence of each antenna channel in the calibration period T_i (S302); according to the calibration sequence of each antenna channel, calibrating each antenna based on the calibration period T_i, and calculating a calibration error parameter (S303); and according to the obtained calibration error parameter, updating the calibration period T_i, and using the updated calibration period T_i for the next time of antenna calibration (S304). The technical solutions provided in the present invention, can monitor difference variety of radio channels in real time by the calibration error parameter, and reflect the calibration precision in real time by the reported calibration error parameter. Moreover, the technical solutions provided in the present invention, can adjust the calibration period in real time according to the calibration error parameter, and timely execute rational antenna calibration according to the calibration precision status.
US08818286B2
A wireless communication apparatus includes a communication unit, a detection unit, and a control unit. The communication unit wirelessly communicates with another wireless communication apparatus using a first wireless channel. The detection unit detects electric field intensities of wireless channels except for the first wireless channel. The control unit calculates an electric field intensity of the first wireless channel based on the electric field intensities of the wireless channels detected by the detection unit.
US08818285B2
Techniques for transmitting data with short-term interference mitigation in a wireless communication system are described. In one design, a first station (e.g., a base station or a terminal) may receive a message sent by a second station to request reduction of interference on at least one resource. In response to receiving the message, the first station may determine a first transmit power level to use for the at least one resource based on one or more factors such as a priority metric sent in the message, the buffer size at the first station, etc. The first station may send a power decision pilot on the at least one resource at a second transmit power level determined based on the first transmit power level.
US08818278B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of wireless communication discovery. For example, a first wireless communication device may include a wireless communication unit to discover a second wireless communication device according to an asymmetric discovery process, in which the wireless communication unit is to operate in only one first state selected from a searching state and a listening state, while the second wireless communication device is to operate in only one second state selected from the searching state and the listening state.
US08818275B2
A vehicle display device is provided with a communications interface, which couples the vehicle display device to portable input devices inside the vehicle. The portable input devices are thus provided with the ability to control the display device and what is displayed thereon. The communications interface also enables the portable input device to control vehicle subsystems such as a climate control system, entertainment system and the like. Portable input devices equipped with sensors have sensor-generated information displayed on the vehicle display device.
US08818274B2
A master device images an object device and uses the image to identify the object device. The master device then automatically interfaces with the identified object device, for example, by pairing with the object device. The master device may receive broadcast data from the object device including information about the visual appearance of the object device and use the broadcast data in the identification of the object device. The master device may retrieve data related to the object device and display the related data, which may be display the data over the displayed image of the object device. The master device may provide an interface to control the object device or be used to pass data to the object device.
US08818272B2
According to one exemplary embodiment, a system providing remote control of Bluetooth enabled electronic equipment comprises Bluetooth enabled electronic equipment for initiating a pairing mode to authorize a virtual remote controller transfer, a Bluetooth enabled wireless device for activating a setup mode so as to pair with the Bluetooth enabled electronic equipment and for downloading the virtual remote controller. The virtual remote controller may be described in an advanced markup language, for example. In one embodiment, a method for utilizing a Bluetooth enabled wireless device to remotely control a Bluetooth enabled electronic equipment comprises initiating a pairing mode of the Bluetooth enabled electronic equipment to authorize a virtual remote controller transfer, activating a setup mode of the Bluetooth enabled wireless device so as to pair with the Bluetooth enabled electronic equipment, and downloading the virtual remote controller to the Bluetooth enabled wireless device.
US08818270B2
A mobile device may be operable to determine, based on a known location of the mobile device, a location for a RF communication device that communicates with the mobile device, whenever the mobile device is within proximate range of the RF communication device. The determined location for the RF communication device may be stored in a location database in a location server and/or a memory in the RF communication device. The stored location of the RF communication device may then be used to determine a location for other mobile devices that may communicate with the RF communication device and are within proximate range of the RF communication device. The RF communication device may comprise a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device and/or a near field communication (NFC) device. The determined location for the RF communication device may comprise the known location of the mobile device.
US08818268B2
In this content data delivery method, content data is transmitted from a content server to a first semiconductor device through a network. Then, the content data, content ID identifying the content data, and route data showing a route through which the content data is transmitted are transmitted from the first semiconductor device to a second semiconductor device using close-proximity wireless communication. Thereafter, the content ID and the route data are transmitted from the second semiconductor device to the content server. In addition, based on the route data, a reward corresponding to the content ID is calculated for the first semiconductor device, and the reward is provided to the first semiconductor device.
US08818260B2
A wireless relay module for networked communications between a series of medical devices and a remote monitoring device. An interface circuit coupled to each medical device communicates with the wireless relay module via a wireless relay network. The relay module communicates with the remote monitoring device over an internet-accessible wireless communication network, and includes a receiver coupled to the wireless relay network, a first transmitter coupled to the wireless relay network, a second transmitter coupled to the internet-accessible wireless communications network; and a controller. The controller determines a status of the internet-accessible wireless communications network. When the status indicates that the internet-accessible wireless communications network is accessible, the second transmitter is selected for transmitting medical device data. When the internet-accessible wireless communications network is not accessible, the first transmitter is selected for transmitting the data to another wireless relay module.
US08818252B2
A toner fixing system fixes toner onto a receiver medium. A reservoir contains a heating liquid. A liquid-heating system warms the heating liquid in the reservoir to a temperature greater than a toner glass transition temperature. A media-transport system transports the receiver medium along a transport path which passes through the reservoir. The receiver medium is submerged in the warmed heating liquid, so heat is transferred from the warmed heating liquid to the toner. The temperature of the toner is raised to a level above the toner glass transition temperature.
US08818251B2
A cleaning web for cleaning the surface of articles to be cleaned, produced by impregnating a web for cleaning the surface of articles to be cleaned with an oil, wherein the web is a nonwoven fabric containing a melt-liquid-crystal-forming wholly aromatic polyester having a melt viscosity of 20 Pa·s or less at 310° C. as the principal component that is produced by melt-blown method.
US08818250B2
A fixing device to fix a toner image on a recording medium in a nip portion formed by a heated fixing member and a pressure member, the fixing device including: an air ejection section to eject and blow air against the recording medium to separate the recording medium from the fixing member, a first guide member provided on a fixing face side of the recording medium discharged from the nip portion to guide the recording medium, a second guide member provided on a non-fixing face side of the recording medium discharged from the nip portion to guide the recording medium, also having a predetermined clearance with respect to the pressure member, and an air suction section provided on a opposite side position with respect to the first guide member in the second guide member to suction air of the clearance and attract the recording medium to the second guide member.
US08818249B2
An image forming apparatus includes a primary transfer body that bears a developer image, a secondary transfer portion for transferring the developer image from the primary transfer body to a medium, and an introduction portion provided on an upstream side of the secondary transfer portion in a conveying direction of the medium. The introduction portion introduces the primary transfer portion and the medium toward the secondary transfer portion. The introduction portion has a gap having a predetermined distance therebetween.
US08818247B2
A developing cartridge is provided. The developing cartridge includes a first frame and a second frame and a layer thickness regulating member. The first frame and the second frame include a first welding surface formed at a periphery of the developer accommodating part correspondingly to a developer accommodating part; and a second welding surface extending continuously from the first welding surface correspondingly to a roller support part. The first welding surface extends in a direction orthogonal to an overlapping direction of the first frame and the second frame. The second welding surface extends to be inclined toward a side of the first frame in the overlapping direction as extending toward the developing roller. The layer thickness regulating member is provided to cover the second welding surface from a side of the second frame in the overlapping direction.
US08818245B2
A developing device having a housing that houses two-component developer containing carrier and toner, replenishing replenishment carrier to the housing while gradually ejecting developer to outside from an outlet. The developing device includes: transport passage provided in the housing so that developer is transported therein; transport member provided in the housing and rotates to transport the developer; ejection passage having diverged from the transport passage so that a part of the developer transported in the transport passage is conveyed therein to the outlet; and restriction unit configured to restrict an amount of ejected developer so that a first amount of developer is ejected from the outlet when the transport member rotates at a first speed, and a second amount of developer is ejected when it rotates at a second speed. The second amount is smaller than the first amount. The second speed is higher than the first speed.
US08818243B2
A wet-type development device includes a draw-up roller and a conveyance roller rotating in contact with each other's surface, and a developer regulating member arranged facing to and keeping a distance from a nip section formed between the draw-up roller and the conveyance roller at the contact surface. The developer regulating member forms a storage space for storing developer to be supplied toward the nip section, on the upstream side of the nip section. The fluid level of developer in the vertical direction in the storage space is higher than the nip section when the developer is being supplied to the nip section.
US08818234B2
An image forming apparatus including a process cartridge detachably installable in a main body of the image forming apparatus, a main reference portion receiver to receive a main reference portion provided to the process cartridge, a sub-reference portion receiver to receive a sub-reference portion provided to the process cartridge, and a pressing mechanism to press the process cartridge to cause the main reference portion to contact the main reference portion receiver upon installation of the process cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The pressing mechanism presses the process cartridge in a direction angled with respect to a line connecting a center of the main reference portion with a contact position where the pressing mechanism contacts the process cartridge.
US08818228B2
An image forming system capable of immediately responding to a job command given by a user, reducing power consumption, and preventing the service life of component parts from being adversely affected. In a case where no printing is to be performed, a main controller of the image forming system controls each of first and second image forming apparatuses of the image forming system to assume either a standby state or a sleep state. In a case where printing is to be performed, the main controller controls each of the first and second image forming apparatuses to assume either the standby state or the sleep state according to whether double-sided printing should be performed or single-sided printing should be performed.
US08818219B2
An image forming apparatus includes a developer containing part, a developer mixer, a mixer drive motor, a magnetic sleeve, a sleeve drive motor, a mixer rotation speed determination part and a motor drive controller. The developer containing part contains a two-component developer including a toner and a carrier. The developer mixer is provided in the developer containing part, agitates the two-component developer, and charges the toner and the carrier. The mixer rotation speed determination part determines the mixer rotation speed of the mixer drive motor according to a supply amount of the toner supplied to the developer containing part from a toner cartridge by driving of a toner supply motor. The motor drive controller independently performs rotation control of the sleeve drive motor and the mixer drive motor, and rotates and controls the mixer drive motor at the mixer rotation speed determined by the mixer rotation speed determination part.
US08818218B2
A photosensor includes a light emitting element to emit light to a target object, a light receiving element to receive the light emitted from the light emitting element and reflected by the target object, and a circuit board on which the light emitting element and the light receiving element are mounted, including at least one protrusion thereon. The light emitting element and the light receiving element each have a terminal. The at least one protrusion is configured to support one of the light emitting element and the light receiving element in a contact manner in a state that the terminal is electrically connected to the circuit board.
US08818212B2
The image forming apparatus having a suction conveying portion, including a belt member arranged between a transfer portion and a fixing unit, for conveying sheet while suctioning at a conveying face of the belt member, a moving portion which moves the upstream side of a conveying face or downward, and a position controller which controls operation of the moving portion to move the upstream side of the conveying face to a position being close to the transfer portion from a receiving position after sheet fed from the transfer portion is received by the suction conveying portion which is located at the receiving position being apart from the transfer portion.
US08818199B2
A correlation system, such as a correlation optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) system, transmits a correlation sequence, such as an M-sequence, and measures the returns of the correlation sequence over time. The system correlates the transmitted sequence with the returns to provide correlation measurement values that respectively correspond to different distances from the point of transmission. A correlation error compensation element estimates a correlation error floor based on at least one correlation measurement value corresponding to a point along the fiber beyond a finite impulse response (FIR) length from the transmitter. The correlation error compensation element adjusts each correlation measurement value estimate in order to cancel the contribution of the correlation error floor from the measurements to provide compensated measurement values that are substantially free of the effects of the correlation error floor.
US08818194B2
A tunable optical demultiplexer includes a control circuit and one or more heaters thermally coupled to waveguides of an optical demux. The control circuit is in signal communication with the one or more heaters and includes a processor coupled to a memory. The control circuit is configured to receive an optical channel group (OCG) identification signal and adjust the power delivered to the heaters in response to the OCG identification signal and based on parameter values stored in the memory. The optical demux outputs a plurality of optical signals at a corresponding one of a plurality of outputs. The transmission characteristics of the optical demux are varied depending on the amount of power delivered to the heaters. The varying of the transmission characteristics of the optical demux adjusts the spectral shifting of the plurality of wavelengths output by the optical demux.
US08818191B2
A method for reallocating a wavelength in an optical wavelength multiplexer transmission system is disclosed. The method includes switching a supply of a first channel electric signal from a first optical transmitter device to a second optical transmitter device, the first optical transmitter device converting the first channel electric signal into an optical signal of a first wavelength, and the second optical transmitter device converting the first channel electric signal into an optical signal of a second wavelength differing from the first wavelength, and transmitting the optical signal of the second wavelength output from the second optical transmitter device.
US08818181B1
Provided is a camera module including: a lens barrel including at least one lens group; a moving frame that includes the lens barrel, is movable in a first direction and in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and includes first and second magnets that are disposed on two sides in the first direction; a fixed frame that movably supports the moving frame and includes first and second magnetic sensors that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction to respectively correspond to the first and second magnets; and a position information generating unit that generates position information of the first and second magnets in the second direction based on a first detection signal detected by the first magnetic sensor and a second detection signal detected by the second magnetic sensor.
US08818180B2
A video reproducing apparatus includes a decoding unit performing decoding of coded video signals of multiple viewpoints, a load detecting unit detecting a process load on the decoding unit, and a control unit controlling the decoding unit in accordance with the detected process load and reducing a load of the decoding from a viewpoint with a low degree of priority.
US08818171B2
Systems and methods for adaptive bitrate streaming of alternative streams of video encoded at resolution and sample aspect ratio combinations and maximum bitrates in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a source encoder configured to encode a source video stream as a plurality of alternative streams of video for playback on a playback device includes a processor configured to receive multimedia content including source video data having a primary resolution, a primary sample aspect ratio, and a primary frame rate and to encode the source video data as alternative streams of video, where the resolution and sample aspect ratio of at least one of the alternative streams of video are selected to have an aspect ratio that is the same as a predetermined display aspect ratio and at least one of the alternative streams is encoded at a maximum bitrate.
US08818170B2
For a content-prerecorded large capacity disc-shaped recording medium, a user interface having high flexibility is accomplished. Button image data, corresponding sound data as an effect sound, and control commands for the sound data and image data are multiplexed with a stream and recorded on the disc. A scenario reproduced from the disc is stored in a buffer. The image data and sound data are stored in a buffer. Image data is read from the buffer in accordance with a scenario and expanded to a graphics plane. In addition, corresponding sound data is read from the buffer and reproduced by a sound player. When a button image is varied in accordance with a state change of the button, an effect sound is reproduced. As a result, a more effective user interface is accomplished.
US08818169B2
In one embodiment, a method of controlling playback of media content can include: receiving a delivery indication that a disc having media content stored thereon has been physically received by a user at a delivery location; receiving an authorization code and a disc identifier via a web interface, where the authorization code is determined by a disc player in response to the disc being inserted into the disc player; determining whether the user is authorized to playback the media content on the disc player based on the disc identifier, the delivery indication, and the authorization code; and providing an unlock code via the web interface if the user is determined to be authorized to playback the media content on the disc player, where the unlock code is to be entered via the disc player to allow the playback of the media content.
US08818167B2
Provided is a receiving apparatus, including: a stream receiver unit configured to receive a broadcast transport stream; a partial-transport-stream recorder configured to create a partial transport stream from the received broadcast transport stream, and to record the partial transport stream in a recording medium; an event generating section configured to generate an event, the event relating to the received broadcast transport stream; and a private-descriptor inserting section configured to create a private descriptor, the private descriptor being information on the generated event, and to insert the private descriptor in a section of the partial transport stream.
US08818165B2
Non-destructive editing of a movie stream recorded with management information attached thereto according to a predetermined standard format is performed. First, an entry for desired content from among real play lists is added to a virtual play list. In the virtual play list, a playback content editing operation is performed. The process of editing a virtual play list that does not contain content of an entity involves non-destructive editing that does not accompany editing of the content of an entity. In addition, non-destructive editing of a virtual play list only requires the updating of a management information file, and only involves an increase in the used amount of the recording medium by the additional amount of the management information even if a playback section is copied, thus improving user convenience.
US08818159B2
A fiber mount device 2 includes a fiber sub-mount main body 31 that is made of ceramic transmitting a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength, a bonding pad 33 that is provided on the upper surface of the fiber sub-mount main body 31, and a laser absorption layer 32 that is provided on at least a part of the lower surface of the fiber sub-mount main body 31 and absorbs the laser beam having the predetermined wavelength.
US08818148B2
In a ridge waveguide serial interferometer mode conversion is induced by a first mode conversion section, a phase difference between modes is introduced by propagation over a length of waveguide and optical interference is produced following further mode conversion induced in a second mode conversion section. The first mode conversion section has a first radius of curvature, which is equal to a second radius of curvature of the second mode conversion section. The ridge waveguide interferometer advantageously provides an equal phase dependency as a function of temperature.
US08818145B2
An optical interposer comprising a transparent substrate having first and second sides, at least one OED mounted to the first side, at least one reflective surface and at least one groove defined on the second side, and an optical conduit disposed in the groove optically coupled to the OED by the reflective surface.
US08818144B2
A process for preparing a subassembly, the process comprising: (a) defining the location of one or more grooves for receiving optical conduits on the top planar surface of a wafer or panel, the grooves corresponding to multiple interposers on the wafer or panel; and (b) etching the grooves into the wafer or panel, each groove having sidewalls and first and second terminal ends and a first facet at each terminal end perpendicular to the side walls, each first facet having a first angle relative to the top planar surface, each groove being shared by a pair of transmitting and receiving interposers on the wafer or panel prior to being diced such that the first and second terminal ends of each groove correspond to transmitting and receiving interposers, respectively.
US08818139B2
An image reproduction apparatus for displaying images of image files including an image of a target point to be observed by using image files located adjacent to the target point. A method of reproducing an image of an image file on an electronic map including the image file so that position information of the image file matches position information on the electronic map includes: (a) selecting a target point to be observed on the electronic map and obtaining position information of the target point; (b) setting a search range of image files on the electronic map; (c) searching for image files including an image of the target point within the set search range; and (d) displaying images of the found image files on the electronic map.
US08818135B1
A first image at a first resolution is received, the first image having a first hole therein. Based on the first image, a second image is generated at a second resolution lower than the first resolution, the second image having a second hole therein corresponding to the first hole. In the second image, one or more second-image source patches for the second hole are identified. At least one first-image source patch in the first image is identified based on a location of the identified second-image source patch. The identified at least one first-image source patch are stored in memory. Fill content are identified in the at least one first-image source patch stored in the memory. The identified fill content are placed in the first hole.
